Battle of the Temple

The chilling aura surrounding the temple was something Li Ye was all too familiar with, often appearing when he used his Eyes of Death Perception—

[Death]

'I've come to the right place!'

Li Ye waved his hand, signaling the wyvern to retreat, and headed towards the temple alone.

The green wyvern, already terrified of approaching the temple, acted as if it had been granted amnesty and decisively fled to the opposite mountaintop.

Meanwhile, Li Ye had already arrived before the Temple of Azrael, stepping into its grounds.

An even more surging wave of [Death] engulfed Li Ye, a sensation akin to a dual death of body and spirit!

Thump—

Cold sweat pouring down, Li Ye knelt on one knee, instinctively clutching his chest, his expression filled with shock.

In that instant, he felt as if he had truly died!

Whoosh—

A gust of cold wind blew past, and Li Ye, still kneeling, was covered in goosebumps.

"What was that?"

Although he heard no footsteps, Li Ye was certain something had emerged from the temple.

And it was looking at him!

Upon realizing the gaze and the unseen presence, Li Ye quickly pushed himself up and retreated.

'How could I not sense anyone coming—' Li Ye couldn't help but grumble internally.

From the depths of the temple, ten pitch-black figures drifted out. Their exceptionally large, humanoid skeletal frames flowed with a layer of dark, crystalline liquid, appearing like specters!

"Is this a test—" Li Ye wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his gaze locked onto the specter in the center. That particular specter exuded a powerful aura that he couldn't ignore.

Its magical energy fluctuations even surpassed Serenity Hassan's!

Facing such an opponent, Li Ye decisively drew his sword. After a brief hesitation, he decided against activating his Eyes of Death Perception.

Li Ye couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't perceive unusual deaths within this peculiar temple.

Without much conversation, the ten specters charged at Li Ye simultaneously. The leading, massive specter let out a sharp, explosive sound.

"!"

The sharp explosion nearly tore at Li Ye's eardrums, causing his movements to falter.

It was precisely this momentary pause that allowed the ten specters, who had been watching him intently, to close in!

In an instant, blood splattered!

Li Ye barely managed to block with his longsword, sent flying backward!

The ten specters had timed their approach perfectly, each attack making it difficult for Li Ye to defend himself!

Forced to parry, Li Ye continuously retreated, even leaving the temple grounds. However, the ten specters pursued relentlessly, giving Li Ye no chance to breathe!

'There are too many of them!'

Li Ye realized this. The specters, already formidable in their own right, held an overwhelming numerical advantage. Coupled with their seamless coordination, he was completely outmatched!

These specters cooperated so well that they left him no openings to strike. Even if he used his Eyes of Death Perception, he couldn't quickly dispatch a single specter to reduce their numbers, unless he could annihilate them all at once!

Thinking this, Li Ye's pupils contracted. He suddenly recalled a scene he had witnessed not long ago—

The brilliant radiance unleashed by the Lion King!

It wasn't a Noble Phantasm release, but merely a magical energy output that caused terrifying destruction!

Li Ye rapidly contemplated the possibility of a magical energy output, gathering half of his internal mana into his sword's edge and unleashing it in one go!

'It's possible!'

This strike would decide the outcome!

The moment Li Ye began gathering his mana, the leading specter noticed his action and, imitating Li Ye, also began to gather mana for release!

Possessing a Dragon Heart, Li Ye's mana circulation efficiency far surpassed that of ordinary individuals. Moreover, the specter was slower in gathering mana than him!

Just as the specters' claws were about to touch Li Ye—

"It's too late!"

BOOM!

A surging crimson torrent roared past, akin to heavenly lightning striking the mortal realm. The heat, sufficient to melt gold and vaporize iron, instantly consumed the specters, causing them to completely evaporate!

After the torrent, Li Ye's surroundings were scorched black, molten rock slowly flowing.

Li Ye, on the other hand, felt utterly exhausted and collapsed onto the ground with a thump.

