by Zhuang Bifan
If the battle with the three Undead Lords were considered the last tough battle in the Seven-Realm Spiral, this one would be full of danger and terror. Although there was only one Retribution Knight, Rodhart was the only one who could lead the hundreds of Death Knights.
With the power of Holy Light, Lin Li led the forces of the Tower of Dusk and killed most of the Death Knights. As the strongest amongst them, Elder Randy naturally became the opponent of the Retribution Knight.
With the help of Cheyenne and the three elves—especially Princess Elune, who had the Song of Heart—Elder Randy finally killed the Retribution Knight after sustaining various wounds during the intense battle.
As the Retribution Knight got killed, the Death Knights that'd made Lin Li look pathetic and disheveled suffered a drastic reduction in their strength. They suddenly became as meek as kittens. The infuriated Lin Li obviously wouldn't be willing to let go of such a great opportunity. The Angels of Light and Dark swarmed out and purified each of the Death Knights.
When the last Death Knight vanished from this realm, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief, but their faces were increasingly sullen. They were only at the sixth realm, yet they were already disheveled like that. What kind of formidable power would be lurking in the last realm of the Seven-Realm Spiral?
There was no point in making any speculations; since they had already entered the Seven-Realm Spiral, they could only go on according to the rules of the Seven-Realm Spiral. The surrounding environment had begun to change, and they were all dog tired after the battle. They were all waiting anxiously for the last realm.
At this moment, Lin Li could not help but feel even more tense. Even though he had obtained huge gains that others had never achieved in this Seven-Realm Spiral, like an entry to level-22 and a massive amount of mana for the Elemental Wyrm Xiao Hua, these things could only be regarded as actual gains after he entered the Seven-Realm Spiral. Otherwise, they would all just be illusory.
Finally, the surroundings became fixed, and they arrived at the last realm of the Seven-Realm Spiral, which was also the key realm that determined their destiny.
However, when they got a clearer look of everything around them, they could not help but be shocked, because the first thing they saw in the seventh realm was the four members of the Dark Blade who had first passed through the Teleportation Portal.
"Lansdale, the Legendary bandit, indeed couldn't unlock the Magical Thousand-contraption Lock." Cheyenne felt a little ecstatic after a while. Although there were plenty of powerful guardians waiting to battle them in this last realm, he was still glad to see the Dark Blade in this troublesome situation too.
Lin Li scrutinized the four members of the Dark Blade, but when he saw Stephen, he felt a little surprised. Before entering the Teleportation Portal, Stephen was only level-19, but the mana he was releasing now was actually at Legendary level!
Stephen and Hutton had always been the young geniuses of the Breezy Plains, a fact that Lin Li was well aware of. However, after experiencing various incidents in the Abyss of Tharlen together with him, he also gained some knowledge of Stephen's abilities. How could he have grown so tremendously from level-19 to the Legendary-realm?
Although Lin Li was a little surprised, that was all he felt. After all, he might not be the only one who had lucky encounters. However, Lin Li found Stephen's aura rather familiar, for it was different from the one he'd given off in the past. Stephen seemed to be a whole different person.
While Lin Li didn't have much of a reaction or expression on his face, Stephen behaved differently. After catching sight of Lin Li and the rest who appeared suddenly, he focused all of his attention on Lin Li, with no intention of hiding the hatred in his eyes.
Stephen's resentment towards Lin Li had never weakened; he had only hidden it throughout the journey because of his father's warning. At the same time, he also knew that his strength at that time was too weak to fight Lin Li, and he would only be embarrassing himself by taking revenge without the help of his elders.
However, there was no need for him to hide his emotions now! He thought, You must be surprised, eh! You probably didn't expect this. So what if you're in the Legendary-realm?! I've had enough after tolerating this for so long. Now we're both Legendary-mages. There's no need for me to hide anymore!
Stephen did not just show his infinite hatred for Lin Li, he also caused his mana to break out while exuding his formidable aura without reservations.
At this moment, Lin Li frowned, and a mysterious look formed in his eyes. He finally knew the reason that Stephen's aura felt familiar. Isn't it the aura of the Lord of Souls!
