Chapter 421: Magic Array
But now, with lingering injuries that made every step ache, Leon truly didn’t want to endure that pain any longer.
Suddenly, he remembered the combination of Vinebind and the Earth Golem—first summoning magical vines and anchoring them to the chains, then having the Earth Golem climb along the vines to the rock wall to help him pick a few stalks of Blazegrass.
Soon enough, Leon managed to harvest several stalks of Blazegrass. Instead of rushing to concoct a potion, he formally set foot on the floating palace’s grounds.
“This is the architectural style of the Third Dynasty...”
Up close, Leon and Anderson could tell from the details that this floating palace actually followed the architectural style of the Third Dynasty.
And specifically, from the era of the Long-Legged Emperor.
At this point, Leon was almost certain that this floating palace was, in all likelihood, built by the Long-Legged Emperor. What he couldn’t figure out was why the Emperor would choose such a peculiar place to construct a palace that must have consumed countless manpower and resources.
After all, the final battle between the Long-Legged Emperor and the King of the Caucasus took place in Skyline Gorge—and this palace, by sheer coincidence, was buried right beneath Skyline Gorge...
Could it be that, before the decisive battle between the Long-Legged Emperor and the King of the Caucasus, the Emperor deliberately spent enormous manpower and at least ten years to build an underground palace here?
Wasn’t this just pure madness...
And then...
Leon remembered clearly—back in the Crimson Forest, he’d seen a massive boulder marked with sword scars left by the Long-Legged Emperor, saying he and Ronan had come here...
At the time, the tone didn’t sound like they were preparing for a final battle at all. It was more like they were exploring something together...
By now, Leon was starting to doubt the truth of that legend...
Did the Long-Legged Emperor and the King of the Caucasus really fight a decisive battle in Skyline Gorge?
Or maybe they weren’t fighting here at all, but secretly searching for something?
Thinking this, Leon couldn’t help but shake his head. The era of the Long-Legged Emperor and the King of the Caucasus was riddled with mysteries—even during that mad age of grave-digging, no one ever uncovered the truth behind these riddles...
Maybe everything would only be revealed once he found the King of the Caucasus’s ruins.
Leon didn’t rush into the palace. Instead, he found a patch of open ground, laid out the four magical ingredients for the potion, then pulled out a crucible and a few test tubes from his pocket, and brewed several bottles of Elixir of Life...
By now, most of Leon’s wounds had healed. He got up, passed through the imposing doorway, and entered the palace interior—where he found four slightly open portals, each radiating a different aura.
"Earth, Water, Wind, Fire..."
Leon frowned, sensing clearly that those four portals were emanating the magical elements of earth, water, wind, and fire. And the way those portals stood ajar felt odd to him—as if something might burst out at any moment.
Just then, a surge of icy frost swept from one of the portals. Before Leon and Anderson could react, a swarm of frost elementals poured out.
At the same time, there was movement from the other three portals as well...
Fire elementals, wind elementals, earth elementals...
Leon and Anderson both jumped in fright. Whoever built this palace had to be insane—setting up four portals to the Elemental Plane. The moment anyone entered, the Central Alchemical Array in the middle of the chamber would instantly activate, unleashing waves of Elemental Spirits from the Elemental Plane...
In just a few seconds, hundreds of Elemental Spirits surged out from the four portals—the heat of fire, the chill of frost, the bite of wind, the weight of earth. Leon and Anderson felt their scalps tingle. Sure, a few hundred or a thousand might not mean much to them, but what if it turned into tens of thousands, or even more?
Besides, who could guarantee that the spirits coming out would always be the same rank...
What if some Prime Elemental Spirits started coming out next?
What if the Elemental King showed up next?
This is insane...
The four portals flashed violently, and a dense swarm of Elemental Spirits poured out, turning the entire room into a world of elements. In the blink of an eye, Leon and Anderson were overwhelmed by the sheer number of Elemental Spirits.
