by Zhuang Bifan
However, a Legendary powerhouse would not be easily defeated, let alone a group of them.
Although the wind elementals could evade quickly, a few of them were still trapped when the Thousand Miles of Ice was shot out. Although the Thousand Miles of Ice could not really freeze them, it caused them to slow down. Without speed, the wind elementals were just like mosquitos without their wings—subject to any treatment of others.
Chapter 653 - Storm Lightning
Before the wind elementals could get rid of the freezing, the attacks from the Legendary team continued. They hit their respective targets accurately with magic arrows and other offensive spells. The wind elementals began bombarding them again, but the Legendary powerhouses were shielded by the magical shield.
The most important and hardest thing to achieve during cooperation was unreserved trust in one's teammates. It was the kind of trust that ordinary soldiers had in their comrades. If mutual trust could be established among all members of the team, they could achieve power that was not simply c.u.mulative.
Although most Legendary powerhouses were not considered lone rangers, they basically fought their own opponents during battles. When it came to cooperation, they also launched attacks using their individual powers. When they were counterattacked against by their opponents, they'd also protect themselves first instead of leaving their safety in the hands of others.
However, the team comprised of elves and humans could basically be said to have truly cooperated with each other. They managed to achieve mutual trust, perhaps because they knew that they were all in the same boat, and they would be implicated if any one of them were to die. There were probably other reasons too. However, with such a strong trust between the members, they achieved teamwork that was no better than those who had practiced teamwork for a long time.
The eight Legendary powerhouses had their own strength. Although the dozens of wind element creatures were not Legendary in power, everyone had their own respective role. Those who were in charge of withholding the defense would stick to it, while those who were in charge of slowing down the wind elements would do just that. The rest was then responsible for attacking the targets.
No matter how great of a resistance the wind element had to magic, it would be impossible for them to stay strong under the combined attacks of several Legendary powerhouses. Basically, one wave of attacks would be enough to get rid of one or two targets. At first, the whole team was a little passive and getting attacked, but as the wind elements were slowly eliminated, the effects of their cooperation began to show.
Due to the previous conflict, the Dark Blade had withdrawn from the operation, which meant that the team suddenly lost four Legendary powerhouses who were equivalent to almost a third of the strength of the entire team. The elves were not blaming Lin Li, but they felt that the absence of the Dark Blade was truly a major disadvantage to the team.
However, Elder Randy was not the only one who was surprised. Even Cheyenne could not help but be shocked that the team could work together and showcase greater power even without the participation of the Dark Blade.
Perhaps some might think that the power of the team could've been increased if the four Legendary powerhouses of the Dark Blade had joined in. However, given the relationship between the Dark Blade and the Malfa Family, there was no way they would rely on each other and trust each other genuinely. How could they ensure each other's safety?
After the Dark Blade left, the three remaining forces could build mutual trust because they had no grudges against each other, and also had to face a common enemy under pressure.
After raging for a while, the wind elementals that besieged the crowd began to get attacked one by one by the cooperative team. Once they were attacked brutally, they would instantly disappear and turn into ashes. However, they didn't notice the change or knew how to deal with it. Hence, they simply did the same as before and cast their offensive spells in a disorderly manner.
As the wind elementals were killed one by one, the magic density on the battlefield decreased rapidly. In no time, the dark clouds in the sky had dispersed, and there was no longer any thunder. The huge Wind Blade that plowed a ditch on the ground also disappeared together with the last wind elemental.
Peace was restored, but the battlefield seemed to have been rummaged through. The scorched soil was covered in shiny crystal shards which were elemental crystals left behind after the wind elementals were killed.
The core of an elemental was actually similar to the magical crystals of magical beasts. Although an element core was relatively rare, the purest form of magical element was condensed in it, thus giving it its value.
Due to the fact that the cores of elementals only contained a single type of magical element, it could only be used on a single type of magic. The natural binding force in magical crystals was not present in the core of elementals; hence, it would be difficult to control accurately and efficiently when the magic is released. It would also result in a great waste of power during extraction—although the cores here were all level-18, their practical value was only level-15.
After the battle, the few of them randomly picked up the cores of one or two elementals in a bid to add them to their collection. Lin Li got his servants to pick up a few more, not because he wanted to see what important uses they had, but because he wanted to use them as a snack for the Elemental Wyrm Xiao Hua. Since each was a level-18 crystal, Lin Li naturally was willing to feed them to Xiao Hua. He would rather save the magical crystals for other purposes.
The results of the cooperation between the Legendary powerhouses this time was rather great, though there were some limitations since it was their first time cooperating with each other, after all. After the fight, the relationship between them seemed to have improved, and before they proceeded with the rest of their journey, they discussed the issues that they'd faced earlier on. This time, they wanted to build a stronger rapport while dealing with the obstacles.
However, the success did not make them forget about the arrow that had shot Lansdale. They were still as worried about the true guardians of this realm.
Filled with complicated emotions, they left the chaotic battlefield and advanced towards the middle of Sierra Leone Forest.
