Age of Adepts c1-1513

by Zhen De Lao Lang, 真的老狼

  The forest elves living upon Faen lacked sufficient knowledge and theory of the planes and were thus incapable of recognizing this place and its true nature. However, Uzzah, Alice, and Greem were all individuals of vast knowledge and experience. They had already picked up on the abnormal structure of the space after mere kilometers of exploring the Death Scar.

  They could no longer sense much of the Faen Plane's aura and consciousness here in this underground world. Instead, there was a trace of an extremely thick smell of death.

  The further they progressed in the tunnels, the more they could see magical creatures and plants of the death attribute.

  Ghost Trees, Withervines, Bloodsucking Vines, Poison Moss, Human-Faced Flowers, Magical Konjacs, Snakehead Fungi, and countless odd undead.

  Indeed, this place had become a lost paradise of the undead!

  These undead might all have been disguised as magical creatures and plants, but that pungent and assaulting origin of death within them could not escape the senses of the three adepts. Greem and the others detected undeniable signs of artificial modifications on their bodies.

  That meant that these undead had not been born of natural causes, but instead were created through the mysterious means of some great existence.

  All along the way, these undead had been lunging wildly at Greem and the two witches. They were almost like loyal dogs trying to stop the intruders' progress into the depths of the underground world.

  Trying to get past the obstruction of these undead unharmed was merely a dream. The only choice left to them was to fight their way through!

  Naturally, Uzzah couldn't be bothered to lift a finger against these beings that were only approximately at First Grade. Meanwhile, Alice had already lost all of her magical powers. Thus, Greem became the only laborer of the group. He could only silently open a road forward.

  To avoid the loud explosions of his powerful fire spells from alerting potential enemies, Greem chose to use his most silent and reliable method of murder– the Ring of Fire.

  Chapter 687 Ghost Swarm

  A deep and lightless underground cavern.

  The ground was covered in damp, black, and muddy earth. Odd magical plants with strange shapes grew sparsely in this place.

  The rock walls of the cavern had been eroded by rainwater over the years. The loose sand and dirt had already peeled off the walls, leaving only the tough rock behind, along with the glowing moss.

  The lighting was dim in the first place. Even the spots of green light emitting from the moss couldn't possibly illuminate such a vast underground space. In fact, the dim light further lent the cavern an air of mystery and immensity, making the place solemn and menacing.

  Thin mist wandered inside the caves of various sizes, cloaking everything in a blurry haze.

  Greem took the initiative and walked at the very front. The dark red Ring of Fire around his body clashed with the water vapor, constantly sizzling and crackling. The initially damp earth beneath their feet quickly turned into dry and soft sand after being roasted by the Ring of Fire. It was a quiet and gentle feeling to step upon the sand with leather boots, almost as if one was riding upon clouds.

  The crimson Ring of Fire was like a sharp, red-hot knife slicing through the mist and expelling the thick vapors to either side of their path. The magical plants that grew thinly along the way waved their spiked tendrils about in the depths of the fog, their odd poses resembling terrifying demons that had climbed of hell itself.

  Several ugly and twisted creatures were also howling and shuffling between the magical plants.

  Perhaps because they smelled life, the cry of monsters suddenly rang out from the mist to their right. The fog split apart, and a massive horde of rotting zombies appeared within Greem's field of vision. They raised their ugly and filthy hands, dragged their bare feet, and wildly charged at the three adepts.

  These were rotting zombies that had been sleeping underground for many years. Their formerly full bodies were now completely shriveled, their abdomens were flat and caved-in, and what hair they still had on their heads was dry and withered. Countless maggots wriggled in their empty eye sockets, nostrils, and mouths.

  These rotting zombies that served as the guard dogs of the underground world went berserk upon sensing the intrusion of outsiders. Chilling red lights lit up within their empty eyes, further exaggerating their inhuman looks beyond what their wide-open mouths had already done to distort their faces.

  Aoooooo!

  This squad of nearly a hundred rotting zombies couldn't care less about the difference between their power and the enemies'. They screeched and swarmed forward. When they entered the area enveloped by the Ring of Fire, crackling steam immediately started rising from their rotting and slimy bodies. Countless tiny fires began to burn on them.

  The quickly rising flames devoured their ugly and sinister bodies before they could even get close; the blazing fires consumed everything.

  The three adepts were already holding their breath. They moved between the human-shaped torches with faces of disgust. Greem would simply flick a tiny orange flame at any of the zombies that got too close. One couldn't look down upon the size of the flames. They were capable of instantly igniting the tough, leather-like skin of the zombies and setting everything flammable ablaze.

  These low-grade undead creatures that were, at best, at the apprentice level could not resist the combined effects of the Ring of Fire and Ignite. They howled in agony, one by one, before being scorched into unrecognizable piles of charcoal during their agonizing struggles.

  The magical plants might have sensed the strength of the three enemies, for they retracted their claws and eagerness before returning to their previous inert states. In the depths of the mist, where the three adepts couldn't see, a crimson magical plant retracted its thick roots that were tunneling across the ground. It allowed its slender branches go limp, pretending to be a dead tree.

