Time flew by. More than two months had passed since Sorcerer Ivan began constructing the runes sorcery array.
As he made the final stroke, colorful vapors boiled endlessly in the large underground square, tightly entwining around an ancient structure resembling an insect nest.
A beautiful cosmic hum resonated; the Black Magic Cocoon Formation was thus completed.
Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire
The entire formation lay horizontally between the upper and lower rock walls, exuding an eerie aura. At first glance, it looked like a terrifying beast ready to devour souls.
“The boss is truly the boss. He nearly completed the whole process in one breath.”
“Exactly. If Ivan can easily handle the Ant Being barrier that’s a hundred times larger than this, then this small barrier is nothing.”
The formation was completed under the watchful eyes of Locke and the Silkworm Queen. As observers, they witnessed Ivan’s miraculous methods, inspiring awe.
The mine had undergone a series of transformations.
Not only had it expanded outward, but it had also been excavated about twenty meters downward. All the rock walls were reinforced and carved, making it no exaggeration to call it an underground palace.
The main body that supported the Black Magic Cocoon Formation was wider at the bottom and narrower at the top, each shaped like an elongated gourd.
Ivan had named it the “Black Magic Barrier.”
This Black Magic Barrier used a large amount of raw stone, mid-grade magic stones, high-grade magic stones, the special aura gathered from the magic stone mines, and various other collected materials, consuming a massive amount of resources.
At that moment, runes lines on the barrier burst forth with shimmering light, resembling ferocious centipedes in the mist.
From a distance, both Locke and the Silkworm Queen could feel a spine-tingling, frightening aura emanating from it, but they were not the least bit concerned.
“What are you two whispering about over there?”
“Boss, we were just praising your wisdom and superb skills. Right, Silkworm Queen?”
“Mhm.”
“Boss, do you have any other orders?”
Upon hearing Ivan’s call, Locke swiftly moved over with the Silkworm Queen.
“The formation is complete. It just needs a slight adjustment. Pass down the order, no need to collect raw stones and magic stones anymore,” Ivan said indifferently.
“Got it!”
“Go, patrol the mining area a few more times and also inform the Fourth Legion. If there are significant disturbances within the magic stone mine, tell them not to worry about it and to continue guarding as usual.”
“Reward them with some magic stones, right? I get it.”
Seeing that there were no further orders, Locke went to execute the new instructions.
Ivan continued to tend to the Black Magic Barrier in front of him. He had become incredibly skilled at the formation after countless iterations of planning, simulation, and practice.
As for theoretical knowledge, he believed he had reached his current limit. Thinking of further improvements was not something to be done in a short duration.
In practical terms, the construction of the Black Magic Barrier by his Enchantment skills was an almost perfect reproduction of the theory.
Thus, the Black Magic Barrier didn’t require long adjustments or enhancements.
…
Time continued to pass, and half a month flashed by.
As the Black Magic Barrier was finally completed, Ivan was ready for everything.
The next step was to advance to Level 3 Sorcerer.
“Jenny, you will oversee the sacrificial area of the Black Magic Barrier. I’ve prepared a spot inside for you. Keep an eye on that Dust Python and act decisively to suppress it when necessary. The barrier is strong, but it still lacks a bit in sealing power.”
“Sorcerer Ivan, rest assured, I will act appropriately and ensure there are no issues in the sacrificial area.”
“Locke, you’ll oversee outside the Black Magic Barrier. I’ve also designated a circular area for you. Unless it’s an emergency, do not stray too far from the barrier.”
“Boss, you can trust me to handle it perfectly.”
“Swamp Ant, the earth stone formation around the outskirts of the magic stone mine is yours to control. Stay sharp.”
“I will strictly follow your command.”
“Silkworm Queen, you take charge of patrolling the mining area. If there’s any change in the outer formation, remember to support Swamp Ant.”
“Mhm, my Rapid Wood Silkworm kin will definitely not let you down.”
Before initiating the promotion, Ivan solemnly gathered his key subordinates and assigned them their respective duties.
The others dared not to slacken and assuredly promised one by one.
They had a close relationship with Ivan, as it’s said, “shared glory, shared loss.” If Ivan succeeded in advancing to Level 3 Sorcerer and paved the way for future cultivation, everyone would benefit.
Otherwise, their prospects were uncertain, possibly even losing their fundamental standing.
This, they clearly understood.
Shortly after, Ivan formally began the process of advancing to Level 3.
He first arrived at the sacrificial area of the Black Magic Barrier and glanced at the Dust Python, which was tightly bound by runes chains. The Dust Python hung in the center of the sacrificial area, suspended in midair like prey awaiting slaughter.
