by Zhuang Bifan
There was a reason for the strength of every powerful existence. It was through such cruel and merciless tests that almost every a.d.u.l.t Titan would develop Sanctuary-level strength. Hence, the Titan Dragon Spear formed by the power of Thunderbolt was a symbol of Titans reaching a.d.u.l.thood and their most powerful weapon.
Staring at the giant skeleton and spear in front of him, Lin Li subconsciously swallowed his spit. At his current level, ordinary treasures were no longer significant to him, and he would barely be tempted or enticed by advanced magical equipment, rare magical gemstones, and Legendary magical crystals.
However, what was now right in front of him was the remains of a Titan and what seemed to be a Titan Dragon Spear. Even a powerhouse of the Sanctuary-realm would jump at the chance to grab them and declare ownership over the items, let alone Lin Li.
As a Guru of several major auxiliary professions, Lin Li had a more thorough understanding of the value of those two items as compared to the powerhouses of the Sanctuary-realm. The figures of the Sanctuary-realm would probably pay the most attention to the legendary Titan Dragon Spear, but in Lin Li's eyes, the giant skeleton of the Titan was far more enticing—though he had already kept the remains of the Dragon of Destruction in his Ring of Endless Storm.
Chapter 603 - Spirit
Although the skeleton of a Titan was not as precious as the remains of the Dragon of Destruction which was one of the five Dragon Aspects, Lin Li could put the Titan skeleton to great use with his current abilities.
The Dragon of Destruction mastered the Laws of Darkness and Laws of Destruction, and there were also plenty of Dark Force and Destruction Force in its bones. Given Lin Li's current abilities, it would be almost impossible to fully utilize it without any wastage. He could probably only achieve such a feat when he became a Divine Smith. That was the reason that he had not touched the skeleton of the Dragon of Destruction after such a long time.
However, the skeletons of Titans were completely different. Since Lin Li was a Smithing Guru, he could use them to forge weapons, create strong magic arrays, or build indestructible castles. He could fully utilize it without any wastage.
However, after confirming that it was the skeleton of a Titan, the first thing that popped up in Lin Li's mind was that the Black Front Fortress was finally going to be completed.
Lin Li and the necromancer Sendros had once spent some time together in the Blackstone Mountains. After seeing that Lin Li had brought Death Knights out from the Scar of Death, he decided to give Lin Li the design sketch of Black Front Fortress that he had been keeping for a long time.
Black Front Fortress was a type of barracks that was specially designed for Death Knights. It could transform mana into Death Aura, and when a Death Knight was placed in the fortress, it could not only continuously strengthen its physical strength, it could also speed up the digestion of the soul fire. Actually, this advantage applied to other Undead creatures too.
After Lin Li became a Legendary-mage, the battles that he faced were on a whole new level, and the Death Knights did not have the right to join in at all. Be it the Alchemy Colossus which was almost legendary, or the Crimson Dragon from the underground palace, neither of them was something a Death Knight could match, what more the Elemental Wyrm's projected avatar.
The army of Death Knights could destroy everything without saving anything for Lin Li. Although Lin Li was no saint, he could not bring himself to do something so ruthless like the Retribution Knight Rodhart. It was impossible for him to use the entire spirit power of the Breezy Plains to enhance his strength. In fact, he had almost forgotten about the army of Death Knights which he had arranged to be situated in the mountains near the Tower of Dusk where they could roam around.
Actually, Lin Li had been keeping the design sketch of the Black Front Fortress for some time now, and he had never once taken action, because it was way too difficult to find the suitable materials. If the Titan skeleton was used to build the Black Front Fortress, the benefits would definitely outweigh the cost of the materials mentioned in the design sketches.
The Titans had the power to control Thunderbolt, and their bodies had also been tempered by Thunderbolt. The power of Thunderbolt within their bones was not that of the evolved Thunderbolt. Instead, it was the power of Thunderbolt in its purest form that existed when the world began. A Black Front Fortress built using the Titan skeleton would not only provide an immense amount of power of death, but also allow the Death Knight to possess the power of Thunderbolt.
