Although the adventurers and mercenaries next to Leylin had long heard about such a phenomenon, their legs still trembled with fear. They couldn’t even keep their jaws shut, and the sounds of teeth chattering could be heard as they shuddered.
In comparison to those people, the residents of this town ought to have gone through this before, and had experience. Although their faces were also deathly pale, they could still compose themselves, and were not humiliated.
The densely-packed silhouettes converged to form an enormous tide, which surged up violently next to the small town.
Leylin stood at the side, solemn, as his A.I. Chip frantically recorded the data. “There are so many spirits. Perhaps something major once happened in the vicinity, and it might be related to high energy radiation…”
In actual fact, many of the strange sightings observed across the entire central continent were caused by battles between high-ranking Magi or contamination by radiation. Such phenomena usually did not die out even after thousands upon thousands of years, and instead expanded outward unceasingly, vying over territory with the humans who lived there.
Hence, the prevention and cure of such contamination was a hot research topic for many of the large forces.
Numerous white phantoms squirmed towards a particular direction unhurriedly. Among them were males and females, children and the elderly, yet they were all expressionless. Their hair was let down, and covered their pupils.
Such an odd phenomenon made even Leylin’s scalp tingle.
Souls have always been seen as something highly bizarre and idealistic. In his quest for more knowledge, he had no choice but to carry on.
“Huh?” At this moment, the grandfather and grandson he had been observing with his soul force suddenly made a move.
Upon seeing the wave of numerous spirits, the elderly Magus seemed excited, and fished out a yellowing notebook. He appeared to be making comparisons, and even left the town secretly.
On the other hand, the other rank 2 Magi exchanged looks, then went to their separate corners and took out various materials from their robes to display on themselves.
“They are likely trying to use the power of the Spirit Wave to alchemize the magic items that are coming through!”
Leylin’s alchemic skills were high enough for him to be a grandmaster. With merely a slight glance, he immediately found a clue. Feeling that it was beneath him, he snorted coldly and didn’t bother about it.
He thought of leaving a phantom at where he was, while he himself would slip into the cracks of darkness so that he could follow the grandfather and grandson out.
In the notebook that the grandfather had taken out earlier, Leylin had seen something incredible.
“If that’s really the case, it will be interesting!” A brilliant light flashed in Leylin’s eyes.
“Grandfather… Are we… Really going to be around these spirits?” The grandson was only a cowardly acolyte. Seeing the translucent spirits, he tugged the elderly Magus’ sleeve in fear, his face pale.
“These spirits are of the lowest level, and aren’t likely to attack, what’s there to be afraid of?” The old Magus reproached, seemingly feeling a little helpless.
Although his grandson had pretty decent innate skills, he didn’t have much courage to speak of.
“But… We’re about to integrate into the sea of spirits directly! Once they discover that something’s not right, they’ll definitely rip us into pieces!” The old man’s reassurance did not calm the young boy down, but instead made him more fearful.
“If we don’t integrate into the spirit channel, how will we get to the tomb and obtain ‘that’?” An unyielding look was written across the old man’s face. He grabbed his grandson’s arm, then took out a few scrolls and ripped them apart.
*Buzz!* Upon ripping open the black scrolls, the pair was enveloped in a dull white glow.
After the radiance dispersed, both of their figures started to become ghost-like, and they even emitted energy waves similar to those of spirits.
The hostile glares that the spirits had been shooting at the pair also vanished immediately.
“Done!” The elderly Magus, who was becoming translucent, patted his chest. “This is a spell that has been passed down our family for generations, which can make these spirits temporarily view us as their kind…”
Seeing this, the boy was finally at ease, and squeezed into the stream of spirits together with the old man.
“What an intriguing spell!” A ray of light flashed in the air, and Leylin’s silhouette appeared, “It’s unlike the traditional spells from the central continent, and instead has a style reminiscent of the astral plane!”
Although the spirits were rich in number, most of them were of very low rank. They were absolutely incapable of detecting any flaw if a Morning Star Magus chose to conceal himself deliberately.
It was only until Leylin integrated into the Spirit Wave that he finally felt different.
“Space! It’s the power of space! No wonder that guy called this place a spiritual channel!” Leylin muttered under his breath. And he realised the path that the spirits were taking was oddly isolated from the rest of the central continent, forming a special channel.
Here, even if something was visible to the naked eye, it might actually be as far as hundreds of thousands of kilometers away.
If one could grasp the rules of this channel, they would be able to use it to do things that many Magi would think unimaginable.
The old man ahead seemed very familiar with this place, and dragged the young boy along, advancing quickly. A blue light twinkled in Leylin’s eyes as he followed them closely.
“He’s using the spirit channel to hide something! I’m sure he must have been a Morning Star before his death!”
The further they went down the path, the more serious Leylin became. There were many dangers here that even he would be unable to ignore. If not for the fact that there was someone leading the way in front, he could not be sure if he would make his way through successfully.
There were fewer spirits lingering around at the back of the wave. A silver ray of light had appeared on the ground, and the old man was walking on it together with his grandson.
