Moonstone Powder softly fell onto Luna's swaddling blanket, illuminating the map of Aurora City woven with Gold Thread in exquisite detail.
The infant curled up in Aelia's arms, seemingly nibbling on the edge of a Crystal Bottle, but in reality, inscribing the seventh Purification Spell with her Milk Tooth—this was a secret technique created by the Great Mage during his childhood in the Original, capable of revealing the lingering images of Black Magic.
"Madam, please look." Qin Si's hands trembled as he held the Infant Spirit Crystal Bottle, where seven hundred and twenty transparent souls were gathering starlight with their Fingertips, crafting a scene of Leonard and Leonard's Concubine on a date within the Dome of the secret chamber.
Suddenly, fragments of Aelia's Wedding Ring floated up, their sharp edges cutting into Luna's Mei Xin, causing Blood Pearl to drip at the intersection of the Gold Thread in her swaddling blanket, transforming into the Serpent Pattern Staff held by the Black Veil Woman.
Aelia's Silver Armor and Battle Robe emitted a sound like Ice Crack as she bent down to pick up the Magic Bell that Luna had kicked off; it was originally a decorative item hanging above the Cradle.
At that moment, the inner wall of the bell reflected Leonard's movements from last night—his Violet Brooch hidden in his sleeve was flashing at a black market auction, while the Moonlight Gem that should have been set in Aelia's Star Crown was now adorning Leonard's Concubine's hair.
"Three Days Ago you said you would reinforce the West Wing barrier." Aelia's Star Sand Spear sparked against the Ground as its tip lifted Luna's Swaddling Cloth stained with Sulfur liquid. "Why is there Sulfur liquid soaked in Black Magic appearing in the outer city's Moat?" She suddenly smashed the corner Dark Compartment with her spear handle, causing twelve Fire Seal Secret Letters bearing Aurora City's Emblem to tumble out.
Luna giggled at just the right moment, her little hands patting the Crystal Bottle.
The purified Infant Spirits suddenly began to chant in unison, their song shaking off the Huo Qi from the Secret Letters.
As the tenth Letter unfolded, tiny inscriptions penned by Leonard read "Once Aelia gives birth to a Pure Blood Heir, we will act," seeping black mist under the light of the Moonstone.
"This is impossible!" The moment Leonard kicked open the door to the secret chamber, he found his Magic Reflection kissing Leonard's Concubine's Hand Back.
His black Obsidian Boot Sole suddenly melted away, revealing an Aurora City military token hidden within its Hidden Layer—exactly like the one Luna had replicated using her saliva on Gold Thread.
Aelia's Wedding Ring Fragment suddenly surged forth, forming a complete circle in mid-air.
When the Ring Face gem aligned with Leonard's heart, it emerged as Leonard's Last Night from ten years ago: what he had placed on Aelia’s finger was not a Moonstone but a Soul Crystal capable of stealing magical power.
"You have to let me explain..." Cold sweat beaded on Leonard’s forehead as he prepared to unleash the Venomous Serpent Emblem hidden in his sleeve when Luna suddenly burst into tears.
The infant’s tears fell onto the Star Sand Spear, awakening the Guardian Dragon Soul that had been sleeping within its Dark Pattern.
Where Long Shadow spiraled past, all tampered Contract Documents revealed their true dates—including that Blood Pact which designated his three sons as sacrifices.
A thunderous roar echoed from the East Tower as the map of Aurora City, secretly woven by Luna, suddenly soared into the air.
Seven hundred and twenty Infant Spirits transformed into a rain of Light Arrows, piercing through the rebel strongholds marked on the map one by one.
When the last Light Spot extinguished, the Laurel Pattern on Aelia's Battle Robe transformed entirely into thorny Black Roses.
"Father?" A sound suddenly came from the secret passage, the noise of a wheelchair grinding over the stone slabs. My elder brother's Magic Wheelchair was stuck at the Turn Corner.
His disabled Twin Legs were wrapped with an Amulet that Luna had gifted him during her full moon, and at that moment, the Gold Threads were flashing wildly—those were visible Guang Wen woven by Luna over three months, turning the backlash of her healing Spell into something tangible.
Leonard stumbled backward and collided with the Infant Spirit Crystal Rack, causing twelve unopened vials of offerings to explode simultaneously.