The only good news was that the environment in the Sierra Leone Forest was no longer the same as in the past. There was no longer any poisonous fog, swamps, or terrifying magical beasts. The wind elementals were the only enemy they had encountered so far.
They advanced slowly, and would occasionally run into a few wind elementals, though in small groups only.
Eventually, there would definitely be an end to every journey. In the center of the Sierra Leone Forest, everyone looked around without uttering a single word, because they were all dumbfounded.
They were in the heart of the Sierra Leone Forest, but it was actually a vast, barren field with no trees or grass in sight. It seemed to be an area devoid of life. Compared to the beautiful scene that they had been greeted with at the start, this place seemed more like the real Sierra Leone Forest that fitted the descriptions in history books.
In the sky, clouds as dark as ink and so thick that they seemed to be almost touching their heads were moving continuously. The ground was also pitch-black, but the lightning flashing continuously seemed to have made the darkness fade, while thunder roared in a deafening manner like beasts.
There was also a huge vortex composed entirely of lightning in the center of the sky, revolving continuously, and seemingly trying to devour the sky. Countless Razer Pythons shuttled through the vortex, making it difficult for them to see the mystery within it. The boundless power that seemed ready to destroy the world terrified them.
However, those were just signs that were not enough to shock the Legendary powerhouses. What really frightened everyone was the endless Razer magic that they could clearly feel in the sky.
The solidification of magic was not profound knowledge or rocket science to Legendary-mages, and the m
ore important thing that they had to rely on was the understanding and mastery of nomological power. However, it was clear that the deeper one understood nomological power, the more advanced the solidified magic would be. For example, no one below the Sanctuary-realm could solidify the Seven-Realm Spiral. Therefore, the power of a mage could be deduced from the level of the solidified magic.
The solid and powerful magic in the sky was not concealed at all, and was all ready to fire while exuding horrifying magical waves. They could recognize the Extinction Thunderstorm, Wrath of Gods, and Sky-devouring Thunder Sphere. The powerful magical waves caused them to be overwhelmed with terror and fear that they could not contain.
Everyone's faces were beyond sullen; even Elder Randy who was the most powerful among them had turned as pale as a sheet. They could tell from the solidified magic that the person who could solidify it was probably not far from the Sanctuary-realm, if they had yet to reach it. Could the guardian of the last realm be a powerhouse who was at the peak of the Legendary-level?
The difference between an average Legendary powerhouse and one at the peak of the Legendary-realm was absolutely jarring. The Green Dragon King that they had encountered outside the Dragon's cave had yet to reach the peak of the Legendary-realm, but it was terrifying enough to make them slip into despair. Even Elder Randy dared not behave rashly in front of the Green Dragon King. He couldn't retaliate at all.
At that time, if it weren't for Lin Li's baby Elemental Wyrm, they would have probably been slaughtered by the angry Green Dragon King. They would not even get to escape, let alone retaliate. In the presence of the Green Dragon King, even Elder Randy seemed no more significant than an ant.
The solidified magic of the last realm of the Seven-Realm Spiral could be seen in the sky. The person who could have such a deep understanding of nomological power was probably only a step away from the Sanctuary-realm. Even the daunting Green Dragon King had yet to reach such a level.
Recalling the despair that the Green Dragon King had brought upon himself, Elder Randy could not help but be filled with agony as he stared at the solidified magic in the sky. When planning this operation at the start, he had been full of confidence in his abilities which he thought would help him stay free from any threats. However, the subsequent encounters were the punishment for his arrogance.
The people of the Dark Blade had already left, but even if they hadn't, and had buried the hatchet to build a rapport with the team, they wouldn't have improved their situation here.
That meant they had chosen the correct path! Elder Randy began to regret it himself. He thought, Why did I continue to push here after seeing the arrow that shot Lansdale?
However, it was too late for regret now. If he wanted to leave at this juncture, he would first have to get through the guardian of the realm.
After confirming the current situation, Cheyenne shifted his gaze away from the sky and onto Lin Li. At this moment, Lin Li was probably the only person he could rely on. The Green Dragon King had brought them despair, but Lin Li's pet managed to subdue it. Hence, he wondered if Lin Li could create another miracle this time!
However, Cheyenne had no idea that Lin Li was cussing in his head too.
Damn it, what pervert is creating such a ruckus!? Lin Li stared at the center of the lightning vortex in the sky. Although he could not see what was within it, there was already some evidence to prove his guesses. The so-called guardians of the last realm were probably not powerhouses at the peak of the Legendary level, but an arrow…
Long before the Legendary Bandit Lansdale was shot and killed by the arrow, Lin Li had vaguely found it familiar. That was also one of the most important reasons why he came to the Haiga Mountain Range—it was for Thunderbolt, one of the pieces of the debris of the stars.
However, one thing that Lin Li was not sure about was the arrow whose power was a bit too overwhelming. Of course, that was not to say that Thunderbolt was not powerful. As an actual artifact, the power of the debris of the stars was not to be doubted, and Thunderbolt was the most powerful piece of the debris of the stars. It could be said that if the power of Thunderbolt was fully exerted, shooting a Legendary Bandit down would be a piece of cake.