The minutes ticked by, and when they finally arrived at a particular site, ecstasy spread across the old man’s face. “Found it!”
Leylin’s footsteps came to a halt. The elderly Magus in front of him was standing under a huge butternut tree. The enormous forks in the branches formed an eerie symbol with three heads.
Upon seeing this tree, which seemed like some sort of landmark, the old man choked up in agitation, even shedding a few tears, “We’ve finally found it! The ancestral tomb!”
“Right here?” The young boy looked at the forked and ostensibly demonic branches, as the silver moon shone with an oddly nefarious glow, making him shrivel in cowardice.
“Yes, right here!” The old man was so excited that he nearly broke into a dance. “Our family’s cemetery is almost always hidden in the spatial rifts. Only when the Spirit Wave hits once every hundred years can we pass through the spirit channel to get here…”
A blazing radiance lit up in his eyes. “In the tomb lies the meditation techniques and magical equipment belonging to our ancestor. Just these items are sufficient to revive our family…”
“If that’s the case… Why didn’t our ancestors just leave this behind?” The young boy asked doubtfully.
“I’m not too sure myself. Anyway, this tomb is our family treasure, that’s for sure!” The old man seemed a little baffled himself, but it would soon be replaced by an even greater madness.
WMW Chapter 516
Gargoyle
“All my efforts in coming here are for your sake.” The old man watched his grandson lovingly.
“You have the best talent in our family. As long as you have a high-grade meditation technique and magic artifact, advancing to rank 2 and rank 3 will definitely not be an issue. You even have ho
pe of reaching Morning Star!”
The old man was so emotional that he trembled, on the verge of spitting froth.
This immediately caused Leylin, who was hidden, to roll his eyes. He was the most qualified to talk about the difficulty of reaching Morning Star, and this old man was just spouting nonsense.
If one could reach Morning Star with just better talent and a high-grade meditation technique, the continent would not have so many Crystal Phase Magi who had lived out their lives without being able to advance.
However, Leylin did not think them completely wrong. The many planes were so vast, and if their ancestor really had some method of reaching the Morning Star realm unimpeded, it could very well be possible.
“But…” The young grandson seemed to hesitate, seemingly not believing in this judgement. If not for the tomb of his ancestor, and his blood-related grandfather bringing him here, he might even have had plans of leaving.
“Awakening the ancestor’s spirit and honour with my blood and heading towards the door of success, with hell as the final destination…”
The old man took a silver-white dagger and sliced his wrist, dripping the blood on the roots. He continuously chanted something, as if conducting a solemn ceremony.
With the blood spreading everywhere, coupled with the eerie surroundings, the young boy shrunk back.
“Grandpa, look!” All of a sudden, his pupils shrunk and he tugged at the old man’s sleeves while beginning to yell.
Following his gaze, the blood on the tree roots had been absorbed by the soil and roots quickly. It was as if water had been sprinkled on a sponge.
“This is a defensive mechanism that our family set up. Only the blood of the descendants, coupled with the correct chants, can open it…”
The old man spoke slowly. However, Leylin’s eyes lit up with suspicion, “A bloodline lock. A bloodline lock again! Could they be a Warlock family? They don’t have any Warlock undulations on them though…”
*Huala!* After absorbing the old man’s blood, the giant walnut tree’s messy arrangement of branches began to tremble, and the trunk turned a bloody red.
*Ka-cha!* All of a sudden, the middle of the trunk cracked apart to form a hole, and a passageway that led downwards could be seen.
“Follow me!” The old man walked ahead, and the young grandson followed closely behind, hands tugging tightly on the old man’s sleeves. He appeared terrified.
Leylin bowed his head in thought for a moment, but eventually followed behind them.
The passage was short, and in no time they reached a tomb.
The old man lit an oil lamp in the middle, and under the dim light the tomb presented itself to Leylin.
This underground room was very small. There were two gargoyles at two ends, seemingly standing guard over the place.
Between the two gargoyle guards, a stone coffin appeared before them, with sealing runes on the surface.
The young man’s teeth began to chatter as he pulled at his grandpa’s sleeves tightly, “This- There’s nothing here at all. Let’s leave as soon as possible. I have a bad feeling about this…”
“What are you afraid of?” The old man flung his sleeve in annoyance, and a stream of air began to flow. The light breeze blew over the lights and darkened the tomb.
“Look closely!” The old man’s voice was hoarse and full of emotion that he could not conceal, “I lit the lamp just so you could see this…”
The young man could not help but widen his eyes, his pupils enlarging as well. Through the dark yellow flames, he could see a great number of coloured murals on the walls of the tomb. Through the murals, he could see the process of a Magus acolyte struggling ahead, from rank 1 to rank 3.
After that, there was a legendary battle. The Magus in the mural, who was also the owner of the tomb, seemed to have obtained something in the battle and reached Morning Star.
The young man’s eyes widened. However, other than a scaly monster with multiple eyes and arms battling his ancestor, he recognised nothing else.
