Chapter 229: Condemned Containment

Chapter 229: Condemned Containment

"Boom—"

The deafening explosion shattered the Red Crystal completely, sending countless shards flying in all directions.

A thick, nearly physical surge of Abyssmana erupted from the broken crystal.

Like a demon imprisoned for millennia finally breaking free from its chains, it surged outward with endless hatred and rampaging energy, spreading in all directions.

The Holy Disk staggered backward several steps under the impact of this mana. Even protected by the "Apostle's Power", he felt a wave of vertigo.

But soon, he steadied himself, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.

"Perfect. The Abyss's Power has finally been released."

The space tore apart, reality twisted, and for a moment, the boundary between the Abyss and the surface world became blurred.

"The first step of the mission is complete."

The Holy Disk turned to glance at Soren lying on the ground, a cruel smile curling his lips.

"Farewell, Dawn Star Rank Mage. I hope you can find eternal peace in the Abyss's embrace."

With that, he spread his grotesque membranous wings and shot toward the Altar's exit.

He needed to leave here as soon as possible to find his next objective—the newly ascended Full Mage Luo Enlalf.

Inside the Bloodline Altar, Abyssmana continued to surge wildly.

The previously orderly space began to collapse, one of the twelve crystal pillars after another toppling over, plunging the entire area into unprecedented chaos.

————

Soren lay on the cold ground, his consciousness drifting in darkness.

The pain in his chest had gone numb, blood flowing continuously from the massive wound, soaking the floor beneath him.

Without a heart, he should have died instantly.

But as a completely transformed Dawn Star Rank Mage, Soren's vitality far exceeded that of ordinary life forms.

Even with such a fatal wound, he still clung to the last traces of consciousness thanks to the residual mana in his body.

"Failure..."

His thoughts came in broken fragments, like a shattered mirror reflecting only shards of reality.

The Abyss's contamination was spreading through his bloodstream, infiltrating every cell in his body, eroding his spirit world.

It was an unprecedented corruption and decay, as if countless ants were gnawing at his soul.

"Hayaek... Youni... I'm sorry..."

Soren knew he could no longer send warnings to the outside world.

The first attack from the Abyss contamination was to sever a mage's mana connection, making any form of remote communication impossible.

In his final moments, a flood of memories surged through his mind:

The young version of himself, standing under the Crystal Spire's magnificent archway, filled with longing for knowledge and power;

The younger version of himself, sweating through countless experiments to stand out among his peers;

And the version of himself in his prime, finally receiving a personal invitation from the School Mentor, told he had "potential" and was "worthy of cultivation."

"Contract... Damned Soul Contract."

Soren gritted his teeth, recalling that fateful turning point.

When the Crystal Spire's Mentor personally offered him an overseas assignment, how proud he had felt, thinking he was finally recognized by the upper echelons.

Back then, he had happily signed his name on the Contract.

Only when the crystal mark seared into his soul did he realize the truth—it wasn't a simple overseas assignment, but a veiled form of "exile."

Those Dawn Star Rank Mages with innate talent who were exceptional yet not special enough became the Crystal Spire's perfect pawns.

Sent to various branch schools as Mentors, they were given the appearance of important missions, but in reality, they were tools to be sacrificed at will by the stronger ones.

The Contract's terms were clear:

Do not betray the school's interests, do not leak the Crystal Spire's secrets.

More importantly, they must protect the core facilities of their assigned schools at all costs, including but not limited to the Bloodline Altar.

Otherwise, even in death, their souls would be reclaimed by the Crystal Spire.

They would be thrown into the "Condemned Containment Vault", burned eternally in hellfire, eventually transformed into various alchemy artifacts.

He had once witnessed the production process of the Gargoyle Airships—those once-proud mage souls, refined into eternally enslaved mana cores.

Their consciousnesses forever in a semi-clear state, feeling endless pain yet unable to escape.

Every time he saw the pain flickering in the eyes of the gargoyles riding Valen, Soren couldn't help but shudder.

"No... I can't give up yet."

Soren struggled, not out of some noble sense of mission or loyalty to the school, but out of raw fear of the Contract's punishment.

Compared to complete death, the fate of eternal torment terrified him even more.

At the very edge of his consciousness fading, a warm and pure mana was suddenly activated.

This mana was as pure as a spring, clearing away the contamination wherever it flowed, gently healing the wounds on his soul.

"Still... I have hope." Soren's consciousness suddenly cleared slightly:

"Thank goodness I retained that Boon the child Luo En reported a few days ago..."

This power gave him a final glimmer of hope.

Seizing the brief clarity of his spirit, he strained to reach for the Storage Bag at his waist.

