by Zhuang Bifan
If someone from another profession were to encounter those Vengeful Spirits, they would definitely have an extreme headache. When Lin Li first explored the Sky Castle, Master Cheyenne of the Malfa Family, who was a level-22 Legendary-mage, was so miserable after being put in a pathetic state by the Vengeful Spirits. However, at that time, the number of Vengeful Spirits was very low, and most of them were only ordinary Vengeful Spirits. Otherwise, Cheyenne probably wouldn't even have been able to reach the Central Tower.
Now, with the awakening of the Ghost, most of the Vengeful Spirits had clearly condensed into physical entities, and become the strong corporeal Vengeful Spirits. Fortunately, the Brilliance Shrine was part of the expedition this time, and could deal with the Undead creatures, which was what they were good at. Otherwise, Lin Li would have to take action himself.
According to the previous cooperation agreement, if the enemy appeared with Undead creatures, it would be the Brilliance Shrine's duty to deal with them. When Archbishop Martin led the team of priests to give the Alchemy Colossuses some Light of Salvation, Prince Jeremiah waved his sword in his hand, and a group of knights of Holy Light formed. They walked past the Alchemy Colossuses that were in battle, and charged towards the corporeal Vengeful Spirits that had just emerged from the fog.
There were 40 Holy Paladins that fought in the battle. They were divided into four teams, each led by a Legendary-level leader. The other knights were at level-18 or level-19. The four teams of knights were facing nearly 20 Legendary-level corporeal Vengeful Spirits. In terms of level alone, the Holy Paladins were at an absolute disadvantage.
However, was that the truth?
Although the knights had not been able to even sustain a single round in the battle against the Tower of Dusk, it was mainly because the latter was too strong, and the other reason was that they had underestimated their enemies.
However, it was different for the Holy Paladins to take on those Vengeful Spirits. Holy Light Magic itself had a great restraining effect on Undead creatures, and although they did not specialize in the Holy Light Magic like the priests did, they still had high attainments in it.
Moreover, the equipment of the Holy Paladins, such as their armor that was equipped with the Power of Light, which had great resistance against Necromagic, and the Holy Cross Spear that could emit Light of Purification, also provided them with great assistance.
Therefore, even though they were all facing Legendary-level corporeal Vengeful Spirits, the Holy Paladins had the absolute upper hand right from the start of the battle.
The 40 Holy Paladins split into four teams of 10, each led by their Legendary-level captain, and charged towards the corporeal Vengeful Spirits. They didn't stop at one place, but instead urged their Longma Beasts to shuttle through the Vengeful Spirits continuously, cutting them in no time. Although there were only 10 Holy Paladins in each squad, they seemed to have formed a chain of light with their rapid movements, trapping the corporeal Vengeful Spirits on the ground.
Every Holy Light Knight was covered with a layer of Holy Light which they scattered to the first corner of the battlefield during their movements to and fro, thus forming a Light Domain with powerful purification power. There was an incomparable soul-cleansing music playing above the Light Domain. It was the Holy Light Battle Song, which was exactly the origin of the name of their battle formation.
Under the shroud of the battle song, the Vengeful Spirit entities seemed to have lost their ability to cast Necromagic spells. At the same time, their power was being purified by the Power of Light. They roared and frantically attacked every Holy Paladin that moved past them, but they still couldn't avert their fate: destruction.
Those corporeal Vengeful Spirits continuously went up in black smoke that drifted away and disappeared into the Holy Light, as if they were burned by fire. Every wisp of black smoke that dissipated meant the loss of a portion of the Vengeful Spirits' power. That was the powerful purifying power of the Holy Light Battle Song. Even if the Holy Paladins did not attack, the corporeal Vengeful Spirits would not last long simply under the purification of the Holy Light Battle Song.
