Chapter 461: Ancient Demon Deities
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
As Connoris recited the spell, the gates of the cages opened. Immediately, pungent stench of blood filled the air. Hideous demons and ferocious magical beasts rushed out from the cages like tidewater. There were growls, shrills, footsteps, and many other sounds overlapping. The sight of the mess gave Lin Li goosebumps on his scalp.
“Alright, let’s get ready to leave this place!” Lin Li was not joking. They were in the Abyss Arena, a place used to get rid of any of the Abyss Lord’s enemies. There were innumerable Minion Demons, and Demons locked in every cage were at least level-18 or level-19. Despite being close to the Legendary-realm, Lin Li could not help but get anxious when the hundred of cages were unlocked at the same time.
Furthermore…
Since that was supposed to be a gift for the Lord of Souls, why should he help the Lord receive it? The moment Connoris unlocked the cages, Lin Li cast a Hastening Spell on himself and rubbed the Summoning Lamp to call back the Lord of Nightmares from Stephen’s dreamland.
Afterward, Lin Li grabbed Hutton, as well as Connoris that was on the verge of escaping, and dragged them into the only passageway in the Abyss Arena.
“Oh yes, where is Stephen?” Hutton asked as he panted heavily. Underlying his tone was a lingering fear.
Actually, Hutton should have known that President Felic would never forgive Stephen so easily, especially for his undesirable actions. President Felic was a man that could slaughter the entire Syer Bandits with a strength of more than 300 men. How would President Felic deal with a traitor like him?
However, it might not cost Stephen his life…
After all, Stephen had the strong backing of the Dark Blade, as well as the support from the three Legendary powerhouses. Even the Malfa Family would never dare to provoke them—especially after their latest battle. Hutton could also sense the obvious fear and dread from his mentor upon mentioning the three Legendary figures…
To be honest, Hutton could tell that the abilities of President Felic would definitely be beyond what he could imagine. Sometimes, Hutton even thought that the young mage had the ability to outsmart those Legendary figures who had been respected for more than a few decades. That was just Hutton’s pure intuition, one that bloomed out of his experience after encountering a multitude of shocking interactions…
Yet, personal strength was still the most important…
In the entire Breezy Plains, there was only a handful of people who had the ability to use their personal strength to get what they wanted. These people were Ashen Warlock, Shadowmoon Sword Sage, as well as the Mage from the Tower of Darkness—just to name a few. They were powerful existences who had strength beyond the imagination of humans in the Breezy Plains.
Before one could get to their level, all was still dependent on the degree of influence one had.
Felic’s Guild of Magic had just been built in the Breezy Plains not long ago. Without any foundation, it was like an infant who was still trying to learn to walk slowly. Any impulsive or foolish man would have known that offending the Dark Blade was not a wise decision on their part, and that it would be as good as digging their graves.
If Stephen were to lose his life here, awaiting the Guild of Magic would be the Dark Blade’s rage of fury. Then, this force that lacked foundation would be uprooted by the Dark Blade. President Felic is a clever man. He should have thought of this…
“Stephen still needs to wait for an old acquaintance. He won’t be continuing this journey with us,” Lin Li replied as he glanced at the center of the Abyss Arena. Stephen had just woken up from his dreams. He was rubbing his groggy eyes and looking at his surroundings with trepidation and confusion…
It should be enough…
Lin Li calculated the time. After being sure that those cages had been unlocked, he flung the soul fragment onto the ground and gave it a hard step…
A crisp sound could be heard, and a strange and unexplainable force was released.
“Let’s go!” Lin Li urged as he pulled the confused Hutton into the passageway.
He never looked back…
Being built by the ancient deities, the Abyss Arena itself had a magical force. The moment both men entered the narrow passageway, the entrance behind them was blocked by red glow. This red glow was not a glaring one. It looked like a thin sheet, but acted as a barrier between the passageway and the Abyss Arena which became like two separate worlds. Numerous magical beasts and demons that dashed towards the two humans that trespassed the arena could not get past the red shield no matter how hard they tried…
“President Felic, isn’t this too harsh…?” Hutton asked Lin Li uneasily. Frankly speaking, Hutton really felt that President Felic had just made a reckless decision…
Stephen was the heir of the Dark Blade, after all. If they were to leave Stephen here, Hutton would turn into President Felic’s accomplice. Then, the Dark Blade would be going after both the Malfa Family and the Guild of Magic. It wouldn’t matter for the Malfa Family. Since they had been enemies for more than a century, another bit of hatred wouldn’t be any different.
