by Zhuang Bifan
"Don't be hasty. I'll tell you now," Connoris said while he sent a segment of demonic runes bound to mental strength into Lin Li's mind. Creating and using a clone to do things in place of the actual body was not the Dragon of Destruction's expertise. Ancient deities like Connoris would usually use their clones to move around Anril and even take part in wars that could change the world, gaining benefits for themselves that way. Hence, receiving a clone back into the original body was something difficult.
The current Lord of Darkness was like a goat waiting to be slaughtered with its four hooves tied to the board, only waiting for the cut at its throat. Lin Li took out the magical crystal of the Dragon of Destruction and recited the demonic runes that he'd just learned. The magical crystal that was originally plain like a rock was now slowly emitting faint light.
"Roar!" The Lord of Darkness seemed to have sensed something, and instinctively struggled desperately, trying to avoid the knife that was aimed at its throat. Maybe after tens of thousands of years, it could actually gain its own sentience while retaining the identity of the Dragon of Destruction's clone. Unfortunately, it only had some basic instincts. It could not produce any significant resistance against the absorption from the Dragon of Destruction's magical crystal. With a sad cry, the Lord of Darkness' body disintegrated, losing all semblance of a human form. It transformed into a patch of black energy, and flew towards the magical crystal in Lin Li's hand.
Hutton landed on the ground and raised his head, looking at Lin Li in the sky with shock and a wide open mouth. He had already absorbed Mephistos' soul fragments into the Summoning Lamp without leaving a single one behind, and was ready to watch how Lin Li dealt with the Lord of Darkness. However, he did not think that what'd appear before him was a shocking scene. An unknown stone in Lin Li's hand was swallowing the Lord of Darkness like a whale swallowing water, and the overbearing Lord of Darkness did not have any power to resist.
Finally, the last bits of the Lord of Darkness' strength were absorbed into the Dragon of Destruction's magical crystal. The rock that was radiating light returned to its original state, without anything looking unusual except for it being ugly.
"This thing really can hatch into something like Tutankhamun? What did the Immortal King do as a nanny back then?" No matter how much he knew Connoris would not lie to him, Lin Li could not imagine a scene where this rock would hatch into a two-headed dragon.
"Hoho, I like this name, 'nanny'. Of course, what the Immortal King provided was not milk, but mana and mental strength." Connoris laughed twice, and continued, "To hatch the magical crystal of the Dragon of Destruction, the mana and mental strength required are immense. Mana can be replaced with other magical crystals. It's not too much, about 100 Legendary level magical crystals would be enough."
"100…? It's not too much…?" Lin Li almost choked on his saliva. Were Legendary magical beasts so fun to provoke? Even if he could deal with Legendary level magical beasts, where would he be able to find 100 of them? The Summoning Lamp from the Brilliance Shrine was already something only for a lavish spender of magical crystals. Now, there was a magical crystal of the Dragon of Destruction, and it required Legendary magical crystals. Each and every one of them was a bottomless pit.
"Be content with that. Think about the Dragon of Destruction's power and Tutankhamun that sent you here. 100 Legendary magical crystals really do not amount to much." Connoris words somewhat meant that talk was cheap.
"Fine. After all, it does not require so many at once. Continue speaking. What's next?" Lin Li knew that what Connoris said was the truth, so he could only resign himself to his fate.
"So far, I've mentioned the requirements in mana. As for mental strength, only you can bear the burden. Use mental strength to slowly awaken the Soul Brand within the magical crystal, and make it develop a feeling of reliance and intimacy through communicating at the pure mental level. This is something that others can't replace. After all, you wouldn't want to let others enjoy your hard work's fruits." Connoris had merely seen the records of hatching the Dragon of Destruction's magical crystal in the Immortal King's diary. He was rather interested in seeing the process and results of hatching it.
