by Zhuang Bifan
A few lower-level mages in the team were drawn into the vortex in the space, and vanished instantly before they could make any sound. There were not even any remains. That incited terror in everyone.
Lin Li and the rest could only dare to stop when they felt less resistance on their bodies. They turned to look at the crystal coffin fall onto the ground. A normal rock would have immense force if it were to land onto the ground. What was more for a hill!
"POM!" The crystal coffin finally landed on the ground dramatically. The impact shook the ground of the abyss, and flung everyone off the ground again. That tremendous impact spread to the surroundings. A rapidly expanding vacuum appeared, and it revealed the ground that had been hidden under the flames for God knew how many centuries. The crystal coffin was situated in the center of a crack that spread out like a spider web.
"Damn it, if that crystal coffin were to stand vertically, it could have pierced through the 73rd level of the abyss!" Lin Li exclaimed as he turned to look at the crystal coffin.
The abyss he saw had become devastated. The never-ending flames on the ground had vanished. What replaced them was an enormous crack that could devour an entire Mammoth Behemoth. The surroundings of the crystal coffin had sunk into the ground. It created a gigantic pit that was like a basin.
A figure appeared beside the crystal coffin out of nowhere. It had a long spear that seemed to be without a physical state. From the looks of it, it seemed that the spear did not even look like it belonged to this dimension. The space around the spear appeared to be distorted. It was as if all was imaginary.
Not to question, that had to be the perfect body which Osric had created… or the revived Osric! Lin Li looked at the handsome face that even ladies would be jealous of. He had long blond hair, a pair of pointed ears, pallid skin, and a pair of red eyes, and was emitting vigorous waves of mana. Those were features that screamed his identity.
Lin Li could not help but feel despair when he sensed his power. He was certain that the figure had to be above the Sanctuary-realm, at around level-26 or level-27. Although Lin Li had not entered the Sanctuary-realm, he could tell that the figure had long surpassed normal Sanctuary-realm powerhouses in power. It could be said that he was one of the most powerful existences in this world.
"BAM!" Another earth-shattering sound broke the silence. That sound was created when the Alchemy Colossus which Angelano had been controlling fell onto the ground. How could the former right-hand man not recognize his old master? Although the body was created by Osric, and not his original one, there was no change in its appearance.
The moment the Alchemy Colossus sat on the ground, Lin Li could feel a sense of terror coming from Balak's magical crystal. That was the mental wave of the Fire Demon King. Even the hammer on Lin Li's back started to tremble. Connoris' fear was obviously exposed.
Osric gazed at Lin Li and the rest from afar. Apart from the obvious Alchemy Colossus, it seemed that he had sensed the existence of the Fire Demon King and Connoris. "Since you have decided to betray me, you will have to bear the consequences," said Osric plainly.
"Y-you… You are not the real Osric! You are just a body! The real Osric had died! Died!" the cowardly goblin, Angelano, squealed in terror.
It was as though Angelano's fearful voice had the power to decrease the surrounding temperature to the lowest point. The men could feel a sense of chill up their spines. It was as though their souls had become frozen. At this time, Legendary-mages like Andoine and Rosen, as well as the Archmages in the team of mages, started to tremble. It was all caused by the name Angelano mentioned—Osric!
None of the humans including Andoine had lived through the Osric's reign to experience the terror Osric had spread first-hand. Yet, the fact that a character that always seemed to exist in legends suddenly appeared in front of their eyes alive was akin to the feeling of witnessing the divine descending into the mortal world.
Although legends seemed like an airy-fairy concept, they were in a location where they had just experienced how scary the Zago Demons were. Not to mention what Osric did in legends, the fact that he could put his tomb on the 72nd floor of the abyss spoke of an ability that could diminish any of their hopes. To the men, Osric's tall and straight body was like the real divine that could eliminate their thoughts of even trying to challenge it.
"'Death' was what you ignorant mortals saw. Now, I am going to become the real Immortal!" Osric said as he hit the end of his spear against the ground. His gaze on the men was bereft of emotions. It was as though he was looking at ants.
