Chapter 627: Soulwood
Anderson knew that anything swallowed by Leon was never coming back out, so he spoke with surprising candor.
Even if Anderson hadn’t said it, Leon already knew that sword was something special.
"Alright, tell me—what exactly is that sword?"
Anderson spoke with a look of regret.
"That sword is Mograine’s Doomblade. If not for that sword, Winchester never would’ve escaped. I’d wager after Mograine was killed, Winchester and the others started fighting over the Doomblade. Winchester was badly wounded, lost his rank, and ran off with the sword to join Redbeard’s crew."
Leon nodded, looking as if everything had fallen into place.
Just as I thought. Besides Mograine, there’s actually another Death Knight this absurdly strong. So that sword really is Mograine’s Doomblade, though it’s a far cry from the legends. Typical—nothing in this world ever lives up to its reputation.
Anderson looked at Leon with open disdain.
Even you have your boneheaded moments. At its peak, Mograine’s Doomblade had nine runes, each one a top-tier rune spell. Now there are only three left, so of course it’s not what it used to be.
Leon gave an awkward laugh. That last sentence really came out without thinking. The current Blade of Condemnation was, at best, a top-tier Spirit Magic Weapon. In its prime, it was a renowned peak True Spirit Magic Weapon.
Anderson seized on Leon's slip and threw a couple of contemptuous remarks his way, making it clear he was not thrilled about failing to obtain the Blade of Condemnation.
Upgrading a True Spirit Magic Weapon is brutally difficult—especially its spirit avatar. Usually, the spirit avatar only grows stronger as the weapon itself improves. Lord Shaun, for example, is a weapon avatar who fused with a Doom Eye, an exceptionally rare case where the avatar’s upgrade directly boosted the weapon itself.
There are precious few things that can be directly devoured and fused to enhance a weapon avatar’s power. The three runes on the Blade of Condemnation are exactly those kinds of things.
If Anderson could absorb those three runes, his strength would skyrocket. After devouring them, not only would Anderson become terrifyingly powerful, but even the Arcane Wheel might be elevated to a whole new level.
But Anderson isn’t Lord Shaun, nor is he a juvenile purple dragon. Leon would never let Anderson’s power outstrip the Arcane Wheel, and besides, wasting those three runes that way would be criminal.
Anderson gave up, then suddenly flashed Leon a sly grin.
"Remember that Black Death Rune you borrowed a while back?"
Leon was momentarily stunned, then his eyes nearly popped out.
"You mean... that Black Death Rune is...?"
Anderson grinned smugly.
"That's right. That Black Death Rune is actually one of the runes from the Blade of Condemnation. If you snatch it back and reintegrate it into the Blade, the weapon will ascend to a True Spirit Magic Weapon. If you manage to recover all six lost runes, the Blade of Condemnation's power will reach terrifying heights—at minimum, it’ll be a top-tier True Spirit Magic Weapon. And if luck’s on your side and you find just one more suitable top-grade rune, the Blade could become a Transcendent Magic Weapon!"
Anderson egged him on with ill intent. Leon rolled his eyes and ignored him completely.
Back then, getting hold of the Black Death Rune’s true form was pure luck, not to mention the dramatic way it helped Cloudspire Tower solve a long-standing headache. Even so, they only managed to keep the true Black Death Rune for three months.
Any True Spirit Magic Weapon forms the backbone of a faction’s strength. Especially its spirit avatar—absolutely vital, and absolutely irreplaceable. No room for mistakes.
The only way to reintegrate the Black Death Rune into the Blade of Condemnation would be to go toe-to-toe with Cloudspire Tower and snatch it by force. There’s simply no other way.
Leon glanced at the Blade of Condemnation in his hand, then casually tossed it to Reina.
"You’re the only one here who can actually use this."
If Hubert picked up the Blade of Condemnation, it’d probably feel as light as a piece of straw to him. Leon was a mage, after all, so only Reina the Frost Dragon could wield it properly. Of the three rune spells inside, only Evil Aura was remotely useful.
Death Redemption was useless to them, and summoning corpses required heaps of bodies or undead remains. The movement and attack speed boost from Evil Aura was genuinely handy, though—just nowhere near as potent as when wielded by that level-38 Death Knight.
While everyone rested, the tireless Alchemical Golems finished clearing out the last remnants of undead. As the final undead fell, a portal appeared on the once-bare wall of the sealed cabin.
"Stay sharp, everyone. The Invincible is crawling with all kinds of freakish things."
