Chapter 689 Lan Qi, the Legendary Seal Master's Heir

The entire Flower Capital, Palière, around five in the morning, was still shrouded in chaos and fear.

The few remaining streetlights swayed in the wind, like dying candles, threatening to go out at any moment.

Shelters and temples were filled with terrified and restless crowds.

"Mommy, will a hero come to save us?"

A mother and daughter huddled under a narrow doorway, the little girl clutching her teddy bear, tears streaking down her face.

"Yes, there will be."

Her mother held her tightly, her eyes vacant, offering soft words of comfort, her voice trembling.

The moment she heard someone say Loren's appearance was a misunderstanding, her hope was shattered.

Every time the two black dots collided, the screen shook violently, accompanied by a burst of harsh static.

The demon reporters, braving the storm, once again struggled to set up their equipment.

Their faces were covered in sweat and dust, and every step they took was incredibly difficult.

This scene was captured by reporters several kilometers away.

"According to intelligence, the current holder of the Original Stone Slab of Sealing is, Cardinal Archbishop Askethan of the Rebirth Church in the Northern Continent..."

Rain lashed against the lens, blurring the image.

In the Posen Demon World Channel's broadcast, two blurry dots on a distant skyscraper seemed to be clashing!

"What is that stone slab? I've never seen it in any book!"

And in the distance, beyond the reach of the camera, above the endless night, rain, and ruins, it was as if the gates of hell had been opened.

Not only the temples, but in every corner of the Flower Capital, wherever a signal source remained, countless figures sat up straight, their eyes fixed on the screen.

"No, I think I saw that kind of divine-era script in the magic genealogy class at the Holy Church Research Institute. This is... a sealing stone slab?!"

A priest in the temple stared at the crystal screen, exclaiming in shock.

The injured priests groaned incessantly, blood flowing from their foreheads.

A change of bishop in the Rebirth Church may have occurred recently.

Despite wanting to reassure his companions, the truth was harsh.

"Just who...?"

Archbishop Askethan the Silent, symbolized fear, despair, and torment.

Her sudden change in expression made the other citizens tense.

Rumors, of dubious veracity, had been circulating from the Northern Continent recently, all mentioning a great battle among the bishops of the Rebirth Church.

"Maybe the information is false? Is he still alive?"

"But wasn't Askethan supposedly dead?"

"Can't see clearly. Even the reporters on the front lines have conflicting reports, but it doesn't seem like the Great Priest is there in person."

But because the distance was too great, and the black night, torrential rain, and constant lightning interfered, the image was sometimes clear, sometimes blurry, like a dream with unstable connections.

If Loren had truly descended, it wouldn't be Pelman chasing Loren, but a storm that would sweep through the entire Flower Capital, Palière.

In the lens, only two black dots could be vaguely seen moving constantly on the rooftop, erupting with black and gray mist. The invisible impact generated air waves that made them, kilometers away, unable to stand.

Now the situation in Flower Capital, Palière, was a complete mess. First, a judgment, then a series of mysterious figures appeared, and the truth and falsehood were completely indistinguishable.

"Another stone slab holder?"

Some were silently praying for the gods' blessing, while others held the hands of those beside them tightly, hoping to gain some comfort.

At the same time, a buzz of discussion arose among those in the church watching the unstable image.

Many asked, both panicked and confused.

As one of the highest cardinal archbishops of the Rebirth Church, every sealing art and curse he mastered had sown seeds of death in the world.

"What exactly is going on on the North Shore?"

Archbishop Askethan the Silent was feared by the creatures of the Northern Continent. His reputation had even reached the Southern Continent.

"It's an Eighth-Order battle! A newly confirmed, unknown Eighth-Order is fighting Pelman!"

Although the image was unclear, everyone could feel the power penetrating the lens.

At the other end of the temple, paladins were trying to carry their injured companions to safety.

Legend had it that Askethan's sealing arts were silent and soundless, yet more deadly than any destructive magic. In just a few hours, he could turn a prosperous large city into a silent, desolate hell, from which neither the strong nor the weak could escape his sealing. This cardinal archbishop had no compassion, no humanity, only a morbid fascination with death and silence.

At this moment, most of the citizens in the temple were disheartened.

His terror, for the people of the Northern Continent, was no less than that of Pelman, who was currently stirring up turmoil and nearly slaughtering the city.

The priest wore a complex expression, as if he knew the answer but was afraid to utter some ominous, "forbidden word."

