Another World’s Versatile Crafting Master c1-1074, page 274
"Are you certain that it is not the mother?"
"Damn it, that is just a salutation!" Connoris snapped angrily. He could not help it. No matter how astute and shrewd Connoris was, he would not allow people to make such jokes. "To the demons in the Endless Abyss, this paragraph of demonic runes is like a sharpened sword hanging above their heads. If it dropped, it would mean doomsday to all of the demons in the Endless Abyss. During the prehistoric times, the 99 ancient deities had sworn together not to divulge this paragraph of the demonic runes to external parties… Alright, although I've not seen myself as an ancient deity since a long time ago, I still do not wish that a human mage could make use of this demonic rune to create havoc in the Endless Abyss for my kind…"
"Sure…" Lin Li replied in a grave tone as he put away his earlier trickster figure. This had to be the concept of provincialism. No matter how many years had passed, and how many things had happened, it would be impossible to remove that sense of homesickness and nostalgia for his birth place. Connoris' words made Lin Li think of that familiar world he came from…
"I hereby swear that if I were to divulge this paragraph of demonic runes, I will never be able to progress in the field of magic in my whole life!"
"That's more like it…" Connoris sounded very satisfied. To a mage, there would be no other vow that could be as serious. Every mage had the ambition to progress to a higher realm and attain greater magic powers. The failure to improve in the field of magic would be more terrifying than death for any mage.
"So, can you tell me what demonic runes they are faster? I'm really not going to last if there is any more delay. I'm not sure what that bastard lord consumed not to feel any exhaustion. If this continues, I'll really have to use the Dragon Crystal…" Lin Li urged Connoris as he touched the last two bottles of the Seethe of Mana Potion in his pocket. He had no time to waste.
"Do you think you can understand what I tell you when you don't know the ancient Demon Language? The only way now is to open your mental strength entirely and let me transfer this paragraph of demonic runes into it."
"Erm…" Connoris' request made Lin Li hesitate. For a mage, opening his mental strength was a very dangerous action. He had to risk being controlled by Connoris. Even if the intruder's mental strength was not powerful enough to control the mind of a mage entirely, it might still leave behind a trap to prevent the mage from perfecting his mental strength and making further progress in the field of magic. Unless there was absolute trust involved, no mage would expose his mental strength to others completely.
However, the situation now required him to open his mental strength to receive the demonic runes. If not, he had to utilize the Dragon Crystal of the Dragon of Destruction and face Mephistos' sneak attack directly. Having been left with two bottles of the Seethe of Mana Potion, Lin Li really had no confidence to face Mephistos as a level-19 Archmage…
"Alright then!" Lin Li agreed after weighing the pros and cons of both sides. He gritted his teeth and chose to believe Connoris. After all, he had little choice left. He could only decide between waiting for death with closed eyes and gambling on his luck…
Lin Li did not like to gamble, but if it was required for him to make crucial decisions, his readiness to gamble would surpass anyone else's.
Lin Li did not give himself any room for regret. He opened his mental strength immediately after replying to Connoris. Even an ancient deity like Connoris could not help but admire how swiftly Lin Li made his decision to expose his vast sea of mental strength…
Lin Li could feel a wave of obscure ideas rushing into his mind like a tide. There were countless pictures and information that overwhelmed Lin Li. Despite having a powerful mental strength to begin with, Lin Li had no ability to understand all the data. He could only accept the information passively.
The ancient Demon Language is really complex. It is indeed an ancient script worthy of being next to the ancient Dragon and Titan Language…
Lin Li could not help but feel amazed by all the information. Although the ancient Demon Language was not known to humans, any knowledgeable mage would know that it was one of the three most powerful ancient scripts of Anril. Each and every rune conveyed invincible powers.
If the High Elves Print was the most appropriate language to record the magic spells, the Dragon Language and Titan Print that were more ancient than it had to be magic spells per se. Both of them were even stronger than magic spells.
