"And your current position is here!"
The flower spirit projected a map, and Lei Lin could see that his location was right on the surface of the floating city.
"You and the other 'qualified candidate' must compete with each other. Whoever reaches the kinetic chamber first and obtains control of the Mese Energy Core will be able to command the entire floating city and receive the transfer of core authority..."
The flower spirit's bright eyes gazed at Lei Lin, yet the voice coming from its mouth was very mechanical. "Please be aware that the master has placed certain obstacles along your path, and… due to my insufficient energy reserves, some intruders have already gained access to the interior of the floating city…"
The image flickered and split into several smaller panels, allowing Lei Lin to see the figures of the Skeleton Lich, the legendary holy knight, and the ascetic monk.
"A few little bugs have slipped in as well, have they? With the floating city's own defensive capabilities, they must have had some special means or the gods directly intervened from behind to break through the outer defenses…"
A peculiar smile surfaced on Lei Lin's face as he recalled Rogolo, who had been simultaneously selected.
"I never would have thought… a legendary powerhouse famous for martial prowess had secretly been hiding the power of an Archmage as well? Rogolo, you managed to deceive an entire continent… impressive… but unfortunately, you've run into me!"
Even if it was just speculation, Lei Lin could figure out what the floating city's master had set up — it was certainly something that detected abilities related to the Archmage.
He had already advanced to Legendary Archmage. Even in the Nether Arcane Era, he would have been roughly on the same level as that floating city master, qualified to join the Arcane Council and obtain his own floating city. He was naturally not the least bit afraid.
On the other hand, since Rogolo had already reached the Legendary rank in martial arts, then even if he had been secretly training, his Archmage level wouldn't be particularly high.
In this regard, Lei Lin could completely look down on his opponent.
"The priority right now is to seize complete control of the floating city's authority before the gods fully react!"
Lei Lin glanced once more at the map projected by the flower spirit. The Chip immediately recorded everything and selected the most suitable route.
"Qualified candidate, I hope you succeed in becoming my master!"
The flower spirit watched Lei Lin's retreating figure for a moment before slowly fading into the void…
After passing through a corridor steeped in a sci-fi aesthetic, Lei Lin walked directly into a great hall.
"Squeak! Squeak!"
There, two ape-shaped golems were already waiting. Red light shot out from their massive mechanical eyes.
"Guardians, huh? Even taking the Chip's optimal route, I'll need to clear at least twenty checkpoints. I have to pick up the pace..."
Lei Lin didn't break stride. He walked straight between the two golems, his figure vanishing rapidly into the corridor beyond.
Only after he had gone did terrifying explosions erupt from the two golems, their bodies cracking apart and crumbling to pieces...
Meanwhile, Rogolo was charging forward at full speed, his spear blazing with ferocious battle qi as he tore through an enormous steel gate before him.
"Perfect timing! An absolutely perfect opportunity!"
A fervent gleam burned in Rogolo's eyes. "I've been hiding my
At that thought, the silhouette of that same rival surfaced in his mind, and a murderous chill filled his gaze.
"I will have the floating city, no matter what. Anyone who stands in my way can just die!!!"
...
Compared to the trials endured by those two inheritors, the rest of the intruders were clearly not afforded such favorable treatment.
Boom! Boom!
"There's a fortune in pre-civilization treasures here — every last piece worth a king's ransom, any single one enough to buy half a major city! Why are you still chasing me, you stubborn fool?!"
Illyrio spun around and roared, frustration heavy in his voice.
"Destroying evil is our sacred duty! You think the lure of mere wealth can shake my resolve?!"
The Holy Knight pressed on with a resolute expression, pursuing relentlessly and driving the skeletal lich to exhaustion. Illyrio grew even more exasperated.
Under normal circumstances, it would have turned around without hesitation and fought the man for three hundred rounds! But where were they? With a floating city and pre-civilization treasures lying unexplored, and yet he was wasting his energy on a fight — Illyrio's heart was bleeding with every passing second.
"Just you wait..."
It knew Holy Knights were as stubborn as granite. All it could do was wrack its brains trying to shake its pursuer.
*Beep! Intruder detected! Automatic defense mode activated! Vajra-class golem deployed!* When both parties chased each other into a grand plaza, a mechanical voice blared, followed by a massive gate slamming open. An armored puppet golem strode forth, multiple energy Fields unfurling around its body. The skeletal lich and the Holy Knight alike felt an overwhelming sense of danger, and both involuntarily came to a halt.