However, after arriving at the answer, Lin Li began to feel even more muddled up. Back in the Throne of Darkness, he had devised a plan to lure the Lord of Souls and used his sword to destroy the Lord of Souls into bits. He'd then used the Summoning Lamp to seal everything. But how could Stephen's aura be explained? Did he really obtain the Lord of Souls's power?
However, a familiar voice sounded in Lin Li's mind at this time.
"Hey, is it me, or am I sensing that Mephistos' unlucky aura has appeared again?" Connoris said in disdain. Back then, he was the main accomplice in luring the Lord of Souls; hence, he had the right to show disdain for the stupid and foolish Lord of Souls.
Lin Li smirked, and said, "Do you still remember Stephen?"
"Hah, that idiot who thought he's so smart and wanted to benefit from Mephisto? He really doesn't know what death is." Connoris was full of contempt for Stephen who worked with the Lord of Souls.
It would always be stupid to cooperate with demons, and working with the Lord of Souls Mephistos was even more brainless. When signing a contract with a demon, one had to be careful of the countless traps in the contract. However, when it came to Mephistos, no amount of consideration would be enough, because the contract wouldn't work at all. While one had to fulfill the terms in the contract, the same rule didn't apply to Mephistos.
"Then you guessed wrong this time. Stephen has really gained some benefits from Mephistos, and he has now reached the Legendary-realm," Lin Li said casually. Lin Li was simply curious about the aura of the Lord of Souls that Stephen was giving off, and he was barely interested in Stephen's Legendary-realm powers.
Chapter 647 - Outburst Of Resentment
"What!? I guessed wrong? I'm the most noble Soul Trader. Even if the Abyssal Demons have all started believing in the doctrine of light, I would never guess wrong." Connoris in the hammer bobbed down a bit, showing his disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e towards Lin Li for doubting him.
"Yes, you should be able to feel it too. Stephen is not only living well now, he has also reached the Legendary-realm. You saw it yourself. Mephistos has already been turned into fragments and sealed." Having interacted with Connoris for such a long time; he obviously knew his habit of keeping others in suspense. Connoris wouldn't spill a word unless Lin Li agitated him.
Indeed, Connoris expressed his disdain once again and humphed coldly. "Hmph, he may be alive now, but he might not be able to live for a long time. Although Mephistos is silly, he still has the ability to plot against an idiot. I'm telling you, the aura that the idiot is giving off is that of the true blue Lord of Souls, and not the defect one."
Lin Li couldn't help but be surprised when he heard Connoris' words. He frowned again, and asked, "What do you mean? Are you saying that this Stephen is just another form of Mephistos?"
"Hey, I said it long ago. He's such an idiot, how could he have escaped Mephistos's scheming tricks? Judging from his current situation, I'm afraid Mephistos has already left his seeds in Stephen's body. That guy Mephistos would always have a backup plan. After we plotted against him in the Throne of Darkness, planting seeds in that idiot was his only way to survival and resurrection." Connoris was hoping that Lin Li would make a body for him; hence, he detested Lin Li's enemies. He seemed to be gloating over Stephen's situation.
"You mean, he's the host of the Lord of Souls, who has become his par
asite? But there doesn't seem to be anything unusual about him," Lin Li asked Connoris in his mind while staring at Stephen.
Connoris nodded, and had no choice but to resignedly say, "Yes, a parasite. He's now a fusion of himself and Mephistos. When Mephistos really wakes up, he will become Mephistos' tonic and his body will become Mephisto's resurrected body. By then, there would be no Stephen, and only a complete Mephistos, the Lord of Souls."
"Oh, I see." Lin Li shook his head and looked away smilingly. He even turned a blind eye to Stephen's near-n.a.k.e.d body. What was there to hold against a dying man? Back in the Abyss of Tharlen, he'd still been rather afraid of Mephistos, but things were now different. Even if Mephistos recovered the power that he had during his pinnacle, he still wouldn't pose a threat to Lin Li.