Although they had become partners with the Brilliance Shrine first, the people of the Rotterdam did not know much about the power of the latter, nor did they bother to understand it. In their opinion, the Brilliance Shrine was essentially just a religion, and their being able to be called the top power in the world of Anril was all because they had a lot of devotees. Besides, having more devotees did not mean that they were stronger. Even a farmer who grew crops could become a devotee. So what if they had plenty of them?
In fact, not to mention the Brilliance Shrine, the people of the Rotterdam even despised and looked down on the Supreme Council, which was said to be above all else in Anril. In their view, alchemy was the future of the world, and theurgy and magic would eventually be eliminated.
The only time the people of the Rotterdam saw the strength of the Brilliance Shrine was during the minor conflict they had with the Tower of Dusk. The defeat of the Holy Paladins made them certain of their previous judgment. Their previous scruples were mainly because of the Legendary powerhouses of the Brilliance Shrine, especially Archbishop Martin who was at the peak of the Legendary-realm. Another reason was that it involved international relations.
However, as Donald watched the group of Holy Paladins defeat the nearly 20 corporeal Vengeful Spirits that were at the Legendary-level with a single blow, he couldn't help but change his opinion despite knowing that it was because of the restraining effects. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #%E2%80%99s-versatile-crafting-master_11275087605321405/deadly-ambush_49400479309954672 for visiting.
Indeed, the people of the Rotterdam were not Undead creatures, and the purification power of the Holy Light Magic did not have that much restraint on them. However, the Holy Paladins managed to create a powerful Light Domain using the Holy Light Battle Song. Just like the Magical Domains of mages, the Light Domain already involved the use of nomological power. Hence, it was not as simple as restraining and purifying Undead creatures.
As a Legendary-mage who was at the peak of the Legendary-realm, Donald definitely knew how powerful and useful a Magical Domain was. Mages created Magical Domains using their understanding of the Laws. Magical Domains were spaces that they had complete control over, and they would greatly strengthen their power while suppressing the power of the enemies in the domain.
Generally speaking, among the many professions in Anril, only Legendary-mages could create their own domains. The clergymen of the Brilliance Shrine could actually be considered a type of mage, except that unlike mages that used Elemental Laws, they used Holy Light Laws. Professions like Paladins, Sword Sages, and Assassins were all in pursuit of pushing their power to the limits. Even if they reached the Legendary-realm, they wouldn't be able to create a Magical Domain.
On the other hand, a Paladin of the Brilliance Shrine could create a Light Domain through the use of battle formations. While possessing great combat power, he could also gain the many benefits brought by the Light Domain. That was simply something that would leave others green with envy.
Chapter 936 - Magic Storm
The Light Domain created by the 40 Holy Paladins suppressed nearly 20 Legendary-level corporeal Vengeful Spirits. Its power was at least level-22 or level-23. The 40 Holy Light Knights were only a portion of the Holy Light Knights of the Brilliance Shrine's team. If all the Holy Light Knights were to be deployed, the Light Domain created would probably already reach the Legendary-level1.
Most importantly, Donald thought about another aspect that was beyond the Sky Castle. In the Brilliance Shrine, the Holy Light Knights could be considered a regular force as there were Holy Light Knights stationed in almost every diocese. If thousands or tens of thousands of Holy Light Knights were to be sent out, what kind of Light Domain would be c
reated?
Of course, Donald also knew that the Holy Light Knights that joined in the exploration this time were definitely elites. If they were ordinary Holy Light Knights, it would be hard to deduce if they could even achieve that. Hence, they did have concerns, but they were not worried or fearful.
Just like before, the team from the Tower of Dusk was leisurely guarding the group at the back and making comments about the intense battle in front of them. The mages of the team, especially the greenhorns who had just joined, behaved properly and listened to the explanations of their leader, Alan, about how they should deal with the Holy Light Knights.
Lin Li did not express any shock or surprise at the Holy Light Knights' use of the Holy Light Battle Song battle formation. In fact, when he visited the Brilliance Shrine in the past, he had also studied the battle formation of the Holy Light Battle Song. Pope Rosario had also explained to him in detail about the Holy Guardian Battle Formation of the Holy Paladins.
