"The Purgatory World…"
A glint of light seemed to flash through Leilin's eyes. "That was a formidable world renowned even in ancient times. Not only does it harbor the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents, but it also houses numerous other existences of comparable standing. Moreover, the Purgatory World has never declined like the
"Setting aside the dangers within, simply discovering the coordinates of the Purgatory World is already an immensely difficult problem!"
Leilin rubbed his chin. "Based on the materials left behind by numerous predecessors in the Ouroboros Ring, it can be roughly determined that the Purgatory World is located within the Anxuan Nebula. But pinpointing the exact position remains a considerable challenge!"
Due to the existence of the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents and the bloodline shackles, the Morning Star wizards of the Ouroboros Ring had never given up their exploration of the Star Fields.
The raw data and experience they had accumulated over generations, combined with the Chip's analysis and simulations, had already managed to narrow the Purgatory World's coordinates down to a certain region.
Unfortunately, the Anxuan Nebula was still far too vast.
The Ouroboros Ring wizards before him had essentially narrowed the search for the Purgatory World from the entire universe down to the Milky Way — equivalent to locating Earth from the full expanse of the cosmos.
What Leilin needed to do now was find Earth's position among the countless stars, planets, and other celestial bodies within the Milky Way.
It had to be said, this was an enormously laborious project. Even with the Chip assisting him, it would require a very long wait.
But right now, the Mark of Ten Thousand Serpents clearly wasn't going to give Leilin that much time.
"Furthermore, even if I do discover the Purgatory World's coordinates — this Mark!"
Leilin involuntarily reached up to his cheek. The Dreamless Mask emanated a cold, solid texture.
Ever since donning this mask, he had not been pulled into dreams again, but he could constantly sense a thread of malicious intent from within the dream realm. This malice was vast and savage, ceaselessly battering the Dreamless Mask's defenses as though it were simply waiting for the day Leilin let his guard down or the mask finally shattered.
"As the matriarch of a bloodline clan, the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents's perception of her descendants must be extraordinarily keen — let alone someone like me who has been branded with the Mark of Ten Thousand Serpents! The moment I set foot in the Purgatory World, she would immediately detect me. Wouldn't that just be delivering myself to her doorstep?"
Leilin's face darkened. Separated by an entire Wizard World, and with the world's suppressive forces keeping her in check, the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents could already make him wish for death with a casual gesture. If he actually entered the Purgatory World… he didn't even want to think about it.
Therefore, before venturing into the Purgatory World, a method to effectively conceal himself was absolutely essential.
"Chip! Establish a task: develop operational methods to conceal my aura and avoid detection by the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents!"
Leilin commanded.
[Ding! Task established. Commencing data collection, building model…]The Chip's response came immediately.
"To think about it, the preparations needed to reach the Purgatory World are truly overwhelming…"
Leilin rubbed the bridge of his nose in irritation. "Locating the world's coordinates, simulating concealment techniques, developing spatial shielding methods, hiding myself from the notice of the world's will, and I still need to avoid those Guardians as much as possible…"
For a small world, these troubles might be somewhat manageable, but the Purgatory World Leilin aimed for was a colossal world — second only to the Wizard World and the Morning Star World in the ancient era. Ruler-level existences of the seventh tier and above were not few in number. A single misstep meant death, and even death itself might be a luxury. Leilin couldn't afford to be careless in the slightest.
[Simulation and deduction complete! Probability of shielding detection from the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents: 89.7%!]The Chip projected the results almost immediately, and a look of delight appeared on Leilin's face.
"That's a pretty good probability. What do I need to do?"
[Outputting plan… Requires the subject to undergo spiritual power and soul modification, in coordination with modifications to the Dreamless Mask…]
The Chip listed the specific measures one by one, forming a table that materialized within Leilin's sea of consciousness.
"Mm! The Chip already has a reserve of the required materials and techniques — it just needs a certain amount of time!"
Leilin rubbed his chin. "I don't have much time left. I need to get started as soon as possible…"
…
Several months passed in the blink of an eye. During this period, Leilin remained in the heart of the mountain, cutting off all contact with the outside world entirely.
For him, while the underground world's resources and vast stores of knowledge were immensely tempting, the goading of the Mark of Ten Thousand Serpents made it perfectly clear which matter was more important.
If he couldn't resolve the Mark of Ten Thousand Serpents and break through the bloodline shackles, then his path would be permanently severed — something Leilin absolutely could not tolerate!
Therefore, he practically poured in one hundred and twenty percent of his working enthusiasm into the preparations.
"Months of hard work, and only two final steps remain!"
Leilin gazed at the black culture vessel before him. Inside, a mass of dark brown viscous liquid was steadily spreading.
"The harmonized solution of Corrosion and Sighing Water, plus a pinch of Ashbone Powder…" White powder was sprinkled into the culture vessel, causing the dark brown substance to swell rapidly.
