Chapter 970: Phantom
Although they did not know about the Well of the Sun, everyone in the expedition knew from their experiences in the previous two worlds that the interior of the palace would definitely not be as wonderful as it looked on the outside. Besides, the more beautiful it seemed, the more likely it was that there would be great dangers.
After some observation, Archbishop Martin and Donald once again turned their attention to Lin Li. The strength that Lin Li and the Tower of Dusk had shown had already given them a great shock, and caused them to involuntarily hand over the authority to lead to Lin Li.
Faced with such a situation, Lin Li did not stand on ceremony. Instead, he followed the previous formation and made the Alchemy Colossuses of the Rotterdam Kingdom stay in front while the Holy Light Knights guarded the flanks of the team. He issued orders to enter the palace.
If it were in the past, Donald and the rest from the Rotterdam Kingdom would definitely express some displeasure about the arrangement, and then look for an opportunity to propose some conditions during the distribution of the spoils. However, now that he knew that Lin Li and the Brilliance Shrine had close ties with each other, Donald naturally dared not raise any requests. He even wanted to suck up to Lin Li.
Prince Kanber, who was the heir to the throne of the Rotterdam Kingdom, still did not have much respect for Lin Li, the Sanctuary powerhouse. However, under Donald’s persuasion, he did not express any clear dissatisfaction with the arrangement. He simply remembered it and bore a grudge against Lin Li. Forming the vanguard of the expedition according to the instructions, he deployed the Alchemy Colossuses with a look of displeasure.
The gates of the gilded palace were slowly pushed open, and the expedition, which had the Alchemy Colossuses of the Rotterdam Kingdom at the front, finally stepped into the golden palace that would make anyone feel ashamed of themselves.
After stepping into the palace, the expedition discovered that the palace was not just gilded and resplendent on the surface. In fact, even the interior was filled with golden streams of light. The materials used to build the palace were all different, but shared a common characteristic: the dazzling golden light.
If one were to use gold as the only material for the construction of their home, they would only seem like a wealthy upstart. However, this golden palace did not make them feel overwhelmed by a tacky and distasteful extravagance. Instead, it was solemn, noble, sacred, and not to be violated.
Sensing the grand and majestic vibes around them, the members of the expedition even wondered if the enemy they might encounter this time would be some kind of clergy with Divine Power. However, soon after entering the palace, the enemies that swarmed towards them in groups suddenly made them feel so miserable that they felt nauseous. It was a group of hideous-looking Abyssal Demons that symbolized sin and filth!
It was a group of Skinning Walkers that resembled werewolves standing upright. Their eyes were filled with a sanguine glow, and black saliva was continuously flowing out of their fangs before dripping onto the ground messily. They had strong bodies, and their claws were half a meter long, resembling bent daggers. They looked absolutely hair-raising.
The most disgusting thing was that the Skinning Walkers seemed to be wearing the coarsest type of armor as they were covered in hides that obviously belonged to other demons. One would be able to smell the stench of rot coming from them from far away. It was said that the Skinning Walkers’ favorite pastime was to skin their enemies alive for their own collection. Although no humans had appeared here for many years, there were apparently many other demons that had been put through that treatment.
The moment they saw the Skinning Walkers, the members of the expedition felt like they had seen a filthy, hideous, and repulsive man suddenly lying down on an incomparably holy and noble goddess. The stark contrast and dissonance were so jarring that it almost sent them into a frenzy. The Alchemy Colossuses in front began employing their most powerful attacks without instructions.
However, the Skinning Walkers were not only famous for their cruel and perverted actions. More importantly, they were probably the only Abyssal Demons in the Endless Abyss that could contend with Vampires in terms of speed. With their lightning-like speed, they managed to deter the higher-level Abyssal Demons, which did not dare to provoke them.
The Alchemy Colossuses at the front of the expedition activated the Alchemy Arrays on their bodies in unison, causing powerful magic spells to instantly cover the area from which the Skinning Walkers were swarming towards them. However, the moment the magic spells landed, they could see figures that dodged to the side at the speed of lightning.
