by Zhuang Bifan
The Thunder Valiant Beast was actually almost in the Legendary-realm, and had an extraordinary amount of lightning power. Hence, the magic it exhibited slightly resembled a prototype of the magical domain. Seemingly having sensed the magical waves that came from Lin Li, the Thunder Valiant Beast shrieked loudly before flapping its wings vigorously and starting to rampage.
Although Lin Li had already decided to launch an attack, he wouldn't use up everything he had against the Thunder Valiant Beast. Hence, he had merely exhibited his Frost Domain, which was the most common amongst Legendary-mages. He made himself the center of it, and there seemed to be dark fumes of ink above his head which soon formed a huge vortex in the middle, which looked like it was a gateway to another world.
Compared to a real Magical Domain, the Thunder Valiant Beast's magic seemed to be a bit inadequate, for it was immediately suppressed and undermined by Lin Li's Frost Domain. Originally, it seemed that the two powers were the same, but after the two domains clashed, the area of Thunder Valiant Beast's lightning bolts seemed to have decreased significantly. Thunder Valiant Beast howled and grunted in exertion, which resembled the daunting sounds of necromagic.
However, this interference had no effect on Lin Li at all, and the repression by Frost Domain continued to increase. There seemed to be a ray of light in the center of the huge vortex in the dark clouds over his head. A frost bird that was of the same size as the Thunder Valiant Beast pounced onto the latter, followed by a few other frost birds…
Those who were forced to end the battle on the battlefield could no longer be bothered to worry about the magical crystals being snatched away, and were all looking up at the magical battle that was going on in the sky. Those of the other professions were just watching for the sake of thrill and excitement, but the mages were feeling bitter. The Legendary mage in the sky was only 20 years old. How enviable.
After all, there were four other Legendary-mages in the team of adventurers apart from Lin Li. Although the level-18 magical beasts were strong and tyrannical, they did not let the battle go on for long. Once the four Legendary masters freed up their hands to launch their attacks, the battle would be ended faster. It was precisely because of this that both parties would get the chance to grab some magical crystals. Otherwise, they might never get a single piece of magical crystal at the rate that Norfeller was going.
A bullet from the Dragon Gun shuttled through the frost birds and hit the Thunder Valiant Beast right in its heart. A level-19 magical crystal then darted out of the dead Thunder Valiant Beast and landed in Lin Li's hand. Lin Li did not let its body go to waste, either, and kept it in Ring of Endless Storm, leaving behind just a few fluttering feathers.
Lin Li was just being kind and giving others some of the remnants. Otherwise, they might not even get their hands on the bodies of the magical beasts if Norfeller took those too. No one dared to complain, and they had no choice but to comfort themselves by telling themselves that it wasn't too bad to share the corpses of the magical beasts, even though the magical crystals were the most valuable.
Lin Li descended and wiped the sweat off of his head ostensibly. He heaved a long sigh, and complained to Cheyenne and others, "Dear Masters, aren't we allies? Why didn't you give me a hand? This fellow has really made me waste so much energy."
Despite finding Lin Li to be shameless deep down, Borg remained smiling, and said, "Hehe, it's been hard on you, Master Felic. We've decided to get some rest here today. We'll continue with the journey tomorrow."
Lin Li didn't have any opinion to express. Anyway, there were only two people on his side, and it didn't matter what the arrangement was. He scanned his surroundings to see that everyone else was getting busy, some taking care of the injured, while others were dissecting the bodies of the magical beasts. Although the team was very strong, it would be impossible for there to be no injured or casualties. Lin Li had already deduced that the corpses of the magical beasts were of no value.
However, at this moment, he suddenly thought of another problem. There was nothing too surprising about encountering wolves and magical beasts in the forest. However, the corpses on the ground seemed to be of the same species. Not only were the 40-odd level-18 magical beasts not beasts that lived in groups, they were also from the same species, thus making it rather strange.