Many Death Knights were attracted to join the Tower of Dusk's team because one of the Death Knights under Lin Li became a Retribution Knight. Now, their army had expanded to more than 100 members who had all been transformed into Holy Death Knights. The Death Knights were born with the ability to get into infinite killing formations, which was similar to the Holy Light Battle Song. They could create a Killing Domain, in which the enemies would be affected by negative influences such as chaos, fear, and so on. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #%E2%80%99s-versatile-crafting-master_11275087605321405/magic-storm_49400479863599739 for visiting.
Lin Li had tried to teach the Holy Death Knights the Holy Guardian Battle Formation that he had just learned. However, the outcome was not ideal. Although the Holy Death Knights could manipulate Divine Power, they still felt rather powerless when they were practicing the Holy Guardian Battle Formation.
Thinking that the Holy Paladins around Pope Rosario had Legendary-level abilities, Lin Li reckoned that his Holy Death Knights would probably have to become Retribution Knights in order to use the Holy Guardian Battle Formation perfectly. Hence, the 40 Death Knights that he had brought along to explore the Sky Castle were all already at the peak of level-19. He hoped that they could devour more soul fire and produce more Retribution Knights.
Soon, the corporeal Vengeful Spirits were turned into ashes that were scattered away under the purification of the Holy Light Battle Song, while the gray Alchemy Colossus were also turned into pieces by the Alchemy Colossuses of the Rotterdam Kingdom. After the battle ended, the expedition resumed its advance towards the interior of the Sky Castle. However, after having experienced that battle just now, everyone became much more cautious.
When Lin Li first came to explore the Sky Castle, neither he nor the rest of the team had encountered any enemies blocking their way to the Sky Castle. It was because they had split up the moment they entered the Sky Castle. The Sky Castle was large, and the Vengeful Spirits and Alchemy Colossuses were all scattered on the streets of the Sky Castle. Besides, at that time, the Vengeful Spirits and Alchemy Colossuses seemed to have been somewhat restricted in their range of movement.
However, there was clearly a huge change this time. When the expedition stepped into the street, the Vengeful Spirits and Alchemy Colossuses of the entire Sky Castle had probably already gathered there. It was 80% certain that it was done by the Ghost. The expedition would encounter a large number of enemies that swarmed towards them from the thick fog almost every time they covered a distance of less than 20 meters. Fortunately, they would not pose too much of a threat to the team.
In fact, the team from the Tower of Dusk was not always that idle. As they gradually delved deeper, enemies also continuously surged out from the forks on both sides of the street. There were plenty of enemies who also rushed out from behind the team. Perhaps they had rushed there afterwards, or perhaps they had deliberately sneaked there. All in all, the Tower of Dusk could not just stand by the side and do nothing.
Seeing that situation, Donald, Kanber, and Jeremiah of the Brilliance Shrine were all secretly gloating. From their point of view, the Tower of Dusk had chosen to stay at the back of the team because they wanted to reserve their power, and also because they were not confident in themselves.
However, there were now enemies behind the team which did not seem to be any easier to deal with than the ones at the front. While those in front only needed to keep advancing, those at the back had to defend themselves from the enemies and ensure that they did not stray too far from the main team. Otherwise, they might be surrounded by the enemies.
With those thoughts in mind, Donald and Jeremiah unanimously requested for their subordinates to speed up in advancing. It was not that they really had to shake the Tower of Dusk off. However, if there were to be a slight disconnection and lag in the team, it would definitely cause a lot of trouble for the Tower of Dusk too.
However, in the face of such a situation, the Tower of Dusk remained unhurried, and the ones who truly fought the enemy were their greenhorn mages. What the Death Knights did was to continuously devour the soul fire of the Vengeful Spirits. The other Legendary powerhouses rarely took action too. They only intervened when the mages were in danger of losing their lives. Otherwise, they wouldn't bother even if the mages were injured.
