The Wizard: From Zero-Ring Wizard to Almighty Lord.

Ancient God Civilization.

One of the oldest and most twisted beings in all the heavens and myriad realms.

They do not rely on conventional paths, nor on the ironclad laws of the law, nor do they beg for the incense of faith; they merely eke out a living in the void through pure "madness" and "indescribability"—no, they grow unrestrained.

Their very existence is a blatant desecration of reason and a slow erosion of order.

Even if only a wisp of its aura is leaked, the lower plane will instantly undergo a distortion: flesh melts into writhing tentacles, reason is extinguished like a candle, and endless nightmares crawl out from every open eye.

Logically speaking, a civilization that is so abstract as to be almost pathological and so distorted as to be almost self-destructive could never possibly climb the ladder to a higher level of civilization.

But somehow, it climbed up.

Even within the circles of advanced civilizations, the attitudes of wizarding civilizations, god-like civilizations, and others toward ancient god civilizations are remarkably consistent: to keep their distance with respect.

Exterminate? Don't even think about it.

Even if ten advanced civilizations of the same level were gathered together, they might not be able to completely erase the ancient gods.

Moreover, there has never been true trust and cooperation between advanced civilizations.

They see each other as potential prey and threats, so why would they risk being polluted and having the foundations of their civilization rot to join forces to wipe out a "madman"?
Can't afford to offend, can afford to hide.

This is the consensus among the overlords of the heavens regarding the ancient gods.

But now, after Tina said those words, everyone present looked extremely grim:
The Spirit Eye plane, which is being devoured by the shadow, has actually been targeted by the ancient god civilization.

Lynn looked down at the black smoke in his palm, his eyes flickering uncertainly.

The moment Tina revealed the source, he almost instinctively activated his "creation rules" to envelop it.

At this moment, it was like an invisible film, instantly enveloping that malice and blocking every thread of its outward spread.

Otherwise, even if only a tiny bit disperses...

The formal wizards behind them who were operating the instruments either instantly lost their minds, uttering incoherent whispers that seemed to come from another dimension.

In severe cases, they will deform on the spot, with bones twisted and flesh turned outward, transforming into writhing, indescribable monsters.

They don't even die; they just continue to "live," eternally wailing in pain and madness.

Lynn herself was of no concern.

For a Morning Star Wizard, this level of contamination is nothing more than a tickle, but it's not the case for the people behind him.

Before the vast stargate, Lynn, Hadley, and Tina's vessel all wore solemn expressions.

Inside the star gate, the dark shadows that devoured the plains were still writhing silently.

Tiny, dark red veins, like tentacles, occasionally spill out from the edges, resembling countless blinking eyes or a giant mouth slowly opening.

It made no sound, yet it seemed to be silently mocking all those who tried to touch it.

The black mist in Lynn's palm was slowly seeping into his skin, like a drop of ink falling into clear water, spreading out in concentric circles of dark ripples. But it was firmly stopped by the rules of creation.

The ripples repeatedly crashed against the surface of the skin, like a living thing struggling, but they could never penetrate any deeper.

Lynn could even sense their "wrath," a pure, illogical malice that only wanted to destroy everything.

Lynn didn't speak again, but his fingers tightened slightly, and the membrane that created the rules suddenly contracted, like a net, tightening the malice more and more.

Finally, it was the worldly-wise Tina who broke the silence first. Her voice came from the bracelet, carrying a bittersweet sense of relief:

"Qinglin Wizard, we've discovered that this plane has been targeted by the ancient god civilization... Actually, it's not necessarily a bad thing."

"On the contrary, this is actually a stroke of luck amidst misfortune."

"Oh?"

Lynn raised an eyebrow and shifted his gaze from the black mist in his palm to Hadley's wrist.

He knew Tina wasn't the type to speak without reason, so he didn't interrupt her, but simply waited quietly for her to continue.

Tina seemed to take a deep breath, and after a moment, she slowly spoke:
"As advanced civilizations, if we were to encounter the demigods and gods of a divine civilization... that would be a real problem. Just tearing open the channels of divine power and uprooting the anchors of faith one by one would require a massive amount of resources and manpower, and we might not even be able to take over the entire plane. Once those gods awaken, they would readily descend upon the divine realm and offer sacrifices to all living beings. Even if we won, we would be badly injured."

"But the ancient god civilization... is different."

She paused, a hint of coldness creeping into her voice:
"The ancient god civilization was truly controlled by only a few ancient gods who were high above and ruled the entire civilization... equivalent to the strongest beings in our wizard civilization."

“Other beings, even those whose strength rivals that of His Majesty the Radiant Moon, are simply unable to project their power into planes outside the ancient god civilization. They are merely… remnants, fragments, and tainted echoes.”

"In other words, the power that is now being projected onto the Spirit Eye plane and devouring the plains... has only one source: those ancient gods themselves."

