With a sudden crash, as his shout rang out, the others simultaneously raised their staves, leveling them at Chen Feng and his companions.

“Is this how you treat friends?” Chen Feng’s expression remained unchanged as he extended a hand forward. The Jì zhī Lì (Power of Stillness), split off from the vast cosmic energy, instantly formed an elliptical sphere before him and shot toward a distant hill.

He had employed pure Jì zhī Lì for that move, and the tall, thin undead mage finally broke into a smile upon seeing him cast necromantic magic.

“Welcome, friend. Don’t fault us for being cautious. Humans are the most vile and shameless creatures; we feared being tricked. Please forgive us for acting this way.”

“No matter,” Chen Feng nodded, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief. He hadn't expected the undead to possess such high intelligence, capable of employing deception. If he hadn’t cleverly deployed the Jì zhī Lì just then, a battle would likely have already erupted.

These hundreds of necromancers were not a threat, but startling them would trigger a chain reaction, making it impossible to investigate the whereabouts of Long Xiaoqiang and Judy's father.

“New necromancers must enter the Necropolis. You three follow me,” the tall, thin undead mage said, starting to walk forward.

Chen Feng followed cautiously, asking, “We are new here and don't know the rules. I’d like to ask, just how many necromancers are there here?”

“How many?” The tall, thin undead mage smiled. “The sheer number of us necromancers is not the surprising part; what matters is the quantity and strength of the Spirit Corpses! You should know this. Those surrounding you just now were all my Spirit Corpses.”

“Spirit Corpses?” Chen Feng muttered inwardly. This was the first term he had ever heard, but even if he didn't understand, he couldn't ask; asking would betray that he wasn't a necromancer.

Though he couldn't ask, Chen Feng could make some deductions. When he was with the Tie family, the undead in the sky could indeed set up the Wàn Líng [Myriad Souls] Jì Dà Zhèn [Stillness Great Formation], but each individual seemed as mindless as a fool, lacking independent thought. He had assumed all undead were like that, but now he suspected those might have been the Spirit Corpses of the first necromancers.

What differentiated necromancers from regular cultivators was their ability to control corpses; the dead could be turned into mere tools for slaughter in their hands. By this logic, Spirit Corpses must surely be corpses controlled by necromancers.

“How many Spirit Corpses do you each possess?” the tall, thin undead mage inquired. Seeing Chen Feng hesitate, he chuckled, “To integrate with us, you must possess sufficient strength. The measure of strength, of course, lies in the quality and quantity of your Spirit Corpses…”

“Ha! I was just teasing you. Who would give away such beautiful Spirit Corpses? Only a fool would gift them to others.” The tall, thin necromancer mistook Chen Feng’s hesitation for reluctance and laughed heartily.

Chen Feng could only offer an awkward smile and remain silent.

The tall, thin necromancer continued, “You’re in luck this time; our annual Myriad Souls Assembly is happening tonight. Though you only have two Spirit Corpses, I see their cultivation is outrageously high. Even if you don't make the top ten, the top fifty should be manageable.”

“The Myriad Souls Assembly? What is that?” Chen Feng asked.

“Ah, right, you’re new here, so you wouldn't know about the Myriad Souls Assembly. It’s a contest organized by us necromancers. As you know, we necromancers don’t place much value on individual cultivation; the power of the Spirit Corpses is key. But some people have very low personal cultivation yet command powerful Spirit Corpses. When they don't display them, they are often looked down upon. Thus, to earn the respect due to a strong individual, we organize this competition.”

“To put it plainly, the Myriad Souls Assembly requires every participating necromancer to bring forth their strongest Spirit Corpse to battle. If they win, they naturally receive the respect of a powerhouse. If they lose, or if their Spirit Corpse is slain, they only have themselves to blame. We then compile the Wáng Líng Zhàn Cè [Necropolis Battle Codex] based on the outcomes, ranking the true strong among us necromancers.”

The tall, thin necromancer explained in detail.

“The Wáng Líng Zhàn Cè? What is that?” Chen Feng asked again. He knew he couldn't ask about common knowledge, but this type of question wouldn’t arouse suspicion; rather, it might foster goodwill.

Everyone possesses a natural inclination to teach, and when someone doesn't know what they know, they usually want to elaborate to display their erudition. Necromancers were no exception to this common trait.

Indeed, upon hearing Chen Feng’s question, the tall, thin necromancer’s smile deepened, and he quickly stated, “The Wáng Líng Zhàn Cè is the ranking of our most powerful necromancers, representing the pinnacle of our achievements. Should we necromancers ever unify the world, these individuals would surely be the nobles and high officials.”

The tall, thin necromancer’s tone was filled with envy.

“Then… have you participated in the Myriad Souls Assembly?”

