Time flies, and the world changes beyond recognition.
For an existence like Leilin, once he fully devoted himself to something, he would often lose all sense of time's passage. In a daze, centuries could slip by unnoticed.
Of course, for Rule-level existences whose lifespans stretched into tens of thousands of years, this brief span was perhaps nothing more than a nap. But for mortals, it meant dozens of generations rising and falling.
Even for wizards, this was an extraordinarily long time.
Some low-level wizards might not even live that long.
Only the lofty Great Beings could afford to disregard the passage of time so casually.
For the South Coast — and perhaps even for ordinary wizards of the underground world — during this vast stretch of time, the most impactful news from the outside was likely only the rise of the Ring of the Ouroboros.
The Ring of the Ouroboros had long since shed its former state of having barely a handful of members. It had grown into a formidable power whose strength spanned the surface of the Wizard World and even extended into the underground.
And the Farell Family, which led the Ring of the Ouroboros, was hailed as the "number one bloodline family!"
The powerful bloodline they inherited eclipsed all other sorcerer families on the continent, and they soon demonstrated extraordinary combat prowess.
This was even more pronounced among Leilin's direct descendants, and even collateral branches separated by several generations carried enough bloodline power to bring immeasurable benefits to other Comoin families.
The families of Frey and Magi were clearly among the beneficiaries of this. Closely following the Farell Family as vassals, they had purified their own bloodlines through marriage and other means, causing the proportion of high-ranking sorcerers among them to surge ever higher, with new ones appearing in an endless stream.
These new-generation sorcerers possessed extraordinary bloodline power and fanatically worshipped Leilin as the source of their bloodline, forming the ruling foundation of the Ring of the Ouroboros.
And Leilin, gradually being deified, had become a figure of legend. He often went decades without showing himself, shrouded in an air of mystery.
The great authority of the Ring of the Ouroboros was gradually taken over by his second-generation offspring — sorcerers like Xirui.
In the underground world, a squad of sorcerers bearing the Ouroboros insignia on their clothing advanced slowly along.
Behind them were numerous captives and what were clearly plundered supplies.
"Captain Luca! The headcount is complete! No one's been missed — their family can be confirmed as completely destroyed!"
A blonde sorcerer of ordinary appearance reported, unmistakable worship in his eyes.
"Good! Put binding chains on all of them! Prepare them to be sold as high-grade slaves!"
Luca's face showed not a shred of hesitation as he spoke, and the sorcerers below accepted his orders as perfectly natural. Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion, as though they were well accustomed to this.
"The underground world... this oppressive sky really takes some getting used to. Maybe after this mission, I should apply for some rest time on the surface..."
Luca gazed at the dark rocky ceiling and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
As a veteran of the Ring of the Ouroboros, he was already over five hundred years old. He had lived through the early days of being besieged and all the glorious events that followed. His youthful appearance could no longer conceal the continuous decline of his Life Energy.
"Truly... recalling all of this, it really does feel like a dream..."
Luca murmured to himself as he looked at the captives and the column resuming its march.
Everything — all of it — had begun when that lord entered the Ring of the Ouroboros. The man seemed born to be a powerhouse, his rate of advancement almost beyond the limits of what Luca could imagine.
"Those damned lowlifes actually dared to defy our Ring of the Ouroboros's orders! Courting death, plain and simple! And of course, it took Captain Luca to wipe them out so easily!"
The blonde-haired squad member came up to his side, speaking with an ingratiating tone.
"Me? Heh... Back in the day, maybe my strength as a Third-rank sorcerer counted for something. But now... don't tease your Uncle Luca!"
Luca looked at the young sorcerer, a flash of affectionate indulgence passing through his eyes.
"The Farell Family goes without saying. Even the Blood Serpent Family and the Maji Family — compared to those true bloodline aristocrats, my meager accomplishments are nothing. After all, they inherited that lord's blood directly..."
Luca's voice grew deeply reverent, and the young sorcerer's face took on an expression of admiration.
"A sixth-level bloodline! You can reach Morning Star or even Bright Moon rank without much arduous training..."
The young man's face showed both envy and wistfulness. "If only I could..."
"Lockede! Put those unrealistic thoughts out of your head! Lord Leilin didn't have any particularly outstanding bloodline either, yet he still reached his current heights..."
Luca's tone carried a note of warning. "What you need to do right now is maintain discipline and keep watch!"