Chapter 890: Ice Armor
Connoris and Lin Li might have signed a master-servant contract, but the binding force of this contract was not great. It seemed more like an employment contract. Connoris was a servant, not a slave that could be killed or have his personal rights taken away by his master. He could definitely decline to comply with orders that were against his will.
However, the mausoleum of the High Elf nobles was a huge temptation, even to Connoris who was an ancient Demon deity. At that time, no one thought that they would actually encounter the ancient Iceblast Wyrm Sindera in the mausoleum.
“If you have time to complain, why don’t you think of a way to kill it!?” Lin Li exclaimed coldly while waving the Helios’ Scepter and dealing with the continuous attacks of the Iceblast Wyrm.
“Kill it? Are you kidding me? Even the old me… If I had known I would meet it here, I should have let it fight and die together with that madman Salor!” Even when Connoris was still a Demon deity, he wasn’t known for his fighting prowess, and even when he encountered an ancient wyrm that was on the same level as Sindera and Salor, he could only hide as far away as he could. As an ancient Demon deity that was a master of conspiracy and deception, he could definitely sow discord and spark a battle. However, there was no point in talking about it now.
While they were speaking, there were changes in the battlefield again. The fleshy wings on the back of the Iceblast Wyrm Sindera began flashing with countless complicated and mysterious magic symbols that came from the bloodline of the ancient wyrms. They represented the purest Origin Laws of the world at its beginning, and were said to be words used by the deities that even the Sanctuary powerhouses could not understand.
At this moment, even the most ignorant person would know that the Iceblast Wyrm Sindera was about to act ruthlessly.
As expected, a huge wave of mana that could change the world suddenly erupted from the body of the Iceblast Wyrm Sindera. It seemed as if the will of heaven and earth was about to bend to that power. The entire space was shaking and trembling as if it could not withstand that power and was on the verge of collapsing.
Next, white ice flames ignited in the sky, seemingly covering it entirely. Beneath their feet, there was a boundless sea formed with ice flames that completely blocked their view, making it impossible for them to see what was happening to the expedition team below. The ice flames in the sky were like falling shooting stars, descending upon them continuously. The sea of flames below was also tumbling continuously, forming waves of ice flames that swept towards the crowd.
At this moment, the Legendary powerhouses were facing a hopeless situation where they had no way out. Everyone seemed to have been trapped in a dungeon with nowhere to hide or run. They could only continuously compress their power and try to resist the attacks that came from above and below them.
A giant wave of ice flames surged over, and instantly damaged more than a dozen layers of defense. The sounds of the defensive layers shattering were like the footsteps of death. With pale faces and despair in their eyes, they continuously released defensive layers of magic, wishing that they each had more mouths. No one dared to save any of the various types of defensive magical spells and magic props. Even if they had a paper shield, they would not hesitate to raise it.
“Bang!” With a crisp explosion, the staff in the hands of a Legendary-mage from the Caesar Family exploded as it couldn’t withstand the extreme speed of the spell-casting. In fact, he was not the only one who experienced that situation. The staffs of many mages had also begun cracking because of the casting. It was only a matter of time before they exploded.
Faced with such terrifying offensive spells, even Lin Li and Connoris who were elite Legendary powerhouses were no longer able to fight back or reverse the situation into one where they played a massive role. Lin Li had increased his casting speed to the extreme, and the jewel at the top of the Helios’ Scepter also erupted with a dazzling light that showed no signs of weakness. It continuously filled the layers of magical defense in the surroundings. On Connoris’ side, he had no time to chant a single incantation at all. Even though he had the perfect body, he dared not let the ice flames get near him.
However, would the Iceblast Wyrm Sindera allow those insignificant small fries to continue struggling? If it had its own consciousness, it might have made fun of them after living life in boredom for thousands of years. However, it was just an Undead creature with no soul and sentience. Killing all lives was its nature.
The Iceblast Wyrm Sindera was just flapping its wings in place, and the endless streams of ice flames that filled the entire space seemed to have surged countless times again. The offensive spells became more rapid, intense, and terrifying. The ice flames were like meteors and massive waves that almost drowned all of them immediately. Everyone was casting layers of defensive magical spells despite the fact that they were at risk of overdrawing their mana. However, the defensive layers seemed as fragile as glass under the endless attacks.
