Though the skull steed’s hooves burned constantly with fire, and flames spewed from its eyes, it was undeniably cool, yet it couldn't help but instill a sense of unease.

Zheng Zha finally took a close look: the skeletal horse was clad in sheets of black metal armor, densely etched with countless magical runes. That wasn't all; even the very bones of the horse were inscribed with magical runes and arcane patterns, strikingly similar to the rules of runic combination Zheng Zha had previously encountered. In other words, this skeletal warhorse was indeed a creature forged through the rules of runic combination, not some strange undead entity generated from thin air.

"Since even the 'Main God' said we could ride the special mounts, there shouldn't be any problem," Zheng Zha muttered inwardly. He truly couldn't resist novelty; he grabbed the reins, flipped, and settled onto the skeleton. The creature possessed a massive frame, towering over two meters high.

It was significantly larger than an ordinary horse, presenting the complete image of a giant steed, and its striking appearance sent waves of elation through Zheng Zha.

But for some reason, no matter how Zheng Zha pulled the reins, the skeletal horse remained rooted to the spot, unmoving, until two or three minutes later.

Zheng Zha finally stopped in frustration, while the skeletal horse remained perfectly still.

"Right, earlier, that Ringwraith continuously emitted black smoke into the skeletal warhorse, but there isn't a trace of black smoke on it now. Could that have been negative energy?" A thought suddenly struck Zheng Zha. He swiftly circulated his vampiric energy and channeled it into the skeleton. Instantly, the blood energy flowed along his body, straight into the skeletal warhorse. Sure enough, just as he predicted, the vampiric energy entered without resistance. After inputting about twenty percent of his total vampiric energy, the skeletal warhorse finally let out a long, piercing neigh toward the heavens.

In an instant, the flames in the skeletal steed's eyes turned blood-red, the fire matching the color of the Crimson Flame. Its hooves also ignited with blood-red flames, and its body began to constantly emanate blood-red smoke. This appearance was far more striking and handsome than the previous black-smoked steed, and the blood-red smoke was denser and heavier.

It gave the skeletal warhorse an aura of pure, murderous majesty.

Zheng Zha pulled the reins, the skeletal horse cried out to the sky, then its four hooves struck out, charging forward. Directly ahead was a tree perhaps four or five meters in diameter, but this skeletal warhorse made no attempt to swerve; instead, it leaped and began galloping directly up the trunk. Zheng Zha barely had time to tighten his grip on the reins before the steed was already running across the bark.

It moved as smoothly as if it were traversing flat ground. Even Zheng Zha felt none of the downward pull of gravity; it seemed as if the saddle was his personal direction for gravity.

(There must be energy conversion rules, skeletal activation rules, anti-gravity rules, perhaps even rules for preserving biological memory... Were these truly invented by the Fifth Order Sages of antiquity? How could such powerful beings all be dead?) Thoughts churned in Zheng Zha’s mind. The steed's running speed was between that of a Sixth and Seventh Level Ringwraith. Presumably, the more energy input by the master, and the better the quality of that energy, the faster the skeleton moved. Since Zheng Zha's vampiric energy was exceptional, the steed’s speed was not slow.

Although running in this anti-gravity manner was something Zheng Zha was initially unfamiliar with, he was confident that with a few days or perhaps ten days of practice, he would become adept at this method of combat. When the terrain was complex or treacherous, his fighting capability would increase immensely—perhaps by more than fifty percent—thanks to the skeletal warhorse. Even under normal circumstances, its sheer speed would save him considerable internal force and vampiric energy that he would otherwise expend using his "Explosion" state or Qinggong.

"What a fine treasure. Damn it, I need to go snatch a few more. Wait, didn't we kill the skeleton along with the first one? What a waste! This thing's value is absolutely no less than an authentic Green Goblin Glider. To have killed them all... Alas, there are still two Ringwraiths alive, so I must secure the skeletal steeds of those two! Hrothgar seemed to have only frozen the first Ringwraith's steed without destroying it—that's excellent! I must get to that horse first."

Zheng Zha muttered to himself. He understood the utility of the skeletal warhorse perfectly. Rather than humbly handing them over to the North Ice team, he would rather play the villain and seize them. After all, this was reality; this contributed directly to the team's strength. Ownership was determined by who secured it.

Zheng Zha pulled the reins, bringing the skeletal warhorse to a halt on a swaying treetop. The steed, however, stood perfectly steady. Zheng Zha then recalled someone and shouted Lan’s name. Soon, Lan’s voice echoed in his consciousness: "Zheng Zha! Are you alright? You were fighting for a long time, and I didn't dare interrupt. Where are you? My psychic scan can't locate you, but I can sense your consciousness fluctuating."

