by Zhuang Bifan
Lin Li was still stupefied from the lashing. "Then how should we use the crystals?"
"It is not a crime to use the magical crystals of the magical beasts for mana. After all, you humans had already mastered most of their natural magic powers. However, for the magical crystal of the Dragon of Destruction you have in your hands… You should actually think of a way to hatch it…"
"Wait a minute…" Lin Li felt the the conversation was making an absurd turn. "If I didn't hear wrongly, are you saying I should… 'h-hatch' it?" He repeated Connoris' words again.
"That's right. Hatch…"
"Are you joking?" Lin Li nearly burst out laughing. "I say, almighty Soul Trader, can you be clear on the situation? This is the magical crystal of the Dragon of Destruction. Are you saying we should hatch it…? Alright, if that is so, teach me how to do it…"
"Don't think that I'm joking with you! Think of it yourself. Are there any legends of Anril that tell you that the Dragon of Destruction needed a mate?"
"This…" Lin Li thought for a moment. He can't help but admit, "I don't think there is… But, since it is just a legend, it does not mean that it is true that the Dragon of Destruction did not need a mate. Otherwise, Tutankhamun would have been birthed by a random stone."
"Heh… And that stone is what you are holding now…" Connoris laughed inwardly. "Although I have no idea where you have gotten the stone from, I'm now even more sure that the magical crystal in your hands belonged to the Dragon of Destruction. I've read the diary of the Immortal King with Osric before. One of the entries was about the birth of the descendant of the Dragon of Destruction…"
"You mean Tutankhamun?"
"That's right, it was Tutankhamun. Heh… To be honest, the relationship of this descendant of the Dragon of Destruction with the dragon was not as close as he is to the Immortal King…"
"Are you trying to tell me that Tutankhamun was hatched by the Immortal King?" Lin Li gasped. He felt breathless as he tried to maintain his mental strength in the conversation…
"Bingo! The Immortal King killed the Dragon of Destruction, and dug out the magical crystal from his brain. After that, he hatched a pair of twins from the magical crystal. Each of the twins governed over the rules of Darkness and Evilness, respectively. One of the twins was the Tutankhamun you had met before…"
"The f*ck…?" Lin Li couldn't hold his surprise. "Immortal King is Tutankhamun's dad?"
"Erm, it makes sense to phrase it that way as well…" Connoris replied. It was obvious that he had no interest in thinking about such a complex relationship. He ended the topic with a laugh. "But, don't you dare to think that the Immortal King only wanted to end the bloodline of the Dragon of Destruction by hatching the pair of twins…"
"What else could he have wanted to achieve?"
"The hatching process could give the Immortal King more benefits than just mana…"
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 acc.u.mulated 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.
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…
