Chapter 1030: Barbarous Arena
When Lin Li was in the Endless Void previously, he did not continue to explore the inverted tower, partly because of the time constraints, and partly because he felt that he was not capable enough. This time, Lin Li had already successfully reached level-27, and with the guidance of Geresco’s incarnation, there had been shocking changes in his strength. Hence, when the rate of his improvement reached the doldrums, Lin Li felt that it was time for him to further explore the inverted tower.
Thus, when the representatives of the various forces of the Breezy Plains once again went to the Tower of Dusk in a bid to get Lin Li to step out and take charge of the alliance, Lin Li had already stepped through the door of the inverted tower.
The first floor, which had been emptied to the point where only empty bookshelves were left, no longer had anything valuable for Lin Li. He directly walked past the bookshelves, and arrived in front of the stairs leading to the second floor of the tower. The invisible barrier that had once blocked the crowd from passing through was indeed no longer able to stop Lin Li. He successfully stepped onto the stairs as if he was passing through a water curtain.
Before Lin Li reached the second floor, he could already sense the subtle and ancient aura that was surging towards him from above as soon as he stepped on the stairs. At the instant that he sensed that aura, Lin Li began to hallucinate, feeling as if he was suddenly in the prehistoric times.
What could it be? Lin Li’s curiosity was immediately aroused, but he did not speed up in his tracks. He continued to slowly make his way up the stairs with some anticipation.
When Lin Li reached the end of the stairs, he was greeted with the sight of a spacious hall. There were no ornaments in the small hall, only a crystal ball hanging on a stone platform in the center. There were numerous complicated mageweaths carved in the stone platform, and the crystal ball was not extremely rare, either. It was just a superior-grade crystal ball.
Lin Li was not surprised to see this. However, there was indeed a vortex door opposite the hall, which was what was emitting the ancient aura. Lin Li knew that the truly valuable item was inside that door. However, there was no way he could know what the crystal ball was used for.
Looking at the vortex door, Lin Li knew that it usually meant that there was another space or world behind that door. However, he did not hesitate because of it. If it was designed by the Immortal King or Osric, he would have to plan carefully, but since it was left behind by Geresco, it meant that it might not be a lethal trap.
Hence, Lin Li did not hesitate any longer. He walked over from the stone platform and the crystal ball before stepping through the vortex door.
After stepping through the door, a spacious area appeared in front of Lin Li, and there were smooth lines carved on the ground, forming a massive array. There were giant stone pillars that towered over him in the surroundings. There were many rather beautiful ancient but smooth carvings on the stone pillars. They enclosed the space and made it a nearly circular field.
Lin Li could tell from the surrounding scenery that it should be a venue that was somewhat like an arena. However, why would Geresco spawn this arena? Lin Li did not think that Geresco would leave behind any useless things as treasures in this tower.
Lin Li carefully observed the arena, from the huge array formation to the decorative paintings on the stone pillars around him. Sensing the ancient aura that was emitted from the arena, an unbelievable possibility suddenly popped up in his mind.
Could this be the legendary Barbarous Arena that exists in myths!? Even with his current state of mind and wide horizons, Lin Li couldn’t help but feel his heart race when he thought of that possibility.
The Barbarous Arena was not the kind of arena that was used for duels or entertainment. In the ancient legends, the Barbarous Arena was just as famous as the Tree of Eternity. However, it was easy to prove the existence of the Tree of Eternity, while the Barbarous Arena was said to be illusory.
Legend had it that in the Frozen Highlands of Anril, there once lived a very powerful race of people. They could not use magic or the so-called Combat Energy, but their bodies possessed a great power that would make even dragons bow down to them. Due to their brutal power, the other races called them barbarians, while they claimed to be descendants of the Titans.
Truth be told, many of the races in Anril called themselves descendants of the Titans, and even the dwarves claimed that they had the bloodline of the Titans. Hence, the barbarians were actually not recognized by the others. They simply refused to believe it.
