Chapter 680: War Preparations

All mortals wished to transcend the limits of mortals. That wasn't just an increase in strength... It was also raising one's life to a higher level. Whether it was their instincts or their thoughts, they all chased that goal.

Especially a magic race like the Dark Elves. Their attraction towards magic was like an addiction, and the pursuit of Extraordinary Power was an instinct of their bloodline.

Two hundred years for a Heaven Rank Dark Elf was like a year of work for an ordinary person.

A generous reward for a short duration job... No one could refuse it. In human kingdoms, Archmages could advance to the Heaven Rank, but advancing in only a year or two... Even powerhouses like Star Sage Jouyi, who was already half a step into the Heaven Rank, might not be able to resist the temptation.

Moreover, Lin Yun's understanding of Dark Elves was most likely a lot better than that of the Dark Elves themselves. In the far future, Noscent's mages conquered one world after another, and countless hidden Dark Elven settlements were excavated. Many of these inhabitants were treated as lab rats.

The mages at the peak of the era already had a meticulous understanding of Dark Elves. That race's innate talents were truly formidable, much more formidable than those of humans. The entire race was made of mages, and they only needed to learn a spell to turn it into a magic pattern. All the spells used via magic patterns were instant spells.

This kind of powerful talent and casting ability should have shackled the Dark Elves' limits to a certain degree.

Without the repeated complete casting, there would naturally be a flaw in the comprehension of spells. The flawed foundations would be huge shackles to the Dark Elves.

As long as they started studying magic, Dark Elves would at worst reach the Mage realm. And after reaching adulthood, most of the Dark Elves would become Great Mages. However, less than half would become High Mages, and as for Archmages... Not even half of the High Mages could become Archmages.

The 5th Rank Archmage dividing line was even sharper, as there might not even be one in a thousand that could become a 6th Rank Archmage, perhaps not even one in five thousand.

The higher the rank, the more exaggerated this proportion would be. The Dark Elves that advanced to the 9th Rank of the Archmage realm in a clan could be counted on one hand.

A Heaven Rank Dark Elf might show up in a large tribe only after countless years. Even in the early stages of the Nesser Dynasty, the proportion of Heaven Rank Dark Elves was so low it was scary. It was even lower than the ratio for humans during that time.

When the Dark Elves had yet to be expelled from Noscent, countless Dark Elves had become Peak 9th Rank Archmages before turning 200, but those that could become Heaven Mages during their lives could be counted on one's hands.

Even if Dark Elves had that Lightless Dreamland ability that could be used to sense Laws, it didn't change their current situation.

On one hand, they were innately powerful, but on the other hand, they were bound to have an additional flaw, and this was a common problem for all creatures with wisdom.

Chromatic Dragons were innately powerful, but their race was low in number and even reproduction was a big problem. There might not be a new clansman in a millennium. The birth of a Chromatic Dragon, from pregnancy to birth, might take two or three millennia. If some problems appeared in the process, the young dragon might end up dying prematurely.

Every single Dark Elf was a mage. This led to the Dark Elven Race having more trouble producing Heaven Mages than other weaker races.

Even the owner of the Sky Bloodline was no exception. If the Sky Bloodline didn't awaken, the Dark Elf with that bloodline would have more trouble reaching the Heaven Rank than the others. They might never break through to that realm in their life.

There had been four people with the Sky Bloodline in Noscent's history. They all died of old age and didn't reach the Heaven Rank. None of them reached the 9th Rank of the Archmage realm either.

During the peak of the Magic Era, those powerful mages figured out a way to awaken the Sky Bloodline. And Lin Yun knew that method.

Thus, Lin Yun didn't mind that Elsa had yet to answer. On one side was a shortcut to the Heaven Rank, and on the other side was a strenuous struggle. After struggling for a few hundred years without breaking through, perhaps anyone would go crazy and choose the shortcut.

After going back, Elsa seemed to have disappeared without a trace. Lin Yun would spend his day in the treehouse, studying the Book of Ten Thousand Mantras.

Ten days later.

Lin Yun massaged his aching eyes and closed the Book of Ten Thousand Mantras, sighing as he exclaimed, "The Book of Ten Thousand Mantras is truly not that simple..."

After ten days of intense research, Lin Yun felt how unfathomably deep the Book of Ten Thousand Mantras was. Every time he opened it, an entirely different incantation would appear.

