"Who are you...?"
Alan telepathically questioned the mysterious voice.
"You and I are the same kind, brought to this ugly world with the same mission."
"It's not safe here. I'll find you when the time is right."
After a few incomprehensible words, the mysterious voice vanished.
Alan's mind was clouded with suspicion.
This trip to Origin City might be more complicated than expected.
What all these monsters and demons are secretly plotting!
"Junior Brother Alan, what you just said hits the nail on the head."
Tanya, unaware of Alan's change of heart, continued to talk about the girl with the umbrella.
"Nora has always been eccentric, always hiding in dark corners like a ghost. People secretly called her 'ghost girl.'"
"Is she Nora Ganesar, Marvin's sister?" Alan asked. Tanya nodded and sighed.
"Her brother and father both died in the mushroom garden, leaving her all alone, living under someone else's roof. So pitiful."
"If she's Nora, she should be in her twenties, considering her time in the secret realm. Why does she still look like a little girl?" Alan asked in surprise.
"Haha, listening to you guys making wild guesses makes me want to laugh!"
The beautiful blonde girl paced with her hands behind her back, a sneer on her lips.
"Pamela, what are you doing?!" Tanya's face darkened.
"Oh? Madam Vice Dean, why are you so angry?"
Pamela smiled.
"I'm married, and I'm not going to steal your man. Why are you so nervous?"
"I simply don't like you!" Tanya said coldly. "I especially hate your arrogant attitude. You're always mocking and mocking others, as if you're so great!"
"Hehe... Madam Vice Dean, I was hoping to get along with you, to become your friend. Since you're so ungrateful, don't blame me for letting you down!"
"Pamela, what's your plan?" Tanya asked warily.
"Hehe... You don't know. Since ancient times, the victim is always the last to know about this kind of thing."
Tanya detected a hint of malevolence and lust in the young lady's smile, and a chill ran down her spine.
Subconsciously, she grabbed Allen's hand and held it tightly.
Alan interlocked his fingers with her senior sister, trying to offer her some comfort.
However, the thought that Pamela might force him to have an affair with her again, defiling his chastity, made him feel a pang of pain.
"Junior Brother Allen, why are you looking at me so angrily?"
Pamela's smile remained as brazen as ever.
"Are you not happy to see me?"
"Give me a smile, and I'll tell you Nora's secret."
"You won't even smile? Humph! How stingy!"
"...Really not? How about I give you a smile?"
Alan couldn't contain himself any longer.
This female bully had him in a state of both laughter and tears, so he managed a forced smile.
Pamela tilted her head and looked at him, seemingly pleased with her own prank.
Compared to her previous mocking smile, her smile now held a touch of sincerity, like a radiant sun.
"That little girl, Nora, did something really scary a while ago. Have you heard about it?" Pamela asked.
"Yes, I heard. She killed the Beast Cult's Bat King and proclaimed herself the 'Bat Queen.' The elders of the Bat Clan were furious but dared not speak out."
Spanna mentioned this incident in her letter to Allen.
"The case was later brought to the Spider Queen, Caroline. Caroline didn't do anything to Nora, tacitly accepting her as the leader."
"Nora easily killed a late-stage fifth-level Bat King, and yet the Spider Queen gave her some leeway. Her strength is evident—at least late-stage sixth. I wonder how she achieved this."
Pamela couldn't help but admire Nora's exceptional talent and rapid progress! "Compared to her, her brother and her father are trash!"
"Pamela! Nora's so strong now, aren't you afraid?"
Tanya, still resentful of Pamela's disrespect, looked for an opportunity to provoke her.
"Marvin died at your hands back then. Aren't you afraid Nora will seek revenge?"
"Hehe... Believe it or not, if Marvin were dead, Nora might be even happier than I am," Pamela said flatly.
"Are you kidding me, Nora..."
Alan hesitated.
"I know she had a child, but she miscarried."
Pamela smiled strangely.
"But there are many hidden secrets you don't know."
"When Nora had a difficult birth, the former Bat King, at the request of her father and brother, set up an altar and offered sacrifices to Charon, the god of death. He performed a divine ritual to divine whether she would have a safe birth."
