Chapter 544: Reflecting the Forbidden Spell (III)
However, their trip still had to continue. Their next stop was the Tombal Mountain Pass, where they would meet with Lin Xin.
At the time of his departure from the Knight Temple, Long Haochen didn’t think that he could really gather a million contribution points per Temple, but as a matter of fact, he did far more for the Exorcist Mountain than what would be worth a million contribution points. This would be sure to gain him fame.
He became even more eager to meet with the others, and reform the 64th commander grade Demon Hunt Squad.
The few battles he had after his return had already built ample fame for Long Haochen. He was already a powerhouse of the top tier, who had the ability to put up a fight even against a demon powerhouse of the ninth step. Long Haochen was itching to make a proper contribution to thank the Alliance for their tolerance towards him. Only the demon territory, the enemy’s rear could serve as his perfect stage. In there, he could unleash all his strength without having the slightest thing to worry about.
Star King turned around and propelled himself forward, immediately lifting himself up in the air with Long Haochen and Cai’er on his back, soaring towards the south. Han Yu followed closely behind using his own spiritual wings.
Of the seven members composing the 64th commander grade Demon Hunt Squad, three were already gathered, and the others would soon be retrieved.
Star King flew hurriedly, yet on his back, no turbulent stream of air was felt. It was as if they were seated on the ground.
Han Yu was already at the seventh step of cultivation, therefore the support of his spiritual wings was sufficient to maintain flight for a time. Long Haochen had originally planned to invite him to ride Star King alongside them, after all Star King had a very large build, giving abundant space. But Han Yu still gave his refusal, as he didn’t want to act as an unwanted third wheel, thus disturbing the other two.
However, Han Yu was not empty of envy at the sight of them. In the 64th commander grade Demon Hunt Squad, Long Haochen had Cai’er, Lin Xin had Li Xin, Wang Yuanyuan had Zhang Fangfang, Chen Ying’er had her fiancé, and even Sima Xian had his own target, that little white flower’. Only Han Yu remained as a solitary man, and when it comes to such things, he couldn’t possibly have no interest at all.
He also had an image in his mind, but it wasn’t very clear and therefore, he had yet to take any initiative.
Han Yu’s point of view was different from the others. As a Demon Hunter and Long Haochen’s retainer knight, he had a single goal, which was to accompany him closely, and increase his strength. He had the hope to fight alongside him one day, fighting shoulder to shoulder, both clad in Divine Thrones transformed into armor.
Although he felt that the gap between Haochen and him only kept growing, these thoughts had yet to disappear. A chance could only appear if he made the necessary effort. Without effort, there won’t be even a chance. He wasn’t the Scion of Light, and already did all he could. He had to keep doing his best to keep chasing after him.
During the year and a half spent in the Exorcist Mountain Pass, while Long Haochen was still in seclusion, Han Yu was amazed to find out that among their peers, almost no one could compare with him. The gap separating them was indeed considerable, but by looking from another point of view, he found out that, actually, he too was seen as a genius in the eyes of the other knights.
Taking the long view, chasing after Long Haochen already made him a genius. And following the Scion of Light in his battles made his progress considerably faster.
The Dragon Resisting Mountain Pass and the Exorcist Mountain Pass are rather distant, but the Exorcist Mountain Pass and the Tombal Mountain Pass are relatively close. Looking at the terrain, the Tombal Mountain Pass is quite elevated. Despite being not as dangerous, it remained a considerably strategic terrain.
On the left side of the Tombal Montain was a huge lake, at its back, a considerably tall plateau, and on the right side was the Exorcist Mountain Pass. Among the Six Great Temples, the most stably defended was the Tombal Mountain Pass. This was because of the extremely terrifying destructive power wielded by mages.
Of the Six Great Temples, the only one able to compare with the Knight Temple in terms of overall strength was the Mage Temple. And the fighting strength mages could deploy in the battlefield was even greater than knights.
Furthermore, the Mage Temple was on good terms with the Warrior Temple, who gave them considerable support. The pairing of these two made the Tombal Mountain Pass invulnerable to attack.
Over more than a year of the Holy War, the Tombal Mountain Pass had received the least help from the Alliance. Relying on their strong attacking power, they didn’t let the demons attack their fortress much.
The demon army in front of the Tombal Mountain Pass was also very powerful. Their eight demon gods were led by Marbas, the fifth ranked, and although their troop arrangements were not comparable to what they had against the Knight Temple, don’t forget about the environmental factors in that area. This probem didn’t exist here.
The overwhelming majority of the Hell Demons were focused on the Tombal Mountain Pass. At the same time, six of the eight great demon gods allocated here were in the top thirty-two. But even so, they were at most standing in confrontation against the Tombal Mountain Pass. Comparatively speaking, the deceased on both sides were the lowest of all mountain passes. Many times, magic was just fired, with no one truly breaching the opponents’ defenses.
