Chapter 128: Wasteland Lord
Could it be that the Prince deliberately left this back door for future convenience?
Isn't that a bit too unscientific...
Leon, a little puzzled and a little wary, continued to study the Alchemical Array.
Soon, Leon managed to analyze the structure of the Alchemical Array.
Then Leon discovered that this Alchemical Array actually had no Mana Source!
This discovery immediately startled Leon. At first, he thought he’d made a mistake in his analysis, or that there was something wrong with the array’s structure. So Leon went over it again, but the conclusion remained the same—the Alchemical Array really had no Mana Source!
“How strange,” Leon muttered, feeling his brain cells were running out. If the array had simply run out of mana, Leon could understand—after all, more than a thousand years had passed, even the Third Dynasty was gone. An Alchemical Array running dry wasn’t such a big deal.
But this wasn’t a problem of depleted mana—there was never a Mana Source to begin with.
In other words, this Alchemical Array had never actually operated since it was first inscribed!
This was purely for show!
How could the tomb of a prince of the Third Dynasty possibly have such a major oversight?
Leon thought about it over and over but couldn’t figure it out. In the end, he decided to set the question aside for now and focus on getting the Alchemical Array running.
That wasn’t difficult at all…
Leon had already analyzed it twice and knew the entire structure of the Alchemical Array inside out. The lack of a Mana Source wasn’t a problem at all. With Leon’s mastery of alchemical arrays, connecting a Mana Source would only take a few minutes and barely any effort.
Moreover, Leon quickly realized there was no need to connect anything…
Because on his third analysis, Leon discovered the array actually had a Mana Source—it just hadn’t been activated yet. The inactive part of the array was practically nonexistent, so Leon hadn’t noticed the dormant Mana Source during his first two analyses, which focused only on the array’s structure. It was only on his third pass that he spotted a groove at the array’s edge.
After deducing the structure, Leon realized this was the spot for the Mana Source. But who would go through all the trouble of drawing the array and then not activate the Mana Source? What kind of boredom was that?
Oh well, at least the Mana Source’s location was clear now.
The next step was much simpler. All Leon had to do was activate the Mana Source and tweak the array’s structure a bit, and the rune shield solidified on the Prisonrock Stone Gate would immediately stop operating.
Without the protection of the rune shield, Leon could now forcefully break open the Prisonrock Stone Gate—it was no longer impossible.
Leon rummaged through his pockets but only found a few low-grade magic crystals…
Whatever, low-grade crystals will have to do. It won’t take much time to shut down the array anyway… Right now, aside from these few low-grade crystals, Leon only had his Elemental Amber Ring and the Spirit Channeling Staff to provide mana. But those magic items were for emergencies—they couldn’t be used to activate the array.
After a bit of picking, Leon placed a level-five magic crystal into the groove.
As soon as the level-five crystal was placed, the mana nodes on the array began to flicker faintly. A trace of light started to flow through the mana circuits, and the level-five crystal quickly dimmed. In just moments, it had become an ordinary stone.
One crystal still wasn’t enough… Leon thought, and quickly pulled out another level-five crystal to replace it.
The mana nodes began to flicker, and the mana circuits started to flow…
Leon knew the alchemical array was about to be activated.
At this moment, Leon gripped his Spirit Channeling Staff tightly, waiting for the glow of the rune shield to vanish. Then he’d unleash his strongest spell to blast open the Prisonrock Stone Gate.
“Stop right there, you damned thief!” But just then, a low roar rang out above Leon’s head.
“Damn…” Leon fumbled in panic, pointing his staff overhead and casting a Light spell in an instant.
Only then did Leon see clearly—a shadowy figure was gradually taking shape above his head…
“I…” The moment he saw the figure, Leon sucked in a cold breath.
It was the Archdemon Wasteland Lord, ruler of the Seventeenth Layer of the Abyss—a being whose power surpassed even Heaven-tier mages. Even if this was just a projected avatar, even a Wasteland Scion could easily obliterate a hundred archmages like Leon.
