"Chirp!!!"
With a piercing phoenix cry, a massive fire-attribute bird of prey burst out of the residence.
Like a streak of light, the bird in midair spread its wings wide. Brilliant and resplendent flames erupted from its body as its form expanded in an instant, its enormous wings folding inward to envelope the entire Transas City.
Droplets of lava, each carrying the destructive force of over a thousand degrees, rained down upon the phoenix's wings, only to be instantly absorbed by its own identical flames.
When the rain of fire subsided, the entire city remained completely unscathed.
"This transformation... it's very similar to a warlock's atavistic phenomenon. It seems a Star-level Fire Feather Clan member must have activated the bloodline of an ancient phoenix!"
Watching this scene, a sharp glint flashed in Leilin's eyes.
Warlocks had always been eager to collect high-grade bloodlines, and as for the ancient Fire Phoenix—Leilin had already witnessed its overwhelming power in a previous illusion. It was absolutely a powerhouse on par with the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents.
The bloodline of such a being, even when diluted through sacrificial rituals and projections, held an irresistible allure for warlocks.
"Once the plan is set in motion, I'll see if I can get my hands on some Star-level Fire Feather Clan bloodline. Ideally, the Red-Eyed Chancellor's, of course..."
A shrewd gleam flickered in Leilin's eyes.
Just then, the phoenix in midair burst through the clouds, revealing several colossal Fire Elemental figures—each hundreds of meters long—lurking behind.
Fire Elementals were the most prevalent elemental lifeforms in the Lava World. They had no flesh or blood; their bodies were made of blazing flames and stone, with pale soul-fire burning in their eye sockets.
"Fire-Worshipping Empire! It seems the Death Grand Canyon wasn't enough of a lesson for you!"
The Red-Eyed Chancellor's voice boomed down from the sky. The great phoenix spread its wings wide, circling around the several Fire Elementals—creatures that were normally immense, yet infinitesimally small compared to the Fire Phoenix—and soared off in a particular direction.
Thunderous explosions erupted continuously from the Fire Phoenix, but it paid them no mind.
And when the Fire Phoenix vanished from the sky and even the glow along the horizon began to dim, Leilin's eyes suddenly went wide.
"There's another method? Could there be other moles inside the Chancellor's residence? Was that attack by the Fire-Worshipping Empire's Fire Elementals just a diversion?"
In front of him, Locke—who had been hiding all along—let out a sigh of relief upon seeing the massive phoenix depart, then produced a circular disc from within his robes.
On the disc's surface were bizarre symbols, with numerous blood vessels interconnecting to form a vertical blood-red eye.
"A treasure of this design... have I seen it somewhere before?"
Confusion flickered across Leilin's eyes. He immediately commanded his Chip to search its database, and the answer came instantly. "The Earth Tray replica from back then? And this specialized counter-formula..."
Locke approached a section of ground within the residence, an excited expression crossing his face, and placed the Earth Tray directly onto the floor.
Swish! The instant the tray made contact with the ground, massive layers of earth parted like flowing water, revealing a pitch-black underground passage.
"This is it! This is it! The weak point of the entire underground structure, combined with the power of the Earth Tray..."
A feverish light blazed in Locke's eyes. He had endured humiliation and carried heavy burdens for this mission for a long time, and now he could finally see the hope of success!
"Not bad coordination, but it still won't be enough!"
Watching the excited Locke lead the way into the underground passage, followed by his superior Burns—the very man Leilin had just seen earlier—wearing a grim expression, Leilin couldn't help but shake his head.
It seemed that Locke was destined for tragedy.
However, one doubt still lingered in Leilin's mind: "If they're coordinating from inside and out, why not send a Star-level operative to infiltrate? Wouldn't that be far more convenient? They've already dispatched several just to draw attention—one more wouldn't make a difference!"
Unable to figure it out for the moment, Leilin decided not to overthink it and instead followed behind them, slipping through just as the entrance was about to close.
Bang!
Inside Leilin's quarters, Shike suddenly pushed the door open and entered.
"Instructor!" "Leilin" rose from the bed, saluting with a seemingly drowsy manner.
"At a time like this, and you can still manage to fall asleep?" Shike swept his gaze around alertly first, and only when he confirmed Leilin was still there did he visibly relax—though he couldn't help but offer a bit of criticism.
"Anyway, with Lord Burns and all those colleagues there, if they can't handle something, I certainly wouldn't be able to either. Might as well just sleep..."
"Leilin" spread his hands in a helpless gesture. Under the Chip's simulated control, Leilin's personality was replicated so perfectly that even Gilbert himself wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.