"No! Not yet! I have an even better plan!"
Leilin smiled faintly. "Besides, there are still some matters here that I need to resolve..."
Gubule's heart sank with alarm. Could it be that his master intended to wait for the eruption period a hundred years from now?
For a Manxter Giant Snake Warlock like him, two or three hundred years was the upper limit of his lifespan. A hundred years — that was still an enormously long time!
But...
Gubule looked at Leilin, the master he now served.
As a vassal, when the master gave orders, what could he do? He could only smile bitterly.
"I'm going out for a while. Stay here and monitor the magma flow data at all times. Contact me through the Arcane Imprint. And first, use the special rock here as material, following these blueprints, to build one of these!"
A blue glow flickered through Leilin's eyes, and in an instant a design blueprint materialized, transmitted directly into the crystal ball.
After Gubule received it, his expression shifted slightly, and he promptly lowered his head respectfully. "As you command, my master!"
"Good!"
With that acknowledgment, Leilin's form dissolved into a shadow and vanished from the spot.
A streak of black light sliced through the sky, its friction with the air producing a shrill screech.
Despite the preparations already made, his time was short — he had to hurry!
The Northern Dark Poles, within the Nature Alliance Academy.
Xiling sat behind a massive, luxurious office desk, stretching languidly and revealing her flawless curves.
Although reviewing documents and handling affairs every day was tedious and exhausting, she genuinely enjoyed it.
Every time she thought about how a single stroke of her pen — even an offhand remark — could alter the fates of numerous apprentices or even Wizards, every cell in Xiling's body trembled with excitement, even causing a faint dampness below.
"It's just a shame... my position still hasn't been fully consolidated..." Xiling glanced at her smooth abdomen, her expression tinged with discontent.
"What's wrong? Still complaining about not bearing my heir?"
A young man's voice suddenly echoed through the office.
"The Holy — the Holy Light Guardian of All Realms!!!"
The other female Wizards and staff members in the office, upon seeing Leilin appear, first knocked over documents and teacups in shock before remembering to bow respectfully, their eyes brimming with barely concealed excitement.
"Mm." Leilin nodded indifferently and waved his hand.
Soon, all the Wizards except Xiling retreated without making a single sound.
"Yes!" Xiling met Leilin's gaze without any fear.
This powerful, impeccably handsome man still appeared to be in high spirits, but his clothes were somewhat disheveled and dusty — had he been through a frantic rush and exhausting journey?
As a woman with a keen eye for observation, Xiling immediately noticed.
"Leilin, you now stand at the pinnacle of the Dark Poles. With just one final step, you can transform the entire Dark Poles into a
Xiling's voice carried excitement and seduction. "A child! All you need is a child — a symbol of succession!"
Her eyes seemed veiled in a mist of moisture as she embraced Leilin.
In the past, Leilin would certainly have engaged in a passionate battle with her without hesitation, but now, Xiling found that his gaze was calm — still as an ancient well without a single ripple.
This realization plunged Xiling into immense terror. If she lost Leilin's favor, she would lose everything — this was precisely why she so desperately wanted to bear his child.
However, before she could devise any methods or techniques to secure his affections, Leilin's words cast her into the abyss.
"I'm leaving."
"Leaving?" Xiling's mind was still reeling. "Going where?"
"Away from here! Away from the Dark Poles!" Leilin spoke word by word, making sure Xiling heard every syllable clearly.
"Have you lost your mind? Why would you leave? You are the king here — my sun and star, my everything..."
If Leilin were to leave? Just imagining the aftermath was enough to plunge Xiling into profound terror. She clung tightly to him, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes.
But in the next moment, a hand as cold and ruthless as iron pushed her away.
Xiling composed herself and looked at the expressionless Leilin.
"You know. I was never originally a Wizard of the Dark Poles — I only arrived here through an accident!" Leilin spoke slowly.
Regarding his origins, after all this time together and investigation, he was certain this woman had her own guesses.
Sure enough, Xiling's expression didn't change, showing no surprise whatsoever.
"I pursue the pinnacle of Wizardry — the beauty of more and greater worlds, everything there is... I will never remain in one place forever, unless I've already obtained what I want. Surely you can understand this!"
Leilin gave Xiling a deep look.
At this point, Xiling had completely calmed down — or had all her previous sorrow been an act? Thinking this, Leilin couldn't help but mentally roll his eyes.
"Yes! Once this place can no longer satisfy your needs, you will leave. I've always known this, but I never expected the moment of parting would come so soon!"
