by Zhuang Bifan
However, rebuilding an Alchemy Colossus required more than just excellent technique, and even the Guru-level alchemist Angelano could not build a brand-new Alchemy Colossus quickly with the full support of the Tower of Dusk. Hence, Angelano could only complain to Lin Li in the letter, then suck it up, and begin modifying the four pieces of scrap iron.
Actually, apart from the temptation of Balak's magical crystal, Angelano did find his stay in the Tower of Dusk rather enjoyable. With the understanding of this era, Angelano gradually realized that the strength of the Tower of Dusk was almost unparalleled in Anril. No one refuted his requests during his study and research in alchemy, and he was given all the materials he needed as well. That was a kind of support that not all forces could give.
In the past, Angelano still had the intention of leaving right after he got Balak's magical crystal, but after understanding the Tower of Dusk and Anril, his d.e.s.i.r.e to leave gradually became weaker. Moreover, Angelano had been a follower of Osric for many years, and so had good judgment. He could tell from the rate of development of the Tower of Dusk that it was definitely worth investing in. After following Osric back then, he had been living well during the Dark Age, and if he wanted to continue doing so, staying in the Tower of Dusk would definitely be a good choice.
With such intentions in mind, Angelano was naturally more serious about modifying the four Alchemy Colossuses. They were initially close to Legendary level, and were allegedly able to contend with Legendary powerhouses. However, the battle with the Dark Blade was evidence of them being far from reaching Legendary-level.
The giant Alchemy Colossuses ought to have Legendary-level power, but the alchemists of Rotterdam did not have that kind of technology. Meanwhile, Angelano was a Guru-level alchemist who truly had orthodox knowledge in Alchemy; hence, it wasn't that difficult for him to unleash the potential of the Alchemy Colossuses. With Angelano working hard at the expense of the Tower of Dusk's financial resources, the four Alchemy Colossuses in the Tower of Dusk finally transformed drastically and reached the peak of their potential.
After completing the transformation and modifications of the four Alchemy Colossuses, Angelano also studied the Shadow Assassins that Lin Li had left behind in the Tower of Dusk, as well as the six alchemy puppets that were made in the Eternal Furnace, which were then sent to Lin Li together with some supplies by the Tower of Dusk's caravan. The alchemy puppets were said to be no weaker than the Shadow Assassins. However, Lin Li did not immediately take them out to experiment, and simply studied them for a while before putting them in the Ring of Endless Storm. He was rather confident in Angelano's alchemical skills, and since Angelano said that the puppets were better than the Shadow Assassins, it should really be the case.
Connoris, who had obtained a new body, had been working hard to integrate himself into the perfect body, and thus didn't send much information to Lin Li lately. Lin Li only found out through Angelano's letter that Connoris had transformed some Death Knights using the Eternal Furnace and increased the number of Holy Death Knights to 24. Connoris had allegedly developed an interest in Ujfalusi's Humerus Wyrm as well, and asked Ujfalusi to let him experiment with it. However, Ujfalusi rejected his request. If the Humerus Wyrm were to become a Holy Wyrm, how could he, a Lich, still dare to ride it?
However, Connoris' idea actually made Lin Li feel a little tempted. After all, he was not a Lich, and he didn't have to worry about the issue of Divine Power. If he were to turn the Crimson Dragon in the Summoning Lamp into a Holy Wyrm…
Of course, that was not what Lin Li ought to be thinking about now. Be it an Alchemy Colossus or a Holy Wyrm, he still could not really rely on them, and the only thing he could depend on was his own strength. Lin Li was thrilled for a while after receiving the letter, but soon put those thoughts away, and focused his attention on improving his own strength. Reading the Darkness scripture, asking questions and consulting Sendros, and sparring with the five high priests made his days feel rather pleasant.
However, on this day, after finishing a day of studying, Lin Li induced some of his mental strength into the magical crystal of the Dragon of Destruction as he usually would, only to feel a sudden and massive magical wave that erupted from the depths of the Night Canyon. As soon as he exited, there was also a violent tremor in the entire Darkness Shrine, and a huge roar immediately filled the Night Canyon.
