by Zhuang Bifan
"I won't let you off!"
With a roar of indignation and anger, the massive black hole vanished. At the same time, Osric's figure also disappeared. Although he could not destroy Osric directly, Lin Li believed that in a few hundred years, Osric would no longer pose a threat to him even if he managed to regain his body and leave the Endless Abyss.
Finally, everything calmed down, and the seven pieces of the debris of the stars and the Seed of Eternity broke free from the Domain World. Lin Li returned to the ground after he put it away. On the other hand, Archbishop Martin and the rest fell to the ground. After having had a close shave with death, they looked dumbfounded.
Lin Li did not care about them. Instead, he walked straight to the control panel in the center where Osric's body had completely eroded and collapsed. The Divine King Battle Robe was spread on the ground, with some black ashes that could be vaguely seen beneath it. On the control panel, the bizarre magical crystal glistened in the groove, while powerful mana waves emanated from it. Clearly, it had devoured a large amount of mana from Osric.
However, the function of the magical crystal was merely to trigger the mana to leave Osric's body, and its devouring ability was only mediocre. If the magical crystal could really devour all of Osric's mana, it would probably be about the same as the control crystal.
Lin Li reached his hand out without hesitation, and removed the magical crystal from the groove of the control panel. The magical crystal that had put Osric through massive suffering actually remained extremely calm in Lin Li's hand. After putting away the magical crystal, Lin Li finally took out the real control crystal, and slowly placed it on the control panel.
This time, no one came out to disturb Lin Li, and he managed to place the control crystal in the groove of the control panel smoothly. Countless complicated golden mageweaths began moving towards the entire control panel. The control crystal in the groove seemed to have also been triggered by a sudden power as bright dazzling rays of light emerged from it like from the sun.
As the control crystal changed, Lin Li's mental strength that was attached to the control crystal was immediately magnified, engulfing every corner of the Sky Castle and penetrating it. Lin Li could clearly sense that he had now become the master of the Sky Castle, and all of its secrets appeared in his mind clearly.
However, Lin Li could also feel that his current strength seemed to be somewhat lacking, and he needed to get stronger to fully control the Sky Castle. At present, he could only control it a little like a child playing with a big sword. Picking it up was one thing, and swinging it well and gracefully was another. He needed to have a certain power that would match it.
Lin Li secretly estimated that he would only be able to control the Sky Castle with ease when his strength reached a level like Osric's. Although he was already the true owner of the Sky Castle, he was still unable to use the full power of it.
Although he found it a pity, Lin Li was not that bothered by it. After all, the Sky Castle now belonged to him, and it was only a matter of time before he could master it completely. Moreover, Lin Li was confident that it would not take him long to reach that level at the rate that his strength was improving.
If it was someone else, they would probably take hundreds or even thousands of years to advance from level-26 to level-28. However, Lin Li was different. He only took a few years to advance from a mage apprentice to the Sanctuary-realm that he was in now. The insurmountable gap in the eyes of others was not a problem for him at all.
Lin Li familiarized himself with the operations that he could use at this stage, and began issuing orders for the Sky Castle. The previous destruction of the 36 Double-Realm Psychic Towers had left the Sky City in a mess. Since the Sky Castle now belonged to Lin Li, he naturally had to clean it up.
With the issue of Lin Li's order, the doors of the heavy four underground warehouses distributed in the four different areas of the Sky Castle were slowly opened. Next, a batch of alchemy puppets walked out of the respective underground warehouses in an orderly manner, and began cleaning the Sky Castle up.
The alchemy puppets could all fetch a high price in Anril, yet they had become janitors here. If Archbishop Martin and the others were to see them, they would probably die of jealousy.
"Master Felic, congratulations on finally gaining control of the Sky Castle." Archbishop Martin stepped forward and congratulated Lin Li sincerely.
Through Osric's appearance just now and the shocking changes that had happened to the magical crystal that Lin Li had taken out again, Archbishop Martin could already guess what happened even though he knew nothing about it before. After congratulating Lin Li, Archbishop Martin was secretly emotional. He thought that Lin Li had such an amazing plan for the exploration of the Sky Castle this time.
