Under that unbearable pressure, Lin Li actually completed a breakthrough from the peak of level-20 to level-21. That was the absolute difference in strength. Even though he had broken through to level-21, the Light and Darkness Domain that Lin Li had created was actually unable to compete with Vidas' Nature Domain.
If he hadn't seized a fleeting opportunity, if he hadn't happened to have the Summoning Lamp, and if he hadn't sealed the Lord of Nightmares from the Abyss in the Summoning Lamp, the outcome of the battle would have been decided. At the thought of that, Lin Li actually felt a lingering fear even though he remained calm and collected on the surface.
Although the former Demon Lord had not shown too much combat power in the past battles, Lin Li had long known that the true power of the Lord of Nightmares should not be reflected in that aspect. The most powerful thing about the Lord of Nightmares was that he could manipulate dreams. That advantage was either something that Lin Li could deal with on his own in the past battles, or he could not do anything about it. Hence, it did not really show its power.
For example, when he faced the Lord of Darkness in the Abyss of Tharlen, the Lord of Nightmares was destined to be a helpless character. After all, the Lord of Nightmares was only the Lord of the first few floors of the Abyss. When faced with the Lord of Darkness that ruled the 27th floor of the Abyss of Tharlen, he would not be able to make up for the natural difference in levels no matter how he manipulated dreams. That was the law of hierarchy that had existed since ancient times in the Abyss. Even though the Lord of Nightmares had been sealed in the Summoning Lamp, it could not change that law.
Later on, when Lin Li faced the adult Crimson Dragon in the underground palace, the Lord of Nightmares could not make the simple-minded wyrm fall into a complicated nightmare. In fact, for a simple-minded magical beast like the Wyrm with thick nerves, it was still unknown whether it could fall into a dream …
That was the limitation of the abilities of the Lord of Nightmares, and also the reason why he could only dominate the first few floors of the Abyss. However, the situation was very different from before in the battle between Lin Li and Vidas. Although the Legendary-mage Vidas was powerful and a level-22 Legendary-mage, he was still an elf at the end of the day.
This sounded rather contradictory, but it was indeed very interesting. The reason why Vidas was so powerful was largely due to his elven bloodline, but the reason why he lost the bet was precisely because he was an elf.
Nothing in this world was perfect. The elves were a race that was full of contradictions. They had a unique elemental affinity and a long lifespan that made humans envious, but they also had a laughable mental defect.
In the world of Anril, even a mage apprentice would know that the best way to deal with an elf was to use Mental Magic. Be it level-5 Psychic Frenzy or level-20 Mind Puppet, as long as it was Mental Magic, it would definitely have an unexpected effect on an elf. This was how elves were — a race that was born full of contradictions. They were born to pursue all beautiful things, and hated all ugly existences. The world of the elves was always black and white, and their outlook on life was as fragile as a human child of a few years old.
The strongest aspect of the Lord of Nightmares was, of course, Mental Magic. As a true Master of Mental Magic, the Lord of Nightmares could manipulate dreams at will. Even though the Legendary-mage Vidas was more than level-22, his mind was still extremely fragile in front of the Lord of Nightmares. The Lord of Nightmares could easily invade his dreams, especially when Lin Li integrated the Lord of Nightmares into the Light and Darkness Domain and temporarily lent his power to the Lord of Nightmares. The former Lord of the Abyss had unprecedented terrifying power that was close to level-22. Even compared to Vidas, it was probably not inferior.
Under such circumstances, it was only natural that the dreams of the Legendary-mage Vidas would be manipulated by the Lord of Nightmares.
If it had been any other time, such dream manipulation wouldn't have been a big deal. After all, a level-22 Legendary-mage would be indestructible as long as his Domain was not destroyed even if his dreams were to be manipulated. Besides, he had seen all sorts of things during his long life. No matter how terrifying and bizarre the dreams were, it would probably be difficult to really hurt Vidas.
Unfortunately, Vidas had encountered Lin Li this time.
The dreams that Lin Li had created through the Lord of Nightmares were so terrifying that even Apophis and Rosario, who only existed in epics, would probably be scared out of their wits, not to mention Legendary-mage Vidas who was a Legendary-mage who could twist his body into a terrifying shape.