Lin Li immediately put away the Dragon of Destruction's Dragon Crystal, and scurried towards the square outside the Darkness Shrine. At this time, Sendros and the five high priests had already arrived, with even more priests and believers of Darkness behind them. However, they all looked extremely worried, and were staring at the endless darkness.
Upon sight of Lin Li, Sendros's eyes glistened, but he didn't say much to Lin Li. Instead, he suddenly flew towards the source of Darkness in the Night Canyon where the magical wave was coming from. The five high priests and some Legendary-level priests, too, followed Sendros closely without hesitation.
At the thought of the things that Sendros had mentioned before, Lin Li was also plagued with worry at this time. Hence, he did not hesitate, and immediately used his Power of Flight to catch up with Sendros. Lin Li of course didn't think that he would really be the savior of the Darkness Shrine, but if it were within his means, he wouldn't mind putting in a little effort to help. After all, the Darkness Shrine was a partner-in-cooperation of the Tower of Dusk.
Chapter 789 - The King of Evilness and Destruction
The group flew throughout the entire journey, and they soon arrived at the source of the abnormality, which was the forbidden area of the Darkness Shrine, the Eternal Darkness Altar. It was rather large, and resembled a carved hill surrounded by immense Darkness aura. However, at the same time, the immense Darkness aura was also continuously surging vigorously like an ocean during a storm.
Despite having been at the Darkness Shrine for a long time, it was Lin Li's first time seeing the Eternal Darkness Altar. After all, he didn't want Sendros to mention anything about the Darkness Incarnation again. He looked into the distance to see that the Eternal Darkness Altar was just like a huge pyramid without a spire. There was above it a wide and spacious platform which seemed to have a larger surface area than the square outside the Eternal Darkness Altar. On the platform of the altar, a large and complex Magic Array was running at full power. The immense Darkness aura around it and the vigorous magical wave seemed to be coming from the array.
Lin Li thought, This should be the seal laid out by High Priest Rogge. He actually used the entire Eternal Darkness Altar to conduct the sealing. I wonder how powerful and massive the thing being sealed is.
Lin Li knew that given the power of the seal, sealing just a tiny spacetime rift wouldn't actually be too difficult. However, based on the past disasters of the Darkness Shrine and the current situation, the thing in the spacetime rift was probably the actual goal of the Darkness Shrine.
The vibrations in the canyon did not cease, and there were rocks falling from the surrounding cliffs which seemed to be on the verge of collapse. The massive Eternal Darkness Altar was also shaking because of the tremors, or rather, the Eternal Darkness Altar was the one causing the tremors because of its violent shaking. It seemed that there was something trying to lift the Eternal Darkness Altar and overturn it from below.
Seeing that there were no prehistoric magical beasts in the surroundings of the Eternal Darkness Altar, everyone in the Darkness Shrine couldn't help but feel a great sense of relief. After all, even in its heyday, the Darkness Shrine still wasn't able to resist the attacks of the prehistoric magical beasts. Hence, they definitely wouldn't be able to retaliate or deal with the prehistoric magical beasts if they were to face any now.
However, Sendros didn't seem to be relaxed at all. Instead, after some inspecting, he looked a little lost and distracted. He subconsciously murmured, "The prophecy is true, a big crack, a big crack has appeared. The disaster is about to strike. Is the Darkness Shrine really unabl
e to escape the fate of death…"
The big crack! Does it refer to that? Lin Li thought. Actually, he had already noticed a crack deeper than Darkness right below the Eternal Darkness Altar. It seemed to be mocking the world unscrupulously. However, what surprised Lin Li was the familiar aura that he detected in the aura that was coming out of the crack. It seemed to be the aura of the Dragon of Destruction.
While Lin Li was surprised, he was also puzzled—the Dragon of Destruction in the Endless World had already been put into his Ring of Endless Storm, while the Dragon of Destruction of Anril had already been killed by the Immortal King. Its corpse was also used in the construction of the Sky Castles. In the world of Anril today, the magical crystal of the Dragon of Destruction that Lin Li held was considered the only trace of the Dragon of Destruction left. In that case, where did the aura of the Dragon of Destruction come from?
