Chapter 548 - 375: Return, Advent of the Morning Star (Part 3)

Darcy and Soron followed close behind, bowing low with the utmost reverence.

Titus, who was on the bed, also struggled to speak, his voice weak but clear. "I am Titus of the Justice Clan. I thank Your Excellency for your past aid, and I congratulate you... on your ascension to the Morning Star Level."

His voice was filled with a complex mix of emotions: gratitude, shock, and a deep sense of melancholy.

Ian waved his hand, and a gentle yet irresistible force lifted Aidele to her feet.

"Aidele, there is no need for such formalities."

His voice was calm, yet it carried an intangible authority.

"I have returned today for two reasons. First, to visit old acquaintances. Second... to settle some old business."

Aidele understood at once. She straightened, her posture respectful but not subservient.

"Please speak, Your Excellency. The Justice Clan will cooperate to the fullest. There is also one more matter, if Your Excellency would grant us your blessing. Your status as an Honored Guest Elder is no longer appropriate. Let us dissolve the contract we made all those years ago."

Ian’s gaze swept over Darcy and Soron before finally landing on Aidele.

"Very well."

Without the slightest hesitation, Aidele took a roll of Dark Gold Parchment from her clothes—the very same hundred-year Potion contract that Elder Darcy had signed with Ian.

Ian did not reach for it, merely glancing at it.

The words on the Parchment, imbued with the binding power of a Rule, melted away like snow in the sun, silently dissolving into nothing.

The contract turned completely blank, then spontaneously combusted, turning to specks of Ash that scattered into the air.

As Elder Darcy watched, the last wisp of doubt in his heart vanished like smoke.

To so effortlessly erase the Level Three contract Rule he had personally established—this was undoubtedly the power of a Morning Star.

"The contract is dissolved, but our amicable connection remains," Ian said slowly.

"The Justice Clan once provided me with assistance, and I, in turn, was commissioned by Aidele to treat Clan Leader Titus. That can be considered a fair trade. We owe each other nothing."

He paused, his gaze shifting to the faintly breathing Titus on the bed.

"However, in light of our past acquaintance, and seeing as Clan Leader Titus has not yet recovered from his injuries, I can help you one more time."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ian gently tapped a finger in the air.

A golden halo of light appeared, as pure as the dawn and brimming with immense Life Force.

Within the halo, one could faintly see stars being born and dying, and hear the whispers of a Rule.

This was no Potion, but a highly condensed wisp of a Rule’s aura, formed by combining his own Purification Rule with his Life Force.

The point of light drifted slowly and sank into the space between Titus’s eyebrows. His body jolted violently!

The stubborn, faint, dark-purple lines lingering beneath his skin made a soft SIZZLING sound, then rapidly faded and vanished.

A touch of color quickly returned to his paper-white face.

His utterly listless aura, as if invigorated by a clear spring, began to slowly strengthen.

Although recovering to his Level Three Peak was still a distant dream, the fundamental damage to his being was mostly healed. At the very least, his life was no longer in danger, and he had a foundation to begin his Cultivation anew.

"Thank you... Your Excellency, for this gift of new life!"

Feeling a warmth and ease he had not known in ages spreading through his body, Titus was so overcome with emotion that his voice trembled. He struggled to get out of bed to bow.

Ian waved his hand, stopping him.

Having done all this, Ian turned to Aidele, his tone calm but carrying an unseen weight.

"The matter of the Hawkwood Clan was part of our agreement. Now that you are the clan’s first heir, I leave its resolution entirely in your hands."

"What I want is closure. How you achieve it is up to you."

Aidele’s heart skipped a beat, then swelled with immense confidence and gratitude.

His Excellency Ian’s words had effectively transformed the "old grudge between Ian and the Hawkwood Clan" into a matter of "diplomatic affairs between the future heir of the Justice Clan and the Hawkwood Clan."

Furthermore, he had tacitly allowed the Justice Clan to borrow his "might"!

The might of a newly ascended Morning Star Wizard, even if only tacitly granted, was enough to make the Hawkwood Clan’s own Morning Star ancestor wary.

It would allow Aidele to seize the absolute initiative in any future conflicts, compensating for the instability caused by the disappearance of their own Morning Star.

"Aidele understands! I will not fail Your Excellency’s trust. I will bring this matter to a satisfactory conclusion!"

She bowed deeply once more, her voice solemn. For a fleeting moment, the light in her eyes dimmed as she decisively severed the wisp of affection she held deep in her heart.

Gaga watched silently from the side, sighing inwardly without a word.

Ian nodded, then turned his gaze to Elder Darcy.