Lin Li's current strength and abilities were worlds apart from what he had had when he'd been in the Abyss of Tharlen. Not only had he reached level-21 of the Legendary-realm, he had also gained two Legendary Undead servants. Although Mephistos was known as the Lord of Souls, he was just the loser in the battle for the throne in the Abyss of Tharlen. He was in fact inferior to the Demon Lord Marther in the Seven-Realm Spiral.
The Lord of Souls was able to catch Lin Li's interest only because it appeared at a strange time and place. After communicating with Connoris, Lin Li finally figured out the reason for the appearance of the Lord of Souls' aura on Stephen, and realized that there was nothing worth paying attention to anymore. He looked away and began scanning his surroundings. The guardians of this realm had yet to appear even until now, and that was what he had to worry about.
"Mage Felic, what do you think of this last realm?" asked Cheyenne who had snapped out of his trance and stopped staring at the Dark Blade. Stephen's sudden burst of aura made him worry a lot more. Although he had already seen through Stephen's magic, which contained some nomological power, he hadn't expected Stephen to have made so much progress in such a short period of time.
Cheyenne questioned Lin Li because he wanted to hide the uneasiness in his heart. However, Lin Li casually answered, "This is the last realm. No matter how you look at it, we can't hide from the guardians here. The only thing we can do now is seize the time to prepare for the next attack."
They were in the Seven-Realm Spiral, and the only way to leave the place was to follow the rules in the realm and defeat the guardians of the Seven-Realm Spiral. They were not in the outside world where they could escape and hide. In here, there was no way to avoid the battle with the guardians who would eventually find them even if they did not. Hence, all they could do now was to recover their power, and not find an exit.
In fact, it wasn't necessary for Lin Li to put it too explicitly, for they could all imagine that the High Elves wouldn't be so merciful as to leave any loopholes. Cheyenne and Lin Li's conversation was more of a way to show how close they were as allies than an exchange of opinions.
However, Stephen never stopped looking at Lin Li, and all the anger in his c.h.e.s.t seemed to have ignited at the instant that he heard Lin Li's words. In Stephen's eyes, Lin Li was just disregarding him by acting all nonchalant.
Stephen would never forget the experiences that he had in the Abyss of Tharlen. Lin Li was the reason he'd failed the test and lost the right of inheritance to Geresco's three relics. He even had a close shave with death in the ancient arena. This hatred couldn't be dispelled just because he had survived. To Stephen, he'd managed to survive because it was God's will.
"You probably don't remember it, but back in the Abyss of Tharlen, you said the same thing to me with the same nonchalance!" Stephen took a step forward and glowered at Lin Li hysterically, with infinite resentment in his tone. "But what happened in the end!? I listened to you and helped you pass the ancient arena, but what did I get in the end!? You abandoned me in the ancient arena and made me face the attacks of all the magical beasts!"
As Stephen spoke, the scene that once had made him feel hopeless popped up in his mind. His expression would turn more hysterical with every word he said.
Stephen's resentment towards Lin Li was not simply because of the time that he'd got duped and set up by Lin Li. It was the various incidents that caused his hatred to build up. Due to the fact that he'd been trapped in the ancient arena, he'd been disqualified from receiving Geresco's relics.
After leaving, he'd wanted to ask his father and elders to help him take revenge on Lin Li, but the latter had already become a Legendary figure. Hence, he was in no place to take revenge at all. He had no choice but to follow his father's warning and bear with it. If he were still the insignificant Archmage he used to be, all he could do would've been to bear with it and possibly have no chance at taking revenge at all.
Stephen's voice became more and more domineering, and the resentment in his eyes was drowned out by his hysteria. "You didn't expect this, did you? After you abandoned me there, I didn't die as you wished. Not only did I survive, I even obtained a great opportunity. So what if you're in the Legendary-realm? If it weren't for Geresco's relics, do you really think you'd have your current power? Look at me, I managed to gain so much power even without Geresco's relics. You definitely didn't expect this!"
Although Stephen had previously expected to enter the Legendary-realm with the huge opportunity he'd obtained, he hadn't expected that this day would've come so fast. It had only been a short period of time, yet he had already become a Legendary-mage. Everything felt miraculous and amazing. The best part was that his enemy sent himself to him right after he became a Legendary powerhouse.