Since the magical beasts were all above level-18, they all ought to have their own respective territories. They were naturally hostile towards each other, and would immediately get into a fight in the past. However, they actually united and launched an attack on the adventurer team. There was only one explanation for it, and that was that some force had driven them to carry out this attack.
The magical beast which was of the highest level and strength was undoubtedly the Thunder Valiant Beast that Lin Li had just killed. However, the problem was that it was too much of an exaggeration for it to defeat 40-odd level-18 magical beasts even if it were level-19. When Lin Li trapped the Thunder Valiant Beast in his Frost Domain, he did not detect any signals from the outside world. Hence, the leader was definitely incompetent.
Or perhaps there could be another force manipulating the magical beasts behind this facade?
Chapter 588 - No End
On that night, the team set up camps to rest. There were drops in manpower in both their teams. Six of the Malfa Family's adventurers met with difficulties, but only two members of Dark Blade had been hurt—the latter had better teamwork and experience.
Lin Li hid in his tent and researched the debris of the stars using the excuse of being tired. He carefully tried to capture the imaginary connection in space, using the three pieces of the debris of the stars that he had.
After a quiet night, the team continued their journey early the next morning. They were obviously much more careful than before; the experience that they had the previous day made them realize the hardsh.i.p.s of this trip. The Haiga Mountain Range could not be traversed by ordinary people. If it weren't because of Cheyenne from the Malfa Family, who had Osric's adventure journal, they might not have been able to reach their destination, either.
However, the more afraid of something someone was, the more likely it was that it would happen. Osric's adventure journal had once again been proven not to be omnipotent.
The team was making rapid progress, but when evening arrived, they suddenly encountered a bunch of formidable beasts which emerged out of nowhere. No one knew where they came from, and there was even a Legendary magical beast amongst the level-18 magical beasts.
The magical beasts were dauntless, and they even went through mutations during the battle. They were crazy like religious fanatics ready to kamikaze their enemies. The members of the adventurers' team were painstakingly suppressing their momentum and making their own movements more fluid and agile in hopes of sending the beasts in front of them to hell as soon as possible.
The Legendary masters did not have it easy, either, although they were preserving their energy and power for the sake of the impending battle in the ruins of Titans later. Even Lin Li could not sit back and do nothing this time. Although he didn't put in too much energy, he was still a Legendary-mage at the end of the day. The level-19 Norfeller could give them some support and reduce their pressure too.
The intense battle went on from evening all the way into the middle of the night. Both the Malfa Family and Dark Blade were hurt to different extents. However, their morale was not affected, because they all felt that the circ.u.mstances were developing in their advantage.
At this moment, Lin Li happened to stop, thus causing the progress to slow down again. However, it did not change the favorable conditions of the adventurer team. Without attracting anyone's attention, Lin Li quietly left the lively battlefield, and followed a whiff of air as he embarked on a search.
Before returning to the camp to get some rest, Lin Li found the aura that came from Thunderbolt, using the three pieces of the debris of the stars. That feeling seemed to get clearer and clearer as he approached,
all the way until he reached an obscure valley.
Lin Li didn't attract anyone's attention. He followed the subtle aura, moving quickly in the night. He could no longer hear the sounds of people roaring and the intense explosions. At this moment, he was in the valley; he had no idea if that was where the so-called Titans had been.
The valley was very wide and surrounded by dense trees and thick leaves. The scenery in the valley was completely different from that outside. However, it seemed darker and dimmer because of the steep cliffs on both sides which blocked out some of the moonlight. The pitch-black darkness did not have much effect on Lin Li, who could find his destination as long as he could still detect the things around him.
The wind passed through the valley, causing the leaves to rustle, while little fireflies fluttered aimlessly in the forest. If it weren't for Thunderbolt, Lin Li would have stopped in his tracks and admired the forest during this quiet night. Unfortunately, he didn't have that much time to waste. The battle outside the valley was in full swing, and he couldn't waste such a rare opportunity.
