Chapter 275: The Necromancer's Shadow Amulet

Chapter 275: The Necromancer's Shadow Amulet

Day 6.

Lu Heng's Wind Dragon technique had progressed to the point where he could lift a one-meter-wide rock into the sky, but he was still far from being able to lift a thirty-ton stone pillar.

His proficiency in the Wind Dragon Extinction Slash had been steadily increasing, but the skill had yet to appear on his data panel.

This indicated that he had not fully mastered the sword technique, but Lu Heng felt he was close to achieving it.

However, a problem had arisen.

The wind pressure generated by his slashes was already nearing its limit, and further practice would not significantly increase the power of the Wind Dragon.

The Wind Dragon Extinction Slash was not a purely technical sword skill; it required a solid foundation of strength.

For instance, creating a sonic boom with the sword was not a matter of technique alone; without surpassing the speed of sound with his strikes, a sonic boom was impossible.

Therefore, the Wind Dragon Extinction Slash required a strong foundation, and creating a sonic boom was just the first hurdle in mastering the skill, not the sole requirement.

Lu Heng had clearly hit a bottleneck in his practice, and this obstacle was not something he could easily overcome through practice alone; he needed to improve his raw power.

There were many ways to enhance his strength, such as increasing his strength and agility attributes, which would amplify the power of his swings and, consequently, the wind pressure generated.

Additionally, improving his speed could directly enhance his overall power.

Furthermore, the Wind Dragon Extinction Slash was a wind-attributed sword skill that complemented the Windrunner skill.

After several days of practice, Lu Heng had maxed out his proficiency in the Windrunner skill (3000/3000).

The current issue was the lack of sufficient divine energy to upgrade this skill.

Previously, when he fused the B-Rank skill Mental Domination, he had consumed a significant amount of divine energy, leaving him with only 700 points remaining.

The Windrunner skill was a B-Rank skill, and upgrading it to A-Rank required 1500 points of divine energy. Unless you can acquire more divine energy in this world, you'll have to wait until the Abyssal Battlefield mission is complete to receive the task reward and upgrade your skills."

...

After another day of practice, on the seventh day at noon, Teris descended from the Storm Cliffs and stood behind Lu Heng. In a stern tone, he asked, "When are you going to the Elven Royal City?"

Lu Heng sheathed his sword, turned around, and replied casually, "Has a crisis emerged?"

Teris remained silent for a moment before answering, "A patrol team spotted Abyssal Summoners outside Colossus City."

The appearance of Abyssal Summoners validated Lu Heng's previous statements.

The presence of these summoners on the continent indirectly confirmed the impending crisis that the Colossus Royal City would face.

The mere sighting of Abyssal Summoners had prompted the Elven Sword Saint to inquire about Lu Heng's plans to visit Colossus City.

This demonstrated the Sword Saint's genuine concern for his student, but he could not go himself.

Lu Heng waved his hand nonchalantly and said, "The appearance of Abyssal Summoners isn't urgent. I haven't mastered the Wind Dragon Extinction Slash yet."

Teris' expression darkened, and he hummed in annoyance, "Do you think my ultimate technique can be mastered in just a few days? It might take years of practice to comprehend it. Don't tell me you plan to master the Wind Dragon Extinction Slash within the summoning period?"

Lu Heng admitted that this was his intention, but he also knew it would be challenging.

However, during his practice, Lu Heng had found a way to break through the bottleneck. If he could upgrade the Windrunner skill, the wind pressure generated by the Wind Dragon Extinction Slash would undoubtedly improve.

If he couldn't upgrade the skill, Lu Heng planned to continue practicing the Wind Dragon Extinction Slash until he was satisfied with his progress before leaving the Storm Cliffs.

"Let me practice for a few more days. I believe I can still make progress, and if I can obtain some divine energy, the breakthrough will be faster," Lu Heng turned back, took a deep breath, and prepared to resume his training.

Teris' expression turned grim.

One of the reasons he had taught Lu Heng the Wind Dragon Extinction Slash was to have him assist his student in resolving the crisis in the Elven Royal City.

However, Lu Heng's reluctance to leave the Storm Cliffs irritated Teris.

After a moment of thought, Teris said, "You want divine energy, right? Deep within the Twilight Mountains, a Lich lurks. Go and kill it, bring back its grimoire, and I can help you extract the divine energy within."

