Chapter 1364
Years of research—countless years spent studying my own transplanted bloodline—and yet, my understanding of it was still inferior to Archmage Leon Merlin, who only glanced at it casually. He just took a quick look and, as if joking, made a single offhand remark. I never imagined that such a casual sentence would double the stability of my bloodline and reveal new depths to explore. This is true transplantation...
That's right, this is how the eye should have been transplanted in the first place. Just one Crystal Eye is enough—one eye is far stronger than the previous two combined. My research didn't strengthen the Crystal Eye; it actually weakened its original power...
Terrifying. Archmage Leon Merlin is truly terrifying. How deep does his research into bloodline transplantation go? It's impossible to predict, impossible to estimate...
A group of Thorned Crown members gathered around Maxwell, watching his nearly deranged expression with concern—especially when they saw that his remaining Crystal Eye had visibly changed. Everyone understood what had happened.
They all remembered the joke Lin Yun made back then—a casual remark, never expected to become a truth. A life-saving truth, but also a deadly one...
“Lord Maxwell, what's wrong? You've found a way to improve bloodline compatibility—isn't that a good thing?”
“Lord Maxwell, don't worry. Maybe it's just a coincidence...”
Everyone understood why Maxwell was like this. As the leading expert on bloodline transplantation in Thorned Crown, to find his research on his own transplanted bloodline inferior to someone he'd only just met—such a blow is hard for anyone to comprehend.
Maxwell took a deep breath and shook his head.
"Don't worry about me. I'm glad—truly glad—to see someone like us, someone who researches the things no one else understands. And Archmage Leon Merlin's prowess far surpasses mine, far surpasses all of us.
I'm happy to see such a ray of hope. There were many times I thought bloodline transplantation research had reached its end, that it could go no further, never get any better. But now, I see hope—I see something beyond. This is good for all of us.
I believe you all understand what this means—for every one of us!"
Maxwell's low voice echoed, and everyone fell silent. Yet their faces showed a hint of fanaticism—the look of people who'd found hope on a road of utter darkness. Only those who've succeeded in bloodline transplantation could understand...
Maxwell lifted his head, a trace of longing and emotion on his face, glancing back at the others.
"From the moment we set foot on this path, there was no turning back. We couldn't see where the road ahead led, couldn't find any guiding light in the darkness. So many mages have fallen over the years to bloodline transplantation—we've lost count. Too many...
They all fell by the wayside. We're the lucky survivors—fate favored us, letting a rare few reach Sky Rank. And me? I'm the luckiest of all.
We've stumbled forward through thorns, our blood staining them red. Now, I think we can finally weave those blood-soaked thorns into a crown, waiting for the final coronation..."
As Maxwell spoke, many people's expressions shifted. Those closest to him looked determined, while Shelton wore a cold, mocking smile.
That guy Leon Merlin is so strong—maybe it's because he transplanted some powerful extraordinary creature's bloodline. Otherwise, how could he know so much about transplantation? If I can find Leon Merlin's weakness, everything he knows could be my chance to get stronger. Maxwell, that old man, just wants to cozy up to Leon Merlin.
Thorned Crown is destined to walk in the world's darkness. Only greater power lets us survive—every bit of research is for strength. Looks like they've all forgotten: Thorned Crown's suffering comes from not being strong enough!
The members of Thorned Crown narrowly escaped death, and their most crucial lifeline was a casual remark Lin Yun made at the very beginning. This left Maxwell with complicated feelings and new thoughts, but not everyone in Thorned Crown shared Maxwell's views.
Thorned Crown has already begun to fall—or at least, some among them have. They're no longer searching for a new path to magical truth, but pursuing pure power. For the sake of power, they'd sell anything, use any means, not even caring about their own souls, let alone anything else.
The Mana Tempest has finally subsided. On the surface of the plane, those massive, fountain-like streams of colored light shooting skyward are fading. The terrifying mana that erupted from the depths is losing force as it reaches the surface.
Apart from the initial devastation, the Mana Tempest quickly lost most of its destructive power. Every living thing on the surface of the plane hid away, trembling in their nests. Even the giant insect armies that hunted above ground burrowed deep, shaking with fear.