“I…” The tall, thin necromancer looked embarrassed and scratched his head. “My strength isn't good enough. You saw them; my Spirit Corpses are just common stock, the lowest grade. How dare I compete? That’s why I’m still stuck on patrol duty here…”

“Heroes are often slain when they are young, but brother, you possess great talent and vision. I believe one day you will find the finest Spirit Corpses and rise to become a legend among necromancers,” Chen Feng said, offering the other an uncharacteristic compliment.

Hearing Chen Feng’s words, the tall, thin necromancer was moved to tears, patting Chen Feng’s shoulder as if he had finally found a kindred spirit like Yu Boya finding Zhong Ziqi. He declared, “Brother, starting today, you are my sworn brother, Gao Jianshu. If anyone here dares bully you, just tell me, and I’ll… I’ll tell our Boss Yishi.”

“Boss Yishi?” Chen Feng inquired.

“Oh, I got carried away talking with you, I haven't even told you about our Boss Yishi. Boss Yishi is the one I admire most… He ranks seventh on the Wáng Líng Zhàn Cè; he is truly formidable,” Gao Jianshu, the tall, thin necromancer, said. “The Boss is very bold and generous. I’ll take you to meet him later. With my introduction, I guarantee he’ll like you, and then you won’t have to endure ridicule and bullying from other necromancers.”

Gao Jianshu spoke animatedly, painting a vivid picture.

Chen Feng had assumed necromancers were all inherently cruel and bloodthirsty. Now, he found this individual not entirely wicked; in fact, when not in conflict, they could be rather endearing.

The group walked for a while, gradually emerging from the dark woods. In the distance, a massive, clean city spanned out before them.

The architecture of this city was bizarre; every room featured a rounded dome, making the entire place look like a cluster of tombs from afar.

It was strange that the residence of necromancers imitated the appearance of graves, a detail hard to fathom.

“Oh, right…” Gao Jianshu said, his expression turning serious as they neared the town. He lowered his voice, “This is the Necropolis. Once inside, pay close attention when you meet Boss Yishi. Also, Boss Yishi and Lord Hunlie don't see eye to eye, so absolutely do not provoke anyone belonging to Lord Hunlie. And it would be best if you made your Spirit Corpses look uglier; otherwise, if someone takes a liking to them and tries to seize them by force, you’ll be in danger.”

Gao Jianshu spoke with great caution, clearly sharing highly confidential information he wouldn't usually divulge.

“Thank you.”

Chen Feng knew he cared for him and nodded, inwardly vowing that if a conflict truly arose with these necromancers, regardless of the greater cause, as long as Gao Jianshu did nothing to harm him, Chen Feng would never kill him.

Chen Feng always made friends based on compatibility, disregarding societal norms, good or evil, beauty or ugliness. Even a necromancer committing heinous acts would be unhesitatingly accepted as a friend if they treated him as such. Gao Jianshu was low in cultivation, a bit arrogant, and prone to flattery, but overall, he wasn't malicious toward Chen Feng, so Chen Feng considered him someone worth interacting with.

Chen Feng reached back, and a flash of Jì zhī Lì flowed through his hand. Judy, who was following behind, instantly changed her appearance. Her previous purity and ethereal beauty were gone, replaced by a slightly sallow complexion, making her look more like an undead creature.

“Gao Jianshu, you audacious fool! You actually dared to lead a human in here!”

At that moment, an angry roar sounded from not far away, and a figure slowly approached from the distance.

Upon seeing this, the newcomer glanced at Xiaohu and Judy, then suddenly seemed to realize something, looking surprised: “Brother, are these two perhaps your Spirit Corpses?”

Before Chen Feng could answer, the person became annoyed with himself, “Right, I’m so dense! How could I not have seen it? These two have been trailing behind you, acting dull and listless, and the aura they emit is identical to yours. They must be your Spirit Corpses.”

Xiaohu and Judy felt the urge to vomit upon hearing the necromancer’s assessment of them, but realizing this misunderstanding was the best possible outcome for the moment, they remained silent, their eyes fixed on Chen Feng.

Chen Feng let out a dry laugh and quickly nodded, “You have sharp eyes indeed.”

The tall, thin necromancer waved his hands dismissively. “Not at all, not at all,” he said, turning to look at Xiaohu and Judy while pointing his withered finger at their cheeks.

When Judy and Xiaohu caught the faint, fishy stench emanating from his hand, they fought the urge to retch, but they had to endure it to maintain the plan.

After examining them for a while, the tall, thin necromancer couldn't help but exclaim, “Brother, you are truly lucky to acquire and refine two corpses of this caliber! And this female corpse is so lovely. You must have taken good care of her over the years, right? When you’re done, why not loan her over for a few rounds of pleasure?”

“This…” Chen Feng was startled, glancing sideways at Judy. Seeing that she hadn't erupted in rage over the comment, he finally felt relieved.

Being labeled as a Spirit Corpse and then being spoken of as chattel—Judy’s tears started to stream down, but this was not the time for anger. Finding her senior brother and father was the priority.