Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“I remember Osric coming to the abyss alone after he enslaved me. He mentioned something about the 72nd level of the abyss,” interrupted the Fire Demon King bravely. He did not want to die with Lin Li.
The Fire Demon King did not get reprimanded by Lin Li and Connoris this time. Instead, they took a moment to reflect on his words.
“I do not remember accompanying Osric here. Could it be that he came here alone?” asked Angelano. He had participated in Osric’ mission to raid the abyss, but they had never advanced to the 72nd floor of the abyss then.
“Alone? This is the 72nd floor of the abyss—the territory of Tyrant Balak. There are countless formidable Zago Demons here. I don’t believe Osric came here to have a peaceful conference with Tyrant Balak,” replied Lin Li. Although he knew that Osric should’ve been a powerful man as he was the disciple of Immortal King, he could not fathom the possibility of him barging into the 72nd floor of the abyss himself.
Connoris said that although Tyrant Balak resided on the 72nd floor of the abyss, he was one of the most powerful ancient deities out of the 99 who’d created the abyss. This abyss was like the territory of the ancient deities, and being deep inside the abyss would definitely make Tyrant Balak even more formidable. Lin Li could still remember how a line of demonic runes from Connoris was able to let him engage the energy of the abyss to oppress the Lord of Darkness when he was in the Throne of Darkness. This could only show that a real ancient deity would be a god-like figure in the abyss.
Furthermore, apart from activating the vast force of the abyss, this formidable troop of Zago Demons was definitely not something anyone could deal with. The Sickle Black-armored Demons that multiplied at great speed, Hell Pythons with extreme venom, Scourged Ankylodons that had the ability to slice a wyrm alive, tyrannical Mammoth Behemoths… These terrifying Zago Demons that were led by the highly intelligent Zago Lord really posed a great threat even to a man in the Sanctuary-realm.
How could Osric trespass this region alone? Was he a god?
Lin Li could not imagine how a man could deal with this scene on his own. He was sure those demons would be problematic even for a Dragon Aspect.
“You were saying Osric entered this place alone. When was that?” Angelano asked the Fire Demon King.
“That was when I just started to follow him. Oh yes, didn’t I fight with Amatir? I think that happened one or two months after,” replied the Fire Demon King. His vast lifespan made him insensitive to dates. It was good enough that he could remember significant events.
“Hold on, I remember it. That was when Osric had the magical crystal I wanted. Could that be…” Angelano could not complete his speech. He was flabbergasted by his thoughts. Despite being one of the first to follow Osric, if his guess was true, he really could not believe Osric’s real abilities.
“Could that magical crystal belong to tyrant Balak?” Lin Li and Connoris gasped in unison. No matter how shocked they were, it was a fact that all the clues were pointing in that direction.
Just when millions of thoughts were running through the minds of Lin Li and Connoris, the situation on the battlefield had worsened. The Black Current that was made up of numerous Sickle Black-armored Demons and Hell Pythons had brought about an incredible amount of pressure to the men like never before. The appearance of the Scourged Ankylodons multiplied their stress and pushed them to their limit. The men could not help but feel a sense of despair when they saw the shadows of the hill-like Mammoth Behemoths becoming larger and larger.
Rosen, who had been under the radar of the Zago Lord had to deal with the six Hell Pythons and four Scourged Ankylodons alone now. Despite being a level-23 Legendary-mage, he was not outside of any danger. The loopholes of Rosen’s element domain were exposed; while the magic storm that filled the magical domain was rather effective in dealing with the Sickle Black-armored Demons and Hell Pythons, it was like a tickle to the Scourged Ankylodons.
If he had a perfect Element Domain, he would be able to instantaneously cast all the elemental spells that he was capable of using. For instance, since he was a level-23 mage, the elements that made up his magic storm would be level-22 and below. If he had this ability, it would not put him at a disadvantage.
Unfortunately, the energy of one man was still limited. Rosen’s greed to reach into the four elemental Laws made him a master of none. The elements that made up the magic storm were all weaker than the Legendary-level. How would that pose any threat to the tyrannical Scourged Ankylodons?
Goddammit, did this bunch of Zago Demon eat the wrong medicine? Rosen thought anxiously as he saw a few more Scourged Ankylodons flying from the distance. He still could not understand why he was so popular among the pests. The Zago Demons that he alone was battling with had nearly reached half of what Andoine and the rest were dealing with together.
Rosen clenched his jaws and got an opportunity to bring out his magic staff again. It had been quite some time since he last used it, and the two huge gems on the magic staff had a fresh glow of light. Rosen had initially planned to use the magic staff to protect himself against Lin Li, but he knew that if he was not able to overcome his present ordeal, it would be futile to think of the future.
As their growls sounded off, two dragons of gold and silver appeared beside Rosen. They smashed the countless Sickle Black-armored Demons into fragments instantaneously. The gold dragon turned the two spitting Hell Pythons into ashes with its breath, while the silver dragon pounced onto the Scourged Ankylodons and battled with them.
However, the two dragons that should’ve been in the Sanctuary-realm did not display any of that level of power. While the Hell Pythons were unable to deal with the two dragons, it wasn’t the case for the Scourged Ankylodons. Their impregnable defense gave them the right to be worthy opponents of the two dragons. Although these two dragons were able to share a huge part of Rosen’s burden, it convinced the Zago Lord of Rosen’s identity as the leader.
