Chapter 475: Heritage
Heh...
Rion Merlin had the sudden urge to smash his head against the wall. He hadn’t expected that his heartfelt praise would be met with nothing but a simple 'Heh,' leaving him mortified. Just as he was about to say something, Leon’s voice broke the silence.
Um, Lord Rion, may I ask something? Why did the ancestors of the Ancestral Grounds summon me? What’s the real reason...
...
The question caught Rion Merlin off guard. Normally, a young genius being summoned by the Ancestral Grounds would be overjoyed, so why ask such a thing? But then, Rion remembered that Matthew Merlin was no ordinary person. After a pause, Rion said, "The real reason is something you’ll have to ask those few in person. Their answer will be more authoritative. But you should know, it’s related to the Blazeforge Realm. The Sword Saint accompanying you to the Blazeforge Realm is Thorne Merlin. That kid entered the Ancestral Grounds a few days ago..."
Oh...
Leon nodded lightly and landed beside Rion Merlin, walking shoulder to shoulder into the canyon. Unconsciously, Leon recalled the mysterious Ancestral Grounds. As one of the ancestors, Rion Merlin should know more than most. With this in mind, Leon asked, "Lord Rion, what’s the real story behind our Merlin Family’s Ancestral Grounds?"
Rion Merlin smiled knowingly, as if he’d expected the question. This was one of the Merlin Family’s deepest secrets, not easily revealed. But the young man beside him was no ordinary person, and some things must be learned eventually. "Matthew, the origins of our Merlin Family’s Ancestral Grounds have remained a mystery for centuries. No one knows how it first came to be. What I can tell you is that a thousand years ago, our ancestor Lorel Merlin emerged from these very grounds, followed the first king of the Andalusia Kingdom to establish the realm, then retired and returned here. To this day, no one knows where he went..."
Rion Merlin sighed, gazing into the thick mists, his eyes complicated. "Before Lorel Merlin vanished, he left behind an ancestral edict: every powerful descendant must eventually retreat to the Ancestral Grounds—some to seek higher realms, others to await a certain event."
"Waiting for something to happen..."
Leon was visibly stunned by Rion Merlin’s answer. While striving for higher realms was understandable, hiding away in the Ancestral Grounds just to wait for some event was almost unfathomable. "Lord Rion, do you know what that event is?"
"I don’t know..."
"This is the ancestral edict left by Lorel Merlin. Even if we don’t know what that event is, we must still obey." Rion Merlin looked lost—not unwilling to answer, but truly ignorant of the answer. Far ahead, Rion pointed to a tall spire: "That magical spire is said to have been home to a vanished Heavenly Mage. Really, the Ancestral Grounds are the true foundation of our Merlin Family. There are many Title Archmages here. Counting Lorel Merlin, there are three Heavenly Mages in total. As for the other, you can probably guess: it’s Thornton Merlin, who emerged three centuries ago. But he hasn’t returned to the Ancestral Grounds for a long time—the last time he appeared was in the Bloodmoon Realm."
"The Merlin Family’s foundation is even deeper than I imagined…" Leon sighed after hearing Rion Merlin’s introduction.
If he hadn’t already learned some of the Merlin Family’s secrets, this news would have shocked him—three Heavenly Mages in the family!
The last time he came to the Ancestral Grounds, it was for the Bloodline Rite; he hadn’t entered the canyon. Passing by, he’d noticed the outlines of more than a dozen magical spires. But now, the deeper he ventured, the more astounded he became. He finally understood what Rion Merlin meant by ‘plenty of Title Archmages…’
"This is just the Ancestral Grounds?"
After walking alongside Rion Merlin for over ten minutes, Leon was so shocked he could barely speak. He could sense the vastness of the Ancestral Grounds—it was like an entire plane. The Merlin Family truly ruled over it all, as if it were an independent kingdom. Along the way, there were nearly a hundred magical spires of the seventh tier or higher, and that wasn’t all; there were clearly more deeper within…
That must mean there are at least hundreds of Title Archmages here…
"Leon, what you see now is the true Merlin Family..." Rion Merlin watched Leon’s expression with satisfaction, then continued, "The most elite family members all come here. As I said, this is the foundation of the Merlin Family—not only are there many powerful figures, but also gateways to various planes. Some have been conquered, some have not."
"Lord Rion, do all the top powers in Auckland have places like our Ancestral Grounds?" Leon didn’t doubt Rion Merlin’s words. The strength shown by the Ancestral Grounds was enough to conquer other planes. He then thought of the Black Spire, Cloudspire, and other powers.