Undead creatures were the most afraid of Holy Light—it was their Achilles' heel. However, if the Undead creatures could possess the power of Thunderbolt, it would give them greater resistance to Holy Light. Soul fire that had been cleansed by Thunderbolt would become purer and much more powerful. Perhaps the Death Knights might just break through their natural limits and grow to become true Retribution Knights.
Lin Li thought, Rodhart is nothing. I'll bring out 16 Retribution Knights in one go. By then, I shall see what you can do.
Lin Li burst into laughter at the thought of 16 Retribution Knights assembling together. He reckoned that even a Legendary figure like Rodhart would not be able to stand strong against the Retribution Knights.
Lin Li gradually began to come up with a plan and ideas how to put the Titan's skeleton to good use. However, he did not quite know what to do about the Titan Dragon Spear.
The purest power of Thunderbolt that was concentrated in the Titan Dragon Spear was the power that first broke the world of chaos. It was so strong that even an ancient Wyrm wouldn't be able to resist it. Even the Helios' Scepter that Lin Li was wielding couldn't be compared with such a powerful weapon.
However, the problem was that the Titan Dragon Spear was a proprietary weapon of the Titans, and every Titan Dragon Spear could only be used by its rightful owner. Hence, outsiders obviously couldn't use them, either. Due to the fact that the Titan Dragon Spear was an extension of a Titan's life, it contained the power of the Thunderbolt that had been acc.u.mulated after every near-death experience.
After such a process, the Dragon Gun and the Titan had become connected by blood. When one was damaged, the other would be affected as well. Once the Titan died, his Titan Dragon Spear would also lose its life. Even if it had been preserved, it was nothing more than just a lifeless shell which no longer possessed the terrifying power it had had during the Prehistoric Age.
However, Lin Li was not one who dwelt on issues, and it didn't matter even if he couldn't use the Titan Dragon Spear now. Although the Titan Dragon Spear had lost its life, the sheer Thunderbolt power of the Titan Dragon Spear did not disappear, and was merely dormant.
Lin Li knew that what was detected by the Mana Detector just now was the formidable mana that came from the Titan Dragon Spear. So long as Lin Li found a suitable method, he would be able to awaken and activate the infinite power contained in it. Thunderbolt, which was one of the pieces of the debris of the stars, was undoubtedly the best choice for awakening that power.
Lin Li heaved a sigh of relief, and suppressed all of his excitement. It was not the time to think about those matters yet. Most importantly, he had to think about how to bring the Titan Dragon Spear and Titan skeleton away.
There was infinite space in Lin Li's Ring of Endless Storm, and he could even store the remains of the Dragon of Destruction in it. Although the Titan skeleton was huge, it wouldn't cause a space constraint. However, Lin Li had another issue to consider before placing the two items in the Ring of Endless Storm, and that was the legendary Titan's Spirit.
In the world that Lin Li had lived in before he teleported, there had always been a great debate about the existence of spirits. Of course, the majority felt that there were no souls in humans and no afterlife. However, in the magical world of Anril, everyone acknowledged the existence of spirits.
It was said that since the Dark Age, High Elves, humans, other intelligent races, and even magical beasts which had no wisdom would become spirits af
ter death. However, there was no conclusion about what form spirits would take; hence, there were varying opinions.
The necromancer Sendros was the only one who could be considered to be experienced and learned in spirits. After all, necromancers often communicated with spirits.
Lin Li and Sendros had once discussed Necromagic, and the topic of spirits was naturally unavoidable. Sendros had been asking Lin Li regarding some knowledge on pharmacy; hence, he obviously wouldn't refuse to answer Lin Li's questions. However, even as a Master Necromancer, Sendros could not give Lin Li an exact answer, and had merely told him some of his conjectures.
In Anril, some of the more authoritative statements about the form of the spirits suggested that the soul might fall into eternal sleep or completely vanish after death. It might even become resentful ghouls. Of course, there was also a possibility of being swallowed by Undead creatures that used the Spiritual Force to enhance their own power.