Upon hearing this, Lynn finally frowned.

Doesn't this mean they're going to face the strongest beings of a higher civilization?
This sounds like terrible news, as if they, the Morning Star wizards, were to go head-to-head with the supreme being of the wizarding civilization.

Tina clearly sensed his hesitation and continued unhurriedly:
“Every great being and supreme being of an advanced civilization possesses power so vast that it can distort the heavens and even cause permanent damage to the endless void.”

"But the ancient gods of the ancient god civilization... are different. They have long since fallen into a permanent slumber."

"The power that is now overflowing is merely the aftershock of their massive bodies unconsciously leaking out... like a dormant volcano, spewing out only hot magma and toxic gases from deep underground, rather than the volcano itself actively erupting."

"Boundless waters can traverse the heavens and erode everything in their path. But once the source is contained, there will be no further replenishment."

"No new power has entered, no ancient god has personally descended, and there is no continuous, rampant pollution..."

"What we are facing is merely the 'leaking' that the ancient gods accidentally leaked out while they were asleep. By cutting off the seepage and blocking the passage, we can snatch this plane from the ancient gods' table."

As soon as Tina finished speaking, the black mist in Lynn's palm trembled violently, as if it had been provoked. Several tiny, almost transparent tentacles even sprouted from its edges, frantically pounding against the invisible membrane of the rules of creation.

No matter how much it struggled, it remained tightly wrapped up, unable to let even a trace of malice seep out.

Lynn glanced down at the lump of something and a slow smile crept onto his lips.

"That is to say..."

"The ancient god drooled a little in his sleep. If we just wipe the drool away, we can eat the whole piece of meat all by ourselves?"

Tina's mental state trembled slightly, as if she were laughing silently, or perhaps with a bitter smile.

"almost."

"But... wiping drool is no easy job. If you don't do it right, your hands won't be covered in drool, they'll be covered in madness."

Inside the stargate, the dark shadow that devoured the plain was still slowly writhing, like a huge, greedy mouth, with dark red veins occasionally spilling out from its edges, as if it were silently chewing something.

Hearing this, Lynn's tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed little by little, and he finally understood Tina's subtext.

If powerful beings from other advanced civilizations have their eyes on this plane, such as the demigods and gods of the Divine Civilization, then things will become truly troublesome.

Using the plane as a chessboard, the two sides exchange pieces, going back and forth. Even if one side is temporarily at a disadvantage, they can return to their home civilization to summon reinforcements and replenish their fighting strength, turning it into an endless war of attrition.

No matter how strong Lynn is, he has to consider whether he can withstand the divine punishment storm after the arrival of the divine realm.

But the ancient god civilization... is different.

The outflow of these powers was purely an unconscious leakage from the ancient gods during their eternal slumber.

Just like humans growing fingernails, hair, and shedding skin, these are natural bodily reactions, not voluntary actions.

Once these "exudates" permeating the Spirit Eye dimension are cleaned up and the passageways are sealed, there will be no further replenishment.

No ancient god descended in person, no continuous, rampant pollution occurred, and no reinforcements crawled out from the depths of the void.

Clean and efficient, a one-time solution.

Thinking of this, Lynn suddenly realized something, and his eyes flickered slightly:

"People like you and me, who spy on other planes through stargates, were initially worried about being detected and locked onto by advanced civilizations of the same level... But it seems we don't need to worry about that anymore?"

Tina's mental state trembled slightly, as if she were nodding.

“That’s right. The power of the ancient god civilization is rampant here, but it’s just the unconscious behavior of the sleeping ancient gods. The fluctuations of your and my stargates are nothing more than a drop in the ocean in their sleep, and they won’t attract any attention at all.”

"But conversely, neither you nor I can see the true scene inside through the stargate. The shadow swallowed it too thoroughly."

Upon hearing this, Lynn nodded slightly, her expression softening considerably.

As Tina said, this is indeed a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.

Although it wasn't as good as at the beginning, Lynn thought this was a plane that could be easily swept through, and that he could take it down as long as he led his army deep into it.

But it's still much better than engaging in large-scale military battles with other advanced civilizations.

What they need to deal with now is only the original power of this Spirit Eye plane. As for the energy overflowing from the ancient gods, according to Tina...

These energies will modify the beings within those Spirit Eye planes, but it's just modification; they won't actually transform them into twisted monsters from the ancient god civilization.

"The situation is now very clear... In the Spirit Eye Plane, two forces are vying for power: one is the native knights, saints, and remnants of the gods; the other is the exudate of the ancient gods."

"We... are the third force that suddenly emerged."

"The enemy is in the open, while we are in the shadows. We actually have a slight advantage..."

Lynn murmured softly, analyzing the current situation.

"So...should we get involved right away?"

Tina's voice came from the bracelet, carrying a hint of probing.

