Chapter 587: The Glory of the Sun Shines Upon the Underworld

Chapter 587: The Radiance of the Sun Illumines the Underworld

Otis, who had learned from Levi about the impending crisis of invasion from the underworld, spent these past few days preparing with all his might.

On one hand, he recalled troops stationed at the frontlines back to the vicinity of Mapleleaf City.

On the other, he employed various means to recruit professional warriors from across the nation.

Most notably those coming from the city of Velreid.

Thanks to Otis's efforts, nearly half of these professionals were willing to join the Northern Mystery Kingdom.

The remaining practitioners mostly agreed to assist Otis in exchange for money, supplies, and equipment.

Only a small number wished merely to remain within the mage towers, unwilling to engage further in war or battle, longing instead for a peaceful and tranquil life.

Another minority found protection under Gusewei, allowing them to stay safely inside the mages' tower.

Due to Gusewei’s influence, the number of mages within Mapleleaf City increased significantly.

Many came drawn by her legendary reputation as a mage, flocking toward the Mapleleaf Mage Tower.

Those unable to join immediately naturally remained within the city limits.

This pleased Otis immensely.

Frequent troop movements and recruitment activities could hardly conceal their underlying intentions.

News that the underworld was about to invade spread rapidly.

Some informed practitioners fled Mapleleaf City overnight upon hearing this news.

Others stayed behind, enticed by generous offers from Otis, ready to participate in the upcoming conflict.

In the blink of an eye, ten days passed.

Soldiers stationed at Dragonfall Slope spotted scouts belonging to dark races.

The message reached Otis instantly.

At present, nothing concerned him more than the spatial rift located within Dragonfall Slope.

Any intelligence regarding developments there would be delivered directly to him without delay.

Upon learning that the dark races were approaching soon, Otis summoned the general commanding forces stationed at Dragonfall Slope immediately, ordering him to strengthen defenses.

He also made a special trip to meet with Gusewei at the Mage Tower.

Although it wasn’t yet time to call upon Gusewei’s strength, Otis wanted first to gauge her stance on matters.

Gusewei promised Otis she would intervene should Mapleleaf City face danger, which reassured him enough to take his leave.

Before departing, he remembered to inquire about Levi’s whereabouts.

Gusewei replied, “He disappeared early this morning; I don’t know where he went.”

Unable to find Levi disappointed Otis somewhat.

Yet obtaining Gusewei’s assurance fulfilled his purpose for visiting the Mage Tower.

Meanwhile, Levi already stood within the secret domain of Dragonfall Slope.

Early that morning, he sensed unusual activity occurring within its hidden realm.

Suspecting dark race members might have crossed through the spatial fissure outside Mapleleaf City,

His suspicions proved correct when he arrived that very dawn.

Numerous soldiers of the dark races now roamed throughout Dragonfall Slope.

Levi soared high above, concealing himself so thoroughly none among the enemy ranks could detect him.

He searched for the rulers behind these dark race soldiers.

Killing mere foot soldiers held little significance.

To prevent full-scale invasion by the dark races from beneath the earth, one must dissuade their leaders’ ambitions.

The simplest method involved intimidation through superior force.

If Levi demonstrated power greater than theirs, they surely wouldn’t dare continue invading Skyvault Continent.

Flying over the heads of dark race soldiers, Levi traversed the spatial rift into the underworld itself.

Underworld—

Nearby the spatial rift gathered countless soldiers of the dark races.

Various types formed distinct legions lined up orderly, awaiting passage through the rift.

Beside the rift stood over a hundred dark mages.

Some worked diligently reinforcing the tear between worlds.

Others attempted expanding it, aiming to transport larger armies faster into the opposite realm.

Scanning the vast army below with his senses, Levi detected several formidable presences emanating from nearby encampments.

However, each belonged only to legendary-level professionals.

Levi flew closer.

Leaders representing different factions of the dark races argued heatedly within the camp concerning military strategy.

They debated fiercely over which legion should enter the spatial rift first.

“My suggestion is clear—we send the Dark Orcs ahead! Your kind possess unmatched defensive capabilities, ensuring solid ground once you arrive to support subsequent waves!”

“Screw off! Everyone knows your ulterior motives—you’re just trying to suppress our Dark Orcs using this opportunity!”

“I believe the Drow Elves should go first. You excel in dark magic, making you ideal for delaying enemies while buying us crucial time.”

“No, the Troglodyte Legion suits best as vanguard.”

“I disagree entirely. Either we all advance together, or no one gets credit later!”

...

*Cough cough!* Silence fell briefly before someone spoke again. “Enough bickering—let’s hear Her Majesty’s opinion first.”

Just arriving above the campsite, Levi heard the heated discussion unfolding below.

