Chapter 478 Aberration
Decades ago, Thorne Merlin distinguished himself in the Planar War. When he was fortunate enough to enter the Ancestral Grounds for a bloodline inheritance, that was when they first met. From that moment, he secretly took note of Thorne Merlin and kept a close eye on him. Thorne did not disappoint—in these decades, he made tremendous contributions.
In his eyes, Thorne Merlin was truly outstanding—even among those in the Ancestral Grounds, he was a pillar of strength, fully qualified to lead the elite Planar Legion to wage campaigns across realms.
However...
Now, suddenly, he found Thorne Merlin increasingly hard to stomach, no matter how he looked at him...
"Family Council... Councilor..."
Thorne Merlin was genuinely stunned this time. Of course he knew about the Family Council—it was the true power center of the Merlin Family, and its members were few, each one a legendary figure now hidden away in the Ancestral Grounds. The so-called family head and Elder Council outside were, compared to the Family Council, nothing but a joke, not even worth mentioning...
This—how could it be? Matthew Merlin actually became a councilor of the Family Council!
After replaying Ryan Merlin's earlier words over and over in his mind, he finally confirmed he hadn't misheard—Matthew Merlin really had become a councilor...
He was so shocked, he couldn't speak a word.
A councilor...
A councilor signifies supreme authority, a transcendent status! Not something the family head or elders outside could ever compare to...
Yet, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't figure out how Matthew Merlin, after disappearing for months and just returning to the Ancestral Grounds, had suddenly turned into a councilor.
It just didn't make sense...
Normally, Ryan Merlin and the other councilors had all lived in seclusion in the Ancestral Grounds for at least a century. Only when their experience and power were sufficient could they naturally enter the council.
But this Matthew Merlin...
Whether in terms of experience or strength, he seemed unqualified. Besides, how long had he even been in the Merlin Family? Even counting those missing months, it was less than half a year!
Leon becoming a councilor had truly stunned him, but as for apologizing—absolutely impossible! Without a second thought, Thorne Merlin left with a dark face, not even looking back.
Watching that receding figure, Ryan Merlin secretly shook his head, already feeling a bit dissatisfied with Thorne Merlin.
Leon said nothing, just smiled. At the same time, he quietly withdrew the magic he'd infused into the Arcane Wheel earlier. After chatting with Ryan Merlin for a while in the Ancestral Guardian Spire, he took his leave and, upon leaving the Ancestral Grounds, returned to the Merlin Family Manor.
Afterward, he spent over five hours in the alchemy lab, preparing some commonly used potions. After all, the Blazeforge Realm was a hazardous environment, with most creatures carrying fire poison—he had to be prepared.
Once he finished, it was already night when he returned to his quarters. Just as he was about to meditate, he suddenly remembered the group of Archmages in the demi-plane. A few days ago, he'd handed over Stellar Rush and Blaze Storm to those Archmages, thinking that when he had time, he'd go give them a proper explanation.
In the golden age of magic, top-tier meditation codices and arcane runes were never easy to master. Talents like Ross Merlin and Leon Merlin rarely had trouble learning Elemental Tide and Arcane Ring, so Leon never needed to explain much to them.
But that group of Archmages was a different story...
Their innate abilities were just too lacking. Before meeting him, most of them had no chance of ever becoming Archmages. Only by relying on the power of the Black Death Rune in the Bone Plane did they manage to become Archmages. Expecting them to grasp Stellar Rush and Blaze Storm on their own was pure fantasy.
Leon was set to lead the Planar Legion to the Blazeforge Realm tomorrow. Once there, he'd barely have any free time, so he decided to use his last night to give those Archmages a thorough lesson.
As he began chanting, a surge of powerful spatial ripples swept through the air. The next moment, he arrived in the natural demi-plane, nearly mist-like mana rushing toward him, leaving him feeling refreshed and clear-headed.
"Tagi..."
From a distance, Leon saw a figure meditating on the grass. In fact, he hadn't interacted much with the fifty Archmages in the demi-plane, and could count on one hand the ones whose names he remembered. Tagi was one of them. Back in Seaview City, Tagi had left a deep impression on him.
What impressed him wasn't Tagi's brilliance, but just how hopelessly slow he was...
Back in the Bone Plane, he'd borrowed the Black Rune from Cloudspire Tower, used Soul Fire to convert into mana, and helped that group of Archmages advance. Tagi was the last of them to complete his advancement.
"Boss..."
Hearing the familiar voice, Tagi opened his eyes and hurriedly stood up, flustered and a little overwhelmed as he walked over to the young boss. "Boss, is there something you need from me...?"
