Chapter 344: Ten Devil Dragon Crystals (III)
It was the interest the Demon God Emperor had in Haoyue that concerned Long Haochen the most. He was almost certain that Haoyue was the one the Demon God Emperor had been looking for when he had come to Exorcist City.
By making a connection with the fact that the Demon God Emperor was looking to obtain a Godhead this time, Long Haochen couldn’t help but think: Could it be that Haoyue also has a Godhead? However, he rapidly shoved this thought away, as this would really be beyond belief.
With a glint of purple light, a feeling of reality hit him, and Long Haochen immediately used a Holy Mantle enveloping him inside.
This was already not the first time he was coming to this world, and he remembered about the muddy atmosphere here. If the Illusory Shrine could be called the entrance to the Illusory Paradise, this place full of black and red could simply be called hell.
Right after appearing, Long Haochen sensed a dense killing intent, stirring relentlessly right before him. It was Haoyue.
At that moment, Haoyue’s entire body was clouded in dense purple light. His three heads were raised, but all his eyes were closed, as he kept chanting some incantation. One could feel that the surrounding muddy natural energies were rushing to Haoyue’s side, turning into dots of shimmering purple brilliances, entering Haoyue’s body after passing through that purple light that surrounded his body.
Compared to before, the current Haoyue was even taller, almost reaching eight meters in length, and his whole body had become more robust. On his back, the two high peaks were even longer, both assuming a triangular shape. The greatest change was however on his head. The bulge on the left side of his three large heads was reaching the size of his other three heads and the same went for the bulge on the right side.
“My good brother, I came. Do your best to evolve, and leave the rest to me.” Saying that, Long Haochen turned around to face the the outside.
This evolution of Haoyue took place in a cave again, but he couldn’t help but feel startled just by arriving at its entrance.
The place Haoyue chose to evolve was similar to the one from last time, once again halfway in a mountain showing traces of splitting. He should have been the one who made it.
The sky was pitch-black, and not even a single star could be seen. In the air were some rich clouds of darkness and fire element, while the traces of other elements were extremely heterogeneous and dispersed, not close to the former types in quantity.
As far as the eye could see, the ground was covered in countless cracks. Some streams of magma could even be seen.
In the end, it was just that kind of world! The deathly stillness aside, Long Haochen didn’t feel any living presence. Spreading out his senses, he got the good news that at least for now, no enemy was closing in. After his awakening, Long Haochen could spread his senses in a large range even in a place so full of deathly stillness.
After a short time of reflection, Long Haochen attempted to see whether he could meet up with his mates in the Tower of Eternity.
A fantastic change occurred when he poured his spiritual energy into the Eternal Melody. Sensing that he could directly transport himself to the Tower of Eternity, he wasn’t affected by the ties of time here anymore. But more importantly, he noticed to his surprise that he could actually sense the location of his comrades in the Tower of Eternity, and directly transport them here.
The surprise this change caused him made his face beam with joy. Such a change would undoubtedly marginally increase their chances of survival. Furthermore, after the appearance of this change in the Eternal Melody, he didn’t have to worry about the fact of summoning Cai’er to his side anymore. This was because after Haoyue would complete his evolution, he could simply follow Haoyue, but the comrades he would bring here would need to pass through the Tower of Eternity to return. Long Haochen’s connection with the Tower of Eternity didn’t require any cooldown time anymore, and based on his calculation, there would be only a need for half an hour of wait after bringing someone here, and this time could be accumulated.
Right at that time, Long Haochen sensed something. Looking afar, he saw a large amount of the same black skeletons, which he previously had encountered, heading in his direction.
Seeing that large army of skeletons, Long Haochen couldn’t help but remember the words of that lich he had encountered. At that time, although he had felt very tense, he still had devoted all his body and mind to the protection of Haoyue. But afterwards he had had to participate in the rest of the competition, which didn’t leave him the time to give those words more thought. However, given his astonishing memory, he now remembered those words, he had been told at that time. Thinking of it, this scene appeared by itself in Long Haochen’s mind.
At that time, the lich had said, “No, what you are protecting is the reincarnation of the devil, the creator of our dark and fiery world. His existence is precisely the reason why our world is like this. Our world is broken down and magma is flowing from the Earth. Countless species became extinct all because of him. The strong have already escaped, the less fortunate all became undead, and now, only the undead can exist in this accursed world. I do not know how you came here, but your holy aura disgusts me and your actions anger me even more. I will give you one more chance to return to your world right now. Now that the devil, Austin Griffin, appeared in my territory, even if I am just a lich, I must kill him. Otherwise, who knows what other miseries his restoration will bring to our world?”