In the underground caverns and winding tunnels, exposed Mana Crystal Ore and Mana Crystals were shredded by the Mana Tempest, then transformed into pure mana and blasted to the surface.
While the Mana Tempest raged underground, its power grew as mana was released from the Mana Crystal Ore. But once it reached the surface, the mana quickly dispersed, turning into storms that ravaged the entire plane.
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Now that the eruptions have stopped, the storms have lost their source and gradually dissipated, spreading pure mana across the plane. In just an hour, mana density has doubled, and countless surviving plants greedily absorb the sudden abundance. Many magical organisms have begun to mutate, evolving into new types—maybe even new species.
Magical plants aren't much affected—destroyed ones quickly regrow, and they don't even know what fear is. But the magical beasts of the plane all sense a terrifying presence awakening. Even with the Mana Tempest gone, they're still hiding, trembling, not a single one daring to come out.
Deep underground, as the Mana Tempest ended, Lin Yun remained inside the protection of the Alchemical Array, quietly waiting.
"Lord Merlin, it looks like the storm outside has stopped. Aren't we leaving?"
Hughes squatted at the edge of the Alchemical Array, his face a little green, staring at the now-empty cavern outside. All the exposed Mana Crystal Ore had vanished, leaving only a layer of dust on the hard stone walls. The once dazzling cave now looked like a desert.
Lin Yun ignored Hughes and continued working on the Alchemical Array. The original array was best for mana defense, and with Reina's ice magic, it had blocked the pure Mana Tempest without much trouble. But what came next would be much harder.
He changed the array's setup—in less than half a minute, he'd transformed it into a different kind of Alchemical Array. Instead of just blocking pure mana, it now served another purpose.
Outside, the weakening Mana Tempest faded faster and faster. After losing the support of Mana Crystals and Mana Crystal Ore, the storm's power dropped rapidly as it passed through the winding tunnels and caves.
Five minutes later, the Mana Tempest had vanished. A thick layer of dust settled on the cave floor, and in the spherical chamber deep underground, the giant Mana Crystal's unleashed mana gradually calmed. Inside the crystal, the enormous soul that had become an eye began to glow with a creature's unique intelligence.
Within minutes, the light in that giant eye turned to rage. Its soul waves mingled with the slowly flowing mana, spreading out from the spherical chamber, through the tunnels, to the surface—across the entire plane.
In less than a minute, Lin Yun's expression grew serious. He took out several bottles of alchemical potions, crushed them, and sprinkled them on everyone's skin. Outside, a gentle breeze began to stir in the empty cavern, its flow seeming normal—until, in a blink, it shot out from one tunnel, spreading through the cave and out the other exits at a speed beyond belief...
The surface of the Alchemical Array burst into dazzling light. Of the hundreds of Mana Crystals used for power, half exploded in an instant, their energy fueling the array's defenses.
In less than five seconds, the mana from over a hundred Mana Crystals was exhausted. Lin Yun, his face grim, replaced the spent crystals. But even so, the breeze-like fluctuations outside began seeping through the hard stone walls, like countless ants slowly gnawing away at the Alchemical Array's defenses.
Within seconds, tiny cracks appeared on the surface of the Alchemical Array. Those fluctuations seeped inside, spreading across everyone's skin. Instantly, the potions on their bodies began to work, merging with the fluctuations. Even the potions they'd swallowed started adapting, blending with the growing waves.
Half a minute later, the Alchemical Array collapsed completely. The terrifying waves flooding the cave engulfed their hiding spot, but when those waves touched the group, they only rippled—having no real effect.
Lin Yun let out a quiet sigh of relief and stepped out of the cave.
"Come on out. There's no danger for now. But our exploration ends here. This plane won't be accessible for decades. Let's head back to the surface and hope Thorned Crown's people are all dead—otherwise, things could get messy..."
Retracing their steps, they moved much faster than before. Finding a way deeper underground had been hard, but getting out was much easier.
