The A.I. Chip had summed up all of Leylin’s knowledge and used the Ouroboros Clan’s large database to find these three methods. They were already the best out there.
However, Leylin had yet to find any clues on the transformation spell formation in Adoforke, and only knew it was in some ruins in the central continent from a legend. To him, taking the risk to explore ruins was too troublesome and dangerous.
He had already used the third method, and could not repeat it within a short period. If he tried, leave alone getting results, he would only face possible side effects.
Hence, the most reasonable choice to make was the second. He would head for Sky City and the Endowing Scepter.
Of course, Leylin was rather confident in his travels. He was a peak Morning Star and could escape with his life even if he met with a Radiant Moon Magus.
The two bloodline imprints from the bloodline of the Sun’s Child gave him more than enough confidence.
Sky City was the home to the Monarch of the Skies. He did not wish for there to be a rank 6 battle at that place!
‘Besides, I haven’t provoked the Monarch of the Skies at all. I just have to be careful of Jupiter’s Lightning…’ Leylin stroked his chin and sank into deep thought.
……
A few days later, in the area surrounding Phosphorescence Swamp.
A completely black private airship that looked like a water droplet soared into the skies. In just a few minutes, it disappeared into the horizon.
Atop high towers, countless figures stared at the floating airship in a daze until it disappeared.
“Relax, Freya!” Emma patted the back of Freya’s hands, looking at her lovingly, “Leylin is now comparable to a rank 5 Warlock. He’ll be fine!”
“Indeed. Leylin is very powerful. We just have to do our duty here at the Ouroboros Clan,” Gilbert consoled her.
“Your Graces are right!” Freya bowed slightly, the concern in her eyes still not completely gone.
After all, Leylin was going to the territory of a Monarch. What if something happened? Freya did not dare think further.
“Haha… Ever since little Freya got married, she doesn’t listen to her mentor!”
Emma grabbed Freya’s hands and began to repeat, “You don’t have to care about other things right now. What’s most important is to spread the bloodline of the Farlier Family. Leylin has a lot of secrets on him, and his Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline is the best I’ve seen… No! It’s THE best Kemoyin bloodline! If you don’t spread it, it’ll be a true waste…”
“Mentor, what are you saying?” Freya protested coquettishly, two attractive flushes of red rising in her cheeks. Yet, that had eased her worry.
……
*Bang!* The Colossal Serpent parted the clouds and shook off the winds, breaking through the troposphere and reaching a higher part of the sky.
One could see intense sunlight shining down through the glass windows. Below was a seemingly boundless white sea of clouds, the scenery incomparably beautiful.
The private airship was very quick, but it was not obvious from the scenery which seemed to be still.
After he finished setting up the automatic navigation system, Leylin sat alone on the sofa with red wine in his hands as he watched the scenery on both sides through the windows. He looked on absentmindedly.
A long while later, he sighed. “I’m not treating Freya well!”
Ever since Leylin had returned from the Lava World, he had extremely busy with reclaiming territory and contacting other bloodline organisations. He had basically given Freya the cold shoulder.
Now, he was going on a solo journey to Sky City. Though Freya had been strong and not displayed it, Leylin could feel her worry as she sent him off.
Whatever it was, Leylin would definitely not bring her along. He was going to take a risk here, and this was no holiday. If he were alone, it would be easier to escape, but if he had someone else around, things would get difficult.
‘I’ll make it up to her in the future!’ Thinking this through, Leylin focused on other things.
“A.I. Chip, how much longer till I reach Sky City?”
[Beep! Based on the speed of Giant Serpent, estimated time of arrival: 45 days, 13 hours, 46 minutes, 19 seconds!] The A.I. Chip loyally intoned.
“That’s really quite far. If not for me having my personal airship, it might have been even more troublesome!”
Leylin was speechless. If it required such a long time with the speed of his personal airship, it was quite obvious how vast the central continent was.