"Nothing much, just wanted to see how you're doing with Stellar Rush and Blaze Storm..." Leon smiled. "Tagi, if you have any questions about meditation codices or arcane runes, you can ask me now."
"Ah..."
Tagi was clearly stunned for a moment, then stammered, "It doesn't seem like there's anything too hard to understand."
Leon’s expression instantly turned odd, staring at Tagi in disbelief. With Tagi’s talent, how could he possibly fully grasp Stellar Rush and Blaze Storm? Even if it was just the first half, not too advanced, Tagi’s words still left him incredulous.
What he could be sure of was that Tagi would never dare lie to him, which meant Tagi really had comprehended the meditation codices and arcane runes. As he pondered, Leon quietly drew a trace of magical fluctuation from Tagi, then injected a stream of mana into the Mana Harness. Instantly, his face turned pale, and his gaze toward Tagi changed.
"Boss, are... are you alright?" Tagi asked nervously.
"It's fine. Go ahead and meditate..."
After sending Taj away, Leon Merlin furrowed his brows, standing motionless and lost in thought. The reason for his earlier lapse was the discovery of something almost unbelievable. When he activated the Arcane Array to analyze Taj's aura, he inadvertently detected a peculiar trace within it.
Having come into contact with fragments of ancient god-demon souls several times before, Leon could easily recognize that strange trace as the aura of an ancient god-demon. The realization startled him—how could a perfectly ordinary mage like Taj carry the aura of an ancient god-demon in his magical fluctuations? It was downright terrifying...
Ever since the fall of the Yashan Dynasty, no ancient god-demon had appeared in Northend World. So how could Taj possess their aura? The only connection Leon could think of was the fragment of an ancient god-demon soul in the demi-plane.
"Merlin, you noticed it too..."
At that moment, a sinister voice echoed in Leon's ear. The elusive Anderfa materialized as a swirl of black smoke, emerging from the Wheel of All Magic. His three eerie faces, each reflecting a different emotion, turned to Leon: "They have been tainted by forbidden power. This will be a disaster..."
"Forbidden power?"
Anderfa's sudden appearance interrupted Leon's train of thought. Leon frowned slightly. "You mean those High Mages have all gained the power of ancient god-demons?"
"Impossible..."
Anderfa sneered with disdain before explaining, "You know better than anyone where the magic in the natural demi-plane comes from. The High Mages absorb that magic during their meditation. Over time, their bodies accumulate a trace of ancient god-demon aura."
"Every ancient god-demon was a being beyond the Heavenly Tier. Even the faintest trace of their aura contains immense power. Under its influence, those mages will undergo a fundamental transformation—not in their strength, but in their magical talent!"
"What...?"
Leon was nearly speechless with shock. The greatest regret of those fifty High Mages had always been their poor innate talent, and he had never been able to change that. After all, even he could hardly acquire fifty bottles of Mana Baptism. But after hearing Anderfa's explanation, Leon realized this might actually be a blessing.
With his keen insight, Leon could tell that these mages, despite their innate shortcomings, could at most fuse nine Arcane Runes and advance to the Magus rank in the natural demi-plane.
But beyond the Magus rank, it was no longer just a matter of accumulating magical power. Only those with exceptional comprehension could progress further at that stage.
The fifty High Mages, with their poor aptitude, clearly lacked that level of comprehension. Leon estimated that fifth-level Magus would be the ceiling for this group.
But now, an unexpected change had occurred. The mages constantly meditating in the demi-plane had developed a trace of ancient god-demon aura in their bodies. According to Anderfa, their magical talent would undergo a fundamental transformation, compensating for their innate deficiencies. Just how much compensation, Leon couldn't say...
What was certain, though, was that these mages whose magical talent had transformed would reach Magus rank much faster—likely within three months at most!
"Merlin, don't forget—these are ancient god-demons. They are forbidden, and everything about them is taboo, including their power. The changes in those mages might be far more than we've discussed. If they continue meditating in the demi-plane, constantly absorbing that magic, the ancient god-demon aura in them will only grow. Perhaps in ten or twenty years, their bodies might even condense a drop of ancient god-demon blood. It won't be pure, but it will be terrifying nonetheless..." Anderfa's three faces all showed fear at once.
Leon felt his eyelids twitch. It was as if he were dreaming; the whole thing felt unreal. He had only intended for those fifty mages to reach Magus rank and strengthen the Gilded Rose. But Anderfa was telling him that not only would their talent fundamentally change, but they might even gain ancient god-demon bloodlines in the future.