Lu Heng raised an eyebrow and asked, "If you know there's a Lich there, why haven't you dealt with it yourself?"

A smile crept onto Teris' lips as he retorted, "How do you know I haven't been there?"

Lu Heng paused, suddenly understanding the meaning behind Teris' words.

Liches were indestructible undead creatures; even if a powerful warrior like Teris captured and slew the Lich, it could still resurrect itself using a Soul Box.

In order to kill a lich, one must destroy its Soul Vault, otherwise, no matter how many times you kill it, it will revive.

This particular lich, having hidden in the Twilight Mountains and been slain by Teris, must have an even more secretive lair. Finding it won't be easy.

The Twilight Mountains are renowned in the Queldore world for their abundance of undead creatures.

In other words, if Teris were to appear in the Twilight Mountains, this lich, upon receiving the news, would undoubtedly conceal itself even deeper.

The mountain range stretches for thousands of kilometers, and the difficulty of finding a single lich within it is unimaginable.

Thus, a crucial question arises.

"The Twilight Mountains span thousands of kilometers. What's the difference between searching for a lich within it and finding a needle in a haystack?" Lu Heng posed the most critical question.

Teris' eyes gleamed with determination as he raised his right hand and said, "Use this to lure him out."

On his finger was a magical amulet, carved with a skull adorned with twisted horns.

"Is this from that lich?" Lu Heng had already guessed the origin of this magical amulet.

"Yes, I picked it up after defeating him. It's very important to him. If I were to take this amulet into the Twilight Mountains, he wouldn't dare to show himself. But if you go, the situation will be different," Teris explained his plan.

After a moment of contemplation, Lu Heng agreed, "Alright, I'll find this lich."

He reached out and took the amulet.

As Lu Heng held the amulet, its attributes were displayed.

【Lich's Shadow Amulet】

【Item Grade: A-Rank】

【Specifications: 6 cm long, 150 grams】

【Attribute: +10 Spirit (Undead Class exclusive, effect reduced by half for non-undead wearers)】

【Special Effects: Shadow Shield, Necromantic Command】

【Shadow Shield: When the wearer is attacked, the amulet automatically activates a Shadow Shield, absorbing and reflecting damage with shadow energy.】

【Necromantic Command: Wearing this amulet exerts dominance over undead units, depending on the wearer's Spirit attribute and the undead's level.】

【Evaluation: This amulet takes the form of a hideous skull, a deep black color that seems to devour all surrounding light. It is crafted from an unknown dark metal, adorned with intricate runes and patterns, exuding an ancient and enigmatic aura.】

Upon seeing the effects of the lich's amulet, Lu Heng understood that Teris was right. If this lich knew it could reclaim this amulet, it would definitely make a move.

The 【Necromantic Command】 effect was too crucial.

Liches, as high-level undead units, inherently possess a degree of command over other undead. However, their control over higher-level undead is relatively weak.

With this amulet, it means this undead could subjugate many higher-level undead as its servants.

Ordinary psychics can also wear this amulet, gaining a 5-point boost to their Spirit attribute and benefiting from the two special effects.

However, for ordinary psychics not specializing in the undead class, the amulet's effects are rather ordinary.

The 5-point Spirit attribute boost is on par with B-rank rune accessories.

As for the 【Necromantic Command】 effect, ordinary psychics cannot control undead units. The actual effect is to avoid attacks from mid to low-level undead.

But this presents a greater danger.

If a lich or an undead of equal caliber discovers this amulet, they will undoubtedly attempt to seize it and, in the process, turn the wearer into an undead servant.

Thus, any rational psychic would refrain from wearing this amulet.

Moreover, the amulet is saturated with undead aura, which is far from a positive sign for ordinary people.

...

After examining the attributes of the lich's amulet, Lu Heng held it up and asked, "Alright, I'll wear this amulet and venture into the Twilight Mountains to lure out that lich. By the way, what's its name?"

Teris replied succinctly, "Dionysus."

"What level is this lich?" Lu Heng inquired further.

"It was level 42 when I encountered it," Teris answered.

Lu Heng swallowed hard and asked, "Are you sure this is something I can handle?"

In truth, Lu Heng was just jesting. The last time this lich, Dionysus, was caught by Teris, it had undoubtedly been slain once.

