Chapter 448: Aztek
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Is this… Is this the Abyss of Tharlen?” asked Lin Li. Like him, the expressions of the other two young mages changed as well. Although they did not know what the Abyss of Tharlen looked like, they knew the place from the many legends of Anril. That was a place filled with darkness and evil. No one knew how many brutal and devious demons hid within those burning black flames.
“Fret not, the Abyss of Tharlen now is not the same as in the past. The two forces—Darkness and Evilness—that had been supporting the Abyss of Tharlen had been deteriorating since the Dark Age. Did you not realize that the power of these black flames is not as scary as what was said in those legends?”
Tutankhamun’s words struck Lin Li. He was right. The intensity of those black flames was really not as scary as in the Endless World. In fact, the black flames of the Abyss of Tharlen were as terrifying as the Undead Plague in the Endless World. They had a corrosive quality that could engulf normal humans in close proximity with their Darkness and Evilness.
The pure black flames before his eyes did not bring any other danger apart from the intense death aura they were emitting. No one would be harmed from standing near it or from putting his hands through it.
It seemed that it was true that the Dragon of Destruction in Anril had fallen…
The thought of it gave Lin Li a clearer picture. Now that the Abyss of Tharlen was deteriorating by the day, even if the Dragon of Destruction existed, it would not be as daunting as the invincible lord that resided 35 levels deep into the Abyss.
“When do we start?” That was the only question Lin Li asked.
“Anytime…” As Tutankhamun spoke, the surroundings started to distort. What followed was the vanishing of the figure that donned a long black robe. “The Teleportation Portal is just on top of the throne. Wish you luck!” That voice reverberated the sky filled by black flames.
After watching Tutankhamun disappear, the three young mages were not in a hurry to find the palace in the Abyss of Tharlen. They stood in their spots agreeably, and each had a gaze filled with vigilance and enquiry as they glanced at the other two buddies.
The three young men were the top young mages in the entire Felan Kingdom. Firstly, the speed of Lin Li’s progress was unprecedented. He rose from a mage apprentice to a Legendary-mage in less than two years1. The two other young men had grown up in the Dark Blade and the Malfa Family, respectively. They were both heirs of the two huge forces. How could the three of them not understand the meaning behind this situation?
The Abyss of Tharlen was located 27 levels deep into the Abyss. Even if there was no shadow of the Dragon of Destruction there, it was not a place for ordinary men to challenge. Not to exaggerate, the danger level of the Abyss of Tharlen was not lower than that of the Black Current in the Sunset Mountains. Not to mention the great demons above level-20, there were hundreds and thousands of Minion Demons and normal demons in that Abyss. Even if the three young mages were talented, they would not be any better if they had to battle with those demons.
Even Lin Li, the most powerful of the three, did not have the confidence to find that palace by himself.
The three young mages were all very clear that the only way to go far in the Abyss of Tharlen was to collaborate with one another. If they were to split up, it would be heart-stirring in every step they were to take alone. Lin Li did not have full confidence to battle hundreds of demons. How different could Hutton and Stephen be?
On the other hand, the three mages were rivals. If one of them took one step ahead of the rest, it would mean a smaller chance for the other two to acquire the three relics. It would not matter if they were other items, but Geresco’s relics had tremendous importance that no mages would offer to others. Even Geresco once said, “I will not let God hinder my pursuit of the truth of magic.”
Hence, the three young mages stood there in silence. No one offered to collaborate.
That was a very hilarious scene. The first difficulty that the three top mages of the entire Felan Kingdom, or even Anril, faced was not a frightening demon, but an issue that would not be a problem to ordinary people…
“Hey, you two…” The heir of the Malfa Family finally broke the silence with an awkward cough. Just when he wanted to suggest a temporary collaboration, Hutton noticed tremors in the black flames around them…
What followed was a booming noise mixed with roars and growls. At the start, it sounded distant. However, the sound grew exponentially while causing the ground to shake. It was as though there were thousands of soldiers and millions of horses charging towards them.
“What the hell…” Stephen gasped in shock. Everyone knew the dangers in the Abyss of Tharlen. However, none of the three mages had expected Lady Luck to bring such a massive number of demons to them the very moment they set foot into the territory of the Abyss of Tharlen…
The booming noise shook the ground. A fool would have known that a troop of demons would be hundreds and thousands in strength!
What did hundreds and thousands of demons entail?
It would be easy if they were all Minion Demons. If they were Demons or Greater Demons, the three mages would have no place to put their tears…
Lin Li took a quick glance at the situation. The black flames that filled the place gave them no place to hide. “Let’s fly up,” said Lin Li in a low voice after a moment of hesitation.
“Alright.” That was Stephen. Everyone knew that was the only option when this man did not voice out any opposition to Lin Li’s ideas.
The battle with the hundreds and thousands of demons would be similar to digging their own graves. Archmages did not have the unlimited ability to cast spells. They would be immediately drowned in the tide of demon troops once they took a break from the recitation of spells.
The Levitation Spell was the only way to get to safety. Apart from the more unusual species, ordinary demons had no ability to fly. These demons would only develop a pair of wings and know how to fly when they reached level-18.
The three men cast the Levitation Spell and swerved up 100 meters into the sky almost at the same time.
The troop of demons was like tide waters when viewed from 100 meters up in the sky…
“Holy sh*t…” Lin Li gasped as he broke out in a cold sweat. That was a troop of Azteks, one of the notorious demons that resided 20 levels into the Abyss. They were birthed from fire and lived near the mouth of active volcanoes. They could move through blazing fire, bathe in lava, and had natural resistance to all fire element spells. The explosion of the powerful Pyroblast on their body would be like a tickle to their skin…
The Minion Demons of Aztek type were easier to deal with. They had not learned any spells, and did not have high intelligence. Without the orders from a Greater Demon, they could only attack instinctively. Their hot lava-like bodies were their only weapons. They would pounce on their enemies when they felt threatened, killing either themselves or their enemies…
The Azteks would acquire some fire element spells such as the Flaming Storm and Hell Fire once they reached level-15. Although the impact of these spells was not as powerful, it would be another story if hundreds of Azteks were to cast those spells together…
That was not the scariest part. Azteks above level-15 had a spell called ‘Live Bomb’. It was a spell that could terrify even Greater Demons. However, the target of this spell was not an enemy, but rather themselves. Azteks above level-15 could turn their body into a bomb and cause an explosion that could rival Pyroblast. It could break apart any type of magic defense and magic shields. Lin Li might not be able to withstand more than five Live Bombs even with his Elemental Shield.
There were at least 100 level-15 Azteks on the ground, and around 10 of them had a pair of red wings…
That meant the 10 demons were at least level-18…
“Phew, at least I’m in the air…” Lin Li commented as he broke out in a cold sweat. If he had cast the Levitation Spell any later, he would have been caught up by the horrendous number of Azteks, which would tear his body to shreds.
Lin Li knew his safety would not last long, for he saw a few Azteks with red wings flying up from the ground…
“Hey, you two. Let’s escape…” Lin Li made a very wise decision as he rubbed his nose…
It was not that the three young mages did not have the ability to defeat the 10 level-18 Azteks, but that there was no need to do so. To Lin Li, there was a great risk to take part in the battle. It would be no laughing matter if the level-18 Azteks cast the Live Bomb. Not to mention Stephen and Hutton, even Lin Li had no confidence that his magic shield of be of help then.
It was fortunate that demons like Azteks had a natural weakness: even if they were in level-18, their slow flying speed would make it a challenge for them to catch up with the young mages.