She had fought in several dimensional expeditions with the Morning Star wizards of the Rogers family, and was very familiar with this "mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind" tactic.

According to what Lynn just said, it seems that he intends to stand by and watch, waiting for the knights, priests and ancient god exudates of the Spirit Eye to fight each other to the death before taking action.

"No, we'll get involved immediately."

Lynn shook her head, her voice calm.

He turned his head, his gaze sweeping over the still-writhing black shadows within the stargate, a smile playing on his lips:
“I told you, I’ve already fought in the Spirit Eye Dimension once. We retreated in a hurry that time and didn’t manage to completely conquer it, but we left behind a lot of good stuff… such as the interdimensional purification device and the space carrier… These are all strategic-level enchanted items, and once activated, they can drastically change the course of the battle.”

"I need to get these things back first."

“And as long as we send someone in to retrieve it, the world origin of the Spirit Eye plane… will inevitably detect our presence immediately.” Lynn paused, a hint of amusement in his tone.

He has had many dealings with the origin of the 001 dimension and has gained a far greater understanding of this almost invisible "origin of the world" than ordinary people.

"Compared to beings like us with thoughts and reason, the world's origin cannot communicate with the overflowing energy of the ancient gods at all, and the concept of 'dialogue' does not even exist. It should be in a terrible predicament by now, like a trapped beast with a mad dog biting its neck, going crazy in pain but unable to find a place to bite."

“As soon as our people enter, it will immediately sense a ‘familiar’ and rational aura. At that time, it will ask us for help, and it will try every means to cooperate with us, asking us to help it remove the pollution from those ancient gods.”

Tina's mental fluctuations paused slightly, tinged with doubt:
"So, does the Green Forest Wizard mean... that we should join forces with the origin of the world to clear away the ancient god's energy first?"

Lynn chuckled:
"Join forces? No."

"Even a wrecked ship has three pounds of nails, let alone the origin of a world in a rudimentary civilization."

"Let the ancient god's energy help us consume it first. Once the ancient god's exudate has ravaged the local forces and weakened the world's origin to the extreme, we will then take action to eliminate the ancient god's energy and take the entire plane with us."

"It asks us for help, so we help; after we've helped, it's no longer of any use to us."

He made no attempt to hide anything and laid bare his true intentions.

The black mist in his palm twitched again, as if in silent protest, but was tightened even more by the rules of creation.

Tina remained silent for a moment, a complex emotion creeping into her mental fluctuations, as if she were considering the feasibility of the situation.

Lynn didn't explain further, turning to look at the wizards still busy behind him. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly across the platform:
"Pass down the order to have Archmage Helen bring a small team. Select people from among the second-level and first-level wizards... preferably those who participated in the last interdimensional expedition."

A wizard immediately bowed in agreement, turned around hurriedly, and headed down the spiral staircase.

The figure quickly disappeared into the shadows inside the tower, leaving only the echoing sound of hurried footsteps.

After giving the order, Lynn casually waved his hand.

In an instant, the entire pitch-black, towering wizard tower emitted a deep and long rumble, like a sleeping giant being awakened, with muffled thunder rolling from the depths of its throat.

"boom!"

"boom!"

The array at the core of the tower awakened layer by layer, and invisible waves spread outward from the Wizard Tower, sweeping across the entire Temple of Life like ripples.

The air seemed to be stirred by an invisible hand, emitting a faint hum.

Every official wizard here, whether a first-level, second-level, or third-level archmage.

Every moment, he contributes a tiny, almost imperceptible wisp of spiritual energy to Lynn.

That wisp of power was so small as to be almost imperceptible that it wouldn't affect their own cultivation, but under the amplification of the massive arrays within the tower, it converged into a surging torrent, continuously pouring into Lynn's body.

His mental strength almost doubled.

"call……"

Lynn let out a long breath.

He could clearly feel that every inch of his skin, every nerve, and every wisp of consciousness was enveloped in a layer of crystal-clear spiritual luster.

The luster flowed like a galaxy, carrying an unprecedented fullness and sharpness.

The mental domain of a Morning Star Wizard is already as vast as the starry sky, so this increase, while astonishing, is far from being unbearable.

He closed his eyes, a slight smile playing on his lips, feeling an unprecedented power within himself.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from the spiral staircase.

The great wizard Helen arrived hastily with a team of ten.

Ten figures, all clad in matching wizard robes, fluttered as they ran.

The moment they saw Lynn, everyone stopped in their tracks, bowed their heads, and dared not meet his gaze.

Five of them were level two wizards, and five were level one wizards. All of them were veterans who had followed Lynn in the last conquest of the 001st dimension.

Lynn's gaze swept over the ten people and then suddenly stopped.

"Oh? Quentin?"

In the group, a blond young man looked up, his eyes filled with a mixture of surprise and fear.