That was simply a different order of existence…
The Wasteland Lord’s era could be traced back to the distant Yashan Dynasty—the true mythic age, when gods and demons ruled the land and countless powerful beings thrived. By today’s standards, each of those beings possessed unimaginable power. Even mighty dragons were just another race in that mythic dynasty.
Many mages nowadays even doubt that the mythic dynasty ever existed. Their reasoning is supported by many others: such an age, with gods and demons walking the earth and countless powerful beings thriving, would have overwhelmed the world of Northend.
But the Wasteland Lord came from that era…
Such a terrifying being who once walked the land alongside gods and demons now had his projection descend upon the tomb of a prince from the Third Dynasty.
In that instant, Leon had only one thought in his mind: It’s over. This time, he was truly doomed!
This was a power Leon could never hope to match…
Not just Leon—even Saruman, known as the greatest archmage of Seaview City, and his teacher, the Star Sage, would be nothing but ants before the Wasteland Lord’s projection. A single breath from the projection would be enough to obliterate them.
“Shameless thief, how dare you disturb Lord Gallax’s slumber? You will pay for your recklessness and baseness!”
Could I really be this unlucky…? Leon, who still harbored a sliver of hope, felt his vision go dark at that roar.
Only Leon in this era knew the Wasteland Lord’s true name was Gallax. In ancient demon tongue, Gallax meant withering, decay, destruction, and desolation—a name that embodied four domains. Even among the great archdemons of the Abyss, Gallax’s power was unrivaled.
The Wasteland Lord’s true name became known near the end of the magical civilization’s golden age, when mighty mages—almost like gods—conquered countless planes and finally turned their sights on the Abyss. They broke through twenty layers, slaying twenty archdemons, including the Wasteland Lord Gallax.
In other words, in this era, the Wasteland Lord’s true name was still unknown.
Every Abyssal demon’s true name is a forbidden secret—especially for archdemons like the Wasteland Lord. If not for that ancient battle, Gallax’s name might never have been revealed.
Now that this true name appeared before Leon, it meant the projection must belong to the Wasteland Lord…
Leon no longer held out any hope.
“Honorable Wasteland Lord…” Leon swallowed hard, his voice dry as he spoke: “If I said I just wandered into the wrong room, would you believe me?”
“Hahaha…” Deafening laughter echoed through the tomb, making Leon feel as if the whole world was shaking: “I didn’t expect even a shameless thief like you to know Lord Gallax’s name.”
“Yes, yes, Honorable Wasteland Lord, your fame spans countless planes, your brilliance illuminates the endless Abyss.”
“Hahaha, human, you’re quite amusing.” For the first time, a hint of pleasure entered the Wasteland Lord’s voice: “In that case, I’ll give you a chance.”
With that, a parchment gently floated down from the air.
Leon sniffed, catching the strong scent of sulfur from the parchment. He knew that was the aura of the Abyss.
“Human, this is your only chance. Sign this contract and you can become Lord Gallax’s servant. If you do, I might forget your earlier disturbance.”
“Honorable Wasteland Lord, it would be my honor!” Leon didn’t hesitate to take the contract. At that moment, the projection didn’t notice Leon’s eyes narrowing slightly…
Just one glance told Leon this was a soul contract. Once signed, he would be enslaved for eternity—even his soul couldn’t escape. Leon had seen plenty of contracts like this, so he skipped the content and went straight to the signature line.
The blank slot for the servant was meant for Leon, while the master’s slot was filled with several Abyssal runes reeking of sulfur: Gallax.
When Leon saw those runes, he understood immediately.
“Honorable Wasteland Lord, I suddenly have a stomachache. I’m afraid I can’t sign your contract!”
“Impudent!” Gallax’s figure roared, and the stone slabs atop the tomb seemed to tremble: “Human, this is your only chance. If you don’t sign this contract and become Lord Gallax’s servant, your soul will suffer eternal torment in the flames of the Abyss!”