by Zhuang Bifan
The black dragon and the High Elf exchanged a few blows in the sky. Then, they seemed to be talking about something, but the contents of their conversation weren't what Rogge could know. After that, the negotiation seemed to be unsuccessful. The black dragon let out a roar, and the surrounding thick clouds were dispersed. That High Elf didn't seem to escape. Although he retreated a little, he immediately started to release horrifyingly powerful magic.
The Rogge then hadn't even seen any real mage before. He had only heard about magic from folktales, that when magic hit a person with a "bam", the person would disappear… He looked up to see the intense battle happening in the sky, only feeling his heartbeat accelerating. As for what magic each of them used, that wasn't something Rogge could understand.
At that moment, the sky was filled with the wyrm's roars and the sounds of magic explosions. Gusts of powerful energy were continuously unleashed. The whole area shook under such forces as if the sky was going to be split into halves. The little room Rogge was hiding in also released screeching sounds as if it would collapse at any moment.
With the Dragon of Destruction and the Immortal King's power, that battle could be considered a divine-level battle. If any real mage were to witness it, he would definitely be able to gain experience that would benefit him for his whole life. Even Rogge, who didn't know anything about magic then, could gain some insights from that battle every time he recalled the scenes of the battle after becoming a mage.
However, not to mention that Rogge was only an ordinary person then, even a Legendary-mage would find it difficult to survive the aftershocks of that divine-level battle. Rogge managed to survive because the death aura that the Immortal King had radiated had intruded Rogge's body. However, Rogge couldn't be considered alive by then. It was hard to say if Rogge was extremely lucky or otherwise.
"The Immortal King was bombed by the Dragon of Destruction's magic, and shot towards where I was hiding. I suddenly felt a cold and eerie aura surrounding my body, and then the aura started swarming into my body as if it was alive. I knew that it was the Immortal King's death aura many years later. After that day, I became a partly alive, partly dead half-dead creature under the corrosion of the death aura." Rogge stopped for a moment. He felt rather sentimental about this. If he hadn't been intruded by the death aura, he would most likely have been dead due to that battle. It was the Immortal King's death aura that had allowed him to step on a path towards becoming a Dark Mage. At the same time, it was the memories of that battle that had allowed him to constantly improve his abilities and reach Sanctuary-level.
"The Dragon of Destruction released its most powerful magic: Doom. The entire area seemed to be split away from Anril at that moment. Other than the battlefield, the surroundings dissolved into nothingness. Just then, the Immortal King took out his weapon. That was a bow of primitive simplicity and seven sharp arrows possessing different powers.
"When the first arrow was shot, the whole area turned bright red. Cloud of fire burnt in the sky and lava swarmed on the ground.
"When the second arrow was shot, the temperature of the area dropped to absolute zero. Snow started falling. However, when the snowflakes fell into the lava, they formed snow mountains instead of melting under the heat.
"When the third arrow was shot, the Dragon of Destruction's body suddenly lost its radiance. It seemed to have aged a lot at that moment.
"With the fourth arrow, holy light pierced through the nothingness. The dark fog surrounding the Dragon of Destruction disappeared rapidly like snow under the sun.
"With the fifth arrow, the area turned darker than the darkest shade of black. Even the Dragon of Destruction's dark fog seemed very bright in comparison. This darkness engulfed massive amounts of the dark fog.
"The sixth arrow… shot through the Dragon of Destruction's skull. I don't know what kind of power that was. It was just a flash of lightning, and the Dragon of Destruction's head fell.
"However, as a Dragon Aspect whose abilities matched those of gods, the Dragon of Destruction still released a terrifying amount of energy even after it had lost its head. The Immortal King didn't have time to shoot the seventh arrow, and was injured by the Dragon of Destruction's explosive retaliation. The Dragon of Destruction made use of this opportunity to escape and disappeared into thin air. This is all I know." Rogge shook his head with a sigh. A god-like presence like the Dragon of Destruction couldn't be viewed with human standards. It was able to release a surprise attack and escape even after losing its head.
