The axe formed from Myst's Power collided with the spider leg enhanced by the Blood River Plane. In an instant, hallucinations appeared before Locke's eyes. He saw a blood-colored tide like a small mountain viciously crashing toward him.

Locke was sent flying by this enormous force.

Meanwhile, Nidhogg's pupils suddenly contracted. Although the highly compressed Myst's Power couldn't match the blood river that had achieved complete overwhelming victory in total power, the axe formed after Myst's Power was extremely compressed cut through his permanent defensive force field like a stone cutting into tofu, severing one of his spider legs.

Nidhogg gritted his teeth, feeling an enormous threat, while his eyes simultaneously revealed extreme malice. "This person cannot be allowed to stay in the Land of Six Towers. Otherwise, our Basil family will never have a chance to rise."

"One Grand Wizard Sulla is already enough."

"I don't want a second Grand Wizard Sulla to appear."

The ritual magic formation behind Nidhogg operated again, borrowing more power from the Blood River Plane. His body swelled up again, his skin surface covered with patterns.

"Power, Blood River Plane, give me more power."

A blood-colored defensive barrier formed around his body. He pressed forward, stepping on a small mountain peak and directly stepping toward Locke.

Locke watched Nidhogg move like a mountain peak and was slightly stunned, because the opponent's power had clearly exceeded the First Circle level.

"By borrowing power from other planes, one can use external forces to elevate one's power beyond individual limits. Is this what ritual magic is?"

The Large Green Leaf Dragon Sparrow behind Locke flapped its wings. He moved quickly through the attacks from the opponent's massive body to avoid attacks from the remaining four spider legs.

Locke frowned. He noticed that now that Nidhogg had used the simplified version of Grand Magic, he could actually break through his Nature Force Field.

Continuing to fight was seriously disadvantageous for him.

The King of the Dead he had summoned picked up his bone sword, wanting to approach Nidhogg, but before getting close, he was blown down by magical pressure mixed with Blood River Plane power. The next moment, he was destroyed by one of Nidhogg's spider legs.

After all, it was just a vaporization stage archaeology spell.

The Suzerain in Locke's hand limited the level of archaeology undead he could summon.

Currently, he had only mastered History Pointer, Summon King of the Dead, and Summon King of the Tomb—these three archaeology spells.

The more advanced archaeology spells in the Wizard King's Grimoire were slow to learn due to the Suzerain's level limitations.

As for History Reenactment, he was also learning it quickly, but just hadn't completely mastered it yet.

Nidhogg spat out poisonous silk like meteors, and relying on spider intuition to predict Locke's movements, several times the poisonous silk had already contaminated Locke's body and successfully transmitted bloodline toxins. But the next moment, Locke used Primordial Fire and potion studies methods to refine the bloodline toxins completely clean.

"It's just First Circle level bloodline toxins. I can still handle them. Moreover, I previously endured so many types of bloodline toxins from Wizard Basil, plus I have large amounts of his memory fragments. My understanding of bloodline toxins has greatly increased."

Locke looked at Nidhogg. "There's no choice. After all, he's a First Circle crystallization stage wizard."

"I can only use that."

The opponent clearly came with ill intentions. This matter couldn't end well.

A primordial rune mark appeared on Locke's forehead. A terrible aura emerged from Locke's body. At the same time, his entire heart stopped beating for a moment. The next moment, when his heart began beating again, massive natural energy converged toward him.

Even the nature within Poisonous Valley felt jubilant toward Locke who revealed his identity.

By using the Ferocious Beast panel to amplify magical pressure, Locke's magical pressure officially crossed 9000 for the first time, directly flipping to 9999.

Although the Ferocious Beast panel could double the data, after 9000, every increase of one point was vastly different, and there was a soul limit problem. So Locke couldn't have magical pressure exceeding 10,000.

As long as there wasn't a second breakthrough of the soul limit, no wizard could possibly break through ten thousand magical pressure!

At that time, Nidhogg's magical pressure and Locke's magical pressure were identical for the first time.

Moreover, Nidhogg felt an enormous threat from Locke. That bone-deep fear exploded in his heart in an instant.

Nidhogg was startled and hurriedly used the Mentalism School's viper pupil power to look at Locke, trying to intimidate him, but was bounced back by Locke using dragon's awe. Instead, he himself fell into a momentary loss of concentration.