If those powers also have places comparable in scale to the Merlin Family’s Ancestral Grounds, that would be terrifying…
"Of course, those with deep foundations and centuries of heritage all have a place like our Merlin Family’s Ancestral Grounds..." Rion Merlin smiled. "Actually, I shouldn’t be telling you this, but now you’re qualified to participate. So come with me to the Guardian Spire."
Half an hour later, a majestic spire towering into the clouds appeared before them. As they approached, Leon sensed a surge of magical energy. Looking up, he saw that the spire was built with advanced alchemical arrays, so profound that even with Leon’s mastery, some parts eluded him.
Leon and Rion Merlin entered the Guardian Spire, climbing the spiral staircase for over ten minutes until they reached the top floor. Rion Merlin stopped, knocked solemnly, and only entered after hearing a response.
The room was set up like a conference hall, spacious, with an ancient wooden table at the center. Seven elders sat around it. With just one glance, Leon was shocked—each of them was stronger than Rion Merlin!
As he sized up the elders, they also squinted at him, with varying degrees of amusement on their faces…
So strong…
When Leon’s gaze fell on the elder sitting opposite the wooden table, he couldn’t help but feel a chill. The elder looked about sixty or seventy, aged but without any sign of frailty, and to Leon, he felt like an insurmountable mountain.
For a moment, Leon’s heart was in turmoil, like crashing waves.
This elder is too strong…
Even when facing Star Sage Joey, he’d never felt this way. Without a doubt, this elder was even stronger than Star Sage Joey!
He could sense a trace of transcendence in the elder, but clearly, he wasn’t yet a Heavenly Mage.
At that moment, the elder opened his eyes and met Leon’s gaze for a few seconds, then coughed and said, "Well, young man, we meet again…"
...
Honestly, Leon felt like coughing up blood. He remembered clearly that several months ago, Lord Ryan had come to the family council and said something similar. He really couldn’t recall when he’d met Lord Ryan or this elder…
He could tell that the elder speaking to him held a significant position among the seven.
Ahem, Matthew, we meet again…
An elderly man sitting nearby coughed and beckoned Leon over with a kind smile. This was Ryan Merlin, whom Leon had met once before. He glanced at the elder beside him, whose power neared the Heavenly rank: "Matthew, let me introduce you. This is Lord Orren, the strongest Title Archmage in the Ancestral Grounds. Over a century ago, he fought a Heavenly Ancestor of the Watson Family and was undefeated. By the way, you know of Lorel Merlin, right? Lorel Merlin is Lord Orren’s father…"
Leon stared in disbelief at Orren Merlin. Just hearing that he’d fought a Heavenly Ancestor of the Watson Family and was undefeated was shocking. Coming from thirty thousand years in the future, Leon knew well the gap between Title Archmages and Heavenly Mages. Yet Orren Merlin, at the peak of Title Archmage, had fought a Heavenly Mage and survived—not only that, he wasn’t defeated. It was truly astonishing.
No wonder seeing the elder gave him such an impression. He was a being powerful enough to rival a Heavenly Mage…
And this Lord Orren was ancient indeed. Leon knew Lorel Merlin—who left the Ancestral Grounds a thousand years ago, helped the first king of Andalusia found the kingdom, then retired and vanished. That Lorel Merlin was Lord Orren’s father, which meant Lord Orren was nearly a thousand years old…
Leon was left speechless. Without Lord Ryan’s introduction, he’d never have guessed Orren Merlin had lived for a millennium. It explained his strength. Leon knew that the great figures in Northend’s history weren’t all born geniuses—some relied on perseverance, advancing steadily through each stage to overcome their shortcomings. Perhaps Orren Merlin was such a man.
After Ryan Merlin’s introduction, Orren Merlin simply smiled at Leon but didn’t speak.
Ryan Merlin nodded and turned his gaze to the others, introducing them to Leon one by one.
Kira Merlin became a Title Archmage three centuries ago and is now a seventh-tier Title Archmage.
Lide Merlin became a Sword Saint two hundred seventy years ago and is now a sixth-tier Sword Saint.
Garth Merlin became a Title Archmage two centuries ago and is now a seventh-tier Title Archmage.
Hodin Merlin became a Title Archmage two hundred eighty years ago and is now a sixth-tier Title Archmage.
Clara Merlin became a Sword Saint one hundred fifty years ago and recently broke through to seventh-tier Sword Saint.