A flash of light, and Leilin's figure materialized in the central hall of the Ganges Secret Realm.
Giant white stone pillars rose all around him, and through the domed ceiling above, he could see the luminous barrier of the Star Witch Array shimmering outside.
"This underground trip went quite smoothly!"
Leilin surveyed his surroundings. The four Void Assassins were still faithfully executing his previous orders. He smiled faintly and recalled both the Void Assassins and the defensive witch array.
"My Lord Leilin!"
"My Lord, how goes it?" The moment the outer defenses were withdrawn, two figures rushed in — Nnov and Dark Flame, the highest-ranking leaders of the Black and White Warlocks. The looks on their faces made it clear they had been growing desperately anxious about the situation here, yet had no better option than to keep waiting outside.
"It's not enough! The seal has been far too heavily damaged. Though I've done my best to repair it, whether we can delay things for the hundred years we originally discussed is very hard to predict. We might only have a few decades — or even less…"
Leilin spoke with a 'grave' expression, and both Nnov and Dark Flame turned ashen.
"My Lord! Is there truly nothing else we can do?" Nnov asked, clinging to one final shred of hope.
But the only answer he received was a slow shake of Leilin's head.
……
More than ten days slipped by in the blink of an eye, and Leilin concluded his inspection and visit to the Ganges Secret Realm, returning to his homeland — the Keli Archipelago.
There, with the aid of numerous outside forces, Krupp had led the remaining blood descendants of the Farell family to not only successfully reclaim all the territories that once belonged to the Farell bloodline, but also steadily push their borders outward, preparing to establish an empire wholly belonging to the Farell family!
Leilin stayed in the castle that had once belonged to the Farell family for several days. He received every blood descendant of the Farell family, made a great many arrangements, and then mysteriously disappeared.
The Farell family's public announcement was that this ancestor had departed the South Coast and ventured into the wider wizarding world beyond.
Whether Leilin's departure was genuine or a ruse, and whether he might one day return — none could say for certain, but the Black and White Warlocks all breathed a collective sigh of relief.
For them, Leilin represented both the promise of a higher realm of power, and simultaneously a shackle locked around their necks.
The tiny South Coast was simply too small to contain an existence that had surpassed the Morning Star level.
Even the legendary Crimson Grand Warlock of ages past had mysteriously vanished after his period of glory. According to later warlocks' speculation, he had simply gone out to seek vaster horizons.
Although Leilin had not left behind any method for breaking through to the Morning Star realm, which deeply disappointed some third-rank Wizards, having one fewer powerful figure looming over them was also a tremendous relief.
The light and dark
The open and covert struggles over the Soul-Slaying Sect's legacy had already begun sending ripples throughout the ranks of both the light and dark Wizard factions.
As for the truly major powers like the Nine-Ring White Tower and the Darknight Tower, they watched from the sidelines with cold detachment—even secretly consolidating their strength, ready to relocate at a moment's notice.
The few decades Leilin had previously given them were not particularly sufficient for these deeply entrenched Wizard factions to relocate. Simply finding a suitable environment for Wizards to survive in beyond the South Coast was enough to keep Novov and Dark Flame busy and overwhelmed.
Of course, no matter how turbulent the South Coast had become, neither the light and dark Wizards, nor even the rogue Wizards, dared to provoke the Farrell family ever again.
This was a family protected by a Morning Star Wizard! Never mind Leilin, who could return at any time—even Krupp, who had already advanced to second-tier warlock, was a force that could not be taken lightly. And who knew what trump cards that lord might have left for his family?
Theoretically, if that Wizard were to grant the Farrell family just a few of those transparent servants from before, it would be enough to suppress the entire South Coast.
Therefore, all of the light and dark Wizard factions had, as if by unspoken agreement, placed the Farrell family at the very top of their "do not provoke" list. The entire Keli Archipelago had even become forbidden territory for Wizards.
And so the Farrell family and the empire they had built grew ever stronger and more prosperous as time passed.
In the surrounding darkness, a brilliant flame suddenly blazed to life, casting pristine white light across the area.
More and more flames ignited, growing ever brighter, until they ultimately formed an archway.
A masked, shadowy figure emerged from the archway. Immediately, a layer of black mist enveloped their body.
"Disperse!" At the shadowy figure's command, the light and fluctuations weakened at once, fading until they vanished entirely.
"Secret Art—Shadow!" Still seemingly unsatisfied, the figure produced a rune representing concealment and hiding, which suddenly flickered into existence within the mist.
Then the entire mass of mist trembled, turning completely transparent and merging seamlessly with the surrounding environment.
