by Zhuang Bifan
Sienna could not help regretting his decision when he thought of this. If he had known earlier, he would not have asked Jason for help. Not only had he lost 10,000 gold coins, he also owed him a big favor, and the worst thing of all was he would have to share the credit of rescuing Young Master Cyndor if they did manage to do so.
Soon, however, Sienna's regret turned into joy.
As the town square of Syer Town came into view after the group walked through the long street, a swish could be heard coming from one of the precariously shaking houses. Then, a strong stench of decay started spreading nearby, and before Sienna understood what happened, a loud cry could be heard from Jason as the rune's adamantine sword slashed with a blinding light…
"Whoosh!"
The strong Combat Energy from the sword tore open the doors of the house, and before anyone could react, a black puff of smoke rushed into the air, accompanied by a piercing cry.
"My God…" Sienna covered his mouth as his eyes were filled with disbelief. He clearly saw a large bat fly into the sky amidst the fog under the light of the sword. The blurry outline of its body seemed to meld with the fog; it looked terrifying in the dark with its long fangs and blood-red eyes.
Jason gripped the rune's adamantine sword in his hand as he stared fixedly at the monster in front of him. He knew it was a true Vampire, a level-15 Undead creature. Vampires were creatures of the dark, and once they had the cover thereof, even the best of Bandits might not be able to detect their whereabouts.
Jason felt his heart turn cold when he thought of this. Thankfully, he had heard the sound…
If not for that faint sound, he would not have dared imagine what would happen then. If a Vampire launched an attack from the dark, even someone as strong as level-17 might not survive it.
Of course, that was another matter.
After losing the cover of the dark, the Vampire was like a fish out of water as it had lost its natural protection. Its strength was no more than an average Undead creature's now, and since his companions were all level-15 as well, coupled with the fact that he had the rune's adamantine sword, it was only a matter of time before they killed it.
"Unfortunately for you, you've got terrible luck." Jason smiled confidently as the rune's adamantine sword shone brightly again.
"Jason is much too careless…" Lin Li paid no heed to the fight that they would surely win. After taking a look at the house that had nearly toppled due to Jason's attack, he hesitated for a while before silently calling over Norfeller. "Norfeller, go and settle the rest of the problem for him."
"Yes."
"Right, Norfeller…" The high-ranking Vampire was just about to leave when Lin Li suddenly recalled something. "Are they… are they your kind as well?"
"Not really, they are not pure-blooded, and are merely subsidiary creatures." After giving a rare explanation of more than a couple of words, Norfeller disappeared into a black puff of smoke before Lin Li's eyes.
Jason was right. Having lost the protection of the dark, the Vampire was not much stronger than any other Undead creature at the same level. With the Holy Light of the Priest at their disposal, it was even more suppressed, and Jason was able to wield his rune's adamantine sword with Combat Energy effortlessly. Furthermore, the mousy-looking Bandit who hid in the dark was like a venomous snake as he dealt a lethal blow from the dark. It was only a moment before the level-15 Vampire fell under their consecutive blows.
"Amazing, Mr Jason is the strongest adventurer in Doland indeed…" As Jason tore through the Vampire with his sword, Sienna hurried to give his praises.
Everybody loved praises, and Jason was no exception. He could not help the smile as he listened to Sienna singing his compliments, and only replied with false humility. "You're too kind Mr Sienna, I'm just lucky…"
"Haha, Mr Jason is humble indeed."
The two of them were going back and forth before a faint noise came from the house, and Jason turned around shocked before he saw blood splatter…
Then, he saw the back-cloaked Norfeller walking out slowly.
Jason's face paled. He was drenched in cold sweat as he could clearly see two corpses lying behind Norfeller. The same bodies that looked like they were made out of black fog, the same long fangs and blood-red eyes…
Once he saw this, he naturally understood everything.
No wonder it had all been such a coincidence—it'd been a carefully laid trap. One of the Vampires had made a sound to attract their attention, while the other two hid in the dark, waiting to deal a lethal blow when they were engaged in a fight.
