by Zhuang Bifan
"High Priest, I hope this thing can help you," Lin Li said as he flew up to Rogge after seeing Nefa luring Lothar away. He then took out the Seed of Eternity that he had obtained from the Sky Castle.
"The seed of the Tree of Eternity!" Rogge exclaimed in shock as he immediately recognized what Lin Li was holding. The Seed of Eternity and the branch of the Tree of Eternity were completely different. The branch of the Tree of Eternity only contained a small amount of power of the Tree of Eternity, while the Seed of Eternity contained the inheritance of all the power of the Tree of Eternity. If the Eternal Forest was spawned from the Seed of Eternity, it would not be as difficult for Rogge and his companions to deal with the Flame Dragon Lothar.
However, after sensing Rogge's shock, Lin Li appeared a little awkward, and he said, "It is indeed the Seed of the Tree of Eternity. However, it was already dead when I got it. I wonder if it'd be of any use here."
One reason why Lin Li hadn't given the Seed of Eternity to Rogge was that he hadn't known that the Flame Dragon Lothar would be this terrifying. Another reason was that he felt that a dead Seed of Eternity might not be of much help to Rogge at all. After all, the dead Seed of Eternity was just a huge mana source in Lin Li's opinion. It had no other use other than providing huge amounts of mana.
"Is it dead?" Rogge asked as he had also sensed the abnormality of the Seed of Eternity. However, he was only taken aback for a moment, after which he excitedly said, "But it doesn't matter, I think we can give it a try!"
Rogge was actually not too confident, but there was really no other solution. Given his current strength and power, everyone knew that he probably wouldn't succeed in putting the Flame Dragon Lothar back to sleep just by exerting the power of the branch of the Tree of Eternity to the current level.
Since Rogge said he could give it a try, Lin Li didn't say anything more, and simply handed the Seed of Eternity over to Rogge. He couldn't even think about reviving the Seed of Eternity and his wonderful hopes of planting the Tree of Eternity in the Tower of the Dusk. As long as he could survive this crisis, he'd not hesitate to give it away at all, even if the Seed of Eternity ended up getting destroyed, because saving his own life was the only way he could have the opportunity to think about the future. Otherwise, what would be the point of keeping the Seed of Eternity?
Besides, in the current situation, the Seed of Eternity was all that Lin Li could offer, though he had no idea what effects it could exert. Although the five pieces of the debris of the stars were powerful, Lin Li could only exert their power by relying on the understanding that he had before he transmigrated. He was not afraid that Rogge wouldn't return the debris of the stars to him, but rather was worried that Rogge might end up being hurt by the debris of the stars before he could use it to defeat the Flame Dragon Lothar.
Rogge didn't delay much, and used his mental strength to feel the Seed of Eternity after receiving it from Lin Li. A look of excitement flashed in his eyes. However, Rogge did not explain to Lin Li, and simply held up the Seed of Eternity while chanting a prayer that was completely different from the previous one. The Seed of Eternity that was initially shrouded in a green light seemed to have come alive at this moment as it continuously devoured the aura of life in the Eternal Forest. It then spat out a massive and purer aura of life.
Rogge looked extremely pious as he chanted the prayers while exuding pure Holy Light, which made Lin Li feel as if he were bathing in Holy Light. However, at this time, Lin Li wasn't in the mood to enjoy the comfort in his body, and instead shifted his gaze onto the forest not far away. There was an intense battle going on between Nefa and Lothar who were embroiled in a chase. Nefa was cursing loudly, while Lothar was roaring in exasperation. There were also the deafening roars of various magic spells, making the entire forest quake.
Ever since Lin Li discovered that he had almost fallen for Nefa's trap, he had been wishing he could rip the damned black dragon Nefa apart. If he hadn't used Gloomy Dark when fighting with the Fire Phoenix and awakened Rogge, everything would've probably gone according to the plot Nefa had hatched.