It seemed a bit cruel, but how could the mages gain experience without cruelty? That was what humans were like. If they were continuously protected by Legendary powerhouses, they would probably continue making mistakes. Since they would not die, why would they bother improving? In the end, they would forever be stuck at a bottleneck.
However, even though their purpose was to train the mages, the team from the Tower of Dusk's advancement speed wasn't affected. No matter how they increased their speed, and regardless of what kind of enemies emerged from behind, the team from the Tower of Dusk was still keeping the same distance from the rest.
After doing that a few times, Donald finally gave up. After all, there was still a price to pay for pushing forward forcefully. At the same time, Donald couldn't help but be shocked at the strength shown by the Tower of Dusk. Were they really a small force that came from a nameless place? He was well aware that while the enemies at the back might not be much stronger than the ones in front, it was not an easy task to behave like the Tower of Dusk did.
The enemies that appeared at the back of the team were the same as in the front. There were gray Alchemy Colossuses and Legendary-level corporeal Vengeful Spirits. However, at the front, the Rotterdam Kingdom was dealing with the Alchemy Colossuses, while the Brilliance Shrine was dealing with the Vengeful Spirits. The two forces were working together to advance at that speed. Meanwhile, the Tower of Dusk at the back was only relying on the power of the mages to destroy the enemy while keeping up with the frontline troops. Hence, they couldn't help but be shocked.
It was not that that was a remarkable feat, but rather because of the party that did it. If it had been a team of the Brilliance Shrine, Donald definitely wouldn't have been too shocked, but the Tower of Dusk could not compare to the Brilliance Shrine at all. Seems like I have to find out more from Archbishop Martin about the origin of the Tower of Dusk when I have the time.
Actually, Donald was not the only one. Even Archbishop Martin was incredibly shocked after seeing the Tower of Dusk's performance. Actually, he only knew about Lin Li, and he did not know much more about the strength of the Tower of Dusk than the rest did.
Archbishop Martin agreed that Lin Li was a genius, a demon, and a monster. Well, he had reached the peak of the Legendary-level when he was in his early twenties. However, was genius contagious? The Tower of Dusk had only been established for a mere three or four years, yet its group of mages behaved as if they had been nurtured for decades. Of course, it was impossible that they had been nurtured for that long. As such, they could only say that the mages were all geniuses.
Has there been a surge in geniuses in the Breezy Plains lately? Why haven't I heard of magical geniuses previously?
In other people's opinion, everyone would definitely bring their most elite manpower during a dangerous operation like exploring the Sky Castle. No one would have expected Lin Li to bring a bunch of greenhorns and treat the Sky Castle as a place for training soldiers. Of course, in reality, the so-called greenhorns would probably be considered core elites in other forces.
The mages destroyed numerous gray Alchemy Colossuses, and killed several Legendary-level corporeal Vengeful Spirits. Everyone was probably envious of the Tower of Dusk for having such a powerful group of mages. However, Lin Li secretly shook his head as he still couldn't be satisfied with the performance of the greenhorn mages.
Still, Lin Li also knew that such things could not be rushed. No one would truly grow up after just going through a battle. He had come this far after experiencing plenty of battles of various scales, during which he continuously acquired experience to grow to his current level.
All in all, the expedition was advancing quite smoothly, though as the enemies continued to surge, the battles gradually became more intense. They did not even stop for a moment. However, the enemies were not enough to pose a real threat to the three forces that had jointly formed the expedition. In fact, as they passed by a few special buildings, they still had the energy to go in and search. However, the gains they made were somewhat unsatisfactory.
The expedition was like an indestructible chariot that was advancing forward slowly but surely. Hence, they got rid of all the obstacles along the way. They even thought that the Immortal King's Sky Castle was no big deal!
