The Atlantean Federation was rife with opposition groups, and there was no shortage of various cults, yet the Federation's president had chosen to specifically target the Three Serpents Cult and the Mobius Ring — which inevitably set Leilin's mind racing.
The Three Serpents Cult's backing was perhaps the three Morning Star Wizards from other planes, but as for the Mobius Ring — what was their source of confidence?
A faint smile crept across Leilin's lips. "How interesting! This is getting more and more interesting!"
He whipped his head around and roared, "All units, assemble..."
With only a handful of team members under his command, and his character being one of decisive, swift action, Leilin arrived at Vox City — the place Shike had spoken of — by the afternoon of the very next day.
Once inside the city, Leilin could feel that the security was far stricter than usual. Even he and his companions had to undergo a thorough inspection before being allowed entry. The very air seemed heavy with a sense of gravity.
"Could it be that the Mobius Ring has made some big move? Now that truly is interesting!"
Leilin stroked his chin and headed to the place Shike had mentioned earlier — the current base of operations for the task force.
"Leilin!" Locke greeted him with a face full of mixed surprise and joy. "It's wonderful that you could arrive so quickly!"
"What happened?" Leilin furrowed his brow, looking deeply concerned.
"We may have discovered the Mobius Ring's headquarters, but the assault led by the Instructor met with fierce resistance! You should go see for yourself..."
Locke stepped aside with a bitter smile, a dark cloud of worry etched so deeply between his brows that it seemed impossible to dispel. Leilin silently applauded his acting skills — after all, a talented performer like this wasn't someone you could just find anywhere.
When the door was pushed open and Leilin saw Shike inside, an expression of shock and outrage surfaced on his face. "Instructor! How did you..."
The Shike before him looked utterly wretched. His entire body was wrapped up like a mummy, and his right arm hung limply across his chest.
"Leilin! You've done well!" Looking at Leilin's anxious expression, Shike's face was full of relief. "To arrive here in just one day..."
"Serving you is my honor!" Leilin put on a display of unwavering loyalty. After all, Shike had extensive connections in the capital, and was the best channel for his plans to obtain Fire Source Stone — not someone to be easily discarded.
"What exactly happened?"
Leilin clenched his fists, tiny sparks of flame flickering from his body.
"With this level of power, I'd say your Fire Feather Technique is about to break through the eighth layer and enter the peak of the Sky rank..." Shike gazed at the current Leilin, an indescribable gleam in his eyes. "In terms of technique cultivation, you may well be about to surpass me..."
"Not at all! This is all thanks to your guidance, Instructor!"
Leilin gave a slight bow of respect.
"Hmph! We underestimated the enemy this time. We thought it was just an ordinary outpost, but we ended up discovering their main headquarters..."
Leilin listened carefully. Originally, under Shike's leadership, with Rock and the others, plus substantial support from the military, the operation to purge the Mobius Ring had been proceeding smoothly. But while sweeping through a nearby outpost, they unexpectedly uncovered the tracks of several Cardinals!
Realizing he had stumbled upon a big catch, Shike was naturally thrilled. He immediately called over several Sky-rank generals to hold the fort, planning to net all the Cardinals in one fell swoop.
But when the actual assault came, Shike realized he had made a terrible mistake!
His earlier assessment had been completely wrong. This was no outpost of the Mobius Ring at all — it was their very headquarters!
Although Shike and the other powerhouses at the Sky rank had initially achieved staggering results, even seizing a massive stockpile of supplies the Mobius Ring had been hoarding, what happened shortly after left Shike speechless, a flicker of barely concealed fear crossing his face.
That expression sent a jolt through Leilin's heart. Whatever could make the fearless Shike look like that couldn't possibly be simple.
"I only called you over to take over the special task force's follow-up operations — after all, I'm in this state!" Shike raised his arm with a bitter smile.
"As for what happened there, the capital will send someone to handle it. Don't worry about it!"
Leilin left in a fog of confusion, and in the end he sought out Rock. Under the new "superior's" questioning, Rock laid out everything Shike had left unsaid.
It turned out that on their way back with the supplies, Shike's group had been ambushed. The entire force was wiped out, and all the supplies were lost once again. Several Sky-rank generals died on the spot, and only Shike barely survived.
"Oh? How many attackers?" Leilin already had a vague suspicion forming, but curiosity drove him to ask.
"Only... only one person! But more terrifying than a thousand armies, because... that was a Stellar-rank powerhouse!"
Rock's voice dropped to a near-whisper, as though he feared disturbing something. There was unmistakable relief in his tone — if he hadn't been too weak to contribute much in a battle at the Sky rank and had sat out the earlier operation, he might well have ended up dead by now.
"A Stellar-rank powerhouse?!" Leilin drew a sharp breath on the surface, but his mind was racing.
The Stellar rank — the absolute pinnacle of power in the entire Magma World. It was the same tier as the Morning Star Wizards of the Wizard World, beings who had completely clarified their own Dao and forged a Core within themselves.