Lin Li did not find his sudden escape embarrassing. Out of the three partner sides in the cooperation, he was the weakest and least privileged one. Although he worked with the Malfa Family to deal with the Dark Blade, he was still weaker than the Malfa Family. Hence, in order to make some gains during this operation, he had to find the source of detection1 before the Malfa Family and the Dark Blade did.
He continued to walk along the valley, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks after walking a short distance. He kept his guard up, and soon saw a black figure leaping out of the darkness and pouncing on him.
A level-16 Shadow Leopard no longer posed a threat to Lin Li, who was already a Legendary-mage. Shadow Leopards were a type of magical beasts which could conceal themselves fully in the dark. They would catch their prey off-guard and kill them, like the assassins of magical beasts. However, they were incredibly talented in magic, though they were not that outstanding amongst magical beasts. A single failure would mean that they no longer had the advantage.
Even experienced adventurers who were above level-15 wouldn't allow Shadow Leopard to attack them successfully, let alone Lin Li, a Legendary-mage. Lin Li took a small step backwards and waved the Helios' Scepter gently while murmuring a spell, after which an icy cold aura drifted towards the Shadow Leopard. In that instant, the Shadow Leopard was frozen with a layer of ice whilst suspended in midair, turning into a snow leopard.
It was just a level-16 magical beast. If Lin Li couldn't even kill it with one move, it would seem too embarrassing. Without even taking another glance, he walked towards the stiff corpse of the Shadow Leopard, strode over it, and continued his journey. However, he didn't expect Shadow Leopard to be just an appetizer.
Outside the valley, the Malfa Family and the Dark Blade's adventure team encountered the attack of many high-level magical beasts. When Lin Li finally left the battlefield, and followed the trail of detection further down the valley, he never encountered a magical beast—not even a level-1 one.
However, it was different in this valley. Shadow Leopard was only the first one of the beasts that he encountered. The subsequent ones were not only stronger, they also appeared in larger groups. The journey in the valley was not as smooth as that outside; almost all the high-level beasts seemed to have gathered there.
What exactly happened? Or did something go wrong with my detection? Lin Li began to doubt himself more and more as he delved deeper. If it were like what they had guessed about it being the ruins of Titans, there definitely wouldn't be so many magical beasts. The ruins of Titans had been here for so many years, and there had to be a powerful method employed by Immortal King and Geresco to prevent the destruction caused by magical beasts.
Apart from the wise high-level magical beasts, even those which only had basic reproductive abilities knew which places to go and which ones would be dangerous for them. Since the strong Thunderbolt which was one of the pieces of the debris of the stars was sealed in this place, Lin Li believed that it definitely wasn't a playground for the magical beasts.
Although Lin Li had Legendary-level strength, he couldn't put it to use, because he didn't want to attract the attention of Cheyenne, Borg, and the rest. The speed of his progress was indeed affected, though he had not met with a truly difficult situation yet. A few high-level magical beasts were not too significant, but when a level-20 magical beast appeared, even Lin Li could not help but feel troubled.
In Anril, anything related to magical beasts would definitely be extremely powerful, and the one in front of Lin Li now was undoubtedly a magical beast which carried the blood of dragons. It was a Red-backed Sickle-clawed Dragon which had an armor full of dark brown scales. It was about six meters in height, and was rather short amongst the descendants of the wyrms. Still, it definitely posed a huge threat to all adventurers.
However, like most of the wyrms' relatives today, the wyrm's blood in Red-backed Dragons was already very diluted. However, even then, it still had strength that was close to level-20. Not only did its scales provide great defense, its genes gave it high magic resistance inherited from the blood of the wyrm, and its sickle-like claws could easily tear the armors worn by humans. They could also destroy the weapons of humans and tear the magical shields of mages.