If Norfeller had not helped them in time, Jason would have become food for the three Vampires, yet he was laughing about his luck…
"Thank… thank you, Mr Norfeller."
Jason thanked him repeatedly with a pale face, but Norfeller seemed not to hear it as he wiped the blood on his nails without any expression and quietly returned to stand behind Lin Li.
Jason did not mind Norfeller's indifference, and only smiled before forgetting about his embarrassment. Norfeller had been like this the whole journey, and Jason thought that this was befitting a powerful individual like him anyway. He was able to kill the Ice Howler with his b.a.r.e hands and kill two Vampires in a flash—with such capabilities, nobody would fault him for being cold and proud, for he had good enough reasons to.
Or what? Should he smile like a hawker as his useless employer did?
The attack of the three Vampires had only been a small interlude. The group continued walking to the town square of Syer Town after dealing with them.
The eerie bell tower was on the other side of the square; they could clearly see black fog shrouding the bell tower from where they stood.
"Such strong death aura…" Lin Li stood a distance in front of the bell tower as he frowned unconsciously. The intense death aura made him slightly breathless. In his opinion, it was probably stronger than the death aura when he'd encountered the Lich in the Shadowglen.
Just as Lin Li was secretly taken aback, a hoarse voice could be heard coming from within the bell tower. It was not a clear voice, but everybody in the square heard it very well.
"Welcome, my guests from afar!"
Chapter 325 - Tide of Death
As that horse voice sounded, a bone-chilling wind spread. The black smoke that filled the surroundings was like black tentacles that swam in the air of the empty public square. The Six-pointed Star Arrays among the black tentacles reflected an ominous flickering glow. Lin Li, a man who was well-versed in Inscription and Alchemy, naturally recognized it to be an arrangement to activate the Six-pointed Star Array and summon a powerful creature. From that suffocating death aura, the object summoned was likely to be as powerful as the Ice Howler in the Dragon Mountains…
Lin Li gripped on his Aether Staff and let out a sense of mental strength discreetly while he followed the crowd out. As he walked towards the side of the square, he let this mental strength seep into the Six-pointed Star Array.
"Damn…" Lin Li cursed. He knew he was going to get into trouble the moment the mental strength seeped into the Six-pointed Star Array.
The surging death energy within the Six-pointed Star Array had already reached a terrifying height. The death energy engulfed the mental strength before the Six-pointed Star Array system had the time to assimilate the information. It was fortunate that Lin Li was an extraordinary species. If he was a normal man, the loss of this mental strength would have brought irreversible damage to his soul!
Because of that, Lin Li did not dare to continue taking such risk. While he stared at the Six-pointed Star Array that was growing brighter and brighter, he held the Aether Staff horizontally against his c.h.e.s.t and made use of the powers of the Dragon's Eye to create a barrier that could withstand the death aura.
Being inside of the protective region, Lin Li could clearly see that while the crowd moved backwards hastily, the entire square had already been filled with black smoke. The glow from the Six-pointed Star Array f
lickered, and a series of shrieks could be heard. Lin Li knew those cries belonged to the souls that died with resentment. These souls that were under the control of the Necromancer were killed with the cruelest methods so that they could remember it eternally. Although they did not have a conscious mind, they had the most primitive ability to bring anything in the world to the abyss of suffering.
As the cries of suffering echoed from that black haze, Lin Li could not help but rejoice for his decision to find extra help when he was at Syer Town. At least he had the help from a high-ranking Priest. Or else, it would be troublesome…
Vengeful Spirits were classified as neither imaginary nor real beings. They did not have a physical body, or an actual soul. Attacks physical and magical would both have minimal effects on the Vengeful Spirits. From the sound of the cries, Lin Li knew there would be at least a few hundreds of them. Even though he was a level-16 Archmage, he would not have the ability to get rid of them completely in a short period of time. The only way was to use the theurgy of a Priest, the Purge Spell, to purify these souls that were drowned in suffering and pain.