“Chill, Stephen won’t die…” Lin Li comforted Hutton. He knew what the latter wanted to say, but unfortunately, he was really busy now…
Since he entered the passageway, Connoris never stopped nagging. This almighty Soul Trader continued to disturb Lin Li via mental communication.
“Freak, how did you know that?”
“Know that you could open those cages?”
Connoris’s voice trembled as he said, “That’s right. That’s one of my greatest secrets that even Osric was oblivious to. How… How would you know it?”
This almighty Soul Trader could not help but feel really petrified. He couldn’t do anything about it. Due to his current disadvantage of not having a body, his greatest fear was to be seen through by people. After he got his powers taken away by Osric, knowledge was the only asset he was left with—the secrets he’d accumulated over countless years. If he failed to protect those precious pieces of information, this former Demon Lord would really turn into a slave to humans…
“I say, Connoris, as an almighty Soul Trader, do you not know what a fair trade is? You have your secrets, I have my secrets. Imagine how many secrets you have kept from me ever since we met at the Eternal Furnace? Do you really think that I’m oblivious to everything?” Lin Li asked. Although he did not sound angry, his words shot out unapologetically. After taking a pause, he continued, “Alright, Connoris, let’s strike a deal. If you want to know why, use your own secrets to trade with mine.”
“What… What do you want from me?”
“Your background. Oh yes, stop patronizing me with the title ‘Almighty Soul Trader’. A fool would have known the Greater Demons that existed before the Dark Age had many shadows of themselves. Do you all have a fetish for role-playing…?”
“You… What did you know?” Connoris asked in a voice that trembled harder than before. He stopped maintaining his fetish for role-playing. It is no great secret that Greater Demons reincarnated countless times since the Dark Age. Most who are above the Lord-level would have known that. Yet, how did this information get to a human…?
“Actually, Connoris, I just want to know which of the 99 beings you are…”
“…” Lin Li’s words turned the conversation into a daunting silence.
If Lin Li’s words only made Connoris worry earlier on, his words now really made the almighty Soul Trader fearful.
The 99 beings Lin Li was referring to had to be the 99 ancient deities…
“You have to be curious where I got this information, right…?” Lin Li asked smilingly. He did not care what was on Connoris’s mind. “Am I right, almighty Soul Trader?”
“H-how do you know that…?” Connoris had lost count of how many times he asked Lin Li this question.
“I guessed it.”
“F*ck you…” That was the first vulgarity the polite Connoris hurled at anyone so far. The day had been filled with developments beyond his imagination. The powerful Greater Demon had never lost his composure like this before.
“Scolding me will not work…” Lin Li rubbed his nose blatantly. He was now a little awkward. “Actually, it is not difficult to guess that you are an ancient deity. Only their souls could stay in the Eternal Furnace for such a long period of time. Do not lie that your soul was protected by any seal. Do not forget that it is a Wyrm’s magical crystal that was etched on the furnace. It was a crystal of at least level-24. The fire element within it could even deter Legendary powerhouses, what more a soul sealed within…”
“J-just… Just because of this?” Connoris cried. He was about to go mad.
The unreasonable fact that gave away the ancient deity’s past made him frustrated. He could not defend himself at all. After all, he was the one who’d used the spell to open the cages in the Abyss Arena.
The Abyss Arena was created by the ancient deities. Only the ancient deities had the knowledge of the laws and forces of the Abyss Arena. Even if the Lord of Darkness had reincarnated, he would not have been able to use his spells to unlock the cages. While people unaware of it would not have noticed the ability Connoris had, people like Lin Li would be able to easily guess that Connoris had to be an ancient deity.
That darn cycle was like how a chicken could hatch from an egg and how an egg could hatch into a chicken—because he was an ancient deity, he should be able to unlock the cages; because he could unlock the cages, he should be an ancient deity.