Think about it — the terrifying world that was made of reinforced concrete, the steel birds that flew in the sky, and the pitiful humans that were locked in boxes. If those were not terrifying enough, there was also the Hibiscus Sword Sage who could contort her body into a terrifying shape, the handsome Demon King Brother Chun, the Legendary-mage Brother Zeng who could manipulate meteor showers, and even the Phoenix Maiden who was said to be unparalleled in the past 500 years …
All of that had exceeded the limits of Vidas' imagination. He couldn't understand how the seemingly young President of the Guild of Magic could have such an unbearable past.
The battle had already ended, and for a figure like Vidas, it wasn't difficult for him to figure out how and where he had lost. He could only say without a doubt that the young President of the Guild of Magic was a true genius.
Such a genius was not just in magic. Although a Legendary-mage in his twenties was terrifying, what really shocked Vidas was the terrifying talent that Lin Li had displayed during the battle. Be it the use of magical power, the ability to capture the subtle changes in magical waves, or his unshakable spirit, Lin Li could be considered a genius that Vidas had never seen in his life.
Without a doubt, the young mage had defeated him with a dream. However, as a level-22 Legendary-mage, how could Vidas not know that dreams couldn't be created out of thin air? There had to be a real source for it to be possible. For example, the extremely realistic dream just now was most likely something that the young man had experienced personally.
That was what scared Vidas the most because he couldn't imagine how mentally tough a person had to be to be able to remain mentally normal after such a terrifying experience. From this point alone, even though Vidas did not lose in terms of magical power, he was completely convinced by this young human Legendary-mage. Hence, although Vidas was extremely reluctant to let Lin Li take away the Helios' Scepter, his pride as an elf prevented him from going back on his words.
As the winner of the Legendary-mage battle, Lin Li had undoubtedly gained the most today. Breaking through under the immense pressure of his opponent wasn't much of a gain. He was already at the peak of level-20 in the first place, and breaking through to level-21 was just a matter of time. It was just a matter of time.
Lin Li was well aware that the benefits that the battle had brought him were far more than just an increase in level-21. The battle with a Legendary powerhouse, especially one of Vidas's level, was an opportunity that most people might not have in their lifetime. To Lin Li, it was an extremely valuable experience.
Fighting with a Legendary-mage that he knew could only be considered as practice. No one would really unleash all of their strength during practice. However, there were many things that could only be truly comprehended in life-and-death situations. What Lin Li lacked after becoming a Legendary-mage was a real battle.
The impact of the Legendary-mage battle was definitely profound for Lin Li. Although it wouldn't be reflected directly for the time being, Lin Li knew that the impact that the battle had brought to him was far from as simple as it seemed on the surface. The control of power, the insight of the Laws, and the various experiences brought about by life-and-death situations would allow him to go further and smoother on the path of magic.
Right, there's also this …
Lin Li weighed the Helios' Scepter in his hand. He had gained more than just valuable experience from the battle. The scepter was definitely an unexpected surprise. He originally thought that Vidas wouldn't know the true value of the branch since he didn't recognize the debris of the stars, Rebirth. Hence, he naturally thought that the so-called bet of equivalent value couldn't be that impressive. However, looking at the Helios' Scepter now, Lin Li could immediately tell that it was extraordinary based on his knowledge of various aspects.
The body of the Helios' Scepter was not as intricately carved as the current scepters. It looked rather ancient and even a little clumsy. It exuded a typical style of the Dark Age. The material of the body of the scepter was mentioned in many historical records. It was said to have come from the Tree of Life that only grew in the Emerald Forest.
Legend had it that during the era when the High Elves ruled Anril, there were countless Trees of Life growing next to the Tree of Eternity. They were like subjects that clustered around the Tree of Eternity. In fact, that was the relationship between them. The Tree of Eternity had infinite power, and its collapse back then even tore space apart, causing an apocalyptic disaster for Anril. The power was actually provided by the Tree of Life. The countless Trees of Life were constantly absorbing the Elemental Power between heaven and earth, and continuously providing the Elemental Power to the Tree of Eternity. It was just like the relationship between the queen bee and the worker bees.
Hence, the branch of the Tree of Life was undoubtedly one of the most suitable materials to make a scepter. Its innate elemental absorption ability was enough to allow the mage who held the scepter to cast any magic spells at will.
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