by Zhuang Bifan
That was something that Lin Li had never stopped practicing and researching. Despite having become a Legendary-mage, he had never neglected the importance of fast spell-casting. He minimized the time required and put in 10 times as much hard work as other mages.
All of his past efforts finally paid off at this moment. Lin Li still put his magic defense to use while facing such a sudden change. Although the magical defense did not persist for a second under the overwhelming magical storm, Lin Li was at least able to buy some time to use another spell.
Lin Li did not stop chanting, and instead continued to place several consecutive defensive spells. Light was reflected off the jewels on the top of Helios' Scepter, and the layers of colors resisted the attacks from the storm which Lin Li had no idea when would end.
The beauty of the valley had long vanished, and everything seemed to have been restored to the most basic elements. It reassembled into powerful magic that exerted a strong destructive power. Perhaps an ice spear at this moment used to be just an insignificant shoot of grass, and the lightning that now fell from the sky might have been a pale wildflower.
The sky was gloomy; the bright clear moon and shining stars had long disappeared. Numerous electric snakes jumped and rolled between dark clouds, after which they constantly collided and merged to form a pillar of lightning that connected the heavens and the earth. It then slammed into the ground forcefully. The pillar seemed majestic and massive to humans who were incredibly small when compared to the heavens and earth. From a distance, it looked like a huge funnel composed of lightning.
A huge vortex slowly formed in the dark clouds, and darkness lurked in its middle, seemingly leading to another world. Like a beating heart, the vortex made a dull snoring sound which seemed to become more and more rapid. Finally, the darkness in the center of the vortex was illuminated, and a fierce flame engulfing a boulder while radiating light from the center of the vortex appeared. With a shrill, it plunged to the ground with a tail of flame.
The impact was followed by a loud thud and huge tremor, with waves of lava flowing out of the ground continuously afterwards. A tornado spun the lava into the air, forming a lava tornado which hit the ground.
Cold winds and flames, ice spears and fire snakes; the burning boulder plunged from the sky, while Thunderbolt was trapped in between Fire Rain. Their only target was Lin Li, who was standing on the ground and painstakingly putting up magical defense. Lin Li was filled with agony, but he dared not stop chanting the defensive spells at all, for it concerned his own life and a slight mistake would be fatal. The spell he chanted was still fast and accurate. He did not hesitate, either. As soon as a layer of magical protection was destroyed, another would form again from within.
Lin Li was having a hard time keeping the defenses up, and he spent every moment in fear. It was a vicious cycle, and he felt as if he would be drowned in that magical storm any second. Had there been any bystanders, they would definitely think that Lin Li was way too lucky to have survived the blows by a close shave time and time again. However, no one knew how much hard work Lin Li had put in for the slim chance.
Perhaps it wouldn't be difficult for a mage to rapidly cast a spell, but it definitely wasn't easy to cast several consecutive spells. No mage who hadn't put in tremendous hard work and effort would be able to do it. However, Lin Li managed to do rapidly recite and chant his spells to assemble his magical elements. He was able to release spells almost instantly.
No mistakes should be made during life and death situations, and one would usually end up in a pathetic plight if he were to constantly hope for his opponent to make a mistake. Lin Li was well aware of that; hence, despite being extremely talented in magic, he'd put in tens or hundreds more times of effort than others.
Although Lin Li seemed to be extremely pathetic and disheveled at this moment, his efforts finally paid off, and he was extremely confident in himself. He cast several defensive spells one after another, and formed a safe ground for himself during the magical storm. He was like an isolated island in the sea. He would stand strong despite the invasion and attacks of the wind and waves.
Lin Li was not actually powerless and unable to retaliate. However, his only choice was to continue supporting the defensive spells because he didn't know who the opponent was at all. He was only faced with the constant bombardment of magic that ruined his defensive layers relentlessly. There were also some magical elements that Lin Li had not mastered. In fact, he didn't even know their names.