Stephen's maniacal behavior had also caught the attention of the others. Apart from feeling disdain towards the begrudging characters of humans, the several elves did not take it too seriously. As Stephen's father, Borg naturally cared more about his son, so he wanted to persuade him to stop.
However, the Legendary Bandit Lansdale grabbed Borg to stop him. Shaking his head slightly, he said, "This hatred has been acc.u.mulated within Stephen for a long time. It is also a good thing to let him vent it all out. Otherwise, it'd be difficult for him to progress. He's already a Legendary-mage now. With the three of us to look after him, there won't be any danger."
Borg stopped in his tracks. As a Legendary-mage who had been in the Legendary-realm for plenty of years, he naturally knew how greatly a grudge would affect enlightenment. As Lansdale said, Stephen had already become a Legendary-mage, just like Lin Li. If a conflict were to really occur, the three Legendary powerhouses would be able to help Stephen out too.
Although Stephen had attracted the attention of everyone on site, Lin Li, his real enemy, was not included among them. Lin Li's contempt and disdain were really unbearable to Stephen because he felt disregarded!
When I was an Archmage, you were already a Legendary-mage. In that case, there was nothing I could do about your ignoring my existence. But now, I am also a Legendary-mage, and I have the heritage of the Lord of Souls. Who are you to put yourself on a pedestal and look down on me!? Stephen raised his staff in anger.
Although Stephen could sense that his emotions were slipping out of control, he believed that it would be impossible for anyone to remain calm when facing their enemy who'd caused them a great deal of harm. Lin Li was his very nemesis. If it weren't because of his appearance, Hutton wouldn't have been his match at all, and Geresco's three relics would have become his. Had it not been for Lin Li's plots, Stephen wouldn't have been on the brink of death in the Abyss of Tharlen. Lin Li was the cause of everything, and now that Stephen had become a Legendary figure with the inheritance of the Lord of Souls, he felt that it was time to get back what was supposed to belong to him.
"I will burn your soul with the flames of hell, and let your soul mourn in endless pain. You were the one who asked for this!" Stephen's face twisted in a ruthless smile as if he had already seen Lin Li's soul being destroyed with his own eyes. Stephen suddenly pointed his staff at Lin Li without casting my spells or making any gestures.
In Lin Li's eyes, Stephen wa
s actually no different from a dead man. Mephistos was not to be taken advantage of easily. When Mephistos was completely reborn and took over Stephen's soul, Stephen would no longer exist.
Hence, Lin Li really did not want to waste any time or energy on someone who was destined to die. As long as the reborn Mephistos obediently went back to the Abyss of Tharlen, Lin Li wouldn't bother with him. Anyway, he already had the Throne of Darkness, and might not go to the Abyss of Tharlen again. However, if someone insisted on courting death, Lin Li would definitely not stand on ceremony with him.
"Die! Redeem yourself with your soul!" Stephen growled, and a ray of light emerged from the jewel on the top of the staff.
Along the way, everyone had been paying attention to the abilities of others, and Stephen naturally hadn't given up on observing Lin Li's abilities. They faced various battles with the magical beasts before entering the dragon cave, followed by the siege of the green dragons just outside the cave. To Stephen, Lin Li was only a Legendary-mage in name, and was only relying on his competent Undead servants. Stephen felt that he was different as he possessed the power of the Lord of Souls which was unrivaled.
Stephen was no longer the same gullible and manipulatable Stephen back in the Abyss of Tharlen!
Stephen had absolute confidence in his own power, especially after entering the Legendary-realm and mastering the Laws of Soul, a formidable power that allowed him to manipulate everything on earth. It was far from ordinary Elemental Power.
Chapter 648 - The Soul-Devouring Realm
As the dazzling light erupted from the gem on the top of the staff, everything around it suddenly lost their l.u.s.ter as if that ray of light was the only existence in the entire space. The instant that it was shot, hundreds of blue light arrows darted out together with some strange mana, and continuously switched around like an illusion.