Just then, another blinding flash of lightning streaked across the night sky, illuminating the entire city.

The demon female reporter gasped, her voice trembling.

But in any case, they could only hope that the suddenly appearing strongman could stop Pelman.

"Why, first Loren, and now Askethan?"

Sitting on a long pew, Platinum-level Card Creator Bruton pushed up his glasses and muttered to himself, frowning.

He had been protected by the Posen Kingdom in the temple at the first possible moment.

As a Platinum-level Card Creator from the Kingdom of Yarolan, he possessed more information about the situation in the Southern Continent than ordinary citizens and priests.

Compared to someone appearing unexpectedly at a critical moment, their appearance itself was accompanied by strangeness.

If one wasn't immersed in the joy of grasping at a lifeline, careful reflection would reveal a dramatic sense of disharmony.

Some time ago, there were unconfirmed rumors from the Northern Continent that Askethan had already died.

Moreover, the scene of his death was related to Loren.

At first, no one thought this information was correct, because Great Priest Loren had wiped out a batch of Destruction Branch members who had taken the initiative to attack shortly afterward, proving that Loren was likely in the Southern Continent.

Or had returned with an extraordinary speed, and almost premonition of the future.

In the past six months, more and more North-South couriers had talked about the turmoil among the bishops of the Protos Empire, confirming that Loren was indeed active in the Northern Continent, and the news of Askethan's death was becoming increasingly credible.

As a normal person with the ability to think independently, Bruton gradually frowned.

Could it be…

Had someone secretly unified a part of the Rebirth Church and was remotely commanding them as hidden pawns, so that the world's situation would operate as he expected?

The mere thought sent a chill down his spine.

Even Askethan, who had even less logical reason to be here than Loren, had appeared.

Pelman's coup tonight was a variable for the entire Eastern Region and even the Southern Continent, violating everyone's, or some people's, expected script.

Therefore…

Someone had come to erase it.

This unusual support was more like a "correction" than a rescue!

And with such preparations in place, was it now time for the Krythian Empire to start a war? A stage for a hero's birth was about to unfold?

Bruton didn't dare to think any further.

He only felt fear.

On the other side of the South Shore of Flower Capital.

The demon, holding the Cursed Grimoire, stopped, looking up at the giant open-air screen behind him.

At this moment, he no longer transformed into Iphathia's appearance, but had restored his blurred male face.

Since crossing the Calamity Wasteland to the Northern Continent, and then crossing the sea to the Southern Continent, he had never seen anything as strange as today.

Whenever the plan was about to succeed, it would deviate slightly.

Although it didn't seem to have much of an impact, and he and Pelman had an absolute advantage in terms of pure combat power and victory conditions, there always seemed to be an indeterminate number that couldn't be eliminated.

"Locke McCarthy, huh…"

Beelzebub removed his gray hood, looking towards the distant north in the storm.

He had learned from his contact with Pelman that Loren was impersonating Locke McCarthy, and now he wasn't sure just how capable Locke McCarthy really was.

One of the Flower Capital, Palière, city defense central keys had already been obtained.

Originally, he planned to go to the last duke's mansion on the South Shore to get the remaining keys, and then go to the North Shore Demon World to meet Pelman.

After thinking about it, Beelzebub changed direction and headed to North Shore District 4.

For the sake of prudence, it was better to ensure that Locke McCarthy could be eliminated first.

North Shore District 10.

A faint, gray-red glow on the horizon was gradually deepening, as if soaked in blood, slowly revealing a soft, dark red.

Rainwater flowed freely down the glass curtain walls of the buildings, reflecting winding silver snakes in the lightning, dancing in the darkness.

Thunder rumbled, echoing among the buildings.

The demon rebel lord Pelman and the gray-clothed man who had suddenly appeared clashed for the second time in this narrow sky.

Pelman waved his hands, and pitch-black, ink-like psychic power surged out like a tide, rushing straight towards the gray-clothed man.

That psychic power was thicker than the rain, as if to devour all the remaining light, dragging the entire world into endless darkness.

But the gray-clothed man did not retreat.

In the next instant, a emerald green light burst forth from his body, and the wind barrier collided fiercely with the black malice in mid-air, erupting with a deafening roar.

The powerful air wave stirred up a gale, and the building beneath their feet began to collapse in response. The rain formed a huge vortex around them, like the eye of a typhoon.

"This time there's no wind-style special effect from the Original Stone Slab?"

Pelman pushed forward with both hands, questioning.

