That troop, under the lead of a Crystal Phase Magus, had unhesitantly chased after their group.
Luckily, being Warlocks whose strength exceeded their levels, Leylin’s group had been able to fight them and flee whenever they met, but this had still caused a deviation from their original plans.
“Go there as quickly as possible, find what we need and immediately get out! Our traps will not be able to hold them off for long!”
Robin’s expression sank. The small squads at the back could only grit their teeth and carry on with the mission with no time to rest, not to mention any time to find resources.
Even if a trap was put in place again, with the add-on of Leylin’s spectacular skills, and the difficulty in successfully confining multiple Rank 3 Magi, the effects would not last very long.
Even their whereabouts would be known to their enemies.
After entering the pocket dimension, their ultimate goal was to reach the Quicksand ruins in the central continent. Leylin and company had never tried to conceal this fact — or rather, they couldn’t.
The fiery, blazing sun shone in the sky scorching everything.
Although this was merely a projection of the sun of another realm, the terrible heatwaves were still rising constantly, clambering up the surrounding temperature.
Leylin had draped himself with a white cloak and was standing in a large desert. There was only yellow sand as far as the eye could see. Not even a cactus could be seen, not to mention other plants and animals. It was a scene of death.
“Although this is a desert, the atmosphere and environment here are out of the norm!”
Leylin grabbed a handful of sand and its boiling heat spread to the center of his palm, “This kind of temperature is easily beyond a 100 degrees. Leave alone animals or plants, even a group of acolytes or rank 1 Magi cannot stand this terrible place for too long…”
He opened his palm, letting the boiling sand slip through his fingers. “Furthermore, this terrain is giving off a peculiar vibe. It seems to be from an ancient life form!”
“Did you notice it too?” Robin walked up to Leylin as he asked.
“Mm! Apparently, there are traces of some kind of ancient life form that lived here once, and they have a characteristic of blazing heat.” He said with a firm nod of his head.
Large-scale environmental changes like these, made subconsciously by the ancient life forms, were scaringly similar to those by Breaking Dawn Magi.
“I’ve heard a rumor. Among the ancient Quicksand Organization, there was once the son of a famous Bloodline Warlock who safely returned to his ancestors and really became the ancient Sun’s Child.
Robin looked at the vast desert and could not bear to sigh with sorrow: “We can’t say for sure but if that Sun’s Child was here before and cast his power…”
“The Ancient Sun’s Child!” Leylin’s faced changed slightly as he scanned through the database of the A.I Chip.
This was not just a simple bloodline creature. Its flames could burn in a vacuum, twisting the concepts of time. Even in some small worlds, the sun seen is not the actual fixed burning star, but in fact a grown Sun’s Child!
In the event of a Sun Child leaving the small world, it would bring great disaster to that place.
“Relax, even if the Sun’s Child surpassed Breaking Dawn Magi and entered the unpredictable rank 7, he would have probably died long ago during the ancient war.”
Robin seemed to have confidence and Leylin nodded his head in agreement.
Although ancient Magi were incomparably strong, their enemies, too, knew the rules of survival. And could even wipe out certain Magi via these rules.
Once somebody falls during the war, there was no possibility for them to survive. Even if they cloned their bodies as a backup, it was no use because it would decay the second the main body dies.
Even if the Sun’s Child surpassed the strength of the Morning Star Magus, it would be dreadful if he was made to enlist and die during battle.
‘Everything takes its own course. Even one as strong as the sun cannot escape the fate of death!’ Leylin sighed.
‘So it is uncertain if rank 9 Magi will be able to reach immortality?’ This was his highest pursuit and his greatest ambition, a path to eternal life!
Even if he attained the position of a rank 9 Magus in the highest realm, if he realized that he was unable to be immortal, he would still carry on with his journey, without the slightest hesitation, looking for all hope and opportunities!
Leylin’s pupils burned with desire, but he quickly concealed it.
