by Zhuang Bifan
Lin Li had undergone a trial at the Shadowglen, and rescued a castellan's son at the Syer Town's ruins. Of course, he was clearer than anyone else what this faint sound meant.
"Careful!" Before the first Skeletal Warrior crawled out, Lin Li only had the time to say that single word before his vision was obscured by thick and black dust. Countless Skeletal Warriors were pushing the earth aside as they clumsily crawled out of the soil slowly. Numerous green will-o-wisps were flickering in the air, and there were waves of shrieks and groans coming through. The pale skeletons spread an atmosphere of unusual terror all over under the moonlight.
Lin Li started reciting the Flaming Storm without even thinking.
Countless fire dragons baring fangs and brandishing claws let out roars. They crashed into the bodies of the Skeletal Warriors fiercely.
After that, there was a deafening blast. The brilliant flares lit up most of the sky…
But after the brilliant flare flashed by, Lin Li's expression changed. Although that Flaming Storm was just a level-eight spell, it could destroy at least 20 Skeletal Warriors even despite him deliberately suppressing his strength, but looking at the numerous Skeletal Warriors in front, less than ten had been struck down.
"What… What is going on?" Lin Li was immediately somewhat confused. Could it be that several days of pretending to be a level-10 Magic Shooter had actually caused his power to deteriorate? Lin Li did not believe this, and released four or five consecutive Flaming Storms. In the end, the destructive power did not change much. The Flaming Storm that originally could destroy at least 30 Skeletal Warriors had once again destroyed less than 10. Such a loss was negligible for these numerous Skeletal Warriors. With a barrage of Flaming Storms, the Skeletal Warriors' numbers did not decrease, but instead increased more and more because of Lin Li's recitation…
It was at this moment that a thought flashed past Lin Li's mind…
Or is it because of Gloomy Dark?
Indeed, this really could be a possibility… Thinking about this, Lin Li suddenly understood. The legendary sharp weapons, debris of the stars, naturally had their own souls. Even if there was no Stars of Fury to operate them, they would still release their power automatically. Back then, in the underground palace in the Demon Fall Valley, didn't Holy Light kill off a Lich that just completed transformation? Gloomy Dark had been hidden in the Scar of Death for so many years, so the Undead creatures that it created were definitely stronger than the normal ones.
But, this was not good news for Lin Li…
There were at least hundreds of Skeletal Warriors climbing out of the ground at the moment, and their number seemed to be increasing. Almost every inch of the ground in every direction had Skeletal Warriors crawling out incessantly of it. The scene looked like a swarm of locusts, and gave Lin Li goosebumps.
Furthermore, they were no longer normal Skeletal Warriors after they had been strengthened by Gloomy Dark's power. Gloomy Dark itself was the purest and strongest Dark Force. For Undead creatures and demons, it was a source of power that they were dying to obtain. Under bathing in the darkness of Gloomy Dark for thousand of years, even the lowest-level Undead creatures, the Skeletal Warriors, had also become an incomparably nasty existence.
Based on Lin Li's judgment, these Skeletal Warriors were at least level-eight…
If it was under normal circ.u.mstances, a level-eight Skeletal Warrior was nothing much. Forget Lin Li, even the weakest of those present—Johnathan—could take down tens of them easily. But right in front of their eyes, how could there only be tens of them? If they were to really count them, then there were at least a hundred times more than tens of them…
Furthermore, Lin Li believed that if this were to continue, it would only take a few minutes before they multiplied by 200 times or even 300 times. The Skeletal Warriors of the Scar of Death were endless. Only pale skeletons could be seen climbing out of the ground continuously, swinging their rusty machetes about and approaching the group with clumsy and slow footsteps…
"Master, they seem to be different." This time, even Ujfalusi, this ex-Lich, could not help but feel alarmed. A growth from level-five to level-eight was no laughing matter. It was an increase of three whole levels, and was especially serious when it applied to thousands of Skeletal Warriors, becoming even more terrifying. It was as though a flock of sheep had transformed into a pack of hungry wolves. What was a situation that could have been easily resolved had now been changed into a scene of despair.
