Chapter 518: Striking West

Coincidentally, in the hall of the Hermit's Manor in Atlanta, it was also brightly lit.

"Anthony Braden, that bastard!"

Alexandra Howard's veins bulged slightly on her face as she hissed through clenched teeth: "It seems the rumors are true; he actually gave Light Demon No. 8 to that mongrel."

"Andre himself is not actually hard to deal with. Ilse Medici has shown us that his weakness is the 'Divine Soul'; he must rely on his subordinate Roberta to withstand the enemy's mental attacks. Anthony Braden has the mythical armor left by his father to protect his soul, making him immune to any illusion or mental attack, but the mongrel you speak of does not."

That was a little girl only ten years old, sitting on the windowsill swinging her legs, her demeanor and temperament innocent and carefree.

"The problem now is how to handle the Medici family's ultimatum. If we don't intend to provide help here, then they will likely be forced to withdraw from this war."

At this moment, everyone looked toward Philip I, who was seated in the center of the hall.

Only Alexandra rubbed her forehead in headache: "The Medici family is a high-ranking supreme family; how can they be so useless?"

"You can't say that. They are now fighting Andre with one hand tied behind their backs, and Andre's Divine Authority of Life and Death is indeed powerful. The mages they pride themselves on cannot contend with Andre. And if the war escalates, Weimar Medici's path to the papacy will fail just short of success."

The speaker was Roland Benedict, who was staring intently at Philip I: "You must make a choice, Philip—whether to start an all-out war now or sit by and watch the Medici family be forced to retreat."

"This is indeed a difficult choice."

In front of the fireplace in the hall, a pale-faced man in a black coat also let out a soft laugh at this moment: "We are not ready yet, and if we act within America, it will likely be difficult to gain the support of the American government in the future, and we may even face hostility from the government. But if we sit by and watch the Medici family be defeated, we will also lose up to thirty thousand elite mercenaries, a monthly financial support of three billion gold shields, and numerous legendary and demigod powers. We are also backed into a corner now, Philip."

Philip I still did not speak. He rested his chin on his hand, his gaze dark and inscrutable, looking out through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

...

While everyone was focused on the great battle in the Astral Realm, inside the 'Fate's Homeland' magic tower anchored in the void outside the Sword-Asking Manor, another 'Li Mochen' suddenly opened his eyes.

The 'Crimson Dragon Armor' he wore was shrouded in a blood-red spiritual light. The war primordial force, boiling and surging due to the tense situation in Atlanta, caused the virtual divine office within the dragon armor to rapidly expand, fiercely clashing and battling with the curse power remaining on the armor.

At that moment, Li Mochen's figure flickered and vanished, directly tearing through the space barrier, arriving in the boundless void of the Astral Realm.

'Nightlord of the Void' Delfinia Adric could freely manipulate the power of the void, performing spatial teleportation over distances of ten thousand or even tens of thousands of kilometers.

But at this moment, 'Li Mochen', by means of the 'Stellar Leap Art' and the power of the stars in the astral realm, was able to move at a speed far surpassing that of Delfinia.

After more than a dozen consecutive flashes, he entered the Dark World. This place was millions of kilometers away from the ghost city corresponding to Atlanta.

When 'Li Mochen' stood still in the high altitude here, he sensed the life and death aura pervading the vicinity.

The dense forest beneath his feet was both vibrant with life and filled with the decaying power of death.

'Li Mochen' soon focused his gaze on the blue swamp below. Many of the plants growing there were rotting and dying due to environmental factors, but even more marsh plants were growing.

What could capture 'Li Mochen's' attention, however, was only a powerful creature hidden deep within the swamp.

"That guy is the Blue Swamp Demon Vine—let me remind you again, this creature ranks among the top in terms of trouble among all plant spirits in the Dark World. Although the Blue Swamp Demon Vine is currently at the demigod level, its mana is almost inexhaustible, comparable to many intermediate gods. Though its intelligence is low, after enduring long ages, it has still mastered several powerful divine powers. Besides being naturally a plant spirit, it also holds the authority of life and death, and can absorb the power of the earth to proliferate endlessly. So far, this vast blue swamp has not been developed. First, no valuable minerals have been found nearby; second, the existence of the Blue Swamp Demon Vine, whose offspring densely cover this area, makes it difficult for any human to survive near the swamp. To eliminate it and its offspring, unless a force like a Supreme Family is involved, others would have to pay a considerable price."

Anthony Braden, who had been cursed by Alexandra Howard, suddenly manifested his figure beside Li Mochen.

However, this was not his true body, but a projection from a small instrument beside Li Mochen.

"And now, A-Mo, you intend to kill it alone! A-Mo, I don't deny your strength, and I approve of the tactics you plan to adopt. But actually killing it will be very difficult; it requires a bit of luck."

"I know, this is a bit risky, but—"

A glint of shrewdness flickered in 'Li Mochen's' eyes: "This is the only way to resolve my insufficient mana, Anthony."

"Indeed, so I will do my best to help you."

Anthony nodded slightly: "Later, I will use spatial techniques to allow you unimpeded access to your magic tower in Atlanta from here, but the time is only twenty minutes. Actually, the time you can freely use the Scarlet Dragon Armor won't exceed twenty minutes either. Good luck, Andre! Now you can lure it out—"

Li Mochen immediately raised his hand and summoned a fist-sized, blood-red pill. Just three seconds later, the swamp beneath them began to tremble slightly, then grew increasingly violent. Countless creatures living within the swamp started to flee in panic in all directions.

However, only five seconds later, a colossal creature rose from the ground. It was a giant being resembling an octopus, with an ellipsoid body at its center formed by countless black vines intertwined. It extended countless 'tentacles' as it emerged, stretching and reaching toward Li Mochen in the air.

But the latter was also rapidly ascending, getting farther and farther from the ground—thirteen thousand meters, thirty-five thousand meters, sixty-seven thousand meters, until reaching an altitude of one hundred twenty thousand meters. This finally exceeded the reach of those black vines. The Blue Swamp Demon Vine let out a fierce roar at that moment; its entire body completely pulled out of the ground, and countless black vines gathered together to form the shape of a massive black dragon. With a flap of its wings, it actually flew into the air and pursued upward.

The man and the vine flew higher and higher in the sky, soon reaching an altitude of three hundred thousand meters above the ground. And the distance between them was rapidly closing.

But at this moment, Li Mochen once again tore open the dimensional wall and stepped into the astral realm.

The Blue Swamp Demon Vine, however, refused to give up. Before the dimensional wall could 'heal,' dozens of black vines extended over, forcibly tore the rift open, expanded it to an area large enough for it to pass through completely, and then plunged in.