Chapter 368: Lord of Nightmares

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

“Pfft, how is that controlling? I wonder which idiot spread that rumor. Rubbing the lamp merely summons a soulless shadow, which is nothing compared to the true Lord of Nightmares. You think the grand master of the 21st floor of the Abyss is only close to the Legendary-realm? The person who spread such rumor didn’t know how powerful the Lord of Nightmares was in his prime; even in my prime, I was probably already at the Legendary-realm…”

“Then the Lord of Nightmares was much stronger than someone in the Legendary-realm in his prime?”

“Of course. When I spoke to you using the Spiritual Force outside, I sensed a few strong auras. I suppose they are what you call someone at the Legendary-realm? Don’t blame me for being frank with you, but even if they combined forces, they probably would be no match for the Lord of Nightmares in his prime…” Connoris paused here and hesitated a bit. “But I did sense a really strong aura. He’s no match for Osric then, but he might stand a chance against the Lord of Nightmares. Say, when did you start getting to know such powerful people?”

“I just got to know him today…” Lin Li replied simply. The strong aura Connoris referred to had to have been Apophis. The old man was indeed so strong that he was nearly above being a mortal; he had only used a bit of mana in the library, and had beat Lin Li to a pulp. If he used all his strength, Lin Li might just turn into ash.

When he thought of this, Lin Li turned to look at the Demon Magic Lamp on the desk again, and his gaze became fervent. If what Connoris said was true, then the Brilliance Shrine really gave him an invaluable gift indeed…

Of course, the gift had to be usable for it to really be valuable…

“Well, Connoris, what should I do to completely control the strength of the Lord of Nightmares?”

“Completely control the strength of the Lord of Nightmares? Stop dreaming, that’s impossible given your current abilities…”

“So you’ve just been spouting nonsense?” Lin Li was on the verge of tears with how ridiculous the situation was. This Connoris had been going on and on and tempting Lin Li, but in the end, all he said was something like “don’t even dream about it”…

“How’s that nonsense?” Connoris’ voice rose in pitch. “I’m the greatest Soul Trader there ever was! Why would I say anything I’m not sure of? Yes, you’re not powerful enough now to control the strength of the Lord of Nightmares, but you can borrow it…”

Lin Li paused. “Borrow?”

“That’s right…” Connoris paused before continuing. “You think Osric sealed me in here for nothing? For the past 1,300 years, I’ve been studying, and now I have deciphered the seal on this hammer as well as mastered the 12 Magic Lamps. The seal on it is not just any seal: it contains a part of Osric’s mental strength. He used his mental strength to restrain the 12 powerful Demon Lords and sealed all their souls and memories, only leaving a bit of pure strength for people to summon. If you want to borrow the strength of the Lord of Nightmares, of course you have to start by using mental strength…”

“Then what should I do?”

“Very simple, from today onwards, whenever you have the time, summon the shadow from the Magic Lamp. You can leave it be after that, just assign it some task like washing your clothes or cleaning. Whatever it is, make sure you infuse some of your mental strength into the seal. That’s when the seal is at its weakest, and you can use this chance to infuse your mental strength into it. Perhaps you won’t see results in a day or two, but after some time, the seal would have some of your aura, and then there will be a small crack in it…”

“Don’t underestimate the small crack, the Lord of Nightmares’ soul and memories come out from that crack, and once the shadow has these, it will instantly have the true strength of the Lord of Nightmares. Even though it is only a really small portion, it is unimaginably powerful. By then, you will not just have a creature near the Legendary-level, but a truly Legendary one. Moreover, it cannot be injured or die—as long as the magical crystal in the Magic Lamp is not depleted, this Legendary creature will not tire of fighting!”

“Isn’t this… a little too exciting?”

“Hehe, exciting? There’s more…” Connoris snorted before continuing, “The bigger the crack, the stronger the shadow you summon, and when you reach the Legendary-realm yourself, you can even use half the strength of the Lord of Nightmares! That is truly the peak of the Legendary-realm, and none of your friends outside besides the powerful old man will be able to withstand that strength!