Lin Li had killed the Dragon of Destruction in the Endless World, and fought against the projected avatar of the Lord of Darkness in the Abyss of Tharlen. He had also been trying to incubate the magical crystal of the Dragon of Destruction. Hence, he was extremely familiar with the aura of the Dragon of Destruction, so much so that it would be impossible for him to make a mistake in identifying it. However, regardless of which perspective he considered it from, he couldn't imagine what the origin of the aura of the Dragon of Destruction in the crack would be.
However, regardless of what the source might be, it definitely was a strong and formidable existence since it could have the same aura as the Dragon of Destruction. However, that happened in another world, and back then, Lin Li also had all seven pieces of the debris of the stars and the Stars of Fury. It was also because of the battle with the Dragon of Destruction that Lin Li got a clearer idea of how terrifyingly powerful the Dragon of Destruction was as the Dragon Aspect of Anril. Its power was enough for it to dominate all entities with power above the Sanctuary-realm; in fact, it wouldn't be inferior to real deities, either.
When Lin Li was feeling bewildered about the aura of the Dragon of Destruction, Sendros had already snapped out of his trance, and dared not delay anymore. Hence, he immediately commanded the five high priests and several other priests to do their best to reinforce the seal of the Eternal Darkness Altar. Sendros had no idea how much time the seal would buy for them, but he decided to leave it up to fate.
Lin Li couldn't help much in reinforcing the seal, and all he could do was stay near the crack to watch and observe. At the same time, he was also still thinking about the aura of the Dragon of Destruction.
Under the instructions and commands of Sendros, the five high priests and the other priests continuously surrounded the Eternal Darkness Altar, and tried to repair the damage of the seal. With the movement of the people, the Eternal Darkness Altar gradually stopped shaking, and the surging aura of Darkness that had filled the entire Eternal Darkness Altar also gradually converged, and was absorbed by the Magic Array on the Eternal Darkness Altar.
However, at this moment, the view below the crack that was about to be resealed was also revealed. Lin Li, who was standing in front of the crack that was slowly closing, could see that there were countless Minotaurs and the three-headed Manticores that they were riding, just like Sendros described.
The Minotaurs were all large and tall, and they looked much stronger than the giants of Anril. They each had a bull's head and a human body. The giant axes that they were holding looked just like two doors put together. Seeing the axes, Lin Li finally realized how the deep grooves in the square in front of the Darkness Shrine had come about. The three-headed Manticores that they were riding were also much stronger than the ones that Lin Li had seen in the past. Otherwise, it wouldn't be enough to carry the tall and heavy Minotaurs and their giant axes.
It was no wonder that the Darkness Shrine would be defeated. If such a force were to be placed in Anril, it would be the end of the world. The strongest wall that humans could build probably wouldn't endure a strike from their axes, and even the most elite Warrior of mankind would have to succ.u.mb helplessly to them.
However, when Lin Li glanced at the Minotaurs, he was surprised to see a somewhat familiar figure amongst them. At the instant that he did, someone, or rather a certain dragon, surfaced in his mind.
Tutankhamun? The familiar figure in the crack turned out to be exactly the same as Tutankhamun in terms of appearance. When the figure revealed its face, Lin Li was beyond astonished because it was exactly identical to Tutankhamun's. However, isn't Tutankhamun in the Blackstone Mountains? Why is he here in the spacetime rift!?
At that moment, the figure in the spacetime rift seemed to have also seen Lin Li who was standing in front of the crack. All of a sudden, a strange smile appeared on his face, and a voice surfaced in Lin Li's mind.
"Seems like you have seen my incompetent younger brother."
Upon hearing the voice, Lin Li seemed to have found the answers to his doubts, and everything suddenly became clear at this moment. Lin Li remembered something that Connoris had mentioned. After the Immortal King killed the Dragon of Destruction and obtained the magical crystal of the Dragon of Destruction, he used his mental strength to incubate the magical crystal into a pair of twins. Tutankhamun was one of them, and so the one in the crack was the other.