After resurrecting through its Soul Vault, the lich wouldn't immediately recover its innate abilities, and the treasures it had accumulated would now be in Teris' possession.

After a lich's resurrection, it's as if they are starting anew.

Of course, before choosing to transform, a lich would have had a certain level, so after rebirth, they don't start from level 1 but from the level they were at before the transformation.

Therefore, this lich named Dionysus would definitely be below level 42 after his rebirth.

Teris speculated, "I estimate his current level to be around 37 or 38. You should be able to escape his grasp if you move quickly."

Lu Heng's Primal Energy level is currently 34, a difference of 3 to 4 levels from the lich.

This gap is not insignificant, but it's also not impossible to deal with.

"Alright, I'll take a trip to the Twilight Mountains and see if I can find this lich," Lu Heng agreed.

After resting for half a day, Lu Heng and his two companions set off for the Twilight Mountains the next morning.

...

The Twilight Mountains are located north of the Wasteland Swamp, and like the swamp, they are shrouded in thick fog.

However, the Twilight Mountains are at a higher altitude, so the fog only covers up to the mid-mountain range, and the higher one goes, the less dense the fog becomes.

Near the summit, the fog is dispersed by the mountain winds, making it difficult to gather.

The Twilight Mountains are one of the three major mountain ranges in the Quel'dorei world.

Due to the dense fog and the presence of undead, the Twilight Mountains have become a region devoid of life.

The Twilight Mountains border the Wasteland Swamp, and the two regions together form a contiguous life-prohibited zone.

After a three-hour flight on their Mechanical Tigers, Lu Heng and his companions finally arrived above the Twilight Mountains and observed the mountain range from the sky.

The Twilight Mountains resemble a winding black dragon, lying on the fog-covered ground, exposing its long spine.

Su Muyu observed the mountain range filled with an air of mystery and evil, and sighed, "If we were just looking at the scenery, the mountain range is quite steep."

"Yes, and you can even see undead creatures that don't exist on Bluesphere," Lu Heng joked, continuing her train of thought.

"Should we go down now? Do we have an approximate location of the lich?" Su Muyu got to the point.

Before their departure, Lu Heng had inquired about Dionysus from Teris.

This lich named Dionysus was rumored to have once been an Elven Arcanist, but later became corrupted by the Abyss and chose to transform into a lich.

Due to the nature of liches, after transformation, they gain eternal life.

However, saying they gain eternal life is not entirely accurate, as after the transformation, they technically no longer have life and are considered dead.

Nevertheless, their will and spirit remain.

This transformation is a way to preserve their will and spirit, sacrificing their life.

"What do you think? Where is this lich's Soul Vault? If we can find it, we can truly control this lich," Lin Zeyu said, thinking idealistically.

Lu Heng smiled and said, "Teris thought the same, but he couldn't find it."

Since a lich's ethereal body is indestructible, even if they are killed, they can be resurrected through their Soul Vault.

In other words, the Soul Vault is the key to a lich's survival.

If we can find the Soul Vault, we can indeed have control over this lich.

However, liches are more knowledgeable about their lifelines than anyone else.

Every lich will hide their Soul Vault extremely well, making it nearly impossible for ordinary people to find, and they wouldn't even think of where it might be hidden.

Su Muyu thought for a moment and said, "I don't think this lich would hide his Soul Vault in this mountain range. After all, it's not very safe to keep it in the same place as his lich body."

Lu Heng nodded in agreement, "That's true. Since Teris has killed this lich once, he must have tried to find its Soul Vault. If he couldn't find it, it's probably not nearby."

Su Muyu continued, "Even if the Soul Vault is in the Twilight Mountains, it won't be easy to find. This mountain range is thousands of kilometers long, and it could be in any corner. Even if we randomly choose a spot and dig a hole to bury it, it would still be difficult to find."

Although it's said like that, liches wouldn't bury their Soul Vaults in the soil where they could be eroded by rain.

After all, the Soul Vault is their lifeline, and if it were to be corroded by rain or bitten by insects, it wouldn't be a pleasant situation.

Lu Heng pointed to a twin-peaked mountain and said, "Let's land there. Teris killed Dionysus at this Twin Peaks last time. We'll start from here and head west along the mountain range to see if this lich will appear."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end