The continuous casting of spells and the massive overdraft of mana and mental strength made Hoffman’s face turn pale. When facing the desperate situation, he had already regretted deeply. Had he known earlier that there would’ve been such a terrifying existence in the mausoleum, he would have never coveted it no matter what. Even if the High Elf nobles, the most noble prince, or the wealth of the entire Anril was buried in there, one would have to be alive in order to obtain them. After battling the monster known as the Whispering God back then, he should have known that the mausoleum was twisted beyond his imagination. Why had he chosen to continue!?
At that moment, Hoffman was definitely not the only one who was filled with regret. However, it was too late to regret. The ancient Iceblast Wyrm that was above the Sanctuary-realm was no longer an existence that mortals could fight against. It was simply impossible to escape from its hands.
Joseph initially wanted to use the wealth in the mausoleum to reverse the unfavorable situation of the conflict between him and the Tower of Dusk, and to suppress them completely. After discovering that the Tower of Dusk had come to explore the mausoleum as well, he did not give up on the exploration, and even thought about how he could keep the people of the Tower of Dusk there forever. Now, his wish seemed to have been fulfilled. However, he was also trapped there, and it seemed that he had to die together with the team of the Mithril Alliance.
In Joseph’s opinion, there had already been signs and opportunities for him to withdraw during the exploration. The presence of the Whispering God was an indication of just how terrifying the mausoleum was. Next, they discovered the research log of Caleross which clearly mentioned the existence of the Humerus Wyrm army. When they entered the canyon that was filled with the skeletons of the Behemoth Beasts, the idea of retreating surfaced in his mind at one point. However, he would often choose to continue, and despite the fact that the team’s strength was greatly diminished, he did not decide to leave.
Had he chosen to quit then, the only ones facing the Iceblast Wyrm would’ve been the other three forces. Besides, if the elites of those three forces were annihilated, the Breezy Plains would enter the era where the Mithril Alliance would dominate. That would be a great opportunity! At the thought of that, Joseph could not help but regret his decision and wish he could kill himself.
“Connoris, have you discovered that something seems to be wrong!?”
Unlike those people, Lin Li did not have any time to waste on such meaningless things. Even under the strong suppression of the Iceblast Wyrm, Lin Li did not have a hard time hanging on. However, he did not stop thinking about how he could change the situation.
“Wrong? What’s wrong? Regardless of whether it’s wrong or right, we can’t hold on any longer!” Connoris exclaimed with resentment in his tone. Of course, he resented both the Iceblast Wyrm Sindera and Lin Li.
However, Lin Li didn’t have time to care about Connoris’ tone. Instead, he continued to support the magical defense while saying, “If the Iceblast Wyrm Sindera is really an existence that is on the same level as the Flame Dragon Lothar, don’t you think it seems to be acting a bit unworthy of its name right now?”
Lin Li had seen how ferocious the Flame Dragon Lothar was. At that time, Nefa and Rogge were Sanctuary powerhouses who were not inferior to the three arbitrators of the Supreme Council, yet they were suppressed by the Flame Dragon Lothar to the point where they were almost powerless to fight back. They even almost collapsed during the battle. That was a true power that could be considered half-godly. However, the Iceblast Wyrm Sindera actually allowed them to persist for such a long time even though they were just Legendary powerhouses. If it had been the Flame Dragon Lothar, they would have probably been turned into ashes immediately.
In fact, that feeling wasn’t anything new. During the previous battle, Lin Li had a vague feeling that there seemed to be some difference in strength between the Iceblast Wyrm Sindera and the Flame Dragon Lothar. Now, the other party had even exhibited its greatest power, yet it did not manage to wipe out all of them. If it were the Flame Dragon Lothar, it would definitely be impossible.
