Unlike the ordinary wizards on the South Coast who lacked high-level Meditation Methods and had no clear understanding of their paths, Leilin had a very clear vision of his advancement route.
Ordinary wizards, after spending countless years pushing their Spiritual Power and elemental transformation to the required standards, would then need to find or develop an advanced Second-level Spell Model that matched the Innate
This was entirely a game of chance. Even if they succeeded, friction and loss between the two spell templates would significantly hamper their strength as Second-level Wizards.
But Leilin was different. He possessed a high-level Meditation Method! Every promotion would generate an Innate Wizard Spell perfectly suited to his own condition! What he needed to do now was raise the level of his Meditation Method and cultivate the Eye of Kermoin to the second layer! Then he could smoothly advance to become a Second-level Warlock!
For wizards who practiced high-level Meditation Methods, once the Meditation Method reached the appropriate level, it would automatically drive the wizard's own promotion—far faster than ordinary wizards.
"I've already met all the basic advancement conditions for the second layer of the Eye of Kermoin! Next, I need to accumulate Spiritual Power and ignite a massive burst of energy in an instant, propelling the Eye of Kermoin through its breakthrough..."
The contents of the Eye of Kermoin regarding the second layer breakthrough slowly flowed before Leilin's eyes.
"This is a process of continuous accumulation! In my current state, it should take two to three years! However, through some special means—like burning a large quantity of unowned Spiritual Power—I can accelerate the effect..."
Leilin's eyes glowed with a faint, dangerous light...
Dark clouds blanketed the sky, blocking every trace of moonlight. The entire Ganges Secret Realm was plunged into darkness.
One after another, wizard-spell lanterns flickered to life, strung together like pearls of light, casting slivers of brightness across the
But even with numerous wizard-spell lanterns permanently inscribed with Light Spells, this vast headquarters still harbored plenty of shadows and darkness.
Beside a flowerbed, dark figures emerged one after another from the shadows.
Each figure wore a black robe threaded with crimson patterns, the stench of blood so thick it seemed almost tangible. Their eyes held no trace of human emotion—only pure killing intent and the desire to wreak havoc!!!
"How is it? The Dark Wizard forces from the headquarters! Not inferior to the White Wizards, are they?"
Leilin and Xishan stood off to the side. Of course, the two of them had used their authority to redirect the patrol wizards and personally deactivated the formation spirit's defenses to receive these arrivals.
At this moment, Xishan turned to Leilin with a grin and asked.
"Not inferior at all—perhaps even superior in many ways..." Leilin took a deep breath.
Because of their harsh living conditions, Dark Wizards placed extremely high demands on combat effectiveness. Essentially, anyone who had survived this long possessed one or two killer techniques to their name.
The White Wizards' trained legions, while having undergone arduous and bloody training, could at best surpass the Dark Wizard forces in coordination and teamwork—but in terms of individual combat power, they were still somewhat lacking.
"It's been two days since the last attack. At most three more days before the Investigation Team arrives from headquarters! Things will get very troublesome then..."
Xishan's face showed his displeasure: "What about that
"He's hidden himself very well! The people I sent out couldn't find him!" Leilin spread his hands with an expression of helplessness.
"In any case, he definitely can't escape the Secret Realm, and the information can't get out. In two days, even if he links up with the Investigation Team, it won't matter!"
"I hope so!" Xishan coldly stared at Leilin for a long time before squeezing out a few words through gritted teeth.
He certainly suspected that Leilin was going through the motions and deliberately letting Wade off the hook. But as Leilin had said—as long as Wade couldn't get the information out, it was a minor matter. In terms of their overall interests, bound by the Judgment Eye Contract, Xishan believed Leilin wouldn't go so far as to betray them.
After all, if things were exposed now, Leilin would have absolutely no way of returning to the Four Seasons Garden. He would only be hunted down!
"Isn't it a bit risky to transport personnel now? What if we're discovered?"
Leilin looked at the Dark Wizards lined up behind Xishan and asked with some concern.
The White Wizards at headquarters weren't fools—especially with the Lightning Legion present. His and Xishan's little maneuvers were already suspicious enough. If they were found to have dealings with Dark Wizards, it would immediately draw serious attention.
"We have no choice! Our time is extremely tight! Within at most three days, at minimum two, we must smuggle in enough personnel and transfer control of the defensive magical arrays!"
Xishan's face was grim: "I can temporarily hide them in several abandoned laboratories and warehouses. It's only a day or two—we won't even need to prepare much food or water..."