Although counterfeiting the unique divine radiance of each Original Stone Slab was unbelievable and unheard of, the fact was that the second time the other party used an immunity field to neutralize his attack, there was no longer the wind-style special effect from the Original Stone Slab.

The other party was obviously a habitual scammer, truly in control of his act.

The black, violent psychic power pressed down like a mountain, unstoppable.

"As everyone knows, only one Original Stone Slab can exist at the same time. Now that I'm using the Sealing Stone Slab, I won't use the Wind Stone Slab."

Lan Qi smiled leisurely, responding honestly. The earth's rock layers fell away, and countless cracks extended, shaking, turning into abyss. Black flames climbed up the skyscrapers from the ground, shooting towards Pelman from all directions.

They were about to bind Pelman's soul and incinerate his psychic energy.

Pelman summoned his psychic power and transformed it into a black energy ball, enveloping himself within.

The black flames crackled against the psychic barrier, unable to penetrate this defense.

Taking advantage of this interval, Lan Qi, as if to give Pelman a magic genealogy general knowledge lesson, threw out a sealing magic card card enveloped in eerie mist.

The rain in the sky became extremely oppressive at this moment, approaching solidification. In the soundproofed space, a wailing like weeping blood echoed.

Countless ghosts, as if crossing over from another dimension, appeared. Their figures overlapped, making it impossible to distinguish individuals. Like a choir, they permeated the rain and mist.

The wailing pierced through the boundary between reality and nightmare, bringing the obsidian-like soul aura of the Sealing Stone Slab!

All of this was nothing more than a cacophony to Pelman's ears.

As someone with mental attributes, he was extremely resistant to mental interference such as sound.

These ghosts could only slightly slow down his movements.

Pelman's psychic shield spread out like wings, and the wind pressure alone scattered the chorus of demon undead.

"Get it now? You can only bring one Original Stone Slab."

Lan Qi emphasized earnestly.

"You think you can fool me with a fake stone slab a second time?"

Pelman had originally thought of himself as a good-tempered demon, but at this moment he found the other party very annoying.

The other party's use of this very effective summoning item, apart from showing him the light effect of the Sealing Stone Slab, had no other use.

A mental shock descended from the sky, directly enveloping Lan Qi.

Wherever the invisible magic passed, the raindrops began to flow again, but Lan Qi's body slowed down instantly.

"This time it's real."

Lan Qi said, as if not wanting to fight him.

He didn't panic either. He quickly stabilized himself between the ground and the air. The square magic emblems on his dark gray coat began to erupt with dark purple lightning, and like the innocence in his eyes, the invisible magic barrier unfolded in front of him resisted Pelman's psychic power, causing the metallic hum and air waves to rise in circles!

Talia had already read Pelman's battle intent. He would try to use mental attacks, so she cast a similar mental spell in advance.

Sure enough, her mental spell formed a control cancellation with Pelman.

The remaining damage was dissipated by her with a magic shield, and it also triggered the accessory Lan Qi had given her.

Silent Emblem

Grade: Pink Sacred

Rank: Effect: Automatically triggers when taking high damage, absorbing 50% of the damage and sealing 50% of the attacker's attack attributes for 5 seconds. Can be triggered five times every 24 hours.

Note: Both inside and out are real.

To some extent, the two of them deliberately took a hit from Pelman, because this piece of equipment could buy Pelman time, causing him to give up chasing after the attack weakened.

"Tata, are you okay?"

Lan Qi transmitted a momentary thought in his heart.

The mental attack just now had been completely taken by Talia.

Back then, when facing Sigrid's sneak attack in Bandera City on the northern border of the Protos Empire, the legendary seal master had withstood several blows, and Sigrid just couldn't kill him. He later discovered such accessory equipment when sorting out his legacy.

"Not bad, your old Lao Sang teacher is really good to you, he even gave you this card."

Talia felt fine and agreed.

That being said.

But fighting like this, she didn't see much chance of winning.

In her possession state, possessing Lan Qi, her output was limited. She could only be said to barely exert Eighth-Order strength. Now being able to control the berserk state of Pelman depended entirely on their Nine Seals' super-high Demon King special attack against Pelman.

If she summoned herself, she could go all out, but the mana consumption would also increase many times, and she wouldn't be able to fight Pelman for long.

Anyway, she decided to listen to Lan Qi tonight. She would just be Lan Qi's great love poet, and fight him to the end.

High in the sky in Posen District 10.