From it, he pulled out a vivid red crystal—the "Heart's Tear", a precious alchemy item capable of temporarily replacing heart function.

Trembling, he shoved the crystal into the gaping hole in his chest.

He felt the cold crystal gradually warm, fusing with the surrounding flesh to form a temporary "replacement heart."

"Actually... it worked." A flicker of faint vitality stirred within him.

It was a sinister feeling—alive without a heart.

He knew this state wouldn't last long. The "Heart's Tear" could sustain him for at most three days, and its effects would gradually weaken over time.

Gritting his teeth, he pulled several bottles of potions from his Storage Bag and poured them into his mouth one by one.

"Life Spring Elixir", "Spirit Stabilizer", "Flesh Regeneration Liquid"...

These precious potions he had cherished in the past were now all being used.

The elixirs took effect, slowly healing his wounds, partially replenishing his lost blood, and stabilizing his spirit.

"I must... warn Hayaek..."

Even in this critical moment, Soren hadn't forgotten the constraints of the Contract.

He trembled as he traced his personal identity rune.

A faint wisp of mana released from his fingertips, forming an invisible communication thread pointing toward Hayaek's direction.

"Bloodline Altar... Awakening Being... destruction seal... Supreme Apostle... leak..."

Fragmented messages traveled through the mana thread.

Soren could only hope these scattered fragments were enough for Hayaek to understand the severity of the situation.

After sending the warning, Soren had exhausted the meager strength he had regained.

He collapsed again, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

"From apprentice to mage... How much have I experienced and sacrificed..."

Soren gave a bitter laugh. "In the end, I'm still just a pawn in someone else's hands."

He thought of those days bound by the Contract.

In the past, he had attempted resistance countless times, but each time, the Contract's imprint on his soul brought excruciating pain, a forced obedience worse than death itself.

And even more tragic was that he still had to thank the Crystal Spire for its "favor."

At least he had survived to today, becoming a respected Dawn Star Rank Mage.

Unlike most of his peers who died anonymously during missions or failed experiments, their names forgotten.

This was the harsh reality of the mage world—strong forces set the rules, and the weak could only obey.

Even someone as powerful as Soren, a Dawn Star Rank Mage, was still just a disposable pawn in the face of true power.

"But now I must make one final effort..."

Gritting his teeth against the searing pain, Soren began crawling toward the nearest crystal pillar.

The Bloodline Altar was on the verge of collapse. If he didn't act soon, the leakage of Abyssmana would lead to the complete destruction of the entire school.

And by then, even if he somehow survived, the Contract's punishment would come without delay.

Each step tore the wound across Soren’s chest wider, blood pouring from the fresh injury.

"J-Just a few more steps..."

After an agonizingly slow crawl, he finally reached the base of the Crystal Spire.

This towering structure was one of the key nodes in the entire Five Elements Formation. If he could reinforce it, at least the leakage of Abyssal mana could be slowed.

Soren tremblingly pressed his palms against the spire’s base, channeling the last remnants of his mana into the crystalline surface.

"With my blood, with my soul, I halt your collapse."

Arcane runes flowed from his fingertips, winding around the spire to weave a temporary lattice of reinforcement.

As his mana poured in, the spire’s violent trembling eased, its glow brightening slightly.

The leakage of Abyssal mana visibly decelerated, and the spatial distortions stabilized.

"Black Mist School...won’t survive this disaster for long."

If Abyssal mana fully merged with the primary world, irreversible transformations would follow—distorted spatial laws, eroded reality structures, and contaminated ecosystems. These were the dire challenges now facing the School.

"Bloodline Altar...utterly ruined."

Once one of the School’s most vital facilities, the Altar had now become a breeding ground for Abyssal power. Even if a new seal were established later, its bloodline mana had already been tainted by Abyssal corruption, rendering it useless for any bloodline enhancement rituals.

"Bound by contract my entire life...even in death, I’m still trapped." Soren coughed up blood, laughing bitterly. "Cursed Soul Contracts—true shackles binding the entire mage world."

This was why Hayaek and Youni had subtly warned Luo En.

As senior members of the School, they couldn’t openly defy the contract’s explicit terms, but they’d tried to give the promising young mage subtle hints.

"Luo En...I hope you can go further." Soren murmured, his eyes flashing with regret. "Don’t...repeat my mistakes. Don’t become someone else’s pawn."

His thoughts drifted to the young mage who had recently ascended.

If not for Luo En’s pure Boon, he’d have already succumbed to Abyssal corruption, reduced to a mindless husk.

"Thank you...young one."

With this gratitude, Soren closed his eyes, focusing his spirit to begin healing his wounds.

