In just a few seconds, he was already right in front of Durnhardt. His hand had pierced through his opponent's chest, his fingers pressing against Durnhardt's heart with deadly precision. A look of shock crossed Durnhardt's face, but it was quickly replaced by laughter.
"Hahaha… This is the Magnus I know. Come on, show me how much you've improved!" Durnhardt said with a sly grin, revealing his sharp white teeth.
The spear in Durnhardt's right hand shot up high, then slashed down swiftly, aiming to sever Magnus' hand that had pierced his chest. However, Magnus vanished in an instant, reappearing somewhere else as if he had never been there.
Then, with a swift movement, Magnus pointed at Durnhardt. In an instant, Durnhardt's body began to change, slowly turning to stone, starting from his feet and creeping upward, encasing his entire form.
"No! Impossible!" Durnhardt roared, his voice filled with rage.
But just then, from beneath Magnus' feet, purple spears shot out at incredible speed, forcing Magnus to cancel his spell. In the blink of an eye, Durnhardt was freed from Magnus' grasp.
Meanwhile, Magnus continued to move at an astonishing speed, dodging the spears that pursued him from behind as if time and space had no effect on his movements.
The battle between two of the greatest sect leaders had only just begun.
[You have absorbed Spatial Law energy... Spatial Law +1...]
[You have absorbed Spatial Law energy... Spatial Law +1...]
Lein remained seated cross-legged on the rough stone, his eyes shut in deep concentration. A faint glow enveloped his body as the energy of Spatial Law continued to flow into him.
Inside this law manifestation zone, every breath he took absorbed more law essence, coursing through his veins like an invisible river, filling the vast ocean of power within him.
More than three hours had passed since he first successfully duplicated law essence, pushing his law seed to Rank 2. So far, he had absorbed a total of 12 points of law essence, strengthening his foundation in Spatial Law.
[Absorbing Basic Laws...]
Spatial Law: 12 (0.0012%)/10,000
Gravity Law: 0 (0%)/10,000
Energy Law: 0 (0%)/10,000
Lein let out a long breath and slowly opened his eyes. His gaze landed on the vast manifestation zone, where glowing orbs the size of basketballs floated in the air, each radiating a soft luminescence.
A short while ago, he had successfully duplicated a law seed and gained 1.5 million law seeds within this zone. However, the result was disappointing. There were no additional effects aside from the increase in energy he could utilize.
With each law seed containing 1001 energy units at its initial stage, the Manifestation Zone now held over a billion units of law energy within it.
Lein sighed. Since there were no further advantages to duplicating more law seeds, he had decided to do it only once. Afterward, for over three hours, he had focused entirely on duplicating law essence to advance his law seed's rank.
After performing eight duplications, he had finally raised his law seed to Rank 4.
The impact of this advancement was significant. Previously, it had taken him fifteen minutes to absorb a single law essence. Now, with a Rank 4 law seed, it only took nine minutes, saving him six minutes per absorption cycle.
Satisfied with his progress so far, Lein rose from his seated position, stretching his stiff body after long hours of meditation. His gaze shifted to Dragnar, who stood not far from him.
Around the man, a mysterious jug floated, moving slowly as if it possessed a consciousness of its own.
"Dragnar, descend. We're leaving," Lein said casually.
Hearing the command, Dragnar retracted his energy, his body gradually reverting to his human form. The figure of an elderly, muscular man with long white hair now stood firmly before Lein. His face radiated calmness, but his eyes carried a hidden strength.
"Thank you, Master. This jug has helped me greatly," he said respectfully, offering the jug back with both hands.
Lein glanced at the jug briefly before looking back at Dragnar. "No need. Keep it. You'll be helping me a lot in the days to come," he said nonchalantly, not minding the gift.
Heaven-tier artifacts were not rare to him. His storage space was still filled with many similar artifacts.
Dragnar remained silent for a moment before giving a deep nod. "Thank you, Master. I will not disappoint you."
Lein pulled out a golden elder token from within the sleeve of his robe. "You're aware that the Invictus Sect is at war, right? I need your help to complete a mission."
Dragnar furrowed his brows. "War? Has the situation become that dire?"
Lein did not answer immediately. His mind drifted back to two hours ago when a golden scroll had appeared before him, disrupting his law essence absorption process. He had been forced to halt his training to read its contents.
That scroll had been a direct message from the Sect's Ancestor, Magnus. The message was clear: the Invictus Sect was at war with the Maledictus Sect. All forces were ordered to retreat and hold their ground.
Lein focused his attention on the elder token in his hand.
Position: Honored Elder
Private Domain: Residence #73
Missions: (Elder Missions), (Special Missions), (Routine Patrol), (Teaching Duties)
Benefits: (100 Cosmos Gold Coins), (High-tier Resources), (Law Formation - 1000 Years)
Teleportation Access: (Main Hall), (Elder's Isle), (Library), (Judiciary Hall), (Military Hall), etc.
Lein examined the list of missions available to him. Calmly, he tapped on the "Elder Missions" option, and an emergency mission list immediately appeared before him.
King-tier Assassination Mission (Emergency)
Grandmaster-tier Assassination Mission (Emergency)
Fortress Defense Mission (Emergency)
Army Command Mission (Emergency)
Four emergency missions. This meant that the situation was truly critical.
Without hesitation, Lein chose the first mission.
(King-tier Assassination Mission)
Description: Eliminate at least one ruler of the Maledictus Sect with equivalent power.
Time Limit: Until the war ends.
Reward: 1-Star Spirit Artifact, 1 Million Mission Points.
Lein nodded slightly. This mission made sense. He wasn't asked to face an opponent too powerful, just a King-tier Stage 2 ruler.
However, his curiosity led him to check the other missions.
(Fortress Defense Mission)
Description: Defend the main fortress island for one week.
(Army Command Mission)
Description: Lead troops to attack the enemy fortress and reclaim occupied territory.
"How generous," he muttered with a faint smile. All these emergency missions offered a 1-Star Spirit Artifact as a reward—something quite rare and difficult to craft.