Chapter 426: Mysteries of the Touch

Legendary Element!

Lei En felt both startled and delighted, about to examine what Element this was, when with a bang the creature in the tank slammed heavily against the sturdy glass, revealing its full true form.

His scalp tingled instantly after he saw it, and his eyelids twitched wildly.

"Whoa, what the heck is that?"

At first glance the creature resembled a massive octopus, its body soft and shapeless, with dozens of uneven tentacles sprouting from its center, waving in the water like seaweed.

Its main torso was a mass of writhing, irregular flesh.

Upon closer inspection, both the tentacles and flesh were composed of countless translucent worms that constantly pressed, merged, and separated; the flesh's surface intermittently split open, revealing countless eyes—some as big as fists, others as small as green beans—blinking, filled with endless madness, so dense that one dared not meet their gaze.

The tentacles themselves were larger, whole worms, their surfaces extremely smooth, secreting a strange, oily slime.

The biggest few tentacles also bore eyes, bulging roundly, sending chills down the spine.

At the dense base of the tentacles, a twisted huge mouth could be faintly seen, gurgling out bubbles.

Lei En only glanced at it before instinctively averting his gaze.

It wasn't cowardice nor any mental spell; the creature was simply too terrifying, its intense visual impact causing severe physical discomfort—nausea, revulsion, every hair on his body standing up.

Mentally, it was even harder to endure.

Lei En felt that if he looked any longer, he might lose his sanity.

His reaction was still decent; the silver‑armored knights carrying the tank, upon seeing the thing up close, froze as if petrified, their limbs rigid, faces terrified, upper bodies leaning back to keep as far away as possible.

They either shut their eyes or turned their heads away, daring not to look again.

At that moment, it roared toward the outside of the tank; its gaping mouth lined with rows of fangs, yet no tangible sound emerged, while a bizarre scream echoed in everyone's mind, like a piercing psychic shriek.

Bang!

The tank slipped from their grasp and crashed to the ground; the silver‑armored knights seemed to have seen the most terrifying being in the world, eyes wide with horror, all frozen.

"What's happening?" Duke Silver Star called out, her attention originally elsewhere; she turned, immediately furrowing her brows, casting a disdainful glance away, and asked, "Keli Feisi, what monster is this?"

Obviously, she had never seen the creature in the tank before.

Keli Feisi was one of Duke Silver Star's students; he was also a battle Wizard, having just been promoted to Legendary not long ago, and as Longshande's finest alchemy Master, his knowledge in this field was extensive.

"Master, this is my first time seeing it as well," Keli Feisi replied.

"Even you don't know it," Duke Silver Star said, a bit surprised, raising her hand to cast a spell that draped a layer of darkness over the tank, concealing the monster inside.

Unable to see the terrifying creature, everyone around inexplicably let out a sigh of relief.

"Where did it come from?" Duke Silver Star asked again.

"From a secret chamber in the Deceiver's Temple," Keli Feisi said. "This monster is highly valued by the Trickster Scholars; they were researching it, but were interrupted. When we moved it, Ha Erken appeared to block us, but Lord Fulin Ke repelled him."

He hummed thoughtfully and added, "Master, I suspect it's related to the magical soul fused by the Trickster Scholars, and further study is needed."

Duke Silver Star nodded.

She was a Ten Thousand Spirits Wizard; all her power rested on summoning and controlling magical souls. Any strange magical soul piqued her interest, but this creature's appearance was so horrifying that its mere form could drive one mad, and she truly did not wish to engage further.

"Keli Feisi, this is yours now; report back when you have results," Duke Silver Star instructed.

"Yes, Master."

Keli Feisi forced himself to answer, though he too could not endure such a visual shock.

Lei En heard the teacher‑student exchange, his face showing little change while his mind raced. Though the earlier glance had startled him, his soul's eye saw clearly that the tank's monster possessed a Legendary Element!

He could not identify the creature; no information was found in his mobile library.

But a Legendary Element could not be wrong.