“What? Don’t you think this is enough!? Wait… I almost forgot, you’ve met the Flame Dragon Lothar before. However, what you mean now is that even if Sindera is inferior to Lothar, and even if that Iceblast Wyrm isn’t Sindera, you would be able to get rid of it, is that so?” asked Connoris who could not figure it out for a while. He had no idea what Lin Li meant when he suddenly said that. He was the one who was in a desperate situation now, not the Iceblast Wyrm. Even if it was not as strong as the Flame Dragon Lothar, the outcome would be the same as long as it could kill them.
“We have to think of a solution. Are you willing to just die here!?” Without waiting for Connoris to respond, Lin Li suddenly triggered the power of his Space-related Magical Robe, and his body immediately disappeared on the spot before appearing in another spot that was not too far away.
“You’re courting death!” Connoris got a great shock when he saw that Lin Li still had the guts to use his robe to move. More importantly, once Lin Li ran away, he would have to defend the entire place. Without Lin Li’s instantaneous spell casting speed, he wouldn’t have the confidence to last long under such an attack.
Fortunately, Lin Li chose his position and timing very cleverly as he managed to dodge the attacks of the Iceblast Wyrms in time. He also took advantage of the time gap to give himself additional layers of Elemental Shields. However, given Lin Li’s spell-casting speed, he could only make it in time to cast five layers of magical shields for himself. The massive wave formed by the ice flames and the ice flame meteors that were crashing down from above had already arrived.
In the blink of an eye, Lin Li’s figure had been completely engulfed by the ice flames. However, there wasn’t a single trace of fear on his face at all even though he was in their midst. Feeling the Elemental Shields shattering layer by layer, his tightly furrowed brows gradually eased up instead. Through the comparison of the intensity of the attacks that he had endured, Lin Li came to a conjecture. He deduced that the Iceblast Wyrm Sindera did not go all out to attack them. Instead, it focused on targeting Lin Li and his team with offensive spells.
If it had been the Flame Dragon Lothar, it would have been impossible for it to go the extra mile, and it would simply unleash its power to suppress them. Even if they were at the peak of the Legendary-realm, and even if there were plenty of Legendary powerhouses, they would be turned to ashes immediately. They were a bunch of small fries that could have been killed altogether immediately right away, yet it chose to kill them one by one. Even if it was an Undead creature without its own consciousness, it wouldn’t make things hard for itself.
Wave after wave of attacks, and Lin Li could clearly feel that the intensity of the attacks had increased significantly. It was obvious that the other party had adjusted its power. That made him feel even more certain about that conjecture.
After conducting a small test, Lin Li did not continue staying there. Instead, he activated the robe again and dashed towards Connoris.
“What the hell are you doing!? Have you really found a solution!?” Even though Lin Li had only left for a while, Connoris could still feel the difficulty that he experienced in supporting himself. However, at the same time, he also acutely sensed that even though he was supporting himself with great difficulty, the intensity of the attacks he endured was quite a bit weaker than when Lin Li was present. That discovery made him think more about Lin Li’s words.
Lin Li swiftly put up layers of magical shields while saying to Connoris, “You should have sensed the changes in the intensity of attacks when I left just now. If it really possessed the same strength as the Flame Dragon Lothar, do you think it would still do such a thing?”
“However, our attacks had no effect on it at all. Even if it’s not as strong as the Flame Dragon Lothar, it’s clearly not something we can fight against now, so what’s the point of you proving that?” Connoris was rather puzzled. They had tried to attack Sindera, but the reality had proven that regardless of what attacks they launched, they were unable to cause any damage to Sindera. There was no point in saying that Sindera was inferior to the Flame Dragon Lothar. They couldn’t possibly get the Flame Dragon Lothar to help.
“The Flame Dragon Lothar is already at the peak of the Sanctuary-realm, which is equivalent to being half a step into the realm of gods. To a large extent, it has surpassed the Laws of this world. Sindera is still very far away from that realm. You should know what that means.” Lin Li’s tone was already becoming mellower and calmer even though the current situation still didn’t look promising.