Indeed, as compared to Osric, the Legendary powerhouses such as Lin Li, Andoine, and Rosen, as well as the Archmages who had yet to step into the realm, were no different from ants. This Highlord was a man who had the ability to kill the ancient deity Balak, and used his magical crystal to gain control of the 72nd floor of the abyss.
"F-Felic… Did you hear that…? He said he was about to become immortal. That means that he is not yet immortal… It has to be that Ghost in the Sky Castle. I was still wondering why he created a monster there. His soul had to have been integrated with that Ghost. Now this body still has to be integrated with that Ghost to truly revive. That's right, it has to be so. A perfect body and a powerful soul are the two conditions he needs to meet to become the real Immortal!" Although Connoris was terrified of Osric, his fear did not cloud his ability to reason.
Goddammit, what a crazy man! How could he use his soul to do that?
Lin Li had always thought that the Ghost at the Sky Castle was what Osric used to defend the control crystal of the Sky Castle, but it seemed like Osric was not the boring man he'd thought him to be. The real motive of leaving that Ghost behind had to be his intention of utilizing the Psychic Array to let that Ghost absorb the force of the Sky Castle to get stronger. That was in preparation for him becoming the real Immortal.
Of course, this piece of information was not at all useful in the current situation. After all, although he was only a perfect body, he was a powerful level-26 existence. When compared to the ability of Lin Li and the rest, the difference was as drastic as the distance between the sky and the earth.
Osric's cold gaze swept across the men. "Now, humans, it is time for you to gain my forgiveness by offering your lives!" he said coldly as he waved his spear. A great force shook the earth. The air turned stale, and everybody's soul started to tremble.
"Hold on! S-since you are going to become the real Immortal, why do you still want to create trouble for us mortals? You can go and accomplish your pressing matters and not waste time with us…!" Lin Li could not help but try to flatter Osric. It was a terrible situation. His opponent had the ability to kill his team with a single finger. If Lin Li were to be arrogant in his words, he would be a true moron.
That was a good idea.
According to Connoris', he predicted that if Osric wanted to become immortal, he would need to integrate himself with the Ghost at the Sky Castle. When that happened, not to mention revival… there was even a possibility for him to turn into a divine directly. As for what Osric wanted to do after he was resurrected, that was not what Lin Li needed to care about. Since Anril had enough powerhouses in the Sanctuary-realm, he felt that the most important thing to do now was to overcome the present obstacle.
However, although it was a body controlled by the soul imprint, it was not to be easily fooled by Lin Li. Osric moved his gaze onto Lin Li. His gaze was like a sharp arrow that could pierce through anybody's soul. Lin Li could have jolted his memory.
"You have gone to his Sky Castle! It is a reality that I'm the right one. I'm going to be the real Immortal!" Osric said emotionally.
Although the current Osric was merely a perfect body controlled by the soul imprint, it did not mean that he was bereft of intelligence. He could tell from Lin Li's simple words that he had gone to the Sky Castle, and should have seen the Ghost that he had left there.
'His' Sky Castle? Lin Li knew that the 'his' had to refer to Osric's mentor,
Immortal King. Yet, Osric's tone when he mentioned Immortal King was lacking the respect a student was expected to have for his teacher. Lin Li could sense from his tone that underlying it was a sense of resentment and disdain.
Chapter 750 - The Power of Nothingness
Lin Li was suddenly reminded of Immortal King's laboratory in the Sky Castle. Not only were the valuable items within it wiped out, its interior also seemed to have been destroyed in a rage. Should this be something a student would do to his teacher? Lin Li noticed that Osric mentioned "the real Immortal" twice in his speech. There had to be a conflict between him and Immortal King over their perspective of immortality.
Lin Li, however, would never be able to predict what had exactly happened between Immortal King and Osric. Regardless of what had happened between the men, it was a fact that Immortal King was the man that had created the High Elves Dynasty in both the myths and history. He never appeared again after the fall of the High Elves Dynasty. At the same time, that very quickly marked the end of Osric's life when he could have been at the peak of the Sanctuary-realm.
