by Zhuang Bifan
After a round of discussion, everyone decided to continue searching in this world, and maybe even try to mingle and blend in with the society in this world. Perhaps they might be able to find some clues related to a spatial rift.
Although Lin Li was racing against time and Osric, he dared not recklessly barge into Alanna City. Who knew what kind of strength the highlord of this false world would have under the grooming of the Immortal King? Hence, they'd better try to find out more before meeting him.
After a discussion, Archbishop Martin, Donald, and the rest each returned to their teams to make targeted arrangements to guard against any unexpected situations that might arise in this strange world. Standing on the hill, Lin Li felt the gentle breeze brushing past his face as the scent of mud filled his nose. Deep down, he felt rather amazed, and admired the Immortal King's godly abilities.
Despite knowing long ago that anything could happen in this world of magic, Lin Li still found the creation of a world with one's individual strength incredible. Since God wanted there to be light, there was light. That was the law of God, the power of creation that only a supreme ruler would have.
In the past, Lin Li had thought that as long as he followed the proper procedure, and increased his strength and realm step by step, it shouldn't be very difficult to reach the peak of the Sanctuary-realm. However, after seeing the Immortal King's means, Lin Li clearly felt that he was truly worlds apart from the Sanctuary-realm's peak.
Besides, Lin Li was thankful and glad that he had only been sent into the Seven-Realm Spiral when he first explored the Sky Castle back then. If he had been sent to this world that time, he and the others would probably have had to live here even if they had not got caught by the High Elves.
Of course, that also allowed Lin Li to have a clearer idea of the power of the peak of the Sanctuary-realm. He now had a clearer goal for his future.
However, Lin Li had no room to consider the other matters for now. Getting out of this world created by the Immortal King was the most urgent issue he had to consider now.
Lin Li closed his eyes, and made his mental strength penetrate that space. He carefully sensed the Laws of the world in hopes of finding a way to resolve it. He was now also a Sanctuary powerhouse. His understanding of the World Laws was more than thorough. However, the more he understood, the more he realized how incredible it was to create a world.
Spacetime rifts were inevitable, even in the real Anril. Is the world created by the Immortal King truly perfect? However, after a while, a look of disappointment appeared on Lin Li's face.
After some careful analysis and comprehension, Lin Li had no choice but to face the truth. The nomological power of this world was extraordinarily dense and far more solid than that of Anril which had lost the Tree of Eternity. He could even feel that he probably could not break through and leave this world even if he had reached the peak of the Sanctuary-realm.
It seemed that he still had to think from another perspective! Lin Li pressed his forehead and felt that the situation he was facing now was really even more frustrating than facing countless magical traps. There was simply no way to get started; one wrong step could lead to his destruction.
"Ujfalusi, did you find out anything useful from the High Elf? Where did the creatures here, including the High Elves, come from?"
Indeed, getting out of this place was a problem that they urgently had to consider now. However, Lin Li also had to consider how to ensure the safety of himself and the others. In this world, the greatest threat to the expedition were undoubtedly the High Elves who still ruled over the various races.
Lin Li already knew through the Ashen Warlock that the Immortal King had the power to create life. Hence, were there any beings that had been created by the Immortal King like the Ashen Warlock in the world that he created? In particular, from what that High Elf had told him, Osric was still the highlord in this world. Lin Li did not think that any High Elf could replace Osric.
If the Osric of this world, as well as other High Elves, was also created by the Immortal King, the situation would truly be terrible. Lin Li had created the perfect body for the Ashen Warlock before, so he had a clear understanding of the power of perfect bodies. Besides, the Ashen Warlock was a living example.
Although Lin Li was well aware of how precious the materials used to create the perfect body were, he was also clear of how psychotic the Immortal King was. Perhaps the materials that were precious and rare to Lin Li were considered ordinary to the Immortal King. If the Immortal King had plenty of materials, there was no reason for him not to create a second or third Ashen Warlock, since he had already created one.
Even with Lin Li's current strength, he did not dare to claim that he could contend with the Ashen Warlock. If there was a figure that was as powerful as Ashen Warlock in this world, they could just forget about leaving. The best choice would be to find a place to hide.
Moreover, hiding would just allow them to barely survive. Lin Li was sure that the real Osric might not take long to gain full control of the Sky Castle. By then, the leader of the world would very likely be Osric. The people of the expedition would be subject to his control.
Hence, be it to find a way out, or simply to survive, there would definitely be a battle between the expedition and the High Elves of this world sooner or later. Under such circ.u.mstances, Lin Li naturally wanted to know a little more about the High Elves of this world.
In order to find out how strong the High Elves were, the first thing to do would be to find out their origins. Were they the remaining High Elves in Anril who moved over during the Dark Age, and treated the world as their last refuge? Or were they created by the Immortal King, and were born and bred in this world? Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #%E2%80%99s-versatile-crafting-master_11275087605321405/ultimate-state_49423294193005460 for visiting.
