The Eye of Judgment contract wasn't entirely without counters. At the very least, the Filthy Bird feather solution that the Hand of Thousand Leaves had passed to
What made Leylin even more uneasy was that this very solution had come from Korben — the Second-rank
While it was unlikely that another Filthy Bird feather could be found on the South Coast, for wizards, there were always ways to achieve a similar effect.
After all, behind the Hand of Thousand Leaves stood the entire Black Wizard Alliance! With at least a Third-rank powerful Black Wizard presiding!
If Leylin still believed in this contract, he would be a fool!
Hishan before him was a perfect example! He was a wizard of the
Therefore, even though the prior contract had included clauses against attacking each other, Leylin hadn't taken it to heart in the slightest.
Sure enough, the Second-rank Black Wizard had launched his attack the instant he obtained what he wanted, paying no heed to the contract whatsoever. He had clearly already unilaterally dissolved its effects.
Fortunately, Leylin had been on guard against this Second-rank Wizard from the start, and his own strength had received an enormous boost after the heart transformation was complete — which was the only reason he was able to withstand this assault.
"You... you can fight back? How did you break free of the contract's influence?"
Korben pushed aside his shock at Leylin's strength and asked this question first instead.
The Eye of Judgment's contract was no common artifact — otherwise it wouldn't have been so widely used on the South Coast. Apart from the Filthy Bird, its mortal enemy, there were very few other ways to erase its binding.
Even he himself had only been able to counteract the Eye of Judgment's contract through the guidance and assistance of the Third-rank Wizard powerhouse behind the Black Wizard Alliance — and at an enormous cost — to unilaterally dissolve it.
So-called unilateral dissolution meant that the Eye of Judgment's effect had vanished from him, but still existed upon Leylin.
Specifically, it meant he could attack Leylin, but Leylin could not fight back — and the moment Leylin did, it would immediately trigger the Eye of Judgment's punishment!
It was precisely because of this that he could move with such impunity, seeking to eliminate the unpredictable variable that was Leylin first!
But now, the consistently powerful effect of the Eye of Judgment had somehow vanished from Leylin. How could he not be surprised?
"Could it be that this Leylin has also cultivated some technique similar to 'Three Spirits as One'?" Korben found himself increasingly unable to read the young wizard before him.
His son Hishan had exploited the unique properties of Three Spirits as One — deliberately violating the Four Seasons Garden's covenant, dying once to let the Eye of Judgment's power fully discharge, and then reviving — thereby escaping the contract's grip.
Korben didn't believe Leylin had a Third-rank Wizard backing him. The only explanation was that he had cultivated this ancient secret art!
"Courting death!"
Korben swept a cold gaze around the area and let out a disdainful snort. The tremendous power from their earlier clash had completely exposed them to the White Wizards, and several stragglers were already moving in to investigate.
The surroundings had been reduced to a wasteland. Only the spot where the core consciousness had been sealed still retained a layer of pitch-black energy shielding.
Several wizards wearing Lightning Legion uniforms were already heading this way. The one leading them was familiar to Leylin — the vice-commander Resman had left behind. Another peak First-rank powerhouse!
"The Lightning Legion? What a bunch of eyesores!"
Korben let out a low growl, seeming to harbor some deep grudge against the Lightning Legion. He thrust both hands forward: "Sigh of Withering!"
A ring of silver-grey airflow formed between his hands and surged toward the Lightning Legion's position like a tornado.
The silver-grey airflow seemed to carry an incredibly potent corrosive effect, carving deep grooves in the ground as it arrived before the wizards in the blink of an eye.
Ssss!
Wisps of the airflow swept through a Lightning Legion wizard. A strange expression flickered across his face before his entire body began to wither.
In barely the span of a blink, the powerful wizard had become a desiccated corpse that toppled to the ground.
"Hehehe!" Korben let out a bone-chilling cackle. Under his control, the silver-grey tornado first savaged the Lightning Legion wizards one by one, then surged toward the despairing vice-commander.
"Second-rank Wizard — Korben of
The Lightning Legion's vice-commander clearly recognized Korben's identity. He roared at the top of his lungs, raising his iron fist to strike at the tornado in the sky!
As he threw his punch, two enormous blue sphere-lightning bolts materialized before his fist in an instant.
The massive lightning fists, trailing thunder and fire and fueled by boundless fury, howled toward the silver-grey tornado in midair.
Unexpectedly, the two enormous lightning fists plunged into the tornado and simply vanished — not a single sound emerged.
