Undead Mage: I Have a Skeleton Clone

Chapter 753 - 488: Flame Medal, Naraku’s Exclusive Undead Unit!

Earth Split Wave!

He stomped his legs left and right, and the power of the Earth Attribute surged from below, enveloping nearly all the undead.

The Black Iron Tier damage burned the undead whose Life Energy was not particularly resilient. The weakest of the Skeleton Warriors fell one after another. Even the shambling Zombies struggled within the Earthquake Wave.

Only the extremely fast Ghouls and Ghosts, along with the swift and highly defensive Vampire, managed to rush out of the consecrated area.

Suddenly, a towering figure leaped high into the air. Accompanied by a cold, sharp sound, the Demon Blade came slashing down with a boom!

HISS! HISS! HISS!

CRACK!

The Vampire raised his icy Tusked Thorns Sword, the blood-red Runes on its blade gleaming coldly. He must have activated some unknown Skill, as his speed and power were greatly enhanced. In his haste, he actually managed to block the slash from the Six-armed Snake Demon Warrior’s Demon Blade.

The screech of clashing steel pierced the eardrums.

SCRAPE!

The Six-armed Snake Demon Warrior landed steadily, but the Vampire spat out a mouthful of blood and staggered back several steps.

Then, a Warhammer shimmering with Earth Energy flew out from the passage like a cannonball.

BOOM!

Propelled by Lin Qingshan’s immense strength, the Earth Battle Hammer smashed into the Vampire’s waist with tremendous force.

GAK!

A cold wail sounded as the Vampire’s legs gave out, and he collapsed to his knees. A heavy blade swung across, and a cold head tumbled to the ground. The Six-armed Snake Demon Warrior and Lin Qingshan had executed a perfect collaboration.

However, this was not the end. As an Undead Mage, Fang Zhou knew all too well that undead creatures lacked the common vital organs of living beings. Decapitation was not the end.

The Six-armed Snake Demon Warrior did not pause, pressing forward and firmly grabbing the Vampire’s severed neck and torso. Powerful Death Energy flooded into the Vampire’s body, sizzling and emitting black smoke. Soon, the Vampire collapsed, its icy, noble robe turning pitch-black. Its Heart Core had been suppressed by the Six-armed Snake Demon Warrior.

After the battle, I can try to refine it and see if I can enslave its Soul Fire, turning it into my very own Vampire. This idea had emerged after he noticed the Array Runes outside the door of the Servant Sleeping Area. If these undead creatures were transformed into masterless undead by the Array Runes, perhaps I could successfully enslave them. I can summon Skeletons, Zombies, and Ghosts myself, so there’s nothing special about them. Only this Vampire, along with those Ghouls unique to the Naraku Civilization’s Necromancers, are worth my research. Although the Ghouls’ combat power is only slightly better than an ordinary Advanced Zombie, they still hold significant research value as a mature Bronze Tier undead from the Naraku Civilization. Whether as candidates for my Artificial Undead or as a material repository for developing new Units with my Corpse Clones, they are both excellent choices.

After subduing the Vampire, the Six-armed Snake Demon Warrior raised its Demon Blade and turned, only to pause. It was no longer needed.

Several pale sword edges had woven a seamless defense, preventing any enemy undead from approaching Fang Zhou. As for the Ghosts, Yan Yan’s magic dealt immense damage to the Spirit Bodies. Up ahead, where the Earth Split Wave had dissipated, Lin Qingshan stood with his Warhammer over the bodies of several fallen Zombies.

The battle was over.

"No casualties? Very good!" Fang Zhou asked simply, feeling gratified.

The Flame Medal Adventurer Group was strong enough to overwhelm enemies of this level. According to Fang Zhou’s estimation, the three elite Adventurers—Yan Yan, Lin Qingshan, and Jing Fei—each possessed strength not much weaker than the Demon Worshipers he had previously slain. With them assisting, the upcoming battles will be much easier.

