Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Under normal circumstances, the slight fluctuation might not be significant. However, at this juncture, a slight fluctuation would seem like a tossed stone that caused a thousand ripples. There was a massive change in the scenery around Lin Li, causing the tranquil and elegant beauty to vanish like a burst bubble. The fragrant wildflowers, the vibrant green meadows, and the tall and erect trees all turned into various types of magic at this moment. They all bombarded Lin Li unrestrainedly.
Lin Li was plagued with an ominous feeling at the instant that the magical wave appeared. Despite having been as careful as he could, he still made a mistake that he shouldn’t have. However, it was too late to regret it at this point. He could no longer be bothered about mental strength, either. Hence, he quickly placed the Helios’ Scepter in front of his chest and chanted a magical spell.
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 circumstance.
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 adult Elemental Wyrm even though 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.