Moreover, this monster, like the previously fused Fuxinyuan Demon Soul Demon Soul Demon Soul that bore the Will of Truth, contained only a solitary Legendary Element and nothing else.

Because it was only a fleeting glimpse, Lei En had no time to discern the nature of the Legendary Element.

Nevertheless, whatever the Element, if it is Legendary, even its terrifying appearance cannot be missed; if he cannot use it, he can still sell it.

Lei En saw that Duke Silver Star and Keli Feisi disliked the creature, clearly having missed the Legendary Element, making it a prime scavenging opportunity.

At that moment the silver‑armored knights regained their senses, lifted the tank again, and carried it into the portal.

Soon, all the treasure in the manor had been moved.

The group returned through the portal to Longshande; the twenty‑four Arcane Crystals on the teleportation array had been nearly exhausted, enough to sustain less than half a minute.

Duke Silver Star was the last to pass through the portal; as the energy waned, she tossed a sphere of silver fire from her hand.

The portal closed instantly.

With the opposite side out of sight, half a second later the portal array's light on this side faded, losing its spacetime beacon; evidently the manor at Maztus and its array were completely destroyed. Given Duke Silver Star's spell power, the manor's site was likely reduced to a huge crater.

"It's safe."

Everyone involved in the raid exhaled.

The Empire was one of Ai Lun E Si's safest zones, constantly protected by the God of Magic; the Deceiver dared not, nor could it, manifest in true form, at most retaliating through its followers.

The two deities were mortal enemies, their followers slaughtering each other for millennia.

This time gave them a sufficiently painful lesson; the Deceiver's followers' vital energy was severely damaged, and in the short term there should be little threat.

Duke Silver Star looked at the mountain of treasure piled around, her mood lifting.

"Keli Feisi, please painstakingly inventory all the loot, compile it into a register, and then move it to the tower," Duke Silver Star ordered. "Fulin Ke, verify the casualties of this operation; rewards and compensation are to be paid at double the standard, to be distributed tomorrow."

The two hurriedly responded in unison.

"Everyone else, take your rest; thank you all for your hard work," Duke Silver Star's gaze swept over everyone, finally resting on Lei En. "The promised reward won't be less than a Gold Shield; rest two days in Longshande first, and I'll send someone to inform you."

Having said that, she hurriedly teleported back to the tower.

Lei En watched her depart, guessing she would contact the God of Magic; as a Divine Chosen, having achieved such a great feat, she must report the battle to the goddess.

"Everyone."

Fulin Ke clapped his hands to draw attention, saying, "Count your subordinates and casualties, then tell me."

Felian and Tian began organizing their troops.

The results came quickly, gathered into Fulin Ke's hands, making his mood extremely terrible.

The main casualties of this operation occurred during the assault on the underground temple: seven Demon‑clearing squad members died, five Wizards of the Secret Fire Guard also perished, all of them were Mid-stage and above Transcendents, and among them was a Legendary Arcane.

Aside from Yi Erna's accident, the other casualties were still within reason.

The Dark‑god cultists held a positional advantage in the temple; there were over twenty Tricksters and several Legends, so casualties were inevitable.

But compared with the Silver‑armored Knight Order, it looked especially glaring.

Five hundred Silver‑armored Knights attacking the Lord's manor suffered no deaths, only a dozen or so light wounds and four or five serious injuries, all of which were rescued.

Combat losses: zero!

Such a brilliant record even left Commander Ti En in disbelief; he immediately wore a smug expression and cast a provocative glance at Fulin Ke.

The performance gap between the two in this battle was far too great.

Fulin Ke hummed.

He looked at Lei En and the Extreme Warrior, and without asking knew that the Silver‑armored Knight Order's zero‑death feat relied on the Extreme Warrior and Lei En's formidable power.

"Earl of Glamorgan, your Extreme Corps truly exceeded expectations; had you not been here, I wouldn't know how to report to the lady." Fulin Ke thanked politely; this Half‑elf was both sincere and somewhat apprehensive.