“What you mean is that its strength isn’t beyond the Laws of this world, so it’s still being restrained by the World Laws!” After all, Connoris was once an ancient Demon deity who had mastered the art of conspiracy and deception. He saw Lin Li holding Holy Light with his peripheral vision, and he seemed to have immediately understood something. However, he said with disappointment, “You’ve already displayed Holy Light just now, and it has also been proven that the other party is not affected by Divine Power at all. You didn’t forget that, did you?”
“Since it’s still under the restraints of the World Laws, it can only avoid the purification of Divine Power through some means. I want to give it a try. If it doesn’t work once, I’ll try again. If it still doesn’t work, I’ll try 10 more times. However, I still need you to cover me.” After Lin Li finished speaking, he stopped continuing to cast the defensive magical spells without even waiting for Connoris to agree. He put away the Helios’ Scepter, and replaced it with the debris of the stars, Holy Light.
“Hey, I haven’t agreed! Atrocious…” Lin Li suddenly stopped, making the pressure that Connoris had to withstand surge by twice, leaving the Soul Trader with no chance to curse.
On Lin Li’s side, a light array surrounding Holy Light instantly took shape, and as a ray of light gathered, a pillar of light which had power that was even more astonishing than before suddenly erupted. It also blasted into the body of the Iceblast Wyrm Sindera at the speed of lightning.
With a loud bang, the dense fog of death aura that was surrounding the Iceblast Wyrm Sindera’s body was clearly dispersed by the Divine Power. However, the Holy Light still did not cause any substantial damage to Sindera’s body. Lin Li was disappointed, but he was not surprised. He did not slacken, either. He reached out to grab Connoris, and immediately triggered the power of the Space-related Magical Robe.
In the instant the two of them disappeared, the magical shield that Connoris had supported with all his might yet which was growing thinner shattered under the impact of the surging ice flames.
Lin Li bolted to another position together with Connoris, not allowing Connoris to say anything at all. He immediately said, “Continue!” At the same time, he raised Holy Light in his hand, and a light array that was full of holy aura once again condensed around Holy Light.
Having been moved to another position abruptly and losing the magical shield, Connoris felt that it was over for him. Based on his previous experience, a single layer of magical defenses could not block the offensive spells of the Iceblast Wyrm at all. However, after he put up the first shield and ushered in the impact of the massive wave of ice flames, he immediately understood what Lin Li said.
Indeed, the attack of such intensity was inferior compared to a level-26 or 27 Sanctuary powerhouse, let alone the Flame Dragon Lothar. That was the original power of the ancient wyrm that could best reflect the level of the ancient wyrm’s abilities. As an ancient Demon deity, Connoris had a clear understanding of the ancient wyrms that had lived in the same era as him. He immediately had a general understanding of the strength of the Iceblast Wyrm Sindera.
“How is it? What are your thoughts?” After blasting the Iceblast Wyrm with Holy Light, Lin Li did not immediately move away with Connoris. Instead, he continued to cast defensive magical spells while asking Connoris how he felt.
“Level-26 at most. It won’t be higher than level-27. This is a normal level amongst the ancient Iceblast Wyrms. Is that guy not Sindera, then? Or did its strength drop after it turned into an Undead creature?” Connoris even began to suspect if he had identified it wrongly. After all, Prince Brahere only mentioned in his diary that he had captured an Iceblast Wyrm. However, he did not mention that it was Sindera.
However, Connoris had come from that era, and had actually seen the Iceblast Wyrm with his own eyes. Even though he hadn’t had face-to-face contact with Sindera, he wouldn’t mistake the king of Iceblast Wyrms.
“Level-26 or level-27 is far inferior to the Flame Dragon Lothar. We don’t necessarily have no chance.” Upon hearing that Connoris’ analysis was similar to his, Lin Li felt much more confident.
The Sanctuary-realm was the process of evolution of mortals to gods. It might seem to be just a difference of two levels, but it signified a massive gulf in the realm. Those who were between level-25 and level-27 were powerful and often compared to the gods, but they were still considered mortals. At level-28 and level-29, they could have the power to break free of the World Laws and truly begin to step into the realm of gods. They could be considered half a step away from becoming true gods.
However, it definitely wasn’t easy to take that step, because it meant that one would have to contend with the World Laws. The winners would break free from the restraint and become true gods, while the ones who failed would be ruthlessly crushed to pieces under the power of the World Laws.
