Leilin turned his head and saw the bald Viper also shatter a Wizard's innate talent spell with a single ice bolt.
At the same time, his precious python lunged forward, baring its razor-sharp fangs and sinking them straight into the opposing Wizard's throat.
His opponent was a Wizard with a very youthful appearance, possessing brilliant golden hair and blue eyes — the whole picture radiating warmth and sunshine.
Unfortunately, the White Wizard's face was now a deathly ashen grey, and as the python's body continued to constrict, life gradually drained from him.
After killing the White Wizard, the bald Viper even threw a provocative glance toward Leilin's direction.
Leilin ignored it completely and charged straight into the Nine-Ring White Tower's branch.
"While others are fighting over loot and this idiot is still getting into petty squabbles — something's wrong with this Wizard's head!"
Leilin swept quickly through a corridor and arrived at what looked like a library.
"Apprentice-level materials at most. Skip it. Chip, scan!" Leilin took a rapid glance around. The library had two floors and a fairly large total area, but the books lining the shelves were ones he had mostly already read through — nothing of real value.
"Beep! Task established. Scan initiated…"
A pale blue architectural floor plan materialized before Leilin's eyes.
Through this diagram, Leilin could easily spot a narrow hidden passage concealed within the double-layered wall of the library.
The library was completely deserted now. Scattered books and overturned chairs littered the floor — clearly, the people here had evacuated in tremendous haste.
Leilin crossed the main hall and arrived at the hidden passage marked by the Chip.
"Is it here?"
Leilin swept his gaze across the wall in front of him and drove both fists down without a moment's hesitation!
Boom! Amid a billow of dust, a somewhat cramped passage was exposed behind the collapsed section of wall.
"Hmm?"
The passage was short, opening into a small compartment. Several dark wooden shelves were lined with the same inheritance crystal spheres Leilin had seen before, and inside the room, three apprentices stood trembling from head to toe.
"Nine-Ring White Tower apprentices? No George among them."
Leilin gave them a cursory glance and waved his crimson palm casually.
A haze of shimmering red light flooded the small compartment.
The three apprentices' eyes flushed faintly red, and then they collapsed unconscious, their bodies still twitching, life energy steadily dropping — by the looks of it, none of them would survive the day.
Ordinary apprentices, in the presence of formal Wizards like Leilin, were no different from ants — one careless step and you could easily crush several.
Leilin stepped indifferently over the still convulsing bodies on the floor and walked up to the wooden shelves.
"Elementary Meditation Method," "Foundations of Potionology,"…"Introduction to Runology," "Quantum Research"
The crystal spheres on these shelves were comparatively precious items — they could transmit information directly into a Wizard's sea of consciousness, with no risk of forgetting.
Leilin cast his eyes over them casually. Many of the spheres contained apprentice-level content of little use to him, but several others positioned at the center — black crystal spheres marked with different advanced fields of study — drew a faint smile to the corner of his mouth…
A dozen seconds later, Leilin walked out of the library, and a roaring blaze erupted behind him.
Meanwhile, the entire branch was in utter chaos, with the occasional flash of a spell flaring up here and there.
After the bulk of the enforcement team's formal Wizards had been killed, the branch's defensive force had crumbled almost instantly.
Those who were still apprentices could do nothing whatsoever to stop a horde of Dark Wizards from rampaging through!
The Dark Wizards seized whatever resources caught their eye, smashed everything in sight, and indulged to the fullest in the dark desires churning within their hearts.
Leilin watched it all with an expressionless face, while continuously using the Chip to scan the entire branch.
Time was running short. In a few minutes at most, the allied forces from the City That Never Sleeps would arrive, and no matter how bold Leilin was, he wouldn't dare pick a fight with a large group of White Wizards.
"From the structure, this isn't a branch academy at all — it's more like a research facility, and there are very few people stationed here…"
Leilin threaded through the devastated building, glancing around at random.
"Found it!"
An excited voice rang out. "Come quickly, everyone! I've found the entrance to the secret realm!"
"Hmm?" "Excellent!"
Excited voices echoed from various parts of the branch, and soon all the Dark Wizards had converged on a small garden.
There, a massive rat-like Wizard was frantically rubbing his dark paws together, whiskers bristling, small eyes greedy and yearning as he stared at an elliptical object hovering in midair.
It was a mirror-like disc that radiated a silver glow, with a deep, dark vortex swirling at its center.
"Sorry — my magic can only make the secret realm entrance manifest to this degree. Breaking through it will still take time!"
The enormous rat turned to them and asked rapidly, "Did any of you capture one of their Wizards alive? Hurry and interrogate them for the access passphrase and the ritual formula!"
"Leave that to Old Ghost — she's best at it!"