"Heart’s Tear" could only sustain him for a limited time. He needed to recover enough to move independently soon.

He didn’t know what the Holy Disk’s next objective was, but one thing was certain—the mad Abyssal Apostle wouldn’t stop here.

"I hope Hayaek, Youni, and Ai Lun...can respond in time."

Soren’s consciousness blurred again, but this time, it wasn’t due to impending death. He’d deliberately entered a special meditative state to trigger automatic healing.

In this state, his bodily functions dropped to a minimum, all mana redirected to repair his injuries.

Around him, the Bloodline Altar’s Abyssal mana continued its slow but inevitable spread—only now, its pace had been somewhat slowed by his intervention.

...

A thin mist veiled the Black Mist Jungle at early morning, shrouding everything in mystery.

Luo En had already left the Central Tower, heading toward Madame Ellen’s Herbal Medicine Shop.

His first experience after becoming a Full Mage was a dramatic leap in clarity—every breeze, every rustling leaf, even the tiniest motes of dust in the air felt sharply perceptible.

More astonishingly, he could now directly sense the mana flowing in the environment. The mana lines he’d needed special spells or tools to observe as an apprentice now flowed before his eyes like clear streams.

"The world of a Full Mage...truly breathtaking."

Luo En murmured, a surge of indescribable satisfaction rising within him.

Suddenly, a violent surge of chaotic energy erupted in the distance, shattering his thoughts.

This mana was wild and unmistakably Abyssal, a silent scream piercing his perception.

"This energy fluctuation..."

Luo En halted abruptly, his brow furrowed.

Using the heightened perception granted by his Demon Hunter rank and his new Full Mage status, he could almost pinpoint its origin—the School’s outskirts, likely the direction of the Bloodline Altar.

"Strange. Valen recently reinforced the Altar."

Luo En mused, instinctively circulating mana within him to prepare for danger.

Since ascending, his sensitivity to Abyssal mana had sharpened dramatically.

This fluctuation carried an unsettling aggression—not the natural leakage he expected, but something more deliberate.

"The Bloodline Altar has a problem."

He was already near Madame Ellen’s shop, so he decided to meet her first. Two mages together would be better than one.

The shop’s door stood open, as if anticipating his arrival.

Stepping inside, a familiar herbal aroma enveloped him, easing his tension.

"Congratulations, Luo En Lalf, Full Mage."

Madame Ellen’s voice came from the back room, carrying a rare warmth.

She emerged slowly, her emerald eyes studying him with an expression of rare satisfaction and tenderness.

"Madam." Luo En bowed slightly, using the mage’s greeting.

Though he’d ascended, she remained his mentor—the one who’d guided his growth. Basic etiquette was non-negotiable.

Madame Ellen examined him, nodding approvingly.

"A True Path success rate, even with auxiliary potions, is barely fifty percent. Yet you succeeded. My instincts were right."

A faint smile graced her lips, her tone both admiring and wistful.

"I once stood at the threshold...just one step away. Now, you’ve completed the path I couldn’t."

Luo En sensed her genuine joy—not just for his success, but for the proof that her own path had been viable.

"Everything’s thanks to your guidance."

He said earnestly.

"Without your 'Starlight Elixir' and the crucial information about the True Path, I wouldn’t have succeeded. Without you, I might not have even known this path existed."

"No, Luo En. This is entirely your achievement."

Madame Ellen shook her head gently.

"I merely pointed the way. Walking it was your doing. No matter how much help I gave, without your innate talent and relentless determination, the True Path would still have been a dead end."

Her gaze deepened, as if recalling a distant past.

"Many geniuses fell on this path. But you succeeded. Now, what’s next?"

Luo En inhaled deeply, his eyes gleaming with resolve.

"I’ll handle the Kingdom’s affairs first, then head to the Central Lands to pursue the higher paths of a mage."

Madame Ellen nodded approvingly.

"A wise choice. Your innate talent is extraordinary. The Central Lands will offer a broader stage and richer resources. However..."

Her eyes sharpened.

"Remember—the rarer something is, the more it attracts covetous eyes. The purity of your Boon will surely draw the attention of many true experts."

Luo En nodded thoughtfully. "I’ll be cautious."

Suddenly, he recalled the Abyssal fluctuation he’d sensed earlier.

"Oh, Madam—I detected an unusual Abyssal mana fluctuation on my way here. It seemed to come from the Bloodline Altar’s direction. Did you sense anything?"

Madame Ellen’s expression turned grave.

"There has been some anomaly. I was about to activate a full isolation protective formation to block external interference, but sensing your arrival, I decided to wait a moment for you."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end