Otherwise, you'd already be dead. It is called the Emblem of the Undead Queen! Did you hear? Emblem! It is not an ordinary magic array! Qianting’s body felt as if it had been struck by hundreds and thousands of lightning bolts simultaneously—Emblem! It was actually an Emblem! One rune could evolve into hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of magic arrays, which is why fully comprehending a single rune might consume an entire lifetime for a Runemaster.

An Emblem, on the other hand, is a new entity generated by arranging several runes in different configurations.

If magic arrays are soldiers, then runes are demon-subduing or even demon-slaying soldiers, and the status of an Emblem is equivalent to the Saint-level within the hierarchy of warriors.

"It truly… exists—the Undead…" Qianting stared at Akenash in stunned disbelief. If anyone else had mentioned the Undead, he might have argued back. But this was Akenash! The strongest Runemaster in the entire village! That composed demeanor and resolute tone were certainly not joking matters.

"The Undead…" Qianting’s spirits plummeted to the bottom. "They… also use runes…? I recall you saying that every rune is merely an esoteric lock; as long as you find the key, you can unlock it, isn't that so?"

"The Undead naturally use runes as well."

Akenash climbed onto a bench taller than she was and sat down, her legs dangling freely in the air. "If you knew how the Undead came to be, you wouldn't find this strange."

How did the Undead come to be? Qianting had heard many tales from the bards: that when a creature died, an Undead being was born from unfulfilled aspirations and lingering resentment, sustained by powerful willpower.

These beings, which originally existed purely through consciousness and were non-human, inherently possessed no awareness, merely acting according to their will in life. However, as their power continuously grew, coupled with special coincidences, some Undead developed what is termed wisdom.

Of course, all of this had only ever appeared in the mouths of bards. Not a single person in the True Policy Dynasty, nor among the Demon Race or the Barbarians, had ever personally witnessed a 'living' Undead!

Qianting wasn't sure whether to count himself lucky or cursed. According to Akenash, he had encountered the Undead at least twice, and one of those was… perhaps… not!

No!

Qianting violently shook his head, attempting to dislodge the image of Hai Qing'er appearing in the Ancient Barren Sand Sea from his mind. She was just a female Undead resembling Hai Qing'er; she was not the real Hai Qing'er!

"The Undead… actually…" Akenash’s face filled with a bitter smile. "You could say..." (Baidu Chizha Bar Shou Mao updates)

"...they were human."

Human? Qianting stopped shaking his head and stared blankly at Akenash.

"Or rather, they once were human." Akenash looked at Qianting. "You have also studied Mysterious Potions; do you know the highest tenet of Mysterious Potions?"

"To forge a god!" Qianting replied reflexively, reciting the slogan mentioned by Ruolala and countless Potion Masters: "Never mind a person, even a pig drinking it could become a god! To enter the stars and meet the deities who only exist in legend!"

Akenash nodded slowly, her expression returning to a faint query. "Then do you know the original purpose for creating runes?"

Qianting shook his head in astonishment. The creation of every profession stemmed from a unique objective. Blacksmiths aimed to forge great artifacts—artifacts so powerful that even an ordinary person wielding them could unleash power. One swing of a hoe could cultivate acres of land.

One strike of a pickaxe could summon a wellspring from the earth! When floods or natural disasters struck, even common folk could rely on these artifacts to fight back against the catastrophe!

Weapons? Armor? These were merely more accessible avenues to achieving artifacts. Once that stage was reached, the experience gained from forging tools and armor would be applied to crafting life-enhancing artifacts truly needed by the populace.

The ultimate goal for Alchemists was to create a potion that, once consumed, would prevent sickness until death, or a panacea that could cure any severe illness with a single dose.

Mysterious Potion Masters aimed to make the drinker instantly achieve divinity!

Warriors and Mages sought to reach a divine state by absorbing the power of nature and tempering their bodies, enabling them to serve their loved ones, grant them extended lifespans, and protect them from the ravages of disaster.

Qianting realized he had been studying runes for quite some time yet still did not know the objective for which runes were created! (Baidu Chizha Bar Shou Mao updates)

"To borrow the power of nature through external objects…" Akenash's expression suddenly grew solemn.

She slowly pointed skyward: "God-forging!"

God-forging? Qianting was startled. Wasn't this the same concept as the Mysterious Potion School? Except…

The goal of the Mysterious Potion Master was to become a god by drinking a potion, whereas the rune path sought to achieve godhood through various magical materials and intricate magic arrays!

"That's right, god-forging." Akenash gazed up at the ceiling, her eyes seeming to pierce through it to the endless sky. "Which human doesn't desire to become a deity? Although the reasons for wanting to become a god differ, no one would refuse the chance to achieve a divine existence…"

Qianting sat down and nodded in agreement. Who wouldn't want to be the omnipotent god, capable of anything, as depicted in the bards' tales?

