In the various legends of Anril, Shapeshifters had always been described as the mounts of demons. They came with the flames of hell, bringing blood and slaughter to the human world.
Where Shapeshifters were born, there must have been a disaster. It might have been a natural disaster, or it might have been a man-made disaster. However, there was no doubt that in this disaster, thousands of people must have lost their lives. Only a disaster of this degree could give birth to a monster like the Shapeshifters that was formed from pure negative emotions.
Pain and despair were the source of power for the Shapeshifters.
They were formed from pure negative emotions, and their bodies were in between reality and illusion. They were born to be proficient in all kinds of Dark Magic. From the day they were born, the Shapeshifters had the power of at least level-16. When they evolved to their complete form, they might even break through level-20 and reach the realm of Legendary magical beasts.
Although the Shapeshifter in front of them had not broken through level-20, it had already undergone its first evolution. Its four hooves were surrounded by flames, and one of its horns was dark red. It had the power of at least level-18. Its body that was in between reality and illusion gave it a strong immunity. Be it magical damage or physical damage, it would be difficult to threaten its spiritual body. In addition, it was born to be proficient in Dark Magic. Perhaps even a level-19 powerhouse like Macklin would find it difficult to defeat this Shapeshifter in front of them.
How could a group of adventurers deal with such a terrifying monster?
In terms of numbers, the adventurers did have an absolute advantage. However, the strength of both sides was not on the same level. Among the 30-odd adventurers, the strongest was only level-12, and the weakest was only level-8. How could they fight against a Shapeshifter with such strength? In the words of Lord Gerian — you're courting death!
Nearly 10 Warriors covered in heavy armor stood at the front of the team. Their armor had obviously been processed with inscriptions, and had a strong resistance to the Dark Magic released by the Shapeshifters. Under the destructive attack of the Dark Magic, these Warriors miraculously survived, and bought precious time for the mages behind them to recite their spells.
However, the power of a Shapeshifter was not limited to Dark Magic.
A warrior had lost his life in just a short charge. The thick and heavy armor was like a thin piece of white paper under the dark red horn. The Shapeshifter lowered its head, and the horn instantly pierced through the body of a warrior. The long horn pierced through his chest and came out from his back. The dark red tip of the horn was glowing faintly in the midst of the bonfire. Amidst the violent roars, a large amount of blood splattered down, dyeing the long horn even more enchanting.
Meanwhile, the time that the warrior had bought with his life did not bring about the desired outcome of the battle.
The level of the dozen or so Magicians in the camp was too low.
This was the natural flaw of the mercenary corps. In the Felan Kingdom, there were very few mercenary corps that could recruit powerful mages because they were too expensive.
A piece of magical equipment easily cost tens of thousands of gold coins. How many magical beasts would one have to kill to exchange for it? In particular, only the Guild of Magic could afford to nurture those above the level of Magic Shooter. Unless they could not enter the Guild of Magic, otherwise, no Magic Shooter would be willing to become an Adventurer. As for the Archmages … try to recruit Gerian.
The mercenary corps in front of him was considered not bad. Lin Li looked over and actually found two Magic Shooters.
However, other than these two Magic Shooters, the strength of the others was too poor. A group of level-eight or nine mages was not considered the top figures even in the Jarrosus Guild of Magic, not to mention that this was the capital, Alanna.
Their weak magic power had doomed them to failure.
In that precious time for reciting, almost all the mages had recited their strongest spells, from Flaming Storm to Arcane Missile, and then from Frost Spear to Fireball. More than 10 spells were released at the same time, and in an instant, the camp was filled with brilliant light …
But what this light brought was only an angry roar.
More than 10 spells hit almost at the same time, but only a few of them could cause damage to the Shapeshifter. Flaming Storm could barely be counted as one of them. After all, it was the most powerful spell below the level of a Magic Shooter. But even Flaming Storm seemed to have lost its previous power. After the brilliant sparks flew, there was only a charred mark on the Shapeshifter's body …
Seeing this scene, Lin Li could not help but sigh slightly. The Shapeshifter was not immune to elements. Spells like Flaming Storm could indeed cause damage to it, but it was far from enough to kill it.
To deal with a monster like the Shapeshifter that was formed by resentment, the most effective way was undoubtedly to purify it with Holy Light.