Goddammit…
“Of course, there were other factors as well. But… I’m keeping those secrets to myself,” Lin Li said arrogantly. He had always felt inferior to Connoris ever since he met him at the Eternal Furnace. On the surface, he had the ability to trap Connoris in the Ring of Endless Storm, and acquire some information of the Dark Age from him, but Lin Li always felt that the self-proclaimed Soul Trader had always been dominating a lot of interactions between them. He always felt like a marionette in the unruly hands of Connoris.
Lin Li had finally gotten the upper hand in this relationship.
Lin Li only discovered the true identity of Connoris just now. However, the Wyrm crystal in the Eternal Furnace was just one of the factors that supported his hypothesis. Lin Li had used that information to patronize Connoris. In fact, there were many reasons that could contribute to the preservation of one’s soul. There was no evidence that could prove Connoris was a real ancient deity.
The key determinant of Connoris’s identity was the spell he recited when they were at the river. To normal people, the spell that Connoris recited was just a random ancient and obscure recitation. Even Andoine who had good understanding of the Dark Age wouldn’t have understood the language Connoris was reciting in.
In fact, Lin Li was clueless as well…
However, that was not the main point. Lin Li could make guesses…
To a freaky versatile crafting master like Lin Li, too much information could be garnered through a recitation that sounded ancient and obscure.
Being well-versed in the Demon Language, it was easy for Lin Li to recognize the 17 types of Demon Language in the Endless Abyss. They were just like human dialects that were unique in their own ways and cultural dimension. Many a time, they sounded very different from one another, yet if one were to study them closely, he would be able to find a strand of similarity that existed across those languages. Connoris’ recitation was what allowed Lin Li to make such a bold guess.
However, since it was spoken by a demon, and had the features of the Demon Language, the fact that it was completely different from the other 17 languages helped to narrow the boundaries by a lot…
Despite it, Lin Li was not entirely certain that Connoris was a legendary ancient demon that had powers comparable to the Titans and Wyrms—a terrifying existence that once lived in the prehistoric times yet was not known to many.
That was the reason for the rest of the story…
It was supposed to be a test when Lin Li let Connoris unlock the cages for him. In that pressing situation, no one, not even an ancient deity, would have wasted the time to disguise himself. To Connoris, that was just revealing a bit of his secret. As an ancient demon, he had many other similar secrets. So what if he let a human know a few pieces of such information? In fact, he had been considering finding a suitable time to reveal his true identity to Lin Li.
Connoris never would have dreamt that all it took to give away his identity was one recitation…
“Alright…” After a long period of silence, Connoris said, “I admit that I have hidden some information from you. You’re right, I was indeed one of the 99 ancient deities many years ago. However, those are all bygones. I am now just a pathetic soul that had been sealed within a hammer…”
“Then, almighty Soul Trader, is it time to be honest with me about some things?”
“What do you want to know?”
“Everything!” Lin Li’s exclaimed in an absolute tone. “However, before then, I really want to know which of the 99 deities you were.”
“Countless years ago, I was once the Lord of the 90th level of Abyss who governed the laws of conspiracy and deceit. My real name was stripped the moment my soul was shattered into innumerable fragments. Unless I retrieve the fragments, I won’t be able to use that name myself.”
“I see.” Lin Li nodded his head, and did not insist further. The names of ancient deities embodied massive powers. Just like the Titan and the ancient Dragon Language, a single syllable would suffice in creating a destructive force. If there had been enough power to shatter a soul of an ancient deity like Connoris, who could imagine the impact of that invincible name?
“Oh yes, Connoris. I don’t understand one thing. Since you were once an ancient deity, how did you get caught by Osric? I presume it shouldn’t have been that hard to deal with him when he was just a beginner at level-25?”
“Hmph, that darn Osric…” The mention of Osric caused Connoris’ tone to carry an obvious note of hatred. “I was still searching for my soul fragments before I was caught by Osric. In fact, I’ve recovered one-third of them. If given more time, I would have been able to reacquire the law of conspiracy. By that time, 10 Osrics would be nothing to me…”
“So impressive?”
“Hmph, do you think ancient demons are called ancient deities for no reason? The ancient demons in the Prehistoric Age were as good as real divinities. Osric would never have been able to challenge the force of the divine no matter how powerful he was. Even though I had only recovered one-third of my powers, it made me no easy target for Osric and his Magic Legion. Unfortunately…”
“Unfortunately what?”
