by Zhuang Bifan
After destroying those Ghost Mages, Lin Li did not linger any longer. He flashed again and immediately arrived in front of the Elemental Dragon. Lin Li did not have any defensive spells, but the Elemental Dragon that had just bombarded the expedition actually stopped at this moment.
The Elemental Dragon that had terrifying power actually became surprisingly quiet after Lin Li arrived. In fact, they could even sense a trace of fear from its body.
Yes, fear! Although the Elemental Dragon was only a small skeleton that could not make any expressions, the expedition below, especially Archbishop Martin and Donald, could feel the sense of fear coming from it.
"Instead of being a proper ancient dragon, it actually went to become Osric's underling as a bunch of bones. Is that fun?" Lin Li said calmly as he looked at the Elemental Dragon.
As Lin Li finished speaking, the Elemental Dragon did not launch any attacks. Instead, it flapped its wings and surprisingly ran away like it did not have any backbone.
However, before the Elemental Dragon could flee far, a palm formed from mana suddenly appeared in the void and grabbed the Elemental Dragon that was trying to escape. At this time, the Elemental Dragon no longer looked as ferocious and menacing as it had just now. It simply became a poor creature that was powerless and unable to retaliate.
Lin Li then pointed the Helios' Scepter forward, and countless lightning pythons sprang up from the void with earth-shattering roars. They bombarded the Elemental Dragon continuously. They immediately darted around in the sky and lit up the entire space, and everyone couldn't help but want to close their eyes.
Finally, when everything fell silent, the skeleton of the Elemental Dragon had already disappeared without a trace from the illusory hand made of mana, leaving behind only a nail-sized magical crystal that was glistening in the air.
The Elemental Dragon that had forced everyone into a desperate situation just now had been wiped out, with no bones left! Upon sight of that scene, the members of the expedition standing on the ground were completely dumbfounded. In fact, they couldn't believe it at all. The illusory feeling was just like a dream.
The Elemental Dragon was indeed very strong as it had an inherent ability to have infinite mana and master countless powerful elemental magic spells. However, it was still only in the Legendary-realm. No matter how close it was to the Sanctuary-realm, and even if it was only a step away, it was actually still infinitely far away from the real Sanctuary-realm. The difference between the realms was not at all something that could be closed by the acc.u.mulation of mana.
Although there had always been legends of the weak overpowering the strong in Anril where Magic Shooters defeated Archmages, and Archmages defeated Legendary-mages, there were no legends of a Legendary-mage defeating a Sanctuary powerhouse. That was because the difference between the Legendary-realm and the Sanctuary-realm was far greater than anyone could imagine. It was not only in terms of power, but also in terms of the mastery of Laws, the familiarity with composition of the world, and the thorough use of mana.
A true Sanctuary powerhouse had already integrated himself into the World Laws. Every place that a Sanctuary powerhouse was in would become a natural Magical Domain that was composed of the World Laws. The words and deeds of a Sanctuary powerhouse represented the World Laws. That was an ability that was only possessed by gods.
Stepping into the Sanctuary-realm meant that one was already free from the limitations of mortals. Thus, they were no longer restrained by the World Laws. It was no exaggeration to say that Sanctuary powerhouses represented the strongest power in Anril. They could use all sorts of World Laws freely, making the power of the world work for them. Apart from a few core Laws, there was no longer anything that could bind them.
All levels above the Sanctuary-realm were considered the realm of gods. In the long history of Anril, there were only a few people who were qualified to step into the realm above the Sanctuary-realm, for example the God of Mages Geresco and the mythical Immortal King…
Looking at the young figure in the sky, Donald continuously yelled in his heart, No, that's impossible!
How could that be? That's an Elemental Dragon! An Elemental Dragon that's at the peak of the Legendary-realm! Donald couldn't believe what was happening in front of him. An Elemental Dragon that was at the peak of the Legendary-realm was actually destroyed so easily. Am I crazy, or has this world gone mad? How could there be such power in this world!?
