Another World’s Versatile Crafting Master c1-1074, page 437
The Godly Soul Potion had no healing effect on various injuries of the body, unlike some healing potions or healing magic spells, which could even regenerate an amputated limb. However, no matter how effective the healing potions and powerful healing magic spells were, they still required time to take effect. Besides, they would only work on living creatures, and not the dead. The Godly Soul Potion could trap one's soul in their body for a long time, even if the body had been greatly damaged or was already dead with an intact soul (to some extent). That would be equivalent to giving them time to heal.
Therefore, when the rest heard Andoine mention that it was the Godly Soul Potion, everyone looked at the empty potion bottle in Lin Li's hands with disbelief in their eyes while their hearts seemed to bleed. That was a life. Even for Aldwin, the President of the Alanna Guild of Magic, and for Rosen, the authoritative figure of the Supreme Council, the life-saving potion was absolutely wonderful, the potion of their dreams. Yet, Lin Li wasted it on the Fire Demon King.
What is this crazy wastrel trying to do? Revive the Fire Demon King!? That Fire Demon King is already dead. Even if he manages to save his soul, how can he really be resurrected? Besides, he's a demon that's nearing the Sanctuary-realm. Even if he comes back to life, will he be easily subdued into becoming a servant?
However, after Li Lin answered Andoine casually, he did not give any further explanation, and instead watched as the Godly Soul Potion took effect on the body of the Fire Demon King. Soon, a trace of the fluctuations of his soul began to appear. Lin Li put away the potion bottle and smirked at the same time.
The Fire Demon King knew that he was dead, but to Abyssal Demons like him, the death of the body did not mean a real end to their lives. As long as their souls returned to the abyss, there would be a chance of rebirth for them. However, when his soul regained consciousness, he was surprised to find that there was no aura or sign of the abyss around him.
Did I not return to the abyss? the Fire Demon King thought to himself. It definitely was not good news for him. Immediately afterwards, the familiar feeling around him made him feel even more dismayed. Not only did he not return to the abyss, he was also trapped in his own body. However, that did not mean that he could be resurrected. The death of the body had already cut off the connection between his soul and the body. For him, the body that he was currently held in was just a prison that he couldn't escape.
All of a sudden, a powerful wave of mental strength erupted from the body of the Fire Demon King, filled with anger. His soul had been imprisoned in his body, and the Fire Demon King immediately thought of the intruders. Without a doubt, it must have been the damned humans. His plans had been foiled and he was defeated. Yet, even his soul had also lost its freedom. It was truly the biggest shame and insult for the Fire Demon King.
Even if I'm dead, the dignity of the Fire Demons Clan must never be marred or undermined by anyone! the Fire Demon King's soul roared continuously in exasperation. Although he was just a soul now, he was definitely powerful because he was nearing the Sanctuary-realm. However, regardless of how he yelled and struggled to break through the restraint, there was an irresistible force that shackled him down tightly, making all his struggles go in vain.
Of course, Lin Li also felt the anger of the Fire Demon King, who was, however, much less threatening to him than a lowest-level Vengeful Spirit now. Lin Li ignored the Fire Demon King, and instead began to carefully draw the mageweath on the broad c.h.e.s.t of the Fire Demon King with his Inscription crystal pen.
Lin Li waved his Inscription crystal pen and left smooth silver-white lines on the fine dark red scales of the body, and they exuded a soft and calm light. The roar of the Fire Demon King's soul and the huge fluctuation in mental strength gradually became restrained.
The Fire Demon King roared for a while, and knew that his efforts would only be futile. Hence, he had no choice but to suppress his anger and calm down. Realizing that the human mage seemed to be doing something on his body, he had a slight ominous hunch. Although he could not see what was going on, he could tell from the mana emanating from the Inscription pen and the mageweath that was about to be completed that the human mage was definitely not dealing with his body.
"Lowly human, are you trying to imprison the soul of a Lord of the Abyss? You must be overestimating your own abilities. Although I don't know what you did to me to make my soul reconnect to this body, don't you forget that you're facing a Lord of the Abyss who is about to step into the Sanctuary-realm. My soul is not something that a human Legendary-mage can imprison. Unless you are a Sanctuary Master, everything you do is going to be in vain." After calming down, the Fire Demon King used his mental strength to convey his words to Lin Li, and his tone was full of confidence and disdain for Lin Li's behavior.