***

After tidying up the battlefield, Fang Zhou looked toward the deep, dark passage. Most of the Magic Gates were dim. Only the door from which the large number of Undead Creatures had emerged still glowed with an eerie, runic light.

"Lieutenant Fang Zhou, I’m going in to check the situation!"

Jing Fei, well aware of his duty, quickly slipped into the "Servant Sleeping Area." He emerged a few minutes later.

"Lieutenant Fang Zhou, the space inside is vast, decayed, and dilapidated," Jing Fei whispered. "For now, I haven’t found any danger."

No danger? Jing Fei’s professionalism is indeed trustworthy!

Fang Zhou nodded. With Lin Qingshan leading the way, they quickly entered the Servant Sleeping Area.

The Servant Sleeping Area was not a single dormitory but a large residential quarter. A Mage, especially a powerful Necromancer from the Naraku Civilization, was naturally more prestigious than an ordinary noble, so such a large Servant Sleeping Area was to be expected.

Behind the Magic Gate lay another long passage, flanked by open doorways. Evidently, the undead servants had emerged from these rooms. All the doors were open, which meant all the undead servants had been eliminated without a single one remaining. No wonder Jing Fei, a Bronze Middle-Rank Assassin, had reported no danger after his meticulous search.

"Lieutenant Fang Zhou, I’ve seen several relics from ancient, exotic civilizations before," Yan Yan suddenly spoke up. "Generally, traps and mechanisms are the first line of defense, like the ones we just bypassed. Servant guardians are the second line of defense, like the group of Undead Creatures we just handled. Mage attendants are the third line of defense; these are the Mage’s loyal guards."

"Based on the intelligence you gathered earlier, this should be a Necromancer’s tomb. His attendants should be in the main tomb chamber, closely guarding his safety."

In the Era of Myth, nearly every powerful Mage, regardless of race, had attendants. Mages needed someone to ensure their safety while Casting, and they also needed people to handle daily affairs. In most cases, a Mage’s attendants were the people they trusted the most. They were also the strongest combat force aside from the Mage himself.

Servants? They were never intended to be combat units.

Therefore, compared to the undead servants that Fang Zhou and his team had easily vanquished, those hidden, likely-to-exist Mage attendants were far more fearsome foes.

Exiting the Servant Sleeping Area, Fang Zhou looked toward the massive Magic Gate at the end of the passage. "That must be the main tomb chamber, then? Does that mean we’re temporarily safe?"

"The master of this place should no longer be around," Yan Yan said, nodding. "He either perished, is sealed, or is voluntarily asleep for some reason. Otherwise, the commotion from our battle would have awakened him. Generally speaking, we are not in danger for now."

Fang Zhou asked skeptically, "If I were the master here, I wouldn’t let intruders advance as if they were clearing levels in a game. I wouldn’t set such systematic traps, allowing the enemy to dismantle all my defenses one by one, only to then face me with their full strength when I have no trump cards left. That seems impractical. A Mage’s intellect shouldn’t be so rigid and inflexible."

Yan Yan shook his head. "From my experience, most Mages are very cautious. They use various means to probe and weaken an enemy’s strength rather than revealing their full power at the start. If the enemy is too strong, they’ll choose to flee immediately. Only if the enemy is weak will they make a move. However, the situation here is a bit strange."

"Strange?" Fang Zhou repeated, looking thoughtful.

"Yes, peculiar. This is because this Mage’s relic doesn’t appear to be a Mage Tower, but a tomb," Yan Yan explained. "The master here falls into one of three situations: perished, sealed, or voluntarily asleep. If he perished, that’s self-explanatory. If he’s sealed, he can’t get out. If he’s voluntarily asleep, there must be a compelling reason for it, so he wouldn’t awaken for minor intruders. The cost of waking up might be far greater than the loss of a few treasures and external items!"

"For example?"

"For example... a secret ritual from a certain civilization, one with astonishing effects that requires an extremely long, uninterrupted duration."