Only a Divine Artifact could have helped achieve that. There were four in total, and none of the Sage Tier Mage had acquired them. They only knew of Stupa as the Summit from the records.
Inside the Juncture—
The Dark Magic had almost depleted. Lin Ming advanced. As a safeguard, he activated the Vajra Patra to protect himself. With the Stupa, Lin Ming needn’t worry about using up his magic power. He needed to keep his guard up in such an unsafe place.
The secret chamber must have been sealed for long. As Lin Ming entered, a rotten smell rushed straight to his nose. Lin Ming winced. Flame burst out from his skin, lighting up the room. In the center of the chamber was a throne, and on it was a man in a black robe sitting on it. Judging at his limp appearance, it should be dead. Lin Ming looked around, and nothing else was in there.
He slowly approached the throne. As he confirmed it was no longer living, he turned to leave—dead meant no value. But with the heavy traps set up, he had thought there was something inside.
Thud!
The stone door closed.
“You’re not letting me go?” Lin Ming frowned.
“After so many years, there is finally a taste of flesh and blood! It must be delicious!” Behind Lin Ming, a hoarse voice appeared.
Lin Ming turned around, his eyes on the man in the black robe, who was now standing up.
“All tricks but nothing!” Lin Ming snorted coldly. His waves of flames enshrouded the man.
“Petty tricks!” the black-robed man puffed. Dark Magic appeared and engulfed Lin Ming’s flames.
Since the flames didn’t work, Lin Ming used another approach. “Dazzling Dragon Spell!”
It forced the man to stumble back due to the stress, but he managed to steady himself.
“You are something.”
Lin Ming nodded. The man across him was the strongest opponent he had ever met. He managed to knock him backward, but it didn’t cause any substantial damage. “When I rip your head off later, you will know I’m not just something.”
As if he heard a joke, the black-robed man’s voice was hoarse as he laughed out loud. “The most powerful asset of a mage is his magic. But if you lose your asset, you will be nothing! And Dark Mages do not have any weaknesses! Piercing of the Darkness!” The man disappeared.
“A mage, especially, cannot withstand a single blow. Today, I shall grind your body into powder!” The black-robed man teleported to Lin Ming’s side and landed a hard blow from his fist. He thought Lin Ming was like other weak mages and on the chopping block, and he was confident with his Dark Magic.
And what he met with was Lin Ming’s grin. The man’s eye twitched. Instantly, pain shot up from his fist.
With only holding his hand up, Lin Ming blocked the man’s attack. As Lin Ming closed his fingers, the man’s bone crushed.
“You—” The man almost shrieked.
“It seems like the body of a Dark Mage isn’t as good as us mages,” Lin Ming mocked and kicked, sending the man across the room. The man struggled to get up.
Outside the Juncture—
Everyone stared blankly at Lin Ming’s attack. No wonder Gandulf sent a Tier 6 Mage in—his physical strength alone was invincible.
Gandulf had anticipated such an outcome. Lin Ming had fought fifteen Tier 7 Magical Beasts and taken them down alone. With his physical strength, the black-robed man stood no chance.
Inside the Juncture—
Lin Ming walked forward and closed in on the black-robed man. “Let’s see how strong you are.” He beat the man up with his punches.
The man couldn’t defend himself, his screams echoing the chamber. He was perplexed how a Tier 6 would own immense strength—could his foe be training both magic and physical power? But he couldn’t keep his mind straight because of the pain.
“I swear I will never do this again. Please spare me!” the black-robed man begged as he cried. What he thought was his hunting moment became his pleading moment. “Please, spare me, sir. I have information useful to you!” he continued.
Lin Ming stopped, amused. He needed to probe. “Oh. Tell me about it.”
“I could control all the mages in this dimension!”
“Well, good to know, but I can kill them in an instant. Why do I need you?”
“I… There are certain things only a Dark Mage could achieve, sir. If you let me go, I will not disappoint you!”
“All right. You can come with me.” Lin Ming shot the man a glare. “Remember, no more tricks.”
“Yes, sir,” the man hurried his words, afraid of another round of beating.
“Seed of Flame!” Lin Ming condensed pure, elite magical element and planted it inside the man. “If you have any wicked thoughts, your body will ignite from the inside. If I were you, I wouldn’t take any chances.”
“Not to worry, sir,” the man complied. He stepped forward and turned the throne. The stone door gradually opened.
Lin Ming walked out of the secret chamber with the man following behind.
“Come forth!” said the man hoarsely. A Dark Mage showed up in front of Lin Ming.
