The Faithful Traitor

A deafening roar erupted.

The destructive white light engulfed Li Lin's figure completely. Even the air seemed to part to make way for this terrifying energy. A gale howled, and the mages nearby even found it difficult to breathe. The Isolation Barrier that shrouded the sky also seemed to be affected, swaying slightly, but ultimately it withstood the onslaught of this energy torrent.

"Hahaha..."

After casting this incredibly powerful spell, the old mage gasped for breath. He had used up almost all his strength and couldn't even lift his head to check on his victory. The white beam of light left shocking scars on the earth before disappearing, turning almost everything in its path to dust—except for one thing.

"That's amazing."

Li Lin stood unharmed within, the protective aura still beautiful and bright, but his expression was not as calm as before.

"I never expected to find myself here..."

As he spoke, Li Lin's expression quickly turned serious. Playtime was over, and he had more important things to do.

Thus, those poor mages didn't have time to escape the shadow of death. Two of them were captured again by Li Lin and turned into Soul Gems. Only the last one, relying on his youth, turned around and tried desperately to escape this terrible demonic realm. However, a petrifying ray easily stopped his attempt. After losing his balance and falling to the ground, he was smashed to pieces. Even if the petrification was lifted, the poor wretch could not be resurrected.

Hearing his companions' screams, the old mage was completely unable to move. The secret weapon had exhausted all his strength, rendering him incapable of doing anything more. Although the powerful magical incantation remained in his mind, capable of bringing it to life with just a word, he now lacked even the strength to utter a single sentence. Simply keeping himself from collapsing was enough to leave the old mage utterly exhausted.

So when the power of magic took control of his limbs and lifted him into the air, the old wizard didn't even struggle for a moment.

Li Lin slowly walked up to the old mage, bent down, and picked up the staff that had been broken in two.

"That's really interesting."

He stared at the cut surface of the broken staff and couldn't help but speak.

What do you think, Nia?

"Simply storing and transferring energy—any enchanter in the era of the Magic Empire could do this with ease."

The sudden appearance of a female voice startled the old mage, especially after he realized that the voice actually came from the spellbook. The old mage was clearly even more surprised.

However, Li Lin and Nia did not discuss the old mage's reaction at the moment. This energy was so familiar that they could come to the answer without much thought.

"The Mages' Association acquired 'her'? I've never heard of such a thing..."

"This shows that these monks are much luckier than me, at least in this respect."

The conversation between the man and the book ended quickly. Then, Li Lin raised his head, looked at the old mage who was floating in the air and completely bound, and smiled slightly.

"Master, if you don't mind, could you please answer a question for me? Where did you obtain this staff?"

"..."

The old mage remained silent, gazing at the man before him. Even now, he couldn't fathom the man's identity. Who was he? Initially, the mage had only assumed the man was a victim of the spellbook's manipulation. But now it seemed clearly different. Even without the spellbook's energy, he still possessed powerful magical control. Moreover, he seemed very familiar with the book. Who was he... and why was he doing this?

The old man's thoughts were interrupted by the dual assault of numbness and excruciating pain. When he came to his senses and looked ahead with his somewhat dim eyes, Li Lin had already withdrawn his right hand. The remaining lightning on it flickered for a moment before disappearing.

"You should learn to respect elders, young people..."

"If age is the primary standard for respect, then both she and I hope you can maintain an honest and discreet attitude in front of us."

Li Lin gazed at the old man before him, his expression serene.

"Believe me, we've lived far longer than you can imagine. We existed in this world before you were even born. Therefore, I advise you not to use your age as an excuse. At least in our eyes, you're still a complete brat, a disobedient child. And disobedient children only have to accept punishment."

At this point, Li Lin spread his hands.

"In fact, having a youthful mindset is very important, and I bet you've never thought about that, 'old' mage."

Incredible. His words sounded unbelievable, yet they conveyed a genuine sense of reality.

