Chapter 935: Power Surge

Under the dim sky, thunder roared.

On the ground lies a deep pit over two hundred meters in diameter, its soil and rock melted into a glassy sheen by intense heat, showing no sign that a castle once stood here.

Thousands of vampires flee in all directions, fear filling their eyes as if the world were ending, too cowardly even to glance at the metallic fortress in the sky, only wishing to get as far away as possible at top speed.

Streams of lightning bundles shoot outward in every direction, their frequency too fast for the naked eye, like a several‑kilometer‑long ribbon of light sweeping by.

Any vampire struck instantly erupts into ash, not even a scream.

The bridge is quiet and serene.

As if unrelated to the ruthless slaughter outside, Ai Luo Ti Xi Ya looks down on the battlefield; she is accustomed to the Star Destroyer's overwhelming power, yet her gaze keeps drifting toward Lei En at the console, her emotions mixed.

She has roamed the Abyss for years on the run; the total demons she's slain are still less than what Lei En has killed in a few hours, not even a tenth.

This is already the second vampire duke's domain.

Before this, the Star Destroyer had razed nearly ten territories, exterminating over a hundred thousand vampires.

Despite such glorious record, Lei En shows no pride, remaining calm and composed, as if it were a trivial matter.

Ai Luo Ti Xi Ya thinks more and more, unknowingly becoming fascinated.

Lei En notices the succubus's shift in mood, chuckles to himself, then pretends ignorance, focusing on firing the Star Destroyer while opening his phone interface to watch the Soul Power Pool rise.

All the energy absorbed from souls today was poured into the Core Mind.

The level‑10 Core Mind's progress bar was nearly full, just shy of upgrading—95%, 96%, 97%… as more energy poured in, it finally hit 100%!

The entire icon flickered.

Lei En feels his soul ascend, the World Tree trembling, the Core Mind's Elemental Leaf shining again, illuminating his soul space.

This upgrade feels noticeably different, lasting longer.

After patiently waiting a few minutes, the Core Mind's Element stabilizes; Lei En, eager, senses it—indeed, it's now level 11, the number of brain‑fragment crystals it can create has doubled to 8,192!

Brain‑fragment crystals still have two options.

First, a blank soul fragment without any Element, which can be cultivated and upgraded, and bears no Blood Soul Curse; second, a fragment that copies the original's Elements but cannot undergo Soul Transformation upgrades, its rank fixed from birth forever.

So far, most of Lei En's brain‑fragment crystals belong to the second type, i. e., Thundercast Celestial Soldiers.

The Core Mind reaching level 11, as expected, raises the limit on copied Elements to Legendary Mid-stage!

Lei En is overjoyed.

The Legendary Primary version of himself and the Legendary Mid-stage version differ vastly in power, perhaps more than fivefold!

In his Legendary Mid-stage fusion, he merged three demon souls—the Bronze Giant, the Mithril Angel, and the Eye Demon Elder—gaining numerous Elements.

Although none are Legendary Elements, several powerful functions appear, such as "Energy Absorption," "Indestructible Iron Fist," "Mithril Flying Feather," "Mithril Holy Sword," "Mithril Body," "Thunder Slash," "Anti-Magic Field," "Spell Dispel," "Eye Beam," "Disintegrate," and so on.

Especially the Eye Demon Elder's demon soul added a full twenty‑four Arcane Elements to him.

Upon advancing to Legendary Mid-stage, Thundercast Celestial Soldiers' spells are no longer limited to lightning; they acquire more spells and can, by constructing spell models, master the Seven‑ring Spell.

Below Saint Rank, Thundercast Celestial Soldiers can practically walk sideways, fearing no enemy.

Of course, their greatest use remains as tools.

"8,192!"

"That should be enough now," Lei En mutters inwardly, feeling satisfied.

Normally, the Core Mind can only advance by devouring the brains of Spirit‑absorbing Monsters, as Augulevi Master did. But this method is inefficient; Spirit‑absorbing Monsters are scarce, and even consuming every one worldwide might not reach level seven.

Augulevi Master spent centuries in the Dark Region, his Core Mind only reaching level five, never exceeding six, and he even turned himself into an ugly Core Mind Lich.

A level‑11 Core Mind is beyond imagination.

Lei En can't help but wonder how Augulevi Master would feel if he learned his Core Mind had reached level eleven.

The Soul Power Pool's energy continues to rise.

He experiments a bit more, feeding the Core Mind, and discovers reaching level twelve requires fifty thousand energy units, so he stops immediately.

If he exterminated all vampires in the Sighing Wilderness, fifty thousand units would be easy, but there's no need to pour them into the Core Mind.

Other Elements also need upgrading.

