In the Chip's simulated space, the previously intricate magical template, filled with flowing five-colored runes, had finally taken complete shape. At that moment, the Chip's voice also transmitted out.
[Ding! Fifth-tier Dream Spell — Moonlight Illusion Dream! Attributes: Dream, Illusion. Effect: Forces the target into their own dreamscape, severing all sensory connection to the outside world. Has a 90% probability of confusing the True Spirit of a Moonlight
"A spell directly targeting the True Spirit! With a success rate as high as ninety percent!"
Lei Lin's pupils contracted. He had firsthand experience of how bizarre and dangerous the Dream World was. If not for the Chip and a bit of luck, he would never have escaped back then.
To have such a high success rate against targets of the same tier, and even possess cross-tier potential—even with diminishing effects, it still carried at least over a fifty percent probability!
In other words, once the Moonlight Illusion Dream was cast, even a sixth-tier Dawn Throne had a fifty-fifty chance of having its True Spirit completely lost!
A Wizard whose True Spirit was lost became nothing more than a piece of fat meat, at the mercy of others. The horror contained within this—even for Lei Lin, the developer of the spell—was somewhat chilling.
"It's a pity that because Dream Power must be conserved, I can't test this spell's true power in reality..."
A flicker of regret surfaced in Lei Lin's eyes, which then glazed over in concentration.
"Chip, begin simulating the dream environment. Using the encounter with the sixth-tier spider as a standard, construct the virtual world..."
This was the Chip's unique ability, capable of conducting virtual reality extrapolations. After several upgrades, it could now simulate all existences up to the seventh tier under the laws.
With a flash of white light, Lei Lin found himself within the Dream World.
Not far away, a massive spider with a bizarre human face on its abdomen still floated in mid-air, countless threads spraying down to wrap up the laboratory.
Everything was exactly as it had been in the last Dream World encounter.
Rich Dream Power continuously surged around Lei Lin's body, almost giving him a suffocating sensation.
"It can even simulate the Dream World with such accuracy!"
Lei Lin looked at his own hands, his soul force sweeping out without detecting the slightest problem, and nodded in satisfaction.
"Moreover, even a sixth-tier existence shows not a single flaw! It's indistinguishable from the individual I saw last time!"
Although this was within the Chip's simulation, every detail felt like a perfect reenactment of the previous scene.
"Squeak… squeak…"
The giant spider across from him spotted Lei Lin and immediately let out a roar, its abdomen bursting open as a swarm of tiny spiders poured out in an instant.
"A sixth-tier existence — perfect for my experiment!"
Lei Lin laughed aloud and charged forward, a terrifying tide of dark crimson dream power surging around his body.
"Fifth-tier Dream Wizardry — Radiant Moon Reverie!"
As Lei Lin's voice rang out, a strange ripple of energy burst outward in all directions, engulfing the giant spider before him…
In the real world, Lei Lin's eyes flickered. He had already regained consciousness, but the look of shock on his face hadn't diminished in the slightest.
"Fifth-tier Dream Wizardry… it actually has such terrifying effects…"
He had to admit it — even though he'd had high expectations going in, the actual experiment still shook him to the core in a way that words couldn't fully capture.
"Excellent! With this wizardry at my disposal, not only do my odds of escaping a sixth-tier Radiant Sun Throne increase dramatically, but I also now have a real trump card!"
Lei Lin stroked his chin. He had always believed in planning ahead — considering defeat before contemplating victory. Now that he had the confidence to withdraw unscathed in one piece, he found himself all the more interested in the hunting plan
After all, the Flame Throne had no intention of letting him go. Even though Lei Lin had been holed up inside the Morning Star domain for some time, he had still received considerable intelligence about powerful figures surveilling the Ouroboros Ring.
Even
Their opponents were clearly trying to use those two Dukes as bait to lure Lei Lin out, but Lei Lin refused to play along. Instead, he remained firmly tucked away, earning himself a few months of peace.
Sometimes, when faced with threats, compromise only emboldens the other side to push further. Only by letting your enemies know that you simply don't care about their threats can you turn the tables from passive to proactive and seize the upper hand.
For example, with this latest probing attempt by the Flame Throne — once they saw that Lei Lin had no intention of lifting a finger, and that he practically didn't care whether those people lived or died, they dropped that line of attack entirely, and the harassment directed at the Ouroboros Ring decreased considerably.
Had Lei Lin made the wrong choice, the outcome now would likely have spiraled in a far worse direction.
"The Flame Throne! A Radiant Sun Wizard — eternal as the blazing sun in the sky, shining down upon the entire world of wizards, is it?"
