As the door of the palace was pushed open, the magic lamps on the pillars in the palace lit up one after another. Perhaps because of the age, the energy of the magic lamps had become extremely weak, and the light was so weak that it could barely illuminate an area the size of a palm. It was as if it would be extinguished at any time.
Lin Li and the two Undead servants stood vigilantly in front of the door for a moment, only to see the figure sitting on the throne in the depths of the palace. Although he was continuously emitting a powerful aura, he seemed to be motionless in the darkness like a statue. Seeing this scene, Lin Li felt a little relieved. After all, if the other party was "alive", it would have long been alarmed when they opened the door of the palace.
Looking in from outside the door, they could vaguely see the whole picture of the palace with the faint light of the magic lamps. Actually, there was nothing much to see. Apart from the black figure sitting on the throne in the deepest part of the palace, there was nothing else in the palace.
Should I go in and take a look? Of course, I've already come this far! Lin Li thought that he was a Legendary-mage, after all. Even if the thing inside was "alive", he would at least not be taken down by the other party with his strength and trump cards. At the thought of this, Lin Li led Ujfalusi and Norfeller towards the palace on the luxurious red carpet on the ground.
Under the dim light of the magic lamp, Lin Li and the rest approached step by step. Only then did they see that the platform supporting the throne was actually made of countless human skeletons. The huge throne on the high platform was made of the skeleton of a wyrm. Although it had lost its appearance, the wyrm skull in front of the throne clearly told them about the origin of the throne.
Compared to the throne made of wyrm skeletons, the person sitting on the throne seemed to be rather thin. However, in the eyes of Lin Li and the others, they did not feel that there was any incongruity between the two at all. The person was simply sitting there with his upper body straight and leaning forward slightly. He was holding a longsword in his right hand, and one of his feet was stepping on the wyrm skull in front of him. Although he was motionless, there was a boundless power that was continuously radiating in all directions.
Although Ujfalusi and Norfeller stood in front of Lin Li out of their responsibility to protect their master, their bodies still trembled instinctively when they felt the powerful aura. Between the Undead, the effect brought about by the level difference was the most obvious. Even if they had the so-called courage, they could not ignore the coercion of a high-ranking Undead.
Lin Li and the others walked closer, and the face of the figure sitting on the throne gradually became clearer. He had long silver hair, eyebrows that were like sharp swords, and his eyelids were drooping. His nose was straight and his mouth was wide. Even though his face was ashen and horrifying, he could still be called a handsome man. That person was wearing a dark golden full-body armor. The armor was engraved with exquisite magic patterns, and the joints were decorated with sinister single-horned demon skulls. The scarlet cloak on his back was like the color of coagulated blood. Set off by the deathly white skeleton throne, it was even more frightening.
Feeling the aura emitted by that person, Lin Li thought of his experience in the Scar of Death and the group of Death Knights that he had taken in as his subordinates. Although there was a huge difference in the strength of the aura between the two, Lin Li could still be sure that the person sitting on the throne was a Death Knight. No, that powerful aura was definitely something that only a Legendary powerhouse would have. He should be the legendary Retribution Knight.
Gerian had never mentioned that there would be a Retribution Knight here. Lin Li did not doubt that Gerian would harm him. Although the chubby old man kept calling him a bastard, his concern for Lin Li could not be faked. Given Gerian's concern for Lin Li, he would definitely tell Lin Li about it if there was even the slightest mention of it in the diary. Hence, the fact that Gerian did not mention it could only mean that there was no record in the diary. It was that simple.
In fact, seeing a Retribution Knight here was both unexpected and reasonable. Along the way, there were Undead creatures everywhere outside. It would be strange if there were no Undead creatures in the main palace. However, he was a Retribution Knight, after all, and Lin Li did not know where his Death Knights were. If another group of Death Knights appeared, Lin Li would really have to escape.
