Chapter 49

Chapter 49

Upon discovering the shattered Magic Suppression Dungeon and realizing that Albin had escaped, Teacher Ernest hastily made his way to where Headmaster Augustus was and relayed the entire situation to him.

"At first, I thought it was just a coincidence, but that black liquid resembled Albin's water magic, and I sensed the power of dark elements within it..."

As Ernest spoke, Headmaster Augustus, who was listening attentively, grew increasingly grave. He understood all too well what Ernest's words implied.

He realized that this crisis was far more complicated than they had initially thought, especially since it involved the most forbidden magic on the Elemental Continent—the dark elements.

The usually amiable and jovial old man couldn't help but furrow his brow at this moment.

"Has Albin really escaped?"

Ernest nodded promptly. "Yes, the seemingly impervious magic suppression stones were shattered, and the magic suppression chains on him were broken. It's possible that those malevolent spirits were responsible."

"But someone must have guided them, or else those spirits wouldn't have taken him," sighed Augustus. "It seems that the situation is much more intricate than we imagined."

The green-haired instructor couldn't help but feel his heart in turmoil as countless memories flooded his mind, each one associated with Dark Magic causing him immense pain.

Be it the students who had plummeted into darkness because of it or the loved ones who had perished under its influence... Amelia became an orphan at a young age due to Dark Magic as well.

"Albin was imprisoned for so long because he secretly studied Dark Magic, and at that time, he harmed many innocent students. Some even lost their magical abilities entirely due to his Dark Magic and can no longer use any spells," Augustus said, looking at the green-haired teacher. "His forbidden magic hurt too many people, though I am aware that he was once your most outstanding student."

Indeed, before Ludwig enrolled a few years ago, Albin of Water Academy was the strongest new magician in the academy, with both his talent and strength being terrifyingly exceptional. Although Ernest only taught flying classes at Water Academy, he was also pleased with this genius student who quickly grasped everything he learned.

Later on, when the teacher in charge of the magic beast class, Lilitha, had to temporarily leave for studies at Danatec Academy, Ernest took over the class for that term.

After teaching together, Ernest increasingly recognized Albin's extraordinary talent. He had summoned a powerful magic beast, a water spirit, and swiftly mastered all the knowledge Ernest had taught about magic beasts. Witnessing Albin grow stronger day by day, Ernest became increasingly satisfied with this student who could be labeled a genius.

However, perhaps the more one possesses, the greater the desire for even more forbidden power. For some reason, Albin secretly learned the long-lost, taboo Dark Magic. This dark magic was incredibly potent and could frenziedly absorb the magical energy from others for his own use. But those whose magic was completely drained were prone to dying from magical exhaustion, while those who survived would forever lose their ability to wield magic due to damage to their magical core. Thus, such magic would never be taught in a legitimate academy like Elmont, let alone considering that this dark elemental magic had been lost for a long time.

Unconcerned with these consequences, Albin, having mastered dark elemental magic, began one day to stealthily drain the magical energy of his classmates without regard for whether they might perish due to his dark magic. His already formidable magical energy surged even further, leaving his fellow students powerless to resist.

After absorbing the magical energy of so many students, Albin's strength skyrocketed, surpassing even ordinary teachers. And for teachers, it was no easy feat to fend off attacks from dark elemental magic.

It wasn't until Ernest and other teachers rushed to the scene and exhausted all their strength that they could finally subdue the crazed Albin.

Principal Augustus took this matter very seriously. After the Anti-Magic Stone imprisoned Albin completely, he repeatedly asked Albin where he had learned the forbidden magic, but Albin refused to speak, only cursing his former mentor Ernest as a traitor.

Ernest, who had always regarded Albin as his most satisfactory student, couldn't help but stiffen upon hearing this. He instantly understood what Albin was referring to, for this wasn't the first time he had crossed paths with Dark Magic. Decades ago, he had already fallen into a painful abyss due to it.

In Albin's sudden and terrifying assault, countless innocent students narrowly escaped death, but even those who survived suffered severe damage to their magical cores from excessive depletion of magic power, rendering them unable to use magic smoothly for the rest of their lives.

This was a disastrous blow to them, and Principal Augustus, along with the other teachers, felt immense sorrow over the situation.

Ultimately, after consulting with several esteemed senior mages, Augustus decided to imprison Albin permanently for learning Dark Magic and using it to harm so many people.

The best countermeasure against Dark Magic was the Anti-Magic Stone, a unique possession of the Horned Tiger Beasts. The Misty Valley behind Elmont was one of their habitats.