"Darcy, I need to review some Level Four knowledge, specifically concerning the Justice Clan’s Meditation Method and the construction of a Wizard Tower. Does your clan’s Secret Vault hold any such texts?"

Elder Darcy’s spirits soared. ’This is the perfect opportunity to get on his good side!’

’A Morning Star Wizard this young has limitless potential. The returns on an investment made now would be immeasurable.’

"Please wait a moment, Your Excellency! I will fetch them for you at once."

Without a moment’s hesitation, he sprinted to the clan’s Secret Vault and returned just as quickly.

From his Dimension Ring, he took out three Ancient Scrolls made from some kind of Star Beast Hide, along with several Crystals inscribed with complex information.

"These are some of the journals and notes left by our clan’s past Morning Star ancestors, some fragmented treatises on Meditation Methods, and a few scattered records concerning the ’Void Secret Realm’ and ’Rare Materials.’ Though they are incomplete, perhaps they will be of some value to Your Excellency."

He presented them with both hands, his posture exceedingly deferential.

"In exchange, the clan only hopes to maintain a friendly relationship with Your Excellency in the future."

Ian accepted them and swept his Spiritual Power over them.

The contents were indeed fragmented, but they touched upon the Level Four realm, and even vaguely mentioned a few characteristics of Level Five Radiant Moon, as well as possible sources for the core materials needed to construct a "Cross-border War Fortress."

They were invaluable to him, expanding his otherwise barren knowledge base.

"Done," Ian said, putting away the Scrolls and Crystals. "The Justice Clan may consider me a friend."

This was a tacit promise of its own. In the future, if the Justice Clan were to gather any Level Four resources, they would be offered to Ian first.

A fervent light ignited in the eyes of Darcy, Soron, and even Titus on the bed.

With that single statement, the Justice Clan’s position in the Eastern Territory would be more secure than ever.

"One more thing," Ian said suddenly, his gaze seeming to pierce through layer upon layer of walls to land deep within the Secret Vault.

"That Pollution Source you have sealed away poses a considerable hidden threat. Since I am here, I may as well resolve it."

Before the words had even faded, his figure vanished from the chamber.

Elder Darcy and the others were startled for a moment before they reacted, scrambling to follow.

...

In the deepest part of the family’s Secret Vault, within a heavily guarded isolation chamber, the Crystal Box sealing the Parchment lay silently on a stone pedestal in the center.

Ian’s figure materialized out of thin air. Darcy, Aidele, and the others appeared right behind him, but they remained at the doorway, not daring to approach.

Ian ignored the complex silver seal, simply facing the Crystal Box as a point of golden light ignited on his fingertip.

Elder Darcy’s very Soul trembled; he was witnessing a Morning Star Level Purification Rule with his own eyes.

CRACK! The seal shattered piece by piece, dissolving into motes of light.

The instant the seal broke, the Parchment in the box seemed to react, beginning to writhe violently.

A cold, frenzied, and malicious Level Four Abyssal Aura erupted, forming countless writhing phantoms of dark-purple Tentacles. They were about to burst from the Crystal Box and pollute everything in sight!

The Protective Witch Array in the isolation chamber hummed as if under an unbearable load, instantly flaring to maximum brightness.

Elder Darcy’s expression changed drastically; he was about to activate the highest alert, consequences be damned.

The next moment, the golden light gently spread, tenderly "enveloping" the erupting pollution.

All the writhing phantom Tentacles vanished without a sound the instant they touched the golden light.

Inside the Crystal Box, the Parchment struggled and twisted, transforming into a writhing mass of inky flesh. It then rapidly turned grayish-white and stiffened, finally crumbling into a pinch of lifeless dust.

In less than a breath’s time, the Level Four Abyssal Pollution Source, which the Justice Clan had treated as a dire enemy and a massive hidden threat, vanished without a trace.

Ian withdrew his finger and made a grasping motion in the air, pulling a few minuscule, dark-purple fragments toward him.

After the Pollution Source was thoroughly purified, all that remained were fragments of the Abyss’s twisted Rule, with no further information about the Burning Canyon.

"Thank you for intervening, Your Excellency!" Aidele, Darcy, and the other Elders bowed hastily in thanks.

"The pollution is cleared. It is time for me to leave."

With that, Ian took a single step and vanished without a trace.

Only then did Darcy, Soron, and the other Elders finally let out a great sigh of relief. The excitement on their faces was no longer concealed.

"Aidele, I think you should pick a date to assume the position of Clan Leader. We would all feel at ease with you in charge."

Aidele slowly straightened up, staring blankly in the direction Ian had vanished.

A sharp pain seized her heart. Tears slid silently down her cheeks, and for a long, long time, she remained speechless.