The entire wizard community of the South Coast had already plunged into unprecedented chaos.
Though Leilin had remained at the Four Seasons Garden headquarters, he had never cut ties with the outside world.
Every day, he could receive the latest news from the South Coast through his butler Damian, who had stayed behind in Polar Night City, as well as through other channels.
The South Coast was now completely ablaze because of the appearance of the Ganges Secret Realm!
Every wizard — whether affiliated with an organization, a wandering wizard, or even a wanted criminal — was rushing toward the Ganges Plain with reckless abandon.
The Ganges Secret Realm was the largest secret realm ever discovered on the South Coast.
With an area exceeding ten million mu, it was the sum total of all previously discovered resource-type secret realms — and possibly even exceeded that combined figure!
Countless wizards wanted to claim a share of this feast.
Even grabbing a tiny scrap from such a secret realm would be enough to cover an ordinary wizard's expenses for decades! Moreover, the wizard organization capable of establishing such a secret realm must have been a renowned power even in the ancient era.
If one could obtain a legacy of this caliber, it would very likely help a wizard break straight through their bottleneck and gain insight into the realm of Third or even Fourth-rank Morning Star Wizards!
Such a staggering temptation drove not only the independent wizards of the South Coast into a frenzy, but even some long-retired elderly wizards were stirred from their seclusion, making their way toward the Ganges Plain.
The massive influx of wizards soon sparked conflicts with the major wizard organizations that controlled the secret realm's entrance.
Chaos, slaughter, alliances, betrayals — these dramas were playing out on the Ganges Plain at every moment.
Many small wizard organizations and solitary wizards had even banded together into alliances to contend against the major organizations of both Dark and Light wizards.
In such turbulent circumstances, Leilin urgently needed to bolster his strength for self-preservation.
These hastily produced Brand Swordsmen, though they carried the taint of being disposable and shoddy products, were sufficient for Leilin's needs.
In critical moments, only oneself could truly be relied upon. Other organizations and forces — well, heh...
On top of that, the Four Seasons Garden's situation did not appear particularly favorable at the moment.
The flood of wizards pouring into the Ganges Plain had caused widespread public security and local disruptions. The Four Seasons Garden not only had to deal with the conflicts inside the secret realm but also had to dispatch wizards to maintain order at the realm's entrance, leaving their manpower increasingly stretched.
The most obvious sign was that the wizards at the Four Seasons Garden headquarters had already begun to noticeably dwindle, and several Second-rank Wizard-level council members were frequently nowhere to be found.
It was clear that the Four Seasons Garden's defensive strength was beginning to thin.
Leilin's mind had even briefly entertained the thought of contacting the Hand of Thousand Leaves to come and pull off a heist.
But that thought was dismissed by Leilin himself in the blink of an eye.
Setting aside the binding contract with the Eye of Judgment, the Second-rank Wizard guarding the secret realm's entrance had not been withdrawn either. To forcibly assault such a secret realm would require at least a Second-rank Dark Wizard backing the Hand of Thousand Leaves to take action.
Leilin was currently just an ordinary member of the Hand of Thousand Leaves. At most, he had a fearsome reputation — he was far from qualified to contact such an existence.
The old witch had indeed promised to transfer the Elder position to Leilin after everything was settled last time, but unfortunately, with her becoming trapped inside the secret realm, that promise had naturally become void.
Leilin felt it was somewhat of a pity, but he harbored no particular regret.
Back then, the fact that he had managed to escape with his own life was already incredibly fortunate. Considering anything else was entirely unrealistic.
He simply wondered how the old witch and her spirit daughter Jay were faring inside the secret realm.
And then there was that Gegewu! As an evolved form of the Wraith Abomination, this terrifying creature possessed not only Second-rank Wizard-level power but also many inscrutable and mysterious abilities.
Last time, Leilin had destroyed the secret realm's entrance, but that could only stall it for so long.
If it were let loose, it would surely make the already chaotic South Coast even more turbulent!
However, if that Gegewu discovered Leilin's trail, it certainly would not let him off easily — after all, last time Leilin had essentially played the Gegewu for a fool.
Because of this, Leilin's yearning for strength burned even more fiercely.
"Brand Swordsmen! As long as this experiment is completed, I'll instantly gain two subordinates with the strength of full-fledged wizards — and they'll fear no death! And they'll be endlessly replaceable!"
A faint blue light flickered through Leilin's eyes.
"Chip! Scan the data!"
"Beep! Task established. Beginning to collect target data. Fine-grained scan initiated!" The Chip faithfully executed Leilin's command.