At the thought that the Immortal King's Sky Castle and the treasures belonged to Lin Li alone now, Archbishop Martin couldn't help but feel bitter even though he had always been close to Lin Li. If the Brilliance Shrine had such a Sky Castle…
"Congratulations, Master Felic, for acquiring the Immortal King's Sky Castle. In the future, the Tower of Dusk will certainly have a position in Anril that no one can reach easily." At this point, Donald had no choice but to offer his compliments in hopes that Lin Li would not abandon him after having made use of him.
Deep down, Donald was of course extremely jealous. It was the Immortal King's Sky Castle, the most powerful magical weapon that the High Elves relied on to rule over Anril. If the Rotterdam Kingdom could have a similar Sky Castle, it probably would not be a problem for them to rule over Anril.
However, Donald was well aware that he could not show the slightest hint of jealousy yet, as the relationship between the Rotterdam Kingdom and the Tower of Dusk was strained, and Lin Li could easily get a hold on them before destroying them. A Sanctuary powerhouse who controlled a Sky Castle was not to be trifled with, and was someone whom not anyone could contend with.
"Alright, I've already achieved my agenda for the expedition this time. Everyone, will you be returning to Anril after this, or do you have other plans in mind?" Clearly, Lin Li was asking them to leave. After all, the teams from the Rotterdam Kingdom and the Brilliance Shrine had already found what they were looking for. Now, even the entire Sky Castle belonged to Lin Li, and everything that was left in it belonged to him. He obviously wouldn't let the people from the Rotterdam Kingdom and the Brilliance Shrine continue exploring.
Being old and wise, Archbishop Martin and Donald knew even without Lin Li's reminder that they could not expect to get anything more from the Sky Castle. At this juncture, they finally figured out why the Tower of Dusk's team was so generous in the distribution of benefits when they were discussing the matter of cooperation previously. Well, since the entire Sky Castle already belonged to Lin Li, why would he let them continue to take his belongings?
Chapter 1003 - Tour
"Yeah, thanks to Master Felic's help this time, we managed to find the crown. Otherwise, we might not have been able to do so at all." After thanking Lin Li, Archbishop Martin apologetically said, "However, before I leave, I have one more request, Master Felic. Could you fulfill it?"
"What's the matter?" Lin Li knew that under such circ.u.mstances, the people of the teams from the Rotterdam Kingdom and the Brilliance Shrine probably would not make any requests that were overboard. Hence, he did not mind it.
"We've had a dangerous journey during the exploration of this Sky Castle. Felic, since you've already mastered the Sky Castle, I wonder if you can let us take a tour around this Sky Castle that's famous in history?" Archbishop Martin asked embarrassedly.
After all, people like Archbishop Martin and the others had not managed to watch the war at the end of the Dark Age. To them, the Sky Castle had always existed in the myths and legends. Although they had fortunately stepped into the Sky Castle this time, they had to go through a dangerous and arduous journey. Hence, they did not have the time, and were not even in the mood to admire the Sky Castl
e.
Although Lin Li was a little surprised by Archbishop Martin's request, he could understand his reasons for it. Hence, he nodded, and said, "Archbishop Martin, you're being too polite. Everyone has contributed to my success in acquiring this Sky Castle. In this case, I will take you guys on a tour around the Sky Castle."
Of course, when he said that he was taking Archbishop Martin and the others on a tour, Lin Li was actually very curious. Although he could gain a thorough and detailed understanding of the Sky Castle, it was, after all, not as spectacular as when he saw it with his own eyes.
Moreover, Lin Li actually sensed through the control crystal that the Sky Castle was actually not perfect, either, perhaps because it was too old, or for some other reasons. For example, when Osric barged in back then, he caused some parts of the Sky Castle to be damaged to a certain extent, and they could only function again after being repaired.
Lin Li shut down the magic traps and magic gears in the Sky Castle, and led the expedition team out of the Central Tower. They began exploring the buildings along a street. While doing so, Lin Li even considered revamping the Sky Castle.