Shrouded in the mist, the figure seemed to slip into the gaps between shadows, darting swiftly through the ruins while evading a large number of the Lias family's warlocks.
Not even a few of the Morning Star–level elders detected the figure's aura, allowing the intruder to escape without hindrance.
After putting a considerable distance between themselves and the Thunderbird Sacred Land, the mist transformed into a streak of black light that shot across the sky like a meteor. It flew for several hours before finally revealing the figure within.
The newcomer wore dark golden academic robes and a black mask, carrying an air of refined elegance mingled with an aura of mystery.
"Looks like I shouldn't be tracked down once I'm here!"
Lin Lei let out a light breath. The Lias family's defenses were somewhat beyond his expectations — not overly strict, but rather too lax.
"But then again, that makes sense. With Im's arrogant temperament, he would naturally assume that even if I managed to open a passage, any communication with the underground world, dumping of products, or development of trade would all have to go through him. That's why he could afford to be so carefree, right? Unfortunately, he miscalculated from the very beginning..."
Lin Lei stroked his chin. Venturing into the underground world was a decision he had made only after careful deliberation.
Since he intended to connect to the Infernal World, he needed coordinates on this side as well. The Central Continent had far too many high-ranking Wizards for his comfort, and both the Dark Extreme Domain and the South Coast were not only cramped in territory but also woefully thin in elemental concentration — hardly ideal either.
Originally, Lin Lei had planned to find some random spot in the endless ocean to construct an Astral Gate and attempt to locate the Infernal World. But upon discovering the Ganges Secret Realm, he instantly saw a far better option.
Unlike the surface world, the first underground layer was still very well concealed. Even if a Wizard traced Lin Lei's footsteps here, they might not necessarily find this place.
Moreover, the underground world was nothing like the former Dark Extreme Domain. Even just the first layer, with all its landmass combined, rivaled the entire Central Continent in size. If those Wizards wanted to find Lin Lei here, it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
"All that's left now is the Ten Thousand Serpent Curse Seal..."
Lin Lei drew in a deep breath, and his entire body transformed into a streak of brilliant light that vanished beyond the horizon.
More than ten days later, in a mountain range — this was the kind of barren wasteland common to the underground. Lacking both vegetation and the glow of sunstones, the entire mountain sat bare and lifeless, with only a handful of fungi and vines that required no sunlight clinging to life here and there.
Vast expanses of dark rock and exposed, barren soil dominated the landscape. There were no large creatures on the mountain, and even small Dark Beasts had practically vanished from the area.
Deep within the mountain's belly, several rooms had been carved out on a temporary basis.
Gleaming traces of spells — Rock-to-Mud, Permanent Reinforcement, and others — still lingered on the walls, evidence that construction had only recently been completed.
Some of the rooms had been converted into bedrooms and studies, while the central one had been turned into an enormous laboratory. Blue starlight illuminated every corner, only to be intercepted by Energy Absorption Runes inscribed along the walls.
At the heart of the laboratory stood an ancient stone gate, its surface studded with small blue gemstones that sparkled like stars.
[Ding! Astral Gate (Improved Version) complete! All 71,832 simulations have run successfully!]The Chip reported faithfully.
"Phew... It's finally done. Otherwise, the materials I was carrying would have barely been enough..."
Lin Lei studied the Chip's report and the energy structure diagram, unable to suppress a long exhale.
Before him, this Astral Gate — refined multiple times by the Chip and funded by a vast portion of Lin Lei's personal fortune — represented his hope for breaking through the shackles of bloodline!
The thought of the bloodline shackles darkened Lin Lei's expression further.
"How much time do I have left?" Lin Lei's voice was somewhat hoarse.
[Ding! Based on the host's current condition, countdown until the Ten Thousand Serpent Curse Mark activates: 2 years, 4 months, 13 days, 8 hours, 55 minutes, 43 seconds!]
The Chip projected a set of numbers, clearly displayed from years down to seconds, with the final seconds digit still continuously adjusting. The sight made Lin Lei's eyelid twitch.
"Just two more years?"
Lin Lei stroked his chin and fell into deep thought.
The Ten Thousand Serpent Curse Mark was the curse of the Serpent Mother, and a nightmare for all Giant Serpent Warlocks. Apart from the Serpent Mother personally lifting it, the only paths forward were a ninth-level existence intervening, or breaking through the bloodline shackles oneself.
But for Lin Lei, the Serpent Mother and ninth-level existences were both dead ends. Only by truly breaking free from his bloodline chains could he shed the Ten Thousand Serpent Curse Mark and fully regain his freedom.
And the hope of breaking through those bloodline shackles lay within the Inferno World!
Therefore, no matter how many dangers the Inferno World held, he had to go there in person!