Chapter 141 – Kingdom of Darkness
“This divine item only has one function?” Fatty asked dubiously.
“That’s all that remains of it. It already works; what more do you want?” The appraiser rolled his eyes.
Fatty shared the Spatial Spoon’s information with Purple Bell, and the latter was quick to respond, “A divine item! Congrats, Big Brother Fatty!” Her voice was delighted. She was truly happy for Fatty.
“Hehe, just part of it…” He had been about to suggest paying Purple Bell compensation, but he swallowed the words upon hearing her chipper tone. Such an idea felt disrespectful toward her. However, secretly, Fatty vowed to make a powerful piece of equipment to repay Purple Bell in the future.
Closing the communicator, Fatty fiddled with the Spatial Spoon. The key-shaped tool displayed a silver white color after being appraised, which looked ordinary and lacked the majestic air of a divine item. As he gripped the item, he felt spatial waves fluctuate around his body.
After a short consideration, Fatty activated the Spatial Spoon’s function. The Spoon emitted a silver light. Just like what had happened on the seventh floor of Ma.s.s Graves, a s.p.a.ce portal gradually opened before Fatty; but, the Phantom had opened a black s.p.a.ce then, whereas Fatty’s was white.
“So this is a private s.p.a.ce coordinate?” Once Fatty stepped inside, the entrance behind him slowly closed. The s.p.a.ce was no larger than a pa.s.sageway about ten meters long, two meters wide, and three meters high. Those who stood inside the corridor could see out, but those outside couldn’t see in. As he walked along the pa.s.sageway, Fatty felt a cotton-soft feeling beneath his feet.
Exiting, he found he’d traveled nearly a dozen meters away from where the portal first opened. Fatty nodded in approval. While this item had only one function, it was still a superb skill for short-distance teleportation. The private s.p.a.ce now made it possible to pa.s.s through impenetrable obstacles, and the rogue was inclined to try his new skill on the Black Tortoise City wall. Yet, looking at the 20-30m thick wall, Fatty immediately gave up the idea.
The battle at Ma.s.s Graves had finally reached its climax by the time Fatty returned. Lei Ting was covered in wound upon wound. The h.e.l.lfire Stallion under him was so utterly exhausted that the fire it fumed was weaker and weaker.
However, the Black Tortoise City party wasn’t faring too well either: Jijilu still appeared to be okay since, as a mage, he only cast long-ranged attacks. As for the melee NPCs, Drucker had been the first to retreat with heavy injuries due to being the weakest among them; but, the rest also bore wounds. The four Yao beasts had sustained the brunt of most of the attacks because of their ma.s.sive forms. If their health had not matched their size, they would have been squashed by Lei Ting long ago.
“The Corps Captain lives up to his reputation.” In the sky, Libya wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and raised his dragon spear up high. He tapped his foot on the pterosaur’s back and charged once again toward Lei Ting.
Roaring, the gigantic deepwater crocodile, the giant boa, and the huge turtle surrounded the Undead Marshal and also continued to attack him. Wielding a magic staff that was over a meter in length and engraved with refined patterns, Jijilu chanted, and the fist-sized magic stone atop the staff glowed with a brilliant light.
“Hah!” Facing the simultaneous attacks, Lei Ting let out a loud cry and threw the Demon Slayer Sword into the sky. With a whoosh, the Demon Slayer transformed into a black beam that pierced the pterosaur’s body. The flying creature trembled all over, and a burst of black miasma gushed from its wound. In an instant, the pterosaur was completely enveloped.
No longer holding the Demon Slayer Sword, Lei Ting maneuvered his hands before his chest in a series of constantly changing gestures. At the same time, he screamed, “Thunder of the Ninth Heaven!”
Resounding thunder split the air as countless lightning bolts gathered to form a colossal dragon of electricity. The lightning dragon was far bigger than the three beasts on the ground; it was over several hundred meters in length, and the head was the size of a small hill.
The dragon’s body flashed with sparks, and it let out a long screech as it coalesced into being. Then, in one fell swoop, the creature swallowed Libya along with his pterosaur.
“Master Libya!” people on the ground shouted in fright. One after another, they spurred their steeds to attack Lei Ting.
“Aaaahwoooo!” the lightning dragon suddenly wailed furiously. Its mouth gaped, vomiting, and a figure came tumbling out. The huge pterosaur had been spat out, and it fell heavily to the ground with a thud. A great many people were crushed beneath the ma.s.sive body.
Swis.h.!.+ The players immediately retreated a few thousand meters, afraid of becoming such insignificant casualties to such a grand battle.
“As expected of a celestial boss!”
“Too powerful! We’re lucky we didn’t try to kill him.”
The players chattered excitedly. Some were impressed; some appreciated their luck; while still others were unwilling to abandon the potential rewards.
“Thunder of the Ninth Heaven is Lei Ting’s ultimate skill. He doesn’t have too much strength left,” Libya shouted, landing from his fallen mount with an easy flip. “Everyone, ignore the lightning dragon! Focus your attacks on Lei Ting!” He would lead the siege against Lei Ting.
“Hah! Land of Exile!” Jijilu had been chanting for more than ten minutes to call upon the spell. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, he raised his staff. With a bang, the fist-sized magic stone atop the staff shattered. A white light shot into the air and transformed into a rain of light that showered down upon the lightning dragon. Everywhere the glowing raindrops touched the dragon’s body, a sphere slowly materialized. Like the Spatial Spoon, this spell created an isolated s.p.a.ce within which one could seal the lightning dragon.
