by Zhuang Bifan
Staring at the hundreds of light arrows and sensing the changes in power, everyone couldn't help but be shocked. They were all Legendary figures, but not all of them had experienced Spiritual Magic before. However, they were no strangers to the troublesome Soul Arrows.
Although the Soul Arrows were presented in the form of light arrows, they could actually exist in another illusory space. No magical shield could defend against the Soul Arrow, regardless of how strong it might be, because its target was the human soul, and not the body.
Spiritual Magic could be said to be the strangest kind of magic in the world. Although it might not have the power to destroy the world, its attacks often caught others off guard, and could be invincible too. In fact, it was tougher to deal with than Necromagic. However, in Anril, there were very few who learned Spiritual Magic, not because it wasn't strong enough, but because not everyone was suited for learning it. Only those who had some kind of mutation in their soul could learn to use it.
Even the other two leaders of the Dark Blade were extremely surprised by Stephen's usage of Spiritual Magic.
When the Soul Arrows appeared, only two people remained calm. As Stephen's father, Borg had already heard about Stephen's encounters in the Abyss of Tharlen. After getting to know that his son had inherited the Lord of Souls' heritage, he was not surprised by the fact that he could use Spiritual Magic.
In the face of the attack of the Soul Arrows, Lin Li knew that it was the power of the Lord of Souls, and not Stephen's. At the moment before Stephen attacked, Lin Li clearly sensed that Stephen's aura had changed completely, and was now similar to that of the Lord of Souls, Mephistos. Although Mephistos had yet to swallow Stephen's soul, Stephen could very likely be attacking with the help of Mephistos.
Mephistos detested Lin Li even more than Stephen did. As the Lord of the Abyss, he'd actually got duped and set up by a lowly human who ruined everything that he had painstakingly built up for tens of thousands of years. Not only did he not get his throne back, he even got ripped into bits. It was a complete insult to him.
Hence, Mephistos used his full strength and power from the beginning of the attack in a bid to kill Lin Li instantly. Of course, venting his anger and resentment was just one of his purposes. More importantly, Mephistos wanted to get back the soul fragments that Lin Li had sealed back then. Although Mephistos was now being reborn vicariously in Stephen's body, there would be a huge increase in his powers if he could obtain the soul fragments again.
The Soul Arrows were only the beginning. At the same time that the Soul Arrows were fired, Mephistos' Soul-devouring domain was also unfolded instantly by Stephen, and he trapped Lin Li in the domain.
As the Soul-devouring Domain unfolded, everything that was trapped in the space began wailing in despair. It included the souls that had been devoured by the Lord of Souls through the Soul-devouring Domain in the past tens of thousands of years. Overwhelmed with endless agony, they shrieked loudly in pain.
Just like the Soul Arrows, human souls were still the target of the Soul-devouring Domain. No matter how strong the human body might be, even the strongest in the Legendary-realm might not be able to escape the fate of being destroyed by the Soul-devouring Domain. A slight mistake or carelessness would result in one's soul being devoured by the terrifying Soul-devouring Domain, becoming one of the wailing souls.
Even the people outside the Soul-devouring Domain could not help but put on a sullen expression at this moment. The shrieks and cries for help that came from the Soul-devouring Domain were not aimed at them, but they could still feel their souls shaking. None of them expected that the young Stephen Borg brought along would exhibit such a terrifying power at this moment.
However, that was not the end of it. When the Soul-devouring Domain was unleashed, Stephen and Mephistos also showcased their strongest power, the extraordinary Soul Storm.
In the sky of the Soul-devouring Domain, dark clouds were ignited instantly, and blue soul fire lit up the entire sky, overwhelming it with flames. Hysterical laughter continuously sounded from Stephen as his body was completely engulfed by soul fire. Under his feet, the flames spread towards the surroundings rapidly, and the wailing became even more melancholic at this moment. The voices were filled with pain, anger, and despair. Their negative emotions seemed to strike directly into everyone's souls.
In the burning sky, the soul fire burned continuously and formed a huge vortex. Countless blue electric snakes leaped and descended from the sky together to form a pillar of lightning that connected heaven and earth. Under the traction of the vortex, the pillar continuously rotated and moved, making the entire space seem like a thunder cage.