However, Felan was a kingdom of magic, and very few people chose a Priest as their profession. As for a Paladin, it was even rarer. To find a holy profession that could purify a Shapeshifter was even more difficult than teaching Andoine how to concoct potions.
Of course … magic could also work, provided that it was powerful enough.
For example, with Andoine's Legendary-level strength, he only needed to cast a spell to completely kill this Shapeshifter. This was the difference between realms. In the face of the absolute power of the Legendary-level, the body that was in between reality and illusion was just like a floating cloud.
When one's power reached Andoine's realm, there was no need to think about how to deal with it. It was just pure brute force to crush it. Just like what he did in the forest when he first arrived. No matter what kind of magical beast it was, he just blasted it with an instantaneous fireball. It was simple and violent, and the effect was surprisingly good …
Unfortunately, the old man left in a hurry.
Otherwise, Lin Li would have really wanted to ask him for help to take down this rare Shapeshifter.
This was a really good thing. If that horn was used to forge weapons, who knew how many people would die of envy. Even if it was just a piece of ordinary iron, as long as it was added with the horn of a Shapeshifter, its value would immediately increase by a hundredfold. The horn of a Shapeshifter could be said to be indestructible. Just like that Warrior just now, the armor on his body was thick and heavy, but it was like a thin piece of white paper under the horn of a Shapeshifter. It only took a light poke to pierce through his heart.
Weapons forged with the horn of a Shapeshifter would be endowed with powerful Dark Force. This force was so strong that it could easily shatter a defensive barrier. Frost Armor Spell? It was just a joke under the horn of a Shapeshifter …
As for the magical crystal of a Shapeshifter, it was something that every mage dreamed of. When it was embedded on a magic staff, the endless negative emotions would immediately increase the power of Mental Magic and Spiritual Magic by a few levels.
Just thinking about the various treasures on the Shapeshifter made Lin Li salivate.
Unfortunately, this was a goldfish, and he could only look at it but not knock it …
While Lin Li was secretly regretting, there were a few screams coming from the campsite. The Shapeshifter that was infuriated by the magic attack had completely entered a state of rage. From afar, it looked like a wild horse that had broken free from its restraints. With its dark red horn, it set off a reign of terror in the campsite.
Under the invincible horn, the heavy armor was like a floating cloud. Not a single warrior could withstand a single strike from the Shapeshifter. In just an instant, half of the seven to eight warriors had already fallen to the ground. Blood was flowing out of their wounds, dying the campsite red in an instant. As the four hooves of the Shapeshifter galloped across the campsite, the flames were blazing fiercely. The rampaging Shapeshifter was like a real nightmare. It was using its own unique way to emit the power of pain and despair.
"Hold it back, buy time for the mages!" Seeing that the team was about to collapse, another roar came from the campsite. This was the voice of a young man. Lin Li looked towards the source of the voice, and saw a golden-haired youth roaring in exasperation at a corner of the campsite.
This roar did indeed delay the collapse of the team. The few surviving warriors forced themselves to raise the weapons in their hands, and tightly entangled the rampaging Shapeshifter. At the same time, the mages behind them had also completed their recitation. This time, they were smarter. They no longer tried to use offensive spells to harm the Shapeshifter. Instead, they used all kinds of stateful spells to restrain it. A large number of Delaying Spells, Blinding Spells, and Weakening Spells covered the Shapeshifter like an inescapable net.
After all, the body that was in between reality and illusion was still half-real. A large number of low-level stateful spells that targeted the body also affected the Shapeshifter. However, what it brought was a feeling like a mosquito bite. Although it was not fatal, it was really annoying. It was like a buzzing fly hovering beside one's ear, making one want to slap it to death.
In fact, that was exactly what the Shapeshifter did …
That pair of crimson eyes suddenly shone brightly, followed by a huge surge of Dark Force. The surrounding space was showing a strange distortion, and the magical elements were boiling like boiling water. Even Lin Li, who was far away at the entrance of the cave, could feel that this was a powerful Dark Magic.
"Why …" Lin Li shook his head. He had already guessed this result. A group of Adventurers who were at most level-12 facing a level-18 Shapeshifter was only a matter of time.
"Let's go back to Alanna."
Lin Li released two Hastening Spells — one on Sean, and the other on himself. It was almost time to leave. Otherwise, when the Shapeshifter finished dealing with the group of Adventurers, it would be their turn to suffer.
