Chapter 1235
During the peak of the Northend World, a powerful figure discovered a way to cultivate the Songblood Bloom, preserving its lineage when it had nearly vanished. At that time, not even three seeds of Songblood Bloom could be found across the entire Northend World.
Leon carefully planted the Songblood Bloom beside the Lake of Mana, even channeling a small stream to soak its roots. Pure, abundant mana water nourished the Songblood Bloom, and instantly, its roots abandoned the soul magic crystals, digging deep into the earth and ravenously absorbing the pristine liquid mana.
Faint threads of crimson appeared on the underside of those emerald leaves, as if blood itself was slowly seeping through.
Seeing this, Leon let out a quiet sigh of relief. It meant the Songblood Bloom was thriving. If nothing went wrong, it might soon produce seeds.
All that remained was to wait for the flowers to wither and the seeds to fall. Then, the leaves could be used to brew the Weeping Anthem Elixir.
Leon kept a close eye on the Songblood Bloom all the way, and once he stepped outside, Rafael came to inform him they were almost there.
"Archmage Leon, we are about to arrive at Neverwinter City, home of the Astral Academy."
Stepping onto the deck of the floating warship, Leon looked down and saw—sure enough—a vast city sprawled below. At its very heart stood a towering wizard's spire, hundreds of meters high, surrounded by a dozen massive crystals. Mana flowed outward from the spire, steady and immense, radiating across the city.
A barely perceptible shield enveloped the enormous city. Standing on the deck, Leon gazed at the spire with a touch of awe. The light from those crystals bathed the entire city, keeping it forever basked in gentle radiance.
More importantly, huge runes shimmered faintly in midair, marking the city as protected by anti-flight and mana suppression barriers. Without permission, no mage could wield power above Archmage level here—some couldn't even cast spells at all.
Right now, though, the mana was steady and the fluctuations barely noticeable, meaning most of the city's power was dormant and not affecting anything.
Keep in mind, this city spans thirty or forty li in every direction. Even from high above, you can't see it all. Enveloping such a vast area with shields would require astronomical amounts of mana—each second would burn through several Soul Mana Crystals.
"Archmage Leon, this is where the Astral Academy stands—the largest city in northern Odin Kingdom, Neverwinter City. Here, it's warm as spring all year round. Even in the dead of winter, the city never feels cold—the coldest days are still cozy inside these walls.
Legend says endless subterranean flames burn beneath Neverwinter City. If unleashed, their power could turn a thousand kilometers of land into scorched earth.
When the founders of Astral Academy built this wizard's spire, they harnessed the underground fire to sustain it. To this day, all the city's mana comes from that spire.
Our floating warship can't approach closer than ten kilometers to Neverwinter City. We'll have to land ahead and enter on foot. The Astral Academy's welcoming party should be waiting there by now."
Just then, Heron, leader of the Black Tower delegation, stepped forward.
"Rafael, thank you for everything. If we'd come to Odin Kingdom on our own, we'd have wasted much more time. We'll take our leave now."
Rafael nodded with a gentle smile.
"Lord Heron, you're too kind."
After thanking Rafael, Heron greeted Leon.
"Archmage Leon, I need to represent the Black Tower in some discussions with a family from Odin Kingdom, so I'll be heading off for now. If you need any assistance, please let me know. The Black Tower has plenty of allies here—don't hesitate to reach out."
Leon nodded.
Heron led the Black Tower delegation away first. The Flying Ship landed, and once everyone disembarked, it immediately took off again—this was Neverwinter City's rule. Floating warships aren't allowed near the city, except for Skyhold Fortress, Astral Academy's follower, which can approach within ten kilometers during peacetime.
Otherwise, an unidentified floating warship appearing even fifty kilometers out could be shot down without warning...
As soon as Rafael stepped off the Flying Ship, he suddenly frowned—a Magic Beacon pulsed with mana.
After reading the message from the Magic Beacon, Rafael gave Leon an apologetic look.
"Archmage Leon, I'm terribly sorry. Astral Academy just sent word—several Worldshapers have arrived in Odin Kingdom, and we need to greet them on the Academy's behalf..."
Rafael looked embarrassed, unable to finish his sentence.