Back in the Throne of Darkness, the Lord of Souls Mephistos had once used the Soul Storm in a bid to devour the Lord of Darkness effortlessly. Although the power of the Lord of Darkness had weakened greatly back then, the Throne of Darkness was a Magical Domain created by the Dragon of Destruction. Under the suppression of the Throne of Darkness, the Soul Storm became much weaker. Besides, Mephistos had just reassembled his body, and had yet to recover the strength that it'd possessed during its pinnacle. Hence, it got destroyed by the Lord of Darkness.
However, things were now different. Without the suppression of the Throne of Darkness, Mephistos' power had been greatly restored ever since he'd fused himself with Stephen's body. Hence, the Soul Storm now was more powerful than it'd been at first. Even if the Lord of Darkness appeared, it might not escape the fate of having its soul get devoured.
While laughing hysterically, Stephen manipulated the Soul Storm that seemed to be devouring the whole world. It then swept quickly towards Lin Li, following the arrows.
Stephen seemed to have shot the Soul Arrows, unfolded the Soul-devouring Domain, and put up the Soul Storm all in the blink of an eye. Although Stephen was disdainful of Lin Li because he had the inheritance of the Lord of Souls, he still chose to exert his full power because he wanted to render Lin Li helpless and see him being at his wits' end. He wanted to show everyone who the true genius was.
Although Stephen had just stepped into the Legendary-realm and he was facing a level-21 legendary-mage, Elder Randy was already certain of the outcome. The special qualities of the Spiritual Magic and the combination of Soul-devouring Domain and the Soul Storm was beyond what a level-21 Legendary-mage could handle. He reckoned that Lin Li's chances of surviving were bleak.
However, although Lin Li's defeat was foreseen by him, Elder Randy nonetheless placed his hands behind his back to observe everything that was taking place in the Soul-devouring Domain without any intention to stop it.
Although Lin Li had once given Princess Elune and the other elves an antidote for the poison that they were infected with, it was just a transaction, and Elder Randy wouldn't bear a grudge just because he had been embarrassed. Although he felt the pinch of losing the Star-scarred Robe, that was not a reason for him to leave Lin Li in the lurch. As the eighth elder of the Emerald Council of the Elven Kingdom, all decisions made by Elder Randy had to be made in the best interests of the elves. Even if Lin Li had really done them a great favor, Elder Randy wouldn't take action at this juncture.
Elder Randy was well aware of the relationship between the Dark Blade and the Malfa Family, as well as the important role that Lin Li played amongst them. Lin Li was inclined towards the Malfa Family, and that was a fact that everyone could see. Perhaps before this, Lin Li was not completely on the Malfa Family's side, but ever since Stephen launched an attack, the Dark Blade became Lin Li's and the Malfa Family's common enemy.
Elder Randy knew that Lin Li was not a generous person. If he were to leave the Haiga Mountain Range alive, he would inevitably retaliate against the Dark Blade together with the Malfa Family. However, the Dark Blade had always been cooperating with the elves, and Elder Randy definitely didn't want war to happen, because it'd cause considerable damage to the elves' interests.
From the moment the Soul Storm appeared, everyone was shocked by the power
exhibited by Stephen, especially the perplexed and worried Cheyenne, who was an old rival of the Dark Blade.
The conflict between the Malfa Family and Dark Blade was an old feud that had built up across the years, and couldn't be resolved, because it concerned the development of both sides. The Malfa Family had always been passive in the feud, but the pressure that the three Legendary leaders of the Dark Blade had brought Cheyenne, the only pillar of support of the Malfa Family, was far beyond imaginable.
Cheyenne had once pinned his hopes on Hutton, hoping that his proud disciple could step into the Legendary-realm sooner and let the Malfa Family become stronger. However, the fourth Legendary member of the Dark Blade surfaced before his hopes had been fulfilled.