It was a dream of every mage to learn the three ancient scripts. The mastery of these scripts would render all spells and gestures useless. Each and every rune within the scripts had infinite powers. Anyone would be able to cast Legendary-level spells instantaneously with just a few syllables…
And now, what Lin Li was learning was one of these three scripts1, the ancient Demon Language!
Although it was a short paragraph, it was sufficient for a man who was about to break into the Legendary-realm. After he reached that stage, he would have all the time to study the language. As long as he had enough patience and precision in the research, and had the advice from the formal ancient deity, Connoris, he would be able to derive the entire ancient Demon Language. When that time came, any complicated or difficult magic spells would pose zero challenge to him.
Would there be any other fatal temptation to a mage who was in pursuit of higher powers?
It was this reason that motivated Lin Li to open his mental strength to risk a mission he had no confidence in. If he were to lose the gamble, he could drag Connoris down to hell with him. If he were to win it, however, not only could he resolve all problems before him, he could also gain an opportunity to learn the ancient Demon Language. Lin Li, who had always been cautious, could never resist this temptation. It seems like author treats titans' and dragons' language as one. I thought they were separate ones, but hard to say.
Chapter 467 - Legendary-Realm
Lin Li did not like to gamble in the past, because there was a lack of sufficient temptation. This time, the temptation was huge enough…
Lin Li definitely would not expect that just when he was feeling overwhelmed by all the ancient Demon Language, the former ancient deity, Connoris, was also feeling overwhelmed by Lin Li's vast mental strength. When he was transmitting the demonic runes through his mental strength to Lin Li, Connoris developed a new fear of that man…
The moment when the two's mental strength integrated let Connoris feel like a small boat sailing in the vast ocean. Despite having his usual composure, Connoris could not help but feel confusion he had never experienced. It was like he had lost his way and was without a sense of direction…
At that instant, Connoris was very grateful to have resisted his vile temptation…
As a soul, it would be a much awaited opportunity for Connoris if there was a powerful Archmage willing to open his mental strength entirely. He could use the chance to gain control of the Archmage and take over his body. This body would be more useful and better than what the Eternal Furnace could create. To Connoris, Lin Li's offer was filled with temptation.
Connoris did not know how that thought appeared in his mind. However, Connoris gave up on the intention so quickly that he did not know why he did that…
Connoris started to feel really fortunate…
He was lucky for not giving in to that temptation. If not, there would be dire consequences. There weren't any ancient deities in the Prehistoric Age who could challenge such powerful mental strength. One could only describe the mental strength of Lin Li as horrifying. It was not what any being—even God—could take over, not to mention control. Even if one wished to leave a trap in his mental strength, they would be repelled immediately. When that happened, even if Lin Li's mental strength's was totally exposed, he would have a way to drag Connoris to hell with him.
In the end, the Soul Trader was a businessman. True businessmen would pursue mutual benefits, and not commit themselves to a deed that wouldn't be advantageous to the parties involved…
The thought of that encouraged Connoris to loosen the knot of that mental strength package and release the paragraph of the demonic runes into Lin Li's mental strength.
"BOOM!"
At that moment, Lin Li thought he heard a loud clang. Yet, it was as though he had not heard it too. There were too many things going on in his mind. Suddenly, the world became silent. It was as though the snowflakes in the air and the stars in the sky had quieted down. The crazy winds stopped howling, the snowflakes stopped dancing, and the black flames stopped burning. Lin Li could feel that even time had stopped trickling…
Lin Li opened his eyes slowly, and used a renewed gaze to look at the world before him. Nothing changed, but it felt as though everything had become full of vicissitudes.
The Humerus Wyrm was still the Humerus Wyrm, and the Lord of Darkness was still the Lord of Darkness. But, they were not as inaccessible to Lin Li as before.