“Unfortunately, Osric had an artifact that was left behind by the Immortal King…”
“Artifact?” Lin Li was stunned. But, he regained composure very quickly. Artifacts were nothing to him. The artifacts in Anril were just like the seven artifacts of Felan Kingdom—merely magical equipment that was more powerful. When he was at Alanna Guild of Magic, Lin Li had seen an artifact called the Thunderlord Staff. It was presented to the Guild of Magic 200 years ago by the king of Felan. This Thunderlord Staff became one of the seven artifacts of Felan, and was said to have belonged to a High Elf Sanctuary Master during the Dark Age.
The weapon of the Sanctuary Master was incredibly powerful. Lin Li could tell that the craftsmanship of the Thunderlord Staff would be at least at Guru-level.
To ordinary men, the Guru-realm was something beyond imagination. To a versatile crafting master like Lin Li, however, the realm was actually nothing to be proud of.
Not to exaggerate, as long as he had enough materials, Lin Li could create as many similar artifacts as he wanted.
Connoris had once been an ancient deity. Even though his soul had been shattered, causing him to lose two-thirds of his powers, the power he was left with was still not what an artifact could measure up to trap him.
“To be honest, Connoris, if what you said was true, I really cannot believe a so-called artifact would have the ability to harm you when you have recovered one-third of your energy level.”
“No, no, no… The artifact I was referring to was a real artifact…” Connoris paused. It was the first time his voice carried so much fear. “It was created by the divine…”
“…” Lin Li could not help but draw in a mouth of cold breath. A weapon created by the divine… Isn’t it like the Stars of Fury?
“It was this artifact that enabled Osric to capture me when we were at the 20th level of the Abyss…”
“I see…” Lin Li nodded his head. Just when he was about to ask another question, Connoris suddenly trembled on his back.
“The Lord of Souls is here!”
“Huh?” Lin Li was stunned. His gaze was filled with surprise and curiosity. He turned to look at the thin red film. Through it, Lin Li saw a Greater Demon that appeared out of nowhere. It had a sharp horn, hideous face, and a body covered in countless purple scales. The sight of it gave him goosebumps. Around its two insidious paws were purple electric arcs that revolved around its sharp claws. What could it be other than the legendary Spirit Walker?
It had been said that the purple arcs that revolved around their claws were the source of energy for the Spirit Walkers. The innate spell of the Spirit Walkers was the Soul Storm. It was a spell that resembled a heavy storm that could drive anyone to lunacy. Any living creatures stuck in the Soul Storm would have their soul engulfed, and literally turn into walking corpses.
Furthermore, the souls that were swallowed by the Spirit Walker would be enslaved eternally. Every soul that the Spirit Walkers engulfed would also increase their powers. There were also people who said that once the Spirit Walker had taken enough souls, it would be able to attain the genuine law of souls, and become a semi-divine and semi-demon monster.
Of course, that was just an exaggeration.
Mephistos from Tharlen was the only Spirit Walker that got to the Legendary-realm over the countless years. In fact, he became the Lord of Tharlen when he just reached level-20 many years ago. If not for the sudden descent of the shadow of the Dragon of Destruction, there was a high chance for Mephistos to rule over the Abyss of Tharlen until today.
Being located at the 27th level of the Abyss, it would only be normal for the place to be filled with Greater Demons above level-20. There was a possibility for level-21 or level-22 to exist as well. The fact that Mephistos could rule over the Abyss of Tharlen at just level-20 was a testimony to the power of Spirit Walkers.
However, it would be impossible for Mephistos to reach the Sanctuary-realm. The evolution of a Spirit Walker was dependent on the type of souls it engulfed. Unless a Spirit Walker swallowed a soul of a level-27 or level-28 creature in the Sanctuary-realm, it would never attain the same realm. What could a level-27 or level-28 creature do? That was an invincible indomitable existence that could crush Mephistos with a finger. As for other Spirit Walkers, there would not be a place for them…
Unfortunately, Mephistos appeared at a very untimely moment, emerging from the void in the middle of the Abyss Arena, and the countless demons and magical beasts dashed towards him like tide water.
