Chapter 259: Crystal
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“What’s happening?” the audience cried out in alarm as they watched the black fog rise. All the people present were the magic elites of Felan Kingdom. They had a far higher sensitivity to magic power than the ordinary person. As soon as a black fog appeared, at least half of the thousands of spectators had correctly guessed what it was.
Indeed, this was definitely the purest form of Death Energy. Only the most powerful undead creatures and the most powerful Necromancers could emit such pure Death Energy. It might look like a plume of haze, but it definitely contained enough energy to destroy everything.
In an instant, the audience were seething with anxiety. Everyone was speculating who was the one who had released such a pure form of Death Energy. Was it the young mage from Jarrosus, or was it Garat with the dead-man-like expression?
“To hell…” Herza frowned as he saw the black fog on Aurora Square.
With his decades of diabolical vision, it was natural that he’d be able to see things more clearly than other mages. As soon as the plague-like black fog gushed out, he already saw that it was Garat who had released it.
Even Herza had to admit that the power of this Death Energy was absolutely the strongest one he had ever seen.This had even gone beyond the Legendary realm, and to a level where most mages dared not even imagine it. Herza looked at the center of Aurora Square dumbfounded, and could not help but tremble with fear.
“Damn…” Hoffman thought he was going to pass out. Like Herza, he felt the power of the Death Energy at once. He was completely stupefied when he looked back at Aurora Square. This plume of black fog not only engulfed an astronomical sum of money, but also a potion master who was expected to break through to the guru realm. It was a magic genius seen only once in a few centuries. Anyone who knew anything about Felic would feel regret for this plume of black fog…
There was absolutely no way out of such a terribly powerful Death Energy concentration. Even if it were Hoffman, he wouldn’t necessarily have made it after being devoured by the fog, let alone an Archmage in his twenties.
Macklin was at the edge of Aurora Square, lecturing Mason with curses and swear words. His face turned ghastly white at once when he saw the black fog rose. He’d never expected there’d be such a horrible Death Energy in a competition between trial apprentices. For a moment, Macklin was dumbstruck. The person engulfed by the Death Energy was their only hope to win the bet, and he was also the only disciple of a Legendary-mage, Andoine. Macklin dared not think of the consequences if Felic were to die in this match…
“Felic!” Macklin couldn’t care less about the rules in anxiety. He pushed through the crowd and threw himself into the black fog. However, he felt powerful energy gush out from amidst the black fog. It was like a hammer landing heavily on his chest. Macklin threw up a mouthful of blood in an instant, and he was yanked out of Aurora Square like a broken kite.
Macklin was not the only one that was shaken by the force. Mason had also rushed into the black fog when he felt that something was wrong. However, he was also struck by the massive power and was yanked out of Aurora Square like Macklin. The whole Aurora Square was in chaos. The two referees desperately tried to use Magic Quell to dispel the terrifying black fog. The dozen of mages who were in charge of maintaining the energy of the mageweaths also began to recite their spells in a bid to free the Jarrosus mage from the black fog.
At this time, even Orrin, who had yet to recover from his injury, rushed forward with his weak body. Unfortunately, he had yet to enter the plume of black fog when he suddenly felt a wave of dizziness, and fell limply onto the ground…
“Don’t go near!” Aldwin stood up from the VIP stand. After a hasty recitation, the magic staff in his hand began to emit a dazzling light. Boundless magical elements surged toward the black fog like torrential waves.
The two forces intertwined in an instant. Everyone clearly saw that the white rays were like a tide, constantly pounding against the black fog that was like a reef in the sea. It was standing firm despite the impact of the tide.
For a while, the silence in the Aurora Square was frightening. Everyone’s heart was raised to their throat.
This was a real life-and-death struggle. Either the black fog was completely dispelled, or the young mage was devoured by the Death Energy…
At this time, Lin Li felt as if he had entered another world.
It was pitch-black around him. He could neither see nor hear anything. It was as if he was in an endless void. There was no other form of existence apart from himself. Time and space had lost its meaning in this moment.