Chapter 810 - All-Knowing Potion
Lin Li could not help but pray that poor Nefa could withstand the Flame Dragon Lothar's attacks for a little longer. He had no other choice. Rogge still needed some time to activate the power of the branch and seed of the Tree of Eternity, and Lin Li was certain that he wouldn't have enough strength to tackle the Flame Dragon Lothar. Lin Li had been really concerned about Rogge's strategy from the beginning of the battle. Now, he even had to worry for Nefa, despite being enemies with him. This was a really helpless situation.
Although Nefa was not the real Dragon of Destruction, and his power was a lot lower than the Flame Dragon Lothar's, he was able to maximize the deceit in the Laws of Evilness. That enabled him to escape from the Flame Dragon Lothar many times. However, the development of the situation was not always as hoped. The difference in abilities was not something to be easily overcome, and Nefa had suffered substantial injuries when he helped Rogge deal with the Flaming Torrent earlier on.
What was more important was the fact that the Flame Dragon Lothar was a magical beast with brains. His immense power was one of the reasons that helped him survive through the prehistoric times till now. Although he was not as crafty as Nefa, who had the mastery over the Laws of Evilness, his intelligence was not lower than that of anyone in the room. No one would be able to employ the same tactic against the beast the second time no matter how brilliant it might be. Doing so would only open up the grave that the beast had dug for him. From the start of the chase till now, it cost Nefa significantly despite the fact that he had the ability to escape from the Flame Dragon Lothar. His body was covered in deep wounds that exposed his bones. His tail was broken in half as well.
When Nefa finally lost one side of his wings in an attempt to escape from the claws of the Flame Dragon, both Nefa and Lin Li knew that he had a slim chance of surviving Lothar's next attack. At this time, although the speed of Rogge's recitation increased, which signified the readiness of the spell—Eternal Forest—it was obvious that they already did not have enough time.
Goddammit, I'm going in!
The situation convinced Lin Li that he should not wait any longer. Rogge was still working on the Eternal Forest. He would not have the time to send him back to Anril as planned. The Flame Dragon would get him before that. Lin Li knew that he had to fight for this last straw.
He was not unhappy that Rogge could not fulfill his promise. After all, it would be impossible to have perfect plans no matter how comprehensive they were. Since he had chosen to stay, he would have to be accountable for his decision.
When he saw that Nefa had lost his last bit of energy to escape from Lothar's attacks, Lin Li retrieved a sky-blue-colored potion from his Ring of Endless Storm. This Life Bottle was not any simple bottle. The fact that the bottle was carved with the Dream Crystal made it a prized treasure for any pharmacist. The Life Bottle would be able to purify any impurities within the potion, and thus enhanced the effectiveness of the potion.
The Life Bottle contained the All-Knowing Potion that was formulated with the black lotus when Lin Li was trying to look for the fire element herbs. In reality, this was not his first time creating or consuming the potion. When he was at the Scar of Death in the Blackstone Mountains, it was the All-Knowing Potion that helped him to defeat the Legendary Lich and his Humerus Wyrm. It had even enabled him to have a sense of the Legendary-realm.
Although Lin Li had had the ability of a pharmaceutics Guru previously, it would've been impossible for him to formulate one bottle of All-Knowing Potion within a week. But now, as a Legendary-mage at the peak of level-23, he had tremendous skills in creating potions and great knowledge in the force of magic as compared to before. As long as he had adequate ingredients, he would be able to create any Master-level potion within a short time.
Furthermore, this All-Knowing Potion was different from the one before. This was an improved version
that included Lin Li's increased knowledge in pharmaceutics, as well as the enlightenment he gained from entering the Legendary-realm. In fact, Lin Li formulated the potion because he was bored and he had excess black lotuses. Another reason was to prepare for his entering into the Sanctuary-realm.
The effect of the All-Knowing Potion was to enhance the hidden potential and boost the ability of the mage who consumed it. This effect was not temporary. The mage would not return to his original level after that. Hence, this All-Knowing Potion was not only effective for low-level mages, but also powerhouses in the Legendary-realm. This was especially true for the potion contained in a Life Bottle. The longer it stayed in it, the better its effects.
