Chapter 463: You Win

“B-benefits…?” Lin Li repeated Connoris’ words. He could not understand what Connoris was speaking about. The hatching of magical crystals alone was a strange topic to begin with. Could a magical crystals hatch into another Dragon of Destruction?

“That’s right…” Connoris affirmed Lin Li’s doubts with a soft laughter. “The term ‘hatch’ is just a layman’s term. The actual process is more complicated. I’m not scaring you. Although you are extremely close to the Legendary-realm, it will take you very long to hatch this magical crystal…”

“Why did you even tell me, then??” Lin Li snapped at Connoris in disappointment. That fella was a real ancient deity. His vast living experience had definitely allowed him to witness many invincible existences. If he were to say that the hatching of the crystal would take a long time, it would certainly be longer than what Lin Li could imagine.

“But, you don’t have to be disappointed. Although your current ability would not allow you to hatch the magical crystal, it does not mean that you won’t be able to gain any benefits… Didn’t I tell you that the Immortal King chose to hatch the magical crystal over absorbing its mana? That is because the process of hatching gave him greater benefits as compared to doing the latter…”

“What benefits?”

“There is only one method to hatch the magical crystal of the Dragon of Destruction, which is to input your mental strength into the crystal to activate the bit of Spiritual Brand left in the magical crystal. This might sound very simple, but do know that it is like using droplets of water to penetrate a slab of stone. It would be a long and arduous process. The Immortal King used a century to complete the task, and I can estimate that you would need roughly two decades to do the same—”

“Why don’t you just go and die?” Lin Li interrupted Connoris in agitation. Even if he were to reach the Legendary-realm and extend his lifespan by 100 years, he wouldn’t be able to survive two more centuries. It would be a waste of energy to transmit his mental strength just to hatch another Dragon of Destruction for such a long period of time…

“Don’t worry. Let me tell you slowly…”

“What other things can you talk about?”

“Didn’t you ask me what benefits were there to gain? The magical crystal of the Dragon of Destruction not only contains a massive amount of energy, it also has the laws of Darkness and Evilness, as well as the experience and knowledge of the dragon. However, all such information is hidden within the Spiritual Brand. Instead of absorbing it from the magical crystal directly, you can just transmit your mental strength to awaken the lingering Spiritual Brand. The amount of laws, experience, and knowledge to seep out depends on the strength of your mental strength. A stronger mental strength would allow you to get more information from the Spiritual Brand. Immortal King failed to hatch the magical crystal within a few years, because he had not understood the Dragon of Destruction well…”

“I understand it now…” Lin Li said as he nodded his head. He really understood it now. In fact, it was not just the magical crystal of the Dragon of Destruction. The same applied for the crystals for normal magical beasts. Innate spells could be passed down through the Spiritual Brand, and the best method to acquire them was to use mental strength to engulf that Spiritual Brand. That was what many mages would do. However, their mental strength was only enough to devour magical crystals below level-10. The process would become incredibly dangerous if the magical crystals were to be level-15 or higher. Carelessness would lead to the collapse of mana. Hence, the treatment for magical crystals above level-15 was usually completed through mageweaths, as well as the more complicated Alchemy Arrays.

As for Legendary magical crystals… Lin Li had never heard any mages having the courage to devour them.

However, the magical crystal of the Dragon of Destruction was different. Comparable to the divine, the existence of the dragon itself was as powerful as the Dragon Aspect. Even if the Immortal King and Geresco were to come back to life, they would not have the ability to devour the innate power within the magical crystal. In fact, it was not a skill within the crystal, but a mantra—the core magical mantra of Anril!