Watching Pelman's terrifying psychic power attack again, Lan Qi's figure almost turned into a shadow under his dark gray coat. His knuckles twisted slightly, and the entire skyscraper terrace was instantly enveloped by ominous waves.

Dark gray vines bloomed from his palm, spreading rapidly. The living vines suddenly enlarged, turning into a hunting net, covering Pelman's head.

Every vine's texture radiated a soul-shaking black divine radiance.

Not only did it trap Pelman, but it began to shrink continuously, as if isolating him in an inescapable void!

The Beauty of a Thousand Creations

Grade: Pink Sacred

Rank: Effect: The vines will surround and seal the locked target. The vines have high damage reduction. When damaged, they return multiple segments of damage to the enemy.

Note: There are flowers but no fruit, leaves but no branches.

This was the card used by the legendary seal master in his last battle. It could seal himself or seal enemies. It was also a sealing card that was extremely effective against nuclear fusion wolves.

"Do you think this will be enough to outlast my berserk time?"

Pelman continued to apply mental suppression to Lan Qi, while resisting the vines. He did not use a high-damage attack to destroy them directly.

Although this time he was convinced that Locke McCarthy could use Eighth-Order magic, he was still severely mismatched as a stone slab holder, only barely able to stop him.

Moreover, Locke was the type of opponent he hated most. He neither provoked during battle, nor revealed genuine triumph or embarrassment, all that could be seen was his constant weakening, as if he was playing with his opponent.

He might bite back at any time.

But it was also possible that he had no means of counterattack at all.

He was constantly messing with his mind.

"It seems that I am really at a disadvantage, and I am about to lose."

Lan Qi couldn't say how long Pelman's rational berserk state could last. He only discovered that this berserk state shared a characteristic with Palroni's resentment curse, that it would continuously consume life.

After fighting for a while, he had consumed a lot of mana, while Pelman had consumed a lot of life. Both had weakened.

Continuing to exhaust each other, he certainly couldn't win.

Even if he forced Pelman's berserk state to end, Pelman would still have mana, while he, Lan Qi, would have no mana. He would still lose.

But it didn't matter.

He felt that it was about time to decide the victor.

"Tata, don't worry about me, go all out!"

Lan Qi transmitted in his heart.

In an instant unnoticed by anyone.

Orange light feathers scattered in the stormy night, and a flower-fairy-like girl had landed in mid-air.

It was a long, drawn-out moment, as if eternity had descended.

Her clothes were elegant, her posture graceful, with a faint floral fragrance, and an angelic face, but without a hint of a smile.

At this time, Pelman's attention was all on Lan Qi, and he did not notice that he could split off an even stronger, full-power demon!

Even when Talia appeared and controlled Pelman, Pelman did not react. He was too busy suppressing Lan Qi.

Talia focused her magic on her fingertips, and the air in the direction she pointed was gradually distorted, forming deep gray cracks. The objects swallowed by it seemed to be instantly crushed.

Although he had not yet outlasted Pelman's berserk state, she knew that Lan Qi's judgment was that continuing to drag it out would definitely not win, so it was better for her to go all out and fight Pelman to the death.

Gray lines sealed Pelman at the edges of the vines.

Rift String Sound

Grade: Pink Sacred

Rank: Effect: After casting, 12 rift, sealed, can be created in space within 60 seconds. If the enemy touches them, they will trigger a burst that ignores defense. The rifts can also be detonated after more than 1 second. Cooldown time is 150 seconds.

Note: Suspicion, hatred, fear, compassion. Your appearance has made humanity more restrained.

Even the cat boss in the shadows was very familiar with this magic.

Not only had the legendary seal master used it, but even the Holy Son had a youthful version, but because it was both sealing and spatial, pure seal masters could not learn it, so they had to bring cards.

If they accidentally touched the gray lines in the air that resembled rifts, they would cause them to rapidly expand and explode in a crisscross pattern.

This was almost the strongest card in the legendary seal master's inheritance, apart from the stone slab. As for the epic-level sealing arts he possessed and the epic-level magic cards he held, they could not be taken down. Except for the epic cards of the Original Stone Slab series, if there were no special descriptions, they would all be annihilated in history with the death of the holder.

If you want them, you can only wait for the shadow world to replicate them in the next era.

"Heh."

The moment Talia appeared with her frenzied Eighth-Order magic, the demons within a few kilometers of Posen District 10 had the urge to kneel to her.

Pelman, who had originally been focused on Lan Qi, turned his gaze in astonishment to the gray-haired demon with a oppressive aura.

