If Leilin had encountered those tides of dark beasts from beyond all along the way during his last journey to the Eastern Capital, the entire trip would not have been so peaceful...
Even if Leilin could have survived in the end, Weilin, Jenny, and Jemos would have certainly perished in the jaws of the dark beasts.
It was obvious that in a place like the Ice Cavern where dark beasts congregated, most of them still loathed the light. Once they spotted any illumination, they would attack relentlessly without rest!
"Even for me, dealing with such a massive swarm of Sun-Chasing Bats would require enormous amounts of time and mana. It simply isn't worth it..."
Leilin sighed.
Earlier, when the bat swarm had been rampant, he had cast a concealment spell on himself, so naturally the Sun-Chasing Bats had not detected him or launched any attacks.
Having conducted his experiment, Leilin had made his decision.
"Dark Vision!" He immediately applied the spell to himself.
For many underground Wizards, this was an essential spell. Through it, they could see in the dark as clearly as during the day, without emitting any outward light that would attract the attention of dark beasts.
"Chip! Bring up the map from before!"
Once he had finished all of this, Leilin immediately called out in his mind.
Instantly, a three-dimensional holographic image materialized before Leilin's eyes.
This was a model image that the Chip had generated by taking the map Xiling had provided and processing it in depth.
Moreover, near Leilin's position, several red dots representing high-energy biological activity were constantly shifting about—a far more precise and reliable system than a static map.
In such complex, labyrinthine caverns, Leilin—with the Chip at his disposal—held an overwhelming advantage. At the very least, with the Chip keeping track, he would never lose his way!
The Ice Cavern was notoriously deceptive. Every year, apprentices and even full Wizards from the various schools became hopelessly lost within its depths. According to the speculation of senior Wizards, they were either lured deeper underground or simply devoured by the dark beasts.
"Mark the activity zone of the Ice Jade Scorpions and chart the best route forward!"
Leilin issued another command.
Immediately, on the three-dimensional map, a red line began extending from Leilin's current position, gradually penetrating deeper into the Ice Cavern and marking several landmark formations along the way.
"Let's go!"
Leilin glanced around him. Then he vanished into an ice tunnel.
Inside the fortress, in a hidden chamber.
Sgraggy peered through a crystal ball and watched the scene of Xiling escorting Leilin into the Ice Cavern. His expression was so dark it seemed ready to drip.
"Xiling! That wretched woman thinks she's found a peak Level One
The muscles on Sgraggy's face twisted faintly. He stared at Xiling's graceful figure in the image, his expression dripping with greed and hunger.
"You are mine. I will have you! I will make you the most beautiful piece in my collection!"
A twisted, morbid groan slipped from Sgraggy's lips.
"So? Have you made up your mind?" At that moment, from the corner of the room, a wisp of black fog suddenly rose. The fog twisted and writhed continuously, eventually taking on a vaguely human shape. Only its facial features remained indistinct.
"Your plan has a serious problem. Xiling has recruited a peak Level One Wizard into the Nature Alliance. Our original intentions are completely derailed..."
Before an outsider, Sgraggy schooled his expression, adopting a cold demeanor.
"Peak Level One?!" A cry of surprise came from within the black fog. "Is the intelligence accurate? How could a peak Level One Wizard willingly remain in a minor sect?"
"How should I know?" Sgraggy's expression soured again. Being driven off by Leilin had been an absolute humiliation in his life.
"But he was able to repel my energy particle halo with ease — his spiritual elementatization must have reached an extremely high level. Even if he isn't truly at peak Level One, he can't be far off... I have no idea what that little slut offered to lure him..."
The moment Sgraggy brought up Xiling, his mood plummeted further, accompanied by a faint sense of loss and resentment, as though something that rightfully belonged to him had been snatched away by someone else.
"Heh heh! Peak Level One, you say? That is rather troublesome. But you should also trust the sect behind me. Even a peak-level Wizard will absolutely not be able to obstruct our plans!"
The figure within the black fog seemed utterly confident.
"What exactly do you intend to do? A peak Level One Wizard is not so easily dealt with. Besides, a battle between two peak-level Wizards during peacetime would cause an enormous uproar. Don't tell me you're not afraid of being exposed?" A look of curiosity surfaced on Sgraggy's face.
"Heh heh! Our organization is not without its own peak Level One experts. Besides, haven't you forgotten? There's a perfect opportunity to strike right at hand — one that the other side will be forced to accept!"
"You mean..." Sgraggy's eyes lit up.
……
"Hah…"
Lin letting out a breath of white air.
The white vapor immediately condensed into tiny white ice crystals the moment it reached the outside, falling to the ground with a faint sound.
"Chip! What's the current temperature?" Lin asked casually.