Although Lin Li had subdued a group of Death Knights in the Scar of Death, the Death Knights led by the Retribution Knight were worlds apart from the Death Knights that fought on their own. Although the Death Knights would automatically stop improving after attaching themselves to the Retribution Knight, and give all the Soul Force that they had obtained to the Retribution Knight. However, as the Retribution Knight's strength increased, the Death Knights would also receive greater and greater bonuses in battle.
"Oh, it's a Retribution Knight. This is rare in Anril! Wait a minute, this guy looks a little familiar … "
While Lin Li was still guessing the origin of the Retribution Knight on the throne, a voice suddenly popped up in his head. It was the omniscient Soul Trader Connoris, the greatest in history.
Upon hearing Connoris' words, Lin Li's heart skipped a beat. Who was Connoris? He was an ancient deity that had existed for many years. How could the fella that he said looked familiar be any ordinary Tom, Dick, or Harry!?
"You've seen him before? Where is he? "Lin Li asked Connoris while sizing up the Retribution Knight on the throne warily.
"Don't worry, let me think. Where is he … This feeling … I'm sure I've seen him before …" Connoris racked his brains to recall, but it had been a long time, and he had existed in the state of a soul for too long. His soul had more or less suffered some damage, and he really could not recall who the Retribution Knight was.
"Hey, do you remember now? Whether we stay or leave depends on you. Hurry up and tell me where this fella came from," Lin Li urged impatiently. Although he did not know if Connoris was in deep sleep, he was facing a Retribution Knight after all. Even as a Legendary-mage, he still felt rather pressured.
"It seems … I only remember that I seemed to have seen him in the Breezy Plains. As for other things, I really can't remember at the moment," Connoris said with some distress. To think that a dignified Ancient Demonic God had fallen to such a state. Just thinking about it made one's heart ache.
"Retribution Knight … Breezy Plains …" Lin Li muttered, and suddenly remembered the secret that Hutton had told him. A Death Knight obtained the arm of the Immortal King, and after successfully advancing to a Retribution Knight, he led the Death Knights to sweep across the Breezy Plains, causing a devastating disaster that reduced the population of the Breezy Plains by a third.
Could it be that this person in front of him was the Retribution Knight that turned the Breezy Plains into hell on earth? But, wasn't he purified by Prophet Willen of the Brilliance Shrine? Why did he come to this place? Questions popped up in Lin Li's mind one after another. At the same time, he told Connoris about the secret that Hutton had told him, hoping that it would remind him of something.
"Previously, Hutton had told me about the Retribution Knight, but I heard from him that the Retribution Knight was purified by Prophet Willen of the Brilliance Shrine. I don't think it's because of this." In Lin Li's opinion, the purification was naturally done by burning him into ashes with Holy Light and Holy Fire. How could he still be sitting here and pretending to be a statue?
Indeed, after Lin Li's reminder, Connoris' memories surged out as if the floodgates had been opened. For a poor fellow like him, the feeling of regaining his memories was always wonderful, especially since it could show off his vast knowledge. He said, "You're talking about the Retribution Knight Rodhart, right? Now that you mention it, I think this fella does look a little like him."
"You said that his name is Rodhart?" Lin Li's interest was piqued. When Hutton told him about the secret, he did not mention the name of the Retribution Knight. "What else do you know about this Rodhart?"
Connoris' favorite thing to do now was to show off his knowledge to Lin Li, especially after witnessing Lin Li's demonic speed of improvement. In particular, after witnessing Lin Li's monstrous speed of improvement, he felt that the only thing he could prove his worth was the knowledge that he had accumulated over the course of his long life. "Speaking of this Rodhart, you definitely can't imagine what he used to be. He's the most powerful Paladin since the establishment of the Brilliance Shrine …"
"Paladin! You're saying that this Retribution Knight used to be a Paladin? "Lin Li looked at the motionless Retribution Knight on the throne in shock. This world was really crazy. The High Elves who hated the Undead the most actually had all kinds of connections with the Undead. Yet, the Paladin of the Brilliance Shrine actually became the Retribution Knight who slaughtered the innocent and almost turned the Breezy Plains into a land of death.