Some time later, Lin Li began to grow weary, and he no longer had the energy to calculate how much magic he had put out. He was only persisting because of his mindset. At such a juncture, persistence was his only choice because retreating would pose a greater risk than pressing on. Regardless of whether the magic storm had been premeditated or controlled by another powerful presence behind the scenes, it would definitely come to an end. Retreating rashly before getting to know one's opponent better would put one in a passive circ.u.mstance.
Just when Lin Li acutely felt that the raging magic storm seemed to weaken a little, a shadow fell from the sky and landed in the valley. Although it looked unassuming and insignificant in the sky, it had a massive magical aura that caught Lin Li's attention.
The shadow settled down in the distance while Lin Li continued to cast magic defensive spells continuously. He glanced past the dense magic in the air and stared at the shadow that had arrived. Lin Li immediately got a great shock, for he did not expect to face such an opponent.
That petite and exquisite figure seemed to be insignificant in the magic storm, and it was so small that a fireball seemed to be able to swallow it. Its head wasn't too big compared to its petite body, but it did seem to be heavier. There was a pair of horns on his head which resembled the antennae of a butterfly, but frailer. The short, slender limbs were much weaker than a human finger. Whether or not the so-called sharp claws could rip even a piece of paper remained a mystery. The translucent pair of wings on its back would seem like bat wings if not for the subtle color and patterns.
A girl would definitely grab the creature immediately and cradle it because of how adorable it looked. However, Lin Li was well aware that one would ultimately face death if he or she were to fall for its cute appearance. It was far from being adorable; it was terribly intimidating.
Even though Lin Li was already a Legendary-mage, he still could not help but feel crept out by the adorable-looking creature, and fear arose within his heart. It was not an issue of courage. The brave were not fearless. Just because he could overcome the fear in his heart, it did not mean that he was not daunted at all. Hence, he had to be extra careful with every step he made.
Putting Lin Li, who might just be a small Legendary-mage who had just reached the Legendary-realm, aside, even the Legendary powerhouses of the Malfa Family and Dark Blade would fear the petite and lovely creature. In fact, they might even retreat without putting up a fight. They might not know what it really was, or what kind of a terrifying ability it possessed, but the fear instilled in them by the natural Menace of the Dragon would be absolutely genuine.
However, it was an Elemental Wyrm, and Lin Li was probably the only one who could identify it. He knew what Wyrms were because he had encountered them before. As amusing as it seemed, there was nothing funny about calling the tiny creature a Wyrm. However, the power it possessed was beyond imaginable. The vast and powerful Menace of the Dragon that dominated the world were ultimately oppressive, be it to humans or magical beasts. In fact, people might even worship it and ignore the petiteness of the Elemental Wyrm's body.
Although it was diminutive, it contained immeasurable power that would make anyone near it feel incredibly small and inconspicuous. Although it was pocket-sized, it was clearly already mature, and was worlds apart from the baby Wyrm in the halo, which was still absorbing magical elements.
Lin Li's heart froze, for he did not expect to meet with such a difficult opponent like the a.d.u.l.t Elemental Wyrm even tho
ugh he had already expected to encounter a tough opponent. However, it seemed he was really out of luck this time. It was a great honor to face an opponent like the Elemental Wyrm.
Chapter 594 - Avatar
In the history of Anril, apart from the Dragon of Dream, the Elemental Wyrm had never appeared before, not even in myths or legends. Clearly, Elemental Wyrms were extremely rare. Lin Li only knew that the terrifying creature in front of him was a Wyrm based on his memories from the Endless World. However, the people in Anril had never heard of an Elemental Wyrm before.
The problem was that Anril was not the Endless World, where Lin Li could wait for the game to refresh and eliminate monsters on a regular basis. The fact that he could encounter two Elemental Wyrms here meant that he was either really lucky or extremely unfortunate. The Elemental Wyrm was far more than just troublesome because it possessed the four major elemental Laws and had limitless magical power. The Legendary-mage Lin Li probably might not be able to defeat the Wyrm, even with the help of Cheyenne and Borg.
