Rio's little schemes had long since been seen through by Leilin.
Since he had already dispatched the Star Shard Bugs to investigate the backgrounds of every guest, it was highly likely that the Oakheart Family had committed their fair share of murder and robbery — they had simply been very good at covering their tracks, choosing targets who lacked any backing or connections, which was why they had never been discovered.
What interested him even more was their obvious desire for the
"This magical artifact only has a large-scale concealment effect. While the range is vast enough, for a wizard, such a wide area actually becomes a burden, making the artifact's masking ability not particularly impressive…"
Leilin stroked his chin, eyes narrowing.
"The only thing that could truly attract Rio would be this artifact's application in warfare…"
Only large-scale surprise attacks would be the ideal setting for this artifact to truly shine.
So it was obvious what they intended to do with it. There was no way Leilin believed their claim about gifting it to a cousin.
"Well, I've made progress here, but as for Vance…"
Leilin glanced at his empty stall, his eyes flicking toward the outside.
Sure enough, the light orb representing Vance had already departed along with the other curiosity-seeking wizards.
While Leilin did possess items of even greater value, bringing them out now would clearly be unwise.
But letting him go just like that was clearly not Leilin's style. He now fully understood how rare Astral Stones were, and if there was a chance to acquire more, he would not hesitate in the slightest.
Wizards departed in twos and threes, stepping through the teleportation arrays. Light flashed repeatedly within the formations.
Soon, the entire cavern fell silent.
It was at this moment that Rio appeared, with seven or eight wizards trailing behind him.
These wizards varied in age from old to young, but the one thing they all shared was the terrifying energy fluctuation radiating from their bodies and the staggering killing intent they exuded.
"The wizard who sold the Forbidden Ancient Bell pendant — I'll handle him personally. Number Six and Number Seven are responsible for the buyer! The buyer is merely the manager of a small faction. Kill them and destroy the evidence, and there won't be any fallout…"
Rio issued his orders rapidly, occasionally tossing out several tracking crystals.
"As for Number Five, you go after the kid who took the Astral Stone. Here's his true appearance. Don't worry — he only has early-stage liquefied strength!"
These were the Oakheart Family's hidden elite forces. Every single one of them had reached the crystallized stage. For Rio, sending just one to deal with Leilin was already more than enough respect.
Number Five was a middle-aged white man. He accepted the image and studied it — it showed a young man with curly brown hair — and nodded.
"Also, if possible, try to take him alive. Our family's water prison has been lacking a sufficiently high-ranking prisoner…"
Rio let out a cold laugh that sent a chill down the spines of every wizard present.
The Oakheart Family's water prison was no ordinary place. Even a third-rank crystallized wizard who entered would never leave alive. Before death, they would endure the cruelest forms of torture, leaving even their corpses unrecognizable.
"Looks like this young man really crossed the patriarch!" Number Five thought to himself, but slapped his chest in assurance. "Rest assured, Patriarch! I'll bring him back for you to deal with personally!"
"Good! Very good!" Rio nodded. "You all know our family's rules, I trust? If anything goes wrong, destroy all evidence immediately. Better to take your own lives than to leak any information about the family… otherwise…"
His cold gaze swept across the wizards, the frost in his eyes making their backs drip with cold sweat.
Although they had all reached the crystallized stage, as long as they were human, they still had weaknesses — things and people they cared about — and all of these were secretly controlled by Rio and the family. Combined with the threat of the Morning Star
"Go!"
With a wave of his hand, the wizards transformed into streaks of light and shot off in every direction.
…
Leilin, meanwhile, was trailing close behind Vance.
He had marked him at the auction hall. With calculation and the help of the Chip, he had placed a tracking mark on Vance the moment the opportunity arose.
The teleportation had sent them to nearby locations, so Leilin caught up almost immediately.
"Hmm?" Just then, one of the Star Shard Bugs attached to Leilin's body relayed a message.
"Someone's coming after me, and only a single crystallized wizard? What a pity — Rio didn't come in person. Otherwise, I might have been able to reclaim the Dark Elf Crown…"
After surviving Toland's trial, Leilin now had genuine confidence in his own combat strength.
Against a typical third-rank crystallized wizard, if he unleashed everything he had, there was a real chance he could emerge victorious.
But if their numbers exceeded three, fleeing would be his only option.