“What exactly is happening?” Lin Li was perplexed. He seemed to remember that just a moment ago, the mage with the dead-man-like expression, Garat, seemed to have done something to him, but what happened after that?
Right, black fog…
Lin Li remembered at once. Garat seemed to release the black fog after he’d made a move on him. It contained the purest massive Death Energy. And in the next moment, he lost consciousness…
“Hell…” He’d gradually recalled the whole process, but he was still filled with confusion. He knew what had happened, but he did not know why all this had happened, and what consequences it would entail for himself…
Lin Li felt as if his soul was detached from his body at present. He’d lost all his senses and control of his body. His mind was clear, but his body refused to listen to his commands. He could only watch helplessly as the eerie black fog devoured him. He took in the massive pure Death Energy, but couldn’t even call out for help…
An unprecedented sense of powerlessness filled up Lin Li’s consciousness instantly. Since he became a mage, he had never been so weak as he was on this day. He knew very well that he was in an extremely dangerous situation, but he just had no way out. In face of that massive Death Energy, Lin Li felt like an ant that was unable to resist or struggle. The only thing he could do was watch it devour himself…
Lin Li even felt that he’d slowly die just like that.
“No, I can’t die!”
Finally, his strong will to survive gained the upper hand.
There was a moment when Lin Li almost regained control of his body, but, unfortunately, it was only for a moment. The massive pure Death Energy once again reclaimed its overwhelming advantage.
However, this moment was particularly precious to Lin Li. Because at that moment, Lin Li saw the source of the Death Energy…
“It was from this…” Lin Li never imagined that the massive Death Energy did not actually come from Garat, but from the crystal in his pocket that he’d gotten from the Nightmare Mountains…
At that moment, Lin Li’s senses were unusually clear. He clearly saw the crystal devouring his own mental strength like a bottomless black hole. At the same time, it was crazily releasing the Death Energy. This was an extremely bizarre process. The crystal was devouring the mental strength, yet releasing the Death Energy at the same time. It was like a converter—constantly converting the mental strength it devoured into Death Energy, and then using this energy to continue its devouring…
Moreover, with the constant exchange of the two energies, the dark red crystal gradually radiated an eerie light in the black fog. The eerie light became brighter and brighter as time passed. In the end, even the whole world seemed to have turned dark red.
“Drat…” Lin Li quickly recovered his composure. If he were to let his mental strength drain, what would await him was death. Appalled by this realization, Lin Li began to control his mental strength desperately in a bid to guide it back on track. But the force of the red crystal was like a huge vortex. With an irresistible force, it was channeling the mental strength into itself.
Lin Li only felt immeasurably tiny in this instant. It was as if he were a stone in a torrent, unable to slow down the flow at all.
“Bloody hell, what do I do now…?” Lin Li was about to go insane as he watched his mental strength fade bit by bit. The only thing he could do was to increase his control on his mental strength.
This was an immensely painful process. It was like trying to make the blood flow in the opposite direction. Just as Lin Li was desperately trying to control his mental strength, excruciating pain struck him.
Lin Li felt as if his whole body had been torn apart. The endless power was tearing frantically his body, just like continual turbulence. There was no law or order, only rage and uneasiness. They tore crazily at his body and every nerve.
And in the next moment, the insanely surging energy came together at once as if countless tiny nails from all directions were attracted by a huge magnet. It was a feeling more painful than that of tearing. Lin Li felt as if he was squeezed flat in an instant by some force.
The squeezing and tearing went on repeatedly. Under the endless pain and torture, Lin Li even felt like he was already dead…
It was unknown how long time had passed—it could as well only be a mere second for all one knew. Just as Lin Li felt as if he was going to die, he felt a lapse in the ubiquitous energy!
This lapse in power was like a light at the end of the tunnel.
Lin Li made a decisive decision and took this fleeting opportunity to divert a trace of his mental strength. He slowly and stealthily penetrated through the almost invisible gap.
And then he realized that he seemed to have entered another world.