Chapter 828: Are You Done Yet?
Leon spent an entire day arranging the alchemical array. The process was extremely difficult; although it wasn't a Sky Rank Alchemical Array, much of its design was inspired by one, faintly carrying traces of that legendary tier.
It wasn’t truly a Sky Rank Alchemical Array—just a hint of its legacy was enough to make the setup exponentially harder. Leon didn’t dare take it lightly; it took him the entire day to finally complete the arrangement.
The moment the alchemical array was activated, it was as if a storm swept through Specter Valley. The surrounding mana was violently drawn into the array.
The concentration of mana in the area visibly increased, rising so rapidly that in the end, it condensed into drifting mist—proof of mana pushed to its absolute limit.
At the center of the alchemical array, fine droplets fell like strands of hair—mana so dense it had become liquid rain.
This spectacle left all fifty mages utterly stunned.
The mana here was dozens of times thicker than outside! It had grown so dense, it was actually turning into liquid.
But that wasn’t even the most astonishing part. In Leon’s natural demi-plane, the mana was even denser than this. What truly shocked everyone was that, despite the concentration, the mana here wasn’t stagnant at all—it was frighteningly active.
That was what really left people speechless. The activity of the mana wasn’t chaotic—it was a kind of orderly vitality, brimming with positive effects. Meditating in this environment would make one’s progress alarmingly fast.
All fifty mages wore expressions of shock. Their core meditation techniques were all about maximizing efficiency—and now, combined with this dense, hyperactive mana...
Their meditation efficiency would probably soar to levels beyond calculation...
And that wasn’t the end of it. They watched as Leon dropped a single bead of Elder God Blood onto several key points of the alchemical array!
In that instant, even before entering deep meditation, just sitting within the array made them feel as if the surrounding mana was crazily surging into their bodies.
Within that mana was also the power of Elder God Blood. Its force was dispersed to the extreme, yet none of its potency was lost. All fifty mages received the full benefit—no need to wait for it to slowly manifest over time.
Besides boosting mana activity, this was the array’s other special function: extracting the power from potent sources and channeling it directly into the mages.
Standing at the center of the array, Leon watched its flawless operation—just as he’d imagined. A smile crept onto his face.
These guys had all taken a drop of Elder God Blood, but fully absorbing it would normally take ages. The gradual spread of its power tasted sweet, but the wait was far too long.
This array’s greatest effect was extracting other powers and infusing them directly, letting the Elder God Blood in their bodies work at maximum speed.
At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before their strength surged. Reaching Ninth-Rank Archmage was a given for all of them, though whether they could break through to Title Archmage was another story.
Standing at the center of the array, Leon sensed its effects for a while, then showed a look of satisfaction.
By the looks of it, their chances of breaking through to Title Archmage were very high...
Title Archmage— even in a major power like the Black Tower, that’s considered high-level. The Merlin Family’s Title Archmages are basically the backbone, overseeing vital industries and planar development; all those key positions are held by Title Archmages.
Only Title Archmages can truly hold things down, and for unconquered, resource-rich planes like the Blazeforge Realm, only the strongest are sent.
In the past, with the resources the Merlin Family controlled, someone like Thorne—a Fifth-Rank Sword Saint—was more than enough. But now, with so many new resources, a single Fifth-Rank Sword Saint would only attract the greedy eyes of other factions.
But if you had fifty Title Archmages under your command...
Who the hell would compete with you for resources or profits? You could just go conquer a plane by yourself.
Watching these guys begin their meditation, Leon had high hopes. Ever since their talent and comprehension had reached genius levels, with such bright futures ahead, he’d been investing everything into their training.
This time, he’d gone all in—even half a bottle of Elder God Blood had been used...
Everything was on track. With Elder God Blood as the catalyst, the alchemical array would channel its power into all fifty mages.
Even Leon himself could feel his mana steadily increasing here, though his path was different from those fifty mages, so he didn’t sit down to meditate.
Just then, the entire alchemical array began to fluctuate. The bead of Elder God Blood floating at several key points was suddenly affected by a violent surge—and with a boom, it exploded.