"Charon revealed divine revelation to the Ganesha father and son that Nora and her unborn baby girl could not coexist."
"To save Nora, the fetus must be aborted."
"On the other hand, if you are willing to sacrifice Nora, "La, transfer the mother's blood essence to the fetus, and the baby will be born safely. It will grow into a peerless genius!"
"Guess what Ganesar and his son chose?"
"Haha, that's right! They decided to save the child over the older one."
"Wait a minute!" Tanya interrupted. "If that's the case, how come Nora is still alive, but the baby was miscarried?"
"It was an accident."
Pamela's voice was vague, as if she were telling a ghost story.
"Nora's grandmother was bitten by a vampire while pregnant, and her mother was cremated shortly after she gave birth."
"Nora has dark blood flowing in her veins, and at the moment of sacrifice, her vampire bloodline was activated, bringing her back to life."
"Because of this coincidence, Nora transformed into a 'half-vampire,' and has retained her youthful appearance ever since."
"She couldn't be sacrificed, so the Grim Reaper's scythe reaped the fetus in her womb, ultimately causing the sacrifice ritual to fail and resulting in the birth of a stillborn child."
"What did Nora think when she learned she was almost sacrificed by her father and brother?"
"Alan, do you think she hates you and me, or does she hate Dad and Brother more?" Pamela smiled. "It's hard to say!"
"One more thing. Guess why Nora wanted to kill the Bat King who performed the divination for Ganesha and his son?"
Alan remained silent.
Thinking back to Nora's blank, numb eyes, a wave of pity welled up in her heart.
"These secrets about Nora...even if they're true, I've never heard of them. How did you know?"
Tanya looked at Pamela in confusion.
"I spent a fortune getting this information!"
A sinister smile crossed Pamela's face again.
"You really want to know? Let Alan sleep with me until the trial is over, and I'll tell you how I got this information."
Tanya's face flushed crimson, her patience unbearable!
"Pamela, you're shameless! So disgusting!"
"Haha! You can't stand this? You'll have to suffer in the future!"
Alan frowned, and just as he was about to warn Pamela not to go too far, she turned and walked away.
Her golden hair was like the bright summer sun, brilliant and dazzling.
...
Soon after, the people from the South Island Warlock Academy were also teleported in in two groups.
The first three to arrive were from the Demons family.
In addition to Herent and Burke, there was a red-haired young man Allen had never seen before.
Tall and imposing, with a rugged face and abundant hair, he looked like an uncivilized savage.
"This is Bagula, my cousin!" Burke introduced the red-haired young man to Allen. "Ape Demon bloodline, early fifth stage."
Speaking of Ape Demons, Allen was no stranger.
No wonder Bagula looked so... wild, like a red-haired gorilla.
Bagula had heard Burke and Herent talk about Allen.
They praised the young man highly, but he wasn't quite convinced!
Especially after hearing that Allen, accompanied by a sorceress, had intruded into the sacred blood pond of the Demons family and publicly murdered the Fourth Elder and his son.
Afterwards, the family elders not only refused to hold him accountable, but instead offered to make peace with him!
Bagulla usually looked down on the Fourth Elder and his son.
However, they were family members after all. When someone came to their house to attack and kill them, the clan leader had to put on a polite face to the murderer. Where was the family's dignity?!
Bagulla was filled with anger.
Seeing Allen, he noticed that he was incredibly tall and muscular, even towering over him by half a head.
He felt even more upset!
So, taking advantage of the greeting and handshake, he subtly exerted his strength, intending to teach this giant a lesson.
Let him know that being taller doesn't necessarily mean being stronger! Allen sensed Bagura's intention, sneered to himself, and slowly exerted his strength.
The two muscular young men clasped their hands, a tense atmosphere thick with tension!
Bagura's expression gradually hardened.
He had already exerted all his strength, yet Allen still hadn't begged for mercy.
Instead, his fingers ached from the pinch.
At this point, Allen was only exerting 70% of his strength.
