"The Bloodline Alliance is not the private property of any single Warlock—it is a union of all Warlocks, with its own will and interests!"
Aufa's voice was frigid. "Even if
On this matter, driven by the instinct to protect their own interests, neither
"Besides,
A sharp glint flashed through Aufa's eyes.
As the eldest and most powerful of the Radiant Moon Warlocks, his authority within the Bloodline Alliance was not to be underestimated.
"Indeed! Young men—they ought to have some fire in their veins!"
From the other side, Wade, whose entire body gleamed gold like a god of war forged from the metal, spoke up as well.
"But… Bevis is someone who could advance to Dawn Star. If these two Warlocks end up harboring grudges because of today's events, the future of our Bloodline Alliance's Warlocks could be…"
Geoffrey still harbored some concerns.
"Bevis hasn't advanced to Dawn Star yet. And how can you be so certain that he'll be the one to ultimately reach Rank Six?"
"How could I not be certain? He has the—" Geoffrey instinctively began to retort, but upon catching Aufa's half-smiling expression, he fell silent, sinking deep into thought.
Although Aufa had always claimed he would handle matters impartially, this time the two parties were a Rank Five Warlock with a rank five bloodline source and a Warlock whose bloodline source went all the way to rank six—one who held hope of advancing to Dawn Star. For Aufa to adjudicate so fairly and allow the two to settle things privately was, in a sense, already a form of "unfairness."
"Could it be that Aufa also has great expectations for that Leylin?"
Geoffrey suddenly understood.
Seeing the look of realization dawning on his face, Aufa nodded with satisfaction. "The prophecy never explicitly stated who would advance to Dawn Star! Although Lord Bevis has the greatest likelihood, Lord Leylin also has hope—and in fact, every one of us here, and those Morning Star Peak Warlocks as well, all have a chance… Therefore, when the time comes, placing a small bet is a necessary measure to maintain our influence. We've already staked a great deal on Bevis, but we cannot afford to neglect our support for other Warlocks…"
"I understand!" Geoffrey nodded gravely.
"Good that you understand! No matter who wins or loses between the two of them, you are to approach the one who falls and show goodwill—reveal our benevolence…"
Aufa spoke with a pleasant smile on his face.
"You mean... Lord Aufa thinks Lord Lei Lin actually has a chance of winning?" Geoffrey's jaw dropped. "Bevis has already advanced to mid-rank Radiant Moon, and he carries the bloodline of a sixth-level existence..."
"Hehe... A warlock who can independently advance to the fifth level of bloodline power is no ordinary person!" Aufa smiled mysteriously, leaning in a little closer. A strange gleam seemed to flash through his clouded eyes. "Lord Lei Lin is someone who excels at creating miracles. The outcome of this battle is still impossible to predict, but regardless, there's no point in saying more. Let us wait and see!"
Hearing Aufa's words, Geoffrey and Wade also watched the battlefield with solemn expressions.
……
Within the world rift, the Chip's scanning was active. Lei Lin had long since detected Bevis lurking nearby, though he hadn't spotted any other Radiant Moon warlocks. This struck Lei Lin as somewhat strange.
"Aufa and the others actually didn't come with Bevis to put pressure on me — could they really be staying neutral? That's actually a bit beyond my expectations!"
A sharp gleam flashed through Lei Lin's eyes. "And their intentions are quite clear now. If Bevis suppresses me and forces me back, then there's nothing more to discuss. But if I defeat Bevis or break through his blockade... they'll simply let me do as I please?"
"Placing bets on both sides — what a bunch of old foxes!" Lei Lin sighed inwardly.
Then, as he looked at Bevis, a trace of pity entered his gaze. No matter how talented this young man might be, he still lacked experience. He clearly hadn't even considered this layer of meaning and was still fuming over what had just happened.
"Aaaargh... Lei Lin Farrell, I won't let you get away with this! Get back where you came from!"
Bevis roared, and massive waves of mist power surged forth from his body.
"Fine then — I'll play along for a bit, use you to warm up. Besides..." Lei Lin smiled, and a torrent of dark, sinister flames suddenly erupted from his body.
The piercing cries of a phoenix continuously rose from within the flames.
In an instant, the massive flames surged upward, coalescing into an alluring phoenix made of black fire.
"Wicked Phoenix Soar!" Accompanied by the high-pitched hum of flames tearing through space, the majestic fire phoenix spread its wings and unleashed a tremendous tide of black flames.
The void was continuously melted away by the black flames — even the mist that Bevis had previously released was devoured and absorbed by the dark fire.