After passing through two caves, as they entered another, ripples suddenly spread across the stone walls. Stone Worms with gaping, jagged maws burrowed out, launching a frenzied attack.
At least thirty Stone Worms emerged, but their bodies had changed. What was once solid stone now seemed coated in crystal—like ice, like glass—encasing them completely. Even their open jaws, lined with sharp teeth, were covered in crystalline layers.
Hughes roared, swinging Slaughter as he charged forward. A yellow glow enveloped the warhammer, smashing into a Stone Worm's head with a thunderous crash. The worm's head shattered, crystal fragments scattering across the ground. Even inside, the pieces weren't just stone—they'd become crystalline blocks, though they still looked like stone...
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The sound of hammering echoed—again and again. In just a dozen seconds, Hughes had smashed the heads of every Stone Worm. Yet after losing a head, the worms didn't flee; they dragged their bodies fully from the stone walls, continuing their crazed attack with their remaining heads, utterly reckless.
Once the Stone Worms were dealt with, Lin Yun frowned and urged the group onward, picking up the pace.
Even before entering this plane, Lin Yun knew what its most famous feature was—and why, despite its perfect environment, no powerful intelligent life ever emerged here.
The moment that monster awakens, the World Core Beast's normal breathing stops and erupts. With the terrifying mana stored in its core, even a single breath can unleash a Mana Tempest.
A Mana Tempest made of pure mana is utterly unreasonable. The only way to survive is to face it head-on—every magical defense is just a contest of endurance and consumption. If your mana quality is too low, you don't even qualify for a drawn-out fight; you'll be torn to pieces in an instant...
And when the Mana Tempest erupts, it sweeps up all the exposed Mana Crystals and Mana Crystal Ore underground. That first eruption is always the strongest—so strong it's almost unbelievable. Facing it directly, anyone below Sky Rank Level 7 can't withstand it for long.
After the mana erupts, the monster fully awakens. Its body and soul are so immense that the process drags on, but once awake, the first thing it does is purge the plane. Everything here falls under its control; with its terrifying soul power and mana, it dominates the plane with ease.
Once it controls all life here, the great purge begins. As long as the monster senses any creature it finds threatening, the purge won't stop. The whole plane goes mad, and unless every creature is wiped out, the purge won't end.
The magical beasts native to the plane survive only because they're weak—like parasites. Their fragile, incomplete souls are the reason they've endured.
If any intelligent life is born here, or if any extraordinary creature enters, the monster below instantly awakens. Every sentient being, anyone with even a half-complete soul, is slaughtered—bodies turned to fertilizer, souls shredded and refined, then devoured by the monster's spirit.
That's how this monster grows: it falls into a deep sleep, lets the plane develop, then awakens to reap the harvest. After feeding, it sleeps again, leaving only lowly, insect-like magical beasts to breed and keep the plane alive—over and over, in endless cycles.
Countless years have passed; no one knows how long this monster has existed. It's not that intelligent life can't be born here—it's that none can survive. The moment any race shows a glimmer of intelligence, the great purge begins.
Clearly, the monster has been awakened now. Its instinctive purge and feeding are about to begin. Here, more than a dozen Sky Rank souls—all prime nourishment for the monster. Killing every outsider is unstoppable now.
Once it controls all its food, it drives them underground. The monster waits with its gaping maw, ready for prey to leap in one after another—the simplest, most effective way to hunt.
Lin Yun frowned, leading the group rapidly toward the surface. This eruption was far stronger than anyone expected—not just the mana, but the soul power too, much greater than any record.
It's obvious the monster hasn't awakened in ages—the Mana Crystal Ore in the caves has all surfaced, and it must have taken centuries, maybe millennia, to condense.
Even after taking the anti-control potions, they couldn't block the monster's power completely. They had to use the potions as barriers just to resist that terrifying control.
This was nothing like the records. And once they broke free, the monster didn't chase them—the spreading waves vanished completely, which made Lin Yun uneasy.
Sure, the monster can't erupt again and again—it doesn't have the power. But to let such a fat morsel slip away? Impossible. This thing acts on instinct, always seeking to strengthen itself, especially its soul. There's no way it would just give up.