However, Sendros also mentioned that before the Dark Age, it was said that ancient Wyrms and Titans would not return to their spiritual states after death. After the death of a Titan, their strong willpower that had been fused with Thunderbolt would be concentrated into a spirit and stored in the Pantheon. On the other hand, after an ancient Wyrm died, its willpower and mental strength would both be concentrated in the Dragon's Spirit and placed in the Dragons' Graveyard in endless time and space.
However, Sendros had no idea where the Pantheon and the Dragons' Graveyard were and what they looked like. In fact, even the three Sanctuary figures of the Supreme Council probably wouldn't know the answer to this question. In short, no matter where the Spirit or Dragon's Spirit went in the end, they definitely wouldn't vanish.
In fact, this statement was not surprising. Ancient Wyrms and Titans were born out of chaos, and were powerful races that were born when the world began. During the growth of the Titans, they had to continue to strengthen their bodies and willpower with the power of the Thunderbolt. Their willpower was probably already extremely terrifying.
Lin Li was worried about encountering the Titan Spirit here. Although it was said that the Titan Spirit would return to Pantheon, this was definitely an exceptional case because the Titan Dragon Spear contained both the power of Thunderbolt and the Titan's massive willpower. When the Titan died, he would become a spirit, and the Titan Dragon Spear would re-integrate into the spirit and protect its partner in another form after entering Pantheon.
Although the Titan Dragon Spear in front of him had lost its life, it still showed no sign of dissipating. That could only mean one thing—the Titan was extremely out of luck, for its spirit did not even get a chance to enter the Pantheon after death. Hence, the Titan Dragon Spear naturally had no chance to be incorporated into the spirit, either.
If there was really a Titan Spirit in it… Well, no one would be generous enough to let someone else covet his skeleton and weapon. An a.d.u.l.t Titan basically had power above level-25, thus making them possess Sanctuary-level power.
Chapter 604 - The Source of Magic
Although the Titans' Spirits have lost their strong physical bodies and the Titan Dragon Spear that contained the power of Thunderbolt, their strong willpower that had been fused with Thunderbolt's power ever since they were born allowed their spirits to become formidable even by the standards of Undead creatures.
Lin Li was just a minor Legendary-mage. Although he was an outstanding figure among human beings, he was just as insignificant as an ant in front of a Titan Spirit that was at least level-25. Even if there were 10 of him, he might not be able to stand against the Titan's Spirit with the help of the Malfa Family and the four Legendary powerhouses of Dark Blade.
However, despite being faced with the possibility of facing a mighty opponent, Lin Li did not leave in dejection. Instead, he began to take out some precious magic items from the Ring of Endless Storm.
If it had been a living Titan, Lin Li would have run away and hidden far, far away without hesitation. However, no matter how powerful the Titan Spirit was, it was already considered an Undead creature which Lin Li felt that he could deal with. Of course, he had to hope that the Titan Spirit was really an Undead creature.
The baby Elemental Wyrm, Xiao Hua, already had the two magic crystals, and was now hovering with translucent wings that allowed it to remain suspended in midair while its head swayed back and forth. It watched Lin Li run about in the cave. Wyrms and Titans were natural enemies, and their relationship had been strained since the birth of their races. Although Xiao Hua was just born, the memory that it had gained from the projected avatar made it well aware how powerful the Titan was.
If it were the Dragon of Dream, Xiao Hua obviously wouldn't be intimidated by an ordinary Titan, but the Titan was still too powerful for it now. It stayed at the entrance of the cave without touching anything there while staring at Lin Li curiously in a bid to see how the human mage was going to deal with the Titan that was tens of thousands of times larger than it.
The cave was extremely spacious, and Lin Li seemed rather tiny compared to the Titan Dragon Spear and the Titan's skeleton.
