Chapter 547 - 375: Return, Advent of the Morning Star (2)

Ian’s attention quickly returned to East City, the core region of the Justice Clan.

His Perception "focused" on the deepest part of the clan’s Secret Vault, where a "thing" was wrapped in layer upon layer of powerful seals.

A palm-sized Crystal Box, its surface covered in the sealing patterns laid down by Elder Darcy.

Ian’s Perception easily penetrated the seals, seeing clearly what was inside.

This "parchment scroll" was, in essence, a fragment of constantly writhing flesh, emitting waves of decay and Chaos.

Information instantly surfaced in his consciousness. This Pollution Source was completely identical in origin to the Abyssal pollution inside Titus Justice.

It lay quietly within the seal, yet it was like a malignant tumor, a fuse.

Ian’s Perception enveloped the Pollution Source. Following the extremely faint traces of a Rule, he traced it back to its deeper origins and saw a blurry image.

Burning Canyon, an ancient battlefield, fractured space-time, and a dim trajectory belonging to the Rule of "Time" that vanished into the depths of the Void.

The master of this trajectory had a vast aura, but right now... there was no trace of them.

’Alister Justice...’ The name surfaced in Ian’s mind.

This Morning Star Wizard, unseen for a century, had a disappearance that was indeed related to this Abyss pollution and the deepest secret of the clan’s Secret Vault.

Titus’s Curse was perhaps just a single ripple on the surface of these deep waters.

Unfortunately, the trail went cold here. Where that Morning Star Wizard had gone remained a mystery.

Ian retracted his Perception, a hint of disappointment in his eyes. He had hoped to exchange some information with him.

Unreturned for a hundred years... it was unlikely he had fallen. Morning Stars didn’t die that easily. He was most likely trapped in some desperate predicament.

For now, there were some loose ends to tie up.

With a thought, the space around him twisted slightly. He and Gaga vanished without a trace from the stone chamber a kilometer underground.

...

The Justice Clan, the core bedchambers.

Titus Justice had awoken from a deep, deathlike coma and was now propped up on a wide bed.

His face was still pale and his eyes were sunken. His once-vast Level Three Peak aura had plummeted, and he was now barely maintaining the Level of a Level Two Wizard, and an extremely unstable one at that.

Clarity had returned to his deep, teal eyes.

Aidele sat in a chair by the bed, holding a bowl of moderately warm Potion, carefully feeding it to her father.

Elder Darcy and Elder Soron stood a short distance away. Their faces showed relief, but a deep, lingering worry remained in their eyes.

The Clan Leader’s life had been saved, but not even one percent of his strength remained. It was as if half of the clan’s main pillar had collapsed.

Just then, the gentle Elemental Energy that filled the bedchambers suddenly "froze."

Motes of pale golden Starlight materialized in the air, like fireflies on a summer night—serene and brilliant.

An indescribable pressure enveloped the entire bedchamber, the entire Justice Clan estate, and the very network of Rules throughout East City trembled slightly!

Every Wizard in the city, regardless of their Level, felt their hearts sink at that moment.

It was as if an invisible mountain was pressing down on their Souls, making them instinctively want to bow, to submit.

The Level one and Level Two Wizards turned pale, their backs instantly soaked with cold sweat.

The few Level Three Great Wizards, including Darcy and Soron, felt their pupils constrict. Their muscles tensed, and the Magic Power in their bodies began to boil, completely out of their control!

This was the instinctual terror born from the absolute gap between Levels of life.

The Potion bowl in Aidele’s hands trembled slightly, spilling a few drops. She looked up sharply, her deep teal eyes fixed on the center of the bedchamber, her heart pounding wildly.

A sharp light burst from Titus Clan Leader’s murky eyes as he struggled to sit up straight.

Elder Darcy’s throat went dry. He exchanged a glance with Elder Soron, and both saw the same horror and disbelief in the other’s eyes.

In the center of the bedroom, space parted like a curtain of water, and Ian’s figure stepped out.

He still wore the same simple, dark gray robes, and his appearance hadn’t changed much.

But now, merely by standing there, he seemed to have become the "center" of all space.

Gravity bent naturally around him. Light deflected slightly at his side. Time flowed gently in his vicinity.

What was most impossible to ignore were his calm eyes.

Deep within his pupils, swirling nebulas would appear, then five-colored Star Orbits, and phantoms of Rules being born and dying.

His aura was as vast as an abyss.

"Morning... Star..."

Elder Darcy’s eyes bulged. His dry lips moved, slowly uttering those two words.

This wasn’t someone using a Secret Treasure, nor was it some illusion.

This was a genuine Level Four Morning Star Wizard who had completed the second great leap in life!

Deathly silence fell over the bedchamber.

The Potion bowl finally slipped from Aidele’s grasp and fell.

But before it could hit the floor, it silently hovered in mid-air. Along with the spilled liquid, it flew slowly back to her hand and settled gently.

Ian glanced at her and nodded slightly.

He then retracted the phenomenal manifestations of the Rules that naturally emanated from him, and the terrifying pressure receded like a tide.

The frozen air in the bedchamber began to flow again, but the way everyone looked at him had completely changed.

It was the gaze of one looking up at the starry firmament, of one in awe of Deities.

"Welcome... Your Excellency!"

Aidele was the first to react. She took a deep breath, suppressed her turbulent emotions, stood up, and performed a deep bow with the most solemn Wizard etiquette.

It was no longer a matter of peers, or even of senior and junior.

It was the instinctual reverence of a Low Tier Life form for a High Tier existence.