"I've talked about how mana and mental strength could only be done by you. The best way is the keep this magical crystal by your side so that every time you utilize mental strength when casting a spell, it will bathe the magical crystal in your mental strength waves. During this process, you will communicate with the magical crystal at the pure mental level, and the Soul Brand in the magical crystal will be slowly awakened, thus developing a sense of reliance and intimacy towards you. Of course, this is a work like grinding rocks with water. It is not something that can be completed in a few days."
"So troublesome…"
"During this process of hatching, you will obtain the knowledge, experience, and rules contained within as your mental strength and the magical crystal's Soul Brand are communicating. Of course, how much you will obtain depends on how strong your mental strength is. At the same time, the power of your mental strength will also affect the length of time before you successfully hatch it. Back then, the Immortal King needed 100 years. As for you…" Reaching this point, Connoris thought of the scene when he directly sent demonic runes into Lin Li's consciousness. He had not seen the consciousness of the Immortal King or Geresco, but Lin Li's mental strength was definitely the strongest he had ever seen. As for whether Lin Li would surpass the Immortal King or Geresco, it really was worth waiting to find out.
Lin Li placed the Dragon of Destruction's magical crystal back into the Ring of Endless Storm. This hatching process was the work of grinding rocks with water, so this little bit of time was insignificant. What was the most important now was how to find the Throne of Darkness and exit this place. Of course, before leaving, the good stuff here could not be left behind and continue to collect dust.
"Do you know where the Throne of Darkness is?" Lin Li gazed into the distance, but the world constructed of the void and stars was the same everywhere. There seemed to be no end. Only God knew where the Throne of Darkness was.
"The Throne of Darkness is actually this world constructed of the void and stars," Connoris said.
"F*ck, why couldn't they find a chair? Which stupid person gave it this name, actually calling this place a throne without thinking who would dare to have such a large a*ss…" Lin Li swore with resentment. No wonder he saw the Lord of Darkness standing when he first entered. There was no throne at all.
"Uh… This space was created by the Dragon of Destruction for his clone. Here, the Lord of Darkness's abilities would be strengthened immensely, while other demons would suffer from suppression. Hence, as long as the Lord of Darkness was here, the whole Abyss of Tharlen would be almost an unbeatable area. Previously, you were able to go against the Lord of Darkness, and other than the demise of the Dragon of Destruction and the Lord of Darkness' powers weakening, it was also because you had your own magical domain. While being in this world, you also created a mini world where you called the shots, causing the influence of the Dragon of Destruction to be at the lowest," Connoris explained.
It really was "you have to listen to me when you are in my territory". This was the power of the Magical Domain. Lin Li thought for a bit, and asked, "Then, how are we going to get out?"
"As the Dragon of Destruction has already fallen, this space exists because of the Lord of Darkness. Once the Lord of Darkness disappears, this place would naturally collapse and disappear."
"F*ck! Why didn't you say so earlier!?" Lin Li was shocked when he heard this explanation, and quickly said, "What about the treasures over there? When is this space disappearing? I have to collect those items."
After all, he was now a president. The Tower of Dusk was a gold-guzzling machine. Making potions was profitable, but he could not just stay in the pharmaceutical lab and concoct potions all day while doing nothing else. If he could obtain these treasures, he would not have to be fl.u.s.tered over money f
or a long period of time. He could focus on consolidating his magic practice and do what he wanted to do.
"Don't be hasty. I did not aim for these treasures for just a few days. I prepared the solution a few thousand years ago." Connoris laughed complacently.
Chapter 470 - Return
Connoris sent another segment of ancient demon language into Lin Li's consciousness, and said, "Because the Lord of Darkness has already been fused into the Dragon of Destruction's magical crystal, this Throne of Darkness has already lost its master. You can leave behind your own Soul Brand on the Throne of Darkness by using this demon language phrase and become the new master of the Throne of Darkness. As for those treasures, won't they belong to you?"
"Is that so? I wouldn't be kept here forever, right?" Lin Li asked carefully.
"This Throne of Darkness is actually similar to the Eternal Furnace. They both float within a Crack of Space. As long as you find another Crack of Space outside, you can summon it whenever you like."