However, while Lin Li was rejoicing, the black haze suddenly started to stir violently, and loud clashing sounds could be heard. To Lin Li's dismay, white humerus fell from the sky out of nowhere. There were Skeletal Warriors and Hell Ghouls in the sea of bones. On top of that, Lin Li also noticed four Liches somewhere near the edge of the Six-pointed Star Array…
"Screw this…" Lin Li cursed in frustration.
Now that the matter had escalated into such a mess, no matter how silly Lin Li was, he would have guessed that this Six-pointed Star Array was definitely what Sendros had once mentioned—the legendary 'Tide of Death'. In Sendros' words, the Tide of Death was the most powerful necromagic. It could allow the Necromancers to summon all types of Undead creatures without any limits until they finished their mana. The scariest thing was that the abilities of the Undead creatures would take after whatever Necromancer summoned them. This meant that the greater a Necromancer was, the mightier the Undead creatures he summoned were. For Sendros' skills, he had the true ability to summon a real Humerus Wyrm!
"This is really troublesome…" Lin Li watched the distance with a daze. He swallowed his saliva with much difficulty. The only thing he could hope for was that the ability of the creature in the bell tower was not as strong—at least not as invincible as Sendros. Otherwise, Lin Li could only be prepared to die if he were to meet a Humerus Wyrm…
The sea of bones in the square stirred amidst the black haze like surging waves. The vast amount of Skeletal Warriors trod menacingly towards the group of people with their machetes. Behind the troops of Skeletal Warriors, there were huge crowds of Hell Ghouls. They all had ghastly white Skeleton Staves and a set of glowing will-o-the-wisp in their eye sockets. A hoarse recitation echoed off as well…
Just when Lin Li felt goosebumps on his scalp, there were nearly 10 bats swooping towards them…
"Bloody hell!"
It was as though the thousands of Skeletal Warriors, huge crowds of Hell Ghouls, and Vengeful Spirits were not enough. Now that there was an addition of around 10 Vampires, would there be Death Knights ambushing them later?
"What the f*ck is that?!" Sienna's voice was filled with trepidation. To this Adventurer who had never left Roland City, the past two days had been too much of a crazy ride. When Sienna took on the mission, he had never expected to encounter the Ice Howler in the Dragon Mountains or the ruins in the scary public square.
That was a true nightmare.
Countless Undead creatures were like tide water, surging towards them from all directions. The presence of Skeletal Warriors in such a hazy black environment carried a pungent smell of decay. The numerous Skeletal Warriors had machetes in their hands. They marched towards them in neat rows like real troops…
"BACK OFF, EVERYONE, BACK OFF!!" What Sienna could do now was only to use his hoarse voice to warn the people around him. However, his warning was lost in the chaotic crowd like a pebble dropped into a river full of crazy currents. No one could hear what he was shouting, and no one paid attention to him. At this time, almost all of the Adventurers were focused on fleeing for their own lives. They abandoned their weapons and ran off like headless houseflies.
The shrieks that followed immediately caused them to become quiet.
Their source was an Adventurer no more than 30 years of age. He was the fastest runner among everyone. Unfortunately, that did not let him escape the horrifying place, but rather caused himself to be surrounded by at least 10 Skeletal Warriors…
The frantic Adventurers were surrounded by the Skeletal Warriors that only knew how to kill. Shrieks could be heard from afar. Before they could gasp, that unlucky Adventurer had already turned into minced meat under that dozen pairs of machetes. Blood splattered all over, staining their white humeri crimson. With those phosphorescent lights, these Undead creatures emitted a great amount of intimidation and menace…
Then, the second and third one followed…
In a split second, there were already 10 casualties in the team 30-plus men strong. Even Sienna himself could only watch his men dash into the sea of monsters just to be chopped into minced meat. The bloody scene caused Sienna to be stupefied.
"Step back!" Since he had accepted the money from Sienna, Jason took the great responsibility of leading the battle with a sigh.