Lei Lin stroked his chin, a cold smile creeping across his face. "But even a star can lose all its light and heat and collapse into a black hole. Just a sixth-tier wizard, that's all…"
The implication was clear — his killing intent was boundless.
After thinking it over, Lei Lin dialed a secret imprint, using the encrypted channel Melinda had provided last time.
"Melinda? It's me!"
"You've finally made up your mind!" Melinda's voice came from the other end — a mature woman's voice, the girlish tone from before completely gone.
"That's right! I can't tolerate an enemy faction skulking in the shadows watching me like a rat, and I'm sure you feel the same!"
Lei Lin's voice was low and grave.
"Ohohoho… a rat? I like your metaphor!" Melinda's cheerful laughter rang out from the other end. In truth, she and Lei Lin were cut from the same cloth — both fundamentally lawless people at heart. After catching the meaning behind Lei Lin's words, she grew even more excited.
"I know every single weakness that Flame Throne bastard has, and as it happens, their power is in a trough right now. Add in a few other helpers I've recruited, and we can absolutely take them down in one decisive strike!"
"I hope you're right!" Lei Lin's fingers began tapping restlessly against the tabletop.
He expressed limited support for Melinda's plan, but that didn't mean he would drag himself into the mess along with her.
To be honest, cooperating with Melinda was one thing, but he had no intention of reducing himself to a subordinate role.
Working with that cunning old fox — one lapse in attention and you'd end up being played for a fool.
Lei Lin remained very cautious about this. What he intended to leverage were the weaknesses and channels she controlled. Once he had those in hand, he naturally had a plan of his own.
"And what we stand to gain afterward will definitely satisfy you…"
Melinda tossed out one final piece of bait.
"I look forward to it!" Lei Lin's voice was utterly calm. After agreeing on a time and location with her, he terminated the communication.
"A sixth-tier…" The room was now empty save for Lei Lin alone. He sat in thought for a long while before rubbing his brow with a slight headache. "
A sixth-tier Wizard sat at the very pinnacle of the pyramid in the Central Continent — or rather, they were the emperors among Wizards.
With Lei Lin's current strength, going up against one wasn't entirely hopeless, but he could hardly be confident either. People would probably think him insane.
However, both Lei Lin and Melinda were sharp-minded individuals, and their own combat power was at the peak among the Lunar tier. If they recruited a few more helpers of comparable strength and struck with everything they had while the target was weakened, there was a real chance of success.
And for Lei Lin, thorough preparation beforehand was enough to ensure he remained invincible — which made this deal all the more worth taking.
……
Outside the Morning Star space, in the pitch-black void of the universe, silver spatial currents occasionally streaked past, trailing dim silver light in their wake.
From the distant starfield came faint, flickering points of light, like fireflies drifting through the dark.
At the very edge of the space, a flash of black light flickered, and Lei Lin's figure materialized.
His keen, intelligent eyes swept across his surroundings. His fine, well-shaped brows furrowed slightly, then quickly smoothed out. "Come out!"
The void was utterly silent, not a single sound breaking the stillness.
Lei Lin gave a cold snort. Two streams of black energy condensed, coalescing into the shape of a two-headed serpent that lunged toward a nearby stretch of empty space, sending ripples cascading through the fabric of reality. "Your Highness
Crack! The space was torn open like a doorway, then dissolved into a swirling mass of mist.
The mist condensed into a human form, and the face was unmistakably that of Bevis—the very same Bevis who had visited Lei Lin before, only for the meeting to end on extremely sour terms.
"My Mist talent—how did you see through it?"
Billowing waves of white mist poured from Bevis's body, swallowing the two-headed serpent whole. His expression was dark and hostile as he glared at Lei Lin.
It seemed that being discovered had genuinely unsettled him.
"Why should I tell you?" Lei Lin regarded Bevis with clear amusement, which only made the latter's face flush red again.
"Lei Lin Farrell! I am here on behalf of the organization to stop you. Your reckless little solo operation is treating our organization's interests as a complete joke!"
Bevis barked the words.
"Hmph! On behalf of? Who exactly can you represent? Orfa?
Lei Lin looked at Bevis with a provocative expression. "Where are they? Or do you think you alone can speak for the entire Warlock Alliance? Even with your advancement to the Solar tier, you don't have that authority!"
Meanwhile, inside the Morning Star space, the three Lunar-tier Warlocks—Orfa and the others—were huddled together, watching the scene unfold through an ancient stone basin.
Images and sounds poured from the basin, broadcasting the confrontation between Bevis and Lei Lin in real time.
"Say... is treating Lei Lin and Bevis like this perhaps a bit..."
Jeffrey spoke with some concern.
"This is a matter between the two Warlocks; it's not our place to interfere. Moreover, Lei Lin made a very valid point!"
Orfa said coldly.