Both groups were captivated by the power of the "Longevity Tablet," yet they failed to notice the sharp glint in the eye of the entity staring from within the shadowy depths.
It was the light that only appears when prey has been finally cornered!
The "Longevity Tablet" worked with extreme efficiency, sweeping up all those ghostly abominations in mere moments. A sudden silence descended, and the light radiating from the tablet became even more dazzling!
Slowly, the gazes of the crowd finally shifted away from the "Longevity Tablet." When they turned to look at Zhong Shenxiu’s expression, they couldn't help but freeze.
What was he looking at?
Since they were outside, the others couldn't clearly see the scene within. Robin dissolved into a streak of afterimage, arriving beside Zhong Shenxiu and stopping abruptly. The others had intended to step inside to investigate, but it was at that moment that Zhong Shenxiu’s sharp command cut through the air.
“Stay outside!” Zhong Shenxiu said, still not turning his head.
The group dared not disobey, forced to remain stationed outside, though their curiosity only intensified!
As the others were left wildly speculating, a strange sound abruptly shattered their thoughts.
“Ga-ba-ba, ga-ba-ba!”
In the echoing confines of the hall, the sound took on a chilling, sinister quality. Every heart jolted, and they nervously scanned their surroundings, terrified that something might suddenly leap out at them!
This time, being without the protection of Zhong Shenxiu and Robin nearby, they felt an unusual wave of tension!
Just as the crowd was gripped by unease, the strange sound abruptly shifted. A crisp crack echoed—as if something had just shattered.
Zhong Shenxiu and Robin, however, had eyes that suddenly lit up, their gazes fixed straight ahead, as if observing something intently, or perhaps waiting for something to happen.
Robin’s appearance at that moment was remarkably engaging; her small face was flushed, and she was pressed tightly against Zhong Shenxiu’s body, radiating an air of excitement and readiness!
Following their line of sight, fifty meters ahead rested a tall stone sarcophagus, from which thick plumes of black gas were currently rising. The source of the earlier hair-raising sound was clearly emanating from here!
Furthermore, one corner of the stone coffin had fractured, and a skeletal claw was probing its way out!
Perhaps finding the wait too time-consuming, Zhong Shenxiu swept his arm, unleashing a surge of force that actually managed to heave the heavy stone lid off the sarcophagus. A massive billow of black smoke erupted, resembling the sight after a great fire has been suddenly extinguished!
“What is that?” The guards waiting outside also saw the black smoke and found it exceedingly strange.
Even as they spoke, the black smoke shifted. In an instant, it contracted and then reformed into the ghastly outline of a colossal skull—truly terrifying to behold!
These mercenaries instinctively retreated several steps. Without even needing to test it, they knew that something formidable had appeared; the mere sight of that skull offered a clear indication!
Zhong Shenxiu and Robin, however, were entirely different from them; the light of excitement in their eyes had reached an unprecedented peak!
“Master!” Robin whispered softly.
Her unspoken words were already conveyed through her gaze, questioning Zhong Shenxiu on when they should move!
“Wait a moment longer!” Zhong Shenxiu replied in an equally low tone.
It would be easy for him to subdue the skull before him, but he chose not to act yet, for he had discovered something truly captivating.
This skull before him appeared similar to the skeleton warriors, yet its nature was fundamentally different. This one moved by its own will; it was not summoned, and it had retained its abilities from life!
If Zhong Shenxiu’s deduction was correct, it must have been a Necromancer in life, and one whose power had reached at least the level of a “God-Demon Necromancer”!
What truly fascinated Zhong Shenxiu was the skull’s ability to retain its former capabilities—a problem he himself had yet to resolve! Just imagine the sheer power if one could raise the corpse of a Sword God as a skeleton warrior, retaining all its former strength—what an astonishing feat that would be!
However, one point needed to be noted: this skull could only maintain its own strength from life; the skeletal warriors it summoned did not possess this same capability. If this were not the case, Xia Luo and the others previously would not have been able to wipe out the tens of thousands of skeletal troops so easily!
