Chapter 1075: Ancestors
Since those who came to Elder Zumar’s aid were unreliable, he would have to rely on himself! After dodging another wave of fierce attacks from the dragon corpse, Elder Zumar suddenly retreated and raised the staff in his hand as he chanted a long incantation under his breath.
With his actions, Elder Zumar’s mana surged, and soon reached a very frightening height. At this point, Elder Zumar’s strength had already reached the peak of the Sanctuary-realm, and his mana was being stirred vigorously like a storm in the Endless Ocean.
Seeing Elder Zumar having such a terrifying power all of a sudden, the dragon corpse was of course barely affected, but Elvis and others could not help but have a drastic change in expression. In their opinion, it was like seeing a mortal become a god right before their eyes. The terrifying fluctuation in mana even made them feel an urge to bow down and submit.
That was not an exaggeration at all. After all, Elvis and others were only so-called pseudo-Sanctuary powerhouses who had yet to even grasp the power of the early stages of the Sanctuary-realm. Compared to real Sanctuary powerhouses, they were just like insignificant ants. To them, the power of the peak of the Sanctuary-realm was already equivalent to the power of the gods, and was at a level that they probably could not reach in their lifetime.
However, the dragon corpse was obviously not affected by Elder Zumar. Although it didn’t have a soul or consciousness, it didn’t take Elder Zumar, who had forcefully increased his power to the peak of the Sanctuary-realm, seriously.
Back then, the Dragon of Destruction Azardas had a position as a god, and even the current power of this dragon corpse contained a wisp of godly power. Although it was minute, it allowed the dragon corpse which was at the peak of the Sanctuary-realm to be fundamentally superior to peak Sanctuary powerhouses. The difference was like an insurmountable rift.
Elder Zumar had forcefully raised his power to the peak of the Sanctuary-realm; hence, he obviously had to pay a huge price for it. At this moment, the mana in his body was surging to the extreme, and it even caused ripples to form in the space around him. However, he no longer seemed as calm and majestic as he used to. Instead, his face was extremely sullen, and he seemed to be suffering from excruciating pain.
“Howl!”
Elder Zumar suddenly roared and pointed his staff forward, after which the mana in his body seemed to have found a vent as it surged out like a flood all of a sudden, causing huge waves to form in the air. Blue beasts that were formed by seawater launched a ferocious attack on the dragon corpse.
The blue beasts were almost as large as the dragon, and some were about the same as the corpse of the Dragon of Destruction. Besides, the power that their bodies contained had almost reached the peak of the Legendary-realm. There were even some that were stronger than Elvis and the other pseudo-Sanctuary powerhouses.
Lin Li, who did not stop paying attention to the battle, was not at all surprised that Elder Zumar had played his trump card. After all, Sanctuary powerhouses would definitely have a few trump cards to save their lives, though they treasured their lives more than anyone else. Ordinary people would have an average lifespan of a few decades, but the Sanctuary powerhouses had extremely long lifespans. Hence, they wouldn’t easily put their lives at risk.
However, Lin Li felt more or less disappointed by the trump card employed by Elder Zumar. Such power might be able to scare pseudo-Sanctuary powerhouses like Elvis, but Lin Li could see the flaws in it right away.
That was the power of the peak of the Sanctuary-realm, but at the same time it wasn’t. Elder Zumar managed to acquire a massive amount of mana that was comparable to the peak of the Sanctuary-realm by overloading his body, but his comprehension of the realm could not be increased. Hence, when using the massive mana, Elder Zumar still could only manipulate it according to his actual realm, and he would not be able to exert a terrifying power comparable to miracles like those who were truly at the peak of the Sanctuary-realm.
Simply put, when a person became stronger, they would at most be able to lift heavier equipment without being able to use it in other ways, because they did not possess any advanced skills.
Besides, the difference between Elder Zumar and the dragon corpse was not just the difference between a high level and the peak of the realm. The key was that the dragon corpse’s power also contained that wisp of godly power. Even if a true peak Sanctuary powerhouse was there, he might not be able to do anything to the dragon corpse, let alone Elder Zumar who had merely enhanced his mana.
However, this trump card of Elder Zumar was not completely useless. At the very least, it allowed him to last a little longer under the attack of the dragon corpse. Perhaps this time did not make much of a difference to Elder Zumar, but it was very important for Lin L. After all, the brief period of additional time increased the possibility of Lin Li finding the source of that weak power.
In fact, the development of the battle was just like what Lin Li had expected. Elder Zumar’s earth-shattering strike was insignificant in the face of the dragon corpse, and the marine beasts that were at the peak of the Legendary-realm were turning into water after being struck by the dragon corpse’s tail. The terrifying gigantic waves smashed against the dragon corpse, but they seemed to just be giving the dragon corpse a bath, allowing the scales on the body of the dragon corpse to become glistening and dazzling.
The result was so devastating that Elder Zumar almost vomited blood. Although he knew that his power was not comparable to that of a real peak Sanctuary powerhouse, the gap was simply too huge.
Elder Zumar felt that the power he now possessed would at least allow him to cause some damage to the dragon corpse even though he might not be able to fight the dragon corpse head-on. However, reality gave Elder Zumar a slap in the face. Clearly, his power was still not enough for him to become the dragon corpse’s opponent.
Hence, as soon as Elder Zumar released that shocking burst of attacks as if he was about to kill the dragon corpse in the blink of an eye, he was once again chased by the dragon corpse. Of course, his trump card was not completely useless, as it at least allowed him to escape the attack of the dragon corpse with a little more ease.