Rosen’s delight did not last after he summoned the two dragons. Fresh blood flowed out from the side of his mouth on his pallid face. It was obvious that the summoning of the two dragons cost Rosen significantly. He wiped the side of his mouth and decided to put away his pride to draw closer to Andoine and others.
“Bam!” That was the sound when the Alchemy Colossus that was controlled by Angelano collided with the first Mammoth Behemoth that charged towards it.
The Mammoth Behemoth that was covered in firm armor from head to toe had a massive body that was comparable to the Alchemy Colossus. It had a machete-shaped horn on its head and two massive and sharp tusks that grew from the back of its neck, just like the giant metal spear the Alchemy Colossus had in its hands. Its three pairs of legs supported its hill-like body, and ensured that the Mammoth Behemoth could move fast unaffected by its huge body size. The sickle-shaped claws on each of its leg killed countless Sickle Black-armored Demons as it advanced towards the men. The dark-green flesh and blood of the demons covered its claws distastefully.
The Mammoth Behemoth was definitely a strategy-ranked existence among the Zago Demon species. Although it did not have any incredible ability for defense, the hill-like body was sufficient to allow this creature to do whatever it wanted in the abyss. No one knew how thick its armor was to be able to defend it from the attack of any Sword Sage. Although it did not have very high resistance to magic, it was definitely able to withstand Legendary-level attacks. Its trump card was its massive body that could protect itself from most critical attacks.
It was a blessing that Lin Li had Angelano’s huge Alchemy Colossus with him to deal with the huge beast. He was almost certain that the spear of the Colossus would be able to pose a threat to the Mammoth Behemoth.
Unfortunately, Lin Li only had one Titan-level Alchemy Colossus with him. That was in stark contrast to the Zago Demons that had at least 10 Mammoth Behemoths. While Angelano was able to deal with one Mammoth Behemoth, he wouldn’t be able to emerge safely if two or three other Mammoth Behemoths were to charge over.
“And Tyrant Balak has yet to appear. Could it be that it had already been gotten rid of by Osric? If the magical crystal in the crystal coffin really belongs to Tyrant Balak, it is not impossible for us to overcome this crisis!” Lin Li exclaimed to his followers as he pointed at the coffin that was hovering in the air.
“I might have followed Osric for a long time, but I’ve never seen him demonstrate his real power. When he defeated me, it was as if I was an ant under his thumb. Frankly speaking, I lost all courage simply by standing in front of him,” recalled the Fire Demon King.
“If Osric was here to defeat Tyrant Balak by himself, I bet he had to be stronger than common Sanctuary powerhouses. Could he be at the peak of the realm?!” Lin Li gasped. He was shocked by his thoughts. If Osric was at the peak of the Sanctuary-realm, he had to be extremely close to being a divinity.
Although all of the clues were pointing to the crystal coffin, no one could be certain that it was Tyrant Balak’s magical crystal in the coffin. If one were to leave out the possibility of Osric defeating Balak single-handedly and acquiring his magical crystal, who could be certain that the magical crystal in the crystal coffin had to belong to Balak instead of some prehistoric magical beast?
But, Lin Li had no other choice now. The only thing he could do was to gamble on it. If he won, he would be able to find a way out of the situation for himself and the other men. If he lost, the ending would not be any different from not acting on it.
“Teacher Andoine, Master Aldwin, please press on! I need your help to delay their leader!” Lin Li shouted. He did not provide any explanation for what he was about to do. He knew there was no time to lose. Before Andoine could respond to his request, he cast the Power of Flight and flew towards the crystal coffin in the distance.
The absence of the Light and Darkness Domain depreciated the ability of the followers under Lin Li greatly. Although Ujfalusi and Lord of Nightmares immediately established their Humerus Domain and Nightmare Domain, respectively, their combined strength was still far behind Lin Li’s Light and Darkness Domain. Although Lin Li left the area alone, the departure of a level-23 Legendary-mage elevated the pressure felt by the rest of the team.
“Andoine, that’s the disciple you are proud of! He actually ditched us in such desperate circumstances!” Rosen shouted disdainfully as he approached Andoine. Rosen could not suppress his rage when he thought of how he had to be in such a tragic state when Lin Li could leave everyone for his own safety. He was absolutely certain that a young mage like Lin Li would have no way to overcome the present crisis.
Of course, no one responded to Rosen’s complaint. It was as though nobody heard him. Indeed, Andoine and Aldwin, as well as Macklin who had been leading the remaining team of mages, experienced a rise in stress with Lin Li’s exit. But, their hearts were all filled with confidence that Lin Li would create a miracle.
At this time, the fatigue on the faces of Andoine and Aldwin was inconcealable. Although they were Legendary-mages people saw as powerhouses who had unlimited mana, it was in fact referring to their ability to recover their mana quickly. When the loss of mana exceeded the speed of recovery, they would not be able to avoid exhausting their mana. Yet, the sight of Lin Li dashing towards the giant crystal coffin reignited their hope. They did not have to hear Lin Li’s explanation at all.