Jason's voice calmed the Adventurers down a little. After all, as one of the top Adventurers of Doland, his words did weigh in the hearts of people. Under his leadership, the team started to withdraw from the scene. Albeit challenging, the 20-odd survivors managed to retreat to the sides of the square. As long as they could move another several hundred meters, they would be able to leave those freakish ruins…
Being faced with such an unprecedented pressure, Jason also exerted his full potential. The energy showed by this top Adventurer of Doland could only be described with the word "scary". His magnificent sword slew all the Skeletal Warriors, turning them into pieces, while his raging Combat Energy could always send the Skeletal Warriors back to the embrace of hell. His supreme ability allowed him to create a plain field amongst the many Skeletal Warriors.
The Adventurers who had been looking at Jason for guidance all the while finally saw a strand of hope. They were all elated. As long as they could return home from this nasty mess, they would pay anything for it.
At this time, there was a hoarse voice that sounded from the bell tower. "How is it, my honorable guests? Hope you are pleased with the welcome ceremony. HAHAHAHA…"
"What the f*ck…" Lin Li glanced at the bell tower from afar and frowned in loathe. What a disgusting laughter!
"Alright, the grand welcome ceremony will stop here. Now, let me discuss some serious things with you…"
"What is it?" Sienna asked as he walked out of the crowd boldly. Perhaps it was the voice of the host that gave him a sense of confidence and hopefulness.
"I have a deal. A deal that would surely benefit all of you…" Unlike the anxious Sienna, that voice coming from the bell tower was not frustrated at all. After a spell of hysterical laughter, he continued speaking. "That girl in your hands… I'm interested in using her for an experiment. Bring her here and you can leave this place alive."
Chapter 326 - Internal Strife
Everyone's gaze was fixed onto the castellan's daughter. After the crude battle, this missy who came from a noble background seemed to be like any other Adventurer now. Her long dress had long been torn in the battle, stained with soil and blood. Her face was pale, and her stare was filled with trepidation that could be found in a fearful little bunny. Anyone that saw her would feel really pitiful.
"How is it, my noble guests? Time is running out. You'd better make your decision quickly. Do you want to be killed by my pets or hand over the girl? The choice is yours…"
"Erm…" Sienna knew that the voice's owner was not joking. They really had not much time left. Although the Undead creatures arou
nd them had calmed down for the time being, that stirring death aura was becoming more and more concentrated. It felt like they would dash up to them and tear them into numerous pieces without warning.
He would not be able to bear the consequences of sending Miss Yvonne away, either. She was the only daughter of the castellan. What if something were to happen to her? Even if he were to reach Roland City alive, there would be a gibbet waiting for him there…
"Are you hesitating? Alright, alright. Let me guess what your concern is… Hmm, are you worried that I will break the promise after you hand the person over?"
"…" Sienna remained silent. His head was bent to look at the soil below his feet.
"Regarding this point, I actually don't need to explain. You don't have any choice but to believe me…" The voice took a pause after saying that. "But, since it is the first time we are dealing with each other, let me give you a gift…
"See that building beside you? There is a secret passageway that would lead you to the Dragon Mountains in it. After you hand the girl over, you can leave this place using it…"
I knew it…
Amongst the group of people, Lin Li might be the only person who was certain that the voice from the bell tower was not lying. There was really a secret passageway from the ruins of Syer Town to the Dragon Mountains.
"Oh, I understand now…" The hoarse laughter now had an additional layer of sarcasm. "You are afraid of retribution after handing the girl over to me, aren't you?
"Hahaha… That's very simple. After you hand the girl over to me, I'm going to cast a spell to wipe away the memory of everyone in the ruins of Syer Town. Everything that happened here will become a secret, and nobody will know who handed this girl over to me…"
"Really?" This time, Sienna was finally moved as he heard that condition.
The conditions the other party gave were indeed very attractive. To leave the ruins alive, and not bear any consequences… Could there be a solution more perfect than this? Instead of the lives of over 20 people, the only thing they had to sacrifice was Miss Yvonne!