Lin Li and Connoris had been conversing through their mental strength. Although it seemed to have been quite a while, it only took a blink of an eye. The interaction between mental strength could happen instantaneously. When Lin Li nodded to express understanding for the situation, Hutton had not yet registered the situation around him…

“M-Mage… Mage Felic, erm… Is that… Is that the…” Hutton stammered as he fixed his gaze on the black figure at the end of the pathway. It emitted such an incredibly strong force that anyone would know that it was at least a Legendary existence…

Although Hutton was the first heir of the Malfa Family, as well as a level-18 Archmage, he had met a limited number of Legendary powerhouses in his life. Now that he had trespassed the territory of a Legendary figure, Hutton’s fear was to be expected. Furthermore, the Legendary powerhouse was the Lord of Darkness that ruled over the Abyss of Tharlen…

“That’s right, he is the Lord of Darkness…” Lin Li said as he nodded. He held the Aether Staff in his hands. Lin Li knew that words would be meaningless before the reincarnation of the Dragon of Destruction. How would the ruler of the Abyss of Tharlen be moved by a few words?

Anyway, the black figure before them was just part of the Dragon of Destruction. After the fall of the dragon, the consciousness of the Lord of Darkness had shattered entirely. What was left was just strong power and a bit of instinct…

Lin Li finally understood Tutankhamun’s intention behind sending him here…

After the fall of the Dragon of Destruction, Immortal King had used the magical crystal to hatch Tutankhamun and his brother. They governed over the mantra of Darkness and Evilness. It was as good as saying that the summation of the brothers was equal to another Dragon of Destruction. But, neither Tutankhamun nor his brother was entirely complete.

The reason was related to the Lord of Darkness…

At this time, Lin Li even started to suspect if the Dragon of Destruction had predicted his own fall. If not, why would he let his reincarnation enter the Abyss of Tharlen for just a bit of power? It was this action that caused Tutankhamun and his brother to be unable to truly grasp the mantras of Darkness and Evilness.

It seemed that the motive of Tutankhamun in sending the three of them into the Abyss of Tharlen was not only a test, but also a trick to use them to recover his lost powers.

Of course, it was unlikely he wanted to do something to them. Otherwise, Tutankhamun could very well use his powers to threaten the three men to help him. He was the descendant of the Dragon of Destruction. Having inherited half of Azardas’ powers, it was incredibly easy to go against Archmages in their 20s…

In conclusion, a battle would be inevitable.

The World of Void would only disappear when the last trace of the Dragon of Destruction vanished. There was neither the Teleportation Portal nor the Throne of Darkness. The real Throne of Darkness was this entire world!

“Mage Felic, what should we do…?” Hutton asked in a trembling voice. After all, although the first heir of the Malfa Family was talented, this would be the first time he was going to wrestle with a Legendary creature…

“Erm…” Lin Li smiled helplessly. “I only can say: let’s do this!” Lin Li replied after downing a bottle of potion.

“Huh?”

Before Hutton could complete a sentence, he saw the space around him distort. A Humerus Wyrm broke out from the void majestically with a sense of evilness and coldness. An earth-trembling growl reverberated. Instantly, death aura filled the entire world.

“Hutton, help me hold onto this…” Lin Li threw the Summoning Lamp over to Hutton as he cast a Levitation Spell, and landed on the back of the Humerus Wyrm gracefully. Lin Li gripped onto his Aether Staff tightly and emitted an outrageous amount of magical wave…

“L-Legendary-realm!” Hutton exclaimed in shock. His confusion made him ignore the fact that Lin Li gave him his Summoning Lamp. Hutton had always thought that the young President was on par with himself in terms of ability, and that as long as he worked harder and put in more effort, he would be able to catch up with his back view…

However, Hutton now knew he’d been utterly wrong…

Even if it was the talented Geresco, he would never be able to enter the Legendary-realm at the crazy age of 20. If that were to spread, it would create a big commotion in whole Anril, let alone in the Felan Kingdom. The news might even let the High Elves that had been dead for 1300 years jump out of their graves.

Hutton felt that he was a magic talent himself. Being an Archmage in his 20s, there was 70% chance for him to reach the Legendary-realm. Even his mentor, Cheyenne, had once said that he and Stephen were the only two such young talents in the whole of Breezy Plains.