More incredibly, the power of that Stephen had exhibited was not like that of a novice to the Legendary-realm. The Soul Laws were clearly beyond the limits of a beginner in the Legendary-realm. The release of the Soul Storm did not stop at all, and he executed his attacks with so much finesse that it seemed to be a natural gift.
Cheyenne wanted to help Lin Li, but the three Legendary powerhouses of the Dark Blade were staring at him intimidatingly, leaving him with no chance to do so at all. Of those present, the only one who could stop Stephen was probably Elder Randy. He was the best candidate, be it because of his strong powers or his relationship with the Dark Blade.
However, Cheyenne turned to look at the elves, only to be disappointed because Elder Randy did not seem to have the intention of stopping them. Indeed, the elves had always been in cooperation with the Dark Blade, and they would undoubtedly stand on the latter's side in such circ.u.mstances. How could they help Lin Li?
However, Cheyenne's speculation was not definite. The elves had learned a lot from humans, with the most important being balance. Elder Randy knew that the continued conflict between the Malfa Family and the Dark Blade would be the most advantageous for the elves. Although neither of the huge forces posed a threat to the elves, it would affect the dominance of the elves in future.
From this point of view, it seemed that Elder Randy ought to intervene. After all, in the current situation, there were four Legendary powerhouses from the Dark Blade which were now stronger than the Malfa Family. However, after interacting with Lin Li, Elder Randy knew that he was definitely not a person who could be controlled easily. Instead of allowing Lin Li to play the role of balancing the Dark Blade and the Malfa Family, he decided that it would be better to let him die and let the elves be the ones to provide the balance.
At this very moment, the hundreds of Soul Arrows and the Soul Storm were extremely close to Lin Li in the Soul-devouring Domain. It was as if Lin Li would be completely engulfed in the next instant. Stephen had even stopped laughing and was waiting to hear Lin Li's shrieks. Be it to Stephen or Mephistos, that would be the most wonderful enjoyment in the world.
However, Lin Li suddenly shot out the Light and Darkness Domain, which was only black and white. The continuous collision of black shadow and white light merged into countless Angels of Light and Dark who flapped their black and white wings while flying around Lin Li.
As the Angels of Light and Dark flew around, the Light and Darkness Domain continuously expanded within the Soul-devouring Domain. The souls which had been devoured and tortured by the black flames of the Abyss of Tharlen suddenly stopped wailing, and began heaving sighs of relief under the purification of white light.
The hundreds of Soul Arrows disappeared at the instant that the Light and Darkness Domain was induced, just like ashes falling into water without even the slightest ripple.
The sudden change surprised everyone, and the weird soul arrows disappeared so silently. The Light and Darkness Domain was beyond the imagination of all, even though they knew that it was the nomological power of Light and Darkness. However, that was the reason for their disbelief.
Chapter 649 - Thunderbolt
Lin Li had once used the Light and Darkness Domain in front of everyone when battling the green dragons, but no one could notice the existence of the Light and Darkness Laws under the facade of the Frost Domain. Despite having scoured through the Seven-Realm Spiral and battled the Undead Lord and the Retribution Knight together, they could only subtly feel some light Laws in Lin Li's Frost Domain.
However, no one expected that Lin Li's mastery of the Light and Darkness Laws was already enough for him to create his own Magical Domain. In this black and white Magical Domain, the contrasting Laws actually fused together perfectly without seeming too conflicting at all.
What kind of mastery did he have to possess in order to do that? Even Elder Randy could not hide his astonishment at all.
It was not unusual to master the Laws of light and darkness. Almost all the popes of the Brilliance Shrine had their own Light Domain, while the Darkness Shrine, too, had masters of Darkness Domain. However, only a true master who had gained deep insight into the two domains could control the Light and Darkness Domain, which was a fusion of the two.
Of course, Elder Randy wouldn't know that Lin Li managed to create the Light and Darkness Domain because he mainly relied on the debris of the stars—Holy Light and Gloomy Dark. Regardless of what others thought, Lin Li would not easily let go of those who wanted to kill him, be it the dying Stephen or Mephistos who was about to be reborn.
