Chapter 429: Sanctuary Tower
The real reason for his loss of composure wasn't the terror of the Sand Beast itself.
It was that the Sand Beast didn't belong to this era...
A chill surged from the soles of his feet, spreading through his whole body. Cold sweat soaked his mage robes, and his forehead was drenched.
How—how is this possible? Sand Beasts should never exist in this era!
Sand Beasts only began appearing in Northend during the final days of the magical peak era—when mana was fading, Northend was nearing its end, countless godlike mages fell one after another, magical beasts vanished, and most of Northend became desert. By then, Sand Beasts were among the few magical creatures left, lurking beneath the sands, preying on humans...
Back then, Leon had experienced firsthand the terror of Sand Beasts. Sometimes, just to extract a trace of mana from the void, he’d lie for days in the scorching desert, meditating without sleep. To scavenge alchemical puppet parts, he could spend ten days or half a month searching the sands. In the desert, Sand Beasts were the greatest threat.
He’d even had several close calls, nearly swallowed by Sand Beasts. Seeing one again now, those memories flooded his mind, impossible to shake off. In the apocalypse, these savage beasts claimed the lives of countless mages. To people of that era, Sand Beasts meant death...
A violent wind howled—the Sand Beast suddenly charged at Leon.
Sand Beasts survived in mana-starved Northend thanks to their powerful bodies. They didn’t use magic or need mana; as long as they had flesh to feed on, they could live on. Whenever a void storm hit, they’d burrow deep beneath the desert...
Leon finally understood why he hadn’t sensed the Sand Beast before its appearance. The creature spends its days burrowed deep beneath the desert, its aura indistinguishable from the sands themselves. Sand Beasts rely solely on their formidable bodies in battle, with not a trace of mana to betray their presence—no wonder even magical detection arrays fail to spot them.
Like a gust of wind, the Sand Beast lunged at Leon.
Yet Leon remained perfectly calm. He raised a hand and conjured a Mana Shield before him. At the same time, three Ice Lances shot forth, swirling with biting cold, striking the Sand Beast. With three crisp clangs, the Ice Lances failed to injure the beast in the slightest.
In truth, even in the apocalypse thirty thousand years later, Leon rarely fought Sand Beasts head-on. By then, Northend’s mana was nearly depleted, and the precious little that mages retained was reserved for survival. No one squandered hard-earned mana unless absolutely necessary.
Still, Leon knew every trait of the Sand Beast: its monstrous physique, its utter lack of magical ability. That’s all there was to it.
Those three Ice Lances were merely a probing attack. Judging by its strength, this Sand Beast was about level thirty-five. But in the desert, it thrived, its power approaching level thirty-six—comparable to the Hellfire Demon Lord Leon had faced in the Forest of Madness.
A magical beast of this caliber would have given his former self a much harder fight.
Boom!
Leon unleashed a barrage of Fireballs, each trailing a blazing tail. With his full power unleashed, the effect was terrifying—just a few Fireballs engulfed the charging Sand Beast in a sea of flames, forcing it to retreat.
Fireball’s power had never let Leon down.
Even the Sand Beast, with its powerful physique, could only roar twice under the barrage of Fireballs. Drops of bright red blood dripped from its savage wounds onto the scorching sand, instantly evaporating.
Using Levitation, Leon floated in midair, recklessly unleashing his mana. Fireballs flew from his hands one after another—nearly a hundred in just twenty seconds, raining down on the Sand Beast like a torrential downpour.
This was his first time attempting extreme spellcasting since his power had skyrocketed. Such speed was unthinkable before—nearly a hundred Fireballs in twenty seconds, enough to scare anyone witless.
Each Fireball exploded violently as it landed, tearing the Sand Beast’s flesh and drawing constant howls. Overwhelmed by the damage, it couldn’t even burrow underground to escape.
Sand Beasts have incredible vitality—among magical beasts, they’re second to none. Even with severe injuries, they rarely die immediately and can recover fully after a period of rest. In the apocalypse, few Sand Beasts were ever killed by humans.
