Chapter 462 - Hatching a Magical Crystal (1/2)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The 10 minute-long travel felt like 10 years to both men. They were exhausted by the time they reached the end of the pa.s.sageway. When they stopped to look at each other, they could see that their pallid faces were covered in cold sweat.
“Phew…” Lin Li panted heavily. When he turned to look back, he couldn’t help but distastefully exclaim, “I will never set foot into this darn place even if there needs to be a second time…”
“Same here…” Hutton agreed as he wiped his sweat off with his sleeves dramatically.
The two of them rested against the cold stone wall. Only after half an hour did they muster enough strength to raise their exhausted bodies and push the pitch-black gate open…
The gate creaked open, and glaring light made both men hold their breaths. At that instant, the entire pa.s.sageway was lit up by the glow.
The dazzling light forced Lin Li to shut his eyelids. He only opened his eyes again after adjusting to the change in his environment.
After that, Lin Li saw a whole new world…
“This looks like the real Palace of Darkness…”
The sky behind the door was full of glistening stars. It was an extremely vast and empty world. The emptiness extended beyond boundaries as though it would reach the end of the world. From Lin Li’s position, he could only see a sky full of stars and a pathway that could turn anyone crazy…
“Oh my G.o.d…” Lin Li swept his gaze pa.s.s that pathway and could not help but swallow his saliva.
There were countless corpses piled up in the void which made it seem like a pathway leading towards the end. Those corpses belonged not only to demons and magical beasts, but also High Elves and other creatures that Lin Li did not know. Lin Li could sense very clearly that each of the bodies had great powers despite the fact that thousands—millions—of years had pa.s.sed since their death.
However, the most horrid problem for Lin Li was the fact that there were plenty of treasures lying together with the corpses. There were gold ingots, gems, crystals, magical crystals, magical equipment, and magical metals. It was as though he had entered a huge treasury. The magnificent glow from the treasures was so glaring that made it difficult for him to open his eyes.
“If… If we were to bring them back, we would be able to buy the entire Alanna…” Lin Li mumbled nervously, and was really curious to know what other treasures had been hidden in that pathway. However, it would be impossible to do so. That spread of treasures that knew no boundary was not for anyone to measure its value. Even if Lin Li were to carry the treasures back to tabulate their worth, he would need to spend three to five years doing it…
A strike…!
The infinite riches gave Lin Li excitement stronger than the fear given by the countless number of Vengeful Spirits. Lin Li stood still, and his mind was entirely occupied by those infinite magical crystals, gems, and gold ingots…
Strictly speaking, Lin Li was not a poor man. As a man who was versatile in every type of craft, the jackpot of one million gold coins he had gotten in Jarrosus had enabled him to spend all those riches on building his Guild of Magic without batting an eyelid. Lin Li was confident that his talents in pharmacy, forging, magical enchantment, and other life skills would provide the funds needed for the construction of his guild…
Despite being a tough man with a very thick and inhumane nervous system, Lin Li was close to sh*tting his pants at the sight of all the fortunes. He couldn’t help it. That was a terrifying amount of wealth. Lin Li could spot at least 1000 magical crystals that were above level-15 from where he was standing. He even witnessed level-18 magical crystals that rarely appeared in the black market strewn all over like big white cabbages here.
Lin Li found nearly 10 Legendary magical crystals as well. Each of them had the ability to make any mage go bankrupt…
Not to mention other things like crystals, gems, and magical metals. When Lin Li was in the Endless World, he was a rich man who owned several private mineral veins. Yet, the sight of that pathway made him feel that his possessions were insignificant…
He couldn’t help it. There were just too many magical metals and accompanying gemstones, and each of them had undergone the necessary treatment and was ready to be used in forging and inlaying. Lin Li made a modest estimation and discovered that if he were to sell these treasures, he would be able to earn more riches than the worth of the entire Gilded Rose. If he were to process the treasures further, he would be able to multiply their value by two or three times.
The magical weapons as well…
Lin Li could tell that each of those magical weapons was definitely an authentic and high-quality object that had great magical ability. If one were to use them wisely, he would be able to revive the glory the High Elves’ Magic Legion had gained.
“d.a.m.n it, I’m going to swallow all these riches even if I’m going to die of fullness!” Lin Li swallowed his saliva resolutely, and prepared to open his Ring of Endless Storm to contain all the treasures.
However, before he could open the Ring of Endless Storm, Lin Li suddenly spotted a black figure.
He could vaguely see a black figure at the end of the path filled with corpses and treasures…
There was a sense of evilness and darkness emitting from that black figure. To Lin Li, the powerful strength from the force was comparable to Gloomy Dark. Yet, Gloomy Dark never gave Lin Li such a huge pressure. After all, Gloomy Dark was just magical equipment. Although it was one of the strongest pieces of magical equipment in the world, the threat magical equipment could pose would always be determined by its user’s ability…
“Freak, how could that be possible?” Connoris exclaimed as he jumped down from Lin Li’s back. The voice Lin Li received from the mental strength was riddled with astonishment.
“What is it?” Lin Li asked uneasily. After all, Connoris was an ancient deity who had witnessed many kingdoms rise and fall. There shouldn’t be anything in this world that could surprise him.
However, the voice of this ancient deity sounded as though he was a girl who had just woken up from a hangover and realized she had lost her virginity…
“T-That… That’s the Lord of Darkness!”
“It can’t be….” Lin Li gasped in bewilderment. Despite being a bold man, he could not help but feel surprised upon hearing that.