  The bloodsucking vines wrapped around the magical trees also retracted their withered appendages, clinging to the trunk without any movement or energy.

  The giant Man-Eating Lashers that stood in the adepts' way also uprooted themselves and crawled to either side of the road. The massive plants that resembled sunflowers even folded their petals and hid the protruding human faces beneath.

  The previously murmuring playground of death quickly turned into a desolate lane as the adepts approached. Several chilling and greedy eyes in the darkness shifted their line of vision. They no longer dared to infuriate these terrifying magic spellcasters.

  Greem turned to look at Alice.

  Alice shook her head and said, "I didn't sense Mary's aura! This is the playground of the undead. It is also very suited for vampires to hide here. I imagine, if I were Mary, I would definitely go deeper and use the native undead here to deal with that druid."

  Uzzah, who had been watching everything with cold eyes couldn't help but interrupt, "We had best not venture too deep. You two should have been able to see it as well. Most of the undead here were not manifested by nature but were created through artificial means. That means there has to be a powerful master hiding behind them."

  "Are you worried about a Fourth Grade hermit? " Greem speculated.

  "Hm, it's not as if you can't see the situation here. There's no way a Third Grade adept could account for such a huge abnormality, could they? I am certain that it is a powerful Fourth Grade undead that has linked this underground world to a different dimension. The low-grade undead here are simply the scouts he stationed on the outside. It is very likely that we will anger the opponent if we go too deep. Unpredictable risks may arise from that!" Uzzah was very cautious and guarded about this place.

  "Do you sense any danger?" Greem tossed the question to Alice once again.

  This time, even Uzzah turned her eyes toward Alice.

  The Witches of Fate were all individuals who knew how to pursue fortune and avoid misfortune. They should have premonitions if the future were perilous.<
br />
  Alice took out a clear crystal ball and rubbed it with her hand for a short moment before shaking her head, "There is risk, but no danger! In fact…in fact…"

  Alice hesitated for a long time, uncertain of how she should describe the feeling that she just had.

  "I have a feeling that this underground trip will bring us immense benefits!"

  Both Uzzah and Greem let out a deep sigh of relief.

  "If that's the case, then let us proceed! I do want to see what the true owner of this area looks like." As a Third Grade witch, Uzzah's opinion was undoubtedly critical.

  After all, Uzzah was the main force of battle if they wanted to deal with that druid elder.

  Greem might have the ability to summon a Third Grade thunder dragon, but the price of doing so was far too high. Moreover, there was no way the Third Grade druid elder would allow him enough time to complete his summoning.

  However, as the party continued forward, they were quickly met with attacks by new undead creatures.

  Wraiths, ghosts, and souls crowded together and hid within the mists, releasing chilling cries. Compared to the spirits in the World of Adepts, these wraiths made of the souls of other creatures seemed more savage but were less sinister.

  They let out haunting cackles and circled outside the crimson Ring of Fire. Some wraiths who couldn't suppress their ferocity tried to charge into the ring and instantly let out horrifying screams as they turned to escape.

  Sadly, without the cover of a physical body, the core of their resentment was exposed to the Ring of Fire. In less than three seconds, a wraith of advanced apprentice level had been turned into a handful of ash.

  What befell the first wraith allowed the rest to understand the terror of this crimson barrier. They circled even more hastily around it and laughed even more sinisterly, but none of them dared to take a single step into the Ring of Fire.

  Still, it wasn't just low-grade wraiths that had appeared here. Seductive giggling rang out as several beautiful girls with explosive figures and revealing clothes emerged from the mist.

  They laughed and giggled as they chased each other, even disappearing from sight occasionally. The figures left only a brief glimpse of their beauty behind as they hid in the depths of the mist again.

  Those seductive faces, those large round breasts, that enchanting and dissolute laugh, and those bodies shrouded in the fog.

  Cold and disdainful smiles simultaneously appeared upon the faces of the three individuals inside the Ring of Fire.

  Several wondrous magical lights were surging around them. Judging by the appearance, it was a phenomenon triggered by the constant activation of the Charm spell.

  These Charm Banshees could also be considered as high-grade spirits. Their powers could reach First Grade. However, the process of their creation had caused a severe impact on their intelligence, making them vastly inferior to First Grade adepts. If it had been a First Grade adept that ran into Greem's party, they would have run as far away as they could. Why would they ever try something as suicidal as attempting to seduce a high-Grade adept?

  The Charm that they held so much pride in obviously couldn't affect the three adepts at all. Thus, after a bit of harassment, the banshee leader behind them finally appeared.

  A First Grade Charm Banshee!

  Compared to her subordinates, this banshee's spirit body was more solid and focused. There was none of that phantasmal and intangible look to it. She was draped in a light green evening gown and wore delicate, translucent crystal heels. She walked across the air and emerged from the thick darkness, swaying her hips with every step.

  "Handsome boy, your body seems so strong and mighty," The banshee leader spoke with a maddeningly sweet voice as she gently caressed her own body with her jade-white hands. She licked her lips lightly and betrayed an intense desire on her enchanting face, "Hurry. Hurry up and use your boiling warmth to fill my lonely body."

