Chapter 912: Core
When scorched by the Illusory Soul Fire, one must face their soul directly—the fire burns the soul itself. For those with pure souls and no distracting thoughts, the experience brings no pain at all.
Some people with minds as unyielding as steel, when scorched by the Illusory Soul Fire, suffer little harm as long as they hold onto a resolute conviction.
On the other hand, those with wavering minds, burdened by distractions or negativity, will find the Illusory Soul Fire igniting these thoughts and emotions. That’s when the real agony begins—pain as if the soul itself is burning.
In the future, many will willingly endure the scorching of the Illusory Soul Fire, seeking to temper themselves. When powerful figures select disciples, it’s a necessary step for candidates to withstand the trial of the Illusory Soul Fire.
But even this kind of tempering has its limits—go too far, and the soul is truly set ablaze. At that point, you’re utterly finished.
Leon had assumed such things wouldn’t exist in this era. Yet here it was—masquerading as the Undead Flame.
Feeling the burning on his soul, Leon’s expression remained neutral, betraying little pain. If anything, he sensed that the impurities within his soul were being scorched away.
He’d died once, was thrust into the apocalypse, struggled there for years, watched the world end with his own eyes—and then, in illusions, relived that destruction twice more. Leon’s heart had long been tempered like steel. The Illusory Soul Fire could burn him, but it wouldn’t provoke much of a reaction.
On the contrary, the Illusory Soul Fire could even purify his soul, making it more pristine. How could he pass up such a good thing? Leon even dropped his mental defenses, allowing the endless undead phantasms to swarm him.
Even as he felt the burning pain in his soul, a faint smile crept onto Leon’s lips. With each wave of purification, his understanding of countless things surged—memories from the desolate library resurfaced, his grasp of magic deepened, and the world perceived through his soul grew ever clearer.
The others weren’t much different. Hubert bared his teeth, but seemed barely troubled. That lazy Dragonblood Orc feared only his Lord Merlin and Theo—everything else was trivial.
Hubert, whose head was practically all muscle, didn’t care at all. After all, he’d fused the blood of three Golden Dragons, the heartblood of the Primordial Venom Dragon, and even the blood of gods and demons. Something as non-lethal as the Illusory Soul Fire couldn’t possibly hurt him.
Alchemical golems—soulless constructs—showed no reaction at all. Nearby, Anderson manipulated the Arcane Wheel above a golem’s head, grinning with a twisted smile.
Ancient monsters like these—creatures of unknown age and origin—barely registered the Illusory Soul Fire. To them, it was nothing more than a convenient hot bath for their magical avatars.
Reina, on the other hand, was utterly expressionless. If a Frost Dragon could guard her father’s corpse for centuries, her mind was already as cold and hard as ice—she simply ignored the Illusory Soul Fire. Realizing its benefits, she followed Leon’s lead and dropped her defenses, letting the fire burn her soul.
Out of everyone, only Wagner’s face kept twisting in pain. He repeatedly cast mental shields on himself, but his complexion grew paler and paler, cold sweat soaking his robes.
As they pressed on, the thin layer of Illusory Soul Fire beneath their feet grew thicker. After several hundred meters, it reached halfway up the corridor walls.
It was as if they were wading through a river waist-deep in flames, surrounded and protected by the Illusory Soul Fire. The power of the fire only grew stronger.
Leon’s expression was unchanged, barely feeling a thing. The others were much the same. Anderson even popped out of the Arcane Wheel, swimming through the pale flames with his three faces contorted in an odd mix of pain and pleasure—like soaking in a scalding bath.
Wagner’s face grew paler still, his eyes losing focus. With too many distractions and too little resolve, the Illusory Soul Fire was close to igniting his soul for real.
Up ahead, the Illusory Soul Fire thickened and intensified. If they went much further, Wagner’s soul would be truly set ablaze.
Leon glanced at Wagner, noting how his eyes kept drifting out of focus.