Hearing mention of "Her Majesty," instinctively he perked up, eager to discover exactly who this queen might be?

*Ziiing!*

Suddenly, a figure materialized before everyone’s eyes.

Clad in black royal robes adorned with a golden crown, the Queen emerged majestically before the assembled crowd.

She scanned the crowd, then raised her eyes to the sky.

"A pack of fools, unaware that the enemy is already at the gates."

The Queen barked her reprimand without preamble.

At her words, astonishment washed over everyone's faces.

"The enemy?"

"Where is the enemy?"

Whoosh!

The camp tent was ripped away.

Levi descended slowly from the heavens.

He looked at the dark-robed Queen who had appeared at the front lines via a magical projection.

The fact that she could detect his position with a mere projection spoke volumes.

Seeing the crown upon her head, shaped like a black spider, Levi had already guessed her identity.

The dark-robed Queen glared at Levi, sneering, "A human demigod. You are bold indeed, daring to show your face in the Underworld."

Levi smiled and said, "If your true self were here, those words might carry some weight. But don't put on airs before me with a mere projection."

Hearing this, the Legendary warrior of the Dark Orcs shouted fiercely, "Who are you? How dare you be so disrespectful to Her Majesty the Queen."

"Noisy."

Levi cast a sidelong glance at the Dark Orc Legend.

The Legendary Orc spontaneously combusted where he stood, turning into a pile of ash within seconds.

The sight turned the faces of those around him deathly pale with terror.

"You, you, you..."

Rose stared at Levi, her brow furrowed tightly. "How dare you slaughter my subordinate right before my eyes. You must truly be tired of living!"

"To deal with a demigod like you, there is no need for my true self to step forward. I shall teach you the gap between a demigod and a true deity."

Rose's figure gradually solidified.

Levi sensed a surge of divine power.

He knew that what stood before him now was Rose's divine avatar.

It was not the true Rose.

The divine avatar instantly transformed into a colossal black spider.

Cobwebs filled the space between heaven and earth, enveloping Levi layer upon layer.

The giant spider that Rose had become extended a leg and gently plucked a strand of silk beside her.

In an instant, a fine thread sliced across Levi's body.

The filament was incomparably sharp.

It cleaved Levi's divine body in two.

After striking Levi, Rose noticed the nature of his divine body, and a look of surprise crossed her features.

"To think you have already reached this step. No wonder you dare to be so arrogant."

"But what of it, even if you have condensed a divine body? You are ultimately still just a demigod, ignorant of the true power of the gods."

"Law of the Web!"

Levi suddenly felt himself unable to move at all.

Not just his body, but even his soul seemed entangled and glued by the web, rendered completely immobile.

He had become prey trapped within a spider's web.

He could only watch helplessly as the giant spider drew near, unable to offer any resistance.

This was power deriving from the level of Laws.

Only the power of Laws could counter the power of Laws.

Rose smiled as she looked at Levi, who was suspended by the web.

Yet, no matter how a spider smiled, it appeared incomparably hideous.

Rose said, "I truly did not expect that you wouldn't even try to dodge, becoming my prey so easily."

Levi asked, "Have you ever seen the sun?"

Rose was taken aback.

The divine body transformed into a scorching sun, unleashing pure solar energy.

Levi's divine power had originally been formed by refining the sun.

He was merely reversing this process.

Reverting his divine power back into a sun.

What kind of radiance would a ten-thousandth of a sun bring when manifested in the Underworld?

More than half of the Underworld was illuminated by the sun.

The dark creatures who had never seen the sun were instantly reduced to flying ash upon coming into close contact with it.

A vast number of dark creatures were blinded by the sunlight.

The web binding Levi was formed from the power of Laws.

Although it could not be destroyed by the sun, the divine body Rose had condensed could not withstand the burning solar heat.

She retreated again and again.

As she retreated into the distance, the power of Laws that formed the web dissipated.

Levi broke free from his shackles.

Rose gazed at the sun that had appeared in the Underworld, terror evident in her sixteen spider eyes.

"What on earth is this monstrous thing?"

"Why would the sun appear here?"

She attempted to use the power of the Law of the Web to capture the sun before her.

However, the sun of divine power was too vast.

The power was too formidable.

The might of a single divine avatar simply could not restrain it.

Even if she exhausted all her strength, she could not achieve it.

Left with no choice, she could only change her direction.

Utilizing the law-woven web, she spread a shield over the dark race legions to block the sunlight.

Preventing the dark race legions from suffering catastrophic casualties.

"Damnable human! I am coming, and I will make you pay!"

The divine avatar of Lolth depleted its power and dissolved into nothingness.

Seeing this, Li Wei also hastily reined in his own might.

Slipping through the spatial rift, he fled back to Maple Leaf City.