What was more important was the modifications Lin Li had done to the potion. He let the effects of the potion reach the Guru-level, but also made the effects of the potion extremely out of control. Hence, he hoped that the use of the Life Bottle could gradually alleviate its repercussions. However, if Lin Li were to consume this potion that had not been in the Life Bottle for too long, the effects of it might not reach the point that he hoped for. While the vigorous yet unstable energy would not threaten his life, it had the ability to prevent him from consuming any such potions in the future.
However, Lin Li had no privilege to consider any other options given the pressure of the current situation. If he could not even survive this, it would not matter if the All-Knowing Potion were to be contained in the Life Bottle for a million years.
He had decided to leave such matters for the future. What was important was to overcome the present crisis. With this in mind, Lin Li did not hesitate further. He took out the stopper of the bottle and emptied its contents into his mouth.
As the cooling potion glided through his throat and into his stomach, Lin Li could feel a burning sensation in his body. His already massive mana started to rise like waves in a storm, as though it was capable of overturning an ocean. His prior powers, mastery of Light and Darkness, and his learning of the two powers from High Priest Rogge were triggered by the All-Knowing Potion. They were like unstoppable tide that destroyed the dam.
Lin Li's hair and sleeves moved despite the lack of wind. The violent wave of mana seemed to have its own life. It created a huge whirlpool around Lin Li's body. The scariest part was Lin Li's eyes, which flashed and alternated between their reflection of deep darkness and pure brightness. Although they returned to their original state within a second, they seemed to be clearer than before. It was as though he had the powers of seeing through everything in this world with extreme clarity.
Rogge, who was completing the Eternal Forest, suddenly felt a massive wave of mana erupt a distance away from him. He opened his eyes, expecting to see another formidable enemy. However, he could not help but got stunned by what he saw. Although he knew that Lin Li was not like any common man, he did not expect this mage to be like a different man in the blink of an eye.
Rogge was long aware that Lin Li was at the peak of level-23, and knew that his power could break through any time, but what Lin Li displayed how was not as simple as a mere breakthrough to the next realm. Rogge could feel with clarity that Lin Li's surging mana was still growing despite crossing the border into level-24. He could even sense the aura of a Sanctuary-realm powerhouse.
But, it was just that! Although Rogge was surprised that Lin Li had a sudden boost in power, that did not change the gap between the two sides much. Being a level-28 beast, that Flame Dragon was like half of a divine. Even if Lin Li stepped into the Sanctuary-realm, he would not be able to help much as a man in level-24.
Lin Li's actions afterwards stunned Rogge further. It even distracted him from working on the Eternal Forest. Rogge was filled with remorse as he watched Lin Li fly towards Lothar. He was remorseful that he had not sent this young mage back to Anril earlier. He could not bear to see such a talented person meet his downfall in such a place.
Lin Li did not bother to say "hi" to Rogge when he saw Nefa on the verge of death. He swerved towards the Flame Dragon like a lightning with his Helios' Scepter the moment he felt his mana stabilize a little. As he flew, Lin Li started to recite something really loudly. That was neither a spell in the lingua franca nor the High Elves Language. It was the demonic runes that he learned from Connoris.
Lin Li was hovering in mid-air. Every time he sang a syllable, an incredibly mysterious symbol would be spat from his mouth. It was as though the runes had turned corporeal. After every symbol appeared, it would change from small to large and from opaque to translucent rapidly. Then, it would vanish into the space. Neither Nefa who had inherited the force of the dragon crystal nor the knowledgeable High Priest Rogge knew what was on Lin Li's mind. Unlike them, however, that Flame Dragon, Lothar, treated Lin Li like a pest. He was only focused on his goal of killing the traitor of the ancient dragon species.
However, when Lothar was about to give the little black dragon his last blow, the environment around him changed. The lush greenery in the Eternal Forest vanished, and it became pitch-black. Despite having a ring of gold flames around his body, the glow emitted by Lothar was unable to light up the surroundings. He could only light up a radius of a dozen meters.