In a short while, a large ring appeared on the ground, encircling the Titan's skeleton and the Titan Dragon Spear. Although it was just a simple ring, Lin Li's heart was bleeding when he was drawing it. He truly felt the pinch because the materials used did not come cheap, and were formulated using various precious magical materials. Every handful of them came at a sky-high price. It was all just the beginning.
Such a simple drawing of a circle was obviously not enough to deal with the Titan Spirit. Lin Li had never once paused in his actions, and he continuously used the huge ring as a basis to draw complex patterns. He occasionally placed some precious magical materials in specific positions too.
Lin Li continuously drew various complicated patterns, such as crisscrossing lines, curvy waves, and small symbols with significant meanings. The large circle was continuously enhanced, and the faint magic light emitted by the colorful magical materials gradually made it seem like a piece of art.
However, it was unlike a freestyle art piece, because Lin Li had to ensure the accuracy of each line, and the structure of each symbol could not be the slightest bit wrong. Well, it was not a work of art, but a huge alchemy circle. Any mistake would lead to the failure of the alchemy circle, and any deviation could make the alchemy circle fail to achieve the d.e.s.i.r.ed effect.
Drawing such a huge alchemy circle was a great test for all alchemists, and even a veteran alchemist wouldn't dare to guarantee that he wouldn't make a mistake during the process. It was perhaps not the most complicated alchemy matrix, but its sheer size would make its formulation difficult beyond imagination.
If Lin Li wanted to fight the powerful Titan Spirit, it would not be enough to just rely on his own strength. Even if he went through the painful experience of ingesting the Heart-piercing Potion again, he would still face death when he encountered the level-25 Titan Spirit. However, Lin Li was not just a mage or a pharmacist. Hence, he thought of the Alchemy Array.
The power of wisdom was infinite. In terms of individual power, humans and the High Elves of the Dark Age would never be able to compare to the strong and overbearing magical beasts. Yet, the magical beasts were the ones that got driven out of Anril, and those who remained to rule the world were the relatively weaker High Elves. That was the power of wisdom.
When the wise were unable to break through their own limitations, they earned to use external forces such as various magical equipment, potions, mageweaths, Alchemy Arrays, and many others, with the smallest being magical rings and the biggest being Sky Castles. That gave the power of the intelligent races unlimited growth potential.
Lin Li would never be able to fight the Titans with his own individual abilities. However, he did not lack help from external factors.
Step by step, Lin Li carefully completed the huge alchemy circle. The plethora of magical materials exuded a mild yet vibrant magical glow, which graduall
y gave the entire cave a beautiful silhouette. The large Alchemy Array was a great test for Lin Li as well. It was huge not because it was simply enlarged, and there were actually various problems that had to be addressed as well. For example, some magic symbols couldn't withstand greater power output, so they needed to be replaced with smaller Alchemy Arrays. There were also some magical that couldn't withstand the flow of too much power, and certain methods had to be employed in order to enhance them. Lin Li had to use his own knowledge to solve the issues one by one.
After a long time, Lin Li looked down and carefully scrutinized his own masterpiece whilst suspended in mid-air. The huge Alchemy Array had already been completed, and the colorful magical glow was shining brightly to form beautiful patterns. The numerous magic symbols intertwined together in a complicated manner. It was absolutely perfect, whether it was perceived as an Alchemy Array or an art piece.
However, what Lin Li wanted was not a work of art, but an alchemy circle that could help him defend himself against the mighty Titan Spirit. After thinking for a while, Lin Li returned to the Alchemy Array and retrieved the debris of the stars, Holy Light and Gloomy Dark, which he then used to replace the magical items in the Alchemy Array.
The debris of the stars were genuine artifacts that possessed incredible power. Unfortunately, Lin Li's current abilities did not allow him to fully exert their power. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had to rely on the alchemy, and could have just used the debris of the stars to fight the Titan Spirit.
At this point, the alchemy circle could be considered complete, but Lin Li did not stop frowning at all, because there was still a crucial problem that had not been resolved. If the problem was not eliminated, everything that Lin Li had done and the huge Alchemy Array which required plenty of precious materials would very likely go to waste.
