The path of the warlock was the path of bloodline.
But before reaching the third tier, the ancient bloodline only influenced the warlock themselves—its immersion of the soul was still insufficient. Though there was some connection, the two remained distinctly separate.
However, upon advancing to the Morning Star rank, a Morning Star Warlock's true spirit had fully merged with the power of the bloodline, the two becoming inseparable.
"I have a feeling that this advancement went so smoothly not only because I was well prepared, but also because the aid of the Comorin bloodline cannot be ignored!"
Leilin rubbed his chin, lost in thought.
"The ancient Comorin giant serpent was already a creature that could reach the fourth tier at full maturity, and my bloodline is incomparably pure. After fully fusing with my true spirit, my original body can be considered that of a pure-blooded ancient Comorin giant serpent. Moreover, my bloodline had already reached maturity under the radiation of the Snake Woman's bone joint, and the boost it provided was the key to my breaking through the Morning Star bottleneck this time!"
Leilin could clearly sense that his true spirit now carried a trace of desolate, primordial aura, and even radiated a blood-red glow.
"After advancing to the Morning Star, the warlock's bloodline disease can no longer trouble me, because those urges have become my own emotions rather than something imposed by the bloodline…"
Leilin smiled bitterly, handing over some fragmented memories of the Inferno and even the Shadow World to the Chip for sealed storage. Though there might be many valuable things among them, they could also trigger the most violent emotions buried in the depths of his heart.
Compared to a warlock's bloodline disease, such innate emotions were far harder to suppress.
Because of his bloodline's purity, after advancing to the fourth tier, Leilin had also obtained a portion of inheritance from his bloodline, learning many things.
"So the path of the Comorin Warlock has reached its end?"
Leilin stood up, feeling the surging, powerful force within his body, and couldn't help but feel a twinge of melancholy.
He had now reached the absolute pinnacle of all Comorin Warlocks. Those older warlocks like
Due to the limitations of the bloodline, Comorin Giant Serpent Warlocks could reach no higher than the fourth tier! This was the bloodline's shackles—a curse that no Comorin Warlock could escape!
Right now, Leilin could clearly feel the bewilderment of a dead end ahead.
This kind of anguish was far more painful than any physical or soul suffering. Both his bloodline and the Chip confirmed that in his current state, the fourth-tier Morning Star was the absolute limit!
For Leilin, who was determined to climb to the pinnacle, this was the most intolerable thing of all!
"The Astral Plane is vast and boundless, and the countless worlds are as numerous as the stars. Among other worlds, I will surely find a solution. And if all else fails, I can use the Ice World of the Dark Pole Domain to locate the coordinates of the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents…"
Leilin consoled himself. With his horizons now vastly expanded, he possessed the ability to venture through the Astral Gate on his own!
A
"I'll do just that—lie low for a time, and once the Morning Star realm is stabilized or even reaches its peak, I will immediately begin an exploration of other planes…"
Leilin's eyes gleamed with resolve as he made his decision.
BOOM!!!
At that moment, a quake as if the earth were splitting transmitted through the layers of defensive arrays, reaching his chamber.
"There's still this much residual force even after my defensive array has weakened it?" Leilin's expression turned grave. "The situation outside must have deteriorated to the extreme—the enemy may have already breached the city!"
"
For Leilin, had he not advanced to the Morning Star this time, his only option would have been to seize an opportunity to flee when the city fell, all while enduring the Blue Mountain King's pursuit—and even then, escape was far from guaranteed.
But now that he had advanced to the top echelon of wizards on the Central Continent, he had the confidence to attempt saving the Ouroboros Circle!
…
Watching Leilin exude a genuine Morning Star domain that even neutralized his own field force, Ganlir's face had darkened to the point of looking like a corpse.
Morning Star!!! On the entire Central Continent, this was a supreme existence! A Wizard organization with a Morning Star's protection could often be classified as a major organization, one that endured for a thousand years or more!
The allied forces had launched this assault precisely because the three Morning Star Warlocks of the Ouroboros Circle had gone missing. No matter how overwhelming their current advance might seem, once the other side's Morning Star took action, they could absolutely cut their armies in half in an instant. This was exactly why the alliance had been so cautious—or one might say cowardly—in their prior operations!
Now, the emergence of the Ouroboros Circle's newly advanced Morning Star was sure to cast a shadow over this entire operation.
"He… what did he say? Morning Star? He's a Morning Star?"