“Then you can use that strength to control the Eternal Furnace and make me a new body…”

“Hm, don’t worry I won’t forget what I promised you.” Lin Li nodded his head and picked up the Demon Magic Lamp from the desk. As Connoris had said, he lightly rubbed the surface of the Magic Lamp.

“BOOM!”

A dull sound followed, and black fog appeared. It was thick and heavy in the air, just like black ink. A strong force was emitting powerful waves from the fog, which made Lin Li frown lightly—this force was unusually evil, and as it spread out in the room, Lin Li could hear devastating cries in his ears and see gory scenes flash before his eyes…

“It’s powerful indeed…” Lin Li hurriedly put up a Mental Protection Field to separate the nightmarish scene. That was probably the strength of the Lord of Nightmares; Lin Li had not thought that it would be so powerful that even a soulless shadow without any memories would be able to affect him, who was already at the peak of level-17. If it had been a Magic Shooter instead, they might be stuck in the scary nightmarish realm as soon as they met this force.

Just as Lin Li was silently in awe, the black fog contracted. Previously occupying an area of roughly 10 meters in diameter, it formed the shape of a human head and hovered silently above the Magic Lamp. The already thick fog looked almost opaque and palpable after contracting, and as Lin Li looked at it, he saw a pair of black eyes looking at him from the darkness…

“Iminia awaits your bidding, Master.” A buzzing voice came from within the black fog.

“Hang on…” Lin Li paused, and only then did he remember that he did not have anything for him to do—there was no enemy he needed to get rid of, nor did he have any unfulfilled wishes. Surely he wasn’t really going to get him to do the laundry and clean the place? Hence, Lin Li turned his gaze to Connoris. “Hey, Soul Trader, what do I do now?”

“Of course you get him to go back, you’ve got nothing for him to do now. Well, unless you want to chat with him? Aside from the fact that he’s a shadow without memory or soul, you can’t afford to chat with him, either—even if he does, do you know how much mana is needed to summon him? The magical crystal in this Magic Lamp is a level-15 one, right? If I’m not wrong, it’ll probably only last you 10 minutes before the magical crystal is exhausted…”

“What?” Lin Li almost jumped at the words.

The mana in a level-15 magical crystal could be used for at least 10 Thousand Miles of Ice, yet it would only last for 10 minutes when used to summon the shadow of the Lord of Nightmares. How much mana would it cost to summon the true Lord of Nightmares, then? Lin Li finally understood why Connoris had added “provided the magical crystal is not exhausted” when he’d mentioned that he would not tire of fighting…

Thankfully, it was only a shadow they summoned. While a level-15 magical crystal was valuable, luckily, Lin Li had a few more on hand, and if he used them wisely, he should be able to summon the shadow at least a dozen times. However, once he made a crack in the seal and released the soul and memory of the Lord of Nightmares, he would need something more powerful than a level-15 magical crystal—whatever he summoned was going to be something much more powerful, after all, and needed something equally powerful to sustain it. Perhaps he was going to have to use a Legendary magical crystal…

But these were distant worries, and he could worry about them later.

Lin Li shook his head, and brushed the worries aside. At the same time, he released a bit of mental strength, and let it combine with the seal on the Magic Lamp following the black fog.

“Alright, Iminia, you can go back first.” After that, Lin Li waved his hand, and the black fog returned into the Demon Magic Lamp.

Once the shadow disappeared, Connoris rushed to ask excitedly, “Well, how does it feel?”

“Feels… weird.” Lin Li recalled earnestly the time when he combined his mental strength with the seal. For some reason, he felt something, but it was hard to put into words. “There seems to be more than just Osric’s mental strength there…”

“Nonsense, I’ve been sealed in here for 1,300 years, and have studied these seals inside out. When I say mental strength, I mean mental strength, how can there be anything else!?”