With the final Fireball unleashed, the tenacious Sand Beast let out a defiant roar. Its dark red eyes dimmed completely, and with a thunderous crash, it fell to the ground, scattering a cloud of yellow sand.
After the Sand Beast died, Leon didn’t spare it a glance. He stood there, quietly pondering—where was this place? A Sand Beast in the desert, a gray sky, a blood-red sun, and the faint trace of a void storm.
In fact, when Leon first arrived in this desert, he felt it was eerily similar to the apocalypse in his memories—almost as if it was cut from the same mold. Before the Sand Beast appeared, he couldn’t confirm his suspicions.
Now, it was clear—everything here was an illusion, simulated from someone’s memories. As someone from the apocalypse, his memories of that era were vivid. Gray skies, blood-red sun, savage Sand Beasts, void storms—none of these belonged in this era.
The only explanation: this place was an illusion. Fake. All of it.
Once Leon confirmed his guess, Ryan Merlin’s appearance in the Pale Plane made sense—it was the place most deeply etched in his memory.
Leon muttered an incantation, casting the third-tier spell Eye of Truth, famed for piercing all illusions of time and falsehood. His eyes flashed with light, but under the spell’s power, nothing changed—the gray sky, blood-red sun, endless desert, and scorching sands remained as they were.
The result of his detection was completely contrary to his expectations...
Leon was momentarily stunned, suppressing the shock in his heart. Whoever set this up was incredibly skilled, creating an illusion indistinguishable from reality—even the Eye of Truth couldn’t see through it.
Heather City!
Yes, Heather City...
Heather City was built after the fall of the magical peak era, when Northend’s mana was fading and mages realized the danger.
As long as he found Heather City, he could prove this was just an illusion, not the real world.
Following the route to Heather City in his memory, Leon cast a guiding spell and walked through the scorching sands, heading forward.
For ten days straight, Leon walked without rest, facing countless magical beasts—many powerful Sand Beasts among them. He narrowly defeated each one and finally arrived at Heather City.
Heather City looked exactly as he remembered—majestic yet desolate, lifeless like an old man at dusk. Seeing it again stirred countless memories for Leon; he’d lived here for twenty years, witnessing mages nearly collapse under the apocalyptic strain, never returning once they left.
For a moment, Leon was overwhelmed with emotion.
He trudged forward, entering Heather City. Everything was familiar—the buildings, the sights.
He wandered aimlessly down the dead streets. As Heather City’s landmarks appeared before him, it felt as if he’d returned to those sunless days—when the world shook, buildings collapsed, and lives vanished, every sound echoing in his ears.
In the illusion, Heather City was empty. The vast city had only Leon, walking alone.
As he walked, Leon suddenly stopped at a corner and looked up. There stood a magnificent building—the crystallization of Northend’s magical civilization: the Sanctuary Tower!
The Sanctuary Tower was built during the peak of the magical era, gathering the strength of all Northend. Countless alchemists participated, several saints among them, not to mention creators and master craftsmen. It took centuries to complete this unprecedented building.
Most incredible of all, the Sanctuary Tower’s blueprints used technology far beyond the magical peak era. Even the saints marveled at their ingenuity—truly a masterpiece. One saintly alchemist left a book in the empty, decaying library, recording his own words.
Participating in the construction of the Sanctuary Tower was the proudest moment of my life.
Yet, there’s no record of the person who led the construction of the Sanctuary Tower. It’s as if this person never existed in Northend, leaving no trace.
But such a person did exist—he provided the Sanctuary Tower’s blueprints and oversaw its construction. Afterward, no one ever mentioned him again.
Leon gazed intently at the magnificent building. It was built after the magical peak era, sheltering Northend for thousands of years as mana dwindled and destruction loomed, delaying the world’s end until the last trace of mana was gone and darkness fell.
The Sanctuary Tower looked ordinary, but every part was inscribed with the most advanced alchemical arrays. Even with Leon’s mastery, capable of unraveling True Spirit-level arrays, he couldn’t comprehend them. The magical materials used were the rarest in Northend’s history—even thirty thousand years ago, such resources were hard to find.
The Sanctuary Tower’s construction exhausted all magical materials of the peak era.