“We’ve arrived!” Shouted Robin who was at the front.
“Hm? Let’s take a look!” Robin and Leylin looked at each other and walked to the front.
After kicking a small sand dune over, they spotted a huge, black, ancient castle, peacefully standing on its own amidst the yellow desert. The rising heat waves caused the castle to look like an oasis, a scene from a dream. But they could only see a small portion of it, and were able to roughly gauge the size of the ancient castle.
“We’re here! There are traces of Magi here—Quicksand Castle!” Robin laughed out loud.
And surrounding the ancient castle, there were a few people working on temporary construction; a few Barbarian Bears, Green-skinned Barbarians and human Magi forming a harmonious group. At certain times, there were Magi setting off alone, changing into flowy rays of light and entering the ancient castle.
WMW Chapter 423
Defeat
A small white bird landed, and Kesha opened her shut eyes. “From the energy fluctuations at that end, they have, at most, a Hydro Phase Magus overseeing them. What do we do?”
”Even though they have received some information related to us, it isn’t too risky to just barge in. We still have to obtain some sort of guide or map of the area to explore it, though……”
Robin let out a deep sigh, “My subordinates only acquired a part of the information about the outermost region. They have no clue as to the internal structure of Quicksand Castle…”
”Even if it’s a trap, the opponent’s teams have been trapped in the sculptured spell formation. Even if there was a trap set up, they would not have much manpower!” Leylin stoked his chin as he stated this assumption.
”In that case, we have nothing to be afraid of!” Robin’s laughed sardonically.
Having been chased after by their opponents for such a long time, almost to the extent of being chased out of the pocket dimension, he held a lot of pent up anger, a sentiment more or less shared by every other Warlock present.
*Pu!*
A scaly hand suddenly extended outwards from emptiness and grabbed the chest of a Barbarian Bear Warrior, gouging out a still-throbbing bright-red heart.
Drops of fresh blood that had yet to lose their warmth dripped down unceasingly, causing the surrounding Magi to be scared stiff.
”Ah! A beautiful, short, death!” A Black Horrall Snake Warlock robed in black squeezed out of a crack in the shadows, his face revealing a mesmerised expression.
Magi could, more or less, be considered mentally ill, and Warlocks were no exception.
Previously, they had been restricted from acting by the royal bloodlines, but now there was no such thing. Once the orders for an attack were given, the alliance went into complete chaos as six Black Horrall Snake Warlocks, together with Noah, massacred every Magus in sight, regardless of rank. Even acolytes were not spared.
That tragedy had caused some Magi to flee.
*Boom!* The central building exploded. Three magi with gloomy expressions floated in mid-air, their bodies emanating the terrifying energy of Hydro Phase Magi.
“Launch the spells!” the one at the center shouted. A ring of fluorescent light flickered and large runes formed a steel cage, firmly securing the entire campsite within.
”I knew you had some tricks up your sleeves. But where are your Hydro Phase and Crystal Phase Magi? Have they all died?”
Just when
the three Hydro Phase Magi were about to go forth to stop them, a spark exploded out of the darkness. Robin, along with Leylin and Kesha, stepped out to block them with a sneer.
There were no Morning Star Magi in the Forgotten Land. Even the major powers of the region like the Barbarian Bears had few Crystal Phase Magi.
To deploy a small team to hunt after Leylin’s team was the most they could do without their tribe leaders. Even for that, they had to give up on many strategic locations.
Were this team to be trapped, this alliance in the pocket dimension would have their overall strength greatly reduced.
After all, this group of Magi was only exploring the place. Nobody had expected them to invade.
“A mere one at the Hydro Phase and two at the Vapour Phase. I, Dominic, will ensure that none of you leave this place today!” The human Magus, who wore black robes with a cross-shaped floral pattern on his face, charged forward as Hydro Phase spiritual force surged forth like a tsunami.
