"The arcane civilization must absolutely not be revived—this is the bottom line!"
As the Goddess of the
At the same time, the numerous deities gathered together, once again forming a subtle understanding and balance among themselves.
While several of the divine avatars were confident they could enter the
Besides, who knew whether the Grand Archmage had set up traps specifically targeting deities within that Floating City?
"A prolonged standoff isn't a solution either. Why don't we—"
However, just as Ogma was about to break the silence, a startling change occurred above the Floating City.
A dazzling light enveloped the entire Floating City, teleportation energy surged throughout, and the whole structure suddenly appeared ethereal and insubstantial.
"A dimensional leap? No! It's a random teleport—stop it, quickly!"
The deities all acted at once, their mighty divine power forming a golden containment network, but they were a step too late. The Floating City vanished completely, leaving only the deities behind, staring at each other in disbelief.
……
Inside the testing chamber adjacent to the core kinetic room, Rogolo stared at the blue test tube before him, a hint of tension creeping onto his face.
"This Floating City's Grand Archmage was far too demanding of his successor. Even though I've already reached the rank of [High-level Archmage], successfully compounding the Pale Blue Light potion is still a bit of a stretch. Luckily, I have this…"
Rogolo placed a white crystal beneath the test tube, and the instant it made contact, the entire crystal radiated a scorching heat.
"The extraordinary stabilizer that boosts the chances by fifty percent—the Phantom Stone? The Apophilde Philosopher's Stone! Success or failure hinges on this!"
Rogolo took a deep breath and positioned another dropper at the mouth of the test tube.
"If the potion successfully turns blue, it's a success. Otherwise, it's failure… Just one more step from receiving the inheritance…"
Rogolo made the most fervent prayer of his life: "Whoever you may be among the gods unseen, please bless me! If I succeed this time, I will surely become your most devout fanatic…"
I don't know if an ancient deity really bestowed its favor, or if it was just good luck.
After a single drop of the potion fell from the dropper, the entire test tube instantly began to fizz violently.
The dense liquid churned, constantly shifting its color before finally settling into a faint blue radiance.
At first, the pale blue color was somewhat unstable, and the sight made cold sweat bead on Rogolo's forehead. But then, the Philosopher's Stone, like a shard of white crystal, cracked and emitted a white light that enveloped the entire tube.
The pale blue potion immediately stabilized, and a look of sudden joy broke across Rogolo's face. "Success!!!"
He quickly strode to a huge crystal door carved with a giant vertical eye motif and poured the newly concocted Pale Blue Light potion onto the pupil of the eye.
Hiss!
Once the pale blue liquid touched the pupil, it was instantly absorbed, as if it were a drop of water meeting a sponge.
Rogolo waited tensely for the result, his heart filled with unease and apprehension.
Drip! Pale Blue Light potion successfully prepared!
Time seemed to stretch for ages, yet passed in only seconds. When the mechanical voice sounded, Rogolo couldn't help but let out a cheer.
Rumble!
The vertical eye rolled, producing the clanking sound of a key locking into place. The entire grand door slowly swung open, revealing a direct path to the power core chamber.
"Haha... I did it! I did it!" Rogolo shouted in wild excitement. "As expected! Very little of the [
Although his face showed excitement, the pace of his steps did not slow at all.
The passage was short, and at his speed, he soon arrived at the core power chamber and saw the Secret Energy Core suspended in mid-air, ceaselessly providing energy for the entire floating city.
"Haha... As expected! I really am the fastest!"
Upon seeing the place was completely empty, Rogolo finally couldn't hold back and burst into hearty laughter.
"Mine! Mine! The ancient floating city, the legacy of the Grand Arcanist, and all the Arcanist treasures belong to me, and me alone..."
Anticipation gleamed in Rogolo's eyes as he slowly walked toward the Secret Energy Core.
His face was filled with excitement and greed. Trembling, he extended his right hand.
The tower spirit, shaped like a flower fairy, also materialized around them, watching the scene with a faint, impassive gaze.
"Core Intelligence, transfer your authorization to me at once!" Rogolo shouted. "As your new master, I will certainly take good care of you from now on…"
Beep! The flower fairy nodded expressionlessly, and the floor beneath the Secret Energy Core cracked open, revealing something resembling a control console. A purple crystal sat atop it, pulsing with a mesmerizing glow.
"Well done!"
Rogolo laughed heartily, reaching out with his right hand to grab it.
However, the very instant his hand was within a centimeter of the purple crystal, something unexpected happened!!!