“Never mind, let’s talk next time. I’ve been resting for so long; if I don’t go back, Mr Herza is going to be mad…” Lin Li could not think of anything else but to stuff the Demon Magic Lamp back in his pocket.

“Bloody hell!” Just as Connoris was about to be sent back into the Ring of Endless Storm, the great Soul Trader jumped suddenly. “You’re going to throw me back into that damned Dimensional Space? No, no way, I’m telling you, I swear, I’m not going back into that damned Dimensional Space ever again!”

“The heck…” Lin Li did not think that Connoris would have such a big reaction to it. He was just asking him to hide in the Dimensional Space, not asking him for his life! Lin Li was left helpless toward Connoris’ reaction. “Connoris, good sir, you’re a hammer now, one that jumps and talks too. If I don’t put you back into the Dimensional Space and somebody sees you, aren’t you afraid that they’ll take you for a magical beast and capture you?

“Wait…” When Lin Li said this, he suddenly recalled something. “Connoris, since when can you control the hammer? I remember you were nearly melted by the Dragon Hawk and you didn’t make the hammer run away when we were in Cinder Woods. What’s going on now?”

“This is why I’m never going back to that damned Dimensional Space!” The usually dignified Soul Trader Connoris suddenly spilled expletives. “Damn it, that stupid Ring of Endless Storm of yours has the scariest Dimensional Space on earth. There is a frightening force in it, and it is constantly tormenting my soul; it’s even scarier than the strength of the Lord of Nightmares. In order to escape the torment, I had to force myself to tear away a bit of the seal, and you know what’ll happen if I do? I’m not as powerful as the Lord of Nightmares, and when Osric killed me, my soul should have already dissipated, but in order to keep the knowledge I have, Osric forcefully sealed me into this hammer with magic. Other than to restrain me, it also protects my soul. Once this seal is broken, my soul will dissipate!”

“So now you…”

“I’m fine now. A small crack won’t destroy the seal left by Osric, but if you keep me in that damned Dimensional Space again, I cannot guarantee that I won’t destroy the seal to escape. The torment on your soul is something you won’t understand unless you’ve experienced it for yourself…”

“Alright, I’ll bring you with me, but you have to promise that you will act like a real hammer…” By then, Lin Li’s mind was a mess. Too many things happened today—from the Demon sealed into the Magic Lamp to Connoris who had torn the seal, as well as the strange power hidden in the Ring of Endless Storm. The consecutive scares left Lin Li unable to react to it, and he could not be bothered to argue with Connoris, only accepting his demand for now.

Sigh, a mage with a hammer, how “outstanding” indeed…

After the inauguration ceremony, the Tower of Dusk became quiet again as most of the guests had left. Even Hoffman who had made an appointment with Lin Li was now discussing a deal in Doland City. There were few people left in the Tower of Dusk. They included Gerian: the fatty was having it easy nowadays as the Guild of Magic was nearly unbeatable in Jarrosus City—not a single force dared to show them the slightest disrespect.

Well, Lin Li did leave them with a very serious warning before he left…

The scene with hundreds of ice sculptures at the Black River was still vivid in their minds. Which force would dare to provoke the Guild of Magic? If they messed with the old fatty Gerian, they might not be in much trouble, but if they annoyed the one in the Breezy Plains, and he came back with another Thousand Miles of Ice, then it was not going to be a pretty sight.

Hence, Gerian was not worried at all, leaving the matters at the Guild of Magic to Kevin while he lazed around. Now that he was in the Breezy Plains, he did not even want to leave, constantly bugging Lin Li to give him a position here.

“The heck, how can I give you a position?” Lin Li was perplexed. He was the president, and it would not be an issue for him to assign a position; moreover, given his relationship with Gerian, he would even give up his position as president to him. But sir, you’re the president of Jarrosus’ Guild of Magic, that is assigned by the Supreme Council, how would I have the guts to give the president of another Guild of Magic a position here? If I did, wouldn’t that old man Apophis break my legs?