"Wailing specters that roam the Abyss, in the name of the Defiled Bird, I summon the power of chaos to descend…"
Ancient incantations rang out, and amidst the desolate and mystical chanting, the dark brown liquid plunged downward, its color gradually transforming into a murky, dark cyan混沌.
"Done!" A hint of elation surfaced in Leilin's eyes, and then he clenched his jaw, his expression hardening with resolve.
He removed the Dreamless Mask and tossed it into the dark cyan chaos.
Almost immediately, a surge of malice from a distant world descended upon him.
It felt like plummeting. By the time Leilin came to his senses once more, he found himself in a world of ice and snow. White trees filled the landscape, their branches bristling with icicle-like thorns.
And a snow-white serpent had already bared its crimson forked tongue at him.
"Devil White Phosphor Serpents — we meet again! I half expected it to be a three-headed serpent this time!"
Leilin smiled at the ugly face of the Devil White Phosphor Serpent, and immediately a wave of dark crimson dream power surged from his hand.
"I don't have much time, I'm afraid I can't play with you for long this time — I need to finish this quickly!"
"Dream Witchcraft — …" A flash of scarlet passed through Leilin's eyes, and blinding light poured continuously from his body.
Rumbling! A kaleidoscope of hazy colors instantly enveloped him and the Devil White Phosphor Serpent. Faint tremors rippled through every corner of this dreamscape.
Slash! "Hssss—ROAR!"
Along with the sound of a clean cut came the serpent's agonized scream. The hazy radiance receded, revealing the Devil White Phosphor Serpent's figure — but now its once-pristine, jade-white scales lay scattered across the ground in large numbers. A vivid wound gaped beneath its frontmost head, spewing crimson blood that dyed the white snow a terrifying red.
"Blood of a fifth-tier being — how could I let it go to waste?"
With a soft chuckle from Leilin, the blood droplets hovered in midair, coalescing into scarlet beads that gathered in his palm, forming a dark crimson blood mass.
"Hsssss…" At that moment, beyond the vast icy dreamscape, the shadowy outline of an enormous serpent had already begun to manifest. Even this faint leakage of aura brought Leilin a crushing sense of oppression.
"At least a sixth-tier existence? Reinforcements endlessly arriving through the dream realm — even the most powerful enemy would eventually be ground down, wouldn't they? What a shame!"
Leilin gave a slight bow, like a virtuoso performer taking his final curtain call, and waved to the Devil White Phosphor Serpent and the presence beyond. "Farewell, gentlemen!"
A gentle, unblinding light bloomed forth, and Leilin's figure vanished within it, leaving behind nothing but the impotent roars of the two serpents.
[Ding! Prescribed time reached. Initiating forced wake-up sequence!]
The Chip's cold, mechanical voice reached Leilin's ears, and yet it sounded more beautiful than any music he had ever heard.
"Whew… I didn't miscalculate after all!" Leilin wiped a bead of cold sweat from his brow. In truth, what he had done today carried a certain amount of risk — but thankfully, the outcome wasn't bad. It seemed even fate was standing on his side this time.
Floating in his hand was a mass of dark crimson blood, radiating an aura of terrifying power interwoven with dream energy.
This was the bloodline essence of the Devil White Phosphor Serpent, collected by Leilin. The dream world was both illusory and real, and this confluence of forces — if harnessed properly — would be more frightening than any witchcraft.
Gurgle! Gurgle! The Dreamless Mask, having been removed, was now bubbling white foam in the culture solution. Leilin tossed the blood mass straight into it.
A layer of eerie, blood-red flame erupted, blazing fiercely across the surface of the Dreamless Mask. Accompanied by a distinctive pulse, faint gold-and-crimson patterns began to slowly crawl across the mask's surface.
"The dream power needs a period of time to disperse and reconverge after being interrupted — now's my chance!"
Leilin's eyes burned red. He inscribed a multitude of intricate alchemical formulas into the Dreamless Mask, and the entire laboratory shimmered with dazzling, prismatic light.
When at last it was done, the Dreamless Mask had taken on a new form: it still covered only half the face, but the lines were far more elegant and delicate. Strange gold-and-crimson patterns now adorned its surface.
[Ding! Dreamless Mask modification complete!]The Chip's mechanical voice announced, and specific data materialized beside it.
[Witchcraft Artifact — Dreamless Mask (Improved) Weight: 210 grams Materials: Locke Alloy, One-eyed Serpent's Fang, Devil White Phosphor Serpent's Blood Effects: 1. Can isolate dream power observation, protecting the True Spirit from dream intrusion. 2. Can emit the bloodline and soul fluctuations of the Devil White Phosphor Serpent, masking the subject's information…]
"Success!"
The cold mask settled against his face. With a thought from Leilin, the aura of a Devil White Phosphor Serpent's bloodline immediately emanated from his body.