”Oh really? But in the eyes of us royal Warlocks, you are like a lamb to be slaughtered!” Robin’s eyes showed a tinge of arrogance and a horrifyingly intimidating strength erupted fiercely from his body.
The same happened with Leylin and Kesha.
”Rank 3 innate spell—Intimidating Gaze!”
This was the formidable spell that high-level rank 3 Warlocks could master. Moreover, even the strength of this spell in the hands of rank 3 Black Horrall Snake Warlocks could not compare to when Leylin and party used it, even if they had trained in the same spell.
This deterrence strength was entirely attributed to the bloodline. The more concentrated the bloodline, the stronger its ancient roots, the more powerful the effect of intimidation would be.
“Rank 3 spell formation! The Domain of Unity!
The bodies of the three began to glow, the light merging to form a strange triangular diagram.
Under the effects of the spell, the dreadful force fields the three of them emitted actually started to indistinctly complement each other and increase in intensity, forming a force similar to that of the domain of a true Morning Star Magus!
Waves of hissing howls arose, those of ancient predatory Giant Kemoyin Serpents. Space vibrated endlessly and a more than thousand metre tall phantom of a giant serpent appeared. The serpent opened its amber eyes and stared straight at the 3 Magi ahead of it, making them break out in cold sweat.
‘A real domain should possess three basic attributes: weaken the enemy, strengthen the self, and bend fundamental laws!’ Leylin had a deep understanding regarding his own domain, all thanks to the large amounts of information hidden in the library of the Ouroboros Clan.
‘The terror of an individual Giant Kemoyin Serpent can at most weaken its enemies. When we cooperate, the terrifying force fields we generate complement and amplify each other!”’
In an instant, he saw the actions of the opposing Magi slow down. The acolytes fainted while rank 1 Magi could barely move. Rank 2 and 3 Magi could move and even cast spells, but their strength had been greatly reduced.
On the contrary, the Black Horrall Snake Warlocks had an abrupt increase in their aura, to the extent that they could compare to the Vapour Phase now. Under Noah’s lead, the low-ranked Magi unscrupulously massacred the camp.
‘After combination, our powers now both weaken the enemy and strengthen our allies. What a pity that we cannot bend laws, else it would have been a terrifying true domain!’ Leylin could feel the terrifying force field adding to his powers.
An indescribable aura entered his body, exciting his bloodline to a boil and pushing his power to that of the Hydro Phase.
Kesha’s situation was similar to his, but what shocked everyone the most was Robin’s transformation. As the core of this combination, he had received the greatest amplification of power. His aura increased nonstop and began to terrify even Leylin. Only Lucian had managed to inspire such emotion in him previously.
Supplemented by the innate gift of three Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks, Robin had already neared the threshold of the Crystal Phase. With the addition of his bloodline’s strength, he had completely stepped into the Crystal Phase in power!
”This terrifying force field! You are all Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks!” The human Magus, Dominic, squinted his eyes, his body trembling.
The reports had only mentioned that a group of rank 3 Warlocks had invaded the pocket dimension. Because Leylin and the other three had only used their innate poison spells when they entered and not this terrifying force field, the Magi had underestimated them.
Even if they were rank 3 Warlocks, the Black Horrall Snake bloodline and the Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline were in completely different leagues. Their strengths were poles apart.
Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks were very rare, and typically never strayed out of the Ouroboros Clan headquarters where they were well-protected. The human Magus had not expected the presence of so many Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks in this infiltrating party.
He could feel a portion of the spiritual force in his sea of consciousness being locked. His inability to use it caused his expression to change to one of bitterness.
A little over ten minutes later, the massacre on the ground had come to an end. Limbs and flesh were strewn about everywhere. Noah and the nine remaining Black Horrall Snake Warlocks had not suffered any injuries, but their clothes had been dyed dark red.
The battle in the sky, too, had reached its climax.
”Ophidian Gnaw!”