‘This is a great time to meditate! Besides, there are still some more improvements to be made to the fusion of the Fireplume and Kemoyin’s Pupil…’
Leylin sunk deep into thought, eyes glowing a blue that was indicative of the workings of the A.I. Chip. Numbers, letters and runes from different worlds were processed by the A.I. Chip. The A.I. Chip operated continuously, calculating and deducing information, forming a wondrous cycle of numbers…
……
Within a hidden Magus Tower.
This was a Magus Tower constructed by a Radiant Moon, filled with black thunder and lightning. It gave off a dark atmosphere that would cause one’s heart to palpitate. These flashes of lightning constantly flickered around, causing the Magi walking along the passageway to break out in cold sweat.
“The feeling of this area really gives me the chills…” The Morning Star who spoke was one of Jupiter’s Lightning.
After the incident during the Holy Solar Festival, Wayde had brought along a group of high-ranked Warlocks to attack them. The Mobius Organisation lost time and time again in the Lava World, and quite a few Morning Stars were either killed or heavily injured. This led to a lack of manpower in Jupiter’s Lightning.
At such a critical time, the leader of Jupiter’s Lightning, the great Radiant Moon Magus Zegna, had suddenly announced he was going to seclude himself in meditation, which had given rise to protests and confusion. Of course, that was only in the hearts of his subordinates. Those that would dare oppose Zegna overtly had been turned to ashes hundreds of years ago.
Passing through the alley, the Morning Star Magus arrived at a bronze door. The uneasiness he felt had reached its peak.
“Your Highness, this is Loki seeking an audience!” he transmitted after a momentary silence.
“Come in!” Zegna’s voice was heard. It was the same old voice, but there was something oddly jarring about it.
While wondering about it on the inside, Loki showed the utmost respect as he bowed and entered.
Behind the large brass door was a giant secret room. The walls were full of binding and summoning runes, as well energy isolation spell patterns.
At the heart of the room was a large pool where streams of black gas surged, producing bubbling sounds.
Zegna stood by the pool, clad in black and gold. His eyes were fixed on the current of the black gas.
“Your Highness!” Loki bowed, watching the pool with some curiosity. This was what had caused his uneasiness!
Yet, he would not dare to ask Zegna about it. He did not even have the guts to probe it with his soul force.
“What is it? You even used the emergency communicator to contact me.” Zegna’s hands were behind his back, but Loki knew that this meant His Highness was beginning to be enraged. If his next words were unsatisfactory, he would be in trouble.
“Your Highness had put me in charge of information about the Ouroboros Clan, and in particular the Warlock named Farlier. I’ve acquired some intelligence!”
Zegna was paying close attention to Leylin, and hence he turned back to stare at Loki. “Speak!”
“Leylin of the Ouroboros Clan left Phosphorescence Swamp yesterday. His destination is most likely Sky City!” Loki hastily reported, but strangely enough, Zegna merely listened quietly and did not do anything special.
“Your Highness?” Loki raised his head and saw the dazed look on Zegna’s face. There were a few distorted sp
irit bodies hovering around him, pale, crooked palms grabbing at his collar.
Loki felt his heart lurch, but after sneaking another glance at Zegna, everything seemed like it had been an illusion.
This discovery had him sink deeper into fear.
“Your Highness, do you need me…” Loki asked as he tried to sound out.
“I’m conducting an exceptionally important spirit body experiment. I’ll take care of Leylin myself. Don’t bother with it anymore!” Zegna answered coldly.
“Yes, sir!” Loki bowed once more and left. Only after leaving the Magus Tower did he let out a long sigh. He felt like his entire top half was drenched in sweat.
His Highness, who had always been very enthusiastic about destroying the Ouroboros Clan, had been reduced to this state. The scene just then even had Loki in shock.
“Could that just now have been…”
WMW Chapter 587
Conjectures and Arrival
Within the Magus Tower’s secret room, at the side of the Pond of Lamentation. The silent Zegna was in a daze, only turning back after he left and lifting up the sleeve on his right arm.
