"Field neutralization reaction detected! Primary radiation contamination dissipating!"
At that moment, the Chip's notification tone came through once again.
As the mist around
Once the last wisp of mist vanished, Leylin immediately ordered the radiation to cease.
He then looked down at his skin, which bore the appearance of severe burns, and let out a bitter laugh.
For an ordinary person, such injuries would have long proved fatal, but for a
Crack! Crack!
Leylin gave his body a slight shake, and the scabs on his skin immediately began to crack. Layer upon layer of skin wrinkled and peeled away, forming a process reminiscent of a snake shedding its skin.
Then, as though removing a garment, he shed all of the dead skin, revealing a layer of smooth, fair skin underneath.
In just a few minutes, Leylin—who had looked like a vengeful specter moments before—had regained his original appearance.
"That was genuinely dangerous. That conceptual being is still beyond my current capacity to comprehend!"
After changing into fresh clothes, Leylin let out a long breath.
Whatever could leave him nearly helpless with just a trickle of spiritual energy contamination had to be an existence that had surpassed the Morning Star tier, perhaps even reaching the Radiant Moon rank!
Had he not happened to have the Snake Woman's bone segments on hand for the corresponding neutralization treatment, this trouble would likely have plagued him for a long time.
As it stood, though the contamination radiation from the other party was formidable, the Snake Woman was also an ancient Tier Five being. When two high-level radiation forces collided, the only possible outcome was mutual annihilation.
Leylin had taken a certain risk in doing this, but the results seemed satisfactory.
"This whole affair is a warning. It seems the experiments can be concluded for the time being…"
Leylin stepped out of the core chamber and instructed the tower spirit to bring him some sweet pastries and refreshments. Only then did he ask, "While I was conducting my experiments, has anything happened outside?"
During experimentation, Wizards were expected to sever all external communications as a matter of course, so as not to be disturbed mid-process.
The tower spirit at this time played the role of a butler — not only blocking external communications, but also filtering out the most valuable information for Leylin to review.
"The
Leylin stroked his chin. "Don't tell me that woman has already broken through to the Crystal Stage?"
His relationship with Freya was quite good, especially after he had sold the Bloodline Crystals last time — their rapport had improved considerably. Although Freya had subsequently entered seclusion and they hadn't been in much contact, they were still members of the same organisation. He couldn't very well refuse the courtesy.
"Tell Pike I'll receive that Tim here tomorrow!"
Leylin thought for a moment, then issued the order. Apart from this main affair, there were only some trivial matters to attend to — though none of them could bypass Leylin as the supreme authority.
There were many things that simply could not be carried out in this territory without his approval.
This was a necessary process; even though it was somewhat cumbersome and resulted in inefficiency, it was unavoidable…
The next day. Tim, who had been waiting for quite some time, finally met the long-famous Leylin inside the Wizard Tower.
Adamantine golems served drinks and refreshments before quickly withdrawing.
Leylin regarded the somewhat nervous young man before him. Clearly, he was very young, yet the purity of the bloodline within him even surpassed that of Roloa from the
"Lord Leylin's Wizard Tower is truly awe-inspiring!"
Tim voiced his sincere admiration. Leylin's top-of-the-line Wizard Tower was renowned throughout the entire Ring of Ouroboros, and every guest who visited would express similar sentiments.
Yet coming from Tim's mouth, these words carried a genuine sincerity that earned him a small measure of Leylin's goodwill.
"Tim, did you come here for some particular reason?"
After chatting for a while, Leylin finally asked.
Upon hearing this, Tim's expression grew solemn. "Tim has come under the orders of the Clan Head to deliver this invitation to you, my lord!"
As he spoke, he held an invitation card with both hands and respectfully presented it to Leylin.
Under normal circumstances, for ordinary matters, communication through the Arcane Imprint would suffice. A personal invitation delivered by a designated messenger was a courtesy reserved only for the great nobles, and even then, only for celebrations or major festivals.
"Freya has advanced to the Crystal Stage! Truly cause for celebration — I'll go congratulate her in person!"
The paper gave off a faint, pleasant fragrance, and Leylin scanned its contents with a quick glance before nodding.
Every advancement for a high-level Wizard was an arduous affair, and each success was worth celebrating. The last time Leylin had advanced to the Vaporisation Stage, he had invited a whole crowd of senior apprentices over — and Crystallisation was an order of magnitude beyond that.
"Thank you, my lord!" Dim bowed respectfully.
Though Freya had only just advanced now, and her talent was far from Robin's, it was still commendable.