The old mage sensed he had reached his limit. The magical power binding him was as hard and heavy as rock; even in his prime, he probably wouldn't have been able to resist such force. Of course, a battle-hardened mage naturally stored up many spells for unforeseen circumstances, to avoid any form of harm. These were all exquisite tricks, but before absolute power, even the most ingenious techniques were useless. Especially since Li Lin had completely sealed off the surrounding space with Isolation Barrier from the beginning, completely blocking teleportation and communication. This rendered the old mage's signature skills completely useless, and the subsequent indiscriminate Greater Dispel attack dissipated all the magical traps lurking on him. Now, he was nothing more than a decrepit old man.

"Kill me."

Finally, the old monk spoke.

"I won't tell you anything. This is a secret of our Mages' Association, and we won't tell anyone."

"Then, as you wish."

Li Lin gazed at the old mage, sighed softly, and then extended his right hand, his five fingers wreathed in a dense black aura.

"However, I feel you have no other choice but to cooperate."

As he spoke, Li Lin reached forward, and when his fingers touched the old man's chest, the old mage closed his eyes. However, when Li Lin's fingers easily tore through flesh, broke bones, and penetrated deep into the old man's body, the intense pain still caused him to howl involuntarily. His thin, frail body trembled like a small boat in the waves due to the unbearable pain. Li Lin's slender fingers penetrated deep into the chest cavity, tightly gripping the violently beating heart. Blood flowed from the old mage's wound, and his breathing became rapid and short, but it was clear that Li Lin did not only intend to kill him.

He casually released the "Eternal Library," and amidst a burst of golden light, Nia appeared beside Li Lin. From Li Lin's actions, she understood what her master intended to do, so the girl raised her staff and began to chant in unison with Li Lin.

"What... what do you want to do...?"

Realizing that life was slipping away but consciousness remained, the old mage trembled. He had no idea what these two people intended to do to him. However, Li Lin was clearly too busy to answer the old mage's questions.

"Nia, begin constructing a temporary support array."

"Yes, Li Lin."

Upon hearing Li Lin's command, the girl smiled slightly. Then, the staff in her hand slid down, drawing intricate and complex magical incantations. Soon, a temporary magic circle to assist in casting the spell appeared, and the power of magic began to revolve around Li Lin once again. Listening to Li Lin's incantations, which were filled with evil and blasphemy, the old mage finally understood what kind of fate he was about to face.

"No, you can't do this, no...!!!"

Darkness, absolute darkness, rose from the ground, enveloping the old mage's body. Li Lin chanted the incantation faster and faster, while Nia, staff in hand, focused intently on guiding the energy's shifts. Then, the indifferent aura of death merged with evil, gradually revealing a new form. Li Lin withdrew his outstretched hand; a bright red ring now adorned his finger. The extreme darkness condensed, dissipating into mist. Li Lin gazed with satisfaction at his creation—the old mage still stood in the same spot, his body still emaciated, his fingers still skin and bones. The difference was that his eyes had lost their light, retaining only a faint, lingering glow.

An evil crimson.

At this moment, the old mage had become a lich.

"I will take your life-saving box with me for safekeeping."

Li Lin stretched out his finger and waved it in front of him.

"In exchange, I have granted you the right to live forever... therefore, I also hope that you can satisfy me, 'old' mage."

Needless to say, even during the ritual, the mage, whose body and mind were already completely immersed in darkness, began to tremble. Even ordinary liches would show extraordinary respect when facing the person who held their phylactery, let alone this lich, which Li Lin had created himself and could not disobey his orders. Although Li Lin himself did not need to become a lich, that did not mean he would not learn the relevant knowledge. Moreover, the "Eternal Library" contained records of spells of various forms from all eras, and finding a spell that could quickly turn a human into a loyal servant would be a very easy task.

Now, tell me everything you know.

Respectfully listening to Li Lin's question, the lich slowly knelt before Li Lin. His voice was as old as when he was alive, but it was mixed with an imperceptible evil, as well as a slight tremor and fear.

"Yes, my master..."