If the High Elves believed that the world they lived in was the only world, it was very likely that they had been born and bred there. On the other hand, if they knew about the matters that happened at the end of the Dark Age, or if they knew that there was another Anril outside of this world, then they had to have come from Anril. Of course, there was definitely the chance that a prophet or something had suddenly come up with the theory that there was another world beyond this one instead. However, the chances of that were too slim.
There was no need to think much about the humans and other races that had been enslaved, as they were likely to have been abducted by the Immortal King. It wasn't that the Immortal King wasn't capable of creating them, but capturing them was much easier than creating them. Even the Immortal King would not bother wasting his energy on slaves.
Ujfalusi recalled the memories he had obtained from that High Elf's soul, and respectfully said to Lin Li, "Master, according to that High Elf's memories, some of the High Elves here had come to this world a long time ago. Some of the mages that used to work for Osric found this Sky Castle according to some of Osric's notes at the end of the Dark Age because they saw that the situation could not be salvaged. They moved into this world which they called their last refuge."
Lin Li nodded, feeling somewhat relieved. In that case, the High Elves were not created by the Immortal King, which meant that there basically would not be a powerful existence like the Ashen Warlock here. Although it was likely that some top-notch powerhouses had been born among the High Elves after more than 1,300 years of rest and recuperation, it would not be easy to become as powerful as the Ashen Warlock.
Chapter 952 - The Highlord's Willpower
However, Lin Li frowned again, and asked, "What about the Osric here?"
Not anyone could become Osric! The real Osric was the only High Elf who did not have the royal bloodline, but had obtained the title of a highlord by relying on his incredible talent that was almost comparable to the Immortal King's.
Lin
Li did not believe that the Osric of this world was simply a clone of the real Osric. Even if he was, he would have to reach high standards in every aspect. If the phony Osric was exposed easily, the other High Elves of this world would not let him off, not to mention Lin Li and the others.
"The High Elves here all think that the Osric here is the real one, especially the ones in Osric's Magic Legion who have joined at the end of the Dark Age. They believe that Osric's death back then was just an illusion, and that in reality, he had entered his last refuge to take on the mission of guiding the High Elves to their revival," Ujfalusi said in a strange tone. It was rather difficult to verify the authenticity of the truth. After thinking about it carefully, he realized that they had only seen Osric's perfect body back in Osric's mausoleum. That seemed to be insufficient to prove that Osric was really dead.
"It's funny, isn't it?" Initially, Lin Li was certain that the Osric outside was real and the Osric inside was the double. However, after hearing the sudden piece of news, Lin Li was rather confused all of a sudden.
After all, it seemed that no one knew whether Osric was alive or not. Even Angelano who had been guarding Osric's mausoleum for more than 1,300 years did not have a clear answer, let alone Connoris who had been sealed in the hammer. Besides, from all kinds of information, all they could find out was that Osric had moved into the mausoleum he created for himself at the end when he became weaker.
Could it be that Osric is still alive!? However, what's with that Ghost outside!? Lin Li turned to look at Connoris who was beside him, and then unnaturally said, "Connoris, what do you think of this problem? Did Osric mention anything else when he talked about this world back then?"
"The real Osric is indeed dead, his physical condition was so bad at the time that it could not be salvaged. He couldn't have hidden that from me. However, according to my understanding, the Osric in this world is not entirely just a substitute," said Connoris, who was not shocked by that news. Besides, he seemed to have known more about Osric too.
"What do you mean?" Lin Li had a hunch about what Connoris meant, but he was in disbelief. Hence, he asked, "Could it be that the Osric here is just a projected avatar? If that's the case, how could he have enough power to suppress the other High Elves!?"
Powerful existences all had the ability to create projected avatars, like the Lord of Darkness in the Abyss, which was the Dragon of Destruction Azardas' projected avatar, as well as Elemental Dragon projected avatar with Xiao Hua, which belonged to the Emerald Dragon. Connoris, who had once been one of the ancient demon deities, had also created countless projected avatars that seemed to have spread across Anril to almost every corner of the world.
However, such projected avatars were different from the Immortal King's creation, the Ashen Warlock. Every projected avatar would have to consume the power of the original body. It was just like pouring water from a bucket to cups. The more cups of water, the less water there would be left in the bucket. The more projected avatars, the more powerful the projected avatars, and the less power there would be left in the main body.
Connoris had created countless projected avatars. As a result, the main body's power fell from that of a Sanctuary-realm ancient demon deity to the Legendary-level Demon Lord of the first several floors of the Abyss. Hence, even a powerful existence that was close to a god would be extremely careful and conscientious when creating a projected avatar as they did not want to waste a single morsel of power.
Besides, in the creation of a projected avatar, one could not split their power into two. Other than the power consumed during the process, the projected avatar could have at most 10% of the power of the main body. Although Osric was powerful, the projected avatar would not be able to subdue the High Elves there even if they only had 10% of Osric's power.