In fact, Lin Li only dared to leave at this time.
The camp was between the cave and the forest. Other than using the Power of Flight like Andoine, they had to pass through the camp if they wanted to return to Alanna. The battle earlier was not intense enough, so Lin Li had to delay for so long. He was worried that he would be splashed with blood if he walked over. The Shapeshifter did not care if you were an Adventurer or not. As long as you were a human, it made no difference to it.
But now, there was no need to worry. The battle had reached its climax. Thanks to those mages, the Shapeshifter had been forced to the brink of madness. Even if Lin Li walked over openly, the Shapeshifter might not be interested in him. To the Shapeshifter, those buzzing flies were the most damned things in the world.
To be safe, Lin Li did not release the Illumination Spell. Under the cover of the night, the two of them quietly crept towards the camp …
Both of their steps were very light. When they stepped on the lush green grass, there was only a soft "sha sha" sound.
"Hold on! All of you, hold on for me! " The Dark Force surged wildly, and the boiling magical elements made everyone feel suffocated. The blond youth's voice was hoarse from shouting, and his pair of red eyes were bloodshot.
But it was all too late …
The crimson glow in the Shapeshifter's eyes, which were filled with pain and despair, had already reached its peak. The boiling magical elements were like a tide, constantly crashing against the dam. Once the final wave surged, the dam would be broken, and the entire campsite would be submerged in an instant.
"Big Brother, I can't hold on anymore …" Lin Li wanted to tell him.
To be honest, he sympathized with this group of Adventurers.
But sympathy was sympathy. Pulling out a sword to help in the face of injustice was another matter altogether.
Turning the tide required strength. A level-13 Magic Shooter challenging a level-18 magical beast was not called helping out; it was like sending a sheep into a tiger's mouth. Lin Li was not that noble to foolishly throw his life away to help a group of strangers …
So, he could only pretend not to see anything. He buried his head and walked into the forest …
And at this moment, the Dark Force that had been accumulating for a long time suddenly exploded.
In a split second, there was only a black mist rippling out. From afar, it looked like circles of black ripples, and also like a black flower blooming. The warrior who bore the brunt of the attack was blown up the moment he came into contact with the black mist.
This was a real explosion. Flesh and blood splattered from the inside out.
That muffled "bang" made everyone's scalp go numb. There were pieces of armor mixed in the splattered flesh and blood. The armor that had been treated with inscriptions was so weak at this moment. In the midst of the black ripples, it was like duckweed that was gently torn apart.
"Death Ripple …" Lin Li was shocked. This was the legendary level-18 Dark Spell. Even many Archmages who specialized in Dark Spells might not have mastered the Death Ripple. He did not expect to see it on a magical beast today …
It's over, it's all over now.
A Shapeshifter that mastered Dark Force was already scary enough. Furthermore, this Shapeshifter had mastered the Death Ripple, which was famous for its destructive power. This was not something that any Shapeshifter could master.
The Shapeshifter's mastery of Dark Magic was similar to the Fantama Panther's. That was, the better its innate talent was, the more advanced its mastery of Dark Magic would be. The innate talent of a Shapeshifter was determined by the negative emotions that it gathered. To a large extent, it also represented the scale of the disaster.
To create a Shapeshifter that could release the Death Ripple, it would require at least a massacre of more than 10,000 people.
Thinking of a massacre of more than 10,000 people, Lin Li could not help but scratch his head. He even stopped in his tracks. He could vaguely remember that he had heard of such a massacre somewhere.
Muffled explosions sounded continuously in the campsite. In just a moment, the few warriors who were lucky enough to survive were completely annihilated by the Death Ripple.
They were too close to the Death Ripple that suddenly bloomed. Even if they wanted to escape, they would not be able to.
At this moment, the campsite was a scene of flesh and blood splattering everywhere.
Amidst the splattering blood, the speed of the Death Ripple spread was like a plague. In an instant, it had already reached the mages. In a few seconds, this group of mages would be buried under the Death Ripple. After that, this team of Adventurers would be completely annihilated.
At this critical moment, a dazzling white light suddenly shot out from the crowd and tore apart the dark fog.
This time, even Lin Li could not help but be stunned. He could clearly feel the pure Divine Power contained in the light.
