Imprisoned for a Trillion Years, I Was Worshipped by All Gods! - Chapter 673

Chapter 673: Chapter229-The Desire to Grow Stronger
Afterward, Alan once again utilized the Mana Compression technique he had learned from the middle-aged man, aiming to accelerate the recovery of the Stone of Sage within his body.

However, vital energy was fundamentally different from mana—the gap between the two was as vast as that between clouds and mud.

So, even though he had compressed his mana and elemental energy to the very limit, the regeneration speed of the vital energy within the Stone of Sage remained painfully slow.

“How could this be?”

Alan frowned in confusion and chose to directly materialize the Stone of Sage into his hand.

At that moment, a strange resonance suddenly surged between his spirit and the Stone of Sage.

Before he could even react, he realized his perception had changed dramatically—he was no longer observing the First Layer of Hell with mere physical eyes.

Instead, he was seeing it from a far higher plane, as though through an unfathomably elevated dimension of awareness.

“So this is what it feels like to fully control Hell… It’s… surreal.”

He couldn’t help but recall what the black-robed woman had told him before falling into slumber.

She had said that with a Sealed Artifact like the Stone of Sage, he could eventually take full control of Hell—and even channel it into the real world.

But it was obvious that Alan’s current strength was nowhere near sufficient for such a feat.

Because even this brief glimpse into Hell through the lens of a higher being’s perspective had instantly drained all the mana he had just replenished.

And that wasn’t the end of it. After his mana was completely depleted, the elevated perspective began leeching off his mind power next.

For a fleeting moment, Alan felt as though his consciousness itself was on the verge of being assimilated by the terrifying essence of Hell.

In a panic, he quickly reabsorbed the Stone of Sage back into his body, terminating the dangerous state.

Only then did he notice that his entire body was drenched in sweat.

Every pore across his skin was gushing perspiration, and to his shock, he even saw tiny beads of blood forming on his chest.

Seeing this, Alan silently swore never to recklessly materialize the Sealed Artifact again.

This infernal land, wreathed in hellfire and madness, was not something he could hope to command at his current level.

After resting a bit more on the spot, Alan finally regained his composure from that lingering sense of dread.

Without thinking, he reached into the inner pocket of his clothes and pulled out a palm-sized clay figurine.

It was a small mud doll bearing a striking resemblance to Isabella.

Due to the exaggerated proportions—its body shrunken and head enlarged—it looked even more adorable than the original.

A smile curled at the corners of Alan’s mouth, though his brows were still furrowed.

“Sigh… I wonder if she’s doing okay without me. Is she getting used to the food at Frost Sanctum? Is she brushing her teeth on time…”

Muttering to himself, Alan gently descended onto the blackened terrain beside the lava lake.

He then unpacked his magical satchel and began smashing the rest of his magical gear, breaking them down into their purest, most elemental Origin Mana and absorbing it into his body.

Because he understood:

The sooner he could ascend to the rank of King Magus, the sooner he could reunite with Isabella.

Worrying right now was pointless.

Isabella had grown up—she could take care of herself.

Once he had fully recovered, Alan immediately conjured two long swords of metal element in his hands and began furiously slashing through the air.

Mana Overpressure—this technique had been personally taught to him by the old headmaster Gayle. Alan had used it as a foundation to develop his deadly move, True Death Eyes.

As for controlling mana internally, he had learned the advanced Mana Compression technique thanks to the insights shared by the middle-aged man.

Currently, his only major shortcoming was his lack of sufficient combat techniques that manipulated mana externally.

Though the Light Sword technique was powerful, it couldn’t be used indefinitely. And Lumen Sancta, after all, was merely an external artifact.

Alan needed to develop abilities of his own—ones that could hold off enemy assaults effectively.

Coincidentally, Alan wasn’t the only one who harbored such thoughts.

Francis, Fort, and even Blanche, after returning to their respective quarters, didn’t go straight to rest either.

The operation to rescue Isabella had opened their eyes—it made them painfully aware of just how weak they truly were.

They weren’t capable of assisting Alan in any meaningful way. In fact, once inside the ruins, they had to exert themselves fully just to avoid dragging him down.

That simply wasn’t acceptable.

Whether it was Stephen or the Lioncrest Academy lurking in the shadows, the threats surrounding them hadn’t lessened in the slightest.

They couldn’t afford to slack off—not just for survival, but for the future of Sirius Academy.

If they wanted Sirius to thrive in the years to come, they would have to work harder than ever before.

The night passed without incident.

By the evening of the next day, the royal-exclusive magic train rumbled powerfully into the Imperial Capital.

The people of the capital instantly erupted in excitement.

They weren’t just shocked by the sight of such a luxurious train—most had never seen one before—but also immensely curious about its passengers.

After all, the royal family of Plantagenet Kingdom was known for its low profile. It was rare for members of the royal household to appear openly in the public eye.

But now, as Alan and the others disembarked from the train, the crowd at the station erupted into chatter.

In no time, word of the event spread like wildfire throughout the capital.

Rumors swirled with no end in sight.

Some said Alan had officially begun collaborating with the royal family.

Others whispered about a secret romance with the third princess, Rosalia.

Some even claimed that the royals had fully abandoned Lioncrest Academy and were planning to support Sirius Academy and the Royal Magic Academy as the Empire’s only two official educational institutions.

Everyone had their own version of the truth.

Crowds of curious citizens gathered outside Sirius Academy in droves, hoping to find someone who could confirm or deny the rumors.

But Alan and the others showed no interest in explaining anything.

They remained focused on their training, never stepping outside the academy gates.

Meanwhile, elsewhere within the academy—

The old Gayle, having returned quietly, snuck into a hidden chamber beneath the school, away from the students’ eyes.

Lighting up the runes around the room with mana, he stepped in front of a massive amethyst crystal and spoke softly:

“Sirius is in danger. I humbly request the return of our alumni.”

Soon, silhouettes of numerous mages began to appear within the glowing crystal.

Some of them radiated a presence even greater than that of old Gayle.

“Gayle Drake? Now this is interesting. When did you become Sirius’s headmaster? And since when could you operate the Amethyst Energy Beacon?”

One elder, who appeared to be of similar age to Gayle, asked with a sly smile.

Gayle bowed his head slightly and replied in a heavy voice,

“All the ones stronger than me are dead. So the title of headmaster naturally fell to me.”

“Nonsense!”

Another figure stepped forward, shouting in rebuke.

“Gayle, don’t think we’ve forgotten what you did all those years ago!”

“Your stubborn arrogance drove the previous headmaster to his death and nearly plunged the entire academy into chaos!”

“And now, you come crawling back as headmaster, asking for our help as if nothing ever happened?”

Gayle lowered his head further.

He wanted to explain himself.

But when the words reached his lips, he found himself unable to say a thing.