Moreover, their family was keen on cultivating a good relationship with Leylin. After all, at his age, he was already a Liquefied Wizard — his future prospects were boundless.
That was assuming they didn't already know about his advancement to Crystallisation. If they did, they would show him even greater regard.
"This time, I really must attend!"
Invitations among the nobility were a matter of great importance. The other party had gone out of their way to send someone in such a grand fashion — if Leylin still dared refuse, even Freya would likely feel upset about it.
After seeing Dim off, Leylin let out a soft sigh.
With his current strength, as long as he deliberately concealed his aura, a Tier 2 Wizard like Dim would naturally have no way of detecting his true level.
"Crystallisation at two hundred? That would be far too conspicuous!"
Leylin shook his head. "I'd better keep a low profile this time and hide some of my strength before heading over!"
Accustomed to playing the part of the weak while harboring true power, Leylin had developed the Mimicry Spell back in his apprentice days — a technique for concealing one's appearance and Spiritual Power fluctuations. Combined with the Spiritual Power compression secret art he had later acquired, it had proven enormously convenient.
After reaching Tier 3, however, the effectiveness of these spells had diminished. Not one to settle, Leylin had refined the Mimicry Spell further using knowledge from the Ouroboros Ring and the spell templates he had collected, even developing several specialised techniques to use in conjunction with it.
Leylin had supreme confidence in his concealment abilities.
At full effort, even a peak Tier 3 Crystallised Wizard might not see through him. Short of a Morning Star Wizard standing right in front of him, he feared no one.
"Freya is Blood Duke
Leylin stroked his chin, a contemplative glint passing through his eyes.
"But recently, Karsa told me that the teachers seem to have discovered a world — and it's very likely a Purgatory World at that. All three Elders are completely absorbed in the Astral Gate experiments. There's virtually no chance of them coming out!"
The Comorin Warlocks' hunger for a Purgatory World was something outsiders could never hope to understand.
The mere traces of the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents within would be enough to drive every Warlock in the Circle of Ouroboros mad. After all, the shackles of their bloodlines all hinged upon her for resolution.
Moreover, the Purgatory World itself was a massive realm, possessing virtually inexhaustible wealth — large enough to be classified as a major world compared to the surrounding realms. Otherwise, the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents would never have chosen to migrate her clan into it. All of this drew numerous Wizards to venture forth and explore.
"The Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents is at the very least a being of rank seven or above. Even if they find her, what leverage would Master and the others have to negotiate?"
Leylin shook his head, holding little optimism for
With all three Elders tied up in their Astral Gate research, this presented him with an opportunity to fish in troubled waters.
The other high-ranking Warlocks would be unable to see through his disguise, making it entirely feasible for him to conceal his Spiritual Power fluctuations and attend the celebration.
……
Blossom Basin — this was the territory of the Freya family.
As hereditary nobles, the extent of their domain far surpassed Leylin's Black Castle.
As for the wealth of its inhabitants, it was even further beyond what Leylin could match after a hundred years of development.
Freya's castle stood beside a winding river, surrounded by a vast sea of flowers.
Brilliant, colorful petals blanketed the ground, and amid their sweet fragrance, Leylin caught faint traces of a fishy smell.
He extended his hand and immediately plucked a multicolored serpent from beneath one of the flowers.
The snake's scales were covered in gorgeous colors that harmonized perfectly with the scattered petals, making it virtually indistinguishable to the naked eye.
Sensing the bloodline within Leylin's body, the flower snake did not dare resist. Instead, it curled its body up as tightly as it could, looking rather pitiful.
"Looks like this is yet another product of bloodline hybridization!"
Leylin was somewhat speechless. He placed the flower snake — whose venom could breach a regular Wizard's innate defenses — back among the flowers, then shook his head.
As bloodline nobles, it would be abnormal if they weren't devoted to the study of bloodline manipulation techniques.
But in Leylin's eyes, having obtained the precious experimental data from the Hourglass organization, the experiments here appeared rather crude.
The creatures produced through their manipulation were the sort of goods he wouldn't even bother looking at twice if they were placed right in front of him.
In comparison, it was the ancient castle at the heart of the flower sea that truly interested Leylin.
The Blood Serpent Castle inherited by the Frie clan was no mere mortal dwelling like Leylin's Black Castle, but a proper Wizard's Castle.
Through the joint efforts of countless generations of bloodline warlocks, every inch of the current Blood Serpent Castle had been completely imbued with the power of magic.
And the formidable defensive formation that resulted from this could even withstand an attack from a Morning Star Wizard for a time.