This wave of attacks seemed rather aggressive, but in reality, they only caused a pathetic amount of damage. After the light of the magic spells faded, they saw that only a few Skinning Walkers were left in the area that had been covered by the magic.
The Alchemy Colossuses of the Rotterdam Kingdom could not be blamed for being too weak. After all, they were not meant to be fast. Although they seemed to be much faster than ordinary mages based on their casting of the Alchemy Array, they were far from being comparable to those who could launch instantaneous attacks based on the activation of the Alchemy Arrays and the casting of the magic spells.
The Skinning Walkers were enraged, and let out wails and roars as they charged towards the expedition like bolts of lightning. The Holy Light Knights that were in charge of guarding the flanks of the expedition also moved forward under Jeremiah’s command.
If it were the Holy Light Knights of the past, they would probably only win by a close margin even if they could win. They would definitely also have to pay a great price for it. However, now that they had been baptized by Holy Light Knights, almost all of the Holy Light Knights had advanced to level-19, and their combat power had almost doubled compared to when they had just set foot in the Sky Castle.
The loud Battle Song resounded and echoed through the space, and the Holy Light caused all of the golden light in the palace to dart away, forming a dense white band of light around the expedition. The Skinning Walkers that charged towards them like lightning immediately slowed down greatly after they reached the white light, as if they were stuck in a swamp. They couldn’t help but reveal their ugly appearances[1].
Immediately afterwards, the Holy Light Knights waved their Cross Spears, and began killing the Skinning Walkers mercilessly. The Skinning Walkers who had lost their speed almost had their power reduced by half. The addition of the strong purification of Holy Light caused their physique to weaken drastically. The Skinning Walkers that fell into the range of the Holy Light Battle Song could barely make an effective counter against the attacks of the Holy Light Knights. All that was left was their miserable shrieks of indignation and fury.
The appearance of the Skinning Walkers did not stop the expedition, and at the same time that the Holy Light Knights were killing them, they still maintained the same advancing speed. Seeing this, the members of the expedition felt a sense of relief as it seemed that the world was not as difficult to deal with as the previous two worlds.
However, at this time, Lin Li did not seem too relaxed. Instead, he even frowned slightly. The appearance of the Skinning Walkers made him even more certain that this place was related to the Well of the Sun in the Endless World. With the knowledge of the Endless World that he had in his memories, Lin Li knew that the Skinning Walkers were actually just the beginning, and if the Well of the Sun had been that simple, he probably would not have been able to get the Stars of Fury back then in the Endless World.
Seeing that the Skinning Walkers could not pose a threat to the expedition at all, Donald was inevitably a little tempted by the treasures that might exist in this palace. Hence, he walked towards Lin Li, and softly asked, “Master Felic, should we search this entire palace?”
In the past, Donald used to only address Lin Li as President Felic. Although it was not considered impolite, he was somewhat disdainful of Lin Li’s position. After all, he was the Chief Imperial Mage of the Rotterdam Kingdom, while Lin Li was just the President of a nameless, minor force. Anyone would be able to see the massive difference in status.
However, Donald no longer dared to think that way now. Lin Li was a Sanctuary powerhouse who was both above all worldly power and close to the Brilliance Shrine. He would be able to get rid of Donald and his team easily. If he were to get up to some scheming tricks again, it would be no different from seeking death.
While Donald was talking to Lin Li about that matter, Archbishop Martin walked towards them with the same thoughts in mind. After all, their purpose of going to that place was to search for the Immortal King’s treasure. Now that they were facing such a resplendent and beautiful palace, they would naturally think that there had to be a precious collection of treasures inside to match it.
However, Lin Li did not explain anything. He simply calmly said, “Continue advancing.”
Hearing such a reply from Lin Li, Donald couldn’t help but sulk, but after thinking about his qualms, he had no choice but to hang his head low. To him, whether or not he could gain something was no longer the most important thing. The most important thing was whether he could leave this place safely with his team.