On the battlefield, Julian stood with a vacant expression, staring at Leilin's mountain-like back as if he had gone stupid. He could never have imagined that Viscount Leilin, who had only just advanced to Crystallization, would push directly to the Morning Star rank at such a critical moment!
"It's the teacher! The teacher has advanced to the fourth tier!" Meanwhile, Slubi, drenched in blood, hugged Pike in wild excitement, cheering.
Compared to them, one other person's expression was far more complex.
"Leilin Farell? Wasn't he supposed to be researching Astral Plane coordinates? I didn't expect that was just a cover—he secretly advanced to Morning Star…"
In the main control room, Feisar felt the two massive field forces canceling each other out and rose to his feet, his feelings thoroughly mixed.
With Leilin's protection, this crisis might actually be survived after all.
What made his emotions so complicated was that all of his painstaking efforts and final stand seemed like a joke before the other's overwhelming power—a single finger could pop his little soap bubble.
"Duke Gilbert, you really did find an excellent student…" After a long moment, Feisar sighed, burying all his disappointment and confusion beneath the surface, and screamed hoarsely through the communicator: "Ouroboros Circle! Counterattack!!!"
BOOM! Like a signal flare, his announcement immediately triggered a dramatic shift on the battlefield.
The recovering warlocks surged forth with renewed ferocity, driving the invaders back step by step. Before long, they had reclaimed their original lines.
Feisar surveyed the battlefield, but little joy showed on his face. He knew perfectly well that the key to victory or defeat did not lie here, but with the figure facing off against the Demon Hunter Ganlir.
"Leilin is only a newly advanced Morning Star—can he hold the line?"
With a thread of worry in his heart, Feisar cast his gaze upward, and there he could see a towering back standing between them and Ganlir.
"How about we call the whole thing off?"
Leilin spoke first. The Demon Hunter Ganlir was a fearsome existence even among Morning Star Wizards, with combat power far beyond the ordinary—let alone the additional allies waiting outside.
The moment Leilin appeared, he had sensed multiple wills converging upon him. One of them carried bone-deep hatred, tinged with shock.
"Not just Ganlir—there are at least three or four other Morning Star Wizards watching from outside, and the Blue Mountain King is among them!"
Leilin swept his spiritual power outward and instantly grasped the situation.
"You think you're enough?" Ganlir sneered. It wasn't that he looked down on his opponent—it was that Leilin was obviously a freshly minted Morning Star, while he himself was a long-established figure in Morning Star circles. How could he possibly be intimidated by a single sentence? If he backed down now, how could he ever show his face again?
Moreover, he still remembered this particular warlock. It was because of him and his companions that Ganlir's previous operation had failed, costing him a massive share of the Forgotten Land.
Old grudges and new hatreds piled together—there was no way he would retreat! Setting all that aside, even if he agreed, the Morning Stars behind him would not. They had prepared for this annihilation campaign for so long, and the enmity was already forged. How could they possibly back down over a single sentence from the enemy?
"If that's the case…" Leilin shook his head, looking rather regretful.
"Then I'm afraid you'll have to fall first!"
CRACK! Like a bolt of lightning, Leilin struck first. An overwhelming wave of energy tore through space, forming a massive rift. Silver spatial ripples rippled outward, swallowing both him and Ganlir into the void.
"They've gone to the Edge of the World to fight! After them!"
"This kind of battle between peers is incredibly rare—if we could film it, we could sell it for an astronomical price!"
Several Morning Star wills exchanged thoughts, but another voice remarked: "Even though Morning Star Warlocks have the boost of their bloodline, I still don't hold out much hope for that kid. Ganlir may be lacking in character, but his title of Demon Hunter wasn't earned for nothing!"
"I agree. I'll bet that warlock can't last more than ten exchanges before he's forced to retreat. Blue Mountain, what's your take?"
"I…" The Blue Mountain King touched his cheek, clearly recalling the bitter loss he had suffered before. Though he desperately hoped Leilin would be defeated or even killed, he still held his tongue: "That kid has some surprising capabilities—be careful."
"Heh heh! Now I remember—Blue Mountain, one of your clones was supposedly destroyed by a Crystallization-rank warlock. Could that have been him?"
Another voice rang out, and the Blue Mountain King's face turned ashen.
"Enough!" The mightiest will spoke, and the discussion fell silent.
"Watch the battle carefully. The outcome will serve as the basis for our next move!"
Battles between Morning Stars were prolonged affairs, and it was exceedingly difficult to truly kill one's opponent. As such, Leilin's actual combat strength would become the key to how the situation developed from here on.