"Holy Light!" At this moment, Lin Li was really stunned. Everyone knew that the Felan Kingdom was the kingdom of mages. A Divine Profession that mastered the Holy Light was as rare as a dinosaur. Finding a Divine Profession that could use the Holy Light to purify a Shapeshifter was even more difficult than hiring a Legendary-mage. Lin Li had never thought that there would be such a powerful Divine Profession hidden among this group of Adventurers.
The Death Ripple was a real level-18 Dark Magic. To be able to dispel it in an instant, it should at least be a level-15 Divine Spell.
"No, it's not a Divine Profession …" But soon, Lin Li realized that he had guessed wrong.
After the black fog was dispelled, Lin Li immediately saw clearly that the thing that emitted Divine Power was not a Divine Profession, but a silver disc.
The golden-haired young man gripped the silver disc tightly with both hands. His fair and handsome face was already covered with large beads of sweat. Just the thought of the previous scene was enough to make one tremble with fear. He had never expected that the strength of this Nightmare Shapeshifter would actually be so terrifying.
Fortunately, he had used the sacred weapon in time. If he had been a second late, the mercenary corps that he had painstakingly developed would have been completely annihilated by the Death Ripple …
The sacred weapon that he had paid a huge price for was indeed shockingly powerful. The Divine Power that it contained could even dispel level-18 Dark Magic.
It was a pity that this sacred weapon could only be used once …
Thinking of this, there was a trace of regret in the eyes of the golden-haired young man. The reason why the mercenary corps came to the Nightmare Mountains to challenge this legendary Shapeshifter was that he had a powerful sacred weapon in his hands. When he had gotten this sacred weapon, the mercenary corps had already planned it out.
Using the ancient tactic of using the Warriors to restrain the Shapeshifter and the mages to attack, they would cause a certain amount of damage to the Shapeshifter. Through this damage, they would gradually weaken its power. When the strength of the Shapeshifter had been weakened to a certain extent, they would suddenly take out the sacred weapon and give it the most fatal blow.
Unfortunately, their luck was still a little bad.
Despite all the calculations, they had missed one point. This was actually a Shapeshifter that had mastered the Death Ripple …
Now that the power of the sacred weapon had been exhausted, even if there was a trace of it left, it would be difficult to pose a threat to the Shapeshifter. If they continued to delay, they might end up being completely annihilated.
The golden-haired young man quickly made a decision.
He raised the silver plate in his hand high. Under the blazing flames, the light on the silver plate was especially dazzling.
"Retreat!" With this command, another ray of light lit up on the silver plate. However, compared to the previous time when the Death Ripple was dispelled, the light this time was much dimmer.
Pure Divine Power gushed out from the silver plate once again. However, this time, it was not used to dispel Dark Magic. Instead, it went straight for the Shapeshifter that had released the Death Ripple.
Even though this was only the remnant power of the saint artifact, the power it unleashed had reached an unimaginable level due to its innate nature. Dazzling white light flashed and pierced through Shapeshifter's body in an instant. Dark-red mist gushed out from the wound. For Shapeshifter, which existed in a state between corporeal and illusory, this was its blood, the source of its power. Every strand of dark-red mist that gushed out would cause its power to weaken slightly. This attack alone had weakened it by over a quarter of its power.
If this had happened in the past, it would have been unimaginable. More than 30 Adventurers had taken turns to attack, and even a spell like the Flaming Storm had only weakened the Shapeshifter's power a little.
"What a pity …" The handsome face of the golden-haired young man was full of regret. If only they could drag it out for another minute. Just one minute, and he could use this sacred weapon to kill this level-18 magical beast in an instant …
Unfortunately, it was too late.
The power in the sacred weapon was no longer enough to kill it.
Apart from completely enraging it, this final attack was completely meaningless.
"Roar!" The furious roar almost pierced through everyone's eardrums. This was the first time the Shapeshifter had been truly injured. At this moment, it exploded with unparalleled anger. Its crimson eyes shone brightly, as if blood was about to drip out. The flames that lingered on its four hooves were burning so fiercely that it made everyone tremble in fear.
The mercenary team had already started to retreat. The surviving archers were covering the mages, and they were retreating out of the campsite at an extremely fast speed. Before they set off, they had already rehearsed the process of retreat countless times. Even though they had failed to kill the Shapeshifter, they did not panic when they retreated. The mages walked in front, and the archers followed closely behind them with daggers in their hands. If the Warriors were still alive, this position would have been theirs …
The mercenary team retreated like the tide. The Shapeshifter's crimson eyes did not even look at them. Its gaze was fixed on the silver plate. It knew that it was the culprit that had hurt it!
