by Zhuang Bifan
"If… If we were to bring them back, we would be able to buy the entire Alanna…" Lin Li mumbled nervously, and was really curious to know what other treasures had been hidden in that pathway. However, it would be impossible to do so. That spread of treasures that knew no boundary was not for anyone to measure its value. Even if Lin Li were to carry the treasures back to tabulate their worth, he would need to spend three to five years doing it…
A strike…!
The infinite riches gave Lin Li excitement stronger than the fear given by the countless number of Vengeful Spirits. Lin Li stood still, and his mind was entirely occupied by those infinite magical crystals, gems, and gold ingots…
Strictly speaking, Lin Li was not a poor man. As a man who was versatile in every type of craft, the jackpot of one million gold coins he had gotten in Jarrosus had enabled him to spend all those riches on building his Guild of Magic without batting an eyelid. Lin Li was confident that his talents in pharmacy, forging, magical enchantment, and other life skills would provide the funds needed for the construction of his guild…
Despite being a tough man with a very thick and inhumane nervous system, Lin Li was close to sh*tting his pants at the sight of all the fortunes. He couldn't help it. That was a terrifying amount of wealth. Lin Li could spot at least 1000 magical crystals that were above level-15 from where he was standing. He even witnessed level-18 magical crystals that rarely appeared in the black market strewn all over like big white cabbages here.
Lin Li found nearly 10 Legendary magical crystals as well. Each of them had the ability to make any mage go bankrupt…
Not to mention other things like crystals, gems, and magical metals. When Lin Li was in the Endless World, he was a rich man who owned several private mineral veins. Yet, the sight of that pathway made him feel that his possessions were insignificant…
He couldn't help it. There were just too many magical metals and accompanying gemstones, and each of them had undergone the necessary treatment and was ready to be used in forging and inlaying. Lin Li made a modest estimation and discovered that if he were to sell these treasures, he would be able to earn more riches than the worth of the entire Gilded Rose. If he were to process the treasures further, he would be able to multiply their value by two or three times.
The magical weapons as well…
Lin Li could tell that each of those magical weapons was definitely an authentic and high-quality object that had great magical ability. If one were to use them wisely, he would be able to revive the glory the High Elves' Magic Legion had gained.
"Damn it, I'm going to swallow all these riches even if I'm going to die of fullness!" Lin Li swallowed his saliva resolutely, and prepared to open his Ring of Endless Storm to contain all the treasures.
However, before he could open the Ring of Endless Storm, Lin Li suddenly spotted a black figure.
He could vaguely see a black figure at the end of the path filled with corpses and treasures…
There was a sense of evilness and darkness emitting from that black figure. To Lin Li, the powerful strength from the force was comparable to Gloomy Dark. Yet, Gloomy Dark never gave Lin Li such a huge pressure. After all, Gloomy Dark was just magical equipment. Although it was one of the strongest pieces of magical equipment in the world, the threat magical equipment could pose would always be determined by its user's ability…
"Freak, how could that be possible?" Connoris exclaimed as he jumped down from Lin Li's back. The voice Lin Li received from the mental strength was riddled with astonishment.
"What is it?" Lin Li asked uneasily. After all, Connoris was an ancient deity who had witnessed many kingdoms rise and fall. There shouldn't be anything in this world that could surprise him.
However, the voice of this ancient deity sounded as though he was a girl who had just woken up from a hangover and realized she had lost her v.i.r.g.i.n.i.t.y…
"T-That… That's the Lord of Darkness!"
"It can't be…." Lin Li gasped in bewilderment. Despite being a bold man, he could not help but feel surprised upon hearing that.
Lin Li had to put away his d.e.s.i.r.e for those riches at once. He knew that the priority was to leave the darn place as quickly as possible. Yet, when Lin Li turned to look back, the black gate as well as the path behind it had already vanished without a trace. The world that was made up of stars and void seemed to be in another dimension. The road behind Lin Li was distorted after he set foot into this space…
"Dammit, trouble's huge now…" Lin Li muttered. He could few buckets of cold sweat on himself…
Even if Lin Li had experience in defeating two Liches, and could appear bold in front of the Lord of Souls, Lin Li could not help but feel intimidated by the Lord of Darkness.