In the past, Connoris would keep Lin Li in suspense from time to time in order to satisfy his vanity. Now, however, he did not dare to hold back at all, for fear of making Lin Li unhappy. If that happened, his wish to reconstruct his body would go up in smoke. Hence, without waiting for Lin Li to press him further, he told him everything he knew about Rodhart in detail.
Rodhart's deeds were not widely spread in Anril, but to Lin Li, they were legendary. The reason why he was not well known in Anril was not only because of his long history, but also because of the means of the Brilliance Shrine. After all, Rodhart's transformation from a Paladin to a Retribution Knight was too ironic for the Brilliance Shrine.
Rodhart's background was simple. Before he became famous, his experience was as plain as a glass of water. He was adopted by the priests of the Brilliance Shrine since he was a child, and received the strictest education in the Brilliance Shrine together with his companions who were also orphans. In any organization or force, such people who were raised from a young age were the most reliable. In forces other than religions, they were known as Warriors of Sacrifice, and in religions, they were known as fanatics. In the entire Brilliance Shrine, the people who were least likely to betray were this group of fanatics who had been raised since childhood. Their faith was firm and crazy, so most of the outstanding ones were selected by the Inquisition of Heresy and became a sharp sword for the Brilliance Shrine to eliminate heresy.
When Rodhart was 15 years old, he passed the assessment of the Court of Heresy, and joined the Court of Heresy together with several other equally outstanding youths. During this period, the Court of Heresy was the most mysterious organization in the Brilliance Shrine, and there were even fewer records of his deeds that could be spread. Most of them were records of the missions he had participated in, such as which year and day he had participated in the purification of certain heretics, and the number of heretics he had personally purified.
It was only when Rodhart reached the Legendary-realm at the age of 32, and took over the position of the Chief Judge of the Court of Heresy of the Brilliance Shrine that he gradually began to be known by people. The first purification mission that he led as the Chief Judge was to purify a Legendary Lich with a Humerus Wyrm. During that mission, Rodhart managed to kill the Lich and the Humerus Wyrm with his sword without using any other moves. Since then, he had become famous.
Following the several purification operations of the Court of Heresy, the young Chief Judge's strength and shocking abilities made him known as the strongest Paladin since the establishment of the Brilliance Shrine. Rodhart could be said to have reached the pinnacle of his life, and his reputation in the outside world even surpassed that of the pope. Countless people in the Brilliance Shrine saw him as an idol.
"Oh, then why did he become a Death Knight? Those guys from the Brilliance Shrine probably have religious beliefs in their bones. How could they become Undead?" Lin Li asked in puzzlement. As the dignified Chief Judge of the Brilliance Shrine and a fanatic who had been nurtured since he was a child, how could he be turned into an Undead creature with the teachings of Light in his bones? Not to mention the Chief Judge, even an ordinary priest would not be easily turned into an Undead creature as long as they had faith in Light in their hearts.
"I don't know. What's so strange about that? No one can resist the temptation of eternal life. Didn't the proud High Elves go and study Necromagic in the end? For Paladins, reaching the Legendary-realm is considered to be the peak of their abilities, and they basically have no hope of reaching the Sanctuary-realm. If they want to break through again, they have to find other ways, "Connoris said in disdain.
Rodhart had once entered the Immortal King's mausoleum, and because the Immortal King was not a mage, he wanted to find a way to enter the Sanctuary-realm from the Immortal King. No one knew what he had experienced in the Immortal King's mausoleum. They only knew that after he returned to the Brilliance Shrine, he insisted on resigning from his position as the Chief Judge, and never stepped out of the Brilliance Shrine again.
Some said that Rodhart had received a revelation, so he went into seclusion for 100 years to find a way to enter the Sanctuary-realm. Some said that he was recuperating in seclusion, and in the end, he died of his injuries. No matter what, the most powerful Paladin of the Brilliance Shrine, a Legendary-realm powerhouse, had finally died after 100 years. According to Rodhart's last wish, the Brilliance Shrine buried him in the Breezy Plains, which was said to be where he had stayed before he was adopted.
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