To prevent Albin from escaping and endangering others again, Augustus chose to confine him beneath the Spirit Element Academy, which was built with Anti-Magic Stones. Using spatial magic, he created an absolute Magic-Free Prison, chaining Albin's limbs to ensure he could not move freely. Only Augustus and Ernest, both capable of high-ranking Plant Elemental Magic, could open the entrance to this prison.

Only a few esteemed senior mages and Teacher Ernest were aware of Albin's imprisonment.

But now, in this unforeseen turn of events, the impregnable Magic-Free Prison had been opened by a third person. Countless malevolent spirits seemed to be clawing and pounding at everything near the prison with purpose, clearly intent on freeing Albin.

This was all deliberate and planned, but who was it that sought to rescue Albin?

With so many dark elemental spells unleashed in one day, it seemed that Albin was no longer the sole wielder of this forbidden power.

The dormant dark elements, sensing an opportunity, crept out silently, yearning to see the light of day once more.

Augustus couldn't help but recall the sealing battle from decades ago amidst this overwhelming sense of crisis. Back then, they had suffered immensely due to dark elemental magic. Facing death countless times, they had expended all their strength to barely seal that person – the source of the forbidden magic and the lord of all darkness, Ai Mo.

The five elemental veins used to seal him were lost after that event, and only Ling Shen had managed to find the fire vein in the vast sea of humanity, nurturing it carefully by his side.

For Ai Mo to fully break the seal, he would need to locate and sacrifice those five elemental veins again.

After Ernest left, Augustus, alone in the room, muttered to himself, "Could it be that Ai Mo has returned?"

As he whispered to himself, Augustus, weighed down by the gravity of the situation, quickly realized something: "I must inform Ling Shen about this."

He understood that Li Qingzhi, as one of the elemental spirit veins, was now in grave danger. If Ai Mo had indeed returned, Li Qingzhi could no longer remain in Elmont, which had just been attacked: "He needs to go back."

Should Ai Mo's seal indeed weaken, Li Qingzhi would face unimaginable peril by staying in Elmont!

Upon this thought, Augustus felt a sudden sinking in his heart:

If my suspicions are true, could it be that Ai Mo has discovered Li Qingzhi's connection to the Flame Pulse? Otherwise, why would he launch a sudden attack here?

The more he pondered, the more anxious Augustus became. Ultimately, he decided that regardless of the circumstances, he had to send Li Qingzhi, the possessor of the Flame Pulse, back home first, to protect her from any further danger in Elmont.

Just as Augustus made this resolution, a knock on his door echoed abruptly.

"Headmaster."

Upon hearing the familiar voice coming from outside the door, Augustus replied, "Enter."

Following the blond youth's entrance through the door, Augustus turned to the student council president he had summoned, proceeding to outline the tasks he intended for the latter to undertake.

"Li Qingzhi's file should be with the student council."

After a moment of silence, Augusta sighed softly. "Fetch me his file. Albert has been far too reckless lately. I need to send him back to the Triluminary Union."

Ludwig, summoned by Headmaster Augustus to deal with the situation, couldn't help but feel a sudden pang in his heart upon hearing the old man's words. "You want to send him back?"

Observing Augustus's swift nod, Ludwig was taken aback, almost unable to believe his eyes.

At this moment, he simply couldn't accept that, just as he and Li Qingzhi were growing closer, she was about to return to the Three Silent Mountains. Everything felt so surreal, leaving Ludwig utterly unable to process it all in a single instance.

One must understand that prior to entering Augustus's office, Ludwig was overwhelmed by an irrepressible joy at the renewed intimacy with Li Qingzhi. Though he didn't show it outwardly, the residual happiness within him was vivid and tangible.

In the end, Ernest emerged from Augustus's office, but he was a vastly different man than when he had entered.

In due time, the teachers of Elmonte were summoned by Augustine for a meeting. The assault was treated with grave concern. As they dispatched the teachers to reinforce security, Augustine also pondered sending the students home temporarily to avoid any further peril.

All suspicious individuals were placed under high scrutiny, including the suddenly vanished teacher Noah and the Danatec student who had perished from an abrupt mutation. They needed to establish contact with the Danatec administrators promptly.

Upon the conclusion of the meeting, Augustus didn't rest for a moment. Instead, he promptly sent a message to Ling Shen, who was far away in San Qing. However, to his unease, Ling Shen didn't acknowledge his message.