Leon showed no sign of panic, weaving through the chaos. His Doombringer Staff flashed continuously as he chanted a stream of spells. The elementals were packed densely on all sides; every time he cast Fireblast, at least a dozen elementals fell.
Anderson wielded the Arcane Wheel, its Star Gem radiating a deep blue glow while the Amber Gem steadily supplied mana. Each burst from the Arcane Wheel unleashed hundreds of low-level spells, wiping out scores of elementals—his speed at clearing them was even faster than Leon’s.
But there were simply too many elementals—everywhere Leon looked, they filled the room, and he and the Arcane Wheel could kill hundreds every second. Yet the four portals kept pouring out more and more elementals; it was endless!
“Damn it!” Anderson finally couldn’t help but curse. The endless tide of elementals was draining their mana at a terrifying rate—if this kept up, they’d run out soon, and the Arcane Wheel, that Essence Relic, would be useless.
“As long as that Central Alchemical Array is active, the elementals will never stop coming...” Leon frowned, realizing how dire the situation was. Elementals kept pouring out of the four portals—no matter how much mana he had, it wouldn’t be enough. Then he glanced at the massive array in the center of the room. “Anderson, buy me some time...”
Hearing Leon’s words, Anderson instantly understood. He unleashed a torrent of spells, clearing the central area of elementals in a flash.
Leon crouched down, studying the massive Central Alchemical Array on the floor. Strange, intricate patterns crisscrossed in bizarre ways. With just one glance, Leon knew this Essence Relic-grade array was one of the toughest he’d ever faced.
He’d cracked more than one Essence Relic-grade array before and had plenty of experience. In the past, he might not have had much confidence facing something this complex.
But things were different now...
He quickly pulled out a quill and a vial of Meltwater Ink. With his mind enhanced by Limit Spell focus, his thoughts became razor-sharp—his analytical ability soared tenfold. Dipping the quill in ink, he began scribbling rapidly across the array, while his Magitech Armor whirred at full power.
With the Magitech Armor’s terrifying computational power and the boost from Limit Spell focus, Leon’s speed at analyzing the array reached its peak. What others saw as impossibly complex, Leon split into basic components one by one, effortlessly.
His writing speed was almost frightening—he barely paused at all.
Without Leon’s monstrous computational ability, even someone as powerful as Star Sage Joey would fall here. Endless elementals, and mana always runs out eventually.
Anderson kept the Arcane Wheel spinning, blasting spell after spell into the swarming elementals. Each barrage felled hundreds, but the mana drained even faster. The Amber Gem on the Arcane Wheel was much dimmer than before—its reserves were running low.
Busy as he was, Leon spared a glance at Anderson before returning to his work. He saw Anderson’s struggle as the mana ran out, forcing him to fall back and guard Leon as he cracked the array.
“Hurry up!” Anderson shouted, his voice edged with panic. As the Arcane Wheel’s spirit, he depended on mana to survive—if Leon died and the Wheel lost its vessel, Anderson faced endless sleep or oblivion.
Neither outcome was something he wanted.
He was starting to get desperate. The Arcane Wheel’s mana was almost gone, and the elementals kept coming. At first, every burst unleashed hundreds of spells, dropping swathes of elementals. Now, he barely dared cast more than a dozen at a time—he worried the mana would run out before Leon finished cracking the array.
His only choice was to buy Leon as much time as possible.
A wave of elementals fell, only for another to rush in—utterly hopeless.
Leon, however, was calm and unhurried, his quill flying across the floor as if he hadn’t heard Anderson’s urging. He’d reached the array’s core, his mind racing, Magitech Armor at full throttle, his quill sketching out mana circuits.
By now, Anderson was almost spent—the Amber Gem on the Arcane Wheel had lost all its luster.
“Done...”
Leon put down the quill, flexing his sore wrist. At the same time, the four portals lost their connection to the Elemental Plane and became ordinary. Leon stood up—elementals filled the room as far as he could see, and his Doombringer Staff flashed with dazzling light.