The Dust Python had first experienced the erosion of toxins and then the imprisonment of the formation and had now fallen into a deep coma.
No abnormalities were found.
Ivan believed that with the Sacrificial Heart, the sealing chains, and the soul-corroding toxins, the Dust Python couldn’t turn the tables.
If all else failed, there was still Jennie as the last line of defense.
He looked around and finally nodded at Jennie, who was sitting in the corner, then leaped up and entered the Black Magic Barrier’s living area.
Compared to the sacrificial area, the living area occupied less than a quarter of the space.
A circular array dais was placed in the center of the living area.
Around the dais stood spherical stone stumps, each with a diameter of half a meter. These four stone spheres were actually the control hubs of the formation and energy storage containers, loaded inside with high-quality Crystal Balls.
He walked straight up and sat cross-legged in the very center of the array dais.
“Having spent so much energy and resources, and prepared for such a long time, success or failure depends on this attempt.”
He took a deep breath, his eyes instantly becoming calm and tranquil, his power radiating from his body and evenly spreading to the stone spheres through the array dais.
The next second, the Black Magic Sacrificial Cocoon Array was activated.
All the runes became clearly visible, covering both the living and sacrificial areas with rune lines forming chains, as if trapped inside an airtight cage, suffocating.
That wasn’t all; from all directions around the sacrificial area, strange tentacles emerged from the barrier—black, yellow, green, and blood-orange, densely packed, creating a spectacular scene.
These strange tentacles all targeted the Dust Python.
Some pierced through the green grass on its head, others penetrated the fiery eyes, and still others probed into the dust making up its body and the scorched smoke.
This situation was undoubtedly eerie.
“Hmph!”
The Dust Python groaned unconsciously, seemingly feeling a deep, bone-piercing pain.
Bits of different powers were extracted from the Dust Python’s body, transmitted through various strange tentacles around, and entered into the sacrificial barrier.
At this moment, black magic fire roared within the sacrificial barrier, one loop following another.
The power entered the sacrificial barrier, circulated around the black magic fire repeatedly, and after enough refining, was transmitted to the living area barrier.
There, rings of blood-colored flames were present.
Subsequently, the power circulated once again within the living area barrier, finally converging at the center of the floor, with most being stored in the Crystal Balls inside the stone spheres, and a smaller portion transmitted to Ivan through the array dais.
The Black Magic Sacrificial Cocoon Array operated on the principle of ‘sacrifice’ for ‘birth’.
Undoubtedly, the Dust Python was being burned as a sacrificial offering in exchange for Ivan’s vigor, propelling him toward ascending as a Level 3 Sorcerer.
“Such robust vitality.”
“Earth-type energy, Fire-type energy, Wood-type energy, life energy, with such rich support, combined with my own accumulated power, it’s enough to sustain a prolonged transformation.”
Ivan keenly sensed the energy transformed by the formation, which had undoubtedly reached his expectations.
Time passed slowly, and more and more power was drawn from the Dust Python, and more energy was stored in Ivan and the barrier, yet he hesitated to begin the next step.
“Roar!”
A roar broke through the barrier.
Ivan heard it loud and clear and knew that the Dust Python had gathered enough rebellious consciousness, suddenly struggled violently, trying to escape all constraints.
That was the moment he’d been waiting for, calmly casting several spells toward the surrounding stone spheres.
In the sacrificial area, numerous tentacles further unleashed their terrifying power, the runes chains intensified the sealing force, and within seconds, the uprising Dust Python was subdued again, plunging it back into a deeper coma.
Seeing this, Jennie’s heart, which had been in her throat, returned to her stomach as she knew well it wasn’t yet time for her to intervene.
“Just as expected, even with various controls and sealing methods, when life is severely threatened, a will to resist can always be provoked, but fortunately, I had anticipated this.”
“Everything is still under control, so let’s begin the next step.”
Inside the living area, after Ivan had suppressed the Dust Python, he further activated the functions of the runes sorcery array.
In an instant, the circular array dais split into four, dividing into four small areas.
Two fan-shaped areas began emitting black flames, and the other two began emitting blood-colored flames. These flames congealed into tentacles which then subdivided further into numerous strand-like tendrils as thin as silkworm threads, which then successively pierced into his own body.
Burning heart, eroding marrow, pain reaching the soul.
His body involuntarily shuddered.
In an instant, he became as calm as Mount Tai, allowing more tendrils to pierce into his body.
Before long, Ivan was engulfed in the silkworm thread-like tendrils, tangled heavily, collectively forming a marvelous cocoon.