"What a pity …" The golden-haired youth looked at the silver plate in his hand again. In the end, he gritted his teeth and used all his strength to throw the sacred weapon out.
The silver plate drew a beautiful trajectory in the air, and fell into the forest with a ray of silver light …
While the silver plate was flying, the Shapeshifter had already spread out its four hooves, and swept into the forest like a gust of wind with flames lingering around it.
"F * ck!" Lin Li's expression froze, and he almost blurted out a vulgar word. He had never thought that this bloody battle would end in such a ridiculous way. Even more so, he did not expect that he, who had been extremely careful, could not escape the fate of being splashed with blood …
The place where the silver plate fell was exactly where Lin Li was hiding.
The legendary Nightmare mount had an astonishing speed. Before the silver plate fell to the ground, the Shapeshifter had already rushed in front of the two of them. At that moment, Lin Li really felt goosebumps all over his body. It was a feeling of despair and absurdity. It was as if he was sitting at home watching television, and was suddenly hit by a train …
The train … Oh, no, the Shapeshifter's speed was too fast. It was like a red lightning, and in a split second, it had hit Lin Li. That dark red horn was like an awl, piercing into Lin Li's waist …
"Retribution, this is retribution …" At this moment, there was only this thought in Lin Li's mind. He had watched the mercenary team being defeated, but did not lend a helping hand. Now, he was really being punished by the heavens. How did those few warriors die just now? Now, he was going to end up the same way.
A dignified transmigrator died in a car accident. Lin Li felt extremely aggrieved … Before he died, Lin Li only wanted to say one thing to the Shapeshifter: "You should f * cking get a driver's license!"
…
But after closing his eyes for a long time, he heard Sean's voice again. "Mr Felic, Mr Felic … Are you alright?"
"Hmm?" Lin Li was shocked at first. How could Sean still speak when he was dead? Then, he suddenly remembered why he did not feel any pain when he was pierced by the Shapeshifter's horn. Could it be that the horn had an anesthetic effect?
Thinking of this, Lin Li opened his eyes abruptly.
Then, he was dumbfounded …
Everything in front of him was extremely absurd.
The culprit, the silver plate, was lying at his feet on the lush green grass, emitting a faint holy aura.
And the Shapeshifter, the road killer, had disappeared without a trace …
At that moment, Lin Li did not know whether to laugh or cry. He had thought that he was going to die, but he was not injured at all. There was not a single wound on his body. The only thing that was not right was that there was a small hole on his Robe of Wrath. That was where the horn of the Shapeshifter had pierced through …
"Isn't this too fake?"
Lin Li could not believe his eyes. This feeling was like a murderer who was caught by the police, but the judge only sentenced him for theft …
How could Lin Li, who coveted the horn of the Shapeshifter, not know what it was? That was an invincible weapon in the human world. The dark energy contained in it was enough to destroy most defensive enchantments. Not to mention that Lin Li was only wearing the Robe of Wrath, even if he was covered in heavy armor like those Adventurers, he would not be able to withstand the attack of the Shapeshifter's horn. How could the lightning-fast attack just now be as simple as a small hole?
But …
This was the only thing wrong with his body.
"Could it be because of this thing?" Lin Li's mind suddenly flashed, and he finally thought of a possibility …
The pocket of the Robe of Wrath was exactly where the horn of the Shapeshifter had pierced.
At the thought of this possibility, Lin Li hurriedly reached into his pocket, and touched the strange crystal.
The surface of the crystal was still densely covered with patterns, but the light that it emitted was a demonic dark red.
When Lin Li first saw it, he thought that he had seen wrongly.
He clearly remembered that this crystal was transparent when he was in the cave. Why did it suddenly emit a demonic dark red when he just came out?
However, Lin Li soon found out the reason for that.
This was because he sensed a familiar aura from the crystal.
He could remember the color of the crystal wrongly, but this familiar aura was impossible for Lin Li to forget. That was the unique aura of a Shapeshifter. It was dark and oppressive. Only a Shapeshifter born in despair and pain would emit such an aura.
"F * ck! This crystal … actually ate a Shapeshifter? " At that moment, Lin Li could only think of the word "ate" to describe this absurd scene.
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