Lin Li tried to mutter a spell. He felt a never-ending stream of Legendary-level energy…
"This can't be…" Lin Li suddenly felt something was amiss. He had finished the last bottle of the Seethe of Mana Potion, but…
Why is the Legendary power still within me? And it has become stronger and more real. Could it be…
"I know. It is the Legendary-realm. The Legendary-realm…" Lin Li repeated his words. Then, he looked at the Lord of Darkness below him and smiled suddenly.
"You have finally reached the Legendary-realm…" That was Connoris, the former ancient deity. His tone was sour and riddled with jealousy. It couldn't be helped. Despite being an ancient deity that was born with tyrannical powers, Connoris would require a long time before he could reach the Legendary-realm. Yet, the human mage 20 years old had already acquired a set of powers d.e.s.i.r.ed by countless demons. An ancient deity like Connoris could not help but feel envious of Lin Li who could reach the realm at such an age…
"I should thank you instead." Lin Li was right. If not for Connoris, he would still need quite a few days or a month to reach the Legendary-realm. After all, that integration between their mental strength was not as simple as a lesson about demonic runes. Although its duration was short, Connoris's memory and knowledge were transmitted into Lin Li's mind through mental strength. That memory and knowledge belonged to an ancient deity, and the message within it would never be what common mages could imagine.
Of course, this was closely related to how Lin Li reached the Legendary-realm. Before this, he was already extremely close to the realm. When he acquired Connoris's memory and knowledge, it would only be reasonable for him to achieve it…
"Alright, it is time to discuss things with the Lord of Darkness…" Having acquired the demonic runes from Connoris and reached the Legendary-realm unexpectedly, Lin Li was extremely confident regarding the rest of the battle. He was certain that both the Lord of Darkness and the Lord of Souls were going to become his prizes from Tharlen.
As Lin Li raised the Aether Staff slowly like a flag of an army, the 100 Angels of Light and Dark spread their wings. Snowflakes fell from the sky as they raced towards the Lord of Darkness…
The entrance of the Angels of Light and Dark transformed the stagnating battle.
Before this, the Lord of Darkness still had a chance to escape despite being cornered by his enemies. However, things changed when the Angels of Light and Dark made their entrance. After all, although these angels seemed a little frail, each of them was created with the laws of light and dark. They were the strongest life force within the Magical Domain. The sharpened magical weapons and vicious demons and magical beasts were nothing compared to them.
These angels were at least level-18, and their energy would never dwindle as long as they stayed within the Magical Domain. If Lin Li's mana could be sustained, they could continue their battle until the Magical Domain collapsed…
Their combat strategy was akin to that of the Azteks. They had almighty physical strength that could give anyone goosebumps, and the movements of their spears were as orderly as a well-trained troop's. They were a challenge to the Lord of Darkness. Most importantly, these Angels of Light and Dark would be ready to pounce fearlessly onto the lord as soon as they got injured. What followed would be a loud eruption of the force of light and dark. The impact would be even greater than that of the Live Bombs of the Azteks…
The Azteks and their Live Bombs were what inspired Lin Li. Dark and light were originally two types of mantras. What Lin Li did was just merge Gloomy Dark with Holy Light forcefully. When the two forces exploded, their impact would surely be more powerful than that of the Live Bombs…
Even if the Lord of Darkness gained its powers from the Dragon of Destruction, and even if it could absorb unlimited powers from the stars and void, it could not help but feel pressured by the Angels of Light and Dark. It could not help it. There were hundreds of level-18 monsters that were both unafraid of death and never exhausted. To a Legendary powerhouse, they were extremely threatening enemies. Furthermore, there was a Lin Li who had really acquired abilities from the Legendary-realm…
And that was not the most fatal issue…
To the Lord of Darkness, it was the spell that human mage was reciting…
The spell was obscure and short. Although it only contained mere 18 syllables, the recitation of it made the lord who only knew to kill shriek in fear…
This was the first time any emotions appeared in the shrieks of the Lord of Darkness… Of course, it could very well be the last time…
Lin Li held the Aether Staff tightly. His long black robe was flapping violently and noisily due to the crazy winds. Each of the 18 demonic runes Lin Li spat carried massive and mysterious energy from the prehistoric times. Every rune was like a nail that nailed the Lord of Darkness in his coffin securely!
