Crackling!
Numerous bolts of lightning intertwined, forming a colossal electric serpent, and even faintly conjured a more terrifying phantom behind it as it launched a savage attack against the uninvited guest that had breached the thunder layer!
Hiss-hiss! Sparks of electricity danced wildly across the Giant Serpent's hull. The original defensive membrane of light began to deform, its strained state plainly evident.
"Running low on energy? Each lightning strike has a destructive force of over 300 degrees?"
Leilin stroked his chin thoughtfully.
An attack of 300 degrees was considered quite formidable even among Third-rank Wizards, and given the environment along with the relentless barrage of lightning, even a Crystallized
Apart from Dawn Star Wizards, it would likely take a fleet of dozens of Third-rank Wizards combining forces, supplemented by the protective capabilities of an airship and a constant supply of Magic Stones and potions, just to barely pass through.
That was precisely why the price of every ticket to and from
"If they didn't consider the income beneath them, those Dawn Star Wizards could make quite a few Magic Stones if they came to handle the shipping personally!"
Leilin thought idly.
Of course, Dawn Star Wizards were so fabulously wealthy that they wouldn't deign to look at such meagre profits. Moreover, their lofty心态 meant they would never stoop to something so beneath their station.
Leilin was far from idle himself. A terrifying wave of soul power radiated outward, enveloping the entire Giant Serpent.
Hummm! With the backing of his soul power, the Giant Serpent's defensive membrane immediately stabilized, reinforced by an additional thick layer as solid and dark as black crystal, exuding a sense of dense, tangible solidity.
The deck of the Giant Serpent, which had been trembling moments before, now stood as steady as a mountain.
Not only that — faint wisps of black flame clung to the exterior of the energy membrane. Before the lightning bolts could even strike the hull, they were devoured and absorbed in great quantities by the black flames, causing the Giant Serpent's energy reserves to climb steadily.
The black flames even formed a corridor in midair that no bolt of lightning dared to cross.
By the end, no matter how the Giant Serpent rampaged through the thunder layer, the lightning no longer dared to strike.
"Oh?" Leilin's gaze swept in a particular direction. With a soft laugh, the Giant Serpent transformed into a streak of black light and shot away from the area.
"Hoo…" Only long after the Giant Serpent had departed did the cloud layer here finally part, revealing a Lightning Elemental — its upper half humanoid, its lower half a swirling vortex of countless lightning particles.
"Terrifying human!" It could only mutter to itself at this point, its voice still trembling. "He had already discovered me! A single glance from him rendered me unable to move — even the previous Dawn Stars never gave me such a feeling… Could it be that he is actually a Radiant Moon Grand Wizard?"
At the thought of this, the Lightning Elemental's body trembled even more. It gazed in the direction Leilin had departed, its eyes filled with dread…
Boom! The black lightning clouds were blasted apart. A streak of black light tore through the sky, trailing a torrent of black flames in its wake, leaving behind an exquisite trail of radiant arcs and flowing streamers across the heavens.
"Hoo… so this is Sky City! The Wizard sanctuary in the high skies!" Standing on the deck, Leilin gazed upon the colossal city floating in midair, a look of genuine astonishment crossing his face.
What hung suspended in the sky was unmistakably a
It was only when compared to the Floating City that such enormous airships appeared utterly minuscule.
"I already knew Sky City was a floating city, but no amount of pictures or written descriptions could compare to seeing it with one's own eyes!"
As the Giant Serpent drew ever closer, Sky City grew larger and larger. A pale, golden halo of sacred light rose slowly from the city's center, casting a beautiful, lingering glow across the surrounding sky.
"Peace! Tranquility! What a magnificent city!" Even Leilin couldn't help but let out a sigh of admiration.
"Ding! The Giant Serpent has received a communication request!" The Chip's voice chimed in. Leilin's personal airship naturally came equipped with ground-contact communication tools. It seemed the Floating City had detected them.
"The
And choosing to arrive aboard the Giant Serpent had been entirely deliberate on Leilin's part. Otherwise, he could have infiltrated the city on his own long ago, and who would have been the wiser?
"Vessel registration number DKG-1394! Your Grace, the Duke Leilin Farell! Welcome to Sky City! Please follow our guidance to the private docking port prepared specifically for you!"
