In the Phosphorescent Marsh.
With the mass withdrawal of the Ring of the Ouroboros Warlocks, many vacuums had appeared, but they were filled by Warlocks urgently dispatched by the Bloodline Alliance, so things still appeared orderly.
After a long conversation with
A massive, permanent grand hall — a vast structure estimated to hold ten thousand — was under emergency construction, with large quantities of precious materials being used without regard for cost.
"You all did well!"
Leilin stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the distant mountain, and spoke casually to Aofa and the others behind him.
"It is our honor to serve Your Majesty!" Aofa and the others immediately replied with solemn expressions, the gratitude in their eyes genuine.
At this point, all of their true forms had arrived in the Phosphorescent Marsh, rather than remaining in Morning Star
The previous Warlock Alliance had been feeble in strength, requiring numerous Fifth-level Warlocks to band together and rely on the power of war fortresses just to protect themselves. For this reason, even the true forms of those Fifth-level Warlocks could not venture out and could only operate through clones — it was practically a disgrace to the entire Bloodline Alliance!
But now, with Leilin among them, Aofa and the others naturally had the confidence to reveal their true forms under the open sky, no longer having to cower in Morning Star Space like rats. Their gratitude was therefore entirely genuine.
"Also, Your Majesty, are you truly not going to develop your influence here? Even with the profits from the underground trade, the vastness of the Central Continent..."
Aofa spoke with some hesitation, a look of obvious hope on his face.
"Although the Central Continent's resources are extraordinarily abundant, they were all claimed long ago by various powers!"
Leilin looked at Aofa, his expression an ambiguous half-smile. His gaze seemed to see right through him.
"Of course! With our current strength, we could certainly eliminate all those obstacles. We could even launch a witch-hunting campaign and send every
"And then what?" A flush appeared on Aofa's face. Leilin had evidently voiced what he was secretly hoping for.
"After I'm gone, what will you do?"
Leilin's voice was ice-cold, and it turned the faces of the Warlocks deathly pale, as if they had been plunged into a frozen cellar.
"Why? Your Majesty has already advanced to the realm of Laws — what on this entire continent could possibly threaten Your Majesty?"
Jeffrey and the others could not understand at all.
Leilin merely chuckled. "Even within the Wizard World, those Eighth-level existences that survived the ancient Final War — I am certainly no match for them. The Astral Plane is so vast, with worlds appearing one after another. Until one reaches the Realm of Eternity, who can truly claim to be immortal and imperishable?"
As Aofa and the others departed, a flash of mockery crossed Leilin's eyes.
What he had said was only part of the reason. More importantly, the current profits from the South Coast were already sufficient for the Ring of the Ouroboros to survive and develop. No matter how rich the Central Continent's resources were, they held no practical use for him personally.
To shatter the long-established framework of interests across the entire Central Continent just for things that held no use for him, and to make enemies of all those Thrones — even though their power seemed like ants to Leilin — would still cost him a measure of time and energy.
If it were for Furui, for Xiling, or for
But who were Aofa and the others? Mere loose allies of the Warlock Alliance! Such a status was clearly not enough to sway Leilin.
In any case, once he revealed his strength and thoroughly intimidated those Wizard Thrones, they would inevitably yield a significant portion of their interests to curry favor with him.
And after allocating all of that to the Warlock Alliance, Leilin considered that he would have adequately repaid their earlier assistance.
Moreover, with his deterrence backing them, the Warlock Alliance's future development in the Central Continent would be filled with promise.
At the very least, those so-called anti-Warlock movements would certainly never again dare to appear openly.
With all of this, Leilin believed he had done more than enough for the Warlock Alliance.
As for conquering the entire Central Continent and establishing a Warlock Empire, while Leilin had considered it, he had clearly set the idea aside.
After all, for him now, even the greatest empire and power were nothing but illusions. Upon advancing to Seventh-level Wizard, the only first goal in the hearts of beings of Laws was the pursuit of eternity.
The Realm of Laws — existing alongside the Laws, virtually imperishable. Eternity was no longer an extravagant hope, but a goal with a glimmer of light visible on the horizon!
For this slim chance, those beings of Laws would sacrifice everything! Leilin was no exception!
"After this grand gathering, I'll go to the Earth's core to meet those Wizard World beings of Laws, sign the pacts, and then it will be time to consolidate..."
A deep, unfathomable look filled Leilin's eyes. His rapid leap in power this time had brought him into contact with the vast and profound power of Laws. Its myriad mysteries, along with the vast lifespan he had gained, filled him with an urge to cast everything aside and seclude himself for thousands of years in devoted study.