The splattered magical liquid formed a mirror in midair, reflecting Leonard's three sons being betrayed in different timelines—among them was his Eldest Son, trembling outside the door with a shattered Contract in hand.
Suddenly, the moonlight was swallowed by dark clouds, and the Defensive Formation of the Magic Castle emitted a sharp wail.
Seizing the opportunity, Luna stuffed the bloodied Gold Thread into Aelia's Palm. As the first Zhuan Shi of the castle began to Zhen Chan, the Serpent Pattern Staff on the Aurora City map abruptly pointed towards the Dark Compartment beneath her Eldest Son's Wheelchair—where lay quietly a Sheepskin Diary filled with truths.
The sound of the Wheelchair rolling over Shattered Crystals felt like it was crushing everyone's hearts. My elder brother's Pale Hand Back revealed a Spider Web-like Curse Mark.
The Amulet and Gold Threads entwined around his legs suddenly tightened, creating silk-like cracks on the Wheelchair Armrest—Luna's healing Spell began to flow backward in Fury.
"So my Twin Legs did not succumb to Forbidden Technique..." Blood surged from my brother's throat, staining his collar with Crimson Flower Patterns. The Coming-of-Age Badge that Father had personally crafted for Leonard ten years ago suddenly shattered.
As shards cut into his Palm, he saw that each crack curled with Dark Patterns of Blood Pact. "Did you tamper with me when I performed Space Replacement Technique?"
Leonard's sleeve bore a Venomous Serpent Emblem that suddenly came to life but was pierced through Seven Inches by a Star Sand Spear just as it lunged at Eldest Son.
The Thorned Rose on Aelia's Battle Robe surged violently, shredding the escaping black mist into Powder.
She lowered her gaze at the bloodstains carved by Gold Thread on her Palm; there emerged Luna's Aurora City Coordinates written with Purification Spell.
A crisp sound of shattering crystals mingled with the roar of the East Tower.
Second Brother stumbled as he burst through the side door of the secret chamber, still clutching a broken piece of the Dragonbone Staff—an "heirloom" entrusted to him by his dear friend on their deathbed three days ago.
When he saw the Magic Mirror floating in the air, revealing the truth behind his friend's death, crimson mist suddenly erupted from the tip of the staff.
"So Hawkins used Father's black market connections to swap my Magic Potion Formula?" Second Brother tore open his robe, embroidered with Guardian Runes, revealing a Curse Mark emerging from his heart, identical to that of his elder brother.
He suddenly plunged the staff fiercely into the ground, allowing the crimson mist to corrode his Magic Circuit. "Then let the sacrificial contract begin to backfire on me!"
Luna's cries rose sharply, and a swaddling cloth soaked in sulfur suddenly wrapped around Second Brother's wrist.
Light Arrows transformed from Infant Spirits pierced through the crimson mist, revealing a transfer spell hidden within—exactly like his dear friend's handwriting that had deceived him into signing the Magic Potion contract years ago.
Aelia's Star Sand Spear abruptly changed direction, its tip piercing through the skin at Second Brother's neck, drawing forth a stream of darkened curse blood.
Brother San's gasp was drowned out by a sudden clap of thunder.
He futilely grasped at a wand sheath he hadn't even brought with him, watching helplessly as images of his past Magic Assessments emerged on the walls of the chamber.
Those "manifestations of talent" he had once prided himself on were now illuminated under the Purification Spell, clearly mere illusions implanted by Leonard's deceptive Illusion Magic.
"Last winter you said I should major in Illusion Magic..." Brother San trembled as he tore open his shirt, revealing a fading Crescent Mark beneath his collarbone.
That was left from his secret practice of attack magic, now illuminated by the map of Aurora City, showing the outline of a Sealing Spell. "So every time I tried Fire Magic and got headaches, it wasn't due to insufficient talent?"
The Magic Mirror behind Leonard suddenly shattered simultaneously, and countless scenes of betrayal across time and space emerged from the flying shards.
As one fragment brushed past Brother San's ear, it revealed the truth about his twelfth birthday party—the juice that caused his Magic Turbulence had been swapped by Father for a potion that suppressed the growth of his Magic Core.
"Mother!" Brother San suddenly collapsed onto the ground littered with crystal shards, and beneath his knees, a bloodstain rose up in flames shaped like a phoenix.
