Sealing his own bloodline power to delay the activation of the Myriad Serpent Curse Mark — that had been Leilin's previous approach.
When facing danger, he could naturally unseal it to restore his peak fifth-rank combat power, but doing so would also allow the Myriad Serpent Curse Mark to absorb more energy.
Even if he successfully resealed it afterward, it would shorten the remaining deadline by a full seven months.
Leilin currently had only a little over two years left. Unless it was absolutely a last resort, he would never use this method.
However, if it came down to life and death, drinking poison to quench thirst would be a price he'd have to accept.
Leilin's cold gaze fixed on the fifth-rank Warlock before him.
"Good! Very good! To have withstood my attack, you've earned the right to speak with me as an equal!"
To Leilin's surprise, the opposing Grand Elder forced a stiff smile onto his face. "Allow me to introduce myself — my name is Im! Im Lias! Fifth-rank Warlock and Grand Elder of the Lias Family!"
Watching the lightning around the man fully subside, Leilin was somewhat speechless.
He now understood that this Im was absolutely the type of Warlock who looked down on everyone — without first demonstrating enough strength to threaten the other party, there was no point even thinking about having an equal conversation.
But now, after testing Leilin's strength through combat, the other party's attitude had actually improved.
Though still somewhat wary inside, Leilin was perfectly willing to avoid unnecessary conflict. "I've already introduced myself — my name is Leilin! Your way of greeting people is certainly unique, Lord Im!"
"Heh heh..." In response to Leilin's pointed remark, Im simply smiled without answering and instead regarded him with interest. "You're not a Wizard of the Underworld, are you?"
"Mm!" On this point, Leilin readily admitted it — there was no way to hide it. For a second or third-rank Wizard, having gone unnoticed before would have been understandable.
But for a fifth-rank Radiant Moon Warlock to have no background whatsoever? That was far too suspicious.
Especially with bloodline inheritance — how could there be no intelligence leaked about it? If there were a fifth-rank serpent Warlock family in the Underworld, how could the Lias Family possibly not know about it?
And Leilin, this fifth-rank Warlock who had suddenly appeared — not only was his face unfamiliar, but there had been no prior record of his exploits. It was impossible not to arouse Im's suspicion.
"As I suspected — you're a Wizard from the Surface World!"
Seeing Leilin admit it, Im nodded with a look of certainty.
"Yes, I do come from the Surface. Moreover, I'm the leader of the Wizard faction that controls the passage above. You're no ordinary Warlock either, are you, Lord Im? As for the passage within the Thunderbird Holy Ground..." Leilin looked at Im.
To develop the passage between the Surface and the Underworld, he needed to find a representative or proxy down here. And from what he could see, Im and the Lias Family were perfectly suited for this role.
Not only did they possess formidable strength, but they were far from ignorant about the passage. More importantly, they had already brought this exit under their control.
"Of course we know. In truth, this was a secret discovered by one of my ancestors. And ever since that generation, our Lias Family has made our home here, constantly attempting to establish contact between both sides of the seal..."
Though the other party spoke in vague terms, Leilin could imagine the bloodshed and turmoil this entailed. The competition for territory, the methods used to weaken the seal, luring adventurers here for blood sacrifices — those were probably just the tip of the iceberg.
Behind the scenes, there was no telling how many methods they had employed. And more remarkably, they had persisted for so long.
"Judging by the fact that you were able to come here, the Surface World's seal must be on the verge of collapse, correct?"
Im looked at Leilin, his brow furrowing slightly. "By my estimation, that seal should still have been able to hold for some time..."
"In truth, I slipped through a gap in the seal. And on our Surface side, this seal should hold for at least another hundred years..."
"A hundred years? That gap seems rather large. Was there a problem with the previous sacrifice? Or were the coordinates on both sides not properly established, consuming too much energy?"
Im's expression darkened immediately, while Leilin maintained his silence, not admitting that he had been the one to interfere.
"However, for Lord Leilin to be able to traverse the gaps between the seal — such mastery of magical formations likely surpasses even the Grandmaster level..."
Im's gaze toward Leilin grew noticeably softer. A Grandmaster-level figure in the art of Wizardry was someone widely respected.
"These are trivial skills, hardly worth mentioning. So... since we each control one end of the passage, and both wield considerable influence in our respective territories..."
Leilin spoke the words he had long prepared.
"An alliance between us would be mutually beneficial for both our families!"