"The Ancient Soul-Slaying Cult?!"
Leilin's eyes went slightly distant for a moment, then he cried out in shock. "You mean that cult full of lunatics and psychopaths, the ones who believe that spirits are the ultimate fate of all living beings in the world, and who like to carry out massacres and flesh-and-blood sacrifices from time to time? That evil wizard cult?"
"Correct! The Soul-Slaying Cult was just a minor sect on the South Coast during ancient times. I didn't expect you to actually know about it?"
The old witch looked at Leilin with some surprise.
"Ruins left behind by this kind of madman cult are the most troublesome — there could be all sorts of incredibly difficult curses and traps lurking inside..."
Leilin had a clear estimate of his own strength.
Just over a year ago, he had been barely able to defeat a half-elementalized wizard, which put him in the elite tier among First-rank Wizards.
But after more than a year of accumulation, with his Spiritual Power and elementalization continuing to improve, he had now truly reached the peak tier among First-rank Wizards, surpassed only by those on the verge of a breakthrough whose Spiritual Power and elementalization had both reached their absolute limit.
However, even though this level of strength was considered quite good across the entire South Coast and could earn him a reputation, it was still hopeless against any Second-rank Wizard. At best, if he risked everything to flee, there was a slim chance of escaping with his life — but the odds? According to the Chip's calculations, less than ten percent!
And any wizard organization that had even a modest reputation during ancient times would, at a minimum, have Second-rank and Third-rank Wizards among its ranks, if not a Fourth-rank Dawn Star Wizard presiding over it.
Traps and mechanisms left behind by wizards of that caliber, even after tens of thousands of years, were not something Leilin could withstand in his current state.
"Don't worry, that location is just a branch! Besides, I've invited other friends as well. I only need one item from inside — everything else can be divided among you!"
The old witch laid out her terms.
"So it seems this item must be extremely important to the old witch. In that case, maybe I can..."
Leinlin's mind stirred, and his eyes darted rapidly.
"I need some time to think about this..."
Out of caution, Leilin decided to go back and do some research first before giving the old witch his reply.
"Fine, but make it quick. I've decided to set out in five days. During that time, feel free to contact me through the Secret Mark!" The old witch nodded, then handed Leilin over a dozen Soul-Binding Spheres.
"These are the latest spirits! But this time, I'll need an extra twenty percent of the potion — you can use other items to make up the difference. How about two hundred thousand Magic Stones, plus a Wolf Soul Flower?"
Leilin looked at the old witch, whose Spiritual Power fluctuations were faintly weakening.
If she had been using the Spiritual Power potions herself, she definitely wouldn't have deteriorated to this extent. It seemed that every batch of potions after each transaction was being used by someone else.
"Deal!" Leilin considered briefly and agreed.
Since he needed to fully exploit the properties of Maria's Tears to break through his Spiritual Power bottleneck, he always meditated for a period first and only used the Spiritual Power potion once his growth rate started to slow.
This combined approach, calculated by the Chip, allowed him to make optimal use of the ancient potion's properties.
As a result, he still had some of Maria's Tears in stock.
...
Five days later, on an open plain to the east of the City of No Night.
A bright, luminous moon hung in the sky, casting a thin layer of silver light across the ground.
Dancing tree shadows projected all manner of grotesque dark silhouettes onto the earth, resembling all sorts of bizarre, savage beasts.
Swoosh!
Countless black shadows converged, forming three dark figures on the plain.
Two of the three were wrapped entirely in thick black robes, their faces hidden beneath hoods, lending them an even more sinister air.
"Old Ghost! When does Blood Hand arrive?" one of the hooded figures asked the one in the middle — who, unlike the others, wore no hood but instead sported a strange little demon mask.
"Soon!" From beneath the mask came the voice of a very old woman.
"Speaking of which, I can accept you bringing in Blood Hand — he's part of our organization after all, and his strength isn't bad. But who is this other person?"
The hooded figure secretly transmitted a voice message to the old witch, sounding somewhat displeased.
"Relax, she's a close friend of mine. You can absolutely trust her!" the old witch assured.
"I hope so, because even if your compensation is tempting, I'll leave immediately if things go sideways!"
"Don't worry, she's actually..." The old witch sent another transmission.
"I see!" Whatever the old witch told the hooded figure seemed to satisfy them, and the scene fell into silence.
A few minutes later, a column of blood-red flame rose from the ground, and then a figure cloaked entirely in a scarlet robe materialized on the plain.