The Legend of Immortality

Liu Lei had just returned from his walk when the butler came to inform him that Christopher wanted to see him. Puzzled, Liu Lei wondered what could be the matter. Had the old man gotten into some trouble and needed him to clean up the mess? *At his age, how can he still be so reckless?* he thought to himself. 

Entering the study—where Christopher had been working ever since his promotion to councilor—Liu Lei asked, "What did you need me for?" The old mage, who had been engrossed in his work, paused and walked over to Liu Lei. "Now that you're a senior councilor, there are some secrets you need to be aware of. Follow me," he said, then gestured for Liu Lei to follow him as he returned to his desk. 

Liu Lei followed with a puzzled look on his face. Christopher moved aside the chair next to the desk, lifted the carpet, and uncovered a section of the floor. Beneath it was an electronic lock with a touch screen. Christopher shot Liu Lei a sly glance before placing his hand on the fingerprint scanner. The screen flickered and displayed "Fingerprint Recognition Passed," followed by a sequence of numbers. Christopher typed a few digits, and, with a soft hum, the desk slid away to reveal a hidden staircase.

"Come on," Christopher said, noticing Liu Lei still standing there in a daze. Liu Lei felt puzzled. He had examined the villa's basement before, and it took up the entire underground area of the building. He had even used his spiritual sense to ensure there wasn't another level beneath it, so how could this hidden passage have appeared? Rubbing his head after the unexpected tap, Liu Lei murmured to himself, *Has this old fool been spending too much time with that violent woman?* He followed Christopher down the stairs, his curiosity piqued.

As he descended, he noticed the basement was unusually low. Standing inside, he could barely straighten his back. It dawned on him that the basement was actually built between the floor and the true underground level. No wonder he had felt the villa's basement seemed deeper than usual at first; he had thought it was a precaution for secrecy, but now he realized there was more to it. Christopher stood below, waiting for him, and seeing the old mage bending uncomfortably, Liu Lei couldn't help but think, *This old fool must have overindulged in his younger days, messing up his back. No wonder he's having problems at his age. I'll have to find a way to make him visit more often...*

The basement was pitch dark, as dark creatures didn't require light; they could see perfectly well in the dark, though everything appeared tinged with a faint red glow. The space was sparsely furnished with various objects, the purpose of which Liu Lei could not discern—he wasn't a proper dark mage, after all. In the center of the room was a magical circle, its surface painted in black. 

Christopher explained, "The items around here are magical tools used by us dark mages. It's of no use to you; you're not a dark mage. You've been using blood magic developed by the Tremere clan. I'm curious, though, how did you come to possess blood magic without being part of the Tremere clan? Oh, right, which clan are you from?"

Liu Lei replied in a low voice, "I'm from no clan."

"What's that?" Christopher asked, startled. Then, seeing Liu Lei's dark expression, he seemed to understand and fell silent. He turned back to continue explaining the basement: "That magical circle was drawn with the blood of a black cat. It serves multiple functions— it can teleport small items or facilitate long-distance communication. It's one of the greatest inventions of dark mages, based on..." He abruptly stopped and added, "But why am I telling you this? You're a novice in magical arrays. It's pointless to explain it to you." Liu Lei was frustrated, but it was true that his understanding of magical circles was limited. He knew of some ancient spells that revived evil gods from the past, but those circles seemed unusable now due to their overwhelming power requirements.

As Christopher muttered a long series of incantations before the magical circle, Liu Lei felt his mood lift. Unlike dark mages, blood magic did not require chants— it was activated through the practitioner's own blood, requiring no communication with dark forces. Christopher's chant ended, and the magical circle began to hum with energy. Liu Lei jumped as the figure of the chairman materialized from the shadows. *What luck,* he thought, surprised to see the leader appear first. 

After exchanging formal greetings, Christopher spoke, "Honored Chairman, as you requested, I've brought Liu Lei here today." The chairman nodded, and Liu Lei stepped forward, bowing deeply. "Greetings, Chairman."

"Liu," the chairman began, "you remember what we discussed last time?"

"Of course, Chairman," Liu Lei replied.

"Good. I still need a week to prepare. In the meantime, I suggest you familiarize yourself with the alchemy of our dark world. I'll send over some materials for you to study, and if you have any questions, Christopher will assist you." Christopher immediately responded, "Of course!"

The chairman handed over ancient alchemical texts written on parchment. Liu Lei spent his days studying the dark alchemy and his nights continuing with his "Spiritual Corpse Project." After a few days, he gained a basic understanding of alchemy and worked hard to master the principles of magical arrays. He eventually figured out how the magic circle in the basement worked: it was essentially a combination of a teleportation array and a memory array. Theoretically, anything could be transported via the teleportation array, and by using a memory array to record images and sounds, these recordings could then be transmitted to another array and repaired, resulting in the complex magic circle in the basement. 

Dark alchemy primarily focused on selecting and combining materials to achieve the desired effects. Mastery of magical arrays was also essential, as they were used not only in the synthesis of objects but also inscribed on items to enhance their power. According to the ancient texts, the basic assignment for an alchemy apprentice was to create a mage's staff, so Liu Lei decided to craft one to test his progress.

A mage's staff must facilitate the storage and transmission of magical energy. The more energy it stores, the more spells the mage can cast in battle, and the faster it transmits the energy, the quicker the mage can cast spells consecutively. Crystals were ideal for storing magical energy, while rare metals provided the fastest transmission. However, to enhance the staff's power, it was generally crafted to be human-height. Given the dark mages' physical limitations, too much rare metal would make the staff impractically heavy, much like a werewolf's massive axe. Using large magic-storing crystals would slow the transmission and could even cause blockages or cause the staff to explode.

Two days later, Liu Lei presented the staff he had crafted to Christopher.

Christopher, astonished, looked at Liu Lei expectantly and asked, "You made this?" Liu Lei nodded vigorously. Christopher, realizing the significance, was stunned. Liu Lei didn't know this, but Christopher did. In the Dark Association, there were no more than four alchemists capable of crafting such a staff. The ancient scrolls Liu Lei had been reading were hidden in the association, and the current level of alchemy was far below what it had been in those days. What had once been a "basic task" now required a master's expertise. 

Christopher examined the staff carefully: it was small, about the length of an arm, with a thickness perfect for holding. At the top was a high-quality amethyst crystal, and the staff itself was made of obsidian, the fastest material for magical transmission, slightly heavy but still manageable. The staff's head featured two small metallic wings. After sensing it, Christopher estimated that the staff could amplify magic by two levels. He was astonished—this staff exceeded his expectations. Even with the best materials, such an outcome was extraordinary, especially considering the short length of the staff. *How did he achieve this?*

Seeing Christopher's expression, Liu Lei knew he had passed his test. With a cheerful "This is for you," he excitedly left the room, ignoring Christopher's calls.

Using the magical arrays he learned from the *Great River Treatise*, Liu Lei had infused the amethyst with a converging array, doubling the power stored within it. The wings were inspired by his own experience, each engraved with a magic-enhancing array to create a dual amplification effect. The obsidian staff had been tempered with his own True Fire and infused with a jade bead from China, allowing the magical energy to flow like water.

A week later, Liu Lei returned alone to the stone fortress in Siberia. Six months later, a terrifying dark force erupted from the fortress. The skies above Siberia darkened, thunder rumbled, and torrential rain poured down—the birth of the magical artifact. The force receded momentarily, then erupted again with even greater intensity. All the raindrops were sent flying by the surge, and the entire desert shook. Far away in the Vatican, the Pope stood suddenly, sensing the change. "The third artifact has been awakened," he murmured, "the world will no longer remain at peace."