by Zhuang Bifan
"What benefits can you give me?"
Connoris pondered for a long while before he finally decided. "If you help me, I will tell the method to control the Eternal Furnace!"
"No, you will tell me the method to control the Eternal Furnace, and then I will help you create a new body. This is the proper order—don't be mistaken."
"…" Even though he was unwilling, the great soul trader had to lower his noble head in the face of his only chance. "Deal. I hope you keep your words!"
"Relax, honesty is the best policy. Even though I am not some damned soul trader, I still run by this principle."
"Ok, I'll trust you!"
"You can only trust me…" Lin Li pouted, and did not show Connoris any respect. It was obvious that the Brand Of Dusk was its only chance. If it were to miss this opportunity, it would have to wait thousands of years again. With such a long end of the stick, why would Lin Li be polite to it? Anyway, this fella was a demon, so Lin Li did not feel any remorse for extortion.
Both of them walked past the corridor, and quickly arrived in front of tightly shut door.
Chapter 195 - Heart
After gently pushing open the tightly shut gates, the scene that Lin Li saw was beyond his expectations. There was not a burning furnace, nor an unbearable temperture. There were only all sorts of bizarre runes, fluttering in the air like butterflies.
Beyond the tightly shut gates was a completely different world. Just standing there made Lin Li feel like he was dreaming. The sky above him was full of stars, and there was a bright and clear moonlight under a bright moon, while under his feet was a bottomless abyss that was a mix of red and black. With the shrilling howls, it was as if blood and darkness were relentlessly entangling together.
These two different sceneries had perfectly merged together. It was not in the slightest bit abrupt, but, in fact, had a harmonious sense of beauty.
"How is it, not bad, right?" The great soul trader was abnormally excited. It brought Lin Li into the endless void while proudly showing off. "This is the only Void Crack within Felan. It is in between the abyss and the star world. When Osric was building the Eternal Furnace, it was me that brought him here. Look below your feet, that is my hometown—the abyss where countless demons reside."
"Oh…" Lin Li nodded; he seemed apathetic. Within a day, he had experienced too much excitement. The assassination of a level-16 archmage, the floating Infernal Palace, as well as a 1200 year old hammer. Oh, yes… within this hammer was a great soul trader. All of these felt like it was a dream.
Lin Li thought that since it was a dream, another Void Crack would be nothing much…
With such thoughts, Lin Li followed Connoris into the Void Crack. The feeling was really weird as all he saw was a boundless abyss, but it felt like solid ground when he stepped on it. Looking at that endless entanglement of blood and darkness made Lin Li feel curious.
The center of the Void was crimson red, and when Lin Li approached it, he could clearly see that this crimson red was heavy and palpitating.
"Dom, dom, dom! Dom, dom, dom!" The sound was slow but rhythmic—it was like a strong heartbeat. The numerous rays of crimson red radiating from this heart were entangled like a spider's web. They stretched all the way to the boundaries of the void.
"This is the heart of the Eternal Furnace, the magical crystal of a fire dragon. Back in the day, after Osric had caught this fire dragon called Red Fang, he did not kill it immediately. Instead, he constrained it in the Void Crack, and used a sharp blade to split open its skull, extracting this magical crystal. He then channeled of Red Fang's life force into this crystal when it was on the verge of dying so as to allow it to maintain life. Look at it now, doesn't it look like it's alive?"
"Indeed…" Lin Li nodded. The life force that was emitted from this magical crystal was indeed full of vigor. It was like heaven and earth when it was compared to the rock that he had extracted from the Dragon of Destruction.
"Look at these now…" After Connoris had finished speaking, it brought Lin Li to the spiderweb. "The Eternal Furnace and that heart are connected by these webs. Enormous amounts of energy are transferred through this and provide energy to operate the Eternal Furnace. This is also the method for Osric to pass down orders. So, from a certain perspective, this heart is actually the real controller of the Eternal Furnace. Obtaining it is the same as obtaining the whole Eternal Furnace."