What Rogge knew wasn't anything more than Geresco. He had just recounted the incident from another angle. However, Nefa didn't look disappointed. He said, "I know what happened after that. After the Dragon of Destruction had lost its head, it was still able to severely injure the Immortal King. It then escaped back to the Blackstone Mountains and fell into a deep slumber deep in the Blackstone Mountains, waiting for his power to return to take revenge on the Immortal King. However, just as he fell into slumber, an arrow shot through spacetime and killed him completely."
"What? Was that the seventh arrow that the Immortal King hadn't managed to shoot? What kind of arrow was it?!" Rogge had always thought that the Immortal King chased after the Dragon of Destruction and killed him. Little did he know that the Dragon of Destruction had died from an arrow. Roddanmo was in the northernmost part of the Breezy Plains, while the Blackstone Mountains were probably half a continent away. What kind of power did that arrow possess to be able to penetrate through the depths of the Blackstone Mountains and kill the Dragon of Destruction!?
"That arrow seemed as if it didn't belong to this world. It seemed to be able to pierce through all restrictions of the world. Although the Dragon of Destruction had lost its head and used up a great amount of energy to retaliate and escape, it still possessed energy that was at the peak of this world. However, he wasn't able to react at all when that arrow was shot. It was as if the arrow was already at his most vulnerable point." While Nefa described that arrow, even he couldn't imagine what kind of arrow it was.
Everyone was silent at that moment. Be it Nefa or Rogge, everyone seemed to have fallen into contemplation, imagining what the Immortal King's last arrow looked like.
"Ahem." Lin Li coughed slightly to break the silence. He asked Nefa, "Do you mean that the skeleton that Tutankhamun is guarding in the Blackstone Mountains is a complete one? Or rather, it's the skeleton of the Dragon of Destruction that had lost its head?"
Lin Li remembered that back at the Throne of Darkness, when he was trying to control the Lord of Darkness with the Dragon of Destruction's crystal, Connoris told him that the Dragon of Destruction's skeleton no longer existed in this world. After the Immortal King had killed the Dragon of Destruction, he had used all of its skeleton on the construction of the Seven Sky Castles. The only thing that was left was the eye used as decoration hanging in Osric's mausoleum.
However, according to Nefa, the Dragon of Destruction had escaped to the Blackstone Mountains, and then was killed by the Immortal King's arrow which shot through spacetime. Of course, the Immortal King had come over to the Blackstone Mountains to retrieve the loot afterwards. But what was Tutankhamun guarding, then? Could it be that the Immortal King had left something specially for Tutankhamun to guard after obtaining the Dragon of Destruction's skeleton?
Nefa shook his head, and replied, "You'll have to ask my brother that. I didn't have any chance to see the Dragon of Destruction's skeleton under Tutankhamun's guard, so I don't know what exactly it looks like."
"Oh…" Lin Li nodded and turned to Rogge. "You've seen the Immortal King shoot down the Dragon of Destruction's head. What happened to the head after?"
"I only remember that the Dragon of Destruction's head fell in the direction of the Breezy Plains," Rogge replied after some recollection.
Lin Li rubbed his chin. Given that so many years had passed, it was impossible to find the Dragon of Destruction's head even if he knew its exact location now. As for the Dragon of D
estruction's skeleton, he didn't have much chance, since Tutankhamun was guarding it. However, all these didn't matter anymore. After all, there was a complete dragon skeleton lying in his ring now.
After talking about that divine battle, Lin Li saw that Rogge was looking better than before. He didn't want to lose this chance, and used this opportunity to ask Rogge about some thoughts and questions he had after ascending to level-24. If not for Rogge's advice, Lin Li wouldn't be able to get that aura similar to that of Sanctuary powerhouses even if he could reach level-24. With Rogge's advice, although Lin Li hadn't reached the peak of level-24, his abilities now were on par with those of any Legendary powerhouse at the peak of level-24.