Augustus had no choice but to send urgent messages to the other esteemed cultivators who, alongside Ling Shen, were his sole surviving comrades from the battle of the seal. He resolved to promptly share all his findings with them and, moreover, convey the unsettling hypothesis that "Ai Mo might have been resurrected and is actively seeking to undo the seal." Augustus hoped that by pooling their wisdom, they could collectively devise a strategy to address this looming threat.

Meanwhile, back at the Student Council, Ludwig returned with an unsettling feeling. As he found Li Qingzhi's file, he held the documents in his hand, yet hesitated to rise and hand over the folder containing the paperwork needed for Qingzhi's leave of absence.

It wasn't until evening that the blond teenager rose to make his way to the infirmary, clutching in his hand the file that had utterly disquieted his heart.

The instant Ludwig stepped into the medical room's cubicle, his heart was overwhelmed at the sight of the black-haired youth. Countless words flooded his mind, yet they lingered on the tip of his tongue, unable to be voiced.

Unaware that Ludwig was holding her file, Li Qingzhi assumed he had come to visit her, just as he had before.

In this renewed intimacy between them, Li Qingzhi, when in Ludwig's company, always experienced an indescribable sense of comfort and joy. Perhaps it was because he had once lost it that Qingzhi now cherished their connection all the more. He was also delighted by the frequent evidence of Ludwig's regard.

So, when Ludwig returned to the infirmary and his room at this moment, Li Qingzhi couldn't help but quickly glance at the blond teenager and, with a smile, initiated a conversation about what he had done that afternoon: "I just went to visit Bruce and Amelia next door."

Unconsciously, Li Qingzhi started the conversation, for Ludwig was typically reticent. Thus, Li Qingzhi naturally took on the role of initiating topics, but he didn't feel burdened by it, knowing that Ludwig didn't mind his chatter and was also willing to engage in such conversations.

"Bruce sustained more severe injuries, but he has recuperated by now. When I visited him, he vowed to devote himself more seriously to magical practice, determined not to let such an incident happen again where he nearly dies from depleted magic power."

Recalling the image of his brown-haired friend, still shaken but vocally boisterous, Li Qingzhi couldn't help but smile.

Yet, as Li Qingzhi spoke, he quickly sensed that Ludwig's mood was still rather somber.

The blond youth's eyes drooped slightly, their gaze appearing dimmed and forlorn.

Aware of the blonde youth's dampened spirits, Li Qingzhi, while feeling a pang of concern, couldn't help but look at him with a hint of care. "Ludwig, what's wrong?"

Yet the blond youth only lifted his eyes silently toward him, their depths veiled in an impenetrable sorrow.

In the moment their eyes met, Li Qingzhi felt a sudden tension, even though he didn't know the reason behind Ludwig's melancholy mood, he couldn't help but feel compelled to offer comfort.

"Has something occurred?"

Unconsciously, Li Qingzhi reached out toward Ludwig's direction.

As Ludwig conversed with Li Qingzhi, in another concealed corner of the Elemental Continent, a figure slowly turned amidst boundless, profound darkness, receiving withered seeds offered before them like tributes.

At this moment, the withered seed that was once shrouded in black aura now seemed to have absorbed an immense amount of energy. It was enveloped in the radiant glow of various elemental magics, and merely being near it conveyed an overwhelming sense of power, nearly brimming over.

The silver-haired youth, who had offered the seed, lowered his head, avoiding direct eye contact with the person before him.

"Your Excellency, all the elemental magic gathered from this operation is assembled here."

Ai Mo didn't say anything. He merely flicked his finger, and the Withered Seed that Albain was holding flew into his palm.

Swiftly, in the heart of the darkness, An Alliance began to draw upon the boundless magical energy clinging to the Withered Seed in his palm. The immense magic power he had harvested from Elmont and his students was ample nourishment for his abilities.

As Ai Mo slowly closed his eyes, savoring the magic absorbed through dark arts, he suddenly sensed something, causing him to snap open his eyes.

Ai Mo, whose expression had been serene, now clenched his fists tightly and began to frantically sense the presence within the Withering Seed.

After a few seconds, with growing certainty, he gripped his palm even harder:

"It's the power of the Flame Vein."

"The Flame Vein is also in Ailmont."

Upon hearing Ai Mo's words, Albin promptly recalled something, "Lord Ai Mo, I have an idea who the Fire Vein might belong to."

Albin, with the image of the dark-haired youth lingering in his mind, relayed to Ai Mo the familiar force he had once sensed.

Upon hearing this, Ai Mo gradually formed an idea in his mind.

Gazing at Albin, the embodiment of the Water Vein, Ai Mo naturally understood that the other party's perception wasn't merely an accident.