The power and divine essence within the blood erupted all at once. In an instant, the array forcibly extracted and dispersed that energy, turning it into mana that quickly faded away—most of the Elder God Blood’s power was lost.
Leon’s face went pale—he looked absolutely terrible.
The main reason this array was so difficult to set up was that it was simply too low-level to properly draw out the power of Elder God Blood.
More importantly, there was the risk of disaster. Elder Gods and Demons were terrifying beings—no one could give a clear reference point, but anything related to them was taboo. If the power in a single drop of blood erupted all at once, it would annihilate everyone present.
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The Elder God Blood was quite stable on its own, but once activated and guided by the array, it became a source of instability.
Fortunately, when its power erupted, the array was already active, dispersing it into ordinary mana and spreading it throughout Specter Valley—only then did they escape disaster.
The fifty mages were affected too—almost all had their meditation forcibly interrupted and suffered minor injuries.
Leon’s expression turned icy, murderous intent written all over his face as he strode out of Specter Valley.
Because what just happened wasn’t an accident—someone had broken into Specter Valley and attacked the alchemical array!
Before coming here, Leon had already instructed the Merlin Family: no one was to approach Specter Valley, and anyone who did should be stopped—if they died near here, it was their own fault. And now someone had barged in by force?
Damn it, are they asking for death?
Leon walked coldly to the mouth of the valley. He immediately spotted a Ninth-Rank Title Archmage in black robes, his mana radiating openly, staring arrogantly in Leon’s direction.
Before Leon could say a word, Baroque spoke first.
“Hmph! So you’re Leon Merlin? Damn bastard, you actually made me wait a whole day. Today I’ll show you what it costs to offend a Ninth-Rank Title Archmage!”
Leon’s expression grew even colder, killing intent blazing in his eyes. Damn bastard, how dare he sabotage the alchemical array!
Damn it, it took a month of effort to get the array working like that—so much time and material spent, blending the Elder God Blood solution, and now one of the ingredients was completely used up.
That meant the array’s ability to forcibly extract power from Elder God Blood was now completely gone!
And this suicidal idiot still dares to act so self-righteous?
"I don’t care who you are. Over a month’s worth of effort, all ruined by you. The last bit of solution wasted. Today, no one can save you."
Leon said this calmly, the killing intent in his eyes fading away. He looked at Baroque as if he were already dead—utterly indifferent.
Baroque instantly flew into a rage, lifting his chin and glaring at Leon with arrogant confidence, a cold sneer on his lips.
"Leon Merlin, let me tell you, you should address me as Lord Baroque. Now, I’m in charge of all Black Tower affairs in the Blazeforge Realm—I’m the Black Tower’s Deputy Senator. Back at the Horn of Plenty, your Merlin Family killed hundreds of our mages. Today, you owe me an explanation.
And you actually made a Ninth-Rank Title Archmage wait a whole day—an outrageous insult to my dignity. Today, I’ll make you pay for that."
Now I’m officially notifying you: from today onward, the resources at the Horn of Plenty have nothing to do with your Merlin Family. You’ll hand over two fortresses as compensation for the Black Tower, or else—hmph—neither you nor your family will survive!"
Baroque unleashed his full mana, the surge crashing toward Leon like a tidal wave. Winds howled, fire elements gathered madly, and in the chaos, you could almost hear their wild cheers.
In just a second or two, the dried branches and grass on the ground spontaneously ignited, fire elements gathering into sparks and flames everywhere.
Terrifying fire affinity! Just channeling mana was enough to draw in such a vast amount of fire elements. Without even casting a spell, flames were already spreading—his fire magic would be twenty percent stronger in these conditions!
Baroque wore a smug smile. As a Ninth-Rank Title Archmage, dealing with a newly promoted Title Archmage required only a show of force—no need to cast a spell. That alone would make his opponent’s legs go weak. So, there was no need to worry; Leon wouldn’t dare object to him seizing their interests.
Leon’s robes billowed in the wind as he calmly regarded Baroque.
"Are you done talking?"