His longsword had also evaporated during the magical energy release.

'My goodness—that was way too tiring.'

Li Ye panted heavily. Merely imitating the magical energy output from the clash between the Lion King and the Sun King had placed such a heavy burden on him.

Less than a third of his magic remained. Based on the recovery rate of his Dragon Heart, it would take another two hours to be fully replenished.

Before then—

Li Ye grit his teeth and pushed himself up, his body trembling as he straightened his back and walked towards the Temple of Azrael.

Clang—

A distant bell chimed, its sound echoing through the empty valley.

Upon hearing the bell, Li Ye's Dragon Blood instantly surged, and with his magic fully activated, he opened his Eyes of Death Perception!

'Is that—death?' Li Ye stared intently at the temple before him. The sheer number of Lines of Death, so many they seemed to merge into one, outlined a human figure.

Just gazing at that figure made Li Ye's mind roar and boil!

"One who has experienced death and lived, one who bears the karma of the mountain, your voice has been heard. You yearn for the salvation of humanity's future, and it has been recognized by my sword.*

However—

Those who dare to enter my temple must first face death!"

"As one of the dead, to seize the right to live, only through this ritual can the demon that caused my manifestation be absolved!"

As the deep voice resonated, violent fluctuations of magic spread from the temple!

Facing this scene, Li Ye casually wiped his nose, crimson blood staining his fingers.

It was the overload from directly confronting death!

'To have this effect after less than half a minute of staring? The First Generation Old Man of the Mountain is truly—'

There was no time for Li Ye to dwell on it. A faint, colossal shadow crawled out of the temple, its emitted magic powerful enough to shake the very atmosphere!

Although its appearance was the same as the phantom Li Ye had seen before, its size was smaller, and the magical fluctuations it emitted were on an entirely different level!

"Fight!"

Faced with such an enemy, Li Ye's fighting spirit instead soared. His Eyes of Death Perception, now like vertical pupils, shone like jewels as he perceived the ghost's death!

One-on-one, Li Ye was confident he had a chance to win!

'The remaining magic won't support a prolonged battle. This must be decided in one blow!'

Bang!

A flash of crimson lightning, and Li Ye vanished from his spot.

He poured all his magic into this single strike, an absolute divine speed like a crack of thunder!

Squelch—

Li Ye, who should have had empty hands, was now holding a dagger, piercing through the Lines of Death on the shadow's body!

It was a dagger from Cursed Arm Hassan!

As the shadow dissipated, that low voice spoke again.

"Mystic Eyes that can perceive death, one who has touched death is surely one of the dead—Welcome to my temple, I am the Old Man of the Mountain—Hassan-i-Sabbah!"

No longer the blurry figure composed of death that Li Ye had seen, the Old Man of the Mountain truly appeared before him.

A hulking figure, two meters tall, clad in armor and leaning on his sword. Beneath the bone mask, it was as if there was nothing.

"First meeting, what should I call you?" Li Ye feigned casualness, cold sweat trickling down his forehead.

The Old Man of the Mountain's presence after appearing put even more pressure on him.

"Nameless, you may call me whatever you wish." Within the Old Man of the Mountain's bone mask, the faint soul fire flickered as if moved by an unseen breeze.

"You pledge allegiance to the Lion King, who has fallen into godhood, yet you harbor divided loyalties. Unfaithful knight, what is it you seek?"

"King Hassan, I wish to learn assassination techniques and about Death—" Li Ye's heart pounded wildly. He knew his request was too bold, but he had come this far, so he might as well go all in!

"What a greedy person. Born from death, yet instead of cherishing life, you embrace death?"

Li Ye could detect a hint of teasing in King Hassan's low tone.

"The end of the world is near. The future envisioned by the pure white king—the Lion King—is not the salvation I seek. Humanity's future should not stagnate here—"

In Li Ye's view, the continuation of human history was directly tied to his own survival.