Lei En killed Ha Erken, accomplishing what he could not.

Fulin Ke felt indignant inside, yet had to admit this; he bore half the responsibility for Yi Erna's death.

If Ha Erken escaped again this time, he would have to keep hunting Ha Erken; with a Trickster's cunning and escape methods, he might be too ashamed to return to Longshande for decades.

He also subtly pointed out that the Silver‑armored Knight Order had been aided by the Extreme Warrior.

Ti En curled his lip, yet could not deny it.

"Lord Fulin Ke, you're too kind; the lady summoned me merely to clear the enemies, and I'm merely fulfilling my duty." Lei En replied coolly. He held little affection for this Legendary High-rank shapeshifting Wizard, mainly due to Title: Master Roger's influence.

Moreover, his thoughts were now entirely on that monster.

Fulin Ke saw his lack of enthusiasm and, not wanting to press a hot face onto a cold rear, nodded and ordered everyone to disperse, then headed to the tower to prepare a casualty report.

Lei En also took the Extreme Warriors back onto the airship to rest.

On the vast playground, only Keli Feisi led a squad of Wizards fresh from the tower to inventory the treasure; Lei En did not join, instead watching the water tank covertly through the airship's window.

A moment later, the Silver Star Duke cast a spell, and the dark shadow covering the tank dispersed.

Sunlight streamed into the tank, causing the monster inside to stir; slick tentacles repeatedly struck the glass pane, emitting a silent hiss that made the surrounding Wizards scream in shock.

Seizing the chance, Lei En gritted his mind and body's dual discomfort, staring directly at the terrifying monster.

The Soul Eye pierced the writhing disgusting flesh, reaching straight into the demon soul's core.

A Legendary Element manifested.

A few seconds later, Lei En quickly shut his eyes and violently shook his head, trying to fling the nightmarish image from his mind, but the impression was too vivid, as if branded onto his soul forever.

"Hoo!"

He exhaled.

At that moment a Wizard fetched a black cloth to cover the tank, calming the monster inside, then applied a Buoyancy Spell to the tank and moved it onto a cart for transport to the tower.

Lei En left the window, sat down at the table.

He already knew the nature of the Legendary Element within the monster's demon soul; this element was undocumented, at least not found in the *Thousand Souls Book*, nor in the mobile library's records.

"It should be a first‑time appearance of a Legendary Element," Lei En concluded.

This Legendary Element's function is both unique and complex.

It can duplicate a soul, creating a powerful Avatar!

This Avatar does not arise from nothing; it must fuse one's own blood with the monster's body, molding the horrific flesh and tentacles into a brand‑new form, then loading the duplicated soul, becoming an independent yet complete Avatar.

Lei En calls it an 'Avatar' rather than a duplicate or Mirror Image because it can cultivate like a true human.

The Avatar possesses a soul and inherits some Elements from its original body, continuing to cultivate and strengthen.

Everything is no different from a True Person.

If one does not speak of it, it is almost impossible for anyone to detect that it is an Avatar, let alone discover the link between Avatar and original.

It's like creating an alternate account in a game in a past life, or registering a new alias.

And it's a highly potential alternate account that could develop into a main account!

The monster's demon soul harbors vast pure mental energy; it lacks self‑awareness and intellect, manifesting outwardly as madness and horror, a embodiment of mental power. This mental power can be converted into soul power or magic, but not into strength or physique, so the Legendary Element can only duplicate the original's ability Elements and Arcane Element, and the Avatar is destined to lack a powerful body.

But that does not mean the Avatar is weak; it comes equipped with several astonishing abilities.

Even a single 'Miracle Resurrection' is impressive enough.

This defying‑nature Element allows the Avatar, after being killed, to rebirth beside the original; though it consumes massive blood and soul power, it ensures the Avatar's safety, preventing the waste of countless resources and effort.

There is also a displacement ability that instantly swaps the positions of the original and the Avatar.