Hutton saw Lin Li steer the Humerus Wyrm to land and quickly brought the Magic Lamp over, saying, "President Felic, we have to find the Throne of Darkness next. I wonder if you have any suggestions?"
Lin Li took over the Magic Lamp, and smilingly said, "Don't be hasty, we can't leave immediately."
All of their experiences after entering the Abyss of Tharlen had allowed Lin Li, this young President of the Guild of Magic, to leave an impression in Hutton's mind that he was omnipotent. Achieving the Legendary-realm by 20 years of age, single-handedly defeating the Lord of Darkness left behind by the Dragon of Destruction, and screwing over the notorious Lord of Souls, Mephistos, while he was at it. From Hutton's point of view, this was no longer considered human. Only the word "demonic" could be used to describe this monstrous young president. Hutton was even unable to imagine whether there was anything in this world that this monster could not achieve…
Since this monster already had plans, then Hutton would naturally be at ease and patiently wait. After all, everything had already surpassed his imagination. Even if he wanted to worry, he did not have the ability.
Lin Li glanced at Hutton and did not do much. He just gently closed his eyes, and the ancient demonic runes that Connoris had sent in appeared in his consciousness. His lips moved, and obscure syllables escaped his mouth…
The magical elements in the surroundings started seething. The light and darkness of the countless stars in the void started superseding each other. The whole world was filled with a mysterious yet powerful energy.
All of a sudden, all of the stars dimmed. After that, they suddenly erupted with a brilliance that was 1000 times bigger than before. It was like the destruction of the world and the stars shattering. It was like thousands of suns had emitted light steadily all of a sudden. At that instant, Lin Li suddenly felt that he fused together with the Throne of Darkness. A shred of understanding appeared spontaneously in his mind.
"This is the power of the Lord of Darkness' domain…"
"That's right. This Throne of Darkness was originally made by the Dragon of Destruction for its own incarnation. There's even a portion of the Evilness and Darkness rules included inside. The Lord of Darkness just needs to be within the area of the domain, and its power would always be at its peak. Unfortunately, the Dragon of Destruction fell, and the domain got weaker day by day as it lost its source of power. If not, do you think you would have had any chance just now?" Even at this point, Connoris' voice still had a tinge of lingering fear.
It was only at this point that Connoris understood that he'd been wrong all along. This young mage was definitely not as gentle and harmless as he seemed. Only after this incident did Connoris find out that this fella was a true lunatic, because only lunatics would be so reckless.
Just look back at the situation previously. This fella was inside the Throne of Darkness. In front of him was the raging Lord of Darkness, while behind him, Mephistos was eagerly coming in for a backstab. What this fella thought about was not escaping, but how to kill of Mephistos and the Lord of Darkness at the same time. This, this… If this wasn't being a f*cking lunatic, then what was it?
And he did it…
Just thinking about this, Connoris could not help but curse.
"The rules of Darkness?" At this point, Lin Li did not have time to care what Connoris was thinking about, because Lin Li had already fused his mental strength with the Throne of Darkness, leaving his own brand on this powerful domain that the Dragon of Destruction had created. From this point on, this powerful domain completely belonged to Lin Li.
Lin Li could control the powerful energy at will, and he could even fumble around the portion of the Rules of Darkness that was contained within the domain itself.
Although the Rules of Darkness contained within were incomplete, they were still miles apart when compared with Lin Li's Laws of Ice. It couldn't be helped. Even though the Ice Domain was formidable in his hands, in the end, it was still the most superficial and low-level use of Rules. There was absolutely no room for comparison when placed beside fundamental Rules like Light and Darkness.
Lin Li could even confirm that when he completely mastered the included Rules of Darkness, the Gloomy Dark in his hands would become an even more terrifying weapon…
"How's it, not too shabby, right? This is the Magical Domain that the Dragon of Destruction had created. The Rules of Darkness contained within are more complete than the mastery of any mage in this world. If you are to completely master these Rules of Darkness, you might be able to infuse them into your own Magical Domain too."
