"They really have these phantom images?" Lin Lei couldn't help but feel tempted.
Ever since learning that the so-called phantom images of powerhouse battles were a trap, Lin Lei had doubted whether Handisai Castle truly possessed any. Now, from Castle Lord Mo Si's tone, it seemed they really did exist.
"Whether they exist or not, won't we know once we go look?" Mo Si said mysteriously.
Deep beneath Handisai Castle, in a secret and spacious underground hall, bookshelves lined both sides. But the shelves held not books, but fist-sized crystal spheres.
Lin Lei and Mo Si stood inside the hall.
"There are 1,628 crystal spheres in total, each one containing a phantom image," Mo Si explained with ease. "The phantom images also include introductions—descriptions of the battle's progression, techniques, and so on."
Lin Lei gazed at the vast number of crystal spheres lining the shelves, his eyes lighting up. These were all phantom images of battles between peerless powerhouses.
"In this first chamber, many depict battles between peak Seven Star Demons, as well as fights between Hell Asuras and Purgatory Commanders. And the phantom images of High Gods in action..." Mo Si pointed to a corner of the hall, where a cylindrical stone pillar stood, its top crowned with a gleaming gem. "The High God phantom images are inside that pillar. It's hollow—the top can be pulled open like a door."
Lin Lei couldn't help but take a deep breath to calm himself.
Good heavens—a phantom image of a High God in action? He had only ever heard of High Gods in legends. He had never actually seen one. Everyone said a High God's majesty was inviolable, but who truly knew just how terrifying they were?
"I think I'll start with the Seven Star Demon battles," Lin Lei said, walking toward the shelves.
As he drew closer, Lin Lei noticed that the surface of every crystal sphere on the shelves bore inscriptions—two names etched into each one.
"This is to make it easier to find the phantom images you want to watch," Mo Si said, walking over with a smile.
"Understood." Lin Lei's gaze swept across the dozens of crystal spheres on this shelf, then suddenly locked onto one. The inscription on it read—"Purple Blood Demon" versus "Iron Leaf Demon"!
"The Purple Blood Demon?" Lin Lei immediately moved closer.
A crystal sphere containing the Phantom Image Technique could project the images within into midair for viewing by channeling divine power. This way, many people could watch simultaneously. If viewing alone, one could enter with divine sense, which was far faster.
Lin Lei immediately extended his divine sense into the crystal sphere—
On a desolate desert, several thousand people stood scattered about, while two figures faced each other in midair. One was clad entirely in black scale armor, his long black hair tinged with blue.
The other wore a purple robe, had purple hair, and held a long purple sword. Lin Lei had seen this familiar figure before.
"It really is him—the Purple Blood Demon!" When Lin Lei had previously probed the Purple Blood flexible sword with his divine sense, he had seen many images, every one featuring this very figure. Only today could he confirm it with absolute certainty.
"That sword—the Purple Blood flexible sword!"
Only today was Lin Lei fully certain that the original owner of his Purple Blood flexible sword was indeed the legendary Purple Blood Demon.
The entire battle scene was silent—only the recorded images remained.
Both the Iron Leaf Demon and the Purple Blood Demon excelled in speed. Lin Lei could only see both powerhouses instantly transform into two phantoms. Where the Iron Leaf Demon's body passed, space itself rippled with bizarre arc-shaped waves that, viewed together, resembled a blooming flower.
Eerie purple light flashed repeatedly.
*Whoosh!*
A beam of purple light shot skyward, and the flower of spatial ripples split in two as a spatial rift tore open.
Only then did the Iron Leaf Demon's figure become clearly visible, plummeting straight from midair. The Purple Blood Demon's expression, however, hadn't changed in the slightest.
"Both of them are terrifyingly fast. The Purple Blood Demon's sword is far superior to Lielmons' or Paslo's. His strikes show no telltale signs, yet carry tremendous power—he doesn't even need to build up momentum." Lin Lei could just barely discern some of the underlying principles.