  In all honesty, if Greem were only an ordinary traveler, he would have lost his soul and foolishly walked into the banshee leader's embrace like a puppet on strings.

  Sadly, he was not!

  In fact, with the two witches behind him, he could hardly even feign attraction.

  "Should we go somewhere else for the moment and leave some time for you lovebirds?" Alice chuckled. She clearly thought that this scene was hilarious.

  Chapter 688 Undead Army

  The humans inside the crimson barrier hadn't been seduced and were instead laughing without a care in the world. That undoubtedly provoked the leader of the banshees.

  Lights flickered as that seductive beauty transformed into a muscular and handsome young man.

  "Beautiful lady, why not come out and have a heart-to-heart talk about our future?!"

  Seeing that Greem hadn't been affected, the banshee leader actually picked Alice as her new target.

  Alice's laugh instantly froze into ice when she saw this androgynous monster flaunting her charms in front of her. She waved her slender hand, and a glowing Card of Fate slid into her palm.

  "You don't need to lift a finger. Leave this interesting fellow to me. It just might be a decent slave if we bring it back and give it some training." Uzzah cackled sinisterly and extended one of her hands. A large shroud of shadow instantly engulfed the banshee leader.

  The banshee didn't even have a chance to resist.

  The massive shadow dispersed with a boom and the banshee vanished from the spot without a single trace.

  The other banshees screamed and charged at the crimson barrier when they saw their leader abducted by the enemy.

  Sadly, every single banshee that entered the Ring of Fire was exterminated. In the blink of an eye, the sky full of dancing wraiths and banshees had been reduced to fewer than half of their original numbers. The remaining banshees screeched and scattered into the mists when they recognized their defeat.

  At that moment, the crunching sound of grinding bones echoed out from a distance. A large squad of skeleton warriors marched out of the mists in an orderly formation. Sparks of red light lit up with the empty eyes sockets of these skeletons as they let out a silent roar. They raised the crude bone shields and bone swords in their hands and rushed at the adepts.

  Under the enhancement of the Chip, Greem could very clearly 'see' skeleton armies, ghouls, and horrifying stitched abominations endlessly swarm out of the caves.

  Their individual strength might not amount to much, but their impressive numbers caused even a Second Grade adept like Greem to frown intensely.

  "An undead army!" Greem fell into silent contemplation.

  Most death magic casters were capable of modifying and creating powerful undead creatures, but only a select few would be able to control large numbers of undead to form an undead army.

  A Fourth Grade necromancer that specialized in undead modification and summoning might be capable of such a feat.

  Apart from that, the only ones capable of raising an undead army would have to be high-grade liches or undead overlords.

  That said, what were the chances of an undead overlord suddenly appearing in a mid-sized plane that had been under siege by the Pale Witches for over a thousand years? The chances of this couldn't be much higher than that of an ordinary human being struck by lightning. After all, according to the power system of the adepts, the starting grade of a magical creature like a lich was Third Grade at the very minimum.

  The undead overlords, on the other hand, often ruled over tens of thousands of undead creatures and lived within small-sized planes of their own. They enjoyed a life of decadence and freedom without any shackles there.

  Even the weakest of undead emperors was Fifth Grade. Unless a plane was at the verge of ruin and collapse, and its planar consciousness had shattered, a common material plane couldn't possibly accommodate the existence of an undead king at such a powerful grade.

  However, the situation in front of Greem left him no time to think. He took a step forward and flipped both of his hands. Two red
and blazing flames hovered over his palms. As the fire elementium in the underground world sizzled and gathered toward the core of the fire, the two fist-sized blazes grew to an incredible size within a matter of seconds. The fire elementium within the flames was immensely concentrated and wildly ferocious.

  Greem let out a grunt as he threw the two destructive fireballs. They cut through the air in elegant arcs and landed in the center of the skeleton armies in the distance.

  Dong! Dong!

  A muffled explosion rang out. Two flaming pillars surged toward the ceiling of the caves, before turning into waves of fire and incinerating everything in the surrounding area into ash.

  These skeleton warriors might have undergone simple magical treatment, but their fundamental strength was barely better than that of ordinary mortals. Their bodies of bones might allow them to resist some slashing damage, but there wasn't much magic resistance to them. As the waves of fire rolled across the cave, the hordes of skeleton warriors melted into ashes like hot wax. Their remains blew across the skies from the heat waves.

  Greem could no longer hide his power at this moment. The Ring of Fire that had initially covered a distance of ten steps around him suddenly expanded outward, enveloping everything within a hundred meters. Yet, even this couldn't stop the skeleton warriors from lunging headfirst into Greem's Ring of Fire.

  These skeleton warriors that were only as strong as beginner apprentices could only last a maximum of three seconds within the Ring of Fire. The soul fire hidden deep within their ferocious skulls could only last a single second, while their robust bones could last for two.

  It was only a slight time delay before the soul fires of the first batch of skeleton warriors were shattered almost instantly upon entering the Ring of Fire. Yet, before their hollow bodies could fall apart, their comrades would charge past them from behind. By the time the frail bodies of the first skeletons had turned into dust, the second group of skeletons had made it six or seven meters into the Ring of Fire.