Nefa, the descendant of the Dragon of Destruction, and the first high priest of the Darkness Shrine, Rogge, could be considered peerless powerhouses. However, they were suppressed by the Flame Dragon Lothar to the point where they were almost powerless to fight back some time ago. Besides, they were not the only ones. Even the Sanctuary powerhouses of Anril would be crushed in the same way when facing the Flame Dragon Lothar as long as they had not crossed that point.
If the Iceblast Wyrm Sindera was really an existence at the level of the Flame Dragon Lothar, there would be no need for the battle to continue, as it would be over once they get killed quickly. The half-god realm seemed to trample all of the World Laws. It was not something that a mortal could compete with.
However, if that was not the case, an ancient wyrm and ancient Demon deity would be bound to be restricted by the World Laws as long as they were in that world. No matter how powerful the opponent was, they would not have entirely no chance of winning as long as they were still restricted by the World Laws.
With that understanding, Lin Li was even more certain of the next step of his plan. As long as the opponent did not break free from the restraint of World Laws, the debris of the stars, Holy Light, which had a great restraining effect on Undead creatures, would undoubtedly be his main offensive weapon in the next battle.
At the thought of it, Lin Li suddenly stopped casting defensive magical spells, and instead reached out to grab Connoris’ arm, once again moving with the robe.
“Try coming again!”
By the time Connoris complained, the two of them were already in a new position. The massive wave of ice flames was smacking at them. Under such circumstances, Connoris had no choice but to resign to fate. He chanted a series of demonic runes loudly, and a solid light curtain enveloped them.
“Boom!” The waves of ice flames smashed against the defensive curtain of light, and countless ice flame meteors also fell from the sky, causing the curtain of light to shake continuously. In the blink of an eye, it was already covered with spiderweb-like cracks.
Lin Li, on the other hand, was oblivious to all of that, and he still raised Holy Light in his hand with resoluteness in a bid to maximize the Divine Power in Holy Light.
“Sword of Judgment!”
The Sword of Holy Light that was several times larger than the Light and Darkness Sword instantly condensed in the sky above Lin Li, and even the clouds of ice flames that blocked the sky were forced to scatter to the sides by the radiance of the Sword of Holy Light. The Divine Power that was emitted from the Sword of Holy Light made those who felt it momentarily feel an urge to worship it.
At this moment, as Lin Li’s arm fell, the Sword of Holy Light also slashed the Iceblast Wyrm Sindera with a thunderous momentum.
As soon as the sword fell, the dense fog of death aura surrounding Sindera’s body quickly dissipated before it landed, revealing the appearance of the ancient Iceblast Wyrm. When the sword cut Sindera’s body, it was accompanied by a huge roaring sound that splattered the ice chips everywhere, just as if the sword had really severed the Iceblast Wyrm in half.
However, could it really succeed? Seeing that the Sword of Holy Light had broken through the layers of obstacles and cut into the incomparably strong ice armor, even Lin Li could not help but panic. During the first few times, Lin Li’s Holy Light penetrated the ice armor, but it had always somehow lost its effect at the last moment. This time, he wondered if he would fail again despite using an even more powerful Sword of Holy Light.
At this moment, the Sword of Holy Light had penetrated the ice armor, and was about to cut into the flesh of the Iceblast Wyrm Sindera. However, a ball of black substance spread out all of a sudden, sealing the cracks in the ice armor.
The dense fog of death aura had already been washed away by the power emitted by the Sword of Holy Light because Lin Li could see it clearly this time. It was that black mass, which looked like smoke and mist, and also like black flowing water, that turned out to be what completely separated the Divine Power of the Sword of Holy Light and the Iceblast Wyrm Sindera.
Obviously, the Holy Light Judgment that had been cast several times before must have been blocked by that black mass as well! Without a doubt, Lin Li was filled with disappointment, but his eyes immediately lit up again because that at least proved that he and Connoris had guessed correctly. The Iceblast Wyrm would be restrained by the Divine Power. The latter was just blocked by the black mass.