Finally, just when Elder Zumar and Elvis and others found it hard to endure, a look of surprise formed on Lin Li’s face. Through the pursuit of that faint power, Lin Li’s mental strength found the source of that power in the deepest part below Cage Island. Through his spiritual senses, Lin Li could basically determine that the source of that wisp of power was none other than a sealing array that was operating so slowly that it seemed like it might stop at any moment.
That discovery surprised Lin Li, but at the same time he felt extremely conflicted. Obviously, the sealing array was being faulty for some reason. In order to reseal the dragon corpse, he clearly had to repair the sealing array. However, Lin Li would have to personally dive into the bottom of the sea in order to do that.
If it was in normal times, Lin Li’s strength, which was close to the Sanctuary-realm, would allow him to dive deep into the sea without difficulty, and it would be as easy as walking on the surface. However, things were different now as the entire sea area had become the domain of the dragon corpse. The power of the dragon corpse had seeped into every inch of space. Lin Li had merely put some of his mental strength into the bottom of the sea, and he could already feel the immense pressure. If it were to really dive deep into the bottom, the danger he would face would not be inferior to fighting the dragon corpse head-on.
To Lin Li, diving into the deep sea successfully was a huge challenge, and he might really end up falling there. Besides, diving deep into the sea didn’t necessarily mean that he would be able to repair the seal. Even Lin Li, a Guru, could not be sure for now.
In particular, the dragon corpse was the corpse of the Dragon of Destruction, so was it related to the Immortal King? If the seal was set by someone else, Lin Li would be more confident in repairing it, but the Immortal King was an insanely powerful expert that could replicate the Stars of Fury. God knew what kind of seal he would have set under the sea.
“Elder Zumar, are you still refusing to tell the truth at this point? How exactly did this dragon corpse come about, and what exactly is the purpose of your visit to Cage Island this time?” Lin Li didn’t say anything about the seal, and instead joined the battle again, which relieved the pressure and burden on Elder Zumar and the others.
However, before Elder Zumar could catch his breath, he heard Lin Li’s question, and was shocked to the point of nearly losing his breath. It was not an easy question to answer, and he didn’t know what Lin Li knew. Hence, if he gave an unsatisfactory answer, Lin Li might really leave them in a lurch in a moment of anger. However, telling the truth was obviously not a good choice, as that would defeat the purpose of fighting there.
Of course, at the end of the day, Elder Zumar had experienced all sorts of things before. Hence, he soon got a grip on his emotions, and did not reveal any strange expression, either. He did his best to cope with the dragon corpse’s attacks while panting heavily, and saying, “Since you’ve asked about it, I will tell you the truth, President Felic. The dragon corpse was indeed not sealed here by any Titan, but by our ancestors of the Gilded Kingdom.”
In fact, the people of the Gilded Kingdom did not know the true origin of the dragon corpse, but just thought that it was the corpse of a very powerful ancient giant dragon. Moreover, when the people of the Gilded Kingdom first saw the dragon corpse, it already seemed to have a life of its own, like it was now.
Before the Dark Age, the ancestors of the Gilded Kingdom had already begun to migrate overseas, and established the Gilded Kingdom. While the entire Anril plunged into darkness, the Gilded Kingdom which was far away in the sea had undergone a period of rapid development thanks to the natural barrier the Endless Ocean constituted.
Under the protection of the powerful alchemical ships, the Gilded Kingdom incorporated several islands that were suitable for living. Legend had it that during its peak, the population of the Gilded Kingdom was almost as large as that of Anril.
However, the wonderful days were short-lived. When the banner of the Gilded Kingdom was erected on every island in the Endless Ocean, a dragon corpse that did not have a soul or a Dragon Crystal appeared in front of them. It could devour an entire island with one mouthful of dragon breath, and a roar could spark waves that were tens of meters high.
No one knew what this dragon corpse was after. All they knew was that it was heading towards the depths of the Endless Ocean. The people on the islands it went to would either be turned into ashes by its dragon breath or washed away by the huge waves and tsunamis. In a short period of time, the dragon corpse caused an unimaginable loss for the Gilded Kingdom, which was just like the end of the world.
The Gilded Kingdom deployed all its fleets to stop the dragon corpse from flying towards the capital, but that battle became a key turning point in the Gilded Kingdom’s decline. In that battle, the alchemical ships of the Gilded Kingdom which had been crossing the Endless Ocean seemed to have become useless, while 2/3 of the battleships sunk into the deep ocean forever.
Fortunately, at the last moment, the ancestors of the Gilded Kingdom and the priest of the Illuminati returned in time to start a crazy battle. The battle lasted more than 10 days, and the entire sea seemed to be in chaos as there were corpses of giant sea beasts floating everywhere on the surface.
In the end, two Sanctuary powerhouses led the dragon corpse to Cage Island, and managed to activate the seal that had been set there previously, thus sealing the ferocious dragon corpse under Cage Island. However, the power of the dragon corpse was so strong that the seal set by the two peak Sanctuary powerhouses could not hold it down permanently. Hence, the ancestors of the Gilded Kingdom left an Alchemy Array to seal it, and told their descendants in the Gilded Kingdom to come here every once in a while to reinforce the seal through the Alchemy Array to prevent the disaster from happening again.
Elder Zumar unraveled the story, and Lin Li also managed to get the information he wanted to know. The seal under Cage Island was indeed left by the ancestors of Gilded Kingdom. Besides, he could tell from the fact that the seal had to be reinforced every once in a while that the seal should not be of a high level. If it had been set by the Immortal King, it probably wouldn’t have had to be reinforced every once in a while.
Of course, Lin Li wasn’t that naive to think that Elder Zumar was telling the complete truth. It could be said that 10% of what Elder Zumar said were lies to make it seem that he was telling the complete truth.