Volume 5: Protracted War Chapter 3: Reunion with an Old Friend
To be honest, facing the strict guards of the Light NPCs at the entrance of the Death Canyon, I was actually very puzzled. Even a necromancer as powerful as me would definitely not be able to break through head-on. It was hard to imagine why such a checkpoint was set up. If it were another necromancer or I was not so well prepared, I would most likely fail here. How could I reach the Undead Castle and advance? Is the only way to force a breakthrough by mobilizing enough people?
Fortunately, in order to prepare for this operation, I received the full support of the "Resistance Alliance". Although there were not many people involved in the escort, they lent me several powerful props. My necklace and bracelet both have the attribute of increasing the upper limit of mental power. I wear a total of six rings on both hands. In addition to the inherent two rings and the "magic storage ring" that belongs to me, which can replenish 20% of mental power, the other three are also "magic storage rings", which can quickly replenish 80% of mental power and can use "Summon the Dead" again in succession. At the same time, there is an additional "Chaos Ball", which can release "Blind Fog" three times, and a one-time "Five Thunders" magic scroll, which can strike five huge thunders to attack the enemy within a certain range according to the caster's will. Not only does it have a strong lethality, but the attack also has a strong stun effect. Unless the enemy is extremely powerful or immune to thunder magic, it will temporarily lose the ability to fight if it does not die. "Five Thunders" is an eighth-level magic with the most powerful thunder power. This one-time magic scroll is a reward item that Bai Yunjian got for accumulating merits after completing professional tasks. It is absolutely precious at this stage. It is really beyond my expectation that it can be contributed. Although helping me is equivalent to indirectly consolidating Long Xingtianxia's position in the "Resistance Alliance", I am the direct beneficiary after all, and I don't know what the result will be. I may not necessarily be the first to advance. This investment is too big, which makes my already uneasy heart even more panic.
In order not to reveal my identity, I dared not summon some unique things, such as the most powerful Red Star and Taotao who could speed up running. I could not even use the magic weapon, which greatly restricted my performance. Seeing the NPC guards getting closer and closer, I had already used up four "Magic Storage Rings" to replenish my mental strength. I had no choice but to summon out three thousand zombies to delay their actions again. The other side had many people and powerful forces, and two or three Dark Knights were of little use. They were not as practical as zombies, which could at least confuse the situation.
Taking advantage of this time, I rushed forward a little further, but there was still a long way to go before the canyon entrance. The NPC guards reacted quickly, and there was no loophole to exploit. It seemed that I had to go all out and use extraordinary means. I stopped, calmed my mind, and quickly measured the distance again, then used the "Chaos Ball" four times. The front, back, left, and right directions were all covered by four groups of "eye-blinding fog", leaving only a small area in the center that was not affected. Seeing that the expected effect was achieved, I was relieved. This method tested my precise control of the "eye-blinding fog". If there was a slight deviation, I would be trapped in it, which would be a self-defeating move.
This was just the first step. I still had to find a way to get out. I issued a command, and a long string of Devouring Ghosts floated down from the sky. I called it a string because they were linked together hand in hand, and they went straight from the sky to the mouth of the canyon. They were summoned together with the zombies when I used "Summon the Dead" for the first time. They floated high in the sky and did not participate in the battle. I thought they would not attract the attention of the NPC guards and cause them to attack. I used this time to connect them as quickly as possible. One end followed me, and the other end led to the Death Canyon in the distance.
After confirming that no one else rushed out of the fog area, I activated the "Touch of Death" and entangled the devouring ghost next to me. Of course, my purpose was not to absorb their mental power, but to make use of the "Touch of Death" to transmit mental fluctuations in the "blinding fog", so that I could successfully cross the fog area, break through the blockade of the NPC guards, and enter the Death Canyon.