But, when Hutton watched that young President ride on the Humerus Wyrm, he could only feel his face getting warmer. If Mentor Cheyenne said he was a talent, what about this Legendary-mage who was just 20 years old?

“Don’t be so surprised.” That was the young President. He had seen through Hutton’s thoughts. “I’m not as powerful as you think. It was the potion…” Lin Li said as he flung an empty potion bottle onto the ground.

After that, the Humerus Wyrm spread its wings and soared into the air. It was like a humongous gray cloud, hanging above the black figure.

“The effect of a potion?” Hutton gasped as he bent his back to pick up the bottle the young President threw on the ground. He held it before his nose and took a sniff…

Although Hutton was not too accomplished in the study of pharmaceutics, and was not a Guru-level monster like Lin Li, he had a talent that Lin Li wouldn’t be able to imagine.

The Malfa Family had been known for their business in the black market. The great wealth they had accumulated over the century was comparable to the Glittergold Trade Union’s. As the first heir of the family, Hutton had lost count of the different types of potions he had drunk from a young age. Although Hutton was not an expert in pharmaceutical studies, with the personal mentorship of the Legendary-mage Cheyenne, he was still well-versed in pharmaceutical knowledge.

He recognized the pungent smell as soon as he picked up the bottle. That was the Seethe of Mana Potion.

“It is indeed not as absurd as what I imagined…” Hutton put down the potion bottle slowly. He had a bitter smile on his face. How could he not know the effects of the Seethe of Mana Potion? The potion was just a simplified version of the All-Knowing Potion. The All-Knowing Potion could increase the level of a mage by a single level, and would give a level-19 Archmage the powers of a Legendary-mage.

As compared to the All-Knowing Potion, the effect of the Seethe of Mana Potion was much weaker. It could help expand the mana of the mage and activate his optimal potential. If the mage was lucky and his powers were close to reaching the next level, he would be able to lift his abilities to that level instantaneously.

However, the Seethe of Mana Potion had a huge disadvantage. While the effect of a bottle of All-Knowing Potion could last for half an hour, a bottle of the Seethe of Mana Potion could only last for a minute. Its effects were too short-lived.

The only advantage of the Seethe of Mana Potion was its minimal side effects. Mages who were healthier could afford to consume a few bottles of it together, and not worry that the side effects would be detrimental to their health.

The young President was definitely not at the Legendary-realm. However, Hutton could really not imagine the difference between a mage that entered the Legendary-realm with the help of a Seethe of Mana Potion and a mage who already was in the realm itself.

If a mage could use the Seethe of Mana Potion to enter the Legendary-realm, it meant that he really was one step away from the realm. In reality, this was a fact that could be overlooked. As long as this Archmage wanted to invest his time, he could break into the realm any time he wished to.

Hutton had always been very curious about the true powers of the young President. He did not stop wanting to test his abilities ever since he’d met him in the Blackstone Mountains, yet he was always tamed by his own fear for the President.

Finally, Hutton had his doubts cleared…

However, the answer made him feel utterly hopeless.

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It was the realization that he would never be able to catch up with this young guild President…

There was an indescribable difference between an Archmage in his 20s, and a monster who had one leg in the Legendary-realm. Although it was rare to meet Archmages in their 20s in the 1300 years after the Dark Age, there were many of them in Anril now. There were at least a hundred of them in just the Breezy Plains¹.

However, who had met a Legendary-realm powerhouse who was 20 years old? Even Geresco, the man who was known as the God of Mages, only reached the Legendary-realm at the age of 30. As compared to him, this young President was exactly a decade early…

It is 10 years…!

If Geresco was really the human god he was known for, he probably would come to the mortal world in rage after knowing someone surpassed him like that.

Yet, why did the President chose the Seethe of Mana?

In normal cases, if that young President wished to enter the Legendary-realm forcefully, he would need to use the All-Knowing Potion. It would last for half and hour, and was a more stable and powerful potion compared to the Seethe of Mana. With that, it would be sufficient for him to complete the entire battle.