Lin Li had to put away his desire for those riches at once. He knew that the priority was to leave the darn place as quickly as possible. Yet, when Lin Li turned to look back, the black gate as well as the path behind it had already vanished without a trace. The world that was made up of stars and void seemed to be in another dimension. The road behind Lin Li was distorted after he set foot into this s.p.a.ce…
“Dammit, trouble’s huge now…” Lin Li muttered. He could few buckets of cold sweat on himself…
Even if Lin Li had experience in defeating two Liches, and could appear bold in front of the Lord of Souls, Lin Li could not help but feel intimidated by the Lord of Darkness.
That was the reincarnation of the Dragon of Destruction! Having fought with Azardas when he was in the Endless World, Lin Li naturally knew better about the powers of the Dragon of Destruction. Being a Dragon Aspect, the Evilness and Darkness it governed were part of Anril. It was a dreadful existence—even more so than any deity. After all, deities that descended upon Anril would have their powers greatly diminished. However, it was not the same for the Dragon of Destruction. Its powers would only get stronger, and not a bit weaker.
Not to mention the current Lin Li…
It was pure luck and the possession of the Stars of Fury that allowed the previous Lin Li emerge victorious in the battle against Azardas. The Stars of Fury played a huge role in summoning hundreds of High Elves’ spirits to aid him in the fight. If not, surviving the battle would’ve already been a great problem for the vulnerable Super Hunter, let alone winning it.
The Lord of Darkness was the reincarnation of the Dragon of Destruction. Even with one-tenth of Azardas’ powers, it was enough to create great troubles for the current Lin Li. He couldn’t help it. Not only had the current Lin Li yet to reach the Legendary-realm, he had also lost the invincible artifact, Stars of Fury. If he were to engage in a battle with the Lord, he would not be able to measure up to one-tenth of his own past self.
However, the black gate had been shut now. The path back to where they came from had vanished. There wouldn’t be anywhere for Lin Li to escape to.
“What should we do?” Lin Li asked nervously as he stood rooted. He was at a loss of what to do.
“G.o.ddammit. Is that a ghost…?” That was Connoris, the former ancient deity who governed over conspiracy and deceit. He was rid of his usual composure. Didn’t the Dragon of Destruction fall countless years ago? He only left behind two descendants that are far less powerful. As the reincarnation of the Dragon of Destruction, how could the Lord of Darkness exist after the Dragon of Destruction had fallen?
“Hey, Connoris…” Lin Li said as he watched the unmoving black figure in the distance. “Could it… Could it be that… that the Dragon of Destruction has not fallen from the start?” he asked, and swallowed his saliva uneasily.
“It can’t be!” Connoris retorted Lin Li without hesitation. “I am the only person in this world who knows about the whereabouts of the Dragon of Destruction. Let me tell you a secret…”
“Shoot…” Lin Li nearly rolled his eyes in frustration. How did this b.a.s.t.a.r.d still have the mood to create suspense at such a crucial timing?
“Do you know where Highlord Osric got his powers from?”
“…” Lin Li tried breathing deeply to calm himself down. “I only know that if you are still not going to speak, I’m going to turn you into bait for the Lord of Darkness. Since the Lord of Darkness is the reincarnation of the Dragon of Destruction, he should be interested in the soul of an ancient deity…”
“W-wait! L-let me tell you now…!” Connoris grew anxious at Lin Li’s threat. “The reason why Osric was as powerful as Geresco and the queen of the High Elves during the Dark Age was because he inherited magic from the Immortal King…”
“No wonder…” Lin Li was not surprised by Connoris’ secrets. He just felt enlightened.
This might be the only explanation for why a normal n.o.ble like Osric could be the second most powerful High Elf.
The extreme difference between the n.o.bles and royals of the High Elves was a hard truth. The royals were endowed with the abilities of an Archmage from birth. Their long lifespan made it highly probable for them to break into the Legendary-realm. Unlike the royalty, the n.o.bles of the High Elves were born with the ability of Magic Shooters. Moreover, their innate talents and lifespan were lagging far behind the royals’. Those with a better potential had a chance to go past level-15, while the rest might not even reach anywhere above level-15 even if they were given eternity to live.
Before Highlord Osric appeared, there was no n.o.ble who had the ability to surpa.s.s the royals. This was also the reason why the royal family always had the greatest power in the kingdom.
“But, what has this got to do with the Dragon of Destruction?”
“Didn’t I tell you that it was Immortal King that contributed to the fall of the Dragon of Destruction? As Osric acquired the magic abilities from the Immortal King, he got to know many of his secrets as well…
“These secrets include the fall of the Dragon of Destruction. If you had the chance to enter Osric’s mausoleum one day, you would be amazed to see how a pair of dragon eyes hangs in the center of the mausoleum. They act as the lighting of the mausoleum…”
“You mean, Osric acquired the remains of the Dragon of Destruction?” Lin Li gasped.
“Just a part of it. When the Immortal King killed Azardas, he used up most of the dragon’s remains to built his seven Sky Castles. The only things he left for Osric were the pair of dragon eyes and some scales. Unfortunately, the eyes had been left behind in Osric’s mausoleum, and the scales had been used to create Osric’s armors. If not, we might’ve been able to avoid the troubles coming our way…”
“Wait…” Lin Li interrupted Connoris. “Did you mean that we would be able to escape this place if we had the remains of the Dragon of Destruction?”
“No, no, no. Not escape…”