Lei En had not seen this Element in the *Thousand Souls Book* before; it had never appeared, similar yet different from a Trickster's 'Transposition', so he named it 'King‑Rook Castling', also called 'Transposition Art'.

Additionally there are 'Spiritual Sight', 'Advanced Nightmare Art', and 'Delirium Art', all extremely rare Elements.

By also copying from himself the Truth Willpower, Rainbow Light Principle, and several Affinity Elements, the Avatar can grow into the most fearsome spellcaster!

The body is extremely frail, the spirit extremely powerful.

Lei En couldn't help but feel hopeful; such an Avatar and its original are two extremes, walking completely opposite paths, yet the prospects are equally vast.

His plan upon ascending to Legend was to thereafter fuse only demon souls dominated by Strength Elements.

Nevertheless, changing for a Legendary Element is worthwhile.

The current problem is how to obtain this monster from the Silver Star Duke's hands.

Lei En pondered briefly and already had some confidence.

He suddenly recalled Keli Feisi's words: the monster was obtained from the Deceiver's temple secret chamber, highly valued by Tricksters, and Ha Erken also manifested to adventure for it.

"Ha Erken…"

Lei En produced a dimensional ring, indeed Ha Erken's relic.

The ring contained many valuable items, as well as gold worth several ten‑thousand Gold Shields, and some personal belongings; among them a few books caught Lei En's attention.

He opened one and, sure enough, found entries about monsters.

The book mainly recorded the secrets of the Trickster.

This extraordinary profession, exclusive to Luo Xi believers, evolves from the Shadow Warrior; at the Mid-stage it merges with the "Phantom Moth" to change class, gaining the ability to cast Illusion; at the High-stage it fuses with the Demon Soul of a "Leap‑Transition Hunter", greatly increasing speed and, via "Shift Form and Position", throwing knives or daggers to leap through space.

When a Trickster ascends to Legendary, they merge with a "Demon Octopus", also called a "Mimic Octopus", obtaining a powerful Mimic Element.

The Mid-stage of Legendary involves the "Trick Spirit Worm", which creates duplicates.

The Trick Spirit Worm is an essence from the Fairy Plane; the book includes an illustration showing it as a mass of tangled weeds formed by countless worms, larger masses being more mature. They are semi‑illusory beings, immune to physical damage, capable of flying and leaping in the Fairy Plane, and the worm mass kills enemies by touching and siphoning their spirit energy.

Though it appears to be made of countless worms, it actually has only one Demon Soul, each worm being a part of its body.

Tricksters cultivate immature Trick Spirit Worms as vessels for their duplicates.

The Luo Xi Temple of Matuos is one of the bases for training Tricksters; it has captured multiple Demon Octopuses for reserve. During an accident, an initial‑stage Legendary Trick Spirit Worm fell into a Demon Octopus's tank, the two devoured each other and gave birth to a terrifying monster.

Har Ken keenly sensed that the monster harbored a secret.

He buried himself in research for months but gained nothing; he also tried combining other Demon Octopuses with Trick Spirit Worms, yet no second monster ever emerged.

In a final burst of anger, he resolved to kill the monster to extract its Demon Soul.

However, to Har Ken's shock, he discovered that he could not kill the monster.

Its body was extremely fragile; a single sword could slice it into countless pieces, the corpse dissipating like foam, yet it would revive a few days later, reappearing in the tank.

Upon revival it was very weak, but gradually recovered as time passed.

Because there was no corpse, the Soul Stone could not draw the monster's Demon Soul, making it impossible to study its Element.

This marvelous phenomenon made Har Ken ecstatic, guessing that the monster's Demon Soul surely contained a Legendary Element, yet the soul could not be extracted. For more than a year after returning from Longshande, he almost always hid in a secret room studying the monster, scouring texts for any method, yet remained helpless and made little progress.

Until the moment Flink and others stormed the temple, he had not given up.

Har Ken gave the bizarre, mysterious, tentacled horror a fitting name—"Mystic Touch of the Strange"!

(End of Chapter)