Although the Sky Garden of the Supreme Council was not as powerful as the Sky Castle, it had turned into a Sky Castle that was completely suitable for being manipulated by humans after years of modification. If the two clashed, the power that the Supreme Council's Sky Garden could exert would definitely be much higher than the Immortal King's Sky Castle's.
In Lin Li's plan, the Sky Castle would be the base and foundation of the Tower of Dusk in the future, just like the Sky Garden of the Supreme Council. Hence, making modifications to this Sky Castle almost seemed like an imperative task. After all, Lin Li could not stay in the Sky Castle all the time, and he would still have to rely on the people of the Tower of Dusk to control the Sky Castle in the future.
Of course, the revamp and modifications had to be done very carefully, and if they accidentally ruined the Sky Castle, they would be in huge trouble. Fortunately, Lin Li had now gained the recognition of the three arbitrators in the Supreme Council who valued him highly. It should not be a problem for them to alter the data of the Sky Castle.
At this moment, the Sky Castle had already been cleaned up by the alchemy puppets, and the entire Sky Castle now looked brand-new. It was a far cry from the shabby appearance it had when they first entered. The 36 towers were distributed in various parts of the city, and the Double-Realm Psychic Towers that the expedition team had turned into debris were cleaned up and recycled by the alchemy puppets. Each tower was now glowing with a faint magical light, making them look extremely majestic against the void in the background.
Lin Li found the destruction of the Double-Realm Psychic Towers to be a pity because he would have to kill a massive number of beings in order to rebuild them. Not only was Lin Li not that cruel and ruthless, it would also be impossible to build as many as 36 Double-Realm Psychic Towers even if he slaughtered all the creatures in Anril.
However, to Lin Li's relief, none of the 36 realm beads were damaged at all, and they could all be embellished in the Black Front Fortress. That could more or less make up for the loss of the Double-Realm Psychic Towers. Of course, even if the Black Front Fortress could compare to the Double-Realm Psychic Towers, it would not be able to compare to the Psychic Array formed by the 36 Double-Realm Psychic Towers.
The High Elves called the Sky Castle their most powerful weapon not just because it had 36 Magic Towers, but because they also had numerous other magical weapons in addition to the Magic Towers. Many of them were normally hidden underground, but just the ones that were exposed were enough to shock Archbishop Martin and the others who visited the Sky Castle.
"Is this the legendary Thunder God's Spear!?"
Under the lead of Lin Li, Archbishop Martin and the others arrived in front of a building that was similar to an altar. They could recognize the building from its appearance, and had identified it using the historical data they had read. Although it was called the Thunder God's Spear, there was actually no spear, and it was just a metaphor for it being the most powerful weapon used by the Thunder God.
The altar was about a third of the height of a Magic Tower, and it was similar to a pyramid-shaped stone platform. The entire altar was covered in complicated mageweaths. Due to the fact that they had not been activated, they were merely emitting a faint glow of mana. Although the altar seemed a little unassuming, Archbishop Martin and others who were familiar with the historical data did not dare to take it lightly at all.
Legend had it that during the war at the end of the Dark Age, the High Elves had once manipulated a Sky Castle to launch a sneak attack on a city that the rebellion forces occupied. Back then, the Sky Castle had activated the Thunder God's Spear, and bolts of lightning enveloped the entire city, turning hundreds of thousands of people and tens of thousands of rebels into ashes in just a few moments.
Although the power of the Thunder God's Spear might not be much to Sanctuary powerhouses like Lin Li, it was definitely a destructive magical weapon in the eyes of Archbishop Martin, Donald, and the others.
If such a Sky Castle suddenly appeared in the royal capital of the Rotterdam Kingdom with the Thunder God's Spear activated, the entire capital and the royal family of the Rotterdam Kingdom would be wiped out. That would be a huge tragedy for the Rotterdam Kingdom.