It was Quentin.

During the last expedition, he was just a level three wizard apprentice. With his extraordinary courage and luck, he helped Lynn break through a difficult situation at a crucial moment.

Now, when we meet again, this guy has crossed that chasm and firmly stepped into the threshold of a second-level wizard.

His golden hair was still dazzling, but his robe had become more composed, and his temperament had changed from youthful naiveté and sharpness to restraint and sharpness.

Clearly, that interdimensional expedition brought him far more than just resources and achievements.

Quentin was surprised that the Lord of the Palace still remembered him. His Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice trembled slightly, yet remained unusually firm:
"I have met the Lord of the Palace!"

Lynn looked at him, a hint of barely perceptible approval flashing in her eyes.

"good."

Those two short words made Quentin straighten his back even more instantly.

Upon hearing this, the other wizards also lowered their heads even further, for the Lord of the Temple's affirmation was never given lightly.

Lynn withdrew his gaze from Quentin, swept it over the entire squad, and said calmly:

"Well, your mission this time is simple: find those otherworldly purification devices, the space carrier, and all the strategic-level enchanted items left behind by the Spirit Eye Wizard during his last retreat. Once you find them, I will immediately send reinforcements to meet you."

He didn't waste any more words.

The coordinates of those items in the library's books are clearly written, accurate to the meter, and even marked with possible traps and guardian creatures.

Lynn simply mentioned the location, and that was enough.

The ten figures bowed their heads in unison, their hands clenching slightly beneath their sleeves, but without the slightest hesitation, and none of them even asked, "What is the reward?"

They don't need to ask.

This handsome and young-looking palace lord is never stingy with his rewards.

The last expedition to Plane 001 is irrefutable proof. After that battle, countless apprentices skipped levels overnight, and many formal wizards jumped directly from Level 1 to Level 2.

Resources, secret techniques, magic stones, even rare fragments of the origin of a plane... Lynn rewards those who perform meritorious service more generously than anyone else.

Quentin Tarantino is a living example.

He was just a third-level apprentice at the time, with little hope of becoming a full-fledged wizard.

But because he fought desperately to break the deadlock in that crucial battle, rewards came pouring in like a tidal wave.

The blond youth now stood here, a second-level wizard, with two more silver stripes on his robe than before, yet his eyes still held an almost devout reverence for Lynn.

So does everyone else.

They bowed their heads in greeting, their movements so synchronized as if they had practiced countless times.

Then, with a simple nod from Lynn, the ten figures turned and slowly walked toward the Star Gate.

At the same time, Lynn's mental energy surged forth like a tidal wave.

He activated the tower's formation and amplified himself just for this moment.

The Morning Star Wizard's mental domain was already as vast as a starry sea, and now, with the contributions of all the wizards in the tower, its power has more than doubled.

A crystal-clear spiritual radiance emanated from his body, like a layer of flowing starlight, continuously pouring into the star gate.

"boom!"

"boom!"

The stargate emitted a deep, continuous rumble, and the ancient runes on its frame lit up one by one, bursting forth with brilliant light from within.

The previously blurry dimensional scene quickly solidified and was locked in place based on precise coordinates.

First, the massive metallic outline of the space carrier vaguely appeared, then the ruins of the tower where the otherworld purification device was located, and finally the scattered remains of demonized items.

Ten figures walked to the door and took a deep breath.

Space distorted like ripples on water, and as they stepped in, they instantly disappeared into the silvery-white vortex.

The scene inside the stargate then switched.

The camera zooms in, and the scene inside flickers continuously.

On the desolate plains, the wind whips up dust and tattered flags. In the distance, a space carrier half-buried in the earth can be vaguely seen. Its hull is covered with cracks, yet it still exudes the oppressive aura of its former strategic importance.

The ruins of the purification device tower stand not far away. Although the crystal array on the top of the tower has dimmed, it still flickers with a faint blue light, like a dying eye.

Lynn's gaze was fixed on the stargate, his voice calm:

"Great Wizard Helen, pass down the order to put everyone on final combat readiness. They will be setting off soon."

"Yes, Lord Palace Master!"

Helen bowed in agreement, turned and walked away quickly, her footsteps echoing on the platform before disappearing into the shadows of the stairs.

On the platform, only Lynn, Hedley, and Tina from the bracelet remain.

The three of them quietly watched the scene inside the star gate.

The distance between the Spirit Eye plane and the Wizard Civilization is not far, so teleportation alone takes a considerable amount of time.

At this moment, what the three of them saw was a distorted space where colorful light emerged, like a dream.

Ten tiny rays of light kept weaving through this dreamlike scene...

After an unknown amount of time, the multicolored light was replaced by a dazzling silver-white light. The patrol team finally arrived at their location, and the scene inside the Star Gate began to lock onto their position, revealing its inner world... (End of Chapter)