The Fire Demon King was not making groundless claims or issuing empty threats. As a powerhouse whose strength was nearing the Sanctuary-realm, he was still extremely powerful despite having only his soul left. However, the Abyss was a world where only the fittest survived. Hence, if the Fire Demon King could not restore his strength as soon as possible, he would only end up being replaced by another Fire Demon. Thus, the Fire Demon King exhausted his Spiritual Force in order to break the imprisonment.
Lin Li did not respond to the warning issued by the Fire Demon King. Instead, he continued to draw the mageweath. Of course, he knew that with the power of the Godly Soul Potion alone, it might indeed not be enough to prevent the soul of the Fire Demon King from exploding, but he also knew that the Abyssal Demons were not brave warriors who didn't mind dying. The more they had, the more they were afraid of losing. Hence, the Abyssal Demon Lord that was nearing the Sanctuary-realm would never die together with the enemy.
"Human, if you send my soul back to the abyss, I will give you benefits you can never imagine. Under the endless hot magma of the 66th floor of the abyss, the entire space is filled with the Infernal Magic Iron, the fire magical crystal, and other incredible treasures of fire properties. I bet you don't want to leave empty-handed, do you?" Seeing that the threats had no effect on Lin Li, the Fire Demon King decided to tempt him instead, which was a common trick.
However, in the face of the attractive benefits and interests promised by the Fire Demon King, Lin Li still had no reaction. Indeed, there were plenty of treasures on the 66th floor of the Abyss, but the debris of the stars Nothingness was what Lin Li was the most concerned about now. It was the key to his breakthrough to the Sanctuary-realm, which could not be replaced by any treasure.
Lin Li's indifference made the Fire Demon King feel rather infuriated, and he wished he could devour the human mage Lin Li. Despite being a slave to Osric, he was still respected and had never been ignored in such a manner. However, to the Demons, dignity was often ranked after benefits. Although the Fire Demon King wanted to rip Lin Li into pieces, he was not willing to pay the price of damaging his soul.
"Human, my patience is limited. If you don't let go of my soul, you will definitely pay for your greed. You definitely cannot afford to incur the wrath of the Lord of the Abyss," the Fire Demon King warned again.
However, the warning sounded weak and powerless. Although the Fire Demon King had no idea what Lin Li was doing, he clearly felt that the power that made him feel uncomfortable was gradually taking shape; at the same time, he felt that he was in trouble. The power that made him fearful was not to be ignored, and he began to wonder if Lin Li was trying to purify him.
The Fire Demon King tried to switch between his tactics while constantly emphasizing his powerful strength, and at the same time promising Lin Li some benefits. He almost offered to give Lin Li half of the 66th floor of the Abyss. However, everyone knew that unless there was a signed Soul Contract, the promise of a demon would never be honored at all, and Lin Li would naturally not be tempted. Not to mention, even if the demon were to fulfill the verbal promise, the value of those benefits that he promised was far less than that of the debris of the stars, Nothingness.
At this time, Lin Li also completed the drawing of the mageweath. After putting away his inscription crystal pen, he said to the Fire Demon King, "No hurry, I just need to ask you a few questions. As long as the answers satisfy me, I might let you go back to the abyss."
"Dream on, I won't answer any of your questions!" The Fire Demon King suddenly flew into a rage. He was just making empty promises previously. He thought that given Lin Li's strength, he definitely wouldn't dare to hunt him down in the 66th floor of the abyss. As for the Soul Contract, he was even less worried. At the end of the day, he was close to the Sanctuary-realm, and the Soul Contract would have no binding effect on him.
However, answering questions was a different case. The Fire Demon King knew clearly that once he answered all the questions Lin Li posed, the latter would probably destroy him completely. At this point, he no longer considered the consequences of damaging his soul. He immediately channeled all of his Spiritual Force and tried to break free from the restraint put on his soul.