But she only made a simple sound, and that demon sound seemed to entwine into his mind, causing his shock and doubt to be infinitely amplified, to the point that his entire brain was about to be overloaded to the point of being unable to think.

Even so, in the chaos, Pelman seemed to be one step closer to the answer.

"Demon King, why would you condescend to a human?"

Pelman gathered all his magic power. It was not realistic to avoid the frontal attack of the Demon King under the interference of the vines. At this moment, he had to fight the real enemy to the last blow!

It seemed that the other party was betting on using Lan Qi as a discard to attract his attention, and let the gray-haired Demon King sneak attack him at a critical moment.

Even if Pelman had never thought of fighting the Demon King, it was fortunate that this Demon King must be the weakest deformed Demon King in history. Without considering the Demon King's special attack against demons, she was surprisingly weak!

"The answer is simple, he is my property."

Talia muttered coldly. Only at this moment did her words carry the domineering power of the Demon Queen.

The entire space began to distort. Deep gray vines falling from the sky and gray cracks rising from the ground were about to engulf Pelman in an instant.

At this moment, Pelman sneered, and the black energy ball around him suddenly expanded, turning into a huge black hole.

Although his brain was still a little dizzy, he could be sure of one thing, that is, the other party was flashy.

The Wind Stone Slab was fake, the Sealing Stone Slab was also fake, and even this Demon King aura might be fake!

When encountering this kind of opponent who likes to play tricks, it was right to destroy them head-on. The more he overthought, the more easily he would fall into a trap.

Moreover, if the other party only had this kind of strength, even he could counterattack the Demon King!

In an instant, Pelman was surrounded by a nearly translucent black-turbid light and shadow. Even his pupils turned into black liquid, scattering mist, as if he had entered a new, selfless state. He threw out an unprecedented torrent of psychic power, colliding with the deep gray chains.

A terrible vortex gathered at the center of the black hole, trying to devour everything.

The vines and the psychic black hole collided in mid-air, erupting with billions of explosions more intense than the black and white interweaving.

The light was so dazzling, as if the ancient night and the eternal day met here.

The high-rise buildings in the entire Posen Demon World District 10 trembled in the collision of this force. All the glass shattered, making bursts of roars.

On a distant high-rise building, District 7 Lord Astros and District 8 Lord Eureka were still watching this battle that they could not interfere with but that would determine the fate of Flower Capital, Palière.

The gale roared around them, tearing at the edges of their umbrellas, making sharp whistles.

The torrential rain was like rapid drumbeats, hitting the umbrella hard, splashing countless tiny water droplets that danced and twirled in the air, just like their heartbeats.

"This is… the Demon King…"

Eureka's eyes widened, and she almost dropped the umbrella in her hand.

The moment they saw Tata appear, Eureka and Astros finally knew what Locke's true identity was.

They had originally thought that the Demon King was just a legend of the ancient demon world, but they never expected to see a living Demon King today!

This was probably the blow that would determine the victory or defeat.

Even Locke had chosen to give up his life and let the Demon King possessing him appear and face Pelman head-on.

"Opposite to Pelman, who has absolute suppression and constantly superimposed braking effect, and is strong in attack in the berserk state, choosing to drag on and on, the defense becomes slow, the body is full of fakes, without the Demon King, even the control-canceling mental arts cannot be used and is quite fragile Locke McCarthy…"

Eureka looked at the city shrouded in rain and the center of the battlefield, with a complex look mixed with a hint of regret.

"That is to say…"

Astros looked at her.

"That's right."

Eureka nodded,

"Pelman has won."

Not only Pelman, who fell to the ground with his eyes open, but even Talia was stunned.

She thought that Lan Qi's Sealing Stone Slab was fake.

But after she used it, was this not a counterfeit Stone Slab Seal, but a genuine Original Stone Slab Seal?!

Moreover, she herself was Lan Qi's summon, after the sub-attribute was switched from curse to seal due to the card, as a seal-type summon, she could eat the seal stone slab bonus. The sealing magic she released was able to eat another bonus because she shared Lan Qi's stone slab.

The power of the sealing magic she released scared even herself.

At this moment, on the ruins, besides Pelman lying on the ground, there was also Lan Qi standing not far away, composed, and Talia floating behind him.

"Admirable, Pelman."

Lan Qi looked at Pelman, who was seriously injured on the ground,

"You are the third opponent I will not forget."

(End of this chapter)