Of course, there was also the possibility that the young mage had already possessed the true power of the Sanctuary-realm. However, Donald clearly did not believe that. He would rather believe that the other party was just lucky enough to have encountered an Elemental Dragon that had something wrong with it, and had exploited the weakness of the Elemental Dragon through some method.
At this moment, Kamber, who was standing beside Donald, also had a look of shock on his face. He could not believe that a person he originally did not take seriously would suddenly reveal such unbelievably powerful strength. He recalled the words that he said when he wanted the Tower of Dusk to submit to the Rotterdam Kingdom the previous day. If Lin Li was really a Sanctuary powerhouse, he would probably be dead.
His power is definitely not his own, he must have mastered some magical equipment or some secret technique to restrain the Elemental Dragon! That must be it! Kamber could not stop persuading himself. Indeed, this must be the case. That cunning mage made his move so late because he wanted to create such a stir to show how powerful he is. In reality, he was just putting on a facade to create a deterrence so as to gain greater benefits in the exploration later.
The arrogant people of the Rotterdam could never accept seeing others being stronger than themselves. Even if they saw it with their own eyes, they would have to come up with acceptable explanations for it in their own minds.
Unlike the people from the Rotterdam Kingdom, Archbishop Martin would not dwell on it, although he was extremely astonished as well.
From Archbishop Martin's point of view, the fact that Lin Li could possess such great strength might not be beneficial to the Brilliance Shrine. As one of the four archbishops of the Brilliance Shrine, he had heard Pope Rosario mention before that Felic might be the Son of The Holy Light.
Besides, Archbishop Martin also knew that although the matter had yet to be announced, he was more or less sure about it. The only problem was that the boy himself refused to admit it. However, facts were facts, and no matter how the true Son of The Holy Light tried to deny it, he would never be able to change facts.
Seems like I should report this matter to Pope Rosario as soon as possible. While the Supreme Council is still not doing anything, I will make this kid the Son of The Holy Light. At the thought of it, Archbishop Martin began to get rather eager. He even thought of giving up the expedition.
Although he was also a member of the Brilliance Shrine, Prince Jeremiah was not as excited about the matter as Archbishop Martin was. Instead, he was somewhat fearful.
What a joke, it's an Elemental Dragon that is at the peak of the Legendary-realm, yet it was destroyed just like that. My Paladins are so insignificant compared to them. Jeremiah was secretly thankful for Archbishop Martin's persuasion, which stopped him from stirring trouble with them. Otherwise, if he were to really anger Lin Li, he would be doomed, regardless of the fact that he was a prince who was also the leader of the Holy Light Knights.
Chapter 940 - Psychic Tower Of Two Realms
The Elemental Dragon, which was at the peak of the Legendary-realm, was already on par with a Sanctuary powerhouse, yet there was no tough or intense battle at all. It was simply twisted to death like an ant. No matter how arrogant and haughty Jeremiah was, he did not think that he was powerful enough to compete with the Elemental Dragon. Although he did not dare to think that Lin Li was a Sanctuary powerhouse, he knew that the latter could definitely destroy him easily even if he was not a Sanctuary powerhouse.
Everyone watched in shock as Lin Li put away the nail
-sized Elemental Dragon Crystal, and floated to the ground from the sky. Lin Li had expected everyone to react that way. However, the most important thing now was to explore the Sky Castle, and not to let them stay dumbfounded there.
Seeing that they could not recover from the shock for a long time, Lin Li shook his head helplessly, and reminded, "Archbishop Martin, Master Donald, I've already gotten rid of the Elemental Dragon. Do you think we should reorganize the team and continue advancing?"
"Ah, yes, yes." Upon hearing Lin Li's reminder, everyone was finally enlightened. They were on the land of the Sky Castle, and there were plenty of things they had to do.
Everyone suppressed their thoughts and reorganized the team. Those who had to be treated were treated, and the things that had to be repaired were also repaired. Actually, the greatest casualties were the 10-odd Holy Light Knights that the Elemental Dragon had suddenly attacked and killed, as well as the 11 Alchemy Colossuses of the Rotterdam Kingdom that had been destroyed.