Chapter 734 - Thing Of The Past
However, he had clearly already missed the best time to break free. The force that made him feel uncomfortable had already seeped into his soul, and made it impossible for him to emanate his Spiritual Force.
"It seems that you still don't know the situation that you are in. Well, I shall let you get a taste of that thrill," Lin Li sneered, and put the magical crystal into the mageweath which was exuding a faint glow. It immediately burst into a dazzling light that shrouded the Fire Demon King's body.
"Ah, what is this!?" With the activation of the mageweath, the Fire Demon King persisted for a moment before finally screaming and shrieking. As a Fire Demon, fire was his forte, and he would never taste the pain of being burnt by flames in his life. However, he was now experiencing a burning pain.
After all, the Fire Demon King had been working for Osric for countless years. Although he had yet to become as capable as Osric, he had definitely seen plenty of things. The intense burning pain of his soul and the way that Lin Li was drawing the mageweath immediately reminded him of the mageweath that Osric had once used, the Celestial Purification Fire Mageweath.
However, recognizing the Celestial Purification Fire did not make the Fire Demon King feel comfortable. Instead, it made it even more difficult for him to suppress the fear in his heart. It was because when he had followed Osric, he witnessed Osric tormenting his enemies with the Celestial Purification Fire more than just once. The burning soul that was full of Divine Power was definitely more painful than any other form of torture.
What made him feel even more desperate and hopeless was the fact that the fire created by the Celestial Purification Fire was different from Holy Light's powerful purification power even though it was full of Sanctuary power. If it were Holy Light, the soul would be purified with just a short period and amount of pain. However, the Holy Fire would not hurt the soul quickly—that was to say, it'd bring endless pain to the soul for a long time, and not allow it to dissipate prematurely. Under the burning of the Holy Fire, all resistance would be in vain, and even self-explosion would become a luxury.
"Stop, stop, what do you want to ask!?" the Fire Demon King roared at Lin Li while trying his best to bear the pain of his soul being burned.
Upon hearing that the Fire Demon King seemed to have admitted defeated, Lin Li did not stop immediately, and instead let the Celestial Purification Fire to go on for a while before the dazzling light gradually became mellower. Lin Li did not show any sympathy to his enemies at all, especially the Abyssal Demons. The Abyssal Demons were the type to bully others, and Lin Li felt that he had to teach them a hard lesson. Without giving them enough suffering, it would be impossible to hear the truth from them.
"Tell me why you're here," Lin Li said calmly.
"Didn't that damned Goblin tell you that I'm Osric's slave and this is Osric's mausoleum? What's so strange about me appearing here? Isn't that Goblin here too?" the Fire Demon King said in a slightly shaky voice. It was unknown if it was because of his anger or fear.
"It seems that you haven't gotten enough of this thrill. In that case, as you wish, I'll let you experience the wonderful feeling again. Just think about how to answer my questions to satisfy me." After saying those words coldly, Lin Li pretended to begin activating the Celestial Purification Fire again.
"Wait, wait a minute, I'll tell you what you want to hear." Seeing that Lin Li was about to start the terrifying mageweath again, the Fire Demon King immediately tried to stop Lin Li.
However, Lin Li did not stop, as if he did not hear what the Fire Demon King said at all. He again activated the Celestial Purification Fire. All of a sudden, the mageweath began to glow once again and the roar of infinite pain sounded in the air once more, making everyone's face grow sullen.
A mere few seconds was extremely long for the Fire Demon King, and under the burning of the Holy Fire, he even wished his soul would dissipate immediately. However, as the Holy Fire eroded his soul, he could not channel his Spiritual Force at all, and blowing up his own soul seemed like a tall order too.
"Actually, I always wanted to study the burning process of souls being incinerated in the Holy Fire. So, you have to think carefully about how to answer my questions in a satisfactory manner," Lin Li said coldly to the Fire Demon King while stopping the mageweath.
"When Osric signed the contract with me, he promised me that one day, he would help me release all the Fire Demons on the 66th floor of the abyss. Hence, after the Eternal Furnace was built, he helped me build the Gates of the Abyss, but he never opened it for me…" the Fire Demon King explained frantically for fear that he would trigger the terrifying Holy Fire if he were to hesitate.
