The basement level of the
This was a gathering place for Negative Energy, and a location where Wizards conducted many forbidden research experiments. There was even a dedicated extra-dimensional summoning array for calling Devils and Demons, making powerful binding chambers an essential safety measure.
Researching Demons and Devils! To put it bluntly, if a Priest or Paladin ever discovered what was going on here, the perpetrators would certainly end up on wanted lists — becoming criminals hunted by every human nation.
Unfortunately, for a High-ranking Wizard, aside from the few who advanced through obscure paths, virtually all of them had to deal with Negative Energy to some degree.
And once one reached the realm of Legendary Wizard, those madmen would go so far as to brazenly defy the gods' prohibitions and venture into the domain of the Arcane, treating deities as nothing more than an afterthought.
Because in the eyes of those forbidden scholars, gods were merely powerful Wizards.
If not for their terrible luck or late births, those divine thrones might not even belong to the current gods!
It was precisely this pursuit of truth and knowledge that made Wizards so prone to harboring such "blasphemous" ideas, which in turn drew the gods' deep abhorrence. The deities had gone so far as to collectively create the
Yet even after the Arcane civilization was destroyed and the Weave had neutered most Wizards, once those who entered the Legendary realm emerged, they still walked the path of questioning the gods. Under immense pressure, even greater conflicts and backlash followed — one could hardly call it anything but ironic.
"An extra-dimensional summoning array? It can only call creatures from different planes within the Crystal Wall system, but that's already quite impressive…"
Leilin stood beside an array covered in multicolored runes, his eyes filled with scholarly curiosity.
After seeing the three Priests off, he had thrown himself straight into his Arcane research.
He was now a sixteen-rank High Arcane Practitioner, so delving into practical research in this area was only natural.
"The summoning spells of the gods' world seem to carry extremely powerful restrictions, along with alignment distinctions. Of course… anyone can summon Demons, as long as they can control the situation afterward…"
Leilin murmured thoughtfully, activating the runes on the array.
"Since this is my first time, I'll summon a Demon. I'm already quite familiar with Devils, but I still lack direct firsthand knowledge of Demons…"
—Demonic Summoning!
As this was his first attempt, Leilin hadn't prepared to summon anything too powerful. But the moment he cast the spell, he abruptly felt his Spiritual Power connect with a vast, dark, and chaotic plane of existence.
"So this is the Abyss? Tremendous spatial forces, and this feeling of chaos…"
The Abyss had hundreds of known layers, with countless more undiscovered. There were even rumors that the Nine Hells had originally separated from the Abyss.
With Leilin's current Spiritual Power, even with the amplification of spells and arrays, he couldn't penetrate deep into the Abyss — he could only circle through the surface layers.
"Hmm! A muddled and chaotic soul signature, and this faint sensation — probably just an Abyssal Worm or similar creature. Too weak!… And this one's too strong, possibly approaching the Legendary level. Too many variables — pass…"
His refined and precise Spiritual Power gave Leilin more options than other Wizards.
Finally, after a rough sweep, he found his target for this session: "A soul signature that's robust but not too powerful — not too weak, either. You'll do! Summon!!"
A plane coordinate locked onto the target, and a moment later Leilin watched as a portal opened and a terrifying, grotesque Demon was transported through.
"Gwaaark!!!"
What filled Leilin's vision was a massive Demon that looked like a vulture standing upright — completely bald, with enormous wing-like appendages on its back exposing disgusting reddish, plucked skin. Its arms, vaguely human-like, ended in enormous raptor talons tipped with razor-sharp nails.
Upon seeing Leilin, the creature attacked without hesitation. The bloodlust, chaos, and madness roiling in its soul made Leilin's pupils widen slightly.
"That should be a Vrock! Though it evolved from the same Abyssal Worm stock, it should qualify as a mid-tier Demon!"
"And this chaos and backlash, hmph!"
Leilin snorted coldly. The binding array, long prepared, blazed with dazzling light. Dozens of lightning bolts formed a massive cage. The Vrock's enormous claws clashed against the lightning with a deafening crack. Black flames erupted everywhere, forcing the creature to shriek and recoil. At last, a glimmer of fear appeared in its eyes.
"A bully that picks on the weak and fears the strong."
Leilin shook his head, pressing his right index finger to his temple. "Chip! Scan the target! Collect data!"
[Ding! Task established. Scan commencing!]The Chip faithfully carried out Leilin's command.