Under the impact of the Elemental Dragon's magical elements, the 11 Alchemy Colossuses had long turned into broken pieces. There was no need for repairs at all. The only things that required repair were the problems caused by the overdraft of the Alchemy Colossuses' power during the defensive battle. Although the people from the Rotterdam Kingdom could not repair the Alchemy Colossuses as quickly as Angelano could, they fortunately had the adequate equipment. Most of the work consisted of replacing parts, which did not take much time.
The Brilliance Shrine had plenty of methods for healing, which included healing potions and Holy Light Magic. However, the priests had had to overdraft their mental strength and mana in order to keep up with the defense. That was not something that could be healed by ordinary potions.
Lin Li directly took out two boxes of potions from his Ring of Endless Storm, and handed them to Archbishop Martin. The potions were meant for restoring either mana or mental strength. One reason behind his decision to do so was that he had a good relationship with the Brilliance Shrine, and the other reason was that he didn't want to waste too much time there. After all, he still had to deal with Osric's Ghost.
Potions that restored mana and mental strength were far more valuable than Recovery Potions. Yet, Lin Li took out two boxes of them in one go. When Jeremiah saw those potions, he was suddenly reminded of what he'd said about giving the Tower of Dusk some potions to aid them. He immediately felt ashamed, and his face turned as red as a monkey's bottom.
After a period of rest, the team finally regained some strength, and the three forces continued with the original plan. They entered the avenue square again.
Archbishop Martin originally still had the key to the Magic Tower in the middle of the square, but when he grabbed the key and tried to open the gate of the Magic Tower, he discovered that the Magical Thousand-contraption Lock had already disappeared, yet the gate still could not be opened.
Lin Li had a faint ominous hunch when he saw that.
That situation also similarly caused Archbishop Martin and Donald to feel very disappointed. They initially thought that they could obtain the Immortal King's treasure without any problems since they had the key. However, now that the key had actually lost its effect, they had no choice but to worry and wonder if that was just a single phenomenon, or if that was the same in the entire Sky Castle.
Despite being unable to open the gate of the Magic Tower, Archbishop Martin didn't insist on forcing his way in. After all, they had more important things to do in the Sky Castle, and if they were to get any treasures, it would only be coincidental. If they could obtain any, they would, of course, be glad, but if they could not, they would not cause any delay in what they had to do just because of it.
Feeling rather regretful, the expedition left the Magic Tower, and passed through the square to enter another street, once again walking into the endless fog.
The thick fog was still affecting their senses, and making it impossible for their mental strength to reach far. However, the strange thing was that the journey this time seemed to be much smoother than before, and there were very few enemies. The occasional Vengeful Spirits that appeared were also significantly weaker, and they did not encounter any Legendary-level enemies for a long time.
Having just experienced a vicious battle, the people of the Brilliance Shrine and the Rotterdam Kingdom took everything for granted. They even somewhat enjoyed the smooth-sailing journey.
They felt that even if it was the Immortal King's Sky Castle, there wouldn't be psychotically powerful monsters everywhere! Since a powerful monster like the Elemental Dragon was destroyed, it should be normal for them to relax for a while! During the exploration, almost everyone felt the same.
Actually, their thoughts were not wrong. After all, the Elemental Dragon was a perverted monster, and one of it was enough. The power of an Elemental Dragon combined with Ghost Mages was far beyond their imagination. They could not imagine what could be stronger than that. The descent of the Immortal King?
However, Lin Li would never dare to have that thought. Even though he was now a true Sanctuary powerhouse, he still had scruples about the notorious Highlord Osric.
Compared to the people from the Brilliance Shrine and the Rotterdam Kingdom, Lin Li had a greater understanding of Highlord Osric. Perhaps Osric, who was once known as the Butcher, was just a mythical figure and a historical symbol to others. No matter how exaggerated it was, he still lacked a truly terrifying power.