The barbarians chose to live in the harsh environment of the Frozen Highlands, not because of any oppression by other races, but because they believed that only by surviving in harsh conditions could they maximize the power of the bloodline of the Titans in their bodies. Another more important reason was that the Barbarous Arena was in the center of the Frozen Highlands.
It was said that the Barbarous Arena was even more ancient than the Tree of Eternity as it dated back to before the Dark Age. The arena had already existed before the Tree of Eternity was born. Even the barbarians did not know when the Barbarous Arena appeared in the Frozen Highlands. However, it was said that the arena had once been the battleground of the gods.
The Barbarous Arena was extremely important to the barbarians who had been training their strong and elite warriors there for several generations. It was also used for the selection among the strongest warriors to become the king of the barbarians.
Whenever each barbarian reached the age of 12, they would have the right to enter the Barbarous Arena. Besides, it was mandatory for them to enter the arena to train. No one knew what power the Barbarous Arena used for its operation, but whenever someone entered it, an opponent of equal strength would automatically appear inside.
No one knew where the opponents were from, and why they would appear in the Barbarous Arena. In fact, no one knew what opponents they would be facing. It might be a human, a High Elf, a magical beast, a demon, a wyrm, or something else. In short, there were endless possibilities.
The fact that the Barbarous Arena had such incredible power was the very reason that people always thought that it was just an illusory existence that existed in myths. Even Sanctuary powerhouses who had already mastered the World Laws might not be able to understand the mystical power of the Barbarous Arena.
Moreover, the power of the Barbarous Arena seemed to be limitless. If an ordinary person entered, their opponent would definitely be ordinary. If a Sanctuary powerhouse entered, his opponent would be a competent Sanctuary powerhouse of equal strength. Legend had it that even if a true deity entered, an opponent who was his match would appear too. Perhaps that was the origin of the claim that the Barbarous Arena was the battleground of the gods.
Lin Li carefully looked around, and the more he looked at it, the more he felt that it was the Barbarous Arena that he had heard of. If this was really the Barbarous Arena, it would indeed be qualified to be placed in the inverted tower by Geresco.
Just as Lin Li was speculating whether this was the legendary Barbarous Arena, a large wave of mana suddenly surged out at a spot not far in front of him. The space also became heavily distorted. Immediately afterwards, a wyrm appeared, and it turned from a translucent, illusory figure into a solid one in the blink of an eye.
Roar! A loud and clear dragon roar immediately resounded in the arena with the emergence of a wyrm.
Looking at the wyrm that appeared out of thin air, Lin Li’s pupils suddenly constricted because the wyrm that appeared was not like the ones that he usually saw. Instead, it was a king of the wyrms that had Sanctuary-level mana waves.
It was a Silver Wyrm that was not very large but seemed extremely athletic from head to toe. Its body was covered with scales that glistened like a silvery armor. It did not seem terrifying, but it seemed more like a sheathed sword that was so sharp that others dared not look at it.
Among the massive group of ancient wyrms, the Silver Wyrm had always been known as the Assassin of wyrms as it had incredible speed that other wyrms could not compare to. It was also known for its flexible and agile fighting style. Moreover, the Silver Wyrms also held the power of space, which made it impossible for others to ward off their attacks.
Hence, although the level that the Silver Wyrm showed seemed to only be at level-26, Lin Li dared not be careless at all, especially since the powerful defensive abilities and massive power were part of its strength. Level did not mean anything at all.
Besides, the Barbarous Arena had a characteristic where it would automatically match those who entered with opponents that were similar in strength to them. Although the Silver Wyrm was only at level-26, it had been released in the Barbarous Arena, which meant that its combat power was not inferior to that of Lin Li, a level-27 powerhouse. In fact, it was probably stronger.
After entering the Barbarous Arena, the Silver Wyrm seemed to have felt a little confused about suddenly appearing in an unfamiliar environment. However, in the blink of an eye, its bloodshot eyes became clear again. It had already noticed Lin Li who was standing close by. After roaring, it began attacking Lin Li without hesitation, perhaps because it regarded Lin Li as the culprit who caused it to end up there, or because it had gained some unknown information.