Rogge didn't hold anything back when Lin Li consulted him respectfully just because Lin Li wasn't a member of the Darkness Shrine. Nefa didn't want to be neglected, either, so he cut in now and then during the conversation. Although he possessed the Laws of Destruction and Evilness, he still had far more Sanctuary-level insights than Lin Li.
Meanwhile, at the Eternal Darkness Altar, High Priest Sendros solemnly stared at the already narrowing crack at the bottom of the Altar with a gloomy expression. Behind him, the five high priests of the Darkness Council couldn't hide the worry on their faces.
Chapter 815 - Return
Regardless of whether Lin Li admitted it or not, the five high priests of the Darkness Shrine and the chief high priest, Sendros, all regarded Lin Li as the incarnation of the God of Darkness. Now that the incarnation of the God of Darkness had fallen into the large rift, the ones who knew his possible identity could not help but feel worried, because they didn't know if he was dead or alive. It was not simply an issue of faith, because everyone knew what the incarnation of the God of Darkness meant for the Darkness Shrine.
In the past, the Brilliance Shrine was continuously suppressing the Darkness Shrine, and even induced fear within the Supreme Council at some point, all because of Willen the son of the Holy Light. If the Darkness Shrine also had their own God of Darkness' incarnation, their rise would definitely be unstoppable even if they didn't surpass the Brilliance Shrine. They might even be able to return to their former heyday.
However, a long time had passed since Lin Li entered. During this period of time, there had been a slight rebound coming from the crack, which made all of them feel rather nervous. However, before they could even reinforce the rift, the silence was restored, and no one could guess what had happened in the big rift.
However, before they could come up with a solution, another shocking thing happened again as a terrifying and violent aura emerged from the rift again. Although the aura didn't result in uncontrollable changes in the big rift, everyone could sense that something extremely terrifying had happened in the rift.
Even Sendros felt weak and powerless because of that aura at this moment. The other high priests had begun to discuss retreat. Leaving the Eternal Darkness Altar would not be enough. They would only feel at ease if they were to evacuate from the entire Darkness Shrine. The unparalleled and domineering aura was too terrifying, and they even thought that a god had descended on the world in the rift. During the disaster back then, there were only just a group of Minotaurs and three Manticores, yet they almost managed to wipe out the Darkness Shrine. If the godly and terrifying existence were to emerge from the rift at this moment, the Darkness Shrine would probably be annihilated.
After sensing the terrifying aura that was erupting from the big rift, almost everyone already deduced that the God of Darkness' incarnation who they had finally found after putting in painstaking efforts probably wouldn't be able to come out of the rift alive. After all, the incarnation of the God of Darkness had yet to grow to his greatest potential, and was now only level-23 in strength. He was still worlds apart from the Sanctuary-realm, and definitely couldn't compare to the power of that godly existence.
Even Sendros, the person who knew Lin Li best, could also feel the aura that would make him shudder a little. A feeling of desperation emerged from his heart, and he hopelessly thought to himself, Is the Darkness Shrine really doomed this time!?
However, as time went by while everyone was in a state of anxiety, fear, and despair, everyone discovered something strange. Logically speaking, the seal of the Eternal Darkness Altar should be completely useless in the face of such a terrifying power. It should be rather easy for that existence to break through the big rift. However, even after the terrifying aura erupted from the rift, the rift did not suffer too huge of a blow. Although there were some fluctuations, all was still within the normal range.
While everyone was waiting in fear, the terrifying aura that was coming out of the rift suddenly disappeared without a trace, just like how it appeared out of nowhere. The environment around the Eternal Darkness Altar immediately returned to its usual appearance, and the intense magical waves also subsided as if everything that had just happened was an illusion. They couldn't even believe that the disaster that had struck the Darkness Shrine had just passed. Could it be because of the incarnation of the God of Darkness…?
As the situation revolving around the big rift calmed down completely, everyone felt fortunate yet extremely regretful. They felt fortunate that they were able to survive the disaster without facing much destruction, but they also found it a shame that there was no longer any hope for the rise of the Darkness Shrine. That reminded them of Rogge, the legendary high priest of the Darkness Shrine, who seemed to have also gone missing without any reason. Hence, the high priests of the Darkness Shrine did not seem to be overjoyed despite having made it through the ordeal.
