Chapter 2491 – Basic Mana Control

“He decoded it?”

“Something like this is actually breakable?”

As the black fog disappeared, silence fell over the group of players as they stared at Shi Feng in astonishment. They were a hundred times more shocked than when the Mana density around Shi Feng had increased due to his Mana control.

The Demon God’s Temptation temples had survived since ancient times, and the Main God System had set the rules that governed them. Players had no choice but to follow these rules if they wished to complete the Demon God’s Temptation. Not even the various superpowers could manage to get around these rules.

None of God’s Domain’s players would even dream of breaking these rules, since they had already accepted the Main God System’s rules as an integral part of their lives.

However, Shi Feng hadn’t just refused to follow these rules. He actually broke them. He had shaken their very understanding of God’s Domain.

“He succeeded?! How is this possible?!” Thunder Beast stared at Shi Feng in shock. He could hardly believe what was happening, yet with the results of Shi Feng’s efforts before him, he couldn’t deny it. “Is he really a player?”

Thunder Beast began to suspect that Shi Feng wasn’t actually another player, but an NPC in disguise.

First, Shi Feng had displayed Mana control that rivaled Tier 4 magical class NPCs. Then, he had successfully decoded the magic arrays that sealed the temple. Neither feat should be possible for current players.

It’s no wonder why Divine Tribe was willing to work with him, even without demanding some of the Starlight Fortress’s shares and going as far as to station so many of its members in the fortress. Is this his true trump card? Hell Rush could not help his bitter smile as he watched the magic arrays around the temple lose power.

Hell Rush had assumed Zero Wing had gotten extremely lucky to obtain a Dragon and a Fortress Prison after capturing the Starlight Fortress. These factors were the very reasons that the Hell Legion hadn’t been able to cause trouble for the fortress. Still, he hadn’t felt particularly threatened by Zero Wing’s small group.

The Guild’s foundations in the west were pathetically weak, even with five experts that had unlocked their Mana Bodies’ full potential.

A handful of players wasn’t enough to influence a Guild’s standing in the overall competition between God’s Domain’s many Guilds, especially in the competition between the various superpowers.

The various superpowers might not have the strength to take the Starlight Fortress now, but they could rely on another method—stealing the Fortress Lord’s Token. Although the Fortress Lord’s Token was heavily guarded, it couldn’t be removed from the fortress. Normally, the ruling individual could only store the token in the Fortress Lord’s Mansion behind heavy security.

All the various superpowers needed to do was send enough experts to siege the Starlight Fortress and its Fortress Lord’s Mansion. Not even a Dragon could stop an army of hundreds of thousands or millions of experts. Furthermore, the various superpowers had tools they could use to pin the Dragon down for a short time. Stealing the fortress from Zero Wing was entirely possible. It would be costly, but as long as the superpowers were willing to cooperate, they could accomplish the feat.

Seeing the Swordsman before him now, however, Hell Rush doubted that even the various superpowers’ combined forces would be able to take the Starlight Fortress from this man.

With Shi Feng’s Mana control and knowledge of magic arrays, no player could threaten his hold on the fortress at this stage of the game.

God’s Domain’s automatic magic arrays and those under a player’s control had different effects. The various superpowers had conducted their own secret experiments to test this concept. Unfortunately, controlling a city’s defensive magic array was incredibly difficult. Not only did players need sufficient understanding of magic arrays, but they also needed sufficient Mana control. This was why NPC cities were so difficult to capture.

Ordinary players might assume that major NPC cities’ defensive magic arrays were simply stronger than those in Guild Cities, but that wasn’t truly the case.

The defensive magic arrays in NPC cities were only slightly stronger than those in Guild Cities, but because NPC cities were guarded by Tier 4 NPCs, there were NPCs that were responsible for manipulating the city’s defensive magic array. These NPCs would strengthen the array until the barrier could even withstand Tier 5 NPCs’ attacks for a long time. If the Starlight Fortress had someone to control its defensive magic array, what chance did the various superpowers have to break through it?

While the Hell Legion’s members were confused and stunned, excitement overwhelmed Shi Feng.

Thank goodness, I made it!

After three hours of desperate study, he had finally grasped the profound concepts of the seven elements. He still couldn’t execute any of Holy Annihilation’s three moves, but he now had Basic Mana control. He could now draw Master Magic Arrays based on the Four Major Elements’ movement patterns. Normally, only Tier 3 magical class NPCs could perform the task.

He was still far from having the Mana control to rival Tier 4 magical class NPCs. To reach that standard, he’d have to draw simple magic arrays with the Three Supreme Elements. Once one could do so, they’d be able to create their own Mana Domains, which were far more powerful than using a Skill or Spell to form a Domain.