Robin had grown even more terrifying, having activated his Kemoyin scales defence. The intricate black scales that covered him were smooth yet elegant, and there were even faint patterns on the surface, forming a complete rune the colour of blood.
He howled, and numerous streams of black air congealed into a large black phantom snake that swallowed a huge Barbarian Bear.
A cringeworthy sound of gnawing was emitted. Several seconds later, there was no longer a hint there of the existence of a Barbarian Bear Shaman.
”Shadow cage!” Leylin, Meteor Sword in hand, combed the area. From time to time, he would cast a few spells which caused the Green-skinned Barbarian Magus opposite him to retreat slowly.
*Boom!* At that time, a hidden trap burst out from behind the Green-skinned Barbarian Magus, morphing into a cage of shadows that trapped the Barbarian within.
”Die!” Leylin rushed forward, his quick steps containing the elegance of a dancer. His sword slashed across the neck of the Green-skinned Barbarian. Green blood spurted out as a head flew across the sky.
”AAAAH!” The human Magus let out a startling cry and distanced himself from Kesha, morphing into a ray of light that streaked into the distance.
The cage from before had immediately made an opening for him as he neared.
”You need my permission to leave!” Just as the Magus was going to rush out of the cage, a black palm blocked his path. Robin made his way there with a smile.
Leylin and Kesha tailed behind him and blocked his retreat. Upon seeing that scenario, the Magus smiled wryly and put up both his hands in an act of surrender.
”What now?” The surrendered Magus immediately fell to the ground and fainted. Robin looked anxiously at Kesha.
“Even though the opponent was very cooperative, but it is extremely troublesome to scour through a rank 3 Magus’ memories!” Kesha opened both her eyes, her face revealing an exhausted expression.
WMW Chapter 424
Quicksand Castle
“I have already check the maps and the symbols thoroughly. The copies he gave were real. It is exactly the same as in his memory….”
“That’s good!” Leylin glanced at Dominic who was lying dead on the ground whose sea of consciousness was still sealed.
“What do we do with him?”
“Throw the body out. He only co-operated because of the promise to spare his life.” Robin spoke indifferently, as if talking about garbage.
Every word and action of a rank 3 Mag
us carried with it a terrifying energy. Hence, the pacts they made, even if mere verbal agreements, would be like binding.
Of course, to Robin and Leylin, Dominic was no threat, therefore whether he was killed or spared made little difference to the bigger picture.
“Alright then!” Kesha summoned a yellow sand puppet which lifted Dominic from the ground and ran off to a distance.
“Hmm! Now, let’s take a look at the arrangements in the Quicksand Castle!”
After occupying the original camp, Leylin and company chose one of the rooms and assembled together. They spread out a map on a big round table.
This was what the coward Dominic had handed over. It had been retrieved from memory and tested for authenticity, so it was credible.
The structure of the huge castle was laid bare on this yellow parchment, surrounded by plain white barring a few outer areas that were marked with clearer symbols.
Amongst those were many areas marked as rank 3 danger zones.
This clearly showed that only rank 3 Magi with their capabilities could explore this place. Average rank 1 or rank 2 Magi would only be courting their own deaths if they attempted to advance there.
Leylin and the other Magi looked on with intense attention, memorising the map completely.
“Based on the accumulated information from ancient times, not only are there plenty of illusions and traps here, the routes and defenses constantly change with the passage of time, rendering any work of mapping the traps useless. Currently, there are three routes that are safe for travel!”
Robin pointed on the map and explained, ”They are the main door, the first window sill, and the rooftop which contained the flaw of the defensive spell formation, which one will you choose?”
After reaching this point, the team was basically going to split.
Leylin, just like the rest of them, had his own agenda in mind and hoped not to travel with the rest. This way, he would be able to protect his secrets.
“I intend to start from the rooftop which had the weakest entry point!” Kesha took the lead and decided,”The three Warlocks from my clan shall follow me!”
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