Alright, if the All-Knowing Potion only existed in legends and President Felic had absolutely no way of acquiring it, he should have the Quick-Thinking Potion. That was similarly a high-level pharmaceutical product. Although it did not have the ability to let the young President reach the Legendary-realm, the extra mana he could gain from the enhancement would be twice the amount of what he currently had. Could it be that a minute of Legendary-realm powers was far more powerful than doubling his mana?

Yet, it was a fact that the Quick-Thinking Potion would last for close to an hour!

Hutton always thought that the Seethe of Mana Potion was merely a joke. The only advantage it could bring was only the fact that somebody could drink a large amount of it in a short duration of time. But, who would be so sick to do that? The Seethe of Mana Potion was a high-level potion that might not be manufactured in the Breezy Plains, and had a retail price of a dozen thousand of gold coins. Only lunatics would drink it like plain water…

“What the f*ck, could that be what President Felic is thinking of?” A thought flashed past Hutton’s mind. His already pallid face became ashen.

Just when Hutton’s face was turning white, the ice flame Lin Li cast while he rode on the Humerus Wyrm signaled the start of the battle…

The moment the ice flame shot out of the Wyrm’s mouth, the black figure that had been staying quiet growled as well.

The thunderous growl cleared Lin Li’s doubts. He was absolutely positive that the black figure was not the real Lord of Darkness. Lin Li could hear from the growl that it was filled with pure killing intent. He knew that any living being—regardless if it were a magical beast or a demon—would have additional emotions within their growl. These emotions included anger, hatred, fear, hesitation, and many, many more…

Such a pure desire to kill could only prove that the black figure before them was not only not a living being, but also not the real Lord of Darkness.

The thought helped to calm Lin Li down…

Although the Lord of Darkness was powerful, it had lost the intelligence of the Dragon of Destruction. That was definitely great news. An enemy that had skills but was without intelligence would never be able to maximize its potential.

Lin Li’s view was filled with the ice flame that covered the sky. At the same time, there was a glaring light shining through the ice flame. Lin Li bent down and saw a sharp sword tearing the void…

“Holy sh*t!” It was Lin Li’s first time seeing such a powerful sword attack. He did not even see the level-21 Sword Sage of the Storm use one like it against the Salamander when he was at the Fire Plume Ridge…

The Humerus Wyrm was a real Legendary-level Undead creature. Moreover, after it signed the summon pact with Lin Li to allow it to use Lin Li’s massive mental strength, its combat ability rose to greater heights as compared to how it’d been in the Scar of Death. Although the ice flame could not kill Legendary powerhouse instantaneously, Lin Li did not expect the Lord of Darkness to be able to counter it with just a sword attack.

That was not an act of defense. That outrageous sword strike was an attack that effectively countered the ice flame!

Furthermore, things did not end after it went through the ice flame. The sword aimed at the Humerus Wyrm with a chilly aura.

Despite the fact that Lin Li entered the Legendary-realm with the help of the Seethe of Mana Potion, he could not help but let his heart skip a beat when he saw that sudden attack. It was too late to make the Humerus Wyrm dodge the sword. Lin Li proceeded to drink another bottle of the potion without further ado. At the same time, he cast three slabs of ice walls…

Ice Wall had been Lin Li’s commonly used spell ever since he got to level-18. Not to deny, the spell was very good defensively. Geresco cast the same spell when he appeared in the Spacetime Beacon Spell. His ability to also stay in the void demonstrated the reliability of the spells he chose to use.

However, such a reliable spell got countered almost instantaneously. The sword of the Lord of Darkness could make many Sword Sages tremble with fear. This sword filled with killing intent created black flames that nothing could stop. The three ice walls that Lin Li built crashed with a loud sound…

“That’s powerful…” Lin Li gaped. Despite being mentally prepared for this, Lin Li could not help but break out in a cold sweat.

