Leilin Farell's mastery of alchemy had already surpassed that of a Grandmaster, reaching an even more terrifying realm.
Although the Dragon Potion had been an exceedingly rare and difficult-to-concoct potion even in the ancient era, for Leilin, it was merely a matter of failing a few more times.
In fact, even those few failures were not due to any deficiency in his craft, but rather the inherent failure rate at work.
"Now that the Dragon Potion is complete, I can begin!"
Leilin surveyed his surroundings. This was a vast open plaza located within the Morning Star Wizard Tower, carved out with the help of the Tower Spirit.
The plaza floor was covered in intricate patterns and magical symbols, along with ferocious totems and the like.
Standing solemnly around the perimeter of the magical array were four enormous stone pillars, each as thick as three men standing side by side. Their surfaces were riddled with massive channels and grooves, as though hewn directly by blade and spear, radiating a primal, barbaric aura of antiquity.
"Blood and Flesh Sacrificial Array of Hades — Completion: 99.9999%!" The Chip delivered its faithful report after scanning.
"Hades's magical array — we truly are fated to meet!" Leilin chuckled.
Hades was one of the most terrifying Dark Wizards in ancient mythology, who had cultivated dark magic to an unprecedented level. Legend held that he had fully mastered the laws of death, becoming ageless and immortal, consumed by a fanatical desire for souls and flesh.
Of course, in the eyes of Wizards like Leilin, the so-called Hades was merely an exceptionally powerful Dark Wizard — in fact, many Dark Wizards regarded him as the goal they aspired to surpass.
Back when Leilin had advanced to Tier 2, it had been Hades's magical array that he had relied upon to gather souls.
Naturally, the current Blood and Flesh Array far surpassed the one from that time by several levels. It could even forcibly absorb the bloodline of sacrificial offerings to enhance the Physique of a Morning Star Wizard.
Leilin glanced at his status:
"Leilin Farell — Warlock, Tier 4. Bloodline: Komoein Giant Serpent (Complete Form). Strength: 50. Agility: 45. Physique: 65. Spirit: 956.8. Mana: 956 (Mana is determined by synchronization with Spiritual Power). Soul Power: ???"
"My Spiritual Power is already sufficient — it's just that my Physique can't keep up!" Leilin's lips twisted into a bitter smile. This was the aftereffect of his several rapid breakthroughs.
Moreover, if his Physique couldn't break through to 100, and the seal on the Multi-Armed Power were to shatter, things would become even more troublesome.
"Let's begin!"
A bloody glow surged from Leilin's eyes.
Crack! Crack! Under the tower spirit's control, the entire magical formation on the plaza began to tremble, and from not far away, mournful howls could be heard.
Those were the wails of the enhanced kobold sorcerers. After extracting their bloodlines, Leilin had simply put these flesh-and-blood creatures to further use as raw materials.
An aura eerie enough to make one's skin crawl kept rising from within the formation. As the kobolds' wails grew weaker and weaker, the entire formation began to undergo a subtle transformation.
The four enormous stone pillars at the edges of the plaza started to tremble, and from the pipes at their tops, vast quantities of thick, blood-red liquid began to flow, occasionally laced with white bone fragments and other debris.
The crimson fluid first filled the tops of the pillars, then gradually seeped downward, flowing like blood through veins, until all four pillars had turned a deep blood-red.
The crimson descended further and further, finally reaching the runes of the magical formation.
The thick red slurry filled each rune one by one, the entire process steeped in a heavy, suffocating atmosphere — enough to make an ordinary person unable to breathe.
And as the formation gradually activated, a vast blood-colored radiance suddenly burst forth from every rune.
"AWOOO…"
Drawn by the crimson light, the void above the formation shattered entirely. Countless rays of light wove themselves into a grand rite, emanating waves of summoning power.
A phantom of a two-headed monstrous wolf materialized above the formation, letting out a terrifying roar. Its green eyes were brimming with greed, and copious drool dripped from its maw.
"This kind of summoning mode — I've never seen it before. Could it be an extraplanar summoning, or a spacetime summoning?"
A pale blue glow flickered in Leilin's eyes. He commanded the Chip to record every detail of this scene without missing a single element, to serve as reference material for future study.
"AWOOO!!!"
The monstrous wolf did not immediately set about enjoying its flesh offering. Instead, it turned its gaze toward Leilin, its eyes conveying a fierce menace, as though it regarded Leilin as yet another offering to be consumed.
"It possesses some degree of intelligence? Could this truly be a projection of the legendary Hades?"
Leilin stroked his chin, examining the wolf phantom with casual interest. This nonchalant attitude immediately enraged the spectral wolf — it let out a furious roar and lunged toward him.
"Hsssss…"
Along with a terrifying hissing sound, the enormous phantom of a giant Komoyi Python materialized behind Leilin, its scales marked with crimson patterns, looking utterly savage. It spread its gaping maw wide toward the wolf.
A wave of horrifying pressure rippled outward, and the monstrous wolf immediately froze in its tracks, hesitation flickering across its lupine face.