Xiling smoothed back her slightly disheveled hair and smiled bitterly.
"Fate is always unpredictable!" Leilin concealed the news about the Central Continent. "And besides, I've made preparations for you."
"What preparations? Those other races and Second-rank Wizards — I can't intimidate them. After all, I'm only a First-rank Wizard. Even with your help to reach the peak, I'm still insignificant!" Xiling was nothing if not pragmatic. She had already accepted the reality of Leilin's impending departure and began planning for her future.
*Whoosh!* Leilin flicked his finger, and a sliver of black light pierced through the window, landing directly on the massive obsidian statue in the plaza before the teaching building.
*Buzz!* The statue began to tremble, a faint luminous aura flickering across its surface.
"I've left a trace of my aura on the statue. As long as my main body remains undying, this aura will never fade... The deterrence of a Third-rank Wizard should last quite a long time!"
This trace of aura served no other purpose beyond indicating whether he was alive or dead.
But as long as the Wizards of the Dark Poles knew Leilin still existed in the world, the terror he had forged would never wane — and this was the guarantee for the connections and forces he left behind!
"Very good! Anything else?" Xiling's voice finally carried a hint of fluctuation.
"There's also this." Leilin handed several small white crystal shards to Xiling.
"These contain traces of soul essence from Yilun, Guoguoer, and several Second-rank Wizards, all under my control! As long as these remain in your possession, these people will never dare betray you!"
And these Wizards were the core strength of the Nature Alliance. In truth, as long as Xiling controlled them, the entire Nature Alliance would fall under her command.
The Nature Alliance was the largest faction in the entire Dark Poles. As long as it remained stable, even if Leilin's sudden disappearance caused upheaval, the impact wouldn't be too severe.
After all, this place was still one of Leilin's backup bases — and there was a treasure vault in a Frost World waiting for him to plunder. He wouldn't abandon it so easily. This was precisely why he had rushed back to make these arrangements. Otherwise, based on Xiling's favor alone, it wouldn't have been enough to bring him to this point.
"Also, when I first disappear, you can claim that I've gone into seclusion for research. High-ranking Wizards spending over a decade on a single experiment is extremely common — isn't that right?"
"Very well. Goodbye!"
Leilin spoke these final words, about to depart.
The manner of it was just like an office worker saying "I'm off" before heading to work each morning — nothing at all like someone about to embark on a distant journey.
He had long seen through Xiling. This woman would never feel genuine affection — only calculations and a hunger for power. And seeing how she held the soul essence with barely concealed excitement, she was probably already rejoicing on the inside.
"Wait! Won't you have one last time? What I said before is true — I will raise your bloodline, and even help him become the next Guardian of All Realms of the Dark Poles..."
Xiling bit her lip.
"Sorry, I don't have much time left." Leilin's form transformed into black light, shooting into midair and vanishing beyond the horizon in an instant.
He was naturally fully aware of Xiling's intentions.
The bloodline of a high-ranking Wizard was extremely rare, and given his pace of progress, Xiling likely believed he carried some ancient and terrifying bloodline and constitution. She wanted to leave behind a bit of his seed.
And indeed, this was the case. The current Leilin was a first-generation Bloodline Warlock — his offspring would inherit the Komoin bloodline and be natural warlocks! With even slight cultivation, they would possess terrifying power!
But how could Leilin allow that? Even during his earlier encounters with numerous women, he had secretly controlled his body's secretions, leaving behind no offspring whatsoever.
And after seeing that Leilin had truly departed, a crisp crack echoed from Xiling's hand — a delicate golden goblet had been crushed to scrap between her fingers.
She had always been supremely confident in her charm and intelligence, but now it was clear that Leilin hadn't cared about her in the slightest. Her pride was deeply wounded.
But... looking at the soul essence in her hand, a smile crept back to Xiling's lips.
Now that Leilin had gone, the true power of the Nature Alliance fell firmly into her hands! A surge of elation filled her chest, bringing a flush to her cheeks.
Everything unfolded just as Leilin had predicted.
Under Xiling's leadership, the Nature Alliance grew ever stronger.
And in the decade or so after his disappearance, though the Dark Poles experienced some turmoil, it all remained within bearable limits.
This was partly because Leilin had preemptively purged the top fighting forces of the other races and the ambitious schemers among the Dark Poles' Wizards.
Gradually, the legend of the Holy Light Guardian Leilin became myth in the Dark Poles, while a new journey continued to unfold...