Fortunately, the spell that was filled with killing intent and force of destruction wound down after it countered the ice flame and broke the three ice walls.

Lin Li made use of the down time to cast an Elemental Shield. However, this shield was revolving around his body. The ability to cast such a shield away from the user’s body was unique to Legendary powerhouses. In reality, only Legendary-mages had the ability to partake in such a battle. Lin Li was clearly aware of this, and it was what motivated him to drink the Seethe of Mana Potion.

Lin Li was not unaware of the effects of the All-Knowing Potion. Unfortunately, he only created one All-Knowing Potion, which he had already used it up when he was at the Scar of Death. Although the Quick-Thinking Potion was a good product, it was not feasible to use it in this situation.

There was a high chance for the Lord of Darkness to have level-21 powers. Although he had lost his previous consciousness and intelligence, and could only rely on his killing intent and instincts to continue the battle, it was definitely not what an Archmage could give a run for his money. Despite having close to unlimited mana and tremendous mental strength, Lin Li could only have still unlimited mana and greater mental strength however he tried to enhance them. He would never be able to increase his combat energy to the next level.

The current situation once again testified for Lin Li’s rightful decision to use the Seethe of Mana Potion.

The Elemental Shield turned into four Solar Spheres that represented earth, water, fire, and wind. They were like a durable and firm shield in front of the Humerus Wyrm.

At that instant, fire sparks splattered all over the space, and there was a loud clang that gave people goosebumps on their scalps. The noise sounded as though there were two thick pieces of metal scraping against each other.

“Arooo!” The growl of the Humerus Wyrm echoed through the entire world.

What the hell, why isn’t the Lord of Souls here to usurp the throne yet? I’m really losing my energy… Lin Li thought as he let the wyrm dive forward. Yet, they brushed past the Lord of Darkness. Before Lin Li had time to react, he saw a deep wound on the wyrm’s forehead…

This was the way a Legendary-level battle was supposed to be—malignant. That blow was deadly to the max. Despite the presence of an Elemental Shield and three ice walls, the wyrm could still not avoid being injured. If not for the aforementioned protection, that blow would’ve definitely sliced the wyrm’s head apart…

That being said…

As a Legendary-level Undead creature, even if the strength of the Humerus Wyrm was not as great as that of the Lord of Darkness, it still had the ability to fight back. The moment the sword landed on its head, its claws landed on the body of the Lord of Darkness…

When it was at the Scar of Death, the Humerus Wyrm could easily smash stone walls into powder with its claws. Even if the Lord of Darkness inherited the powers of the Dragon of Destruction, it would still suffer under the claws of the wyrm. That claws made the Lord of Darkness fly 100 meters away. Although it did not seem like the Lord of Darkness sustained any injury, Lin Li’s sharp mental strength told him that the aura from the Lord of Darkness had weakened a little…

The confrontation was detrimental to both parties. The crack on the head of the Humerus Wyrm would only be healed if Lin Li sought Sendros’s help. Otherwise, the powers of the Humerus Wyrm would definitely decrease by a realm. On the other hand, although the state of the Lord of Darkness was slightly better, it would also be impossible for it to recover from the injuries it had suffered, either instantaneously or eternally.

“Goddammit! Do you know that you are playing with fire?” Connoris jumped on Lin Li’s back while the two terrifying existences took a slight breather.

“I know my limits,” Lin Li replied, and tightened his grip on the Aether Staff. He drank his third bottle of the Seethe of Mana Potion. This meant that the battle had lasted for three minutes.

“What the f—” Connoris held back his urge of cussing at Lin Li. “Do you know who is your enemy? That is the Lord of Darkness that had governed the Abyss of Tharlen for 1000 years! It is even the reincarnation of the Dragon of Destruction, Azardas! Do you really think you could challenge it just by relying on that hilarious potion? I beg you to wake up from your dream. Not to mention that you are using a potion to enter the Legendary-realm, even if you really got into the realm naturally, you wouldn’t be able to challenge that monster before having a complete Magical Domain.”