However, Lin Li still did not understand why Tutankhamun's brother seemed to know him even though they had never met before. Lin Li thought, He even knows that I've seen Tutankhamun? Judging from his tone when he mentioned Tutankhamun, it seems that the two of them are not close to each other. In that case, Tutankhamun probably wouldn't specifically tell him anything. What does Tutankhamun's brother have to do with the disappearance of High Priest Rogge? Just as Lin Li was getting more and more doubtful, the voice surfaced in his mind again.
"I know you have a lot of questions. If you want to know the answers, set me free from this damned place."
Seems like this guy is indeed sealed in this crack. No wonder High Priest Rogge would use the power of the entire Eternal Darkness Altar to suppress it. After all, he is a direct descendant of the Dragon of Destruction, and the wyrms in Anril are far from comparable to it. Even if he doesn't have half of the Dragon of Destruction's power, it definitely can't be sealed easily.
After hearing his words, Lin Li hesitated a little, but soon smiled again. It turned out that he really had to leap into the crack. He said to the figure, "Yes, I really want to know the answers… but I'm sorry. If I set you free, I might cause trouble for my friends, so… I have to come in myself…"
Lin Li was indeed putting himself in danger, but it wasn't an impulsive decision. The figure was very strong, and there were numerous Minotaurs and three-headed Manticores on the left and right, but Lin Li was certain that they were definitely unable to exert their full power, since they were being suppressed by High Priest Rogge's seal. On the contrary, releasing them would be a true disaster. Without the suppression of the seal, Lin Li wouldn't be able to save his own life, let alone get any answers.
As Lin Li entered the crack, Sendros and the rest who were outside the Eternal Darkness Altar were dumbfounded. The distinguished guest from the Tower of Dusk who was likely to be the incarnation of the God of Darkness actually broke into the crack. That was not a laughing matter at all. They had already guessed that the disappearance of High Priest Rogge was probably related to the large crack, and although Lin Li was not weak, how could he compare to High Priest Rogge?
All of a sudden, everyone froze, and all eyes were focused on Sendros who was also in a state of confusion at this time. They didn't know if they should continue to strengthen the seal, because that would mean that Lin Li would be sealed too. However, if they did not continue, the prehistoric magical beasts would probably continue to break through the seal if Lin Li couldn't defeat them.
Lin Li had no way of knowing what was going on outside. Although it looked like a crack from outside, it was actually like a gate. However, when he actually walked in, he discovered that
there was a long and endless spacetime tunnel which reminded him of the Teleportation Portal in the Sky Castle. Outside of the tunnel was a Void Storm that seemed to be erupting from time to time, moving quickly and sweeping everything in its path.
Fortunately, there was a clear direction, and it was not confusing like the chaos of spacetime. Lin Li did not hesitate at all, and immediately used his Power of Flight to fly to the end of the tunnel. However, he had to fly for a long time despite his rapid speed before finally seeing the different view hidden at the end of it.
When Lin Li finally arrived at another end of the passage, an extremely desolate world appeared in front of him. He seemed to be standing at the opening of a volcano, without any greenery or signs of life around him, and the entire space seemed to have fallen into destructive silence.
The volcano was tall, and Lin Li felt like he was standing in the sky when he stood on it. There were various Minotaurs beneath the volcano, riding the three-headed Manticores. There were also countless giant eyeballs supported by tentacles around the Manticores—they were the Evil Eyes that Lin Li had once seen using the time-space beacon. However, none of them seemed to be an Evil Eye Tyrant.
The figure who claimed to be Tutankhamun's older brother was standing on the other side of the crater, right opposite Lin Li. He seemed to be rather surprised by Lin Li's decision to barge in.
He indeed looked identical to Tutankhamun, but he was giving off a menacing, destructive, and evil aura which Lin Li did not detect from Tutankhamun. Tutankhamun was a mysterious hermit, and the one in front of him was undoubtedly the King of Evilness and Destruction…