With the expansion of the Light and Darkness Domain, countless Angels of Light and Dark flew around the sky, and even Stephen's Soul Storm could only slow down. Just as everyone was speculating and making guesses about how Lin Li had managed to create his Light and Darkness Domain, the Angels of Light and Dark who were flying in the sky suddenly broke apart and became the energy of light and darkness.
Could it be too weak to persist?! Cheyenne once again began to feel worried, despite feeling surprised earlier on.
Light and darkness were two diametrically opposed Law forces, or rather two conflicting Laws. Yet, they were fused together to create a Magical Domain. The idea itself was already beyond what anyone could imagine.
The three Legendary powerhouses of the Dark Blade and even Elder Randy could not help but heave a sigh of relief when they saw the Angels of Light and Dark disintegrating.
However, after the Angels of Light and Dark disintegrated, the Light and Darkness Domain did not disintegrate. The countless rays of black and white lights merged in the sky while revolving in a frenzy. Eventually, they fused into a giant black and white sword. The giant sword hung in the sky while the rays of black and white continued to merge with it, causing it to elongate and expand rapidly, and making the humans feel tiny in comparison.
Lin Li pursed his lips and looked in front with a stern and menacing expression. He then raised the Helios' Scepter in the air, and the giant black and white sword in the sky darted forward together with Lin Li's movements.
"BOOM!"
One strike of the sword was all it took to shatter the Soul Storm which contained all of the power of the Lord of Souls, and countless souls were purified by the light contained in the sword. However, that was not the end. The giant black and white sword did not slow down at all. After cutting off the Soul Storm, it slammed down into the Soul-devouring Domain again.
In the Soul-devouring Domain, the countless souls that could not stop wailing suddenly let out a shrill shriek before falling silent again. Rays of light rose above in the Soul-devouring Domain, which were the souls that had been purified by Holy Light. Although purification would cause them to vanish, it was a form of relief for them after being tortured by the black flames for so many years.
Almost all of the souls that had been acc.u.mulated for tens of thousands of years were purified by the sword while the Soul-devouring Domain collapsed. Although the Lord of Souls Mephistos could escape this ordeal, the Soul-devouring Domain could barely reach its power.
Ever since Stephen had launched an attack and Lin Li retaliated, only a few moments passed. However, to the surrounding spectators who had been on an emotional roller-coaster, it felt like an eternity.
No one could hide the shock that they were feeling, for Lin Li's abilities had already exceeded their imagination. He was only a Legendary-mage as well, but he managed to split the daunting Soul Storm apart with just one blow. He even shattered Stephen's Soul-devouring Domain! Was this really done by a Legendary-mage?
Stephen had already fallen to the ground with the collapse of the domain. Although he could still exude a weak aura, everyone knew that he was already on the brink of death. Any Legendary-mage would be subject to the recoil of nomological power during the shattering of a Magical Domain. Those who were lucky enough to survive would end up becoming vegetables that would never get to practice magic again.
There was an unbelievable surprise in Cheyenne's eyes, and he couldn't help but be glad that he had trusted the right person. It seemed that he had to get closer to Lin Li and forge stronger ties between the Malfa Family and the Tower of Dusk after they returned. Cheyenne began to contemplate letting Hutton join the Tower of Dusk and learn alongside the young Mage Felic, who might help him step into the Legendary-realm.
Unlike Cheyenne, the three Legendary powerhouses of the Dark Blade were full of disbelief. The fusion of light and darkness was already beyond what they could comprehend, and the powerful strike that Lin Li launched on Stephen was absolutely intimidating.
Elder Randy took a deep breath and stared at the young human mage with complicated emotions. He reckoned that even the best prodigy of the elven race could not compare to this human. He could not decide between befriending Lin Li or killing him before he grew completely.
Elder Randy had always been confident that killing the human mage Lin Li would be an easy task. However, after seeing that giant black and white sword's destructive power, Elder Randy could not help but begin doubting himself.
Elder Randy had a feeling that the sword that had destroyed the Soul-devouring Domain would be immune to the damage he inflicted, even if he transformed into a silver dragon. Judging from Lin Li's current appearance, he reckoned that that strike was definitely not all that Lin Li could do. No one knew what other secrets he was hiding.