A polite yet deferent voice came through the communication channel.
"Mm." Leilin gave a mild acknowledgment, and the Giant Serpent began to reduce speed along the designated approach vector, preparing to dock.
At the same time, within a command center somewhere in Sky City, chaos had erupted!
"Dawn Star energy fluctuation detected! Estimated classification: Four-Star!"
"Giant Serpent confirmed — inspection shows no irregularities! Positive identification: Duke Leilin Farell of the Comoin family is aboard!" Red alarm lights flashed in rapid succession, broadcasting a warning signal, while numerous staff members stared at the enormous Giant Serpent on the screen with jaws dropped, the figure standing on the deck nearly inducing them to faint on the spot.
"A Dawn Star Wizard arriving for a visit — and we received no advance notice?"
Bang! The door was thrown open with violent force, and a burly middle-aged man burst in, his face a mask of panic and fury. "Do you know who he is? The most powerful Comoin sorcerer in all of history — Duke Leilin Farell, who once slew the Demon Hunter Ganliel! If someone of that caliber so much as loses his temper over poor reception on our part, we're all finished!"
Then he caught sight of the red alert indicator and clutched his head, feeling a desperate urge to slam it against the wall. "Four-Star intensity fluctuation?! A high-tier Dawn Star?! Oh heavens — just let me die!"
Dawn Star Wizards were rare across the entire Central Continent, and there was no universally accepted classification standard. Reputation and past battle records served as the primary measures.
But Sky City, as the Wizard sanctuary and the most advanced research center in the entire Central Continent, had independently developed its own unit system and standards for measuring the strength of Dawn Star Wizards.
They classified Dawn Stars into five tiers — one-star through five-star, ranked from lowest to highest. Four-star corresponded to a high-tier Dawn Star, and five-star to the absolute peak!
Of course, Leilin's deliberate concealment had caused their detection to produce an inaccurate reading.
But even a four-star reading was terrifying enough. The majority of Dawn Star Wizards across the Central Continent hovered between one-star and three-star. Any Dawn Star above four-star was unquestionably among the strongest of their kind — powerful enough that even Radiant Moon Wizards would show them a measure of caution.
For all that Sky City was called the Wizard sanctuary, even it wouldn't have many Dawn Stars of that caliber.
And a mere dock supervisor such as himself had no business tangling with such a person. Simply allowing the man to unleash even a fraction of the radiation emanating from within his body would result in catastrophic casualties here!
"We've already sent the signal and instructed the visitor to dock at the private port! He accepted our navigation guidance — he appears to have come in good faith…"
A young man with golden hair pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the cold sweat from his brow. "What we need to do now is immediately report the situation to the Council of Sages and go as a group to welcome him!"
"Oh! Right, right! You're absolutely correct! Report at once!" Although the Council of Sages, which governed all of Sky City, had its own detection methods, they as subordinates were still obligated to fulfill their duty.
The burly man from before snapped out of his daze and roared: "What are you all standing around for?! Report immediately! And follow me to greet the visitor!"
"There's no need." A white-gold phantom suddenly materialized in the command center.
"Lord Bofei!" Every controller and the burly man immediately bowed in respect.
"The visitor comes in goodwill and does not wish to draw excessive attention. I shall receive him personally! All of you, return to your posts and forget this matter." The white-gold figure spoke and promptly dissipated into motes of light that vanished into thin air.
"Thank goodness… thank goodness! With one of our Dawn Stars taking over, whatever happens next is no longer my concern!" The burly man let out a long, heavy exhale, clasped his hands behind his back, and left the command center.
The other members of the control room wore equally relieved expressions, settling back into their seats. The young man who had made the report bent his head and resumed his work, concealing the envy and — fanatical adoration — burning in his eyes!
Thud. The Giant Serpent descended smoothly onto a lawn marked with a massive insignia, without stirring up even a speck of dust.
"Lord Leilin? Welcome!" Thanks to the urgent communication moments earlier, there were no staff members in the vicinity. A young man with white-gold hair, luminous wings of light spread behind him like those of an angel, stood beneath the airship's boarding platform wearing a gentle smile.
"I am Leilin Farell. And you are?"
The hatch opened, and Leilin stepped out with an amiable smile on his face.
Although