Chapter 685: Secrets Unveiled
Of course, this only happens when the Devourvine is below level forty.
As one of the rare plant-type magical beasts capable of reaching level forty, the Devourvine undergoes a radical transformation upon advancing beyond this threshold. Not only does the Devourvine itself mutate, but its Mana Crystal also changes, becoming something entirely different—almost as if it’s a new species altogether.
At this stage, the Devourvine Core is hailed as the finest container for magical energy, capable of storing as much mana as a Heavenly Mage!
It’s important to note that ordinary Mana Crystals lack the ability to store magical energy. In fact, most Mana Crystals are single-use consumables, and even those few that can store pure mana hold only a negligible amount.
Mana-storing Devourvine Cores like these, which can hold mana comparable to—or even exceeding—their own level, were exceedingly rare even during the golden age of magic. And pure mana at the Heavenly Mage rank? That’s almost unheard of.
But that’s not even the greatest advantage of the Devourvine Core. Its true strength lies in its ability to purify mana.
No matter what kind of magical energy enters the Devourvine Core, it is purified at a terrifying speed—leaving behind mana that is flawless and pristine.
This perfectly pure mana can be used by any mage directly, with no risk of side effects. Sometimes, it’s even more reliable than a mage’s own mana.
Of course, only Devourvine Cores from level forty and above possess this remarkable ability.
Below level forty, the Devourvine is just an ordinary plant-type magical beast...
The Devourvine is infamous for being difficult to deal with; as long as its main body remains hidden, its offshoot vines are even more troublesome than undead creatures. As long as its mana isn't depleted, those offshoots will never disappear. Even higher-level magical beasts can be worn down and killed by this relentless tactic.
For this reason, the Archdevourvine pushes this characteristic to the extreme. Most of the time, its main body never appears above ground. Even powerful Heavenly Mages can't deal with a Devourvine hidden deep underground—they end up beset by endless offshoot vines instead.
So, from the old days to now—two thousand three hundred years later—no one ever realized that the Archdevourvine Core possessed such terrifying abilities.
It wasn't until two thousand three hundred years later that Orson, during an alchemical experiment, discovered a way to artificially cultivate Devourvine Cores—raising them from below level forty to level forty!
He found a way to mutate the Devourvine Core, obtaining an Archdevourvine Core through the safest and fastest method possible!
Back then, Orson didn't have much talent or background. He was stuck at the Eighth Rank Title Archmage for a long time, unable to break through. He couldn't even afford high-level alchemical materials—a truly struggling Title Archmage.
A Title Archmage with no hope of advancing to Heavenly Mage is little more than a pillar of the family, unlikely to receive much magical support.
Until Orson accidentally discovered the possibility of artificially cultivating Devourvine Cores. After investing enormous time and effort, he finally succeeded in producing two Archdevourvine Cores—and even used them to break through to Heavenly Mage. The entire Northend World was shaken by this unexpected achievement.
Even the most elite Heavenly Mages have no way to deal with the Archdevourvine. A perfect mana container that doubles one's mana reserves is a fatal temptation—even for them.
Orson leveraged his method for cultivating Devourvine Cores to amass resources and finally broke through to Ninth Rank Heavenly Mage. Only then did he reveal this secret to the world.
This method was even recorded in the desolate library of the apocalypse, becoming one of the achievements that shaped the Northend World.
When Leon saw that Devourvine, he immediately thought of all this. A level thirty-eight Devourvine—absolutely perfect!
Level thirty-nine is too much trouble. Thirty-eight is just right—and saves a lot of effort in future cultivation.
Cultivating the Devourvine Core isn’t just about using it as a mana container—especially now, with the existence of the Alchemical Vortex.
The Alchemical Vortex really is handy—providing twice the mana out of thin air. Pity there were only a few prototypes when it was first designed, and research never continued.
Recently, Leon’s begun to feel the Alchemical Vortex isn’t quite enough. Its limit seems to be Title Archmage—and only the average ones at that.
My Arcane Sigil is supposedly the strongest magical array armor, storing far more mana than mages of the same rank. But once you reach Title Archmage, the Alchemical Vortex can’t deliver triple mana anymore.
Now that I have the Devourvine Core, the best approach is to cultivate it to Heavenly Mage first—then use it to upgrade the Alchemical Vortex, making it even more powerful.
Unfortunately, artificial cultivation and modification aren’t things you can finish overnight. It’ll take quite a bit of time—so for now, I’ll just have to put it away.
If it weren’t for this, Leon wouldn’t have bothered arguing with Hubert over a single Soul Mana Crystal.
Seth, standing nearby, didn’t offer any explanation to Leon. He just gave a dry laugh, wearing the look of someone watching a country bumpkin: "Merlin, let’s get out of here. The mana here is way too dense. After all that commotion, who knows what else we might attract..."
Too much mana...
Leon froze for a moment. He’d been so excited about the Devourvine that he’d only been thinking about the Archdevourvine Core—completely forgetting everything else.
Anderson drifted over, giving Leon a strange look. "Merlin, you’re feeling something’s off too, aren’t you?"
Leon’s expression darkened. Something’s off? More like everything’s off.
Devourvine is notoriously picky about its growing environment. It needs not only extremely dense mana, but mana that’s highly active.
Many rare magical plants have similar requirements. Without active mana, they simply can’t survive. That’s why so many precious magical plants can’t be artificially cultivated—humans can manage mana density, but not its activity.
After Orson uncovered the Devourvine’s secrets, it took only a century for Archdevourvines to vanish from the Northend World below Heavenly Mage rank. That’s the real reason.
Devourvine is nearly impossible to cultivate artificially; it can only grow in certain wild environments.
Constantine is dead. Normally, after his death, Constantine's Dominion would vanish as well.
Strangely, his God-Demon Dominion hasn’t disappeared—perhaps because Constantine was so powerful in life. But the mana here is still unusually dense, which is rare.
One thing’s for sure: the mana here lacks a certain level of activity.
For most creatures—and even most plants—this minor flaw doesn’t matter. But it’s a deal-breaker for Devourvine.
Yet here we are, surrounded by Devourvines—six of them at once. Who knows how many more are out there? It just doesn’t make sense.
There’s only one explanation: Constantine’s Dominion hasn’t truly vanished. Maybe Constantine himself isn’t really dead...
The thought made Leon jump, but he quickly shook his head.
It just doesn’t add up.
Leon shook his head, face grave. "I do sense something weird, but I really can’t figure out why. We’d better stay alert..."