A blinding radiance surged forth, engulfing his entire body, interwoven with the unmistakable shimmer of a teleportation spell.
High-tier Legendary Arcanum —[Dimensional Banishment]!!!
"No! Everything I've… everything I've…" Rogolo's face twisted with unwillingness as he vanished, his voice the only thing left echoing through the empty chamber.
"Well, well… it actually took you this long to show up. You really kept me waiting…"
A translucent figure stepped out from a corner of the secret chamber, the illusory aura around him gradually fading away — it was Linley!
Linley yawned, his face a picture of nonchalance. "He couldn't even recognize a Dimensional Banishment trap, and he calls himself a[High-tier Arcanist]. The legacy he obtained must be seriously flawed — probably incomplete…"
"But even if he had recognized it, the only way to break a Legendary Arcanum is to let its full power trigger once. That meant I had to wait all this time for him…"
A hint of dissatisfaction crossed Linley's face.
"The arcanum traps set by the Master can only be detected by a[Grand Arcanist]of Legendary rank!"
The flower fairy bowed deeply to Linley. "Although I could have long confirmed that only you — the one who inherited the glory of Nether Arcana and who is himself a Legendary[Grand Arcanist]— could succeed the floating city, the binding protocols left me no choice. Please forgive the formality…"
"It's fine… Let's just hurry up with the authorization transfer. The longer we wait, the more likely something unexpected will happen…"
Linley stepped before the control console. The Dimensional Banishment spell, having fully discharged its power, had already dissipated entirely.
"The Secret Energy Core… Legend says that anything that comes into contact with it shatters into countless particles as if struck by a[Legendary Disintegrate]. Just how powerful must that kind of energy be?"
Linley sighed, pressing his right index finger directly onto the purple crystal.
'Ding! Qualified candidate confirmed. Authorization transfer initiating!' The Flower Spirit cooperated in the process, and Linley felt himself instantly connect with the entire Floating City. The massive structure seemed to become a part of his body, and he could even see the current state of those invaders.
[Ding! Main authorization of the Floating City acquired. Assisted scan in progress!]
The Chip's mechanical voice rang out. With its assistance, Linley could manipulate the entire Floating City far more easily, even instantly reaching the proficiency level of the original owner.
"Energy reserves at less than 50%, and divine power fluctuations detected from outside?"
Linley looked at the returned report, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Flower Spirit! Begin preparations for the Floating City's random teleportation. Activate the concealment formation and the spatial coordinate disruption formation..."
Linley commanded directly.
"At once, Master! My previous masters all called me 'Xialin.' Perhaps you could call me by another name as well..." The Flower Spirit Xialin smiled beautifully, her delicate features brightening, and began carrying out Linley's orders.
"Also! Send me to these locations! Before the teleportation, I still need to deal with a few pesky insects..."
Linley waved his hand with great spirit and vigor, but just at that moment, his expression shifted slightly.
A strange animal-hide scroll drifted out of his dimensional bag on its own, the seals Linley had previously placed upon it shattering layer by layer.
The Secret Energy Core emitted terrifying energy fluctuations, forming a thumb-sized solid pillar of light at its center that shot down onto the scroll.
The energy capable of disintegrating all things did not damage the animal-hide scroll. Instead, it made the radiance upon it even more dazzling. The scroll slowly opened, revealing an arcane template of terrifying complexity.
[Ding! High-level arcane template detected. Scan it?]the Chip asked.
"Yes!"
Following Linley's command, the Chip immediately scanned and recorded the arcane template. After the recording was complete, the animal-hide scroll seemed to have fulfilled its purpose and began slowly rolling itself back up.
"As I suspected. This animal-hide scroll isn't a mere object—it contains some kind of will belonging to the Shadow of
In Linley's previous examinations, this scroll had clearly sealed something truly extraordinary. Had it been opened rashly, it would likely have brought terrible contamination and curses.
But now, under the radiation of the continent's only Secret Energy Core, it seemed this was the correct way to open the scroll—and the other party had indeed provided an arcane template of terrifying complexity.
"This..."
Linley glanced at the Chip's task bar once more. Due to the arcane template's immense complexity and sheer size, its effects and abilities would still require time to calculate. The only thing Linley could be certain of was that the spell's rank was extraordinarily high!
"Planning everything up to this point, even granting me the benefit of the Bloodline Power... is the true intention finally about to be revealed?"
Linley's expression remained calm, but killing intent and savage emotion had already begun to accumulate deep within his eyes.
"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and teleport!"
Linley barked at the Flower Spirit, who seemed to have been stunned senseless.