However, the problem was that it was definitely not easy to exert the full power of Thunderbolt. Lin Li already had three pieces of the debris of the stars which contained strong nomological power. However, he could only use a small amount of power in them, and he was still far from truly exerting the full power of the debris of the stars.
Chapter 654 - Difficult Steps
One of the reasons was that Lin Li's power did not qualify him for controlling the debris of the stars yet, despite the fact that he was now a Legendary-mage and a powerhouse in Anril. However, he was only a beginner in terms of understanding and mastering the nomological power.
However, Lin Li was well aware that he would never get to fully exert the power of the debris of the stars even if he reached the Sanctuary-realm or became as powerful as Geresco—only the Stars of Fury could unleash all of the power of the debris of the stars.
Back in the Endless World, Lin Li possessed the debris of the stars as a Hunter; hence, he had far less control over nomological power than now. However, the Stars of Fury was the reason he had the power to challenge the Dragon of Destruction. Using debris of the stars alone was only a basic insight of the nomological power and borrowing its power. However, using the Stars of Fury would be exerting the power of the debris of the stars.
Therefore, after seeing the power of that arrow, Lin Li still could not figure out how the power of Thunderbolt had been unleashed even though he could feel its aura. Lansdale was a Legendary Bandit who had been famous for a long time. Even if someone in the Sanctuary-realm used Thunderbolt, he might not be able to exert its power to such a high degree.
Could someone have mastered the Stars of Fury? As soon as the idea popped up in Lin Li's head, he refuted it because the power of that arrow had been too weak to prove that. As it was neither very weak nor very powerful, Lin Li felt rather confused, and he still couldn't figure out what was going on.
Lin Li could sense the aura of the debris of the stars, Thunderbolt, which seemed to come from the center of the vortex. However, it was obscured by the numerous Razer Pythons.
Lin Li gathered up a portion of mental strength and carefully delved into the vortex in a bid to see if there was anything else in there apart from Thunderbolt.
Everyone was taken aback by the sudden changes, but no one thought that they were caused by the forest. They thought that the guardian had already begun getting impatient.
At this moment, the sky seemed to be collapsing as lightning flashed and the thunder roared even louder. The solidified magic that had been activated exuded a strong magical wave which was so bright that it illuminated the sky.
All of a sudden, extremely solid razer pillars accompanied by the roaring thunder bombarded the people on the ground menacingly. Every pillar was full of terrifying power that was strong enough to destroy an Archmage at the peak of his powers. The lethality of the lightning magic was exhibited at this moment.
No one dared to hesitate for a moment; even the Legendary-mages dared not use their own bodies to meet the horrifying thunderbolt pillar. A magical defense field formed in front of everyone vanished; Cheyenne had no choice but to take care of his own safety before looking out for the rest.
Although Cheyenne had been mainly responsible for the magical defense in the previous instance of cooperation, the power of the terrifying lightning magic was obviously different from that of the wind elementals. If Cheyenne were to use the group magical defense again, he might not be able to withstand the attack of even one pillar, and would probably end up in a pathetic state.
No one complained about Cheyenne's actions at this moment, because they could all feel how daunting the power of the magic was. Even if Cheyenne had the guts to take care of them first, they wouldn't dare to accept his help. During such a juncture, the
most important thing to do was to take care of themselves first.
Elder Randy and Culofen used defensive spells to protect themselves and the four other elves, while Lin Li and Ujfalusi put their best foot forward. Although Norfeller was already level-21, he wasn't good at defensive spells.
Staring at the seemingly inexhaustible pillars, everyone knew that one layer of defense was not enough. After arranging some defensive spells, they proceeded to spawn more layers of defense at a rapid pace.
At this very moment, the team that had seemed to have become one began to separate according to factions. In terms of power, the Tower of Dusk led by Lin Li seemed to be in a tougher position than the rest. After all, Lin Li was only a level-21 Legendary-mage, while the level-20 Ujfalusi couldn't do much to help.
While continuously casting defensive spells, Elder Randy glanced at Lin Li worriedly. The guardians of the last realm had yet to appear so far. If they were to lose some power now, how would they be able to face the guardians who were very likely to be at the pinnacle of the Legendary-realm?
However, when Elder Randy shifted his gaze onto Lin Li, he was so shocked that he almost stopped casting defensive spells. Previously, he had already thought greatly of Lin Li's abilities, but Lin Li's current performance was beyond his expectations.
Elder Randy and Culofen worked together to instantly deploy more than 10 layers of defense, which was already the limit of their speed. However, Lin Li had managed to put up nearly 20 defensive layers all by himself. Besides, there were already 30 layers of defense around the Tower of Dusk's team even before Elder Randy could blink.
What an impressive, intimidating speed. It was almost instantaneous. Elder Randy began to imagine what it would be like if he were to apply that speed when casting offensive spells, and could not help but be horrified. They had never seen a level-21 mage with abilities like Lin Li's.