"Master Sendros, sorry to have kept you waiting!" said a voice that suddenly sounded from the top of the Eternal Darkness Altar.
At the instant that the cool and collected Sendros heard that voice, he suddenly trembled uncontrollably like he had been struck by a thunderbolt. He raised his head slowly and looked in the direction of the Eternal Darkness Altar while feeling a trace of terror in his heart, for fear that he was hallucinating just now.
However, as a powerhouse who was at the peak of the Legendary-level, how could he have hallucinated? Sendros looked up and saw a figure flying downwards from the Eternal Darkness Altar—it was Lin Li who had charged into the big rift.
"Master Felic!" the other high priests exclaimed in unison with horror written all over their faces.
"Master Sendros and dear High Priests, I'm really sorry to have made you guys worried," Lin Li said with a faint smile on his face as he landed in front of everyone gently.
"Master Felic, why… have you come up from above?" The several high priests initially wanted to ask if Lin Li was alright, but they looked at Lin Li and realized that he didn't seem to have experienced a tough battle. Instead, he seemed to have just gone in for a swim.
"Uh, there is a little problem," Lin Li said as he emerged from the Eternal Darkness Altar. Of course, it was because of High Priest Rogge. However, he thought about the instructions given to him by Rogge previously, and thus only answered perfunctorily without explaining much.
Seeing that Lin Li had returned unharmed, everyone didn't know how to express their inner emotions. To them, he was the incarnation of the God of Darkness and the hope for the rise of the Darkness Shrine! They'd initially thought that they would lose all of that, but now that the disaster was over and the God of Darkness' incarnation had returned safely, they were all ecstatic.
However, due to their special appearances, they looked rather strange when they were expressing their joy because they either looked like ghouls and skeletons or kept their faces hidden. Lin Li couldn't stand it anymore, and quickly said to Sendros, "Master Sendros, nothing happened outside during the period of time that I was in there, right?"
However, Sendros did not answer Lin Li's question, and instead asked with some apprehension, "Master Felic, have you made another breakthrough?"
After accepting the surprise brought by Lin Li's return, Sendros discovered that the waves of mana that were being emitted f
rom Lin Li's body seemed to be very different from before. Although he knew that Lin Li's power had already reached level-23, and that it would only be a matter of time before he reached level-24, Lin Li was in the rift for only a short period of time.
Lin Li felt that there was nothing to hide about his advancement in level; hence, he nodded resolutely, and admitted, "Yeah, I did gain some enlightenment in there."
Although Lin Li thought it was nothing, the rest didn't. After hearing Sendros' reminder, they all noticed the changes in Lin Li's strength. He was now level-24—what did that mean!? He was at the peak of the Legendary-realm, and was about to reach the Sanctuary-realm soon! However, he was only in his early twenties. He was truly deserving of being the incarnation of the God of Darkness.
However, after getting Lin Li's confirmation, the shock and suspicion in Sendros' eyes did not diminish at all. Instead, they became even more intense, and he could not hide his horror at all. He continued to ask in a shaky voice, "Could it be that you have already seen that door!?"
"I saw a little bit of it, but it wasn't clear enough. I think it will take some time," Lin Li said with a nod, knowing what Sendros was talking about.
The five high priests gasped in shock unanimously after hearing Lin Li and Sendros' conversation. They couldn't suppress the whirlpool of emotions in their hearts, either. The so-called door was the name often used to describe the threshold between one level and another. For example, one could be said to have passed through the door of level-24. However, they already knew now that Lin Li had reached level-24. So, what door was Sendros referring to!?
Level-24 was the peak of the Legendary-realm, so what about the door after Level-24!? That was the real door that would truly allow one to become immortal! However, didn't he just reach level-24? He should only have the chance to see the door of the Sanctuary-realm when he reached the peak of level-24!