Sure enough, through the effects of the connected devouring ghosts and "Touch of Death", I clearly grasped the external environment, and with a string of devouring ghosts closer to me, I rushed into the "blinding fog" in front of me. In this way, the black fog belt revealed by the "Touch of Death" was covered in the fog area, and would not be discovered by the NPC guards, thus preventing me from seeing through my identity.
I have entered the "blinding fog" several times and quickly adapted to this feeling. Under the guidance of the Devouring Ghost, I determined the direction outside the fog area, groped forward, and made corrections continuously. Magic is not easy to use here. I changed to the "shadow dagger" in my hand and moved forward while stabbing. Anyway, I was sure that everyone I met would be an enemy, so I was not afraid of accidental injuries. However, I had to avoid the enemy as soon as possible to avoid being injured by their blind counterattack. Fortunately, these NPCs were not used to the environment in the "blinding fog". When they lost their perception, they did not dare to attack or chase recklessly. Relying on my relatively agile skills and the attack paralysis effect of the "shadow dagger" from time to time, plus the "three shields" to protect me, I did not encounter too much danger.
Realizing that I was about to leave the foggy area, I immediately released another group of "blinding fog" in front of me, covering the road to the canyon entrance in the black fog. I had the Devouring Ghost to lead the way, so I was not afraid of getting lost. The only ones affected were the enemies, and there was no way to intercept them - they did not have the strength of the eighth-level silver-robed bishop I encountered when invading the Holy City, and could not break the "blinding fog". This happened again, and when I put away the "Touch of Death" and walked out of the foggy area, I was already in the Death Canyon. Looking back, there were dozens of NPC guards outside the foggy area at the canyon entrance waiting for me. If I had not relied on the cover of the "blinding fog" to enter the canyon, it would have been impossible for me to force my way in with my personal strength.
The NPC guards spotted me and shouted angrily, but it was too late. I waved goodbye to them jokingly on the spur of the moment. These light NPCs were only responsible for guarding outside and could not break into the Death Canyon. They could only watch my back disappear into the depths of the canyon.
Death Canyon is sandwiched between two towering mountains, with steep cliffs on both sides. Unless you can fly, you can't climb it. The valley entrance is narrow, only a few miles wide. The terrain becomes wider as you go deeper. Gradually, you can only vaguely see the shadows of the cliffs on both sides. The distance between them is probably dozens or hundreds of miles. Being in it, it really can be called the word "death". Undead creatures can be seen everywhere. The lowest level is the black warrior. Weak skeletons and zombies seem to have no chance of survival here. Even dark knights are rare. The main force is the horror knights, who roam around in the canyon and can be seen everywhere.
For players of other professions, facing large numbers of powerful undead creatures is naturally extremely dangerous. We, the necromancers, are not too afraid of them because our original powers are similar. As long as we don't actively provoke them and pay attention to avoiding the brutal and bloodthirsty species or individuals among them, we will be much safer than other professional players.
Along the way, I found that the Death Canyon was simply a small "dead space" where all kinds of high-level undead creatures lived, such as corpse witches, vampire bats... I even saw a top-level undead creature - a bone dragon, flapping its huge skeleton wings and soaring in the sky. It flew leisurely over my head, and I was so scared that I stood still and dared not move. This is a super species comparable to a ninth-level magic dragon. If I alarm it, a random dive would definitely be a disaster for me.
The deeper we went into the Death Canyon, the more brutal and bloodthirsty undead creatures there were. Each of them was extremely aggressive and murderous, and their strength was getting stronger and stronger. The lowest level was actually the Horrible Bull Knight. Taotao, who was originally summoned for transportation, had already been sent back to the "Dead Space". Riding it would be too conspicuous and easy to be attacked. Even the Red Star that served as a guard was taken back. With its strength, it was useless here. It could hardly protect itself, let alone me.
I lay on the ground, watching two terrifying bone elephant knights swaggering past not far in front of me, one in front and one behind, then I flew up, used the "One Ride Away from the Dust" skill to run quickly, and finally successfully crossed this Death Canyon. It was so dangerous and full of murderous intentions.