"Can't see me?" Zheng Zha connected to Lan’s mental scanning map. Indeed, he couldn't see himself or the skeletal warhorse on the psychic scan, although he could see the withered great tree he was currently standing on.

But he still couldn't see himself or the horse.

"Could the smoke emitted by this skeletal warhorse possess the ability to shield against psychic scanning?" Zheng Zha immediately realized this possibility, and it seemed highly likely. He let out a cry of sudden joy.

Lan interrupted his intention: "Zheng Zha, one Ringwraith escaped, and another is pursuing Chu Xuan and the others right now! Can you help them? Their situation is critical; that Druid has already been slain by the Ringwraith!" Zheng Zha’s heart tensed upon hearing this. Immediately, Lan transmitted the psychic scan map of Chu Xuan and the others' location into his mind. Sure enough, on the ground lay a massive Direwolf severed in two, and Richard was engaging the Ringwraith using his Berserker skill. If the Ringwraith’s attention hadn't been diverted by the four Hobbits near Chu Xuan, Richard would have already been slain by that elusive black two-handed sword.

Chu Xuan’s actions were peculiar. He stood with the four Hobbits, and every time the Ringwraith was about to strike Richard down, he would have one Hobbit don the Ring, instantly redirecting the creature’s focus. To avoid being controlled by the Ring, the Hobbit would only wear it for a few seconds before taking it off, only for another Hobbit to don it the next time Richard was in danger. Even so, Richard’s movements were growing sluggish, and the wounds on his body were increasing.

The other two: Zhao Yingkong was hidden in the shadows of the trees, attacking the Ringwraith from behind every chance she got. No matter how fast the Ringwraith’s speed or reaction time, she managed to slice off the arm holding its shield, though her chest was gashed open by the Ringwraith's swift counter-strike, leaving her chest a bloody mess. Her two magnificent peaks were now dimly visible.

Cheng Xiao was the most pitiful; without a suitable weapon, he could only stand by anxiously, helpless.

Through the mind-link shared with Chu Xuan, Zheng Zha saw this precise scene. He knew well that Richard was the primary force resisting the Ringwraith head-on among the four. Once Richard fell, the others would be cut down in a few strikes. Although Zhao Yingkong’s attack power was high, that applied only to assassination techniques and stealthy strikes; in a direct confrontation, she was inferior to Richard.

Seeing Richard's speed dropping precipitously, and knowing the time limit on the Berserker skill was approaching, the word "anxious" hardly described Zheng Zha’s state of mind. The Ringwraith's attacks were never drawn out—a single strike was all it took. He couldn't bear the thought of Chu Xuan and the others ending up as two broken corpses on the ground.

"Please, don't die! I'm coming!" Zheng Zha pulled the reins, guiding the mount to race up the treetops. Then, the skeletal warhorse trod upon the leaves and sprang into the air, transforming into a blood-red phantom as it sped toward Chu Xuan and the others.

Zheng Zha was immensely worried. These three were partners with whom he had shared life and death. Even Cheng Xiao, he had died alongside once. None of the three had a chance to resurrect again. Setting aside sentiment, they were indispensable members of the team: Cheng Xiao’s medical skills, Zhao Yingkong’s combat prowess, and Chu Xuan’s role was irreplaceable. Without him, the team wouldn't have made it this far. To put it plainly, if they died, the team would have no hope of catching up to the Demon Reincarnation Squad.

"Don't die! We agreed to fight side-by-side all the way back to the real world!" Looking at the images transmitted through Chu Xuan’s mind-link, Zheng Zha's eyes were turning crimson with urgency. He saw the Nordic giant Richard’s speed finally slow to a crawl, followed by the Ringwraith’s black two-handed sword lightly flicking, opening a hole in Richard's chest. The man tilted backward, falling. Simultaneously, the Ringwraith pulled its reins and leaped toward the four Hobbits, with Chu Xuan squarely in its path. Zheng Zha could even see the black light of the greatsword in the image. "No!" Zheng Zha roared skyward, but on the other side of the Ringwraith, blocking Chu Xuan's view, Zhao Yingkong’s movements became a blur. Her hands were mimicking the motion of gripping a sword, as if she held an invisible greatsword, and her hands were moving so fast they were invisible to the naked eye. Her entire body was a haze of motion. No one knew what she was doing, but in Chu Xuan's calm, placid eyes, the Ringwraith, along with its skeletal warhorse, began to tremble violently. When the trembling stopped, the Ringwraith and the skeletal steed burst apart into four pieces...