When one's status grew ever higher, one's power ever greater, and everything once desperately sought became easily within reach, the allure of the mortal world actually diminished for Leilin.
The other beings of Laws must have felt the same way...
...
"Massive airship spotted! The markings indicate
In the bright, cloudless azure sky, an enormous airship suddenly materialized. Its sleek hull soared through the upper atmosphere with the agility and sharpness of a marlin, its metallic surface layers gleaming with dazzling light.
In the temporary command center on the ground, people immediately burst into a flurry of activity.
"Emit a guidance signal! Emit a guidance signal!"
"This is the Ring of the Ouroboros ground control. Honored airship of Sky City, please follow our guidance to Docking Point Number—"
The important transmission was broadcast three times in succession before a reply came from the other side: "Acknowledged!"
Rumble! The massive airship settled on the ground, towering above all the surrounding airships like a crane among chickens, supremely imposing.
The hatch opened, and the first to emerge was a winged being with three pairs of wings. Its pristine white feathers gave the impression of an angel descending, radiating an aura of sacred purity.
"It's the true form of the Sky Throne!"
The surrounding crowd of Wizards momentarily froze, and many of them bowed deeply in respect.
"Your Excellency the Throne, please follow me! His Majesty Leilin has come in person to welcome you!" At that moment, a serpent-woman Warlock stepped forward as well, bowing respectfully and guiding the Sky Throne down from the airship.
From time to time, whispers rippled through telepathic murmurs.
"The true form of a Throne! Sunrise-level power — even in the Central Continent, this is an exceedingly rare sight!"
"Don't you know what occasion this is? Another Throne's ascension naturally requires an equal to arrive in their true form to offer congratulations — anything less would be discourteous. This time, we might see every Throne in the Central Continent descend. This is a gathering of Thrones!"
Behind the Sky Throne followed a multitude of Sky City Wizards, all radiating an air of scholarly refinement.
As the faction with the most extensive repository of knowledge, scholar-type Wizards were by far the most numerous in Sky City.
"Everything really has changed!"
Wells moved quietly through the crowd, frequently surveying the scenes around him.
Aside from the forces of Sky City, virtually all of the Central Continent's high-level Wizards had gathered here, forming an enormous throng.
The Morning Star strength that Wells had once been proud of was, while hardly commonplace here, no longer anything that drew particular attention.
Only when a Fifth-level Moonlight Wizard appeared would the crowd cry out a few times, and only when a Throne appeared would a wave of commotion sweep through.
"Leilin! Leilin Farell! So you've left me so far behind without my even realizing it, risen all the way to the pinnacle of the Central Continent?"
Wells sighed inwardly. Today, all the celebrations, all the glory belonged to that young man — the one before whom Wells couldn't even summon the capacity for jealousy.
Though they were both geniuses of the same generation, the other had claimed nearly all the glory for their entire cohort!
"His talent — even in the ancient era, it would have been considered monstrous, wouldn't it?"
Wells smiled bitterly, his mind emptied of all thoughts. When the gap between two people became incomparably vast, resentment and obsession alike became pointless. Wells knew this all too well.
"A first meeting — or rather, a reunion! Your Excellency the Sky Throne!"
At that moment, the procession suddenly came to a halt. Wells looked up and immediately saw a young man in a black Wizard robe standing before them, a gentle smile on his face.
The young man was young! No — extraordinarily young. An ordinary Wizard at his age would have been fortunate to possess Second or Third-level strength.
"We really aren't on the same level anymore!"
Seeing him appear, not a single person in the entire procession dared to move. They all bowed and stepped aside, silently making way for the two Thrones. Bitterness welled in Wells's heart, but he could only go along with the current.
"A pleasure to meet you! Your Excellency Leilin! I must say, you have truly astounded me!"
The Sky Throne spoke, his voice gentle and resonant: "My name is Sabofel! Please, simply call me Sabofel!"
"Very well! Sabofel, please follow me! The Flame Throne and the Earth Throne, among others, have already arrived!"
Leilin led the way.
"Already?!" A flash of surprise crossed Sabofel's eyes. He had considered his own speed quite fast, yet several other Thrones had still beaten him there.
It seemed the shock and pull of this newly ascended Throne was truly formidable.
As they spoke, Leilin was also studying Sabofel's true form.
He had seen the other twice before — once in Sky City, and once during the siege of the Flame Throne — but both times he had only encountered his clones.
In terms of a genuine face-to-face meeting, this might well have been the first time.