Moreover, merely upgrading the Core Mind is useless without creating Thundercast Celestial Soldiers. Previously one required 150 energy units; now that he's advanced to Holy Soul Wizard, each unit yields five times the power, and considering Legendary Mid-stage, a Thundercast Celestial Soldier costs about 40 units.

Creating five thousand Thundercast Celestial Soldiers would demand two hundred thousand energy units!

How many Demons must be slain for that?

Lei En feels a tingling numbness; it's impossible in the short term, so he must proceed step by step.

He glances at the battlefield; Extreme Warriors and Holy Lance Knights have already launched from the hangar, scouting hidden vampires and clearing the field.

The vampire count in this duke's domain is large; it may take another ten‑plus minutes to finish clearing.

Lei En stands and lets Reslin take over piloting the Star Destroyer.

Ai Luo Ti Xi Ya immediately fixes her gaze.

"This is my magical duplicate," Lei En explains with a smile. "I need to enter the magic laboratory; you can communicate with me just like my duplicate does."

"Alright," the succubus nods lightly.

When Lei En disappears from the bridge, she surveys Reslin, curiosity shining in her eyes.

Through recent interactions with Lei En, she learned he is very easy‑going, gentle and broad‑minded, yet this magical duplicate wears an icy expression, feeling like a completely different person, and not as robust as Lei En's original form.

"Lei En, is this magical duplicate also a Holy Soul Wizard?" Ai Luo Ti Xi Ya can't help asking.

"Hmm."

Reslin replies with a sound, then adds, "I have my own name, Reslin," and continues piloting the Star Destroyer, exuding an attitude that keeps others at arm's length.

Ai Luo Ti Xi Ya feels a jolt; even the magical duplicate is a Holy Soul Wizard!

In an instant, Lei En becomes even more unfathomable in her eyes.

The seventh deck is the Star Destroyer's smallest level, yet still spans several thousand square meters; the bridge occupies only a tiny portion, while the rest is Lei En's private domain, filled with mechanical alchemy rooms, meditation chambers, magic laboratories, and his own quarters, though he rarely dwells there.

Lei En enters the laboratory, stands before a metal‑forged operating table, slices a small piece of flesh from his arm to perform the "Augulevi Creation Technique".

He has cast this spell over a thousand times, and is now as proficient as possible.

It took just a little over a minute.

A perfect male body took shape on the operating table—muscles firm, appearance handsome—but it was merely a soulless shell.

Lei En activated the Core Brain Heart; the procedure was equally smooth—within a dozen seconds a foreign object formed in his mind, dozens of Element leaves from the World Tree rose as phantom shards, coalescing into a light sphere, and as a sting of pain pierced his brain, the sphere split off from his soul.

At the same time, the Little Red Flower on the phone interface quivered, duplicated itself, its brow split open, and a silvery‑gray mass flew out and landed in his hand.

A split‑brain crystal was created.

As expected, the Creation Technique plus the split‑brain crystal consumed roughly forty units of power.

Lei En sensed the split‑brain crystal in his hand, which held even more energy; its internal Elements were nearly doubled, encompassing the many Elements of three spells fused at the legendary Mid-stage.

He placed the split‑brain crystal onto the clone's forehead, and it instantly merged with the brain.

A few seconds later the clone on the operating table shivered, opened its eyes, and Lei En simultaneously saw through its perspective. Vast energy surged from the surrounding void into its body, and with a "ding", a boot‑up interface appeared in his view.

The clone's power skyrocketed wildly, as if riding a rocket; in half a minute it leapt from ordinary to legendary Mid-stage!

A brand‑new Thundercast Celestial Soldier was born.

Lei En watched the clone's augmentation the whole time and nodded in satisfaction.

Previously created Thundercast Celestial Soldiers can also be upgraded to legendary Mid-stage; it only costs power, just patch them one by one.

That Thundercast Celestial Soldier strutted out, went to the adjacent mechanical alchemy chamber, fetched materials, and forged its own weapons and gear.

Lei En cast the Creation Technique again.

One after another, Thundercast Celestial Soldiers marched out of the magical laboratory; by the time the legion cleared the Duke's domain of vampires, Lei En had already created ten Thundercast Celestial Soldiers.

The Soul‑Power Pool still held plenty of power and had to be spent quickly; Reslin took over command of the Star Destroyer and its troops, continued northward, and swept away vampire territories along the way.

The Titan Furnace's crystal reservoir was abundant, allowing free‑wheeling and unrestricted firing.

Soon the Star Destroyer wiped out another baron's domain, harvesting over three thousand units of power; even with Lei En creating Thundercast Celestial Soldiers at peak efficiency, the consumption rate lagged far behind the power increase. Within an hour, three baron domains and one count domain were destroyed, eliminating nearly twenty‑thousand vampires.