"Pfft!" The vice-commander's face went pale as he instantly spat out a mouthful of black-red blood, wisps of grey gas continuously rising from within.
"Heh heh! Did you think I wouldn't study your lightning-type magic after my last loss?"
Korben's eerie laughter continued as the massive tornado roared and sucked the vice-commander in as well.
Whooo...
The tornado spun in place, and after a few seconds it dissipated entirely, revealing the scene within.
Crack! A set of immaculate white bones tumbled to the ground the instant the tornado dispersed, shattering into several pieces before quickly crumbling to powder.
The former vice-commander had been stripped of every last shred of flesh and blood by the tornado, its corrosive power not even sparing the vitality within his bones.
Korben had eliminated the entire surrounding Lightning Legion with a single move. This savage display immediately intimidated the nearby White Wizards, and the Four Seasons Garden wizards turned on their heels and fled without hesitation.
Though they were loyal to the Four Seasons Garden, they weren't fools! Anyone who could kill a peak First-rank Wizard in a single blow had to be a Second-rank existence! Facing such a wizard, no matter how many of them charged in, it would be a suicide mission!
Korben nodded with satisfaction, then turned to look at Leylin.
"The nuisances have been dealt with. Now we can begin again..."
Throughout Korben's assault, Leylin had simply stood there in silence, letting him slaughter the Lightning Legion wizards, his thoughts unknowable.
"It's time." Leylin released a quiet sigh.
"What time?" A chill suddenly swept through Korben's heart, bringing with it a very bad premonition.
Hummmm...
A tremendous tremor erupted as the enormous metal gate spanning the center of the Four Seasons Garden suddenly began to hum.
The wizards present were no strangers to this — it had happened not long ago, and last time, a Second-rank Wizard had led an entire wizard legion through the secret realm gate!
Crack-crack-crack!
Blue currents continuously swept around the enormous metal gate. The previously cloudless sky instantly darkened as black clouds blotted out everything.
A pair of enormous hands composed entirely of lightning burst forth from the great gate in an instant, sweeping through the surrounding Black Wizards.
The Black Wizards who had been looting freely moments before wore expressions of shock before being reduced to ash under the electric current!
Following the lightning hands was a large man with golden hair, a lightning-shaped sigil on his forehead radiating blinding light.
"Resman!" Korben spat through gritted teeth.
He immediately fixed Leylin with a murderous glare. "You did this?"
In the current Ganges Secret Realm, the only one who knew their plans so well and had the means to send a message was Leylin alone!!!
Yet no matter how hard Korben tried, he couldn't figure out what Leylin stood to gain from this.
The crimes Leylin had committed before were enough for the White Wizard Alliance to kill him hundreds of times over. Even tipping them off now wouldn't earn him any clemency.
Moreover, Leylin had now managed to offend both the Black and White Wizards. No matter how you looked at it, there was no good ending in sight for him.
But Korben had no more time to dwell on these matters. When Resman saw the scene before him, his expression first registered shock, and then several points of blue light drifted up from the dried corpses of the Lightning Legion, shooting like lightning bolts into the sigil on his forehead.
The big man's face was instantly consumed by rage.
"Korben! You pathetic maggot! You coward who only knows how to run! This time I'll tear your head off and grind it into the Council steps for ten thousand years!!!"
Resman unleashed a thunderous roar as blue lightning instantly blanketed his entire body.
Crack!
A massive bolt of lightning struck down from the sky! It landed squarely in Resman's hand, transforming into a spear-like weapon.
Whoosh! Resman's figure instantly tore through the air and materialized before Korben.
"Damn it!"
Korben's eyelids twitched wildly as he shot out two silver-grey tornadoes from his hands.
The massive tornadoes roared and merged into an even larger vortex, enveloping him within.
Resman, who looked like a God of Thunder and War, immediately charged into the tornado. Within, two silhouettes could faintly be seen darting around each other.
The raging tornado roamed the battlefield at random, and any wizard caught in its path was instantly reduced to a desiccated corpse or incinerated into charcoal by the arcs of electricity it threw off.
"They're finally gone!"
Leylin watched the two Second-rank Wizards locked in combat and allowed a smile of relief to spread across his face.
Although the heart transformation had brought him to the very threshold of the Second-rank — making him arguably the most powerful First-rank Wizard in history — First-rank was still First-rank. Between it and the Second-rank, there was always an enormous chasm.
Though he had managed to withstand Korben's strike earlier, if the fight continued, his best option at most would be to flee.
That was something his plans absolutely could not tolerate!