After two days flight, Long Haochen’s group already had the distant Tombal Mountain Pass in sight. When looking down from high above, the first thing coming into view was that gigantic lake beside the mountain pass. Its water looked crystal clear, reflecting the sunlight and producing a dazzling light effect. The Tombal Mountain Pass covered an enormous area, at least three times the area of the Exorcist Mountain Pass. The fortress’ width and sturdiness were impressively distinct even from afar.
Furthermore, upon entering this area, Long Haochen could clearly feel that the undulations of magical essence were a lot more intense than ordinarily. He didn’t know why, but this was incontestably an optimum environment for mages. Furthermore, no darkness essence was present, therefore it wouldn't be easy for the demons to stay here.
Han Yu told Long Haochen, “Boss, back when we were at the Knight Temple, I heard that the Tombal Mountain Pass was the side with the greatest defensive power. Only, because the Mage Temple attaches great importance to preserving their strength, they aren’t willing to send a lot of mages as reinforcements for the other Temples. Actually, they have a lot of unused power in reserve. They get a lot of criticism from the Alliance about this point.”
“Huh?” Long Haochen looked at Han Yu with some surprise.
“The Holy War affects all humanity. Could the Mage Temple really still show such attachment to their own preservation?” Long Haochen asked with some doubts.
Han Yu replied, “Actually, the Mage Temple cannot really be blamed. Raising a mage requires the greatest consumption of resources among all vocations. That’s especially the case for mages of high level. Each one of them is a very precious resource for the Mage Temple. Therefore, they only support the nearby Warrior Temple. The assistance they send to the other four Temples is rather low.”
Although Han Yu hadn’t said it very clearly, Long Haochen faintly understood the meaning hidden behind his words.
The relationship between the Knight Temple and Mage Temple wasn’t really very harmonious. After all, these two have always been competing for the lead of the Six Great Temples. Over the past years, the Mage Temple had always been in the position of second, but weren’t convinced by this ranking at all. In terms of comprehensive strength, the Mage Temple actually surpassed the Knight Temple in a lot of aspects. It’s just that, because the Knight Temple had the six divine tools called Divine Thrones, and that the three Divine Knights weren’t opponents any mage could face, their status fell a bit behind the Mage Temple.
Of course, the Knight Temple’s hidden trumps were far more numerous than the Mage Temple. Since the start of the Holy War, they had been sending far more reinforcements to the other five Temples. As a matter of course, they hadn’t sent many reinforcements to the Mage Temple either. From beginning to end, the two of them were in a faint contest of power.
After a few more years pass, the contest for the rankings in the Temple Alliance would soon start. This was the most important contest for the Alliance, placed even above the Demon Hunt Squads’ competition of selection. But who knew if such a contest could be held under these circumstances. If the Holy War kept going, this would be a difficult matter.
As Long Haochen was sunken in thoughts, three figures were flying over towards them like bolts of lightning. Long Haochen’s group of three was arriving from the rear of the Tombal Mountain Pass, and didn’t really conceal their presence. Obviously they were going to be found by the Tombal Mountain Pass’ forces.
Three figures very rapidly came in front of them. They were three mages, and as the spiritual wings behind their backs proved, powerhouses of the Mage Temple, reaching at least the sixth step.
The three were clad in differently colored gowns, and the mage that led them was astonishingly young, looking only about thirty years old. But the pair of spiritual wings on his back was considerably wide, proving that his cultivation was at least at the seventh step. Mages of the seventh step at such age were rarely seen, and furthermore, this mage was clearly expert at the light element, with a pretty handsome face.
Looking at Long Haochen, clad in his Golden Foundation Armor, this light elemental mage couldn’t help but have a slight start. In particular, upon seeing Cai’er alongside him, his expression became extraordinarily splendid.
Cai’er was not only an absolute beauty, but had a very particular outward bearing, something an ordinary girl could never compare with. This was a special disposition god’s chosen ones had, which gradually formed as Cai’er was training for the use of her Spiritual Stove of Samsara. If her memories hadn’t been lost, this demeanor would be even more visible, but also a lot colder.
“Greetings, Golden Foundation Knight. May I ask what the three of you are here for?” The light mage rapidly shifted his sight onto Long Haochen. Riding the Starlight Unicorn King and clad in a Golden Foundation Armor, he was undoubtedly the leader of these three.
Long Haochen heaved a smile, “Greetings. We are looking for a friend. In the meantime, if the Tombal Mountain Pass has any needs, we are willing to provide assistance against the demon attacks.”