Finally, the Lord of Darkness let out a heart-rending growl. A sense of hopelessness reverberated across the entire world…
What followed was the melting of the thick snow that had been acc.u.mulated. Snowflakes stopped dancing, and the entire world returned to its original state. There was the pathway that was filled with corpses and treasures, and the sky filled with bright shining stars. The Humerus Wyrm descended and brought the pallid Lin Li down slowly. The Lord of Darkness knelt on the ground with a knee and stuck its powerful sword into the ground to support its frail body…
That once formidable Lord of Darkness lost its former ruthlessness. It became like a helpless lamb at its feet, and was subjected to its butchers.
That paragraph of demonic runes was scarier than metal wires and chains. It had the ability to restrain souls. As long as it was a demon from the Abyss of Tharlen, it would never be able to escape this force that existed since the prehistoric times. Even if it was a reincarnation of the Dragon of Destruction, the Lord of Darkness was no exception…
The Lord of Darkness had lost all of his combat energy. Lin Li would be able to erase it from this world if he wanted.
However, Lin Li was not much better off than the lord. His face was white, and his massive magic waves had been reduced to the minimum after creating the Magical Domain and casting the demonic runes. Anyone who saw him would have thought that this young mage had depleted his last bit of strength…
Of course, no one would know that when Lin Li stepped down from the back of the Humerus Wyrm, the hammer on his back actually jumped.
"He's here. Mephistos is here…"
"Alright," Lin Li acknowledged Connoris's words cautiously. In fact, he had seen Mephistos the moment Connoris jumped on his back. There was a sudden distortion in the void. A creature with two horns on his head, a body covered with scales, and a long tail appeared. He sneaked into the world constructed by void and stars silently like a ghost…
Chapter 468 - Who is the backstabber?
The Lord of Darkness that'd been so overbearing was now like an old dying dog, using a sword to prop up its body. Its mouth was letting out reluctant roars, but it seemed as powerless as mumblings of somebody about to die. As for Lin Li, the cause of everything, his face was as pale as a sheet of paper. The magical wave on his body was as weak as a candlelight that was about to be extinguished in the wind.
As long as one was not blind, they could see that both sides were undoubtedly injured. At such a time, nobody would even suspect that Lin Li was faking anything. In fact, to achieve mutual destruction with the Lord of Darkness was already something that made people feel ridiculous. Even those old men that had entered the Legendary-realm for a long time might not able to achieve this.
Everyone would be greedy. If greed was steered properly, it would become motivation. Otherwise, it would be a sin that destroyed themselves. Even Hutton, who was just watching from the sidelines, could not help but feel moved when he saw this scene. But when he thought of Stephen was left behind in the arena, he could not help but be in a dilemma. The budding greed within Hutton instantly vanished completely. Of course, he quickly rejoiced that he did not take any action, because the person that was the most qualified to benefit from this had appeared.
In the world of void and stars, a certain section of space was contorting without a sound. It was like the surface of water that a rock was thrown into. An inhuman existence had submerged into this world within the ripples. With this, a powerful aura that made people shudder had appeared.
The Lord of Souls, Mephistos, had once lost the battle for reign over the Abyss of Tharlen. This poor thing had been bombarded till his soul was suppressed from all directions. But now, nobody dared to relate "poor thing" to him.
His head had two horns that were curved and threaded. He had a tall forehead and deeply set eyes. The rims of his eyes were peerlessly black. The closely woven scales were made indistinct by the cyan-colored soul flames that surrounded him. Just like most Demons, there was a pair of gigantic wings growing on his back. It was just that the wings were enveloped by the soul flames as well, and seemed to be constantly burning. Although the long tail was not thick and muscular, it was serrated till the end. An average person would not be able to handle a hit.