This was the first attack spell he secretly practiced for three years after being deemed the "Illusion Genius." At this moment, it finally broke through the constraints of the Sealing Spell. "Please allow me to unlock the Underground Library's..."
The Thorned Rose on Aelia's Battle Robe suddenly turned towards the west.
She silently inserted the Star Sand Spear into the ground, and the Wedding Ring Fragment wrapped around its handle suddenly fused into a complete form.
As the true brilliance of the Moonstone pierced through the dark clouds, everyone saw the remnants of the Black Ring, corroded by the Soul Crystal, on her left hand.
The dome of the secret chamber began to shed starlight that coalesced into Rose Petals, each petal inscribed with the truth written by Luna using a Purification Spell.
When one of the petals landed on Qin Si's trembling fingertip, it suddenly reflected Aelia standing alone on the Stargazing Platform during Leonard's Last Night—her Battle Robe and Leonard's Pauldron stained with tears that had crystallized into ice, while seven unsent Magic Letters lay scattered at her feet.
Qin Si's fingertip's Magic Butterfly suddenly fluttered down and transformed into ice crystals upon touching the hem of Aelia's Battle Robe.
For the first time, this Magic Servant who had served Aelia for twenty years defied their master-servant contract, catching a petal inscribed with truth barehanded. Tiny Ice Shards immediately spread along her wrist and blood vessels, forming a Thorn Pattern.
"Madam, look..." She pressed her bleeding palm against the wall of the secret chamber. The Ice Thorn suddenly pierced through the stone bricks and grew, pinning Leonard's attempted Shadow Tentacles against the wall. "The Frost Blessing given to a maid as a dowry from Aurora City can be used like this." Her pale lips gradually turned an abnormal crimson; this was the price of forcibly reversing Contract Magic.
The ice crystals stained with tears from Aelia's Battle Robe and Leonard's Pauldron suddenly shattered, sending splintered pieces flying to form a Blood Arrow in front of Lucius's Boot Tip.
Lucius, The Third Son of the Demon Fortress, stood at the entrance of the secret chamber draped in Chen Lu's still-warm cloak. His Ice Blue Eyes reflected the fragmented Family Crest scattered across the ground.
He raised his hand to catch a Shattered Crystal reflecting the contents of a Blood Pact. The Frostflower Seal on his palm suddenly emitted a hum like Longyin.
"So it turns out that the Forbidden Technique Improvement Manuscript in Father's Study was written based on experiments with my brother’s leg ailment?" Lucius’s Grimoire beneath his cloak flipped open automatically, revealing parchment inscribed with tiny markings from ten years ago—these were indeed Leonard’s recorded failure data for the Soul Exchange Technique written in Eldest Son’s blood.
Suddenly, he tore off a Yellowed Page and threw it into the air. The yellowed paper ignited in Ice Flame upon touching his brother’s Wheelchair.
A snake that had burst forth from Leonard’s sleeve suddenly stiffened and fell. The Frost Flower crystallized on its Serpent Scale matched Lucius’s eye color perfectly.
As Third Young Master Lucius crushed the Ice Serpent under his Boot Sole, frost patterns suddenly crawled up all four walls of the secret chamber, freezing all escaping Black Magic Residual Shadows in midair. "Mother," he knelt on one knee as frost blossomed along his knee into a Laurel Pattern on the ground. "Please allow me to unlock the Frozen Corridor."
Luna's swaddling suddenly emitted a golden light, and the Gold Threads soaked in Sulfur automatically wove themselves into a miniature map of Aurora City, perfectly aligning with the Frost Flower Track that drifted out from Lucius's Grimoire.
Aelia gazed down at the pulsating Gold Threads on Palm and suddenly thrust the Star Sand Spear heavily into the ground.
The ice crystals shaken off by the spear formed a Three-Dimensional Map of the Magic Castle in mid-air, and a region shrouded by Hong Wu in the Northwest Corner was trembling violently.
"Madam, be careful!" Qin Si suddenly lunged at Aelia, the Ice Spike Hairpin in her hair slicing through the air with a glimmer.
An Obsidian Fragment shot from Leonard's fingers, and upon touching the Ice Spike, it refracted into a Sevenfold Phantom—each phantom reflecting his transaction with Leonard's Concubine at the black market auction known as Leonard's Last Night.