Leon smiled and nodded.
"It's fine, Lord Rafael. Go ahead, I'll head to Neverwinter City on my own."
Rafael let out a sigh of relief and took out a magical badge from his spatial ring, handing it to Leon.
"Archmage Leon, this is the badge Astral Academy gives to all invited Worldshapers. According to tradition, it's only presented upon entering the Academy, but with this badge, when you reach the city gates, any Neverwinter City guard will arrange everything for you."
This time we truly failed in etiquette, Archmage Leon, I..."
While Rafael apologized to Leon, Gulud grew impatient.
"Rafael, hurry up! We can't keep them waiting—this is an Astral Academy mission."
Rafael was speechless. Leon smiled and shook his head. Gulud really didn't understand social niceties, but perhaps that's why he excelled in alchemy.
Rafael and his group hurriedly left on the Flying Ship, completely ignoring the Hadeward Family. Escorting them was part of Astral Academy's mission, but nowhere did it say they had to treat the Hadewards kindly after arrival.
Wotby forced an awkward smile and quickly left with the Hadeward Family, clearly not wanting to spend any more time with Leon.
Once everyone had left, Leon led Xuban and Reina toward Neverwinter City.
"Let's take our time walking. This place is nothing like Andalusia."
Feeling the faint warmth rising from beneath his feet, Leon silently calculated the power of the underground flames. At the same time, he observed the runes floating in the air above Neverwinter City.
With the strength of the underground flames supporting all the mana a huge city needs, this was a grand feat. The magic tower alone consumed a staggering amount of mana every second.
Studying the construction here offered plenty of inspiration—Leon could incorporate some of these advantages when building the Sanctuary Tower in the future.
After walking some distance, Leon suddenly stopped. Faint, obscure mana fluctuations surrounded them, and Neverwinter City ahead seemed to grow farther away. Even the environment began to feel unreal.
"I didn't expect someone to ambush us here. Prepare for battle."
Leon said, a bit surprised, as he drew the Dragon Staff. He'd thought this area, just outside Neverwinter City, was Astral Academy's territory and that, as invited guests, no one would dare make a move here.
"A real illusion of this scale, plus a barrier masking mana fluctuations, would need at least fifteen Deepsea Mermaid Pearls. They must think highly of me."
In an instant, a dense rain of magical arrows appeared fifty meters away, engulfing Leon and his companions within dozens of meters.
Leon spat out a rune, and four elemental shields of ice and fire suddenly materialized, swirling around him like a cyclone, shifting positions to block every magical arrow.
Xuban swung his massive weapon, Slaughter, in front of himself, smashing every magical arrow to pieces with brute force.
Reina stood motionless, shrouded in a layer of ice crystals. The magical arrows couldn't even scratch her icy shield.
After a dozen seconds, the magical arrows dissipated. Leon glanced at the four elemental shields he'd summoned—their surfaces were pitted and scarred, with fine cracks running across them.
On the ground lay dozens of metal arrows—these weren't all magical arrows; many were mixed with anti-magic metal tips. Clearly, the attackers wanted Leon dead.
It's a common tactic for archers to slip an anti-magic arrow among a barrage of magical ones—the anti-magic tip can tear through a mage's shield.
Frowning, Leon used Mage Hand to pick up one of the anti-magic arrows, his expression growing cold.
"A Dissolving Magic Stone tip, laced with Blue Kiss poison. They're really not holding back."
Arrowheads made from Dissolving Magic Stone have a powerful tearing effect on magical shields. Only dwarven smiths can forge them, relying on pure strength—fire and magic can't shape this stuff.
Blue Kiss is even rarer—it's a toxin refined from a material found only in Bluefin Mermen over three hundred years old, in the Endless Sea.
Bluefin Mermen are rare among sea folk—they have no tribes or settlements, roaming endlessly. They're hard to catch, and most only live about three hundred years. Only the strongest survive longer.
A Bluefin Merman tribe with two or three members over three hundred years old is considered exceptional...
These anti-magic arrows were coated in a deep blue poison—the maximum potency. Each arrow probably cost an entire Bluefin Merman tribe.
And on the ground, there were at least dozens of these anti-magic arrows...