But this did not diminish Zhong Shenxiu’s interest. As long as he could uncover how this skeleton warrior maintained its lifelong prowess, he could apply the knowledge to other skeleton warriors, potentially even modifying them to be stronger and more formidable than they were in life!
Zhong Shenxiu had already spotted a crucial clue; he just needed to observe whether there were any other unique characteristics.
Zhong Shenxiu noticed that this skull was not merely bone; a ghost had attached itself to it.
By common logic in this world, beings lacking spiritual energy possessed very fragile souls. Yet, the ghost attached to this skull was surprisingly powerful; as long as it avoided direct sunlight, it could persist eternally, reaching a state of immortality!
This phenomenon was difficult to explain using the conventional knowledge of this world, but through the lens of Ghost Dao philosophy, this skeletal entity could be called a “Soul Bone”!
Zhong Shenxiu had witnessed and even battled such “Soul Bones” before his transmigration. To draw an apt analogy for this “Soul Bone,” one could understand it as a form of soul possession!
If this “Soul Bone” were properly cultivated, it could ultimately achieve the rank of Ghost Immortal, although no one had ever heard of anyone reaching that level.
Generally, “Soul Bones” did not form willingly; they were often refined by high-level Ghost Dao masters into puppets—living corpses devoid of independent consciousness!
Encountering a creature resembling a “Soul Bone” so suddenly filled Zhong Shenxiu with both excitement and agitation!
However, the skull before him seemed intensely enraged, and the consequences would likely be severe!
It was understandable: Zhong Shenxiu had not only taken away so many of its skeletal warriors but also the protective ghostly entities surrounding it. This was tantamount to bullying the master right on his doorstep—unbearable!
The skull seemed to recognize that Zhong Shenxiu was not to be trifled with, so it immediately unleashed its ultimate move, continuously gathering dark elements, preparing for a fatal blow!
A massive wave of dark energy surged forth like a bursting mountain flood, instantly plunging the entire hall into an extreme cold!
Stanley and Faraday’s faces turned pale, and their bodies shook uncontrollably. If not for Gandalf supporting them, they might have already collapsed!
“Hey, what’s wrong with you two?” Gandalf’s expression tightened. He was not a Necromancer and could not fathom the true horror of this dark power!
“Bla—Black Forbidden Curse!” Faraday managed to force out the trembling words, barely conveying the intended meaning...
However, merely uttering the phrase caused him to collapse from sheer depletion.
Gandalf was momentarily stunned, then reacted, questioning with astonishment, “What—What did you say? A Forbidden Curse??”
Though unaware of what a Dark Magic Forbidden Curse entailed, connecting it to the concept of a Magic Forbidden Curse suggested something terrifying!
“God—God-Demon Necromancer!” Stanley declared, his voice also laced with tremors.
Like Faraday, he could no longer think coherently, ignoring Gandalf’s persistent questioning. Both men stood frozen as if struck by lightning!
The others had overheard their exchange. Although they still didn't grasp the situation, they understood that whatever was happening was certainly not good!
All eyes once again converged solely on Zhong Shenxiu, as if the key to survival rested entirely upon him!
Zhong Shenxiu made no move to stop the skull’s magic. He watched with keen interest as it gathered energy, his placid expression seeming to say: Save your effort; this move won't work on me!
Despite this, Zhong Shenxiu felt compelled to compliment the skull; its power was indeed extraordinary. By Zhong Shenxiu’s estimation, its strength already surpassed the current definition of a “God-Demon Necromancer.”
Was the current assessment system weaker, or were the people of that era simply too powerful?
Throughout his journey, Zhong Shenxiu had noticed that people of ancient times were several times stronger than modern individuals, a fact evidenced by the complex magic arrays they deployed.
He truly could not comprehend why this world had regressed to such a degree. Was it all truly rooted in that supposed “War”?
While Zhong Shenxiu was lost in thought, the skull’s dark magic finally coalesced. It opened its mouth wide, spitting out a beam of black light that struck the previously formed giant skull. The skull then began to swell, its expression growing more ferocious, before it suddenly exploded, unleashing millions of ghostly black entities!