"Yes, I noticed…" Lin Li nodded, and then looked at Adelo, who was far away. At this time, Adelo seemed to have heard something. His complexion was focused and serious. The two high-level Warriors beside him were using their greatsword and machete to protect him steadfastly.
Adelo raised his head as though he had felt Lin Li's gaze. He looked towards Lin Li from afar, and then softly gave out orders to the two bodyguards.
After that, Lin Li saw the two high-level Warriors nod their heads and start to intentionally draw closer to Lin Li while protecting Adelo.
"Fel… Brother Felic, I really implicated you this time…" After cutting down tens of Skeletal Warriors consecutively, the double-edged greatsword in Johnathan's hand, which had not been sharp to begin with, started to become blunt. Luckily, the magical enchantment effect of the Sword of Flames was still present. Although it could not splice Skeletal Warriors apart directly, the fire magical element attached to it could still do some damage.
However, the Skeletal Warriors were too many. After cutting down one, there would be more to fill up its spot immediately. No matter how hard Johnathan fought, there was still an endless number of Skeletal Warriors in front of him. This feeling invoked a sense of stifling despair in Johnathan.
"What's the point of saying this…" Lin Li could not help but show a bitter smile. He softly recited low-level spells while observing Adelo, who was drawing closer to him.
All the while till this point, Lin Li still did not expose his true power. He still dutifully carried on acting as a level-10 Magic Shooter, but it was not because he had confidence in overcoming this crisis. Instead, he was just waiting—waiting for Adelo to expose his true power.
All of this carried a certain element of a gamble. Everyone was a Magic Shooter, so on what basis were you more precious? You were not willing to show your true power, right? Then I'd continue putting on a show…
The high-level Warriors' combat strength was indeed valiant. In less than five minutes, Adelo, under the protection of the two high-level Warriors, had managed to pull out from the heavy encirclement and join up with Lin Li and the rest, who were trapped in a dead end.
"Mage Felic…" This was the first time Adelo spoke to Lin Li ever since they'd entered the Scar of Death. This middle-aged mage's voice was rather hoarse, but it was not so bad if not listened to closely. "I believe you have seen it as well. These Skeletal Warriors are not normal. I think it's time we cooperate for once…"
"Haha, Mage Adelo really knows how to make jokes. I am a young junior, how could I have the qualifications to cooperate with you? But if you were to have any solution, I would try my best to coordinate with you…"
"Haha…" Adelo laughed. He did not argue with Lin Li whether it was cooperating or coordinating.
"I wonder what sort of solution does Mage Adelo have?"
"A terrifying Dark Force is controlling these Skeletal Warriors. As long as this Dark Force is around, these Skeletal Warriors will never be totally eradicated. Furthermore, based on my knowledge, there are other stronger Undead creatures in the Scar of Death other than Skeletal Warriors. It could be Vampires, Death Knights, or Liches… Anyway, this Dark Force's strength is above anyone's imagination…"
"…" Lin Li almost drew in a breath of cold air. Under the enhancement of Gloomy Dark, the Skeletal Warriors' power had been raised from level-five to level-eight. This was still barely acceptable, but if it was a Lich, then it would be raised from level-20 to level-23. Even if his own mentor, Andoine, were to com
e here personally, wouldn't he run away in fright as well?
"There is only one way to exterminate them…"
Lin Li smiled, and finished his words. "…Cut off the Dark Force that is controlling them."
"That's right."
"Unfortunately, we are clueless about that Dark Force. We don't know where is its source, and neither do we know how to disrupt its control over the Skeletal Warriors…"
"I know…" Adelo smiled mysteriously. He used the magic staff in his hands to point out a direction. "There is a cave in that direction. Deep inside the cave, there is an altar. All we need to do is break through the Skeletal Warriors' encirclement, enter that cave, and destroy the altar inside."
"So that's how it was…" Lin Li had a look of realization, but he cursed on the inside. I would be an idiot if I believed you…
Frankly, Adelo's words were pretty flawless. Although it might not work when deceiving an average person, under the pressure of countless Skeletal Warriors, most of them would nod and agree. After all, everybody knew that these Skeletal Warriors could not be exterminated. They could only listen to Adelo and do accordingly if they wanted to survive.
