Chapter 428 - 328: Everything is Ready, Three Worlds

The Ancestral Hall Conference Room.

Morning light streamed through the stained glass windows, casting dappled patterns on the floor.

Aidele stood before the long table, her deep purple long robe hanging to her feet, its hem perfectly still.

In her palm, she held a pale silver crystal.

The crystal was the size of her palm, its surface swirling with intricate sealing runes.

Elder Darcy sat in the main seat, his gray-white hair draped over his shoulders, his gaze as serene as an abyss.

But Aidele could feel it...

Beneath that serenity, a storm was brewing, suppressed and ready to burst forth.

"Honored Guest Elder Marcus gave this to me." She gently placed the crystal in the center of the long table.

The moment the crystal touched the wooden surface of the table, the runes on its surface glowed faintly.

"It contains... all the information on Edgar Justice."

As her words fell, a deathly silence descended upon the conference room.

The gazes of the nine elders simultaneously focused on the crystal.

Edgar Justice... The name was unfamiliar to the younger generation.

But to the elders present...

He was one of the family’s most dazzling geniuses from sixty years ago.

Nominally, he was also Titus Justice’s older brother.

And the loser from the last Clan Leader election, the one who had "accidentally disappeared" during the ruin assessment.

Elder Darcy slowly extended a hand, his fingers hovering over the crystal.

His Spiritual Power gently probed it.

HUM! The images stored within the crystal instantly flooded his mind.

The ruins of a post station, shrouded in morning mist.

A deep purple domain covered everything in sight, withering the wild grass and corroding the stone.

In the center of the domain stood a middle-aged man with a pale face and sunken eyes.

’An aura... Level Three Peak.

And one that has been refined for centuries, with an incredibly solid foundation.’

Elder Darcy’s breath caught in his throat.

’Edgar’s strength... It’s on par with my own. In some respects, he might even be stronger.’

Because his aura was laced with the chaos and madness unique to the Abyss.

As the scene continued, Edgar roared out the truth of what had happened sixty years ago.

Titus’s frame-up, the struggle for the Clan Leader position, the betrayal of his beloved...

Then, deep purple tentacles shot toward the sky, coalescing into a vague, shadowy figure. The figure opened its great maw, attempting to devour everything.

But in the next second, a pale silver light curtain appeared.

A giant hand clawed at the light curtain, letting out a piercing SIZZLE, but it couldn’t budge it in the slightest.

As Ian’s body began to expand... until the battle ended and the recording stopped.

Beneath Darcy’s old, calm face was a heart filled with utter shock.

’Such a peculiar Elemental True Form...’

His withered fingers tapped lightly on the edge of the long table.

TAP. TAP. TAP.

In the silent conference room, the sound was exceptionally dry and clear.

"Edgar..."

He murmured the name, his voice filled with complex emotions.

There was shock, sorrow, anger... and a trace of... relief.

"He’s actually still alive, and... he’s become an Abyss Contaminator."

Elder Soron, who was beside him, spoke, his voice hoarse.

Elder Darcy nodded, the faint glow swirling on the crystal’s surface reflected in his cloudy pupils.

"Sixty years ago, we all thought he died in the ruins. Now, it seems..."

He paused, his voice thick with suppressed rage. "He chose to fall on his own."

The hall fell into a long silence.

All nine elders understood what this meant.

A Contaminator who had lain dormant for sixty years. A monster who had been on the verge of becoming a Level Four Contaminator.

If it weren’t for Ian today... the consequences would have been unimaginable.

"Honored Guest Elder Marcus... where is he now?" Elder Darcy asked, looking at Aidele.

"He went to Stormwind City. He said he needed to find resources for his Summoned Demon’s promotion."

Aidele replied softly, doing her best to control the tremor in her voice.

Elder Darcy lowered his gaze, pondering for a moment.

"This time, Honored Guest Elder Marcus has done a great service to the family. We must not treat him poorly."

He looked up at Aidele.

"I recall there are some Tier Two and Tier Three Shadow Crystals in the family’s Secret Vault. When Honored Guest Elder Marcus returns, you will deliver them to him personally."

Aidele felt a flicker of joy in her heart, but her face remained calm.

"Yes."

Noon. The sun was blinding, the sky a brilliant, cloudless blue.

The silhouette of Stormwind City gradually came into focus on the horizon.

It was a massive city built by a bay, with towering city walls constructed from giant white stones.

Above the walls flew blue flags with gold trim—the symbol of Stormwind City.

Ian stood at the exit of the Teleportation Array. He looked up to see wide streets bustling with people.

Shops lined both sides of the street, their signs swaying gently in the wind.

The air was filled with the salty tang of the sea, mixed with the scents of various spices, foods, and goods.

It was noisy, yet full of life.

His Spiritual Power spread out silently, covering nearly half the city district like an invisible net.

Soon, he locked onto the very center of the city.

There, a Wizard Tower stood, a hundred meters tall.

The tower was built from deep blue crystal stones, its surface flowing with fine patterns of lightning.

At its peak, bolts of lightning occasionally flashed, letting out a low rumble.

’A familiar Level Three aura... but weaker than Darcy’s.’

Ian mused.

He could sense the extremely formidable aura inside the Wizard Tower.

It was like a slumbering Thunder Beast, every breath carrying a rhythm of destruction.

It was none other than the City Lord of Stormwind City, Lucian.

He raised his right hand, and a pale purple Secret Magic Mark materialized in his palm. Tiny arcs of electricity danced within the mark.

This was the contact method Lucian had left him from their last meeting.

Ian tapped it with his fingertip. The mark glowed faintly, and a hearty laugh echoed from within it.

"Wizard Ian! You’ve arrived in Stormwind City?"

The voice was deep and rich, carrying the distinct magnetic vibration of a Thunder Wizard.