Soon, a three-dimensional scan image materialized before Leilin's eyes, accompanied by detailed data: [Name: Unknown. Race: Vrock (Tanar'ri). Strength: 16. Agility: 17. Constitution: 15. Spirit: 13. Innate abilities: 1. Demon Skin 2. Flight 3. Corrupting Aura 4. Spell-like abilities. Assessment: A mid-tier Demon whose soul contains the chaotic and evil essence of the Abyss. Unless completely mind-controlled, backlash from its madness is inevitable!]
"A template befitting a high-ranking professional, with each ability exceeding the norm."
Leilin commented flatly, then examined the creature's alignment aura and soul essence. "What a chaotic and mad soul. And this sensation of evil…"
He had to admit, though he'd heard plenty about Demons beforehand, seeing one in person had thoroughly disappointed him.
"These are nothing but evil madmen wielding tremendous power!"
After witnessing the creature's soul essence, Leilin finally understood why the Demons had suffered repeated defeats in the Blood War against the Devils. Both were evil existences, but he had little respect for beings who had completely surrendered themselves to chaos.
"The chaotic essence of the Abyss… Where did it all originate?"
Thought flickered through Leilin's eyes as he regarded the Vrock inside the binding array. The coldness in his gaze was enough to make even this mad Demon feel fear.
"My time is limited, but for the first specimen I've obtained, I can afford this much patience!"
Leilin's expression was detached. Without anyone noticing when he'd retrieved them, a silver surgical scalpel and several other tools had appeared in his hands.
…
"Though every shred of its flesh is saturated with corrupt, chaotic force, the true essence of a Demon seems to reside in its soul…"
The operating table was now empty. Only residual bloodstains and bone fragments remained. The faint echo of a creature's dying wail seemed to linger in the air, lending the room a chilling, macabre atmosphere.
But none of this affected Leilin in the slightest. Having washed the blood from his hands, he was now entirely focused on studying the vial of potion before him.
Through the glass, a dark crimson liquid was visible. A wisp of black radiance flickered with an unstable, ominous sheen as the liquid sloshed — a sight that was both uncanny and unsettling.
"A potion distilled from Demonic energy… Chip!" Leilin's eyes flashed with focus as he issued the command.
[Ding! Item name: Intermediate Demonic Potion! Effect: For creatures with Constitution below 10 and Strength below 10, raises both stats by 1 point. For creatures with stats below 15, grants a 0.5-point increase. Ineffective on professionals above rank 15. Assessment: A potion imbued with potent magical power. If you crave strength, drink it directly — just be prepared for your soul to become contaminated by Demonic influence, plunging you forever into the Abyss!]
"Decent effect… What a pity…"
Leilin sighed. This kind of potion would be quite useful for boosting his subordinates' abilities, but the Demonic contamination it produced was a serious problem. If he wanted to operate in the Material World, he couldn't very well have a retinue of Demons!
But having subordinates who were too weak wouldn't do either — after all, he was building a talent reserve for the church he intended to establish in the future.
"Troublesome. Truly troublesome. I'm completely immune to this contamination myself, but others certainly aren't…"
Leilin pondered. "To remove the contamination would require soul-level adjustments — the cost would be prohibitive. I'm afraid this stuff can only serve as a special reward, not be distributed as ordinary potions."
"And the Abyss…"
Leilin stroked his chin, recalling the vast surge of chaos he had felt moments before.
"The power of Chaos is an extraordinarily potent Law. Mastering it might even allow one to wield force comparable to that of a Greater Deity, and one could resonate with the Abyss itself. But it's completely unsuitable for me. That said, the Abyss and the Hells — after I reach the Legendary realm, I should find an opportunity to visit both in person!"
Originally, given Leilin's capabilities, even after an alternate-world reincarnation, the Abyss and Hells would have been viable options. But after careful deliberation, he had chosen to pass on them.
After all, compared to the Material World, those two places were far too dangerous — there was fighting nearly every day, with no peace to be found anywhere.
And immediately after reincarnating, Leilin had been at his weakest. How could he afford to gamble on his own luck?
"Even if I were willing to gamble — as an invader, would I really receive the favor of a world's consciousness?"
Leilin felt that even if the gods' consciousness had fallen into slumber, their instinctive hatred of Wizards would not dissipate so easily.
However, with his Rule of Devouring, once he gained entry to the Hells and the Abyss in the future, he would certainly make his mark. Of this, Leilin had not the slightest doubt!