Lin Li’s head starting aching more when he thought of Apophis.

Apophis should have left the Tower of Dusk after the inauguration ceremony since he was one of the three Arbitrators of the Supreme Council, and should have many things to worry about. Usually, he did not even attend inauguration ceremonies, and even if he did, he would only say a few words of congratulations before leaving.

This time, however, the old fellow seemed to have got up on the wrong side of bed as he stayed at the Tower of Dusk for 10 days straight, even teaching Lin Li magic every day, resulting in the latter leaving the library bruised all over each day…

Today was the same—Apophis had called Lin Li into the library bright and early in the morning, and gave him a good beating, leaving him bruised before he decided to be kind and let him go.

“Damn it, is this karma?” Lin Li muttered to himself as he sat on the bed and applied the Recovery Potion on the bruises he had on his face.

“This is a dream come true for most people, yet you don’t know how to cherish it at all. I wonder what Mr Apophis sees in you…” Connoris lay quietly in the center of the desk, yet his words were unbelievably savage.

“Pfft…”

“Admit it, your abilities have improved tremendously in the last 10 days, and you’re almost at level-18 now, aren’t you? Even I can tell, so surely you feel something?”

“Well…” Lin Li was at a loss for words. Connoris was right: he was constantly beat up in the last 10 days, but his abilities had improved considerably too. Apophis was a Sanctuary Master, and much more powerful than Andoine. It was a dream come true for every mage to be able to receive his teachings. But of course, while he knew that, he could not take it lying down. Lin Li applied the Recovery Potion and gritted his teeth. When I reach the Sanctuary-realm, I’m going to have fun beating up this old man…

“Right, besides getting beaten up, did you summon the Lord of Nightmares these days?”

“Every day. I’ve even used up a few level-15 magical crystals. Hey, Soul Trader, is your method really feasible? Why do I feel like the seal is not loosening at all?”

“Just summon it every day. You can’t rush whether the seal will be opened or not. Do you know how powerful Osric was? How can you break open a seal he made with his mental strength in a day or two?”

“That’s true…” Lin Li thought for a while, and decided that Connoris’ words made sense. He nodded his head before suddenly recalling something. “Hey, Soul Trader, you said that there is a scary force in my Ring of Endless Storm?”

“Hm…” Connoris’ voice was unusually certain. “While I have no idea where it’s from, it gave me a sense of familiarity for some reason. Can you tell me where this Dimensional Space is from?”

“A very faraway place…” Lin Li pursed his lips without paying regard to what Connoris said. He was sure whatever Connoris thought of as familiar was merely an illusion since he had brought this Ring of Endless Storm from the Endless World. Even if Connoris was a powerful demon, he could not have travelled through time and space and come into contact with the Ring of Endless Storm, right?

However, this made Lin Li recall something. Back in the Endless World, there was a legend about the Space Artifact—the Ring of Endless Storm. There was a secret hidden within it, and anyone who got ahold of this secret would have powers comparable to a god’s.

Lin Li never paid much attention to such sayings, as he was the owner of the Ring of Endless Storm and knew better than anyone that it was purely a Space Artifact with no huge secret nor powers comparable to that of a god. Hence, every time he heard such a rumor, he merely smiled.

But this time, Lin Li did not smile.

Even Connoris said that there was a scary force hidden in the Ring of Endless Storm… Could that Space Artifact really be hiding a huge secret?

Seems like it’s time to study it…

Just as he was going to ask Connoris what the force was like, a knock sounded on the door.

“President Felic, Mr Hoffman is here, do you want to meet him?” Gavin knocked on the door. Aside from the fact that he was a tad ambitious, this beefy Archmage was a talent indeed. Lin Li had been busy being beaten up and being dragged into conversations with Gerian for the past 10 days, and had no time for official business, all of which was handled neatly by Gavin.