"Real-time temperature monitoring active — currently minus seventy-five degrees!" the Chip responded immediately.
This kind of temperature would already be an extinction-level catastrophe for ordinary people, but in Lin's eyes, it was merely a slight chill.
With his continued progress deeper in, he had now reached a very late section of the map that Xiling had provided.
And here, he had officially entered the Ice Emerald Scorpion's territory.
"The Ice Emerald Scorpion's Breath Crystals!" A flicker of heat flashed through Lin's eyes. This material could greatly alleviate and suppress the emotional symptoms of his warlock constitution, so obtaining it was an absolute must!
Since the specific data and genetic compositions of warlocks were all different, for Lin to stumble upon exactly this kind of material was already incredible luck. If he missed this chance, he truly had no idea where he could find another.
"Subject-matching creature detected — distance: 621 meters!" The Chip's prompt at that moment sharpened Lin's spirits.
He immediately headed in the direction indicated by the Chip, and before long, he laid eyes on the creature itself.
Beyond the icy passage lay an enormous cavern, and on its surface, moss and small shrubs protruded outward, forming a rather meager food source.
Here, two factions of creatures were locked in fierce combat.
One side was a massive emerald-green scorpion. Its entire body looked as though it were carved from green ice, appearing somewhat translucent.
Its two enormous pincers in front waved ceaselessly, while behind it, a curved, segmented tail tipped with a venomous barb hovered uncertainly, poised to strike at any moment.
Moreover, from the mouth of this ice scorpion, bursts of blue cold energy shot out periodically, spraying toward the creature opposite it.
One glance, and Lin confirmed that this giant ice scorpion was indeed the Ice Emerald Scorpion he had been searching for.
And across from the Ice Emerald Scorpion was a swarm of blue ants.
These ants were as large as an adult's finger, their two enormous serrated mandibles clacking together ceaselessly, producing a piercing sound that was quite terrifying.
But unfortunately, against the Ice Emerald Scorpion's hard carapace, their attacks were completely useless.
Even after covering the Ice Emerald Scorpion's entire body, they couldn't affect its movements in the slightest. On the contrary, every time the Ice Emerald Scorpion swung its massive claws, large swaths of ants were flung flying through the air.
And the frigid breath the Ice Emerald Scorpion sprayed out froze great numbers of ants into tiny crystalline pellets, which the scorpion then swallowed whole.
It turned out this was a feeding battle for the Ice Emerald Scorpion, and the one in the arena had already gained an absolute advantage.
"Chip, scan the Ice Emerald Scorpion's data up ahead!"
Lin immediately issued the command. After his promotion to Second-rank Warlock, the Chip bonded to his soul had benefited enormously as well. Besides its vastly enhanced simulation capabilities, it could now covertly obtain detailed data on any creature with a innate Field defense, as long as it was below Second-rank.
Of course, against creatures above Second-rank, if the Chip insisted on probing them, it would be detected and counterattacked.
"Ice Emerald Scorpion specimen? Strength: 15.9 Agility: 10.3 Constitution: 25 Spirit: 45? Special Abilities:? 1. Frost Breath — The Ice Emerald Scorpion can expel massive quantities of extremely Yin-cold energy in attack, power rating 30–45 degrees. 2. Cryogenic Stasis — When severely injured, the Ice Emerald Scorpion can encase itself in ice, reducing its physiological needs to the bare minimum while awaiting limb recovery. 3. Ice Armor — The layer of ice covering the Ice Emerald Scorpion's body can effectively defend against both physical and magical attacks, and it possesses a certain reflective effect against Light-element Wizard spells!"
The Chip quickly projected a column of data along with a three-dimensional model of the Ice Emerald Scorpion in the arena before Lin's eyes.
"With this level of strength, it's already quite impressive among First-rank Wizards!"
Lin remarked with a calm expression.
A Wizard's power was largely reflected through their Spiritual Power. Apprentice-level was definitely below 20, while First-rank Wizards—commonly known as full Wizards—had Spiritual Power roughly between 20 and 80. As for Second-rank Wizards, that was above 80. According to Lin's estimates and the Chip's projections, a peak Second-rank Wizard's Spiritual Power could potentially reach the threshold of 200!
As for the power rating of typical spells, a First-rank Wizard generally fell in the range of 20 to 80 degrees.
This Ice Emerald Scorpion not only boasted extremely high stats across the board, but its Frost Breath alone exceeded 30 degrees. Combined with its Ice Armor—a natural defense on par with an innate Field—even an ordinary First-rank Wizard would be no match for it.
"With this level of strength, it's nearly approaching that of a Semi-elementalized Wizard. I wonder what the elites or even the monarchs among the Ice Emerald Scorpion clan look like?"
By now, the battle in the arena was drawing to a close.