Unfortunately, it was Lin Li that Adelo met this time…
Lin Li was clearer than anybody else where the source of this Dark Force was. What altar? Bullsh*t…
However, Lin Li did not expose Adelo's lies on the spot.
It was because Lin Li himself was skilled in lying. He was clearer than most people what was the key factor in telling lies—out of ten sentences, at least eight of them had to be true. Only the most crucial two sentences were lies.
The altar that Adelo spoke of was definitely a lie, but that cave part was mostly true. Furthermore, Lin Li could faintly feel that Gloomy Dark's aura was coming from that direction…
Chapter 395 - So Many Bats
Things had already developed to this stage, and Lin Li had already understood that the Malfa Family's goal was mostly related to Gloomy Dark that was in the Scar of Death. Even if this was not their final goal, it was at least a crucial step. Otherwise, they would not have dispatched Adelo, this Archmage at the peak of level-17.
But Lin Li was very curious. The understanding that the Malfa Family had of the Gloomy Dark was not as simple as he had heard. Adelo could even accurately point out Gloomy Dark's location.
Could it be that everything was related to that map?
If this was the case, then the Malfa Family had quite a number of clues in their grasp. There could even be someone in the Malfa Family that had seen Gloomy Dark with their own eyes before. Otherwise, Adelo would not be able to remain so confident. Lin Li even dared to bet on his brains that what Adelo knew was far more than what Lin Li had ever imagined.
But there was another thing, and it was something that Adelo would never, ever know about…
Adelo would never have imagined that this young mage standing in front of him was the previous owner of Gloomy Dark!
Lin Li, who used to own the seven debris of the stars, knew more about them than anybody else. If there was anybody that could still operate Gloomy Dark in this world, then that person would undoubtedly be Lin Li.
Of course, Lin Li would never tell Adelo that…
Now, Lin Li was waiting. He was waiting to give this Archmage, who was good at disguising himself, a very big surprise!
"I wonder what sort of solution Mage Adelo has?"
"I know that there is a path nearby. It can allow us to temporarily escape from the Skeletal Warriors' pursuit."
"Oh?" Once Lin Li heard this, he knew that he had guessed correctly. Adelo indeed did know quite a bit…
Under Adelo's guidance, the 12 of them continued fighting while retreating. They used about half an hour before they reached the location that Adelo spoke of. That place did indeed have a path. It was narrow and steep, and the entrance of the path was a cave that barely had space for two to walk side by side. Adelo was right—this cave's entrance would be able to stop the Skeletal Warriors' pursuit. After all, those Skeletal Warriors were just level-eight. If they did not charge over and swarm them, even Johnathan could be a hero that took on a hundred of them. By that time, they would be delayed for a long while just by any random summoned creature.
Adelo had done just that. The 12 of them had just entered the cave in a single file when Adelo took out a scroll from his pocket. After a short recitation, the scroll immediately vaporized, turning into a black fog. After that, an Ironback Blue Wolf appeared, guarding the entrance of the cave steadfastly.
Why is he so stingy… Lin Li pouted in secret. Nowadays, there were two types of summoning scrolls that were most commonly seen on the market. One of them was the level-12 Ironback Blue Wolf, and the other was a level-14 Storming Bear. From Lin Li's perspective, the level-14 Storming Bear was the most suitable for blocking the cave's entrance. Its powerful physical strength as well as the wind attribute magic it was born with was the most suitable for being the rear guard. Lin Li believed that everybody would not have to worry about the Skeletal Warriors' pursuit till dusk set in tomorrow if there was a level-14 Storming Bear standing at the entrance of the cave…
In comparison, the Ironback Blue Wolf which was cheaper by about 10,000 gold coins was much weaker. It could only hold out till the next morning because its physical strength was insufficient. Lin Li's opinion was simple: since they were all summons, why not summon a Storming Bear to save strength? After all, Adelo was able to purchase the scroll for summoning the Ironback Blue Wolf. There was no way he could not purchase the one for summoning the Storming Bear.