"What should I do?" Lin Li did not hesitate at all. For him, the temptation of the Eternal Furnace was too huge. This was related to Osric's secret and a world that was untouched. It was related to a floating castle. In Lin Li's perspective, all of these were filled with a lethal temptation.
"Just place the hand with the Brand Of Dusk on it."
"So simple?" Lin Li looked at, but did not rush to place his hand. Instead, he reached out and grabbed Connoris, opening the Ring of Endless Storm at the same time.
"You… what are you doing?" Connoris immediately had a shock when it was grabbed. It was especially so when it saw the dark portal that emerged from the Ring of Endless Storm. It was so scared that its voice was shaky.
"Nothing…" Lin Li smiled, and, with an earnest look, explained, "This is the magical crystal of a fire dragon. I'm just worried it might hurt you if I stir up something too big. For your safety, I decided to put you into the portal. Relax, other that being a bit dark, it is absolutely safe…"
"What the hell! Put me down, I am not hiding in some damned portal!"
"Mr. Connoris, please cooperate. This will be better for both of us."
"You're still suspicious of me!"
"Of course. You operate a soul trading business. Whom else can I be suspicious of? Don't forget, you lied to me once just now and told me that you are the relic of the Dark Iron Dwarves, Moradin. Now, there is a red dragon's magical crystal. How can I know you're not lying to me again?" After recounting Connoris' lies, Lin Li then showed an earnest look again. "But don't worry, I am a virtuous person. I won't do anything to you. I'll just place you inside the portal, and release you once it is safe."
"Really?"
"Of course! However, if anything were to happen to me, don't think about living peacefully. Let me tell you honestly, this ring is called Endless Storm. Whatever secret it has, even I am not clear. I only know that whatever is placed inside… unless I am the one that does it, not even Osric can release you if he is resurrected."
After he finished speaking, he affectionately patted Connoris with his hand. "So, Mr Connoris, you'd better start praying now that I don't run into any trouble. Otherwise, you better be prepared to stay inside the portal forever…"
"Shameless!" Connoris struggled within Lin Li's hand. Its angry roar seemingly echoed throughout the whole portal. "You're actually suspicious of such a kind demon like me!"
"Cut the bullsh*t…" Lin Li was too lazy to listen to him. He lifted his hand and shoved it into the Ring of Endless Storm.
"You… Wooo…"
Connoris' voice drowned within the Ring of Endless Storm. The Void Crack immediately became unusually quiet. Other than Lin Li's breathing, there was only the sound of the gigantic heart's beating…
Lin Li stood in front of the gigantic heart, feeling the heat that seemed to be palpable. This time, Connoris was not lying. This was indeed a fire dragon's magical crystal. This was definite. Lin Li could clearly feel the pure yet powerful aura. Only magical beasts that surpassed the legendary-level could produce such a terrifying power.
Lin Li took a breath, and slowly stretched out his right hand. The Brand Of Dusk on the ring finger started to shimmer…
"Boom!" Just when the right hand had come in contact with the heart, Lin Li heard a loud sound.
Following this loud sound, an endless stream of energy started to leak out from the gigantic heart instantaneously like flood waters. It surged towards the Brand Of Dusk, and, in that instant, the Brand Of Dusk that was already scorching became as hot as white-hot iron. It was so hot that Lin Li felt like cutti
ng off his finger.
Yet, at the same time, Lin Li's boundless mental strength also seemed to have found an opening, and surged towards the Brand Of Dusk. Two kinds of energy of the same scale were clashing together like Mars crashing into Earth. Suddenly, there was a bloom of a blinding light…
"Boom!" Lin Li seemed to have heard a loud sound.
After that, everything was deathly quiet.
It seemed like everything had disappeared. The gigantic heart stopped beating; the sky full of stars was now dark. The Demonic Abyss that was an entanglement of red and black seemed to be blocked by a fog. Even Lin Li could not feel not feel the existence of his body. It was like his soul had separated from his body, leaving behind a weak consciousness fumbling about with difficulty.