Even so, Shi Feng was satisfied with his progress.

Only a small number of the Tier 6 Mage Gods from his previous life had reached this standard at Tier 3. Most had only made so much progress after reaching Tier 4.

Fortunately, he only needed to possess Basic Mana Control to decode the magic arrays protecting the temple. As an additional bonus, he was now on the brink of becoming an Intermediate Master Magician thanks to the Holy Annihilation Legacy. Decoding these arrays proved far easier than it had been, and he completed the task in no time.

His success also excited Aqua Rose and the other Zero Wing experts.

Now that the magic arrays had been decoded, they had a chance of claiming the temple’s Inferior Legendary Treasure Chest.

If they could get their hands on that treasure chest, Zero Wing might gain another Fragmented Legendary item, which meant the Guild could gain another apex expert.

Before Aqua Rose and her companions could celebrate, however, a seven-meter-tall figure in pitch-black armor and wearing a horned helmet appeared within the temple. This figure also wielded a pitch-black axe, ready for battle.

The moment the figure appeared, the temple began to radiate an intense amount of Divine Might. Even Hell Rush and his legion, who stood over 300 yards away from the temple, were overwhelmed by a sense of dread.

[Demon God, Atlock] (God’s Phantom, Mythic) Level 120

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Everyone gasped when they saw Atlock’s Attributes.

Level 120? Even Shi Feng stared at Atlock with a grim expression.

NPCs weren’t like players. Every five levels, they received a massive strength boost. A Level 120 NPC’s combat power was in a completely different league than that of a Level 110 NPC.

Right now, Atlock was even stronger than the Silver Divine Dragon, Auerbeck.

“Are you really going in there, Guild Leader?” Aqua Rose asked worriedly.

She had been confident of their chances of securing the Inferior Legendary Treasure Chest before she had seen Atlock, but after witnessing the Demon God’s phantom for herself, she realized how wrong she had been.

She wouldn’t last more than five seconds against the phantom. Even from so far away, the Demon God’s Divine Might reduced her combat power by at least 30%. She’d lose even more once she was within attack range.

“I’ve already gone this far. I have to try,” Shi Feng said, gritting his teeth.

The Demon God’s Temptation appeared at random. One would have to be incredibly lucky to encounter one.

If this Demon God’s Temptation had only housed an Epic Treasure Chest, he would’ve dismissed it without a thought, but he’d be wrought with regret if he gave up on an Inferior Legendary Treasure Chest without trying his best.

Even after a decade in God’s Domain, Fragmented Legendary items had been extremely rare, and every one was a priceless treasure. Although Shi Feng remembered a few clues that would lead to Fragmented Legendary items, whether or not he could claim them was another matter altogether.

Since he had a high chance of securing a Fragmented Legendary item now, how could he walk away without putting up a fight?

His opponent might be a Level 120, Tier 4 Demon God, but he still had a chance of victory. He didn’t actually have to fight the phantom. He just needed to buy enough time to take the treasure chest and get out.

After giving his answer, Shi Feng approached the temple.

“What? He’s really going in?” Thunder Beast gaped in shock.

Words were no longer sufficient to describe the Demon God’s strength. Just having the courage to enter the temple was impressive, not to mention fighting Atlock. That Demon God could likely even instant-kill Tier 4 NPCs, let alone current Tier 3 players. There was no way to buy time with such an opponent on one’s heels.

Shi Feng had decoded the temple’s outer magic arrays, allowing players to enter and leave the temple freely and use magic tools, but the temple’s inner magic array remained intact. The inner magic array ensured that only one player could enter the temple at a time. In other words, Shi Feng would have to face the Tier 4 Demon God by himself. How much time could he possibly buy himself?

“Puny adventurer, you are capable and brave. You’ve decoded the magic array I had set up outside, and you even dare to enter my temple after seeing my phantom,” Atlock addressed Shi Feng, a hint of recognition lacing his tone. However, his words also contained a trace of anger. “But, this ends now! Since you have dared to break my trial, I will eliminate you from this world!”

After saying so, the intensity of Atlock’s Divine Might skyrocketed, and it felt as if a one-ton weight had been dropped on Shi Feng’s shoulders. Even walking became a challenge.

Sure enough, taking on a Tier 4 God’s phantom won’t be easy. Shi Feng flashed Atlock a bitter smile as the phantom’s Divine Might swept over him. I can only try my luck!

Following which, Shi Feng pulled a Summon Guard Scroll from his bag and called Anna to his side.