Given the relationship between the Brilliance Shrine and the Tower of Dusk, Archbishop Martin of course did not have as many worries as Donald, but he understood that Lin Li definitely had his reasons to say that. Hence, he did not ask any questions.
Lin Li definitely had his reasons to stop them from exploring the palace. However, it was not because he did not want to share the treasures with them, but because he knew that there was actually nothing valuable here anymore.
In the beginning, when Lin Li had explored the Well of the Sun in the Endless World, he had actually had the same thoughts as Donald and the others, thinking that there would definitely be a massive amount of wealth in such a magnificent and majestic palace. However, after spending a long period of time searching, Lin Li had no choice but to conclude that it was only gilded on the outside and empty on the inside.
Although there were all sorts of dangerous magic traps and mechanisms in the Well of the Sun, many of which were at the Master-level, logically speaking, ordinary Abyssal Demons would have no means to break them. However, after exploring, Lin Li discovered that the magic traps and magic gears there had long become ineffective—not because someone had cracked them, but because they had lost their mana source, and could no longer be activated.
That was also something that confused Lin Li at that time. The Well of the Sun was originally the palace of the High Elves, and the mana sources for the magic gears and magic traps were at least Legendary magical crystals, whose greatest feature was that they could constantly and automatically replenish their own mana. The effects were similar to the mediation of mages. Although they were not really inexhaustible, they were more than enough to last thousands of years.
Lin Li had only found out the real reason for the breakdown of the mana sources later when he had broken into the depths of the Well of the Sun. Now that Lin Li had seen the Skinning Walkers, he knew that it was extremely similar to the Endless World’s Well of the Sun. Hence, there was no need to waste precious time once again.
The Abyssal Demons were intelligent as well, and they were not at all inferior to humans, as they knew to collect good items. Without the protection of magic gears and magic traps, how could the Abyssal Demons be deterred? After numerous years, the Abyssal Demons had already scavenged the Well of the Sun, and all of the magical gemstones that were embedded in the murals had been dug up.
However, that was too complicated to explain, and Lin Li couldn’t say that he had explored the Well of the Sun once in another world which allowed him to know that there were no longer any treasures there. Fortunately, both Archbishop Martin and Donald did not dare to raise any objections to his proposal. Hence, he did not have to waste his breath on it.
The expedition continued to delve deeper into the Well of the Sun while resisting the attacks of the Skinning Walkers. However, a new Abyssal Demon soon joined the battle.
It was a type of Charming Demon that did not look like what they were called. In fact, they were hideous, with swollen bodies and countless tentacles that only looked disgusting. The reason they were called Charming Demons was because their bodies were emitting a psychedelic vibe at every moment. At the same time they also secreted sticky substances that had strong aphrodisiac effects.
In the beginning, there were people who collected the mucus from these demons, and used it to prepare a strong aphrodisiac in the Endless World. Of course, the aphrodisiac was not meant for malicious actions. In the world of the game, obscene things were prohibited. Instead, it was meant for cultivating precious magical beasts as pets.
However, Anril was not the world in the game. There would at most be some abnormal states, but in this world, the aphrodisiac of the Charming Demons was highly potent. Hence, Lin Li did not take the appearance of those Charming Demons lightly. He immediately commanded the Mages to attack the disgusting Charming Demons while also taking out his debris of the stars, Holy Light, that was far purer than the Divine Power of the Brilliance Shrine’s team. It immediately shrouded the entire team.
When Lin Li had explored the Well of the Sun back then, he simply relied on his own strength, and his profession was Hunter. Although his attacking power had not been weak, he still had had a hard time dealing with the Charming Demons.
However, things were different now. The pathetic defense of the Charming Demons was as good as useless under the bombardment of offensive spells launched by the mages of the Tower of Dusk’s team.
[1] It probably means they’d been so fast they’d become blurred either.