That was the reincarnation of the Dragon of Destruction! Having fought with Azardas when he was in the Endless World, Lin Li naturally knew better about the powers of the Dragon of Destruction. Being a Dragon Aspect, the Evilness and Darkness it governed were part of Anril. It was a dreadful existence—even more so than any deity. After all, deities that descended upon Anril would have their powers greatly diminished. However, it was not the same for the Dragon of Destruction. Its powers would only get stronger, and not a bit weaker.
Not to mention the current Lin Li…
It was pure luck and the possession of the Stars of Fury that allowed the previous Lin Li emerge victorious in the battle against Azardas. The Stars of Fury played a huge role in summoning hundreds of High Elves' spirits to aid him in the fight. If not, surviving the battle would've already been a great problem for the vulnerable Super Hunter, let alone winning it.
The Lord of Darkness was the reincarnation of the Dragon of Destruction. Even with one-tenth of Azardas' powers, it was enough to create great troubles for the current Lin Li. He couldn't help it. Not only had the current Lin Li yet to reach the Legendary-realm, he had also lost the invincible artifact, Stars of Fury. If he were to engage in a battle with the Lord, he would not be able to measure up to one-tenth of his own past self.
However, the black gate had been shut now. The path back to where they came from had vanished. There wouldn't be anywhere for Lin Li to escape to.
"What should we do?" Lin Li asked nervously as he stood rooted. He was at a loss of what to do.
"Goddammit. Is that a ghost…?" That was Connoris, the former ancient deity who governed over conspiracy and deceit. He was rid of his usual composure. Didn't the Dragon of Destruction fall countless years ago? He only left behind two descendants that are far less powerful. As the reincarnation of the Dragon of Destruction, how could the Lord of Darkness exist after the Dragon of Destruction had fallen?
"Hey, Connoris…" Lin Li said as he watched the unmoving black figure in the distance. "Could it… Could it be that… that the Dragon of Destruction has not fallen from the start?" he asked, and swallowed his saliva uneasily.
"It can't be!" Connoris retorted Lin Li without hesitation. "I am the only person in this world who knows about the whereabouts of the Dragon of Destruction. Let me tell you a secret…"
"Shoot…" Lin Li nearly rolled his eyes in frustration. How did this bastard still have the mood to create suspense at such a crucial timing?
"Do you know where Highlord Osric got his powers from?"
"…" Lin Li tried breathing deeply to calm himself down. "I only know that if you are still not going to speak, I'm going to turn you into bait for the Lord of Darkness. Since the Lord of Darkness is the reincarnation of the Dragon of Destruction, he should be interested in the soul of an ancient deity…"
"W-wait! L-let me tell you now…!" Connoris grew anxious at Lin Li's threat. "The reason why Osric was as powerful as Geresco and the queen of the High Elves during the Dark Age was because he inherited magic from the Immortal King…"
"No wonder…" Lin Li was not surprised by Connoris' secrets. He just felt enlightened.
This might be the only explanation for why a normal noble like Osric could be the second most
powerful High Elf.
The extreme difference between the nobles and royals of the High Elves was a hard truth. The royals were endowed with the abilities of an Archmage from birth. Their long lifespan made it highly probable for them to break into the Legendary-realm. Unlike the royalty, the nobles of the High Elves were born with the ability of Magic Shooters. Moreover, their innate talents and lifespan were lagging far behind the royals'. Those with a better potential had a chance to go past level-15, while the rest might not even reach anywhere above level-15 even if they were given eternity to live.
Before Highlord Osric appeared, there was no noble who had the ability to surpass the royals. This was also the reason why the royal family always had the greatest power in the kingdom.
"But, what has this got to do with the Dragon of Destruction?"