If Rio had come alone, Leilin genuinely entertained the thought of keeping him here forever. But since it was only a single crystallized wizard…
"Can't kill you, but I can still make your life miserable. A third-rank crystallized wizard isn't so easily cultivated…"
Leilin stroked his chin, a ruthless glint flickering through his eyes.
"However, Vance has to be dealt with first. Otherwise, he'll be an unpredictable variable — a loose end that could lead to all sorts of consequences."
After a moment's thought, Leilin activated the Mimicry Spell and assumed the appearance of the Blood Hand persona he had used at the auction, positioning himself directly in Vance's path.
"Who is — hmm? Mr. Blood Hand?"
Vance stared at the wizard blocking his way, startled. Even after recognizing the Blood Hand, his expression didn't relax — if anything, he became more vigilant.
"What business does the gentleman have, blocking my path?" Vance eyed the Blood Hand warily.
The fact that someone could bypass the random teleportation array and track him down was cause enough for alarm. A sense of foreboding had been pounding in his chest.
"I'm the wizard who put the Dark Elf Crown up for sale earlier. I saw that you seemed to have information about Astral Stones, so I followed you, hoping we might make an exchange…"
Leilin spoke in a very courteous tone.
"Oh! So it was you!" Vance slapped his forehead in realization, then suddenly paled. "Wait — how did you recognize me?"
Back at the auction, he had been using the Oakheart Family's concealment array, and he had layered several disguises on top of that!
"Well, you see…" Leilin wore an enigmatic smile, but before he could finish, his expression shifted as he looked behind.
There, Number Five was bearing down on them with a grim face, closing in fast.
"This energy fluctuation? A crystallized wizard — you've managed to provoke someone at that level?" The old man's eyes bulged. He hastily layered several defensive spells around himself.
"He got here too fast. What a pity — a little more time, and I could have lowered his mental defenses and launched a surprise strike…"
Leilin glanced at Vance. "This has to end quickly!"
Boom! His hands instantly turned a deep crimson, and massive blood-red claws shot forward toward Vance.
"I knew you were up to no good!" Vance roared. Layer after layer of soil clung to his body, forming into a colossal earthen giant more than ten meters tall.
"Kill!" Leilin's face was expressionless, only the sharpness in his eyes growing more piercing. His liquefied spiritual power poured ceaselessly into the Blood Claw.
"ROAR…"
The enormous earthen giant bellowed, raising its fists to meet the incoming crimson claw.
Crack! The blood-red claw was razor-sharp, slicing straight through the giant's fist and carving a deep gash across its chest.
"Ugh!" From within the earthen giant came Vance's muffled groan, laced with panic: "This level of power? You're not a liquefied wizard!"
Rumble!
At his words, the earthen giant turned and bolted.
But how could Leilin let him escape? Dozens of potions soared into the air, their terrifying elemental particles converging into the phantom of a black scythe.
"Third-rank Potion Combo Wizardry — Reaper's Blade!"
The colossal black scythe swept silently through the giant, without so much as stirring the air.
But the earthen giant shuddered throughout, freezing rigid in its tracks.
Then, with a tremendous crash, the entire earthen construct exploded apart, revealing Vance inside.
His condition was pitiful. Both legs had been severed at the knee, blood gushing endlessly. No wizardry or healing potion he tried had any effect.
"No! Don't come any closer! Whatever you want, I'll give it to you! I… I still have leads on more Astral Stones… You need them, I know you do…"
Watching Leilin approach step by step, Vance began to panic, offering up a barrage of promises.
He didn't want to die! Especially now that he had gathered enough materials and was on the verge of reaching the crystallized stage — his desire for life had only grown stronger.
"Blame it on Jessica!" Leilin's face was indifferent. He had never trusted intelligence offered by someone on the verge of death, and the approaching crystallized energy fluctuations meant he was running out of time.
"I already have enough Astral Stones. Your information is useless to me. If you don't have an Astral Stone on you, then at worst I've wasted my time!"
Leilin's thinking was crystal clear. He had come out on this trip with the intention of testing the waters.
He had no need for leads or intelligence — he already had an Astral Stone in his possession. There was no reason to risk everything over a vague, pie-in-the-sky promise.
So Vance's fate had been sealed from the very beginning.
"Jessica?" Vance's face froze. He thought of his grandson's mischievous wife.
"What does she have to do with—"
But he had no need to ponder it further. A blood-red beam struck him, plunging him into eternal darkness…