Based on Bagura's expression, he estimated his physical attributes to be around 36.
To be fair, not bad!
But compared to him, he was still a long way off.
After a few more seconds of stalemate, Bagura finally gave up.
He roared in anger, his muscles bulging, bursting through his shirt!
Right before Allen's eyes, he activated his fifth-order atavism, transforming into ape-demon form.
Allen smiled faintly, ignoring the attack.
He increased the force in his hand by another two points.
Bagula, reverting to his ancestral form, doubled in size!
Allen, standing opposite him, looked like a child in comparison.
The ape demon, reverting to his ancestral form, gained 10 points of strength!
Even so, the furry giant palm was unable to subdue Allen in his human form.
As Allen continued to exert force, Bagula finally couldn't help but howl in pain, tears streaming from his eyes.
Everyone found the sight of this enormous, ferocious demon being tormented by Allen's single hand both amusing and terrifying.
Herent couldn't bear it and quickly stepped forward to gently dissuade him.
"Brother Allen! Bagula was just joking with you. Don't take it personally!"
Allen smiled and released his hand.
Bagula retracted his hand as if struck by electricity, his entire right hand swollen.
"Brother Bagula, I'm sorry. I'll be more careful next time."
Next time?!
Baguula stared at him in horror, shaking his head repeatedly, as if the tall, handsome young man across from him was the true demon.
"No, no, no! There absolutely won't be a next time!"
He dared not provoke this monster of infinite power again!
"Brother Allen, what bloodline are you from? You're stronger than Bagula, and you crushed him to tears with just one hand. I can't even imagine such a thing!" Burke inquired curiously.
"Magic Leopard Wizard," Allen replied with reservation.
"Uh...Magic Leopard Wizard?"
Burke and Bagula looked at each other, bewildered.
"A mixed bloodline of a leopard man and an ogre wizard."
Herent explained at the right moment. "Junior Brother Allen is incredibly gifted. He first awakened his ogre bloodline, then merged with the leopard man, and only later awakened the ogre wizard bloodline."
"Three bloodline awakenings, finally merging into one, resulting in the Magic Leopard Wizard!"
"Three awakenings, and fusion?! Hiss!"
Burke couldn't help but gasp.
"I've only heard of this kind of thing in myths about the great achievements of the first sorcerers. I've never heard of it in real life... Brother Allen, you're truly a peerless genius!"
Bagulla nodded repeatedly in agreement.
His gaze toward Allen shifted from initial resentment to utter admiration.
Alan could tell that Bagulla was a classic "super-intelligent fellow," wishing his brain were covered in muscle.
He was a simple, simple person, believing only in strength.
As long as he's overwhelmed in strength, he'll be convinced and obedient, doing whatever he's told.
A magical wave surged across the square once again.
Burke glanced over there and said to Allen, "The trialists from the five major dragon vein families have arrived. Brother Allen, do you recognize them?"
"I only recognize one, Aslan, from the Blue Dragon Family. Brother Burke, please introduce the others."
Burke nodded and whispered, "Aslan is a top talent from the Dragon Vein family. Not even thirty years old, he's already reached the late fifth stage!"
"Next up is Cohen from the Green Dragon Family. He's also in the late fifth stage, but he's already thirty-eight. His potential can't compare to Aslan's. He's probably on the same level as me."
"Dudal from the Black Dragon Family is thirty-four, Early Stage Five."
"Penny from the White Dragon Family, 28, late Stage Four."
"Two people from the Red Dragon Family have been selected for the trial."
"Lida, 27, late Stage Four."
"And there's Cliff, the youngest Vice President at North Island College, 37, who was promoted to late Stage Five six months ago."
"Vice President Cliff is already married and has children, but..." Helen added a bit of gossip, "I heard Cliff and Lida are secretly having an affair!"
"A penchant for prying into others' privacy is a common human trait, and Alan is no exception.
After hearing Helen's words, he looked at Lida curiously. She was indeed a voluptuous red-haired beauty.
"She was accompanied by a man in a cloak, his arm around her slender waist, looking very affectionate."