“F*ck this…” Mephistos was stunned by the encounter. “Darn you human! How dare you deceive the Lord of Souls!” growled Mephistos. His voice made the space tremble.
“W-what… What is happening?” Hutton gasped as he stared blankly at the scene before him.
“To put it simply, I’ve covered the eyes of the Lord of Souls with some small things…” Lin Li smiled as he gave an indirect reply. The existence of the Lord of Nightmares was a great secret Lin Li kept to himself. Although the Lord of Nightmares sealed in the oil lamp was not the powerful Lord of the 18th level of the Abyss, and its power had fallen to around level-19, its ability to alter dreams was a very important weapon to Lin Li. If it was put into good use, it would be more terrible than the Humerus Wyrm.
Lin Li would naturally not want to reveal such a secret to Hutton…
“Is that the work of the Lord of Nightmares?” asked Connoris. He had seen through the trick Lin Li did.
“You’re right.”
“Unfortunately, the two Rainbow Manticore Kings that shared the same soul had died. Otherwise, we really could’ve given Mephistos a grand surprise. As for now, I think that we should take the chance to escape this monstrous place before Mephistos shrugs off those prisoners.”
“Hope the prisoners can help us buy time…” Lin Li agreed with Connoris. Mephistos was a Spirit Walker in the Legendary-realm, after all. This former Lord of Tharlen had an ability to cast the most powerful Soul Storm. It would be too optimistic if one wished to use a bunch of level-18 or level-19 demons and magical beasts against it.
However, buying a bit more time would suffice…
His main goal of stepping into the Abyss of Tharlen was not to conduct any massacre. He would be getting a huge windfall just by finding the Throne of Darkness and getting the three relics left behind by Geresco. How would he have the mood to tussle with Mephistos?
“Alright, let’s leave this place,” Lin Li said, and proceeded to recite the Transcend Spell. According to Connoris, they would need around 10 minutes to get through the passageway. Since they would be encountering many Vengeful Spirits, he would need to maintain the Transcend Spell all the way. If he happened to break the spell, they would be drowned by the Vengeful Spirits immediately.
The Transcend Spell was a level-18 spell that most Archmages struggled to cast, and to sustain it for 10 minutes would be almost impossible. Only a freak like Lin Li, who had the experience of sustaining the maximum mana output for a long time during the magic trial, would have the confidence to undertake such an impossible mission.
Even so, Lin Li dare not to be complacent. He did not forget to let Hutton wear the Robe of Light before he started the recitation. That was a Master-level magical equipment. Although it might not be totally resistant to the attack from the Vengeful Spirits, it would definitely be useful to alleviate any crises.
After all preparations, Lin Li started his recitation of the Transcend Spell.
The two young mages and one ancient deity began to walk towards the end of the passageway.
Connoris was right. It was definitely the greatest number of Vengeful Spirits Lin Li had seen in his entire life. His first encounter with the Vengeful Spirits in the Blackstone Mountains that were summoned by Sendros with the Thousand Souls Spell would never have been able to rival this.
The entire passageway was filled with Vengeful Spirits. Lin Li could see countless of them vanishing with the Transcend Spell for every step he took forward. The resentment and thirst for vengeance released by the spirits as they were transcended rushed towards both men like a crazy tidal wave. The resentful scenes produced by them were filled with blood and gore, which continued to challenge the mental limits for both men. The varied sorrowful wails rang in their ears. It was as though they had walked into the Ten Courts of Hell that only appeared in myths. If not for the protection of the Transcend Spell, anyone would have become a lunatic due to those horrific scenes, no matter how resolute their minds were.
Hutton was considered a reputable man in the Breezy Plains. He was an Archmage in his 20s and the eldest heir of the Malfa Family. Yet, when he walked through the passageway that was filled with numerous Vengeful Spirits, he could not help but turn pallid immediately. Huge beads of sweat trickled down his forehead, and his hand gripping his staff started to tremble uncontrollably out of fear and nervousness.
Although he was a distance away from Hutton, Lin Li could hear the faint sound of his teeth chattering…
If he did not have the Transcend Spell, even Lin Li would never be able to imagine the consequences of going ahead…