Chapter 523: The Trump Card

In the 'Sword-Asking Villa' of Atlanta City, another Li Mochen, who had already returned to the 'Destiny's Domain' magic tower, was also sorting through his spoils of war.

The greatest gain this time was naturally the 'vine heart' or 'wood heart' left behind by the Blue Marsh Demon Vine—which was actually a type of magical energy crystal core, albeit with some unique plant characteristics. In the Eastern world, this was also known as a demon core.

At the demigod level, the shape of the magical energy crystal core was indeed quite similar to a pill.

Moreover, the 'wood heart' of the Blue Marsh Demon Vine was exceptionally powerful—after all, the demon vine was a plant lacking the organ of a 'brain,' so this 'wood heart' served not only as its magical energy crystal core but also as its core for thinking and the vessel of its soul.

Thus, the four ultimate domains possessed by the Blue Marsh Demon Vine—life and death, earth and wood—were naturally and completely preserved within this 'wood heart.'

And the accumulation over tens of thousands of years had endowed this 'wood heart' with an astonishing reserve of magical sources. In terms of quantity alone, it could even exceed four times the total of the thirty-two mana pools in the 'Destiny's Domain' magic tower.

What surprised Li Mochen even more was that some of the source power within had already taken on the rudiments of divine power. Fortunately, this thing had limited intelligence and didn't know how to use them. Otherwise, in this battle, he might not have been able to prevent it from escaping from the Astral Plane.

—This also meant that his 'Crimson Dragon Armor' could also absorb this portion of power.

And the items second in value only to the wood heart were the core sections of the Blue Marsh Demon Vine's vines, which could be used to make vine whips or vine armor.

The defensive capability of this demigod creature was already at the level of a lesser god, making these vines exceptionally tough. Equipment made from these materials would be no lower than quasi-divine artifacts, also known as 'quasi-mythical armaments.'

Of course, it also demanded high skill from the alchemist. Fortunately, Anthony had several great alchemists in his employ. As long as Li Mochen had good materials, he never lacked for craftsmen.

Apart from that, there were three fifth-level sacred artifacts—a ring, a necklace, and a battle axe.

These must have been left behind by some unfortunate souls, remaining undecayed after long years in the Blue Marsh because they possessed a part of the 'immortal' trait of mythical armaments.

Li Mochen regretted that there was no sword among them. The dragon-slaying holy sword 'Lafayette' he had obtained half a year ago had yet to be repaired. As for the chainsaw sword 'Demon Slayer' of Light Demon No. 8, firstly, Li Mochen was not accustomed to it, and secondly, its power was not ideal.

However, the ring brought him considerable surprise.

This item was called the 'Ring of Dual Extreme Sources.' It possessed both ice and fire powers, constantly maintained the ultimate domains of these two attributes, and could supply him with vast amounts of ice and fire magical energy.

The moment Li Mochen obtained it, he had already put it on his finger.

"It seems that old man of yours is preparing something terrible. To act like a turtle hiding its head even in this situation—he can't really be planning to admit defeat."

While Li Mochen was inspecting his spoils, Anthony's projection spoke with a leisurely expression: "I'm increasingly looking forward to your upcoming battle. I hope he won't be too shocked when he sees you, who has already obtained the 'trump card.'"

"It's too early to say I've got the trump card. I still need to craft it into a magical artifact."

Li Mochen shook the 'Blue Marsh Vine Heart' in his hand: "It's expected to take one to two months to complete. And even after it's done, it will only extend the Crimson Dragon Armor's usage time from twenty-four minutes to an hour and a half."

The 'vine heart' of the Blue Marsh Demon Vine was not suitable for making an external elixir, but it could still provide Li Mochen with four times the magical power of the 'Destiny's Domain' magic tower.

Additionally, it could provide him with four types of ultimate domain power, allowing Li Mochen to refine divine authority—this was undoubtedly a mythical equipment, with a rank surpassing that of the Fang of the Wind God and the Twilight Holy Armor.

After all, the Blue Marsh Demon Vine had already stepped to the edge of 'attaining the Dao through power,' only half a step away from becoming an 'ancient god.'

"An hour and a half can decide many things, can't it? When you wear the Crimson Dragon Armor, you're almost equivalent to a lesser law god—no, now you'll also stack the power of the Blue Marsh Demon Vine. And the larger the scale of the war, the stronger your power becomes. A-Mo, you could actually hand this over to me. In at most twenty days, I can help you craft it into a mythical equipment."

Anthony's face was full of smiles. He felt his investment was very wise. Li Mochen was now a qualified ally who could provide him with substantial help.

So he was now more dedicated to Li Mochen's side, almost wanting to join the battle directly.

Although due to various reasons, Light Demon Industries couldn't directly intervene in the conflicts of Atlanta, half a year ago, he had already begun to find ways to help Li Mochen deal with Philip I.

—Once this obstacle was removed, Li Mochen's forces could at least help him tie down three magic envoys or lesser gods. So now, he had initially relaxed his suppression of his own level and was not stingy with his investment and support here.

"I appreciate your kindness, but can you ensure that the four ultimate domains of the Blue Marsh Demon Vine are fully preserved?"

Li Mochen was not surprised to see the helpless expression on Anthony's face.

This was indeed something that even a great alchemist could not accomplish. The person crafting this mythical equipment must have a relatively deep understanding of the four attribute powers of the Blue Marsh Demon Vine.

Thus, only he himself was capable of crafting this mythical armament—

"As for Robert's Twilight Holy Armor, I'll have to trouble you to find a way. Do you have a suitable candidate, Anthony?"

"Leave it to me. The foundation of this item is very good, so handling it is simple. Just integrate the shard of the Twilight Goddess's divine essence into it. I can do it myself. Although this is the type I'm least skilled at—"

Anthony said confidently: "In at most seven days, I'll have it sent back to your maid's hands."

At that moment, Li Mochen's 'main body' had also returned to the operations command room of the Rising Sun Security Company, accompanied by the blood-eyed maid Robert.

He reached into the void and, from the 'Void Ring,' retrieved a battle axe that was entirely dark gold in color but engraved with purple magical runes.

There was a pair of Void Rings, worn by his main and secondary bodies respectively. As long as they were within twenty kilometers of each other, the materials stored inside could be exchanged.

Li Mochen then flicked his sleeve, causing the battle axe to fall before the figure condensed from lightning.

"The Thunder King Battle Axe. Now you owe me 1.7 billion gold shields, Mr. Demacia."

The lightning-condensed figure grabbed the battle axe, tested it, and then showed a satisfied expression: "Alright! A very fair price. I'm quite pleased with this item."

He knew that most of Li Mochen's subordinates were heavily in debt, so he didn't stand on ceremony. A debt of 1.7 billion gold shields was nothing to a demigod.

Then Li Mochen turned his gaze to Michael Wood: "You know what to do next, Michael?"

"Understood!"

Michael Wood stood up solemnly: "I will adjust my battle plan."

—Since Philip I refused to engage even under such circumstances, there was no need for them to be overly conservative in their offensive in the dark world. His current idea was to capture Rocher Canyon as quickly as possible and then build a reliable, stable stronghold at the entrance to this Bloody Land.