Sovereign of the Ashes

Yellow Sand Base II was located farther south within this region.

Fortunately, the sheer vastness of this subspace secret realm had allowed Sein and the other Magus Civilization mages to establish numerous experimental bases after entering.

Even so, compared to the overall scale of the subspace secret realm, everything Sein and his group had explored so far amounted to little more than the tip of the iceberg.

The arrival of the Gallant Federation legions would undoubtedly accelerate the pace at which both civilizations explored this hidden realm.

“Many federal warships escaped earlier. We need to leave this place quickly,” Sein said.

“Have you decided where we are going next, Master Sein? Yellow Sand Base II?” Grethel asked.

Sein nodded. “We’ll check it out first, but we can’t use any of the routes we’ve already explored.”

After a pause, he continued, “Let’s follow HALL-E. We’ll bypass the intact energy barriers, move closer to observe the situation over there, and then decide our next move.”

As the strongest individual present, the Rank Four researchers had no issue following his lead.

Black Oblivion and his relatives raised no objections either, though they offered an additional suggestion.

“Before we leave, we should gather and organize the research materials from this experimental base,” Black Oblivion said, sniffing the air. “I can smell a large amount of Black Merlot Civilization genetic mucus. It’d be a real waste to leave them behind.”

Sein glanced at Gilbert and the others, then nodded.

While Black Oblivion and the rest busied themselves with gathering materials, Sein approached Gilbert and asked curiously, “Master, aren’t you an expert in mineralogy and inert crystal research? How did you end up at a Black Merlot Civilization ruin?”

“This is a crossover ruin,” Gilbert explained. “It contains both abundant inert crystals and remnants of the Black Merlot Civilization. In fact, we discovered the inert crystals first. My primary mission in this top-tier civilization’s ruins has always been the exploration and study of inert crystals.

“Multiple lines of research suggest that the inert crystals we have found are a form of compressed energy left behind by the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization tens of millions of years ago. It also appears that the Black Merlot Civilization had its own uses for this type of crystal.

“Indeed, the deeper one digs into research, the more interconnected different fields become. The secrets of a top-tier civilization from tens of millions of years ago are not so easily uncovered. In the end, we can only follow the alliance’s directives and complete our assigned tasks,” Gilbert said with a sigh.

Sein nodded in agreement.

Before leaving the experimental base, Black Oblivion and his companions uncovered a huge tusk of an unknown creature.

Analysis confirmed that this tusk had belonged to a Rank Five beast of the Black Merlot Civilization, dating back tens of millions of years.

The black liquid seeping from its surface had played a crucial role in preserving it from decay for so long.

Sein carefully stored the tusk away.

Under normal circumstances, artifacts of this nature would be treated as public archaeological discoveries belonging to the Magus Civilization.

However, leaving it behind in the current situation would only result in it being wasted or, worse, falling into the hands of the Gallant Federation.

It was far better for Sein to secure it first and ensure its proper preservation.

Black Oblivion, who had already collected a substantial amount of Black Merlot Civilization genetic mucus, and Master Gilbert, who had removed numerous inert crystals from the ruins, both strongly supported Sein’s decision.

Had time not been so tight, Sein and his team could have taken even more.

In the end, the remaining experimental equipment and artifacts had to be destroyed, just as they had done at the previous research base.

Raging Ashen Flame surged above the small experimental base. Witnessing this unique lawful fire belonging to Master Sein, many mages displayed open astonishment and intense curiosity.

Some of the lower-ranking mages even attempted to collect samples of the Ashen Flame. Unfortunately, given the limitations of their equipment, most did not even possess containers capable of holding such a flame.

In the end, they managed to gather only a few fading embers, hoping to glean even a fragment of truth from this Rank Five grand mage.

Sein was not bothered by this.

He still remembered his own early days as a Rank Two or Rank Three mage, when he had collected elemental remnants left behind by the Rank Five Tower Master of Dark Flame on a planar battlefield.

The actions of these lower-ranking mages reflected their drive, curiosity, and hunger for growth that would shape the future path of their elemental mastery.

By contrast, Rank Four mages like Gilbert and Grethel had long since settled on their chosen paths, which had nothing to do with pyro elemental laws or the secrets of Ashen Flame.

They also refrained from presumptuously asking Sein about the mysteries of Ashen Flame.

When Sein’s group finally departed the small experimental base, they were joined not only by Gilbert and Valerie, the two Rank Four research mages, but also by hundreds of additional low-ranking mages.

In terms of numbers, the group had grown considerably.

***

When an incident erupted within the core ruins of the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization, the Magus Civilization legions stationed across nearby battlefields received intelligence almost immediately.

The Magus Civilization was far from blind, and it placed tremendous importance on this top-tier civilization’s secret realm in every regard.

Their original plan had been to develop the ruins quietly and methodically. Instead, the Gallant Federation located the site far sooner than expected and quickly locked onto the coordinates of the secret realm.

The first to dispatch reinforcements to the Eiyurant Papillon Civilization’s secret realm was Feylis.

Given the Gallant Federation’s clear intention to converge on the secret realm, Feylis personally rushed over to the core ruins!

However, the force that reached the vicinity of the secret realm the fastest was not Feylis’ legion, but the sea race legions led by White Stella.

Compared to the battlefield on Marvelous Plane, this location was closer.

More importantly, White Stella’s swift arrival was driven by her deep concern for her younger brother and relatives.

Through the dragonkin’s unique sensory link, White Stella faintly sensed that Black Oblivion and the others had suffered serious injuries. Hanliu’s condition, in particular, felt especially severe.

This unique perception was strongest among direct blood relatives.

As cousins, White Stella and Hanliu shared a weaker connection. Even so, their proximity within the same star domain allowed White Stella to sense his plight clearly.

If something were to happen to Hanliu or Qixiu, White Stella would not know how to face her uncles in the Immortal Realm.

Although she was also worried about Black Oblivion, she could not help inwardly cursing her younger brother for causing her trouble the entire time as she rushed toward the core ruins.

Meanwhile, both the Shadowbat Civilization and Marvelous Plane battlefields saw intensified legion movements.

It was not only the Magus Civilization making preparations. The Gallant Federation was mobilizing as well.

Seiron, the peak Rank Six powerhouse and the strongest being of Arid Expanse World, led tens of millions of his troops toward this location, wielding two world-class secret treasures.

Feylis had clashed with this peak Rank Six being several times in recent years.

They had each claimed their share of victories.

However, Feylis, whose life level was slightly lower, took more losses.