"Didn't I tell you that it was Immortal King that contributed to the fall of the Dragon of Destruction? As Osric acquired the magic abilities from the Immortal King, he got to know many of his secrets as well…
"These secrets include the fall of the Dragon of Destruction. If you had the chance to enter Osric's mausoleum one day, you would be amazed to see how a pair of dragon eyes hangs in the center of the mausoleum. They act as the lighting of the mausoleum…"
"You mean, Osric acquired the remains of the Dragon of Destruction?" Lin Li gasped.
"Just a part of it. When the Immortal King killed Azardas, he used up most of the dragon's remains to built his seven Sky Castles. The only things he left for Osric were the pair of dragon eyes and some scales. Unfortunately, the eyes had been left behind in Osric's mausoleum, and the scales had been used to create Osric's armors. If not, we might've been able to avoid the troubles coming our way…"
"Wait…" Lin Li interrupted Connoris. "Did you mean that we would be able to escape this place if we had the remains of the Dragon of Destruction?"
"No, no, no. Not escape…"
"…"
Just when Lin Li was feeling a sense of disappointment, Connoris continued talking. "If I did not guess it wrongly, the current Lord of Darkness should no longer be the reincarnation of the Dragon of Destruction. After all, it is a fact that the real Dragon of Destruction had fallen. No matter how powerful that reincarnation was, it would definitely not exist so many years after the Dragon of Destruction had fallen…"
"Damn it, so what are you trying to say?"
"I mean, although that fella in front looks hella scary, it is only a monster that is made up of the laws of Darkness and Evilness and a few soul fragments. It does not have its own consciousness. Although it can continue to exist in such a special dimension, everything about it would be instinctive. If we have the remains of the Dragon of Destruction, we would be able to take in this fella instead of escaping.
"Sigh… It would be great if Osric had left the eyes of the Dragon of Destruction at the Eternal Furnace…"
"The eyes of the Dragon of Destruction…" Lin Li thought through Connoris' words carefully. "Damn it, where the f*ck can I find that…?"
"Cut the crap, I know it obviously—" Connoris' voice was riddled with the same frustration. However, this ancient deity did not expect that before he could complete his sentence, Lin Li had already reached into his Ring of Endless Storm and fished out many things…
Connoris saw a pile of things before his eyes within a few minutes. There were many scales, glossy and firm skin, mountain of bones, incredibly sharp horns, as well as a bald skull…
From the shape of the skull, one could easily tell that it was from a Wyrm…
"This…!" Connoris exclaimed in bewilderment.
"Ugh, I wouldn't be able to find the eyes of the Dragon of Destruction…" Lin Li said as he rubbed his nose awkwardly. "If I'd known how precious those things are, I would not have smashed them under my feet… But, Connoris, quick, help me see if these things can replace the eyes. I presume that we wouldn't be able to do anything with the scales. If I'm the reincarnation of the Dragon of Destruction, I would not be enticed to enter the scales. What do you think of the skin? That was from its belly, the firmest and softest part of its body… Oh! There's this skull as well! Since it could contain the brain, it should be able to contain a reincarnation, right?"
While Lin Li rattled off his questions loquaciously, Connoris remained silent.
"F*ck you!" Connoris snapped after he stayed silent for close to a minute.
"What's your problem?" Lin Li was stunned by Connoris' remark. He raised one of the dragon horns and asked, "Are these useless as well?"
"You… You… You…" This time, Connoris was really on the brink of madness. Even though he was an ancient deity that had lived through the prehistoric times, Connoris could not help but feel breathless at this experience…
The remains of the Dragon of Destruction were piled into a hill before Connoris. The unique aura of the Dragon of Destruction screamed authenticity to Connoris. As an ancient deity, he had made several appearances in the battles between the Titans and Dragons when they contended for dominance over Anril. Having interacted dozens of times with the Dragon of Destruction, how could Connoris not recognize its unique aura?
However, this was what drove Connoris mad…
The fall of the Dragon of Destruction happened near the end of the prehistoric times. Its body had been used by the Immortal King to construct the Sky Castles. The only remains today would be its eyes and some scales.
But look… What are these things?