After awakening the Devouring talent of the Kemoyin Snake Emperor, Lei Lin had discovered that the devouring ability of his black flames had also greatly improved. The two abilities complemented each other perfectly.
"So this is where your confidence comes from? A black phoenix — what kind of bloodline ability is that?"
The scorching heat of the flames, combined with the sinister devouring force, caused Bevis's expression to shift slightly.
"But before my bloodline, no matter how bizarre the ability, it must bow in submission!"
Bevis's eyes instantly turned a deep crimson. A vast torrent of bloodline power radiated from his body — distant and profound, it even exerted a certain degree of suppression upon Leylin.
This was the unique aura emitted by an ancient sixth-level bloodline. No ordinary fifth-level creature would dare provoke it.
Merely on this basis, Bevis held an enormous advantage in battles against warlocks whose bloodline origins ranked below his own.
But Leylin was different. As the sovereign among his kind, the Komodo Snake Emperor bloodline possessed remarkable resistance to the pressure of sixth-level beings, and the suppression he endured fell far short of what his opponent had anticipated.
[Alert! Main body is subjected to the opponent's bloodline suppression. All attributes have decreased slightly!] the Chip promptly reported.
Leylin glanced at the data panel, where the numbers had dropped by mere single digits, and felt quite speechless.
"Is the suppressive power of a sixth-level bloodline really this weak? Or is my Komodo Snake Emperor bloodline simply too dominant?"
"Screech~~~!" Under Bevis's disbelieving gaze, the black flame phoenix soared toward him without the slightest sign of being affected.
Its wings — like twin blades of fire — swept across in a cross slash, and terrifying black flames instantly enveloped and devoured him.
"How is this possible? Mine… is a sixth-level bloodline! How can it fail to suppress even a fifth-level one?!"
After the black flames subsided, Bevis's appearance was quite disheveled, but a thick layer of mist armor encased his body, sparing him from serious injury. The blow to his confidence, however, was immeasurable.
"Isn't that just the Mist Giant bloodline? Hardly a top-tier pick among the ancient sixth-level creatures… What's the point of hiding it?" Leylin scoffed with disdain, leaving Bevis momentarily stunned. "You… how did you know?"
"Guess?" Leylin wore a relaxed smile on his face, one that made Bevis so furious he could vomit blood.
His bloodline ability carried a talent for concealment — one of his trump cards. Even those Radiant Moon warlocks had never been able to see through it. Yet before Leylin, it had crumbled with ease.
Deep down, Bevis couldn't help but develop a growing sense of wariness toward Leylin, and that feeling intensified by the moment, crystallizing into even more hatred.
"You deserve to die! You deserve to die!" Bevis roared.
Boom! A massive surge of mist erupted behind him, coalescing into the enormous phantom of a giant.
The giant had four thick, powerful arms. Its bald head bore a single colossal vertical eye, and its skin was a marble-like blue-green. Countless streams of gray mist poured continuously from its pores, shrouding the entire body in a hazy veil.
Since Leylin had already seen through him, Bevis saw no further need to conceal anything.
"ROAR ROAR…" The Mist Giant raised all four massive arms and let out a savage roar. Waves of mist spread outward, forming a vast gray fog domain.
"So it really is a Mist Giant!" Leylin's eyes flickered.
Now that hostilities had begun, he naturally held nothing back. He immediately ordered the Chip to forcibly breach the other's Field detection, obtaining the true information about its bloodline. Everything about the Mist Giant was now displayed in detail within the Chip.
[Mist Giant. Rank Six creature. Era of appearance: Ancient Times. Habitat: Swamps with abundant mist, or abandoned
"Aah… Leylin! I'll kill you, kill you…"
Bevis roared, the madness in both his eyes growing ever more apparent: "Innate Ability — Giant Transformation!"
Crack! Crack! His entire frame surged upward in height, merging with the phantom behind him. Two additional arms sprouted from beneath his ribs, and under the effect of the innate ability, he truly transformed into an ancient Mist Giant!
"Hmm! A bit smaller than what the Chip's records indicate — should still be in the semi-adult stage at Rank Five!"
Leylin smiled. The blood-red halos behind him merged together, and his entire body dissolved into a torrent of black mist before reassembling into a terrifying Comorin Serpent Emperor: "Innate Ability — Comorin Serpentine Transformation!"
BOOM! Within the gray, hazy space, a colossal serpent exceeding a hundred thousand meters in length and a four-armed giant crashed violently into each other. Vast stretches of void shattered around them, and the residual shockwaves were enough to send tremors through the Morning Star space nearby.