"What Immortal? You are just a body, just a body!" Angelano shouted in desperation. He raised the thick arm of the Alchemy Colossus agitatedly and shot two highly concentrated mana cannon attacks at Osric who was standing before the crystal coffin.
No one would have thought that the most timid Angelano would be the first to launch his attack. Of course, that was no courage or bravery. It was out of pure frenzy due to his extreme fear. After he cast the two mana cannon shots that had power comparable to real crystal cannons', he proceeded to open the c.h.e.s.t of the Alchemy Colossus. There was a projector that resembled a beehive there, and out came cl.u.s.ters of gemstone-like mana bombs that swarmed towards Osric like angry bees.
Of course, the two mana cannon shots vanished even before they could reach Osric. As for the cl.u.s.ter of mana bombs, they were drawn into a space Osric created with a casual wave of his finger. These bombs did not even manage to explode or make any sound. This was the power of people from the Sanctuary-realm. Osric easily silenced what was supposed to be an impressive attack. Lin Li and the rest could not help but feel terrified by what they had witnessed.
However, everybody was convinced that there was no turning back. The infamous butcher from the Dark Age was definitely not someone who would be lenient with people who had offended him. Everyone charged towards the man standing before the crystal coffin simultaneously after Angelano's attack.
It was not that they had no intentions of escaping, but rather knew that no one would be able to escape a level-26 or level-27 Sanctuary-realm powerhouse. They hoped that they would gain the slightest chance of surviving if they were to give it their best. Although the chances were extremely slim, it was still a hope. They knew that they would only die if they were to give up on defending themselves. They were certain that Osric was one without sympathy.
Lin Li waved the Helios' Scepter before him, and the gem on it emitted a blinding glow. It was like a mini-sun that lit up the surrounding like Anril's daylight. The complicated mageweaths on the body of the scepter had a magnificent glow, and the vigorous magical wave was like a surging tide that stirred constantly as it gathered greater force.
This was the first time when Lin Li had decided to maximize the use of the Helios' Scepter. Immense mana entered the scepter and amplified the power of the mageweaths. It was then translated to the purest force of magic that acc.u.mulated in the gem etched on top of the scepter.
He compressed the once complex and lengthy recitation from 10 to three seconds. As he recited the spell, gray clouds gathered above the void. They rolled downwards as though they were about to crash on people's heads. Amidst the thick dark clouds were countless Razer Pythons that rattled as they emitted a destructive aura that resembled doomsday.
"Thunderbolt!" Lin Li shouted as he pointed the Helios' Scepter at Osric. As the scepter fell, a huge clap of thunder echoed, and streaks of lightning shot from the gray clouds towards Osric. The level-23 Legendary magic and Lin Li's knowledge of the debris of the stars had the ability to blow up a city.
Andoine and Rosen could not help but feel impressed with Lin Li's Legendary-level thunderbolt. He exhibited an example that surpassed that of any common magic. That was a real Thunder Domain! Although a moment ago Rosen was still salty of Lin Li's good luck for having so many powerful followers, and was indifferent to Lin Li's abilities, his perspective changed after seeing what Lin Li had just done. He could not help but admit that Lin Li had the ability to threaten him even without those followers.
Yet, while everybody was awed by Lin Li's impressive ability, Highlord Osric who had been in that Thunder Domain was not amused. He raised his spear calmly and waved it gently without even looking at the sky.
What followed Osric's action was a black gap that cracked starting from the middle of the thick clouds. It was as though the rolling clouds and Razer Pythons had found an exit. They dashed towards that gap crazily. Then, that seemingly destructive Thunder Domain disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Although the men had predicted that Lin Li would not be able to use a Legendary-level spell to injure Osric, their hearts sank when they saw Osric counter Lin Li's attack with such a simple gesture. He did not even try to defend himself properly.