“This is the most brilliant piece of our ancestor’s history. It only appears when this oil lamp is lit…”
The old man’s voice showed his pride, “If it’s an outsider who doesn’t know this mechanism, they will be attacked!”
Leylin had hidden in a crevice in the shadows. He was surprised by the mural on the wall. The monster that had eventually been killed was one he had seen before, on another mural. “We meet again, Beelzebub. Or should I say the Sovereign King of Gluttony?”
Leylin’s voice was light but resolute.
In ancient times, a clone of the Sovereign King of Gluttony descended upon the Magus world, causing large numbers of casualties. It was eventually killed, body split into countless pieces.
One of the pieces fell into the hands of the Quicksand organisation, becoming the cause of the Parble Family’s tragedy after Robin obtained it.
It seemed like the owner of the tomb had once been a participant in that great war, and had been extremely fortunate to obtain a gluttony imprint.
‘Then it’s obvious how this fellow advanced to Morning Star after victory,’ Leylin touched his chin, “With the power of gluttony, spurring on one’s spiritual force to break through and reach the Morning Star realm is quite possible!”
He already had an imprint like this in his hands, and had even been prepared to use it to advance to the Morning Star realm. However, he had already made ample preparations and ended up not needing external support. Leylin had no wish to be connected to Beelzebub anyway.
This was someone who was probably at or above rank 7! Just a finger would be enough to crush the current Leylin. It was obvious why he would not want to have any connection with him. Even if something related to Beelzebub fell at his feet, Leylin would want nothing to do with it.
“Based on the records of the ancestor, his meditation technique, as well as the treasure that can help one break through, are all within the coffin, accompanying his long sleep…”
The elderly Magus’ eyes shot out a piercing glare as he ambled forward slowly, arriving in front of the coffin.
A mechanism was activated, creaking sounds coming out as a red light shot out of the two gargoyle’s eyes. They shrugged off their stone skin and pounced towards the old Magus.
*Weng!* A golden membrane suddenly rose on the Magus’ body, separating the sharp claws of the gargoyles from his person.
A look of disbelief appeared on the old Magus’ face, “I am his descendant and came with directions. Why am I being attacked?”
*Creak!* The gargoyles would not answer him. The two immediately let out piercing sound waves, and as the berserk waves swept through the acolyte immediately fainted.
“Blu!” The old man’s eyes turned red, hands morphing into beast talons.
*Ka-cha!* He grabbed hold of one gargoyle and viciously ripped it into two. Great amounts of soil and rocks flew everywhere, and the other stood very still, the light on its body reserved. It began to emanate a violent energy.
“Want to self-destruct?” Light burst out of the old Magus’ eyes as he charged to the front. A thick layer of light, alike to the kind emitted by a Spear Spell, covered his sharp claws.
*Pu!* A single claw swept forward, and went through the gargoyle’s body like a knife through hot butter. With a twist of his hand, a giant mechanical heart was gouged out.
After losing its power core, the aura on the gargoyle crackled and disappeared, leaving it dead.
“Blu, Blu! Wake up!” The old man undid the transformation of his hands, and a green radiance that was full of vitality wrapped around the young boy.
Minutes later, the young boy came to, looking dazed.
“This is probably not the ancestor’s tomb, but a place sealing some terrifying thing. If not, why would this sort of guard be around?” The first thing the young man did after waking up was warn his grandfather.
“I’m not willing to leave just like this!” The old Magus’ eyes turned re
d, and he looked stubborn, “Perhaps, those two protectors were a test by the ancestor, or a joke on the younger generation…”
Even so, even he himself could not believe his words.
However, his perseverance and the cry in his heart were urging him to open the coffin and obtain the things within.
“I’ll take just one look, I promise! Then we’ll seal this place and leave immediately!” The old man’s eyes were distant as he approached and pushed the cover of the stone coffin away, revealing the items within.
“Hm?!” Leylin, who had been watching at the side, suddenly had a change of expression.
What was inside the giant coffin was indeed the remains of a Magus. His body was rather thin, but his hair and eyebrows were still present. He looked lifelike, and the imposing aura of a Morning Star emanated from his body.
Though his eyes were tightly closed, his features were extremely sharp, with a steadfast resolution and strength. His hands were folded before his chest as if holding something.
With Leylin’s eyes, he was able to see a stone rune without any trouble. Though it was different from what he had, this was definitely a true gluttony imprint!
“I told you there’s a treasure!” The old Magus was in a bad situation. He looked dazed, as if he was being controlled by something. He went forward, hands reaching for the rune.
“Grandpa!” Just as his fingers were about to touch the rune, the young boy’s cries pulled him back.
“What’s going on? Why am I here?” The old man was bewildered, but immediately after, a stranger situation occurred.
With wailing that sounded like hell reappearing, multiple black shadow fingers appeared within the tomb, threads of black gas being dispelled from the old man’s bosom.
WMW Chapter 517
Killing The Clone’s Projection
Warlock of the Magus World 1-596 Page 355