At the same time, Locke seized the opportunity and poured all his magical pressure into the Nature Force Field, transforming it into a jade-green long spear. That spear instantly severed another of Nidhogg's spider legs, leaving him with only three legs, turning him into a three-legged spider.

Anger and fear intensified simultaneously in Nidhogg's eyes. "Damn it, he can actually still strengthen himself."

"Potion studies, breeding studies, botany, archaeology, bloodline studies..."

"His methods are so numerous, impossible to defend against." A trace of confusion flashed through Nidhogg. "How could a civilian wizard have so many resources for learning? Is he really a super genius? I've completely offended this person. No, I absolutely cannot let him escape unscathed."

"I have no way back now."

A trace of madness flashed through Nidhogg's eyes. "Blood River Plane, lend me more, more, I need more power."

The next moment, a blood river phantom appeared in the sky. A blood river rushed into his soul, actually truly lending him more power through ritual magic.

"Hahahaha..." Nidhogg looked at Locke and said viciously, "Foolish liquefaction stage wizard, you will never understand how powerful crystallization wizards are. The power I borrow through ritual magic has no limit."

Under the enhancement of over ten bloodline universal spells and blood river power, Nidhogg's spider legs swung toward Locke. The enormous impact force created a trench on the ground before even approaching it.

Locke directly used Myst's Power to clash head-on. The next moment, one of Nidhogg's massive spider legs was severed by Myst's Power and sent flying. Nidhogg also became a two-legged spider.

But even Locke, who was using the Ferocious Beast template, was sent flying by him. The Nature Force Field was completely scattered for an instant. That weapon compressed from the permanent defensive force field also cracked inch by inch.

Fortunately, he had the Immortal Dragon Scale protecting his body, so he wasn't killed by that kick just now.

Locke rolled on the ground. The situation before him was unprecedentedly dangerous.

This was his first battle with a wizard one stage higher than himself. The opponent's ritual magic was indeed formidable. An mediocre wizard who was completely suppressed by him before using ritual magic could, after using ritual magic, only be fought to this extent even when he used Myst's Power, the Ferocious Beast panel, the Immortal Dragon Scale, and archaeology methods all together.

Using the Large Green Leaf Dragon Sparrow, Locke avoided the poisonous silk the opponent spat out and looked at Nidhogg. "His power is actually still increasing? Could what he said be true—that the Blood River Plane's support for him is unlimited?"

"How is that possible?"

"If that's the case, I have one last move." Locke's eyes were resolute. "In the secret realm, end my own life and forcibly exit the secret realm. Once I exit, use the White Dragon Ring to summon White Dragon Tower's power and compete with Nidhogg for authority."

Locke dodged the opponent's attacks with difficulty, ready at any moment to act against his own heart. Suddenly, he looked at Nidhogg. "No, something's wrong with Nidhogg's condition."

At that time, Nidhogg was frantically launching attacks all around. He had fallen into madness. "This wizard cannot be left alive!"

"Cannot be left! Kill! Kill!"

A towering blood river boiled around him. Nidhogg's body grew larger and larger, but at the same time, his body actually began becoming transparent.

Nidhogg suddenly awakened. "No, the power I borrowed from the distant void using ritual magic is really too much."

"This is bad. This has already exceeded a limit."

"Terrible, the blood river has locked onto my soul and is demanding debt repayment." His eyes were clear for only a moment. Next, because the blood river continuously poured power into him, his body kept growing larger, then becoming like a giant connecting heaven and earth.

His power clearly changed from previously exceeding First Circle to now approaching Second Circle. Locke even suspected his current body had Second Circle strength.

The problem was that this was completely the result of the blood river pouring power into his body.

So the blood river began recalling his body, his soul, wanting to take back the power lent to him while also taking back his body and soul.

Originally, in wizard secret realms, one would never die no matter what.

But at this moment, Nidhogg broke this limitation. Because he used ritual magic recklessly, borrowing mysterious power from the distant void, at this moment he had already completely lost control.

Locke didn't know what would happen if his soul was summoned to the blood river, but looking at this situation, it definitely wouldn't be anything good.

"No!" A trace of rationality appeared in Nidhogg's eyes again, but his rationality didn't persist much, because at this moment he already completely possessed power equivalent to Second Circle. He became a giant as massive as heaven and earth.

He connected heaven and earth.

He stepped on Poisonous Valley.

