"This... where is this?"
"So this... is your original world?" Agnes was in no better state — she had nearly fallen from the Morning Star rank entirely.
The more powerful an otherworldly existence was, the heavier the suppression it faced in the
Leilin observed the scene with a contemplative look in his eyes. Then he clapped his hands together.
"Ladies! Welcome to the Wizard World! This is the first level of the Underworld! I hope you'll enjoy it here!"
Once all three women's attention had turned toward him, Leilin scratched his nose.
"Now that you're here, you're free! You can leave whenever you like. Of course, if you choose to stay with me, I'll make sure you're well taken care of. Oh, and one more thing — I'm already married here, though I have more than one wife, and I certainly wouldn't mind having a few more..."
"Oh! Big Brother Leilin is already married? Can Sophia go meet the older sisters?"
Sophia was remarkably forward. Although her long-standing illness had long since been cured, her daily behavior still carried a very childlike quality. Of course, Leilin could see the cunning glint in her eyes and knew exactly what she was thinking.
"You...!" Belinda cursed under her breath, but didn't walk away.
Agnes looked at Belinda, then followed after her with an expressionless face.
"Good! None of you are planning to leave just yet? Then stick with me for now. I'll teach you the basics of the Wizard World and the language as quickly as possible. First, let's go visit the Lias family. I'll get you settled in..."
Leilin smiled and set off with the three snake-women.
As they departed, he cast a brief glance toward the east, a trace of amusement in his eyes.
"Hmm?! The aura of another world?"
Far to the east of Leilin's laboratory, in a vast imperial capital.
Countless half-beasts, dwarves, goblins, and subterranean humans lived together in bustling prosperity.
This was the imperial capital of the Arthur Empire. Inside the palace, within a massive secret chamber, a voice rang out and a beam of black light instantly burst forth. It flickered several times in midair before hurtling toward the horizon.
The numerous defensive arrays seemed to take no notice of the black light at all, allowing it to pass through as though unopposed.
"King Arthur!" "King Arthur!" powerful figures cried out in alarm.
In the palace, a middle-aged man wearing a crown was gripped by profound shock: "The ancestor has been awakened from his slumber? Has some great catastrophe occurred?"
...
"Otherworldly beings have invaded — and within my empire, no less..."
Within the black radiance was a fair-skinned male with golden curly hair and blue eyes, his face chiseled as if carved by blade and axe, his body radiating fierce determination and unyielding strength.
"And this feeling... this faint sense of dread — what is it?"
A flicker of worry crossed the man's eyes, but it was quickly swallowed by resolve.
As a peak Sunrise-level sovereign, his speed was like lightning. In the briefest of moments, he located Leilin's former laboratory.
Though it had been abandoned, he still uncovered quite a few things.
"The architectural style of the Central Continent... and an Astral Gate. So a Wizard brought back otherworldly beings from beyond? In that case, that Wizard's strength..."
Just as he was growing uneasy, a voice transmission fell directly into his ears. The information it carried made the middle-aged man start in surprise, and he set off in pursuit of Leilin and the others.
"Big Brother Leilin! Why did we suddenly stop?"
Sophia was brimming with curiosity about everything around her and had barely paused during the entire journey.
"Waiting for someone!" Leilin shrugged with an air of perfect nonchalance.
"Friend or enemy?" Belinda asked with characteristic directness.
"Neither, really. He's not qualified for either title." Leilin waved his hand dismissively.
Then a streak of dark light pierced through the sky and shot toward them. Even before it arrived, the soul power radiating from it made Agnes's expression shift repeatedly: "Sixth-level! A sixth-level powerhouse! No — peak sixth-level!!!"
As a former fifth-level powerhouse and defender of the
Though her expression had changed, Agnes glanced at the utterly calm Leilin and let out a self-deprecating laugh: "Well, of course. What does sixth-level even mean to you?"
Even though she hadn't witnessed Leilin's earth-shattering battle against the several Supreme beings, Agnes had seen him devouring numerous sixth-level Devouring Beasts. The psychological impact of that scene was beyond words.
"Esteemed Wizard powerhouse! I am Arthur! Welcome to the Underworld!"
At that moment, the black light arrived before Leilin and the others, revealing the figure of the fair-skinned man within.
"Arthur?!" Leilin's brow creased slightly, then quickly smoothed out. "The one who founded the Arthur Empire? What an honor!"
"I'd rather my friends simply call me 'Arthur.' Titles like 'emperor' and the worldly power they represent — what do they mean to the likes of us?"
Arthur's smile was warm and approachable, carrying not a trace of condescension.