Across the way, Amelia and Justice's expressions flickered upon hearing Albin mention Li Qingzhi's name.

Justinus, who had been lurking within Leo's castle for years only to fail his mission, couldn't help but frown as he said, "It was this man who discovered my flaw, forcing me to leave Leo's castle. Otherwise, Belial would still be under our surveillance!"

Amelia remained silent, her expression becoming nuanced, as she realized that Ai Mo's next target would be none other than Li Qingzhi.

Little did I expect that Li Qingzhi, the one with the Flame Vein, would be her. At this moment, apart from astonishment, there was an indescribable feeling stirring within her.

Indeed, Ai Mo's gaze soon lowered as he slowly enunciated the name of the black-haired youth: "Li Qingzhi..."

Moments later, Ai Mo, seated upon the Dark Throne, lifted his head slowly. His gaze fell upon the two dying figures not far away, who had been utterly incapacitated by his black magic, as well as the injured Aqueduct Albin before him.

In that moment, the realization that the Fire Vein was within his grasp filled Ai Mo with ecstatic joy. He never expected his seal to be lifted so soon, nor did he imagine that the last missing Fire Vein would be right before him!

Ai Mo barely contained his inner exultation. He now had three Spirit Veins at hand, and the Wood Vein had long been discovered in Leo's castle. Although he hadn't found the right opportunity to make his move, he had already devised a way to imprison it within the castle walls.

Only the Fire Vein remained, elusive for all these years. But now, the sole missing piece was in Almont.

"Plans have accelerated," Ai Mo said with delight, looking in Amelia's direction. "Return to Almont. This time, you must bring Noah and the others to me."

Faced with this unforeseen turn of events, Amelia couldn't help but be taken aback. "But, you originally planned to..."

However, Ai Mo quickly responded, "There are no 'buts', Amelia, my child."

Ai Mo's voice was incredibly deep, like the slow drizzle seeping from the darkest and deepest ravine, sending chills down one's spine uncontrollably.

"Have you forgotten about your parents? They're still waiting for you in the boundless shadows of pain."

"Surely, you want your parents to be resurrected sooner, don't you?"

"As you're aware, only this power can achieve that." As Ai Mo spoke, a surge of potent dark magic swirled from his fingertips. Glancing once more in Amelia's direction, he continued, "Only when I locate all five Spirit Veins and harness their strength to utterly break the seal, can your parents be rescued."

Hearing Ai Mo's words, the green-haired maiden felt a pang in her heart, causing her to bite her lip involuntarily.

"Certainly... Lord Ai Mo."

Amidst the onslaught of countless memories, despite the searing pain within her heart, Amelia understood that there was no turning back for her.

With the prospect of mastering all five Spirit Veins imminent, the longing to lift the seal had thoroughly enveloped Ai Mo. This urge propelled him to hasten his long-prepared chess game.

He could no longer wait! The scent of freedom seemed within reach, and he was about to grasp it all.

Freedom, power, and true dominion...!!

He would reign over the Elemental Continent once more.

He had to.

As Ai Mo's deep laughter turned into an uncontrollable mania, Amelia could only bow her head and, alongside Justus, turn away from the shadows, heading towards Noah's location at that moment.

Impeded by Ilbin's condition as a Water Vein and her own injuries, she and Justus needed to join forces with Noah before taking action in Elmont.

In the castle on the other side, Bellere, who had been lying on her bed engrossed in a fairy tale book, was suddenly seized by a fierce headache.

She had been wondering if her brother had had an argument with Brother Qingzhi recently, for he hadn't visited since that day.

The little girl, fretting over this matter, found herself unable to focus on the comic book in her hands. Before she could ponder for too long, an excruciating pain pierced her mind.

In no time, the girl fell to the ground with a deathly pale countenance. Writhing in excruciating pain, she was rendered speechless.

It wasn't yet time for school to end, and Ludwig, who cared for Beril the most, was still on campus.

A wisp of black soul had tightly entwined itself around the girl's body, preventing her from crying for help or attracting the attention of the servants and butler outside.

In the end, the agonized girl lost consciousness entirely, and the black soul that had wrapped around her neck delved deeply into her mind.

By the time Duke Leo, who had been upstairs, heard the commotion and hurried downstairs to open the door, he found Beril lying on the floor, completely unconscious.

Meanwhile, more unfortunate events began unfolding across the continent, as if everything had been meticulously planned.

The entire Elemental Continent started to descend into chaos due to Ai Mo's preemptive actions.