When he obtained the approval of the Book of Ten Thousand Mantras, he felt that he had gotten a good understanding of the book, but he was now well aware of how unfathomable it was. After fusing with the Core Meditation Law Set, the Book of Ten Thousand Mantras itself had no secrets.

But the really important part was actually the incantations in the Book of Ten Thousand Mantras. Each time he opened it, he would discover an entirely new incantation. And after studying these incantations meticulously, Lin Yun would discover that many of these incantations only had a small syllable changing, or one character, to get an entirely different result. Sometimes, two spells could have two completely opposite effects, and even the difference in power was huge.

At the very start, Lin Yun was meticulously studying 6th Tier Spells, but on the 3rd day, he started studying 5th Tier Spells. On the 4th day, he gave up on 2nd Tier Spells and only studied the incantations of 1st Tier Spells.

Lin Yun couldn't remember how many of these incantations he had studied during those ten days...

And as a result, he felt reborn. His comprehension had reached new heights, and his casting ability had greatly increased.

During the peak of the Magic Era, each spell left in the decaying library had been a spell refined to its pinnacle. Every single one could be considered a classic.

But now, Lin Yun understood that just learning those classics wasn't good enough.

From the lowest spell to the highest spell, there was a process of comprehension and realization. It was the same for the spell quality, from the trashiest to the most perfect ones, they also went through a process of growth and transition. The enlightenment gained from that process, if he hadn't researched it, he would have never understood.

Only by walking through this process could someone could have some direct realization regarding the path of magic.

Each syllable, each rune, how they were compounded, how it was constructed, carved. Lin Yun got the most basic, most profound enlightenment at this time.

A Frost Spike appeared in his mind, one of the most basic 1st Tier Spells. But then, the Frost Spike took the shape where it could display its most formidable power. Deep blue ice condensed into a sleek structure with a sharp tip.

Compared to before, its power had increased by half a tier.

Satisfied, Lin Yun scattered the Frost Spike. His 6th Tier Spells were now 30% stronger than before, and their casting time and cooldowns had greatly lowered.

This also meant that his strength had increased before he reached the Archmage realm!

After taking a rest, Lin Yun was eager to open the Book of Ten Thousand Mantras again to keep studying those boundless incantations.

And while Lin Yun delved into magic in the treehouse, an uproar was taking place within the Dark Elven Clan.

A large number of fully armed Dark Elves started patrolling the surroundings, each group led by an Archmage. No one could walk more than three minutes without seeing a squadron.

Many Nightjars, trained by the Dark Elves, were sent out. Every few hundred meters, there would be a Nightjar perched on a branch, standing guard.

Within a few dozen kilometers, over a thousand Nightjars were patrolling. Many Dark Elves riding Horned Falcons could also be seen patrolling the skies.

The Nightjars were magic beasts that the Dark Elves had tamed for generations. Although they were only around level 15, the Dark Elves had been using them for defensive purposes.

Each of the Dark Elves guarding the tribe had a contract with a Nightjar, and through the contract, they could share the sight of the Nightjar.

Nightjars innately had night vision abilities, and in a special environment like the God Nation, they could see over a kilometer in pitch-black darkness.

With all of the Nightjars patrolling, not a single corner was left unwatched. It could be said that not even a fly could escape the Dark Elves' monitoring.

There were also the patrolling Horned Falcons. These magic beasts were gifted with thunder and lightning magic.

Furthermore, the Horned Falcons' shouts were very special. People couldn't hear their shouts. They could only be heard by the same kind, and the shouts spread especially far. If there was nothing to obstruct the sound, two Horned Falcons could communicate from fifty kilometers apart.

Thus, as long as anything happened, the Horned Falcon's shouts could be heard by the entire Dark Elven Clan's Horned Falcons.

A large amount of Dark Elves outside the clan were recalled. Only the elites remained, patrolling in the sky.

At the same time, a mage legion gathered in the camp.

The entire tribe was preparing for war. All the Dark Elven children were led within the clan. The Dark Elves with combat power were also ready for a fight.

The entire clan was on guard. In the middle of the tree, under the tall Ancient Tree of Life, a Dark Elf wearing an Elder's robe frowned as he looked at the Ancient Tree of Life.