“I know that… But, how would that matter? I don’t plan of killing it with my own hands. I only want to buy some time…”

“Buy time? Darn it, are you crazy? Your enemy is the Lord of Darkness, and you have the Lord of Souls that could appear anytime behind you. Now is really the prime time for you to engulf the Lord of Darkness with the magical crystal of the Dragon of Destruction. Don’t blame me for not warning you. It would be too late for anything when the Lord of Souls arrived. Do you think the demons and magical beasts at the Abyss Arena can really be an obstacle for the Lord of Souls?”

“Of course not…” Lin Li replied, shaking his head. “In fact, I’m buying the time to wait for the Lord of Souls to arrive…” Lin Li comforted Connoris by giving him a pat.

“…” Connoris drew a deep breath. “Y-you… You are waiting for the Lord of Souls to come? Do you think that there is too little trouble…?”

“I always pondered this question: when the Lord of Darkness defeated Mephistos that time, why did he not kill him, or use the Permanent Suppression on him? Why did he have to insist on slicing his soul into infinite fragments and scattering them across the Abyss of Tharlen? You may not know this, but the Lord of Souls is truly an existence that could be killed and suppressed. Since the Lord of Darkness is the reincarnation of the Dragon of Destruction, he would have 100 ways to kill the Lord of Souls completely. Why would he choose to destroy his soul instead of killing that beast?”

“Damn it, why would that matter to us? As long as we use the magical crystal of the Dragon of Destruction to engulf it, and return to Anril safely, all will be good. Why do you have to create so much trouble?”

“Connoris, are you still unclear on the situation? We wouldn’t be able to leave this place the moment the Lord of Darkness gets swallowed by the magical crystal of the Dragon of Destruction. If I didn’t guess it wrongly, the Lord of Souls should have long shrugged off the demons and magical beasts at the Abyss Arena…”

“You…” Connoris’ voice shook. “You mean…”

“I mean, the Lord of Souls has in fact been here for quite some time. It failed to act because of the Lord of Darkness. I dare to bet my life that Mephistos would take action the moment we use the magical crystal to swallow the Lord of Darkness. At that time, we really wouldn’t have the time to regret anything. Do not forget that Mephistos does not only have the ability of a level-20 Legendary powerhouse; I wouldn’t be able to survive his Soul Storm even with the help of countless Seethe of Mana Potion and the Humerus Wyrm if I didn’t use my brains…”

“Freak! Since when did that bastard Mephistos become so sly…?” Connoris sulked. At this time, he could not help but admit that Lin Li’s logical analysis was correct. Spirit Walkers were known to be crafty demons. As a Legendary-level Spirit Walker, Mephistos’ craftiness was bound to be beyond other Spirit Walkers’…

“But…” Connoris spoke after a short moment of silence. He had a new doubt. “So what if you manage to buy enough time? Mephistos would never keep waiting forever, and the battle between you and the Lord of Darkness would definitely have a winner and loser. When the time comes, wouldn’t Mephistos take action as well?”

“Oh, you can rest assured about this… I can’t promise other things, but there is something I am very confident about. As long as I can create the illusion that both parties are severely injured, and lure Mephistos out, I have 70% certainty that I can get rid of that sly fox…”

“What is your idea?”

“It is very easy…” Lin Li said as he smiled craftily. Just as he was about to share the secret with Connoris, he saw the black figure that was holding a sword move. This time, the murderous vibes became stronger and heavier. Despite being a few hundred meters away from it, Lin Li knew that it was going to be a tough battle. “Forget it, I will tell you later. You should help me to tackle the Lord of Darkness now, and stop patronizing me with the seal you have. You won’t benefit if I’m dead. I presume that the Lord of Souls would be very glad to swallow the soul of an ancient deity, though…”

“Damn it. You win!” Connoris hollered through gritted teeth.