There was no sound nor light—just an endless darkness and solitude…
Nobody knew how long this state continued for. Maybe a year, or maybe a second. In short, it was under these circ.u.mstances that Lin Li suddenly saw a ball of fire rising, and then he felt countless memories entering his brain…
These were fragments of memories that were like shattered glass that had been cut up by someone. Some were images, some were voices. There were even some that were a vague feeling. If he wanted to find out what they had in common, then it would still be as messy and incomprehensible.
With the surge of the countless fragmented memories entering his brain, Lin Li instantly felt a sharp pain. This pain was at the level far from anything that a human would be able to tolerate. It was like an invisible hand had reached into his brain and relentlessly roiled.
The entanglement of the chaotic fragments of memories was like a mess. Both the old and current memories were repelling and swallowing each other. No matter how powerful Lin Li's mental strength was, he almost fainted. He was hugging his head with red eyes and rolling on the floor as if he had went mad. There were consecutive painful groans as pain that'd never been felt before was continuously torturing him.
This torture went on for a long while before Lin Li finally felt that the fragments of memories that almost drove him mad had finally calmed down.
When Lin Li opened his eyes, a thought appeared in his head. So that's what happened…
This was a natural realization that was like the time when he used the Scroll of Wishes—he suddenly felt that he knew all of the life skills thoroughly. It was just that the previous process was more peaceful; this time, it was incomparably painful.
Chapter 196 - Fusion
Lin Li stood quietly in the Void Crack, and felt a powerful force that he'd never encountered before. The fusion that took place just now had given him countless fragments of memories and a strength that was beyond comparison. This strength not only came from the magical crystal of the fire dragon, but also came from the eternal furnace.
Only in this moment did Lin Li understand why Connoris said that if he were to obtain the heart, it would also mean that he had obtained the Eternal Furnace. It was because both the heart and the eternal furnace were a single entity. The heart was the eternal furnace, and vice versa.
When Lin Li left his own Spiritual Brand on the gigantic heart, all the memories and power that had been acc.u.mulated by the Eternal Furnace for 1200 years had surged into the Brand Of Dusk like flood waters. This was a process that was repelling and swallowing one another. When the countless fragments of memories had been pieced together, they then formed a complete eternal furnace.
Although Connoris was the only one other than Osric to know of the Eternal Furnace's existence, even this great soul trader did not know how dangerous the process was. The moment the countless memory fragments surged in, the assault on one's mental strength was far beyond what a human could tolerate. Even Osric, the creator of the Eternal Furnace, might not be able to tolerate it.
Fortunately, Connoris met Lin Li. The mental strength that was almost unlimited had saved Lin Li's life, avoiding the fate where Connoris would be trapped in the Ring of Endless Storm for an eternity.
When the swallowing and fusion had been completed, Lin Li became the owner of the Eternal Furnace.
It could also be said that Lin Li was the Eternal Furnace, and the Eternal Furnace was Lin Li. Through the connection between the Brand Of Dusk and the heart, there was no longer a distinction between him and this enormous sky fortress.
The only thing Li Li needed now was to control this power better.
This process might be long, but it was not incomprehensible, because all the methods and skills had filled his brain along with the countless of memory fragments.
"How is it, Connoris? Have you gotten used to the portal?" Lin Li opened the Ring of Endless Storm and took out the hammer that Connoris was residing in.
"What the hell! You dare to treat a great soul trader in this manner!" Connoris was furious. If the hammer had a mouth, it would have bitten Lin Li.
"Am I not doing this for your own good…" Lin Li rubbed his nose; he seemed to feel awkward. He might have been in the wrong. The truth had proven that Connoris had not lied to him. However, it was still awkward. With the thickness of Lin Lin Li's face, he quickly tossed this incident to the back of his mind. He smiled, and asked, "Oh, yes. Mr Connoris, I have two pieces of news, one good and one bad. Which one do you wanna hear first?"
"I want to hear the good news." Connoris did not hesitate.
"Ok, then." Lin Li smiled. "Good news is I have the Eternal Furnace under control."
"That's great, that's great…" Connoris was trembling in excitement, and repeated "that's great" twice before doubtfully asking, "What about the bad news?"
"The bad news…" Lin Li hesitated for a moment, and shrugged his shoulders. "The bad news is, currently there is no way for you to change a body."