Leon kicked the slumbering Dragonblood Orc awake and, with a grave expression, gave everyone a warning.
They stepped through the portal and found themselves in another cabin.
This cabin was astonishingly large—who knows if Redbeard expanded it himself or if it was the work of some divine or demonic remains. Every cabin was as big as a city, but this one was even more colossal.
Compared to the cabins they'd seen before, this one was smooth as a mirror. Nothing in sight, just endless emptiness and an unsettling silence.
Even the thick-skinned Dragonblood Orc stood obediently, not daring to make a move after entering the cabin.
The most eye-catching thing in this vast, flat cabin was the floor, which was distinctly different from anywhere else.
The floor was paved with a deep blue wood, its natural markings forming endless runes. Each plank’s pattern fit perfectly with the next, making it look like the entire cabin was built from a single piece of flooring.
Leon crouched down to inspect the floor beneath his feet, muttering uncertainly after a long pause.
"Is this... Soulwood?"
Anderson emerged from the Arcane Wheel, one of his heads glanced at the floor and nodded.
"Exactly. That's Soulwood. Someone here really knows how to make a statement!"
It wasn’t that Leon hadn’t recognized it—he just couldn’t believe it. Hearing Anderson’s confirmation, he sucked in a breath. The cabin was at least ten kilometers wide, practically a minor sub-plane, and the entire floor was made of Soulwood.
Anderson was just as awestruck, hovering in midair for ages before shaking his head in amazement.
"Since the Ashan Dynasty, no one’s had this much Soulwood. Even back then, unless you were a god or a demon, nobody used this much Soulwood just for flooring."
Soul-Eater Trees were unique to the Age of Elder Gods and Demons, growing near mass graves, battlefields soaked in death, and clusters of tombs. They fed on ghosts, specters, and all manner of bodiless undead. Only by devouring these spirits could a Soul-Eater Tree survive.
Soul-Eater Trees not only demanded extremely harsh conditions to grow, but their growth was painfully slow. Even in that era, where everything seemed exaggerated, it took at least ten years for a Soul-Eater Tree to grow a single meter, even with plenty of nutrients.
In the Ashan Dynasty, death was commonplace. Mass graves and pits for the dead were everywhere, spawning countless undead creatures. Ghosts and specters were everywhere, so Soul-Eater Trees weren’t exactly rare.
But because Soul-Eater Trees required such long-term, specific environments and grew so slowly, those that reached the size needed for lumber were exceedingly rare.
By the end of the Age of Elder Gods and Demons, the Northend World had changed so much that Soul-Eater Trees could no longer survive—they went completely extinct.
By the time of the Nesser Dynasty, the Soulwood that had been stockpiled became a precious commodity. Pureblood elves especially would use Soulwood for their homes whenever possible. Even those with fewer resources would try to make their furniture from it.
Soulwood retains the properties of the Soul-Eater Tree—it can repel undead. If a ghost or wraith approaches a Soulwood-built house, the Soulwood will devour it. Stronger spirits will avoid Soulwood altogether. Even common skeletons and zombies are kept at bay by the aura Soulwood structures and furniture emit.
These days, any Soulwood still in circulation almost certainly came from the pureblood elves of the Nesser Dynasty.
By the Nesser Dynasty, Soul-Eater Trees were already extinct—only pureblood elves could possibly own any!
Leon was secretly stunned. Redbeard really was out of his mind—using this much Soulwood just for flooring!
Leon shook his head and walked forward. He hadn’t gone far before alchemical runes began to appear on the floor.
Runes stretched across the entire floor. Leon casually released a few Wizard’s Eyes to scout in every direction.
Every inch of the floor was covered in marks from alchemical arrays.
"These runes are ancient..."
As information came back from the Wizard’s Eyes, Leon couldn’t help but marvel. He only recognized a handful of these alchemical runes—the meanings of most were a mystery. As for the arrays they formed, those were even more inscrutable.
Anderson floated in midair, equally impressed.
"These alchemical runes are all from the Ashan Dynasty. Even back then, not many alchemists used these kinds of runes."
Leon nodded. With these Ashan Dynasty runes in play, he had no way to crack the alchemical arrays here. All he could do was observe for now.
After walking for a while, Leon suddenly stopped. He released several more Wizard’s Eyes and directed them to keep probing.
A moment later, realization—and a hint of horror—flashed across Leon’s face.
"Oh hell, these are all separate alchemical arrays! And every single one is a True Spirit Array!"