Getting hit by even two or three of these poisoned anti-magic arrows would cripple a Sky-rank powerhouse...
Such vicious intent—they clearly meant to kill. No point holding back now.
Leon sneered, stretched out his left hand, and summoned the Book of Death. The pages flipped to the Chapter of Truth, unleashing endless radiance that tore through the illusion like a blade.
Where the light touched, a swarm of swordsmen, mages, and archers appeared as if out of thin air.
Over a hundred swordsmen, none lower than Sword Saint rank—three of them were Ninth-rank Sword Saints. More than thirty titled Magi, three at Ninth-rank, plus over twenty master archers.
The archers were up front, Sword Saints flanked both sides, and the mages had somehow circled behind, gathering together and chanting a large-scale spell.
Leon shot the mages a cold glance and spat out a rune. A transparent wave swept through them instantly.
A group mana counterspell—deadly against mages preparing a combined spell.
The mages had finished most of their chant, but now, abruptly interrupted, their faces turned pale. The leading Ninth-rank titled Magus even coughed up blood.
Before they could react, Leon spat out another rune. Instantly, a fireball over ten meters wide fell from the sky, trailing a tail dozens of meters long, and smashed into the lead Ninth-rank titled Magus.
The fireball exploded, sending waves of flame surging outward. The lead Ninth-rank titled Magus was vaporized on the spot, along with four lower-ranked Magi, while over a dozen were left gravely injured.
A bunch of ordinary titled Magi, even in numbers, were no real threat. Only a trained mage legion could turn numbers into true power.
Unfortunately, these guys looked like a mage legion, but compared to Leon's, they were leagues apart. Led by a single Ninth-rank titled Magus, they could barely hold off two or three of his rank.
In just one second, most of the mage legion was crippled. Only now did they realize they'd been discovered.
The Sword Saints on either side charged, sending waves of battle aura slashes toward Leon and his group.
"Xuban, don't hold back—finish them!"
Leon raised the Dragon Staff, watching the attackers coldly as magical light began to flare.
Four-element explosive orbs condensed rapidly, five in succession detonating among the mages, each mushroom cloud tearing apart everything within three or four hundred meters.
The surviving mages barely had time to react before the raging power ripped them to shreds.
Xuban, grinning savagely and gripping Slaughter, was wreathed in the power of a hurricane, a yellow aura swirling around his weapon.
"Come on, let the great Lord Xuban smash your skulls! Damn, I've been bored to death lately—my Slaughter's been thirsting for blood."
Xuban charged into the Sword Saints, laughing madly. A Ninth-rank Sword Saint unleashed all his battle aura in a slash, but Xuban didn't dodge—he smashed down with Slaughter, shattering the attack and crushing the Sword Saint's body.
In an instant, the Sword Saint's battle aura armor and body exploded together, blood raining down everywhere...
Among the Sword Saints, Xuban was like a rampaging tyrannosaurus among sheep—none survived a single blow.
Six months of boredom had made Xuban even stronger, especially now at the peak of Ninth-rank Sword Saint. He had to be careful not to accidentally kill opponents in a duel.
Even the shield of a Ninth-rank titled Magus was like paper before Xuban wielding Slaughter. If the shield broke, death was certain...
After Xuban nearly killed a Ninth-rank Sword Saint and almost one-shot a Ninth-rank titled Magus in the Merlin Family, Leon had restricted his use of Slaughter and limited his strength—going over thirty percent meant no potions for a month and no sleep for a week...
Now, finally able to let loose, Xuban went wild. In less than five minutes, not a single Sword Saint was left standing—all had been blown apart, not a single intact corpse to be found...
The archers fared even worse. Every corpse was perfectly preserved, frozen into ice sculptures on the ground—many still in the act of shooting, their magical arrows frozen in midair...
Reina had already set foot into the Sky-rank, though she held back from breaking through. Her dragon crystal transformation was nearly complete—once finished, her very essence would evolve, and she wouldn't be able to suppress her breakthrough any longer.
Even the simplest Ice Spear spell in Reina's hands could unleash the power of a Seventh-rank spell. Her freezing magic was far beyond ordinary frost spells...