"Why!?" Connoris' voice suddenly became really sharp. "Don't forget that you've promised me!"
"F*ck, I didn't forget!" Lin Li scolded harshly, but he calmed down soon after. He looked really helpless. "The problem is that with my current abilities, I can't do it. I can't do it, do you understand?"
"Then… Then what do we do?" It had finally had some hope, but it only got an "I can't do it" in return. Connoris was about to burst into tears. "I have already been trapped in this damned hammer for 1200 years…"
"There is nothing I can do, blame it on Osric. It is in the domain of high level magic, and he even tampered with those core magic rules. Look at me carefully, do I look like a person with legendary power?" Lin Li felt unlucky thinking about it. Indeed, the memory fragments did contain information about using puppets to create life, but that was useless for Lin Li. The usage of many spells in the high level domain and the tampering of the core magic rules were not a domain that normal humans could set foot in. Legendary power was just a conservative estimation made by Lin Li. It would be more reliable to say that this requirement needed a few more levels…
"Then…"
"What then. Since you've already waited for 1200 years, waiting another few hundred years would not matter. Let me give you a suggestion since you are just idling around. Why not follow me? You could help me with forging as well. When I have breached the legendary realm, I will make you a new body. What do you think of this idea?" Lin Li smiled while speaking; he also glanced at Connoris….
Lin Li actually put in some thoughts about this…
No choice, the origin of Connoris was too tempting. It was a genuine demon.
And the home of demons was the legendary abyss.
All along, Lin Li was not a person full of d.e.s.i.r.e. There were very few things that could pique his interest. This was especially so after coming to Anril. There were only two things that could interest him. One was to become stronger—this was the only way he could live a better life. The other was getting all sorts of rare materials like black lotus or infernal magic iron. For the sake of becoming stronger and obtaining more rare materials, he could go out of his way and do things that he would not normally do—for example, roping in a spirit that was trapped in a hamm
er.
The reason for doing so was because Connoris used to live in the Demon's Abyss. This was crucial for Lin Li because other than being dangerous, it was also well known for producing goods in abundance. At least one-third of the rare materials that Lin Li dreamt of originated from the Demon's Abyss!
Roping in Connoris was like roping in a guide. A decent guide in a place like the Demon's Abyss would help prevent Lin Li from taking wrong path.
Therefore, Lin Li was very passionate.
He was so passionate that it made Connoris suspicious. "Wait for you to breach the Legendary Realm?"
"Is there a problem?"
"You're a warrior…" Connoris whispered softly, but what it actually wanted to say was "F*ck, wait for you, a level-5 warrior, to breach the Legendary Realm? It would be more practical for me to sleep for another 1200 years…." Of course, Connoris smartly swallowed its words after he considered the ring that this fella was wearing.
"Speaking of this, I remembered that I forgot to tell you something."
"What is it?" Connoris was stupefied.
Lin Li did not answer, but tightly grabbed Connoris in his right hand. Instantly, there was searing flame arising.
With the casting of Flaming Hands, it was so hot that Connoris immediately howled. "What the hell, you ungrateful bastard. Are you trying to burn me to death?"
"This is what I forgot to tell you…" Lin Li took his time in putting Connoris down. At the same time, he flailed his right hand and put out the flames. "Do you still have any questions?"
"What the hell, are you crazy…" Connoris grumbled for a while before realizing something. It asked with disbelief, "You, you, you… You are not a warrior?"
"Duh…"
It was almost instantly that Connoris became excited. "You're a mage! No, no, no… Not a mage, at least an Archmage! What the hell, what a young Archmage. How could it be?"
Towards the end, Connoris' voice was so sharp that it seemed like it was being choked…
"It's nothing much…" Lin Li sounded humble, but he could not conceal the smile on this face. There was no choice—even the city walls would not be able to resist it if he was lucky. Just now, when he branded his Spiritual Brand on the gigantic heart, his mental strength and the power of the Eternal Furnace had fused together. Even though he still couldn't fully control this strength at the moment, that brief moment of contact had brought him a great benefit.