“Aaaawoooo!” The dragon struggled with all its might, but was unable to escape the Land of Exile’s binding.
“I can only hold it for a few minutes. Hurry and kill Lei Ting!” Jijilu cried, his brows dripping with sweat.
“Roaahhh!” The knight on the giant turtle was first to act, and he set his mount galloping toward the Undead Marshal. The knights of the other beasts quickly followed suit. Since his pterosaur was out of action, Libya simply rushed Lei Ting with his dragon spear.
Lei Ting was considered quite built compared to normal people. But, before the the three ma.s.sive Yao creatures, he looked as tiny as an ant even upon the back of his h.e.l.lfire Stallion. The earth rumbled as the giant beasts stampeded toward Lei Ting. However, he did not budge.
“Attack!” ordered Libya, and he took the lead.
Fwoos.h.!.+ All kinds of skills were cast. Just as they landed on Lei Ting…
“Kingdom of Darkness,” the Undead Marshal coldly proclaimed, his expression still impa.s.sive.
The sky abruptly darkened. With Lei Ting at the epicenter, a pitch black, gloomy dimension filled with countless b.a.l.l.s of lightning rippled into being. The anomaly radiated waves of ghastly mist and enshrouded Lei Ting. The dimension wasn’t large with a diameter of only 20 or so meters. However, the NPC generals’ faces immediately changed the moment it appeared.
“Kingdom of Darkness? You’ve transcended boundaries and reached the realm of G.o.d?! How could this be?” Libya screamed and frantically retreated. The other three following him hastily withdrew as well. Only the giant turtle was slightly slower, which was enough for the Kingdom of Darkness to engulf one of its legs.
“Aawooo!” wailed the giant turtle tragically. The captured leg quickly withered and rotted away until it was just ash floating on the wind.
Libya growled, “d.a.m.n it! He’s already been dead for this long! Why is his strength still growing?”
“From the looks of it, the Phantasm Ghost King not only tainted his soul, but also reformed his body with the power of Darkness as well,” Drucker muttered. Then, his expression abruptly changed. “If even Lei Ting can attain the power of G.o.d after such reform, just how powerful is the Phantasm Ghost King? How strong were Lin Yu and Aura who sealed the Phantasm Ghost King away?”
“Now’s not the time to worry about that. The problem is what do we do?”
“Don’t worry.” As the trusted general of City Lord Lin Xi, Drucker was a lot more knowledgeable than the average NPC. “The City Lord possesses superb strategy and incredible foresight. He exploited the Guild Construction Token to shorten Lei Ting’s slumber, so he is far weaker than if he’d been allowed to mature. Kingdom of Darkness can only protect him; so, let’s kill the lightning dragon first, then take care of him later.”
“It’s fortunate that he isn’t fully revived. Otherwise, Thunder of the Ninth Heaven could have summoned nine lightning dragons.” Jijilu swept a glance at the creature rolling overhead. After barely managing to cast Land of Exile, the mage’s face was pale.
“Corps Captain Lei Ting was originally an expert of both magic and martial arts. One strike of his Ninth Heaven could slay countless high-ranked demons. I’d never thought there’d be a day it was used on us,” Libya sighed.
Krk krk!
All of a sudden, a soft crackling penetrated the air. The sound grew and echoed until numerous cracks appeared across the Land of Exile’s surface. The seal around the lightning dragon seemed ready to crumble at any moment.
“The lightning dragon—that’s not right! This isn’t a lightning dragon; it’s a fusion of darkness and lightning! Hurry and attack! Or else none of us will be able to subdue it!” Libya commanded. “You three, help Master Jijilu hold down the dragon! I’ll go kill Lei Ting.”
Hefting his dragon spear, Libya rushed toward Lei Ting yet again. However, Libya was unable to approach the Undead Marshal due to Kingdom of Darkness, a swirling cauldron of corrosion, gloom, and depravity. Anyone who attempted to breach the mire would be turned to ashes instantly, like the giant turtle’s leg.
“s.p.a.ce mage! Is there a s.p.a.ce mage among you lot?” Drucker called out to the players. The crowd shook their heads. s.p.a.ce Mage was a hidden cla.s.s that was especially hard to get even among the hidden cla.s.ses, so it was normal that there weren’t any here.
Boom!
Above the battlefield, the lightning dragon still struggled with all its might. The Land of Exile spell was crazed with cracks and on the verge of collapse.
“General, I’m a Yin Yang Inquisitor. I can teleport a short distance and kill Lei Ting.” A player suddenly appeared next to Libya. The t.i.tle Yin Yang Inquisitor hovered above his head. Indeed, it was TenStepOneKill.
“Very good!” Libya exclaimed, overjoyed. TenStepOneKill shot a cold smile at Purple Bell in the distance. When he stretched out his hand, a white light flew from the floating Yin Yang Manual before his chest and formed a pure white portal. TenStepOneKill immediately stepped in.
“Bro, I’m going as well,” Purple Bell expressionlessly informed Wind G.o.d’s World. She then pointed at her Yin Yang Manual as well and strode into the black portal that emerged before her.
Fwis.h.!.+ Both of them appeared next to Lei Ting at the same time.
“How’d they do that?! Oh, right! Yin Yang Inquisitors have teleportation!” exclaimed the players.
No one had any idea that, in a private s.p.a.ce right next to Lei Ting, a sleazy Fatty lazed about and waited for a chance to make his move.