However, it was absolutely impossible to retreat now, because that would only put his life in greater risk.
I'll fight for my life! Lin Li thought to himself. He mustered up the courage, got a grip on himself, and quickly adjusted his breathing. He then suppressed the fear within himself and increased his speed in casting spells. Yes, there was no other thing he could do apart from fighting the Elemental Wyrm to death in this battle.
The overwhelming magic storm did not subside at all. Although it was a little less violent than before because of the Elemental Wyrm's appearance, it was not a good thing for Lin Li. The Elemental Wyrm had yet to make any movement, but the chaos seemed to have died down a little, and everything became much more orderly. Hence, it caused every magical attack to become even more efficient and powerful.
Although the magical storm had a massive destructive power, it was extremely chaotic, just like an army of soldiers in a frenzy who were blindly attacking each other even though there was only one common target. In fact, they even obstructed each other sometimes. Now, with the control of the Elemental Wyrm, their attacks would definitely become much more powerful and efficient.
The Elemental Wyrms inherently mastered the Laws of the four major elements. Hence, using the four magical elements of earth, fire, water, and wind came to them naturally, just like breathing. All they had to do to assemble the strong and powerful magical elements was to think about it. There was no need to pay deliberate attention to the elemental sequencing.
To human mages, even the instant launching of a small fireball would be considered an impressive feat. However, it meant nothing to an Elemental Wyrm. It would take just a simple thought for them to cast an advanced spell like Thousand Miles of Ice.
Besides, all of the magical power used by the Elemental Wyrm came from the four major elements that were present in all parts of the world. Their magical power would never be depleted; hence, there was no need for them to worry about the exhaustion of magic. Therefore, low-level magic was scarce, and all of the spells released by the Elemental Wyrms were advanced and powerful.
However, at the same time that Lin Li was fighting and resisting the magical storm, he gradually began to sense that something was amiss. He discovered that the Elemental Wyrm seemed to be under some restriction despite possessing massive and unparalleled power. There seemed to be some difference between that Elemental Wyrm and the ancient kings of Wyrms.
Lin Li recalled the memories related to the Elemental Wyrm. Apart from the introduction of the Elemental Wyrm in the Endless World, the memory that stuck with him the most was naturally still the battle in the Well of the Sun. In that battle, his own Hunter avatar was also forced into an extremely disheveled state where he would often be on the brink of death. He had to rely on various advanced potions which were incredibly expensive to finally kill the Elemental Wyrm and obtain the Stars of Fury.
The images in his mind seemed to have frozen at the instant that he killed the Elemental Wyrm, and Lin Li finally realized what was wrong. Back then, the abilities of Lin Li's Hunter avatar meant he'd fail the mission if he were to encounter an actual Elemental Wyrm in the Well of the Sun—despite being fully armored and equipped with all sorts of advanced potions, top-grade magical equipment, and magical scrolls. He obviously wouldn't have obtained the Stars of Fury then. Hence, he'd only managed to complete the mission because the Elemental Wyrm that he'd encountered then was just a projected clone of the Elemental Wyrm that was placed in the Well of the Sun.
Even as the king of ancient Wyrms who possessed the most powerful force in the world, the Elemental Wyrm couldn't create a projected clone or avatar with all its power. In fact, it couldn't even create a clone with half of its power.
Lin Li could persist for so long despite facing the Elemental Wyrm not because of how strong he was, but rather because he was facing a projected clone of the Elemental Wyrm, similar to the one he'd encountered in the Well of the Sun back then. Lin Li had no doubts that he definitely would have been destroyed in the magical storm long ago if he had really met with an actual Elemental Wyrm.
Although the powerful Elemental Wyrm had been constantly releasing advanced magic, Lin Li thought about it carefully, and realized that none of the spells was beyond level-20. Although it was still powerful and menacing, it was impossible for an actual Elemental Wyrm to release such low-level magic. Since it had infinite magic power, how could it use its magic sparingly?