On his right arm, crests and troughs formed on what should’ve been smooth skin, taking on the shape of a mysterious female face.
“What should we do about the Ouroboros Clan?” Zegna asked.
Two cracks opened in the skin, rolling apart to form a vivid pair of eyes. “You are now at the advanced stage of the transformation. Your main body will probably not be able to…” the mysterious woman’s voice sounded.
“You mean we should let go of this opportunity?” Zegna raised his eyebrows.
“No! We…” The woman’s voice grew softer and was quickly concealed by the waves of water in the black pool.
……
Above the troposphere. The large amounts of white clouds gathered to form a boundless white sea.
A black streaking was soaring through this see, a private airship with a smooth structure. Currently on its surface was a faint layer of defence, allowing the interior to be silent.
Leylin sat cross-legged on a platform in the bedroom, a phantom Kemoyin Serpent slowly taking form behind him. Light flickered on the phantom causing it to seem illusory, and it looked more regal as fine red stripes appeared on it.
Meditation was something Leylin did every day. Even though he’d already reached the peak of Morning Star, he would not set this task aside.
After he absorbed a large amount of darkness and fire elemental particles, the phantom behind him shrunk down and entered his body.
*Whoosh!* Leylin’s eyes opened, and it seemed like large amounts of lightning streaked past the room.
“Mm. With the A.I. Chip’s optimisation, the fusion between Fireplume and Kemoyin’s Pupil is now half a fold more effective than before!” This was the most precise number he could come up with through his own personal experiments.
Having a top-grade meditation technique such as the Wing of the Sun for reference, Leylin knew fully well that other than not having enough levels, Kemoyin’s Pupil was rather similar to a top-grade meditation technique.
At this thought, Leylin could not help but focus on the A.I. Chip, “How is the progress on the fifth level of Kemoyin’s Pupil?”
[Beep! 76.5% completed! The remaining path is being optimised.] The A.I. Chip’s robotic voice intoned loyally.
“It seems like the fifth level will be completed soon.” A hint of glee appeared on Leylin’s expression.
The bloodline shackles had ensured that no Kemoyin Warlock had ever broken past the Morning Star realm. Hence, Kemoyin’s Pupil which was specialised for his bloodline only had four levels to it.
This was a type of bloodline shackle. The meditation technique itself would hinder a Kemoyin Warlock from breaking through!
Now, Leylin could hope to destroy these shackles! The meditation technique may be just one part of them, but it had a hole in the bloodline shackles. Now, all he had to do was pry it open.
Leylin believed that, one day, he would manage to break through these shackles as long as he persevered.
‘Meditation techniques are only one tiny aspect of the Warlocks’ bloodline shackles. The fundamental issue is still the bloodline, as well as restrictions on the spirit…’ At this thought, Leylin turned gloomy. Though he was confident in his future, that did not mean he thought the troubles ahead of him were easy to deal with.
‘The limit of a Giant Kemoyin Serpent is rank 4. I, who have fused with its blood and soul, am now bound to rank 4 as well.’ The limits imposed by a bloodline would extend to the soul once one reached the Morning Star realm. This was the true issue of the bloodline shackles.
The soul was just too complicated. Even Morning Stars could only graze the surface in researching it.
’How do I break through the restrictions on the soul?’ Leylin touched his chin, ‘Do I have to begin experimentation on synthesising and altering bloodlines?’
Leylin, equipped with large amounts of information from the ancient Quicksand Organisation, was no stranger to all this. He also had much experience under his belt.
Leylin was perhaps the only one in the central continent in altering Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline or form a new one!
‘However, artificially-constructed bloodlines always have defects. They are less lively in comparison to those that have gone through the order of survival of the fittest, shaped by nature and history.’