"It's not a double. Osric once mentioned that creating a double is a power that even he cannot possess and a level that he will never be able to reach in this life. However, he did not feel dejected because of that. Instead, he seemed rather smug about it," Connoris said slowly while recalling his memories. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #%E2%80%99s-versatile-crafting-master_11275087605321405/the-highlord's-willpower_49423294444666687 for visiting.
"Smug? Was he smug because he had found a good teacher?" Lin Li couldn't help but interject with a frown. Although he asked that question, he knew that given Osric's character, he probably would not be smug about the Immortal King. The things that Osric had done in the Immortal King's laboratory were not respectful to the Immortal King at all.
"No, he was just proud about having schemed against a supreme powerhouse like the Immortal King," Connoris said as he looked at Alanna City in the distance. Before Lin Li asked, he continued, "Although he admitted that he would never reach the level of the Immortal King with his talent and wits, and could never create an ultimate Magical Domain, he had successfully integrated a part of his consciousness into this world, and he would definitely master this power one day!"
"This… is hard to say. Osric here…" Despite having already predicted it beforehand, Connoris' news gave Lin Li a great shock. If it were really like what Connoris said, the situation of the expedition would probably be much more troublesome than he had expected.
Osric's consciousness had descended in this world during the Dark Age, and it had been at least 1,300 years since then. With Osric's wit and the fact that he had gained a large portion of the Immortal King's inheritance, he was probably not far from controlling this world.
That was definitely troublesome. Previously, Lin Li had some confidence in leaving this world because he thought that the Immortal King was no longer around. After all, no matter how strong the Magical Domain might be, it would truly be useless without a master. Even if they could not find any loopholes at the moment, they would at least not be in great danger in this world.
However, there was now another Osric in this world, who was still part of the consciousness of the real Osric. After all these years, he had probably become a semi-owner of this world, right? Perhaps Osric still could not compare to the Immortal King, but that did not mean that Osric who had half of a home field advantage would be easy to deal with.
Lin Li still had no clue about how he could leave this world, and now he even learned that there was another big enemy here. He was at a loss as to how to deal with such a big problem. Although Lin Li had already stepped into the Sanctuary-realm, and had seven pieces of the debris of the stars, external factors could barely affect realms. More importantly, in this world, the control crystal that Lin Li used to control the Sky Castle had already lost its effect. That meant that escaping would be impossible.
At this moment, Archbishop Martin and Donald, who had made arrangements for their respective teams, once again went to Lin Li's side. Faced with this familiar yet unfamiliar world, they did not have many ideas.
"Since there are humans and other races in this world as well, should we try to contact them? They might have some underground rebellion forces. Since the ancestors of the Rotterdam had led the various races to overthrow the High Elves back then in Anril, we can do it again in this world as well." Prince Kanber suddenly developed an idea, and wanted to replicate the events that happened at the end of the Dark Age, bringing about another war of resistance in this world.
Although Kanber had once again credited the overthrow of the High Elves to the ancestors of the Rotterdam Kingdom, the people around him were already familiar with the way the people of the Rotterdam Kingdom behaved, so they could not be bothered to argue with him.
However, that undeniably seemed to be a feasible option. No matter what, the humans and other enslaved races in this world had also lived there for thousands of years. They ought to have some talents. Hence, Kanber's words did not make the others feel disgusted. Instead, Archbishop Martin and the others were tempted.
"Master Felic, what do you think of this solution? Even if we can't find a way to leave at the moment, it would be a good thing if we can liberate the humans and other enslaved races in this world." Archbishop Martin asked Lin Li for his opinion. If possible, he would want to spread the doctrine of Holy Light here.
However, Lin Li merely shook his head a little, and said to Ujfalusi, "Tell them about the situation that you've understood."
"According to the memories in the soul of that High Elf, some of the humans and other races that were enslaved by the High Elves had indeed formed rebellion forces. However, since the remaining High Elves entered this world at the end of the Dark Age, they imposed stricter rules on the humans and other races. Not only did they strictly forbid the spread of magical knowledge, but they also implemented a policy of purging those who were likely to enter the Legendary-realm. So, we'd better not count on the people here," Ujfalusi said calmly in a monotonous tone, explaining the situation of the humans and the High Elves in this world.
Upon hearing his words, everyone understood that the lesson learned in Anril had caused the High Elves of this world to take a harsher approach in ruling over the humans and other races. Under such an oppressive rule, even if an individual like Geresco appeared amongst them, they would probably be killed by the High Elves before they could even grow.
Kanber glared at Ujfalusi who had opposed his idea before turning around, and confidently saying to the rest, "So what? They're just the High Elves who survived. The Immortal King won't be guarding them anymore, and they don't have the Sky Castle or the Tree of Eternity. I believe that with our power, it will be easy to get rid of them. Maybe we can be sent out when we exterminate all the High Elves in this world."