However, after finding out that he was facing a clone of the Elemental Wyrm, Lin Li did not feel relaxed at all. In fact, it made Lin Li feel a major headache, and he even cursed himself for being unlucky.
It was impossible for any powerful existence to create a projected avatar that was as powerful as itself—even for the Elemental Wyrm. However, the Elemental Wyrm that Lin Li was now facing still had extremely terrifying power. That could only mean one thing: the Elemental Wyrm that the avatar was projected from possessed unimaginable power.
Even though Lin Li was only facing the projected avatar of an Elemental Wyrm, its strength was extremely limited compared to the actual Wyrm. However, ordinary Legendary-mages were far from comparable to the sub-level-20 magic and infinite magic possessed by the Elemental Wyrm.
In that case, which Elemental Wyrm in Anril could create such a powerful projection? After recalling the ancient legends of Anril, Lin Li began to form a terrifying guess. Only the king of the ancient Wyrms, the Dragon of Dream, which was also one of the five Dragon Aspects, could have the ability to create such a powerful Elemental Wyrm avatar.
Of course, Lin Li had merely deduced that answer based on various information. Although the guess seemed likely to be correct, it did not clear all of his doubts.
Although Lin Li was an outsider to Anril, the year that he had spent there was enough for him to understand many things. He also clearly remembered that in the legends of Anril, the Dragon of Dream had long fallen. Apart from the Dragon of Dream, the other Dragon Aspects had also fallen with the end of the prehistoric times. The ancient Wyrms had also pulled out of the arena of conquering the continent. This history had always been just legends, but its authenticity was beyond verification.
Tens of thousands of years had passed since the end of the prehistoric times, and the High Elves took over during the Dark Age. If that Elemental Wyrm was really a projection of the Dragon of Dream which had already fallen ages ago, why did it show up in the Haiga Mountain Range after such a long time?
Lin Li could not help but wonder and worry about whether the Dragon of Dream had really fallen or just dozed off and slipped into a trance. If he were to kill the Elemental Wyrm projection avatar in front of him, what would happen to the main body?
The Dragon of Dream was not to be trifled with. Legends claimed that the ancient Wyrms—like the Titans—were born out of chaos. As one of the five Dragon Aspects, it naturally mastered all the Laws of the four elements. The nomological power was not the same as the enlightenment Laws of Le
gendary-mages. Instead, it was a complete mastery. Even the strong Titans or other Dragon Aspects and magical beasts would not be able to use the power of these four elemental Laws.
During that time in Anril, the elemental magic only belonged to the Dragon of Dream, and no other existences could meddle with it. When the Dragon of Dream fell, the elemental magic finally had a place in Anril, and later on, the humans finally had the chance to master the elemental magic.
Although according to legend, if the Dragon of Dream had not fallen, there would've been no Magical Age later. However, no one could be certain about legends. Legends were called legends because no one could really prove their authenticity. During the era of the Dragon of Dream, even the High Elves had not been born yet. No one dared to confidently say that they knew what had happened back then.
Lin Li was now stuck in a difficult situation where retreating and advancing were both non-feasible options. Losing might be a terrible outcome, but winning was not necessarily a good thing, either. The Dragon of Dream was not to be trifled with, and the five Dragon Aspects back then were the leaders of the ancient Wyrms. During the prehistoric times, the five Dragon Aspects even colluded with each other and tore the earth apart, thus separating the entire world of Anril. The cracks then formed the Endless Ocean of today. That was evidence of how terrifying the power of the five Dragon Aspects was.
Chapter 595 - Raging Storm
Besides, the Dragon of Dream controlled the magic of the four elements: earth, fire, water, and wind. Even a true god would not dare to go toe-to-toe against it. Even if the Dragon of Dream had fallen into hibernation for some reason, Lin Li was still a minor Legendary-mage who could not deal with it alone. Even a figure of the Sanctuary-realm would not be able to fight the Dragon of Dream.