"Is that so? If Osric could take you out of the 66th floor of the abyss, how could he not have taken them out? Why would he need to build the Gates of the Abyss? Seems like you still think my heart is too soft," said Lin Li, who seemed to be sighing for the Fire Demon King as he prepared to activate the mageweath again.
"I am telling the truth. It wasn't Osric who took me out of the abyss, but the Immortal King! It was the Immortal King!" the Fire Demon King yelled in horror.
Hearing the words of the Fire Demon King, Lin Li stopped and did not start the Celestial Purification Fire this time. The 66th floor of the abyss was an area that even the Dragon Aspect could not enter. Although the Fire Demon King was only close to the Sanctuary-realm in terms of strength, in the world of endless magma on the 66th floor of the abyss, his power was absolutely enough to compete with the powerhouses of the Sanctuary-realm. Even the general Legendary-level Fire Demons could definitely exert more than twice their strength there.
Although Osric was a famous powerhouse in the history of Anril, neither his personal strength nor the power he held had reached the peak when he subdued the Fire Demon King and made him his slave. It might not have been possible for Osric to do that with his strength. Hence, the one who'd taken the Fire Demon King out of the abyss was probably the godlike Immortal King.
"Continue," Lin Li ordered.
"After the Immortal King took me out of the abyss, I was imprisoned in an impenetrable prison where me and other Lords of the Abyss were held captive. Later, Osric came and saw I was the most powerful demon in prison, and released me. At that time, his strength was much worse than that of the Immortal King. If we had still been in the abyss, I definitely would not have lost to him. Later, he asked me to sign the Soul Contract, and I became his servant. He promised to one day release all the Fire Demons on the 66th floor of the abyss." As the Fire Demon King recalled the past events, there was clearly some resentment in his tone, which was because of Osric's failure to honor his promise.
After listening to the explanation of the Fire Demon King, Lin Li thought of the Central Tower in the Sky Castle, where there was a prison holding countless demons. As a disciple of the Immortal King, Osric had gone to the Sky Castle more than once; naturally, it would be impossible for him to subdue and acquire such a strong and powerful slave from that prison.
"After Osric died, I stayed here and continued to gradually improve the Gates of the Abyss for the sake of opening it. Although the Gates of the Abyss was successfully completed in the end, this damned Eternal Furnace suppressed the power of the Gates of the Abyss so much that I could never open it. Hence, I could only continue to wait for someone to enter and break the balance of power in here to let the Gates of the Abyss break free from the restraint. Sure enough, your arrival has affected the balance of power inside, and gave me the opportunity to open the Gates of the Abyss. Unfortunately, I still failed in the end. This is all you need to know. Now, the Gates of the Abyss has been destroyed, and it's impossible to open it again. Can you let me leave now?" the Fire Demon King asked in a dejected tone. Waiting for over a thousand years, only to face failure would undoubtedly be a great blow for anyone.
However, Lin Li shook his head slightly, and said, "You mean, you were staying here only for the sake of opening the Gates of the Abyss?" Before the Fire Demon King even answered, Lin Li immediately activated the Celestial Purification Fire that was full of sacred Holy Fire which he used to burn the Fire Demon King's soul mercilessly.
"Ah! Horrible. Despicable human, I have answered your question, what exactly do you want!?" the Fire Demon King roared angrily. The fluctuations made everyone present feel the immense pain that the Fire Demon King was going through.
"With the strength of your soul, I believe that it would be no problem for it to continue burning in this Holy Fire for thousands of years. Although I will not wait that long, I can afford waiting half a month. That should be enough time for you to think about what you've missed out and did not tell me." Lin Li stood up and looked quietly at the Fire Demon King's corpse that was engulfed in flames, seemingly not preparing to stop it.
Lin Li didn't believe that the Fire Demon King had stayed here for over 1000 years just to open the Gates of the Abyss. Opening the Gates of the Abyss and releasing the Fire Demons in the 66th floor of the abyss isn't just for destroying Anril, is it? He remembered that Angelano once said that when the Fire Demon King was a slave to Osric, he also possessed an extremely powerful weapon.