Judging from the phantom image alone, the Purple Blood Demon's physical attacks were terrifying—surpassing any of the Seven Star Demons Lin Lei had previously seen.
After the phantom image ended, there was an introduction about the battle.
"This introduction is remarkably detailed." Lin Lei marveled after reading it. The introduction provided a thorough breakdown of the techniques both fighters had used. Only then did Lin Lei learn: "So the Purple Blood Demon's greatest strength lies in the Path of Destruction."
Lin Lei opened his eyes.
"How was it?" Mo Si asked with a smile from his chair across the hall. "There are many Seven Star Demons. The weaker ones have only fused four types of profound mysteries, but the strongest can rival Hell Asuras and Purgatory Commanders."
"Incredible." After reading the post-battle introduction, Lin Lei finally understood just how formidable the Purple Blood Demon truly was.
If he himself ever encountered the Purple Blood Demon, he would probably be finished.
"The Purple Blood Demon is quite famous. His strength is enough to match an ordinary Hell Asura or Purgatory Commander. His achievements in the Path of Destruction are extraordinary, and he was a soul variant—truly powerful." Mo Si shook his head with a sigh. "What a pity. Such a dazzling talent went to a material plane over ten thousand years ago and was killed."
Lin Lei knew in his heart that the Purple Blood Demon had been killed in his own homeland.
"Could it be that Lord Belute killed him?" Lin Lei wondered silently.
He didn't dwell on it, moving on to watch phantom images of other powerhouses in battle—the Purple Blood Demon, the Emperor Wing Demon, the Blue Shirt Demon, the Silver Moon Demon...
Besides these, there were also phantom images of peerless experts from other Supreme and Divine Realms.
Phantom images of experts at the level of Hell Asuras and Purgatory Commanders.
"There's even a phantom image of Reisjin's battle." Lin Lei watched the other fighters but recognized almost none of them. Finding Reisjin's was a pleasant surprise.
The "Reisjin" in the phantom image appeared human—a handsome young man who bore a striking resemblance to
Crisp and decisive. His purple-glowing "Gravity Space" was far more powerful than Lin Lei's own.
"So strong." Lin Lei was dumbfounded.
Another Purgatory Commander fought Reisjin, but the battle was completely one-sided.
After watching close to a thousand phantom images, Lin Lei finally walked over to the cylindrical pillar in the corner of the hall. He pulled open its lid, revealing three crystal spheres inside.
"Three crystal spheres here, but watching one will be enough." Mo Si had finally risen from his seat and walked over with a smile. "All three show High Gods dealing with high-tier gods. The techniques used are roughly the same."
"Understood." Lin Lei took a deep breath and extended his divine sense into one of the crystal spheres.
A vast, boundless ocean stretched out below. Above it, a middle-aged man in a black robe hovered in midair, head thrown back in laughter even as tears streamed down his face. His mouth moved as though he were saying something.
Then, eerily—
A colossal, blurry face suddenly materialized above the ocean, composed entirely of gathered elements.
The black-robed man immediately pointed at the giant face in fury, his mouth moving ceaselessly.
The giant face showed a trace of annoyance, and its mouth moved once. The black-robed man's body shuddered, and he plummeted from midair. The giant face then vanished.
"Is that it?" Lin Lei read the introduction following the phantom image. "That black-robed man was an Asura of Hell?"
Lin Lei withdrew his divine sense from the crystal sphere, his mind still reeling.
"That giant face—that was a High God?" Lin Lei turned to look at Mo Si.
Mo Si nodded. "That's right."
"A High God killed a Hell Asura just by... moving its mouth?" Lin Lei found it hard to believe.
Mo Si marveled, "A High God's will is inviolable. Even an Asura as powerful as they are—a High God can kill any high-tier god with nothing more than a thought. Before a High God, no matter how strong a high-tier god might be, there is no possibility of resistance."
Lin Lei couldn't help but shudder with terror.
Without becoming a High God himself, Lin Lei could never comprehend why High Gods were so terrifying.
A single thought—enough to kill an Asura?