What appeared in front of me was a huge castle, built against the mountain, all made of black rocks, revealing a strong breath of death. It seemed to be the place where our necromancers were promoted - the Castle of the Dead. Somehow, looking at the Castle of the Dead, I suddenly had a very strange feeling, as if it was very familiar. No, not familiar with this castle, but I felt that something inside was calling or even attracting me to go in.
I couldn't help but walk over quickly. The two large stone doors that seemed very heavy opened automatically as I approached. However, unexpectedly, the inside of the stone door was filled with smoke and was pitch black without a trace of light. It felt like I was facing a "blinding fog", and I was unable to move forward or backward for a moment. I didn't know what to do.
At this moment, a faint voice came, "Young warrior, welcome to the Castle of Death!" Before the words fell, a winding narrow passage quickly appeared in the diffuse black fog, which seemed to be for me to pass through.
Why not just meet directly like in the dead hut? Not only did they make a passage, but they also made it twist and turn. I don't know why they made all these tricks. Did they become more arrogant and show more pomp as their rank increased? How vulgar! Although I felt a little disdainful, I had to follow the host's wishes. It was not convenient to express any opinions at this moment. I walked straight into the passage. However, I felt that the voice just now sounded familiar, as if I had heard it before, but I couldn't remember it for a moment and couldn't be sure.
After turning a corner, the view in front of me suddenly became bright. I finally walked out of the dark fog and was in a palace. After taking a quick look, I could describe it in eight words - "magnificent and magnificent". Hey, why does it look so familiar? Not only this palace, but also the old man standing on the high steps not far in front, looking at me with a "sly smile" on his face, "Brother Ah Dai, how are you?"
Looking at this familiar face in front of me, and hearing the call of "little brother", I finally realized that this was the old man who "used sweet words and tricks" to trick me into changing my job. After nearly nine months of separation, I finally saw him again. He said that I was the treasure of the necromancer clan and a rare genius in a century, and that the probability of "summoning the dead" as a talent skill was very small. Why do I feel that there seem to be many necromancers whose talent skills are "summoning the dead", even among the dwarf wizards, there are several. If I hadn't accidentally won the artifact "Touch of Death" through the lottery, I'm afraid I would never have the strength I have today, and it doesn't seem to have much to do with the "reasons" he used to "deceive" me.
Although I have cursed the old man countless times in my heart because I felt that I was being plotted against, and imagined what I would do when I saw him again, but to be honest, I was able to achieve such results in the game today thanks to his "deception", so I can't blame him for anything. Besides, now I have status and position in "Tianxia", and I am no longer the rookie who was penniless and fearless. There are too many things to worry about, and everything must be considered carefully. Although the old man is just an NPC, he is subject to many rules and cannot act arbitrarily, but as the big boss of the undead clan, he still enjoys a considerable amount of authority. As a small undead wizard under his jurisdiction, I must never offend this "supreme ruler".
Thinking of this, I forced a smile and bowed slightly, "Lord Death, it's you. It's been a long time since we last met. Are you feeling well?"
The old man walked down the steps and came in front of me, "Not bad, not bad, young man, you have made progress, and you are much more polite to me this time. How about it, you didn't suffer any loss by following my arrangements , but you were actually a little unhappy. Look at your current abilities. You are also a well-known figure in "Tianxia", and now you are the first to come here to advance to the sixth level of the Necromancer profession. With such performance, it is worth my trouble to persuade you to change your job to a necromancer, and I also gave you a precious pet egg of the Hell Skeleton Horse. It turns out that I have a discerning eye for talent and did not make a mistake in choosing you. Haha..." At the end of the words, his face was full of pride, and he couldn't help laughing. He was so shameless to brag about himself.
Of course I didn't want to spoil the old man's fun, but I wasn't so shameless as to flatter him again. With my character and cultivation, I couldn't do that for the time being. I could only watch him "laughing foolishly" there.