Qin Si coughed up Xue Mo, which splattered onto the Ice Spike, solidifying into the Starry Sky Totem that Aelia had gifted her twelve years ago as a Hairpin.
Lucius's Grimoire abruptly flipped to the Last Page, where Blood Curse emerged in the blank space.
When he realized that this was a ritual written in the blood of his three elder brothers using Ailya's Birthday Rune, Frost Patterns instantly crawled up his entire right arm. "Father knows..." He pressed his freezing Palm against the stone pillar in the center of the secret chamber, as Frost Flower spread along the Ancient Magic Rune. "After awakening the Bloodline of the Frost Dragon Clan, can one see through all Contract Magic's essence?"
The entire Magic Castle suddenly let out a deep Roar, and Crimson Mist seeped through the gaps in the Floor Tiles.
Luna kicked at the bloodied Gold Threads, causing the patterns of the Aurora City map to start rotating counterclockwise.
Aelia's Battle Robe's Thorned Rose suddenly pierced into the Ground, twisting Hong Wu that attempted to envelop Lucius into Ice Powder.
As a Spike grazed past Brother San's knee beneath the Phoenix Flame, remnants of a Sealing Spell unexpectedly formed into a key shape amidst the fire.
"Mother!" The Blood Phoenix beneath Brother San's knee suddenly spread its wings, flames burning through the Dome of the secret chamber's Star Map.
Through the shattered opening, everyone saw twelve Nodes of the Magic Fortress Defense Array flashing alternately—three of which matched perfectly with the frequency of Curse Marks on his brothers. "The Underground Library of Northwest Tower..."
His shout was abruptly cut off by a sudden explosion of Jing Lei.
A distorted Space Rift emerged behind Leonard, and Leonard's Concubine's piercing Qian Jiao echoed from beyond the crack.
Luna suddenly spat out bubbles glimmering with golden light. As one of the bubbles enveloped the edge of the rift, it reflected the writhing shadow within Leonard's Concubine—clearly, it was the embryo of a Puppet nurtured by Leonard using Black Magic.
Lucius's Grimoire erupted with frost, instantly freezing the entire Space Rift. Frost Flowers traced the emblem of Aurora City on the surface of the Puppet embryo.
Aelia's Wedding Ring Fragment suddenly coalesced into a complete Ring. As she slipped it back onto her bloodied fingertip, fine cracks appeared on the surface of the Soul Crystal, revealing its true core—a moonstone.
"So that's how it is..." Aelia caressed the Ice Cracks on the inner side of the Ring. Those were the Sealing Spells she had inscribed ten years ago to suppress the rampage of the Frost Dragon Clan's Bloodline when Lucius was born. "Luna's Gold Thread repaired the Laurel Blossom Sealing Array while redrawing the map of Aurora City?"
A tremendous crash echoed from deep within the Magic Castle as Zhuan Shi collapsed, causing all of Luna's Swaddling Gold Threads to stand upright like needles.
The Projection of Aurora City's map was flickering wildly, and from a location marked as "Abandoned Well," a black-red liquid seeped out—this was where the Original recorded the key to breaking through, known as the Soul Crystal Vein.
Lucius's Grimoire suddenly flew toward Luna, fluttering just three inches from the infant.
A Frost Flower that fell among the Yellowed Pages landed on her Mei Xin wound, surprisingly condensing the seeping Blood Pearl into an Ice Crystal Arrowhead, aimed directly at her brother's Wheelchair beneath which lay a Sheepskin Diary in a Dark Compartment.
The moment the Ice Crystal Arrowhead touched the cover of the diary, it abruptly floated into mid-air, releasing a dark mist scented with Dark Rose Fragrance from between its Yellowed Pages.
As the Laurel Pattern on Aelia's Battle Robe began to emerge anew, the Magic Fortress Defense Array emitted a sound akin to an Infant Spirit crying, Leonard's Sword Suddenly Emitted a Hum.
The Gold Thread that Luna had shed silently burrowed into the Floor Tile Gap, while Lucius's Grimoire Last Page’s blood-red incantation gradually transformed under the illumination of moonstone into an ancient Iris of Aurora City—its shape resembling a Purification Spell pattern that looked like it had been gnawed by an infant.
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