"Throne of Darkness!" Nefa gasped in shock despite having resigned himself and waiting for death. The Throne of Darkness was a Realm Magic that the Dragon of Destruction created in the Abyss of Tharlen for his shadow clone. Although Nefa was aware that Lin Li had previously passed the test his brother Tutankhamun had set for him, so he had to have been to the Abyss of Tharlen, he did not expect that Lin Li had taken over the Throne of Darkness.
"Seems like this is Azardas's power. What a joke! Do you think that this is sufficient to defeat me?" Lothar said in great disdain after he realized the aura that emitted from the Throne of Darkness belonged to the Dragon of Destruction. He was not wrong. Not to mention that the Throne of Darkness was a mere shadow clone's power, even if it was a real Dragon of Destruction, it would not have the ability to defeat him.
The Throne of Darkness was just the first step. Lin Li did not stop after he summoned the Throne of Darkness. He continued to recite another phrase of demonic runes.
As Lin Li recited the second segment of the demonic runes, the Flame Dragon finally sensed that something was amiss. He felt a wave of force from the Endless Abyss surging towards him like a tide. What followed was an immense pressure on its power base.
The second phrase of demonic runes was what Li Lin learnt from Connoris when he was trying to deal with the Lord of Darkness. It was a demonic rune set that made use of the force of Endless Abyss. If not for that massive power, it would've been impossible for Lin Li to defeat the Lord of Darkness then.
Although this was not the Endless Abyss, the space here was incredibly weak. Otherwise, the Fire Elemental World would not have overlapped here. Lin Li's motive behind summoning the Throne of Darkness was not to use its force to suppress the Flame Dragon. He knew that it would be impractical to do that. Instead, the Throne of Darkness served like a portal for the Fire Elemental World. It was as good as creating a partial overlap between the Abyss of Tharlen and the current space. The space covered by the Throne of Darkness was the overlap between this world and the Abyss of Tharlen.
Of course, that did not mean that Lin Li had gained the upper hand. The Flame Dragon was not the Lord of Darkness, and this was not the real Endless Abyss. It was definitely impossible for Lin Li to use the abyssal force to put down Lothar even if it was the real Endless Abyss. Lin Li did not have enough ability to activate the force of abyss like before. He did not even have an idea whether he would be able to hold the Flame Dragon back for one or two seconds.
Lin Li's strategy was inspired by his enlightenment from Balak's crystal. In the prehistoric times, the Lord of Disaster, Balak, had used this method to deal with his enemies. He used his domain to borrow the force of abyss to defeat the Zago Demons as they were unable to leave the abyss. Unfortunately, Lin Li only had Balak's memory, and not his abilities.
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Chapter 811 - Deep Sleep
"GRRR…!" Lothar felt the growing pressure on his body. It was a disgusting feeling of sinking into mire. As he growled, the ring of gold flames around his body became more blinding as though it had the capability to turn the Throne of Darkness into ashes.
The rage of the Flame Dragon gave Lin Li immense pressure as well. The Throne of Darkness trembled uncontrollably as Lothar growled. He felt as if the laws that made up the Throne of Darkness were cracking. The Throne of Darkness was in an extremely precarious predicament. It seemed like it would be destroyed before Lin Li could optimize his use of the abyssal force.
Is this caused by the difference in power? Lin Li suddenly felt really helpless. He realized that although he had reached level-24, he was still a thousand miles away from Lothar.
However, Nefa who had previously resigned himself to his fate opened his eyes and stood with his injuries. Although he did not know what Lin Li intended to do, he knew that the Throne of Darkness would play a great part in Lin Li's plan. Seeing how the Throne of Darkness trembled under the power of Lothar, Nefa knew he had to put himself together and devote all of his might to maintaining the throne.
After all, this Throne of Darkness was Azardas' creation. Although Nefa did not have the Laws of Darkness, the Laws of Destruction and Evilness helped to give the Throne of Darkness a tremendous boost. All of a sudden, the helpless air emitted from the Throne of Darkness calmed down despite the fact that it was still relatively unstable.