There were countless scales scattered on the ground, a dozen sheets of dragon skin that were neatly laid out, dragon bones and horns, and the skull that could drive anyone insane. Where the hell did he get these things?
Could it be that there was still another Dragon of Destruction in Anril?
The most freakish issue was the presence of undried bloodstains on the pile of dragon bones…
"Holy, holy, holy! W-w-what… What are these?!"
Connoris' shrieks came deep from his heart. It stunned Lin Li. Lin Li stopped digging through the remains of the Dragon of Destruction. "This is a long story. Unfortunately, it happens to be one of my secrets. If you are keen to know about it, you can trade your secrets with mine when I am in a good mood. It will depend on the value of your secret for me to decide to reveal it to you…" Lin Li only replied Connoris smilingly, and did not answer his questions.
"Deal, I will tell you all my secrets the moment we return. But, in exchange, you'd better tell me the origin of these remains!"
"Yeah, I will consider that…" Lin Li grinned. That being said, deep inside Lin Li was resolution to uncover all of the ancient demon's secrets, as well as determination to weave a good story regarding the origins of the dragon's remains…
Although Connoris could use mental strength to communicate with Lin Li, it was impossible for him to read Lin Li's mind. How would this poor ancient deity imagine that the b*tch in front of him was set on patronizing him with a fictional tale in exchange for all of his secrets?
"Oh, yes…"
After retrieving the entire Dragon of Destruction from the Ring of Endless Storm, Lin Li proceeded to take out a stone. It was dull in color and had the size of a human's fist. "Connoris, what do you think of this?"
"What's that?" Connoris asked. After all the surprise he had gotten earlier on, he could not help but feel skeptical when he saw such an uninteresting object.
"I'm not sure what this thing is for. But, if I didn't remember it wrongly, I found it in the brain of the Dragon of Destruction… Yeah, you did not hear it wrongly. It was located at where magical crystals are normally located…"
"Holy, could this be the magical crystal of the Dragon of Destruction?" Connoris jumped.
"By right, this should be the magical crystal of the Dragon of Destruction. But, Connoris, you are an ancient deity. I presume that you can't feel any wave of mana, right? After all, we shouldn't gauge a freak like the Dragon of Destruction with common sense…"
"That's right… Can you tell me the specifics
of how you encountered this dragon? You know, if you don't tell me anything, I wouldn't know how to reply to your question, either…"
"Definitely not the details…" Lin Li rejected Connoris' request without hesitation. "But, there is one thing I can tell you. That is, my collection of the dragon's body is definitely complete, and this stone is the only thing I found in its corpse that might be related to magical crystals…"
"My God, if this is really the crystal of the Dragon of Destruction, it will be… it will be…" Connoris stammered excitedly. He lost his previous state of calmness, and continued to repeat the phrase "it will be", but did not finish the sentence…
"Cut the crap," Lin Li said as he pursed his lips. He was very dismayed by Connoris' lack of composure. "A fool would have known that there is unlimited mana within the magical crystal of the Dragon of Destruction. Any mage that were to acquire the crystal would never need to worry about the lack of mana again."
Actually, Lin Li was watching his words very carefully…
He understood that the Dragon Crystal was not as simple as a mere source of unlimited mana. It was a fact that the Dragon Aspect was one of the four Dragon Aspects that surpassed the greatness of the divine in Anril. The mana within it would be beyond imagination. 10 Sanctuary Masters would require 100 years to absorb the mana within it, let alone a normal mage.
"Moron!" No one expected Connoris to bash Lin Li with such anger. That thunderous rage made Connoris seemed like a terrifying prodigal. "Who told you that you should use the magical crystal of the Dragon of Destruction like that? Absorb mana? Only you foolish humans would think of such a dumb method. Do you know that that is a huge waste of a magical crystal?"
"Huh?" Lin Li was stunned.
"Ah…" Connoris sighed. "I can't blame you humans, either. It is no wonder that you humans and the High Elves were the only two eccentric races in Anril. Not knowing what is Soul Inheritance, you only see magical crystals as a source of mana. You are unaware of how to utilize magical crystals."