"The situation is rather grim; if Lolth is the ruler behind the dark races and she is hell-bent on attacking Maple Leaf City, we are in trouble."

Li Wei felt the situation growing thorny.

He was certainly no match for Lolth at present.

At the very least, he would need to comprehend the laws before possessing the strength to fight her.

For now, he could only rely on his vast divine power to force her back.

Were he to encounter Lolth's true body, it was a question whether this trick would even work.

Though he had not dispelled the ambitions of the ruler behind the dark races,

His manifestation as the sun had dealt a devastating blow to the dark legion.

At close range, the soldiers of the dark races had suffered catastrophic casualties.

It was only thanks to Lolth's quick reflexes, using her divine power to forge a web of laws to withstand the sun's brilliance, that a fraction of the dark legion survived.

Otherwise, they would have all been incinerated by the sun Li Wei had become.

Lolth likely dared not venture into the Prime Material Plane in her true form.

The dark legion had also been severely crippled.

In the short term, Maple Leaf City should not face total annihilation.

The specific details would depend on how the ensuing war unfolded.

The most critical matter was determining whether Lolth would risk bringing her true body into the Prime Material Plane.

As long as she dared not cross over, the situation in Maple Leaf City was fundamentally secure.

Li Wei returned to the Mage Tower of Maple Leaf City.

Following his clash with Lolth, he understood the vital importance of comprehending the power of laws.

Divine power was akin to ammunition.

The power of laws was the firearm itself.

Having ammunition without firearms made it difficult to exert any real effect.

In a crisis, one could only deploy a fraction of that power through a method bordering on self-detonation.

Just like Li Wei's act of transforming into the sun.

The caliber of the firearms created by different laws varied.

They could channel the potency of the ammunition into varying degrees of strength.

Yet, comprehending the laws was no simple task.

Li Wei had attempted it multiple times, but had made no progress.

He thought of the several fragments of godhood in his possession.

Condensed within those fragments of godhood were shards of the laws.

Could he glean some revelation from them?

Having not yet condensed a shard of godhood belonging to himself, Li Wei dared not rashly use them for the time being.

Lest he make things worse by trying to be too clever.

He intended to consult the Holy Dragon King before considering the matter further.

Through the mouth of Gu Sewei, Li Wei conveyed the events of the subterranean world to Oates.

He concealed the fact that he had inflicted massive damage upon the subterranean dark legion.

He merely told Oates that the legion invading the Prime Material Plane had been heavily battered and could not muster a massive force to invade Maple Leaf City anytime soon.

He bade Oates not to worry overmuch.

A day later, small detachments of dark race soldiers appeared outside Dragonfall Slope, venturing into the Prime Material Plane to scout the situation.

They were swiftly spotted by the heavily entrenched soldiers, surrounded, and annihilated.

Only a scant few stragglers managed to escape back to the subterranean world.

The dark legion of the underworld now knew that the humans on the surface were prepared for battle.

They dared not launch a general offensive rashly in the near future.

They could only continuously dispatch small units to harass and scout the external situation.

Seeing that the dark races of the subterranean world dared not launch a general offensive,

Li Wei left behind a divine power clone.

He set out for Abyssal City in the Endless Ocean to seek Sheng Xi in the subterranean sea.

Incidentally, he also intended to question the Holy Dragon King about a few matters.

Consuming his divine power, Li Wei opened a portal leading to the subterranean sea of Abyssal City.

Stepping through the portal,

Li Wei arrived in the subterranean sea.

He swept his gaze rapidly across the surroundings, the eerie stillness of the subterranean sea striking him as unusual.

"Why can I not even perceive the aura of the Naga race?"

"Where are the Holy Dragon King and Sheng Xi?"

Li Wei searched the entirety of the subterranean sea but failed to find the island where the Holy Dragon King and Sheng Xi resided.

It seemed even the Naga race had abandoned this place.

Sensing the area for a moment, Li Wei discovered that the passage from the subterranean sea to the abyss had vanished.

He was deeply perplexed as to what had transpired here.

Li Wei hurriedly flew toward the exit of the subterranean sea.

He hoped to find answers within Abyssal City.

Just as he flew out from the exit of the subterranean sea, Li Wei beheld the figures of the Naga race everywhere within Abyssal City.

His heart tightened, "Oh no, has Abyssal City been breached by the Nagas?"

Li Wei hurriedly flew into the depths of Abyssal City.

The Naga race was locked in fierce combat with the mermaid guards in the city.

Yet, Li Wei saw no sign of the Holy Dragon King or Sheng Xi.

Boom!

A burst of explosions echoed from not far away.

Li Wei turned his head to look, several Naga professional fighters were besieging the mermaid princess Anna.

(End of Chapter)