A married dean, cuddling with his own student in public, oblivious to what others thought—truly unscrupulous.
Alan grumbled to himself.
"Huh? Strange..." Burke suddenly frowned, his face filled with surprise. "The man next to Lydia doesn't look like Cliff."
"Exactly!"
Herent also noticed something was amiss.
"Dean Cliff is short and fat, and that man is tall and thin. The difference in size is quite significant."
Many people who knew Cliff were present and noticed the anomaly. They whispered among themselves and cast suspicious glances.
Lydia, the center of attention, twitched her beautiful face slightly, looking somewhat unnatural.
The tall, thin man next to her had his cloak hood pulled low, casting a shadow over his face, making it difficult to see clearly. As everyone was whispering, the cloaked figure suddenly turned and walked straight towards where Allen and the others were.
He stopped only when he was within ten steps, then slowly removed his cloak, revealing a face with graying hair and wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.
It was a slightly older, yet still handsome face, estimated to be in his forties.
Alan looked at the middle-aged man and felt a vague familiarity.
Even stranger was the look he gave him...
It revealed deep hatred!
Alan couldn't recall when he had offended this man.
Perhaps he had offended one of his relatives, friends, or students.
During the Civil War, he had killed more than one or two dragon vein sorcerers, so it wasn't surprising that they had inadvertently formed a grudge.
The middle-aged man's gaze left Allen and searched the crowd.
Finally, it landed on Renee.
Her expression grew incredibly complex.
Renee was completely oblivious to anyone observing her, happily chatting away with Kelly, Ella, and Sonia.
It was Ella who first noticed the atmosphere was off and warned the careless Renee.
"Sister Renee, someone's been staring at you over there."
"Oh? Is there something dirty on my face?"
Renee wiped her face with a handkerchief and glanced back at the middle-aged man in the red cloak.
He looked vaguely familiar, but couldn't place it for a moment, so she simply gave up the thought and returned to chatting with her sisters.
The red-robed man, irritated by her nonchalant gaze, snorted.
"Renee! What? Don't you recognize me?"
Renee turned back again, staring at him blankly.
"Excuse me, uncle, who are you?"
"You—" the red-robed man raged. "Bitch! You can't even recognize your own fiancé. You're so stupid!"
"What fiancé? You must be kidding me."
Tiger Girl laughed heartily, sprinting over to Alan and slinging her arm around his.
"Uncle! Excuse me, I already have a master. You must have the wrong person!"
"Bah! Bitch, you're still acting crazy!"
The red-robed middle-aged man's eyes blazed with resentment when he saw her publicly declare Alan her master.
"You two adulterers, you never imagined that I, Phoebus, would end up like this, did you?"
"Phoebus..." Allen frowned. "Renee, there was a heartless man in your family. What was his name?"
"Oh! Phoebus, I remember!"
Renee patted her forehead, a look of sudden realization on her face.
"I almost forgot I had an ex-boyfriend."
"Phoebus, it's only been a few years since we last met, how come you look twenty years older?"
"Haha! I've had my own adventures. If you want to know, just come back to me."
"Never mind. I'm just asking. I'm not really interested," Renee said with a nonchalant smile.
"You—!"
Phoebus's forehead was once again irritated, veins popping out.
He gritted his teeth, sneered, and boasted, "Reni, I'm a different person now. My cultivation has reached the early sixth stage!"
"Oh, not bad! I've always told you you're talented. Instead of trying to deceive women, focus on practicing diligently. You'll definitely have a bright future."
Reni said with relief.
"Since you're so successful, I'm sure you have plenty of confidantes around you?"
"That Lida, is that the new girlfriend you mentioned when you wrote me to break up?"
"I remember she was later spotted by an older man named Cliff, and she abandoned you for his love."
"After not seeing each other for a few years, you two are back together?"
"Phoebus, you're not young anymore. Stop being so fickle and trying to curry favor with women to get ahead."
"You can't live off women forever. A man should build a family and a career based on his own abilities."
"When are you and Lida getting married?"
"We're friends after all. I'll just contribute, but I won't be attending the wedding!"