At the thought of such a terrifying scene, Donald was so frightened that his face turned pale. Deep down, he also confirmed something, and that was that it was definitely a force that they could not afford to offend. At this moment, he couldn't help but feel thankful and somewhat fortunate that he had changed his attitude in time. Otherwise, if he had provoked such an enemy, the Rotterdam Kingdom would probably have been not far from downfall!
However, upon further inspection, Archbishop Martin and the others gradually became used to the fact that even though powerful magical weapons like the Thunder God's Spear were not rampant everywhere in the Sky Castle, there were definitely many of them. Besides, other than the large-scale lethal weapons, there were still many weapons that were targeted at powerhouses, one of which was named the Divine Punishment, which even the Sanctuary powerhouses dared not contend with head-on.
Of course, Lin Li did not tell Archbishop Martin and the others that although there were many magical weapons in the Sky Castle, he could only use a few of them freely. For example, Lin Li could not fully exert the power of the Divine Punishment, which was said to be able to kill the Sanctuary powerhouses. He could only use it at full power when he reached Osric's level and gained full control of the Sky Castle.
Apart from the external weapons, there was a large number of weapons and facilities used for the defense of the Sky Castle to prevent anyone from invading the Sky Castle. The strongest was naturally the Conquering Mageweath that Lin Li had seen on the diagrams in the beginning—it could cause the inhabitants of the Sky Castle to turn into god-like existences. It had a similar effect to the Ice and Fire Natural Domain that Lin Li had placed in the Eternal Furnace. However, it was far stronger than the Ice and Fire Natural Domain.
However, Lin did not introduce the Conquering Mageweath to Archbishop Martin and the others. Since they did not recognize it themselves, why would he go to the trouble of telling them? In addition, during the visit, Lin Li also discovered that the Conquering Mageweath was somewhat flawed because of the fact that it had been turned into a Psychic Array.
The previous time he had explored the Sky Castle and discovered the Psychic Array, Lin Li thought that someone had used the Conquering Mageweath as the basis for laying out a Psychic Array that shared the same mana source with it. He had felt that it was an amazing design, but after observing it carefully now, Lin Li realized that although the design was ingenious enough, the Conquering Mageweath had still been inevitably affected.
Be it the Conquering Mageweath or the Psychic Array, they were already in the Guru-level realm, and the slightest error would lead to devastating consequences. Fro
m Osric's behavior in the Sky Castle, Lin Li reckoned that the Psychic Array had probably been added by Osric later. Otherwise, given the Immortal King's abilities, he probably wouldn't have made such a mistake.
Of course, Osric's level was also extremely high. Although the Psychic Array had a certain impact on the Conquering Mageweath, it didn't cause any unmanageable consequences, after all. Although the Conquering Mageweath could not be used now, the damage done was not massive. Lin Li believed that he wouldn't need much time to repair them with his current abilities.
However, as the most important facility of the entire Sky Castle, the Conquering Mageweath likewise could not be operated by Lin Li now. Even if it were restored and repaired, Lin Li would need to gain complete control of the Sky Castle in order to truly bring out its full power.
Although Archbishop Martin and the others did not know about such a terrifying existence as the Conquering Mageweath, at the end of the day, they were learned and knowledgeable, especially since they had done plenty of research before going to the Sky Castle. They could recognize some of the facilities in the Sky Castle.
"Holy, Blessing of Holy Light, is this the Blessing of Holy Light!?" Archbishop Martin couldn't help but exclaim when he reached a square.
The square was not very large, and there were complicated mageweaths on the ground and a facility which resembled a fountain in the center. However, it looked just like a sculpture. The entire combination was a mageweath array, the Blessing of Holy Light. It could emit pure and powerful Power of Light, and even the Brilliance Shrine could not come up with a mageweath array like this.
One of the two greatest effects of the Blessing of Holy Light mageweath array was treatment, which was said to have the power to bring the dead back to life. Even a crippled person would be able to restore his limb that he had lost under the Holy Light. The other effect, if nicely put, was summoning. However, it was actually a very evil ability that was similar to enchantment in Lin Li's opinion. Under the power of Holy Light, it would be able to permanently turn an enemy into an ally.