Lin Li needed to suppress his own strength, but the Red-backed Sickle-clawed Dragon didn't. Its massive physical strength was enough to daunt any opponent. However, as a descendant of the wyrms, how could brutal strength be the only thing it knew? Its short stature gave it an advantage of being able to move quickly, and its speed was even on par with the swiftness of the attacks of the Shadow Leopard. Of course, its short height was only relative to the many descendants of the dragons. Compared to humans, its six-meter-tall frame definitely made it seem like a monster.
The Red-backed Sickle-clawed Dragon's attack was swift, and even had the effect of a Wind Blade. With a powerful strength that was almost level-20, it would be difficult for anyone to kill it, even Sword Sages. The high magic resistance brought by the blood of the wyrm, which also allowed one to move faster, seemed to have become insignificant for the dragons. It could be considered to be an expert in magic.
If Lin Li were to use his Magical Domain, it would be a piece of cake for him to kill the Red-backed Sickle-clawed Dragon, but once he started showing his power, he would probably attract Cheyenne's and Borg's attention. Both masters managed to enter the Legendary-realm based on their abilities, not luck. Hence, it would be difficult to hide anything from them. However, they would definitely be able to capture it even if it was just a momentary explosion of power. Although Lin Li was already far, far away from the battlefield, he would definitely be caught. Lin Li is possibly using some detection ability using the other debris stuff, and it might come up like an object on a radar, hence the weird phrasing.
Chapter 589 - Stealth
Lin Li dared not take his three pieces of the debris of the stars out easily, because unlike his own power, he could not suppress the power of the debris of the stars for later use. Fortunately, the battle in the Harvest Square had given him the chance to win the Helios' Scepter from Vidas. With this staff that had once shined in the Dark Age, the magic that he exhibited would be greatly enhanced in power. Even if he didn't use his Legendary-realm power, the strength of his magic would not be inferior to that of a Legendary-mage.
The Red-backed Sickle-clawed Dragon roared with a tinge of menace that was unique to dragons. However, it had no effect on the Legendary-mage Lin Li at all. The Crimson Dragon that Lin Li had encountered in the underground palace back then was much purer in terms of lineage than this.
Before the Red-backed Sickle-clawed Dragon approached, Lin Li had already finished chanting his spells, and he waved Helios' Scepter gently in his hand. After that, Earth Magic gravel was immediately released under the feet of the Red-backed Sickle-clawed Dragon. Earth Magic had never been known for its offensive power, but the Earth Magic gr
avel was definitely effective. A sharp stone spear emerged from the ground and stabbed the lower body and abdomen of the Red-backed Sickle-clawed Dragon.
Actually, this type of magic was great for dealing with humans too, though it was too embarrassing to be used against men, and too indecent to be used against women. Therefore, many mages had decided to forgo it, especially since there were plenty of other spells they could use. There was no need to let themselves be despised for the sake of this spell. However, this type of magic was very effective for dealing with magical beasts. Well, everyone knew that the abdomens of magical beasts were often the softest and weakest part of their bodies.
With the addition of the power of the Helios' Scepter, the stone spears seemed to glow like crystals and radiate light beneath the moon. The hardness of such crystal stone spears was not inferior to that of the real weapons used by Warriors. Even though the Red-backed Sickle-clawed Dragon had inherited the powerful defensive power of the dragon, it was still rather pathetic.
Of course, the power of the Red-backed Sickle-clawed Dragon was nonetheless close to level-20. It could not be destroyed merely by magic. The dragon sent its sickle-like claws slashing against the stone spears, and flattened them immediately. In just a split second, the massive spell struck the dragon and overwhelmed it.
The process of the battle was not that thrilling. Although Lin Li could still deal with the dragon even without the Helios' Scepter, the scepter did allow him to save lots of energy. This was just a magical beast that was almost Legendary. The only reward it would face for obstructing Lin Li was being sealed in the Ring of Endless Storm.