"It's a Vajra Golem! A legendary-tier golem!"
There was a note of awe in the skeletal lich's voice.
"This level of golem was the ultimate secret of the Netherese arcanists — modern mages can no longer replicate one…"
Boom!
But the skeletal lich had no time to laugh. The Vajra Golem vanished in an instant, and when it reappeared, it was already behind Illyrio, its massive steel fist aimed straight at the lich's skull.
"Too fast! That's practically teleportation speed — is that really a golem?"
Spell-light flickered across Illyrio's body as it conjured several bone walls in the blink of an eye. Countless bone spikes and bone spears shot toward the golem's joints, trailing terrifying gusts of wind.
Crack-crack-crack! The barrage of attacks struck the energy barrier shimmering across the Vajra Golem's surface, producing a sound like rain drumming against the ground, before dissipating entirely.
Rumble! Crunch! The Vajra Golem paid no heed to the assault whatsoever. Instead, it raised its colossal fist and slammed it straight into the bone wall!
The air screamed with the force of the blow. Bone fragments sprayed in every direction, and the defense a lich had set down at full power crumbled to dust under a single strike!
Boom!
By the time the legendary Holy Knight arrived, what he saw was the
Even for a lich, the ghostly fire in its eyes had dimmed by more than half. The damage was clearly substantial.
"Vile wretch! Accept the judgment of justice!"
The Holy Knight drew a deep breath and raised his greatsword — a symbol of radiance and judgment — high above his head with both hands.
*Beep! Hostile detected!* But before the blade could fall, a metal-constructed golem had already appeared behind him, its electronic eyes glowing with a dangerous red light.
To the legendary-tier Vajra Golem, both the lich and the Holy Knight were nothing more than intruders that had to be eliminated!
Had
In his eyes, this particular Vajra Golem looked no better than an abyssal demon or a devil from the hells.
'Ding! Enemy scanned — Holy Knight template! Initiating Annihilation Plan Two! Supernatural gravity engine activated! Nuclear furnace engaged!' The Vajra Golem emitted a string of incomprehensible syllables, then spread both hands wide toward its target.
BOOM! The surrounding gravity surged to monstrous levels in an instant! The ground immediately buckled downward a layer, compacting into something that looked impossibly dense.
The Vajra Golem's chest cavity split open to reveal a blazing, fiery furnace. Its turbines spun, unleashing an earsplitting shriek.
"What… what kind of monster is this?!"
Watching his full-power thrust be deflected with ease — watching even his high-grade supernatural longsword, an item approaching legendary rank, melt straight into the furnace on the creature's chest — even the most mentally fortified Holy Knight could not keep a trace of despair from surfacing on his face…
Similar scenes unfolded throughout the floating city. Unauthorized intruders met with devastating resistance; casualties appeared almost immediately.
After all, this floating city was the ancient stronghold of the great arcanists. How could it possibly allow enemies to rampage at will?
And just then, certain other 'visitors' arrived outside the floating city.
"Who would have thought that even after the cost of a dimensional jump, this floating city's defenses would still be this terrifying… the divine power accumulated in this vessel of possession is nearly completely spent…"
'Aivita' opened her eyes and gazed at the vast, silent floating city, a flicker of anticipation on her face.
However, the ease lasted only a moment. Aivita quickly turned her head to one side. "Lady
"We meet again…"
A young woman shrouded entirely in black gauze stepped slowly from the shadows, carrying the majesty and cold aloofness that only a deity possessed.
Her gaze was fixed on a patch of empty void nearby, hostility glinting in her eyes.
A flash of golden light, and several beast-gods materialized as well — all in avatar form. Wariness flickered through Aivita's eyes.
For true deities wishing to descend into the Prime Material World, there were several methods beyond the most dangerous: the physical incarnation of a saint. The two alternatives were avatars and possession.
An avatar was a clone shaped from divine power and divine authority, while possession meant descending directly into one of one's own faithful.
Compared to the alternatives, possession was certainly safer, but the resulting power was inevitably inferior to that of a deity's avatar.
"Since the last convocation of the Pantheon, I doubt there has been another gathering of so many deities in one place…"
An elderly man wearing white academic robes stepped forward, a wise gleam in his eyes. This was Ogma, the God of Knowledge—a deity of great power.
"After all, this concerns the Archmages and the
The other deities fell silent, turning their gaze toward Mystra, Goddess of the