This was the lost Dark Magic technique: the Forbidden Prison Soul Devourer!
Any creature touched by these black specters would instantly be reduced to a dried husk, and with every successful attack, the power of these black specters would grow, birthing even more black phantoms!
Unless there were no more living creatures within the attack radius, this Forbidden Curse would never dissipate!
If unleashed amidst an army, this spell would instantly transform the mortal realm into a hellscape!
These black spirits appeared intelligent; before attacking, they sealed off all escape routes for Zhong Shenxiu and Robin, then swarmed them together!
Of course, while assaulting Zhong Shenxiu and Robin, they did not neglect the onlookers outside. Vast swarms of black specters arrived before the group in the blink of an eye, moving too fast for anyone to even react!
Were the onlookers doomed to become dried husks?
Zhong Shenxiu would never agree to that; he had long since made complete preparations!
Though these black specters were fast, the "Longevity Tablet" was a step ahead, positioning itself before the crowd. As the spirits struck, it suddenly erupted with ten thousand beams of dazzling green light, forcing the onlookers to shield their eyes!
When the crowd reopened their eyes, the incoming black specters were gone. Before them, the "Longevity Tablet" spun like a spool of thread; due to its incredible speed, it appeared as a solid cylinder!
“W-What exactly happened?” one mercenary asked, his face somewhat ashen.
Everyone understood that without the timely defense of the "Longevity Tablet," they would certainly have been finished; those black spirits were clearly not to be trifled with!
“What a strange object!”
Hariman Fubo scrutinized the "Longevity Tablet" with an intense gaze. He had been wondering why Zhong Shenxiu was fussing over such a simple tablet, never imagining it could be so miraculous.
Unable to suppress his curiosity, he reached out a hand as if to touch the "Longevity Tablet"!
“**It kills people!” Keni stated nonchalantly beside him.
Hariman Fubo jumped violently, quickly snatching his hand back. When faced with such a risk, he preferred to believe the warning rather than gamble with his life!
“Th-This is what?” Although he dared not touch it, asking about it seemed harmless enough!
What frustrated him immensely was that after delivering her warning, Keni ignored him completely, instead fixing her sharp eyes on the black specters currently pouring into Zhong Shenxiu and Robin’s bodies!
Indeed, Zhong Shenxiu and Robin stood there without any defense, allowing the black specters to drill into their bodies!
Perhaps the observers wondered if the pair had gone mad, gambling with their very bodies?
In reality, this was not the case. Although Zhong Shenxiu and Robin stood silently, they were not idle. Both were currently employing the “Moon Sucking Technique” to refine these black specters, just as they had refined the energy of the “Dark Backlash”!
To them, these black specters were potent nourishment. As they continuously refined and absorbed the energy, both of their “Dark Sorcery Powers” were steadily increasing!
Since there were benefits to be gained, why evade? Let the dark spirits come with greater ferocity! Oh yeah!
If the skull had known this, it would likely have spat blood—even though a skull has no blood, haha. To have its Forbidden Curse turn into nourishment for its enemies was arguably the most humiliating fate imaginable!
The skull seemed determined to grind Zhong Shenxiu down. It continuously channeled dark power, generating torrents of black specters that relentlessly surged toward Zhong Shenxiu and Robin!
Zhong Shenxiu was likely ecstatic right now, thinking internally, Take your time, old fellow; we have all the time in the world!
Uncertain how long this went on, the skull finally ceased its activity. The dark specters floating in the air were all absorbed by the "Longevity Tablet," and the Forbidden Curse dissipated.
“Anything else?” Zhong Shenxiu taunted the skull, in a manner designed to provoke.
The skull stared fixedly at Zhong Shenxiu and Robin with its hollow eyes, its jaws opening and closing with a tatta sound, as if asking: Are you even human?!
Seeing the skull only trembling incoherently, Zhong Shenxiu smiled sweetly and said with a mysterious air, “Tired already? How about I take a turn now?”
With that statement, a sight that caused the skull to tremble violently occurred!
Although the skull had no liver! ...