Casually, Leon slipped a ring off his left hand and tossed it to Wagner.
"Put it on."
Wagner’s face was twisted with pain and despair, his robes drenched in sweat. His trembling hand snatched the ring, eyes lighting up like a dying traveler glimpsing an oasis.
Without hesitation, Wagner slipped the ring onto his finger, not even pausing to wonder what it did—he knew that if he kept going like this, his soul would be completely consumed.
Sure enough, once he put on the ring, Wagner felt the soul-burning flames recede. An invisible force shielded his soul—no more burning, no more pain.
Anderson, swimming through the pale river of flames, shot Wagner a knowing, almost mocking look.
The group pressed on. As expected, the flames ahead grew taller, soon filling the entire corridor. All the illusions around them faded away.
The Illusory Soul Fire reached its peak, engulfing everyone in flames—a full-on soul scorching.
Even Leon’s face turned pale, but he stubbornly refused any defenses. Opportunities like this were rare. Ever since his awakening, he’d wanted to find the Illusory Soul Fire—its flames could fuse soul and body, erasing the boundary between them. After all, he was reborn.
He wasn’t the original owner of this body—there was a fundamental difference between his life essence and his soul. When it came time to break through to Sky Rank, that tiny gap could prove fatal.
Now, that flaw was gone—his soul purified and strengthened, his mental power surging. This kind of benefit could only be gained once, and he had to tough it out.
Knowing too much, hiding too many secrets, understanding too many things—such a mind was bound to suffer the burning. If a newborn with a soul as pure as blank paper were here, they wouldn’t feel a thing.
Leon was using the Illusory Soul Fire to strengthen himself, and Reina was doing the same. Her life essence grew, but her soul remained that of a Frost Dragon—the soul’s growth lagged behind the body, but now the process was speeding up.
Hubert, simple-minded as ever, yelped and shouted in pain—but he was tough enough that there was no danger. In fact, he might even benefit from it.
Anderson...
That ancient monster had long since stopped caring about the Illusory Soul Fire.
With the ring on, Wagner couldn’t sense the Illusory Soul Fire at all.
They walked through the corridor for an unknown distance. When Leon stepped out, he found himself in an enormous chamber. Totem-like pillars stood on the smooth floor, and every surface—walls, ceiling, and floor—was covered in dense runes and alchemical patterns.
Rays of light raced through the patterns, runes flickering rapidly. At the very center, a white column of light held a dazzling golden gem, slowly spinning within.
As the group entered from the Illusory Soul Fire-filled corridor, the runes began to flash, and the entire base seemed to tremble.
On the sides of the circular chamber, heavy doors began to open. Terrifying auras poured out, along with the rhythmic marching of alchemical golems.
Leon stepped forward, flying straight to the column of light. He studied the golden Control Gem, his brows furrowing.
"Just as I thought..."
This massive circular chamber was the alchemical golem control center, and the Control Gem was its master key. Whoever fused with the gem would control the entire base—the gigantic, special alchemical golem itself.
But the intricate runes and structure on the gem revealed a special restriction.
A bloodline restriction...
Only Bill George himself, or someone of his bloodline, could fuse with the gem!
Anyone else who tried would die instantly. If you forced it, the gem would self-destruct—and take the whole base with it.
Leon wasn’t surprised at all. Bill George never trusted any human; the only living beings he cared about were those of his own bloodline.
This restriction was just as Leon expected.
Leon waved Wagner over.
"We only have one choice now. This gem is the core of the base’s control center. Fuse with it, and you’ll control everything.
We can’t waste any more time. Our escape route is completely sealed. The moment we entered this core control center, the base’s ultimate defenses activated. All the alchemical golems are heading this way.
Every golem’s original orders have been overridden. Because of the intrusion, even the Spider Alchemical Golem we met earlier will activate its emergency protocol and rush here—ready to kill anyone who doesn’t belong."