This was the disadvantage of artificially-made products. The only other option was if Leylin was willing to expend much time and wait, allowing the formed bloodline to grow in nature for up to several tens of generations and slowly ripen. However, the amount of time required far exceeded Leylin’s lifespan.
Besides, though altering bloodlines could result in the creation of more powerful types of bloodlines, the chances of failure were equally high. Leylin was not going to gamble on his future.
Hence, this very attractive train of thought lingered in Leylin’s mind but was eventually abandoned.
“If this doesn’t work, I can only rely on the plan the ancient Wisdom Tree came up with! It’s a pity… At my level, I can’t use it yet…” A deep wrinkle appeared on Leylin’s forehead.
In terms of just intelligence and knowledge, it was impossible for him to measure up to the Wisdom Tree which had lived since time immemorial. He knew that it’s suggestion was definitely viable.
The A.I. Chip had also performed many simulations and verified its feasibility.
It was a pity that these plans were still far away for Leylin. His current strength was insufficient for him to carry them out.
“Besides, the method it gave me can take care of this issue once and for all. If I use it now, the effects definitely won’t be as good as me employing it in the future! I must use it as a trump card, because this might be the only thing I can count on when I meet the Snake Dowager!”
Leylin’s eyes glinted. “Perhaps… My ideas were wrong from the start. Rather than finding other forces to contaminate the bloodline, I should focus on developing my own bloodline. I might even get some results from that!”
Leylin made up his mind.
[Beep! Reached vicinity of Sky City! Arrival in 1h, 24min, 13s.] the A.I. Chip prompted.
“Hm? A month has already passed?” Leylin was puzzled, but then looked through the time records the A.I. Chip had created and could not help but burst out in laughter as he shook his head, “I’ve long since heard that high-ranked Magi have experiments that go on for years or even decades. When they come out, nothing will seem to have changed but that would be untrue. I never expected to find myself in this situation. Just meditating a few times and going through a few conjectures and proofs on experiments had time passing so quickly…”
To outsiders, Magi possessed great strength as well as an enviably long life. Even rank 1 and 2 Magi could live for hundreds of years, which seemed endless.
However, Leylin knew that their time was short, much too short. Be
sides meditating, they had to conduct experiments and embark on explorations. Each incident of these could take up decades, even centuries! Hence, even after reaching rank 4 and acquiring a lifespan of over a thousand years, he still felt that there wasn’t enough time.
‘This is why so many Magi transform into undeads or become spirit bodies. However, that’s merely struggling at death’s door. The body cannot do anything about the death of its soul, and there will be huge side effects, even going so far as the degeneration of their intelligence.’
Leylin could not help but shiver at that thought. Even if he was at the end of his lifespan anyway, he would not choose to use this method. While he could live for a longer period of time, the price to pay for that would be becoming slow-witted, a fool or lunatic. He would rather return to the astral plane with a clear mind.
*Buzz!* At this moment, the Colossal Serpent began to tilt upwards.
‘Am I finally there? Sky City, the holy land of the Magi of the central continent, said to be the cradle of truth and knowledge!’ Anticipation glinted in Leylin’s eyes as he walked to the deck of the airship.
The great wind and atmospheric pressure did not affect the defence of the Colossal Serpent at all. Leylin, who was inside, felt nothing.
At this moment, the head of the airship tilted further, climbing upwards rapidly.
From the troposphere where the weather was peaceful, he had broken through the stratosphere, arriving even higher than that.
[Beep! Air pressure around host has dropped, oxygen supply dwindling.] The A.I. Chip prompted.
“Hehe, not yet!” Leylin shook his head, and the Colossal Serpent became a flaming arrow as it began to shoot up almost vertically.
[80 km altitude. 200 km. 500 km!] The A.I. Chip rapidly refreshed its prompts.
“If I was in another world, I’d probably have broken through the warm layer and arrived above the ionosphere, right?”
Leylin looked at the A.I. Chip curiously. He noticed that besides the strange reduction in temperature and a change in the behaviour of ions, there were no other changes.
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