Luckily, Adelo did not know what this fella was thinking about. Otherwise, he would be so angry that he would vomit blood…
The scroll for summoning the Ironback Blue Wolf cost at least 20,000 gold coins. Furthermore, it was a consumable—after using it once, it would lose its effect. Even though Adelo did not have a low position in the Malfa Family, he only had three of these scrolls, and usually treated them like treasure. He only took one out to use it today, yet this fella mocked him for being stingy…
The Ironback Blue Wolf stood at the entrance of the cave. The surging Skeletal Warriors seemed to crash into an iron wall, losing the advantage in number, and the flaws of the Skeletal Warriors were instantly exposed. Three to five ordinary Skeletal Warriors were completely not a match for the Ironback Blue Wolf. Before they could charge forward, they had already been ripped into pieces by the sharp claws and teeth.
"Ok, everybody take a break first…" After Adelo brought everyone into the cave, he continued moving forward for another hour before he stopped at an empty hillside. "The Ironback Blue Wolf can hold out for one night. We should take this chance to rest up, and leave tomorrow first thing in the morning."
A whole day of walking as well as continuous battles had long completely exhausted everyone. Now, they finally escaped from those Skeletal Warriors with difficulty. Everyone seemed to have fallen asleep right away, occasionally giving rhythmic snores. However, neither Lin Li nor Adelo slept. It was not that they did not want to, but rather they did not dare to. Things had already developed to this stage, and there was not much secrecy left between these two mages that were good at disguising themselves. They both knew that the other was concealing his true strength, and neither was relaxed at all. If they were to sleep now, wouldn't the other party seize this opportunity?
"Mage Adelo, aren't you sleeping?"
"No, no. Everyone is rather worn out from being busy the whole day. I did not exert much strength today, so I'll just keep a lookout for everyone."
"Haha…" Lin Li laughed, but he was cursing in his mind. Lookout your f*cking *ss. If I dared to sleep, you would definitely harm me…
"Oh, yes. Mage Felic, why aren't you sleeping, either?"
"This…" Lin Li looked at Adelo with a despicable smile. "I'm not used to spending the night in the wild. I am worried that I will have nightmares when I sleep. For example, getting slashed by somebody, being bombarded by magic whi
le being tied up, or something like that. It's very scary…"
"Haha…" Adelo curled his lips, and his laughter was drier than sand. "Mage Felic really loves to crack jokes…"
In the end, both of these fellas with devil tails did not sleep. They each found a space in a corner, and meditated for the whole night.
…
The next morning, while Lin Li and the rest had not departed yet, the base camp near the Scar of Death had welcomed some guests.
There were more than ten people seated within Hutton's tent. Other than some important personnel from the Malfa Family, there was Vanskore, the leader of the Syer Bandits, as well as his best subordinate Roland. Additionally, Garza—the president of Doland's Blacksmith Guild—was here as well. A Warrior in his thirties accompanied him, and from the way Garza addressed him, he should be the strongest Adventurer in Doland other than Jason—Rolf.
Other than them, there was a mage from the Ledin Kingdom—if Lin Li was here, he would most likely be able to recognize him with just a look. This bony mage that was emitting a strong death aura was actually the High Priest of the Darkness Shrine, Mr. Sendros—the Legendary-realm necromancer.
It was just that Sendros was much more refined today as compared to when he'd been Alanna. At least he did not bring along his magic staff that was made of bone, and he did not summon a few skeletons as his henchmen. He just wore a gray robe and held an ordinary magic staff. He did not look any different from an average mage.
Of course, this was just on the surface…
No one present dared to look at him as though he was just an average mage.
"Master Sendros, if Mentor Cheyenne were to know that you are here as well, he would be very happy." Hutton had a pleasantly surprised look on his face. Back when he was sending an invitation to Sendros, he was only trying. After all, he was a genuine Legendary-realm powerhouse. Although the Malfa Family had an immense power, it was not at the point where a Legendary-realm powerhouse would have to respect them. Back when he sent the invitation, he was only hoping that Sendros would take Mentor Cheyenne's reputation into account and offer to help.