"No, no, no, I don't plan on fusing these Rules of Darkness into my own Magical Domain…" Lin Li shook his head, disapproving of what Connoris said.
"Why?"
"Power that belong to yourself is the best. I would never reach the peak of magic if I relied on engulfing and fusing." This time, Lin Li was not lying. Although fusing Magical Domains could bring powerful strength, it would also produce some very troublesome side effects. The worse ones could even cause Rule Disorder.
It was not that the more rules there were, the better the Magical Domain. Only one genuinely powerful rule was required, and it was enough to push the powers of the Magical Domain to the peak.
Lin Li did not understand these principles before, but after observing Geresco's battle through the Spacetime Beacon Spell, Lin Li slowly felt that he seemed to have discovered something.
"If that is the case…" After hearing what Lin Li said, Connoris did not continue convincing him. He just took a pause, and then again suggested, "I do have a plan that can allow you to execute this Magical Domain's power fully."
"What is your idea?"
"Eternal Furnace."
"What you mean is… to fuse the Throne of Darkness into the Eternal Furnace?"
"That's right. The current Eternal Furnace does not have much combat power other than the ancient dragon's magical crystal. If you are able to fuse the Throne of Darkness into it, it should be able to restore some of the Floating Castle's former glory."
"This is worth considering…" After being reminded of it by Connoris, Lin Li could not help but nod his head. The last time, he saw that the blueprints of the Sky Castle seemingly used a gigantic Conquering Mageweath. Unfortunately, even though the Conquering Mageweath's strength was monstrous, the blood of 100 dragons necessary for it made people feel too hopeless. Although the Throne of Darkness could not be compared to that monstrous Conquering Mageweath, its powers after fusing into the Eternal Furnace couldn't be underestimated. Seems like I have to do some research when I get back…
"Oh, yes. Once you have fused the Throne of Darkness into the Eternal Furnace, don't forget to build a new body for me…"
"I know, I know…" After Lin Li impatiently brushed off Connoris, he turned around again and called out to Hutton, who was dozing off. "Mage Hutton, start preparing. We can leave now."
"Oh, ok…" After Hutton nodded his head, he suddenly remembered something. "Oh, yes. Presiden
t Felic, Stephen…"
"I wouldn't know about that. Maybe Mephistos knows, do you want to ask him?"
"…" Hutton almost choked on his breath, and scolded himself for being an idiot that had nothing better to do. Of all things to ask, he had to ask about Stephen. He did not think who this young president was. He was truly coldhearted. If he were to think that Hutton were collaborating with Stephen and really made Hutton ask Mephistos, then wouldn't that be equal to shooting himself in the foot…
"Ok, let's go…" Lin Li glanced at Hutton. His mental strength surged out like raging waters and activated the Throne of Darkness that had his Spiritual Brand on it. In an instant, a crack tore open in the dark void and Lin Li walked out…
…
Their surroundings started becoming clearer. When the two of them regained their senses, they had already returned to the small wooden hut. Everything was the same as when they'd left. Tutankhamun was sitting at the side of the table, smiling.
"Welcome back."
"Mr Tutankhamun, we have found the Palace of Darkness in the Abyss of Tharlen as per your instructions. Does this mean we have passed your test?" Lin Li knew there was nothing much to say. With Tutankhamun's abysmal abilities as well as the ambiguous relationship with the Dragon of Destruction, he had to have already known everything that happened in the Palace of Darkness.
That aside, Lin Li was actually a little worried. He'd once suspected Tutankhamun made him go to the Abyss of Tharlen to help Tutankhamun retrieve a part of the Rules that the Dragon of Destruction had left for the Lord of Darkness, but now this whole Magical Domain was in Lin Li's hands. If Tutankhamun were to ask for it, should Lin Li return it or not?
Lin Li definitely would not give it up for free. Was this a joke? It was something that he'd snatched from Mephistos and the Lord of Darkness while placing his life on the line, so how could it be given to anyone for free?
But, it didn't seem like he could reject it…