A reincarnated Devil King? The evil maker of darkness and fire? And it would be because of Haoyue that this world changed into this hell?
This was far too inconceivable. Long Haochen flung back his own head with his full strength. No matter what, he couldn’t believe in the words that lich had said at that time. And then, he loathed himself for having let his trust toward Haoyue be swayed.
He still remembered clearly that at the time they met each other at the Knights’ Sacred Mountain, Haoyue had been covered all over with cuts and bruises when he was summoned. Then, he had had to use his own blood to protect Haoyue’s life. But in the same way, without Haoyue, he would probably also have already died on the battlefield. During these years, Haoyue had always been accompanying him, and could be said to be the being closest to his heart, except for his parents. Even Cai’er hadn’t been with him for such as long as Haoyue did. Long Haochen never had regarded Haoyue as his mount, but as his little brother, his most precious little brother.
On the basis of his trust toward his little brother, Long Haochen rapidly let the doubts go and became filled with resolution. Would he really rather trust an enemy over his own brother? No way.
Upon thinking this, he immediately felt peaceful, and only battle intent remained in his eyes.
Right at that time, a blurry figure started to float from afar. It advanced towards the army of skeletons and pushed forward.
Those black shapes, whose eyes were glinting with green flames, weren’t those liches? Long Haochen counted a total of twelve liches, and as they approached, he found out that the skeletons underneath were different from the last time.
During his last visit here, the skeletons he had encountered only had had the size of ordinary humans, but their attack and defense had been very lacking. But this time, the skeletons were all close to two meters tall, and although they were as before all black, they were a lot more robust, and carried in their hand some sword-like weapons made of bone.
Without a doubt, these strengthened skeletons were controlled by the dozen liches floating in the sky. As long as these liches were killed, the skeletons underneath were bound to cease being a threat.
However, Long Haochen didn’t move hastily. Retreating to the entrance of the cave, he let out a golden glint and Yating came out, floating in midair.
Sensing the surrounding environment, Yating immediately pursed her lips, “Master, this place is really filthy!” Arriving into such a hellish place soon after leaving the Illusory Paradise, it would be rather strange if she would be pleased.
Long Haochen said in a grave tone, “This is the world where Haoyue came from. He is in a crucial step of his evolution, so we’ll have to protect him. Return to your strongest form, the battle is going to start soon.”
“Ok.” A deep golden brilliance spread out from Yating’s body, and with a golden glint, she returned back to her form as a girl, whose soft golden brilliance mixed with Long Haochen’s, completing one another well. Immediately afterwards, they sensed a cozy and transparent feeling brought by this holy light.
The skeletons were drawing closer and closer, while those twelve liches floated at a distance of two hundred meters from the cave.
Moss green flames pulsed in the eyes of the liches who were chanting incantations without stopping. Black or grey brilliances sprayed out from the sky to the skeletons, and immediately, the skeletons visibly gained in speed, and even their aura became strengthened from that.
In his left hand was the Glorious Holy Shield and in his right hand was Bright Discipline, as Long Haochen advanced slightly, creating some distance between the entrance of the cave and himself. As he shot a cold glance to the twelve liches, he made preparations for the battle.
Finally, the first skeleton reached out, dashed at a great speed and aimed its bone blade at Long Haochen’s head.
Having battled so many times against the skeletons during the trials in the Tower of Eternity, Long Haochen didn’t feel any pressure from those black skeletons. After holding up Bright Discipline in his right hand in a blocking motion, he crashed the bone sword easily into fragments with a fast downwards slash. A mysterious golden arc was then drawn on the chest of the skeleton, after which its body was smashed to pieces.
This time, even more skeletons were approaching, heading toward the direction of Long Haochen.
Sweeping his sword with a Light Thorn, he let out a golden radiance that spread out in a circular trajectory over ten meters in diameter. In the scope of that golden light, all the black skeletons were cut in two, and the holy light carrying a sacred breath instantly destroyed their soulfire.
After completing his awakening as a god’s chosen one, Long Haochen’s originally internal spiritual energy of pure holy light element did not only gain even greater sacred effects, but also became even more compressed. It was the same for Lin Xin who had obtained the Spiritual Stove of Heart of Flames; his light properties had gained a qualitative change, restraining all these undeads of darkness attribute.