"Thus, Runemasters began researching how to achieve godhood," Akenash sighed. "But human lifespan is far too short. Even if you reach the Saint-level, you only have a fleeting thousand years. Therefore, Runemasters realized that to create runes capable of forging gods would require an immense amount of time. To extend their lifespan sufficiently, they devised a unique form of existence, which is…"

"The Undead…" Qianting interjected subconsciously. Rumor had it that the Undead did not truly live forever, but their lifespans were vastly longer than ordinary people’s, making them seem immortal to many.

"Exactly! The Undead. All their derivatives are collectively known as Eternal Emblems," Akenash affirmed. "However, these Eternal Emblems are not without side effects."

"They cause the user to completely disregard life, disregarding it millions of times more than Mysterious Potion Masters. Compared to the Undead, Mysterious Potion Masters are like guardian spirits of life."

Qianting looked speechlessly at Akenash. Mysterious Potion Masters, in order to concoct the potion to achieve godhood (Baidu Chizha Bar Shou Mao updates), could poison an entire city, killing every breathing soul within it.

Yet, in the mouth of this Runemaster teacher, those Potion Masters who could murder a city's population without blinking while proclaiming their struggle for 'truth' were now characterized as guardians of life. So, to what extent did the Undead disregard life?

"Henceforth, if you encounter an Undead, if you can kill it, show no mercy; eradicate it immediately!" Akenash jumped off the chair. "If you cannot win, then flee! Never expect a shred of mercy from them."

"Teacher…" Qianting looked at Akenash. "Is there any way to unravel the Emblem of the Undead Queen?" Akenash gave him a strange look. "None! Absolutely none!"

Qianting stared at Akenash's expression and lightly closed his eyes. Why did his Runemaster teacher’s expression twist so strangely the moment he asked about unraveling the Emblem of the Undead Queen? Was there really a way? Did she simply not want to say?

"Alright, you can go out now." Akenash climbed the stairs to the second floor and immediately lay down in bed, turning over to sleep. "I spoke a lot today; I’m exhausted."

It was always like this! Qianting pursed his lips. These teachers were all the same. Once they said what they wanted to say, they didn't care if the student still had questions. If they didn't want to talk anymore, nothing could be pried out of them. There must be a way to unravel it! There certainly must be! Qianting yanked a notebook belonging to Akenash from the bookshelf and began studying it intently. If he could master every note here, perhaps there would be a method to unlock that mysterious Emblem of the Undead Queen! Regardless of whether that person was Hai Qing'er or not, he should drag her soul out of the Undead world.

Time ticked by second by second, and Qianting read until the time when the game session was set to end.

He was forcibly logged out.

Qianting opened his eyes, intending to re-enter the Endless World. He suddenly remembered that even if he found the method now and mastered it, he still wouldn't be able to truly undo the Emblem on that woman's forehead. The Golden Roc Demon Wyvern was beside her; he didn't even have a chance to win, let alone capture her alive.

Power! Qianting once again felt an intense thirst to increase his strength. His Spiritual Consciousness pushed aside the surrounding sand, digging out a new pit. He grabbed his Zhanmadao (Horse-Cleaving Saber) and pulled the Nine Yang True Flame Iron out of the Battle Realm.

He threw it directly to the bottom of the sand pit. (Baidu Chizha Bar Shou Mao updates)

"So hot," Qianting muttered, watching the Zhanmadao, which had turned completely red, shaking his head repeatedly. Even a momentary touch of the Nine Yang True Flame Iron had caused this tenth-level battle weapon to glow scorching red. If he touched it for much longer, this Zhanmadao, which had slain many foes, would likely melt into a puddle of iron slag.

"Huh?" Qianting lightly weighed the Zhanmadao in his hand. He had a nagging feeling that something was amiss, yet he couldn't focus his thoughts, nor could he pinpoint exactly what felt wrong.

"The temperature of this thing… it must be on the verge of advancing to a higher-tier metal, right?" Qianting gazed doubtfully at the Nine Yang True Iron, which was slowly being buried by the sand. "But how do you forge this thing? What kind of flame can melt it? And what material hammer do you need to forge it?"

"It's burning me alive!"

Fentukuangge roared as he shot out of the sand pit at high speed. He hopped around wildly, clutching his rear end, searching the surrounding sand with his eyes. "What just happened? Was someone unleashing a Fire Magic Forbidden Curse just now?"

Qianting watched Fentukuangge hopping dozens of meters away and shook his head, feeling the intense heat radiating from beneath his own feet. Indeed! This thing had obviously become alarmingly hot! If it burrowed into the sand, Qianting imagined smelling his own flesh cooking. It seemed the sand pit wasn't dug deep enough. However, the range that his Spiritual Consciousness ability could control was limited by his current amount of Dou Qi; expanding that range required more Dou Qi.

Wiped out! Fifteen characters! Right?!