Lei En had to halt Thundercast Celestial Soldier production and divert power to other Elements.

He first chose the Wish Spell!

With only two thousand units of power, he raised the Wish Spell to Nine‑ring, meaning he now mastered every spell below Nine‑ring worldwide.

The Nine Ring Wish Technique consumes far less than a Ninth‑level Core Brain Heart, and it can still be upgraded to Ten‑ring.

However, a Wizard must reach Thirty‑level to wield Ten‑ring spells; the Wish Spell's icon shows a progress bar, yet no power can be invested.

Lei En shook his head helplessly.

So far, the Wish Spell, touted as the King of Ten Thousand Methods, has shown little might, but he knows its true use isn't mimicking spells; it's "words become law", altering principles through spoken wishes to achieve goals.

The higher the Wish Spell's ring count, the greater the chance the wish materializes.

At the same time, the price paid becomes smaller.

The Nine Ring Wish Technique already accomplishes many feats; if the wish is modest and not wildly contrary to reality, its risk and cost are acceptable.

But Lei En doesn't want to gamble, so he resolves to use it sparingly, waiting until it reaches Ten‑ring to try boldly.

He initially intended to upgrade the Key of Doors to Nine‑ring as a second step, but stopped as soon as he began.

Each time the Key of Doors upgrades, a low whisper from an unknown presence deep in the distant void can be heard, one's soul undergoes indescribable changes, the surrounding space warps violently, and with the Star Destroyer still in combat, it's not a good moment.

So he switched to the Electric Light Ray, and with a few hundred units of power it rose to Nine‑ring.

Next came Thunder‑Cloud Storm, Disintegrate, Magic Burst Force Field, Mind Blast, Thought‑Force Field, Greater Teleport, Interdimensional Transfer, and Phase Distortion, all upgraded to Nine‑ring.

Including the Electric Blast Orb, Rending Sky Sword, Rainbow Light Cloak, and Psychic Storm that were already upgraded during the Holy Soul Ascension of the Wizard.

Lei En now commands fourteen Nine‑ring spells.

That surpasses most Holy Soul Wizards and Grand Mages, and ranks among the best of casters below Thirty‑level.

Yet even with so many Nine‑ring spells, the power consumption remains insufficient; the Soul‑Power Pool dips then rises again, nearing its capacity limit.

Lei En selected the Titanium‑Core Golden Body and the Energy Furnace.

Both legendary Elements are huge power consumers—one upgraded from Four‑level to Five‑level, the other from Three‑level to Five‑level—finally curbing the Soul‑Power Pool's growth.

But the suppression lasted less than half an hour.

The Star Destroyer eliminated two more vampire territories, and the Soul‑Power Pool surged again.

Lei En finally felt the trouble of inexhaustible power, but this time he didn't consume it himself; it was Reslin's turn at last.

Reslin wielded a vast array of spells; although already a Grand Mage, few were upgraded to Nine‑ring. He piloted the Star Destroyer to harvest souls while opening the phone interface, channeling power into each spell.

Fireball Spell, Flame Burst Spell, Flaming Torrent, Summon Fire Element, Lava Ray, Scorching Cloud Spell, Ultra‑effective Meteor Burst, Flame Rebirth;

Spear of Light, Void Storm, Void Bomb, Tim Kainen Disintegrate, Tim Kainen Magic Sword Technique, Void Chains, Annihilation Spell, Rainbow Light Wall, Chain Meteor Spell, Anti-Magic Ray, Greater Dispel Magic, Astral Projection, Big Bai Grapple Palm, Big Bai Crushing Fist;

Mind Blast, Thought‑Force Field, Command of Death, Command of Shock, True Word Soul‑Rending Technique;

Malicious Transformation Spell, Illusion Technique, Substitute Death Spell, Magic Siphon, Greater Teleport, Mass Teleport; Time Flashback, Dimensional Cage, Dimensional Anchor, Maze Spell, Fictional Gravity Field, Spacetime Interference.

As power poured in wildly, each spell rose to Nine‑ring.

Half a day later, as the Star Destroyer neared the vampire prince's domain, with Time Stop, Time Jump, and Spatial Barrier added, Reslin's repertoire of Nine‑ring spells exceeded forty.

His mage level also peaked at Twenty‑four.

Reslin's power surged wildly.

Even though Reslin stood still, trying to contain his magical fluctuations, Ai Luoti Xiya on the bridge still sensed a terrifying aura; the human Wizard before her was scarier than an Abyssal Lord, making her heart tremble, unable to utter a sound.

Fortunately, Reslin suddenly vanished, reverting to Lei En's appearance.

He gave the succubus a gentle smile, signaling her not to worry, then looked ahead as the vampire prince's domain arrived.

(End of Chapter)