That was a Legendary-level spell that had formed a domain by itself. Although it was only level-23, the nomological power within it made it stand out from any other Legendary-level spell. The crowd was only glad that they did not try to cast the spells from their Magical Domain. Otherwise, they would have easily wasted their mana on Osric.
"Damn it, with Nothingness, he has the ability to destroy any attack with that space he created in the void," Lin Li commented indignantly. Although he was complaining, he did not lose his d.e.s.i.r.e to launch another attack. The gem on the Helios' Scepter emitted another blinding ray of light.
The Law of chaos that manifested in the Nothingness was not the most powerful among the seven pieces of the debris of the stars. Yet, its power was the most mysterious and the hardest to predict. Its method of attacking was rather eerie. It was like a nightmare that could surprise its enemies. Its defensive mechanism did not have a maximum endurance threshold like the common magical shields. A spacetime rift to direct the enemies' attack into the void was enough to create a headache for all of its enemies.
Of course, one had to have a certain level of ability to employ Nothingness. Lin Li had never dared to use Nothingness when he still had the Stars of Fury before he transmigrated. Even if Lin Li had Nothingness with him, he would not be able to utilize it as effortlessly as Osric. That would require extreme comprehension and mastery of Nothingness before truly exerting its power. Otherwise, there was a high chance for one to lose his life in it.
Knowing how impressive Nothingness was, Lin Li was not surprised with how Osric dealt with his Thunder Domain. He had already prepared another formidable Legendary spell at the very moment his Thunder Domain got engulfed by the crack. It was the Sigh of the Ice Goddess.
Lin Li's hand's movement sent out a gust of chilly mist. The places it came into contact with acc.u.mulated thick snow. It was as if the ice particles had come alive. They spread towards Osric's feet really quickly.
Although Lin Li had not acquired the Polar Snow, ice element magic was his foundation. When he'd first acquired the Light and Darkness Domain to create the Magical Domain of Frost, Light, and Darkness, what he used was the laws of ice to balance out Holy Light and Gloomy Dark. Hence, Lin Li had comparable mastery of both the laws of ice and the Law of Light and Darkness. He only gave up on the laws of ice as he wanted to ensure that the force within his Magical Domain could remain pure.
The Sigh of the Ice Goddess was a Legendary-level spell. It had been said that it could freeze anything in the world. The souls of humans would be no exception, either. The void was an extremely cold place without any warmth. Lin Li wondered: if the temperature of his environment were to resemble that of
the void, would it still be able to engulf anything here? Of course, it depended on who his opponent was. Lin Li had no high hopes for this spell. But, if there might be a way for him to lock Osric back into the coffin, he really hoped that the ice element magic was able to buy him some time.
At the same time, Andoine, Rosen, and Aldwin started to wave the staffs in their hands and reciting Legendary-level spells while aiming at Osric mercilessly. It was fortunate that Lin Li had used Balak's crystal to aid their mana recovery process. Their power had recovered greatly, and that gave them the ability to continue to wrestle with their enemy.
The moment snow acc.u.mulated at Osric's feet, the other Legendary-mages let out their Legendary-level spells. They kicked up a terrifying magic storm that instantly buried Osric's body in it. Yet, everyone could see from the magnificent glow that the tall and mighty figure simply waved his spear to create a tiny crack in the void to draw the seemingly impregnable magic into it like how a whale would swallow water.
When the glow dissipated, the ground remained frozen. Yet, it seemed that Osric had not moved from his spot at all. This sight alone was sufficient to incite great despair in everyone. This was the difference between the realms. The Sanctuary-realm and the Legendary-realm was like a divine and a mortal, respectively.
"Darn it, that was useless. Quickly think of a way now, Connoris. There has to be something in the abyss that can suppress him," Lin Li urged Connoris as he continued to cast spells. He did not care whether they had any effects on Osric. He knew that they'd be doomed if he were to take a breather.
Lin Li remembered how he used the demonic runes taught by Connoris as he battled the Lord of Darkness. The immense abyssal force had the ability to suppress the Lord of Darkness. Since he was on the 72nd floor of the abyss, he thought that it might work on Osric as well.