"Live a good life. I wish you both happiness!"
After a long chatter, Renee lost interest in Phoebus. She turned, took Kelly's hand, and continued the conversation where they had left off.
"Where were we? Oh! Marshmallows! I'm telling you, toasting marshmallows makes them taste even better..."
Lida's face flickered between pale and red, utterly embarrassed.
Phoebus was so furious he practically exploded!
Three years ago, the self-proclaimed genius Phoebus was defeated by Allen, and he harbored a grudge.
To avenge Allen and Renée, he returned to North Island College, disregarding his dignity and flattering his ex-girlfriend, Lida, in exchange for a chance to cultivate in the secret realm.
Lida's lover, Cliff, learned of this and harbored murderous intent.
On the surface, he was offering Phoebus a chance to enter the secret realm, but in reality, he was secretly setting a trap!
Everything in the world has a lifespan.
The secret realm is no exception!
Phoebus was tricked into entering a time secret realm at the end of its lifespan.
The core of the secret realm, the Time Orb, was severely aged and unable to maintain a stable time rhythm.
With the Time Orb as its center, the flow of time within a ten-mile radius was extremely chaotic, like a whirlpool.
One day spent within the Time Vortex could mean only two days had passed outside, or even ten.
Time fluctuated randomly and was unpredictable.
Even worse, once trapped in the Time Vortex, there was no escape unless the Time Orb completely collapsed.
Shortly after entering the secret realm, Phoebus was ambushed by Cliff.
Seriously wounded, he struggled to escape, only to be trapped in the Time Vortex.
It was virtually impossible for a mortal to survive within the Time Vortex for long.
Cliff, believing him doomed, turned and left.
Little did he know that Phoebus had survived!
Eating wild fruits for food and dew for thirst, he struggled to survive within the Time Vortex, all the while maintaining his spiritual cultivation!
He endured a long and arduous time within the Time Vortex.
He finally managed to escape after the Time Law Orb collapsed.
At this point, only a little over three years had passed in the outside world.
Phoebus, on the other hand, had endured twenty-three years of suffering within the Time Vortex!
He was only twenty when he entered, but by the time he emerged, he was already forty-three, well into middle age.
The harsh living conditions and prolonged mental stress left him with gray hair, making him look older than his years.
However, Phoebus also reaped the rewards of his suffering!
After surviving near-death experiences and cultivating in seclusion for twenty-three years, he finally ascended to the Sixth Rank!
After emerging from seclusion, Phoebus immediately launched a bloody revenge!
He personally slaughtered Cliff and reclaimed his ex-girlfriend, Lida.
He forced the Red Dragon Family to accept him, appointing him as an elder and even qualifying to participate in the Origin City Trials.
A moment of pride, avenging past humiliation!
At the pinnacle of his life, he traveled to Origin City and reunited with his first love, Renée.
He was determined to give her a good slap in the face, making her, like Leda, regret her blindness and missed out on such a promising talent.
Phoebus had even made plans.
Renee, shaken by his strength, had completely changed her ways and begged for reconciliation. It wasn't impossible for him to give her a chance to start over.
Lida and Renée, two former girlfriends, returned to his arms.
Already in his forties, Phoebus finally convinced himself that his years of arduous cultivation in the secret realm had not been in vain!
It had all been worth it!
However, Renée's attitude was far beyond his expectations.
Unlike Leda, who was initially arrogant but later humble, Renée seemed completely unconcerned about her ex-boyfriend's success.
Seeing Phoebus's immense growth, she was surprisingly cheerful enough to offer her congratulations.
She turned and cast him aside, continuing to chat about trivial matters with her friends.
As if roasting a mere marshmallow was more important than Phoebus's meteoric rise!
Was he truly open-minded, or just pretending?!
Phoebus's pride wouldn't allow him to accept the former possibility.
He could only convince himself that Renee deeply regretted breaking up with him, but was merely feigning indifference on the surface.
"Renee! Since you refuse to face reality, I'll have to tear off your facade myself!"
"Look at how powerful I am now...!"