"You head to the Western District warehouses to lie low. I've reduced patrols and sentries along the route as much as possible. Here are their shift-change maps and early-warning spell patterns!"
Xishan issued orders to the Dark Wizards behind him, then tossed a roll of parchment to their leader.
The leading Dark Wizard silently caught it, flicked his robe, and dissolved into a wisp of black smoke, departing with the rest of the Dark Wizard forces.
The entire operation was executed with absolute silence, demonstrating these Dark Wizards' remarkable discipline and training.
Leilin knew full well that over the past few days, he and Xishan had used their authority to smuggle several batches of Dark Wizards into the Four Seasons Garden headquarters.
Thanks to the organizational chaos following the attack, combined with their own cover as the two highest-ranking moles, not a single wizard had noticed anything amiss.
Once control of the defensive magical arrays was transferred, these Dark Wizards, coordinating with forces outside, would tear through even if every official wizard from the Four Seasons Garden in the Ganges Secret Realm were present—along with two full battalions of the Lightning Legion!
Leilin sighed and closed his eyes. He could already imagine the expressions of bewilderment and confusion on these wizards' faces in their final moments.
"Tomorrow you and I will go together to unseal the Secret Realm's Core Consciousness Entity! Since the attack, Leisiman has added another layer of seals on top of the previous sealing laws. If our authority is insufficient, it will instantly trigger the formation spirit's counterattack!"
Xishan's expression turned serious.
In this battle for the Secret Realm Gate, the most critical objective was to seize the Core Consciousness Entity. Only by holding this could they control the physical metal gate outside and prevent the White Wizards from breaking in.
In other words, the key to controlling the Secret Realm lay in the Core Consciousness Entity.
After Leisiman had reinforced the sealing array, neither Leilin nor Xishan individually possessed sufficient authority to break the seal and extract the entity. Only by working together did they have enough authority to accomplish this.
This was precisely why Xishan had been tolerating Leilin all along.
"Rest assured! This matter is clearly written in the contract. I have no intention of backing out..."
Leilin turned to look at Xishan.
"What about the things I requested earlier? How are your preparations coming along?"
When Leilin had signed the Judgment Eye Contract with that Second-level Dark Wizard, he hadn't walked away empty-handed.
At the very least, he had demanded a large quantity of resources unique to the Dark Wizard domain, advanced academic knowledge, research data, and even a promise of entry into the Night Lighthouse!
The Night Lighthouse!
That was the Dark Wizards' holy site, guarded by a Third-level Dark Wizard. Its prestige was legendary—the former leader had once single-handedly shattered several Second-level Wizards, including Black Bone Forest Academy's Headmaster Slye, with a single strike!
Leilin's demand had even given that Second-level Dark Wizard some difficulty.
Though he was a representative of the Dark Wizard Alliance, recommending someone for entry into the Night Lighthouse still required expending considerable resources and personal connections.
As for materials and academic knowledge, those would require another massive expenditure.
But Leilin had been absolutely insistent, and the Dark Wizards had reluctantly included it in the contract.
Now, at the mere mention of this, Xishan's face darkened. His chest heaved violently, and his breathing grew labored.
"Rest assured! Black Blood Ore, Human Bone Flowers, and other resources have already been delivered to your room. As for the promise of entry into the Night Lighthouse—once we succeed here, you will receive it..."
"Good!" Leilin nodded, then melted into the darkness.
"Crack!" Behind him, the sound of something shattering immediately followed.
...
Two days later—the day before the Investigation Team's arrival.
It was noon. The blazing sun beat down on the ground, raising shimmering waves of heat.
The former Four Seasons Garden headquarters in the Ganges Secret Realm had regained its vitality. Large numbers of White Wizards streamed in and out of the merit exchange hall, completing various tasks.
Outside wizards and apprentices continually ventured out to gather every kind of resource, then sold them at the market established by the Four Seasons Garden to earn sufficient Magic Stones for useful potions and advanced academic materials.
Everything appeared orderly and well-managed.
Under Xishan and Leilin's stewardship, the headquarters had regained its former prosperity and stability. Of course, this was merely on the surface.
In the shadows, at least fifty Dark Wizards had infiltrated the premises, and several critical defensive magical arrays had already fallen into Dark Wizard hands.
The busy White Wizards had absolutely no idea that, without their knowledge, this entire Secret Realm headquarters had already changed masters.
"How does it feel? Watching this headquarters you helped rebuild with your own hands about to be destroyed in war?"
A voice came from behind Leilin.
Leilin turned around with an expressionless face and said to the approaching Xishan: "I feel nothing at all."