Anyone who knowingly leaps into a trap is a fool!
Leylin was certainly no fool. Now that the other side had revealed their ability to interfere with the Astral Gate, he would naturally not ignore it.
In truth, over the past five years, he had been silently observing the world on the other end — he had even attempted to project a Soul Seed several times, all for the purpose of thoroughly understanding the extent of their interference.
After five years of relentless probing and testing, he had long since become intimately familiar with every method they might employ, and had prepared emergency countermeasures accordingly.
"It's Attack Pattern Three! Activate corresponding measures!" A sharp gleam flashed through Leylin's eyes.
"Operation commencing! Spatial anchor projection! Initiating reverse calculation of their coordinates..." The Chip began operating in its characteristically methodical fashion.
A layer of mysterious spatial fluctuations emanated from Leylin's body.
"Coordinates of the opposing side confirmed? Proceed with strike?" the Chip asked in its mechanical voice.
"Yes!" A faint smile tugged at the corner of Leylin's lips.
*Boom! Crack!* Glass gauges shattered, and numerous instruments burst into flames. Crinis, watching it all unfold, was practically driven to the brink of madness.
"What's going on?! Someone tell me what the hell is happening?!" Crinis roared, his eyeballs bloodshot red.
These high-end spatial interference devices were hard to come by even for Crescent Moon Wizards, and having so many of them blow out at once — the master behind this would likely kill him on the spot.
"The other side has clearly mastered some form of spatial technology and launched a countermeasure!" An old man pushed up his spectacles and delivered his verdict.
"You're joking? You know how valuable spatial technology and academic knowledge are? How could he possibly have gotten his hands on it?"
Crinis's first reaction was disbelief.
"But it's the only explanation! If their reserves of spatial knowledge truly surpass ours, then we need to prepare for a spatial strike incoming!"
The old man spoke rapidly.
"A spatial strike?" Crinis froze for a moment, and then he saw an overwhelming torrent of spatial turbulence engulfing everything around them...
"Impressive results!" The Chip's prompt lifted Leylin's spirits immediately.
Secret arts and academic knowledge regarding spatial coordinates were absurdly expensive — even within the Morning Star realm, they were seldom seen.
But he had the Chip, so he had little need for completeness in his materials, and had managed to purchase several sets.
Though he was far from being a master in this field, it was more than enough to outmaneuver a few fellow novices.
"You dare—!" A furious roar rang out as another Wizard, bearing a black moon rune on his forehead, suddenly appeared at the edge of the world, intercepting Leylin.
"I'm your opponent!" Accompanied by the roar of a lion, another golden-haired warlock who looked as though he had been forged from gold stepped in front of that Wizard.
"Wade..." the Luminous Moon Wizard murmured, a look of deep wariness spreading across his face.
*The other plan has also been set in motion! Those are the Luminous Moon Wizards like Jupiter?* Leylin took one last look back, committing their appearances firmly to memory.
Whoosh! As soon as he broke through the boundary membrane, the vast power of the astral plane activated immediately. Leylin's head spun, and his entire form seemed to transform into a beam of light, completely vanishing...
Compared to the teleportation he had prepared earlier, the power of transferring through the astral plane was clearly far more vast and boundless.
Enormous pressure crushed Leylin's body like clamps of steel.
Cold, oppressive, maddening!
In an instant, Leylin felt his bones creak under the strain, and even his defensive protective light shattered one after another.
*This pressure... it probably far exceeds even the abyssal depths tens of thousands of meters beneath the ocean...*
That was the last thought in Leylin's mind. Before he lost consciousness entirely, the only thing he could do was unleash the Multi-Armed Power, spreading dark green energy throughout his entire body.
...
This was a world of molten lava. Cracks in the earth were visible almost everywhere, with blazing red magma surging through them like a network of crimson rivers.
On the surface of a massive black rock, numerous spatial distortions twisted together, forming a semi-transparent gate of light, with bolts of lightning flickering around it from time to time.
Bzzt!
The lightning struck faster and faster, until it finally became a blinding beam of white light.