However, Lin Li was different from them. Ever since he obtained the Eternal Furnace in the beginning, until he explored the Sky Castle for the first time, followed by the Highlord Osric's mausoleum, he had gotten a clear understanding of the perversity of Osric, the mythical figure.
The Immortal King's proud disciple had stood at the pinnacle of Anril a long time ago during the Dark Age. Although he strangely died an early death, he was no less powerful or talented than the Immortal King. He built the Eternal Furnace by imitating the Sky Castles. His creation even surpassed the Sky Castles in some ways. He created the perfect body, and created the Ghost using 100,000 human souls. He intended to follow a different path to immortality than the Immortal King. If his plans could've gone smoothly, he might've really succeeded.
Lin Li had some suspicion that the bizarre missing of the Immortal King had something to do with Highlord Osric. He still remembered that among the information he had, there seemed to be a mention of an argument between Osric and the Immortal King, as well as the message from Osric that was placed in the Central Tower.
Facing such a terrifying enemy, Lin Li still lacked confidence despite having already stepped into the Sanctuary-realm. In fact, deep down, Lin Li was still willing to face the two Sanctuary powerhouses, the Iceblast Wyrm Sindera and the Flame Dragon Lothar. However, he did not want to face Highlord Osric.
However, Lin Li had no choice. Did he really come to the Sky Castle this time to make all the gains in the Sky Castle his? He had obtained Osric's Eternal Furnace and his perfect body. There was no way he could resolve the hatred between them. Once Highlord Osric recovered his power and returned to Anril, the first thing he would do would be to destroy Lin Li and the Tower of Dusk so as to take the Eternal Furnace and the perfect body back.
That was one of the most important reasons for Lin Li to set foot in the Sky Castle again. He hoped to get rid of the massive threat while Osric had yet to fully recover.
Lin Li dared to create trouble for Osric mainly because he had the control crystal, which he had obtained through the Immortal King's test when he'd first come to the Sky Castle, to fall back on. If he could really gain complete control of the Sky Castle through the control crystal, he would be confident in fighting Osric.
However, judging from the signs he had seen after stepping into the Sky Castle again, he felt that the task was extremely difficult. Regardless of whether Osric had recovered fully or not, it was obvious that he had most likely gained control of a portion of the Sky Castle in the past two years.
>
Although Lin Li had studied quite a bit of information about the Sky Castle, he was worlds apart from Osric in terms of knowledge of the Sky Castle. After all, back then, Osric had obtained most of the Immortal King's inheritance, and had also created the Eternal Furnace by replicating the Sky Castles. Clearly, he had a deep understanding of them.
Even if Lin Li had the control crystal, he could not guarantee that he would be able to successfully gain control of the Sky Castle.
Perhaps the only thing worth rejoicing over now was that Lin Li had quite a good grasp of the usage of the control crystal. Even if the operation failed this time, he could at least use the power of the control crystal to send himself and his subordinates back to Anril using the Teleportation Portal. Lin Li probably could not do anything to help the teams from the Brilliance Shrine and the Rotterdam Kingdom.
Moreover, if things really developed to that stage, Lin Li would have no choice but to seek help from the three arbitrators. Lin Li was not a match for Osric with complete control of the Sky Castle at all. He was just a beginner of the Sanctuary-realm.
Lin Li was so worried about Osric that he did not feel the slightest bit of joy despite the fact that they could advance so smoothly and rapidly. Instead, he was much more worried about it. He was well aware that Osric and the Sky Castle would be a terrifying combination. Their current situation was just superficial safety, and in fact, it could be considered the calm before the storm.
However, Lin Li did not mention that concern of his to the senior members of the other two forces. He knew that it was impossible for them to heed his warnings at this juncture, especially since a major crisis had been resolved.
Just as Lin Li had thought, almost everyone from the teams from the Brilliance Shrine and the Rotterdam Kingdom were taking the smooth advancement for granted.