Of course, this likely had much to do with Leilin's strength. Otherwise, the other man wouldn't have been so agreeable.
[Arthur. Sixth-level Wizard. Strength estimate: 21. Agility estimate: 11. Constitution estimate: 19. Mental estimate: 40. Soul state: Peak Sunrise. Rule comprehension assessment: Darkness, Gravity, Earth...]
In the span of just a few lines of conversation, the Chip had quietly collected all of the man's data.
With Leilin's advancement, the Chip — long since bound to his soul — had also been upgraded. It had even gained a rudimentary touch of rule comprehension. Anything below the seventh level could no longer withstand the Chip's scanning and analysis.
"This data... it's not the old format. It's the new standard based on the Star Phantom race."
Leilin rubbed his chin. "Although both are peak Sunrise, his mental power by the old standard wouldn't even break ten thousand. That's unusual under normal circumstances. Could it be the difference in rule comprehension?"
Leilin had a premonition that his own terrifyingly absurd stats were probably not something an ordinary peak Sunrise-level being could match.
"According to the Chip's data, and my own sense of things — in terms of rule comprehension, he surpasses the Flame Throne, but only by roughly twenty to thirty percent at most..."
Leilin stroked his chin. Meanwhile, in Arthur's eyes, this black-haired Wizard before him appeared young in age, yet his aura was unfathomably deep. That field of his — like a titanic beast that devoured everything — even sent a thread of genuine fear rising from the depths of Arthur's heart.
"How is this possible? I've survived multiple Blood Wars in the Underworld and built the Arthur Empire! I've even encountered beings of the Rule level... Rule level..."
Arthur's eyes suddenly went wide, as if something had occurred to him. Involuntarily, he drew upon a sliver of the rule of Earth.
Agnes and the other two women collapsed to the ground. In their eyes, it was as though the entire Underworld had been set into upheaval — the phantom projection of an entire continent pressing down upon them, giving them the sensation that their very souls would be annihilated in the next instant.
"A test, was it?"
Leilin smiled. No matter how terrifying the power, it was dissolved by the endless devouring force surrounding his body. In the end, he even swallowed the other's world projection in a single gulp.
"Hah... hah..." Arthur panted heavily. Having witnessed this scene, he no longer hesitated for even a moment and dropped to one knee: "Arthur greets the great Seventh-level Wizard! Please, my lord, grant me your name! Forgive my earlier offense!"
"Seventh-level?" Leilin couldn't help but laugh. "I'd barely count as half of one. As for my name — just call me Leilin."
"Yes! Lord Leilin!" Arthur felt an invisible force lift him up, compelling his body to rise to its feet against his will. The expression on his face grew only more reverent.
"Why... did you assume I was a seventh-level Wizard?"
Leilin frowned and questioned Arthur, then through the other man's explanation, gained a deeper understanding of the path beyond the sixth level.
According to Arthur, even the most peak among Sunrise-level Wizards could never possess Leilin's power. Their physical stats — even their mental power — were roughly on par with Arthur's own. The only difference lay in their rule comprehension.
"Once one's comprehension of a particular rule exceeds fifty percent, Sunrise-level Wizards enter a dormant period and undergo a terrifying transformation! Their stats surge dramatically. And if they can't perfect that rule comprehension and advance to the seventh level... they never wake up again?"
Leilin rubbed his chin, thinking of his own situation.
His condition was extraordinarily unique. The Devouring Rule had been entirely seized from Belusebabu's complete
"However, I've essentially already passed through the rule transformation stage of sixth-level Wizards. My body has even begun to be infused with the power of law. Between me and the seventh level, there's nothing but a sheet of paper..."
Leilin pieced it all together in an instant.
His current realm could already be described as standing at the very doorstep of the seventh level, and his stats were fully comparable to an ordinary Rule-level being. Those sixth-level Sunrise Throne holders had stats no better than Arthur's at most — it was only after the dormant period that they'd experience a massive surge in power. But by then, they would either have perished or successfully advanced to the seventh level. Leilin himself was the extraordinary exception.
"Only Sunrise-level Wizards who've comprehended more than fifty percent of a rule undergo a qualitative transformation under the amplification of law?"
he asked calmly.
"Yes! My lord!" Arthur eyed Leilin with a mixture of awe and unease.
In his mind, the other was unquestionably a seventh-level Rule Wizard, though he didn't understand why the man denied it.
But regardless — treating him with the utmost respect could never be the wrong choice.
"As much as I yearn for the seventh level of the Rule Realm, comprehending the Great Dao of Law is far too difficult. Even after thousands of years, I've yet to reach that threshold..."