Bloodline Warlocks were a branch of the ancient Wizards, having mastered the formidable power of bloodlines!
Moreover, Warlocks at each tier not only possessed strength entirely equivalent to Wizards of the same rank, but could also receive the amplification of their bloodline, making their power far surpass that of ordinary Wizards.
So why couldn't such a powerful class dominate the Wizard world? Instead, they had vanished without a trace on both the South Coast and the Dark Extreme Region, with only a few remnants of their lineage surviving on the Central Continent?
All because of one problem — the Bloodline Shackles!
According to Gubule, unlike Wizards who could continually advance, the ultimate tier a Warlock could reach was intimately tied to the bloodline essence they had inherited.
In other words, a Manxter Giant Serpent Warlock like Gubule, due to the limitations of the Withered Serpent bloodline within him, reached his absolute limit after becoming an official Wizard! No matter how hard he tried afterward, he could never advance to a Rank Two Wizard! Those were the Bloodline Shackles!
By the same logic, a Horalar Black Snake Warlock whose bloodline could reach Rank 3 would have Rank 3 as the absolute peak of their career! They would never be able to advance to the Morning Star realm!
As for a Comorin Giant Serpent Warlock like Lei Lin, while the pure bloodline within his body could provide tremendous momentum when breaking through the bottlenecks of official Wizard, Rank Two, and even Rank Three, its effect diminished greatly when facing the threshold of Morning Star.
Furthermore, after advancing to Morning Star, he would lose all potential for further progress, as this was determined by the very limitations of the bloodline itself. And for a Bloodline Warlock to transform their own bloodline was utterly impossible, making the problem virtually unsolvable!
In truth, someone like Lei Lin was actually considered relatively fortunate.
After all, a Morning Star Wizard! Even across the entire Central Continent, that was a figure of great renown.
Far more tragic were those Warlocks who had formed their powers using bloodline essence that couldn't even reach the strength of an official Wizard! For example, if Gubule had used the blood of a juvenile Manxter Giant Serpent to become a Warlock, his entire life might have been trapped at the Apprentice rank — no matter how extraordinary his natural talent, it would have been utterly useless!
Hearing this, even with Lei Lin's current state of mind, he couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.
Had he been tempted by convenience back then and directly used the Horalar Black Snake's bloodline, he would most likely be firmly shackled at Rank Three Wizard by now, having lost all hope of further advancement!
As for now? Although Gubule had said that his potential limit was Rank Four Warlock, that was still considerably better than before.
Moreover, Morning Star Wizards were towering figures even in the ancient era. With such strength at his disposal, the methods available and the domains he could access would be far more expansive than those of a Rank Three Wizard — perhaps he could even find some way to break through!
Finally, with the abundant gains from the Ice World and the legend of the ancient Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents to fall back on, there was still a glimmer of hope!
With renewed confidence, Lei Lin was only briefly disheartened before recovering his composure.
He recalled the words found in the records when he had obtained the Comorin Eye Meditation Method: "Those who walk the path of bloodlines will ultimately be imprisoned by those very bloodlines..."
At the time, he had found those words completely baffling, even harboring a vague sense of foreboding. Now it was clear — they referred to the Bloodline Shackles of Warlocks.
"The Crimson Grand Wizard of old must have been cultivating the Comorin Giant Serpent bloodline everywhere and conducting extensive bloodline experiments precisely because he wanted to solve this very problem..."
Lei Lin thought of this once more.
It was also quite evident that even within the Ouroboros Ring, different Bloodline Warlocks held different statuses.
The Comorin Giant Serpent Warlocks held the highest status. Some pure-blooded Comorin Giant Serpent Warlocks didn't even need to do anything — simply letting time pass would allow them to naturally advance to Rank Three Warlock after several centuries, and they still harbored the hope of breaking through to Morning Star Wizard!
As such, these pure-blooded Comorin Giant Serpent Warlocks were the exalted nobility within the Ouroboros Ring! They received tremendous attention and protection, regarded as future Morning Star seeds.
As for Horalar Black Snake Warlocks, the absolute limit of their bloodline was Rank Three — they could never advance further. Still, relying on the power of their blood, reaching Rank Two Wizard was no problem at all, and Rank Three was even within reach. Their status sat just below that of the Comorin Giant Serpent Warlocks.
And what about a Manxter Giant Serpent Warlock like Gubler? They were the most wretched and pitiful lot — only slightly better than apprentices. Even a Rank Three apprentice with a decent bloodline could look down on him.
None of this had anything to do with anything other than sheer strength!
For this reason, many low-ranking Warlocks, in order to secure better status and treatment, voluntarily placed themselves under the patronage of Comorin Giant Serpent bloodline Warlocks, forming retainer-and-master relationships. And these little groups were the forerunners and embryonic forms of Warlock families.
Now, Gubler had sensed the Comorin Giant Serpent bloodline in Leilin Farell through the trembling within his own blood, and immediately, at the cost of selling himself into servitude, sought to gain his protection.
"So it seems that no matter where you go, wherever there are organizations and hierarchies, there's injustice, exploitation, and oppression!"
Upon hearing this, Leilin let out a silent sigh in his heart.
Looking at Gubler's gaze, filled with both anxiety and hope, he gave a faint smile. "In the name of Leilin Farell, I accept you as my vassal! I hope you will henceforth uphold the way of lord and servant! Defend the honor and standing of the Farell family..."
"Your command! My lord, from this day forward, your will shall be my lifelong mission — I swear it upon my blood!"
Gubler's expression turned solemn. He drew a cut across his hand and smeared the crimson blood tinged with a hint of golden-yellow across his forehead, then kowtowed heavily once more.