A planar gate opened behind Nidhogg, wanting to suck him entirely in. At this moment, his body became half-phantom state. That was a special phenomenon formed by planar laws from the Blood River Plane pouring into his body.

Anyway, it wasn't anything good.

'Nidhogg' suddenly lowered his head and sent a mental invitation to Locke. "Locke Augustine, I've been watching you since you walked out of the poison pool."

"Sign a contract with me, and I will grant you unlimited power. You can borrow unlimited power from me—strong body, infinite healing. I can give you a body that won't die, won't fail."

"Sign a contract with me..."

Locke looked at that god-like 'Nidhogg' and knew that the one currently conversing with him wasn't the Basil family wizard, but a will of the Blood River Plane. Perhaps it was the Blood River Plane's will, perhaps something else.

"So this is what ritual magic is." Locke's expression was grave. "Those wizards who invented ritual magic were really too bold. This is fundamentally loans issued to wizards in the wizard world by special high-level worlds in the distant void where certain planar wills are overly active."

"If used cautiously in normal times, it's fine, but if willpower is insufficient and borrowed recklessly, the other party won't mind devouring the wizard who borrowed its power completely."

"Collecting interest."

Locke's expression changed slightly. He had no reason to agree, especially now that he had witnessed with his own eyes the other party completely devouring a wizard.

'Nidhogg' was still waiting for Locke's response, but perhaps because Locke currently only used a pile of methods to stack his magical pressure to 9999, and only the Three-Eyed Tiger Cat bloodline was at the First Circle crystallization stage, he didn't count as a true crystallization wizard.

Therefore, after waiting a while and finding that Locke had no response for a long time, 'Nidhogg' no longer waited but suddenly said coldly, "Locke Augustine, the gates of the Blood River Plane are forever open to you."

"In the infinite void, only I am most generous, able to promise you, to lend you unlimited power!"

The next moment, 'Nidhogg' actively walked into the planar gate. Nidhogg struggled one last time. After all, he was a First Circle crystallization wizard with 9100 magical pressure.

So facing the threat of death, he still made a final effort to save himself.

Unfortunately, the Blood River Plane directly elevated his magical pressure to an exaggerated fifteen thousand, elevating his power to Second Circle level.

In this way, it was equivalent to the Blood River Plane and wizard world jointly investing in him, and the Blood River Plane now held the majority stake, so it could directly pull him away from the wizard plane.

"No! Help, Eye Demon Wizard, save me!" Nidhogg, like a drowning person wanting to grasp a life-saving straw, reached out wildly, actually begging for help from his enemy Locke, whom he had wanted to kill earlier.

But ultimately, he still walked into the planar gate. At the same instant he entered the planar gate, a magical tidal flood was spat out from behind the planar gate by the Blood River Plane.

"What is this?" Confusion flashed in Locke's eyes. "Did the Blood River Plane spit back all the magical power contained in Nidhogg's soul?"

"So the Blood River Plane only wanted Nidhogg's soul?"

"From an energy conservation perspective, the Blood River Plane just now took back the power it lent Nidhogg and returned the wizard plane's power. So only Nidhogg's soul was pulled away by it."

"The Blood River Plane wants souls? No, the Blood River Plane wants high-value souls." Locke reacted. "And at minimum, souls of First Circle crystallization stage wizards."

Locke actively opened the Druid's Ring, summoning a dimensional gate in midair to receive the purest magical tidal energy formed after Nidhogg's death, when his spell models, magical pressure structure, bloodline power, and true blood were decomposed by the Blood River Plane.

These magical tides were very pure. Just collecting them in the Druid's Ring was greatly beneficial to the hundred-acre Forest Sanctuary within, saving him a large sum of money for purchasing soil fertilizer.

Just right—he really had no money recently.

Previously, to make Forest Sanctuary a mature forest, he directly spent all the money in his pockets.

After Nidhogg was absorbed into the Blood River Plane, Locke descended from midair. He closed the primordial rune and simultaneously dismissed the Hydra. The magical pressure in the Hydra had just been completely exhausted.

In this battle, he actually used all his methods and almost capsized.

"Is this the power of a First Circle crystallization stage wizard?"

"Being one stage apart, fighting is indeed like heaven and earth." Locke said fortunately, 'Fortunately, his ritual magic went out of control. This counts as self-destruction, right?'