Chapter 277: The Necromancer's Soul Vault and Skill Upgrade

Chapter 277: The Necromancer's Soul Vault and Skill Upgrade

This Archmage's Magic Codex possesses divine skills, and extracting Divine Energy from it would be a pity.

If the Divine Energy is not extracted, can this magic codex be kept? Lu Heng wasn't sure about this, as Teris was also eyeing the magic codex.

After all, it was an S-class treasure, and this bounty hunting mission for the Necromancer was posted by Teris. His purpose might also be this magic codex.

Teris stepped forward and asked, "Are you going to extract the Divine Energy from the magic codex now? I can help you."

Lu Heng picked up the Necromancer's Shadow Amulet and handed it back to Teris, then asked, "Can I keep this magic codex?"

Teris shrugged, "To be honest, the original owner of this magic codex is Augustus, the Archmage of Quel'dorei. You've heard of him, right?"

Lu Heng hadn't expected that this magic codex actually belonged to the Archmage Augustus, a detail he hadn't considered before.

"Do you mean I should return this magic codex to Augustus?" Teris asked, shrugging again. "It's up to you, but if Augustus finds out you have this magic codex, he will definitely take it back. As for how he'll do it, that's unknown."

"I can give you a suggestion," Teris continued. "If you return this magic codex to Augustus, you'll definitely earn his gratitude."

Lu Heng already had the Aurora Blade, and during combat, he would use his sword instead of taking out the magic codex.

If he were to keep the magic codex, it should be given to Su Muyu, as she is quite suitable for it. Just the +10 Spirit attribute effect alone is very powerful.

However, if the magic codex were to be kept for Su Muyu, it couldn't be brought back to Bluesphere.

This magic codex is an item from the Quel'dorei world, and to bring it back to Bluesphere, it would need to be assimilated using Divine Energy.

Alternatively, the Divine Energy could be extracted, and then the magic codex could be downgraded to an A-class item and returned to Augustus.

This would be maximizing benefits.

Extracting the Divine Energy now could be used to upgrade the Windrunner skill.

After upgrading this skill, control over wind would be further enhanced, and there would be hope to practice the Wind Dragon Extinction Slash.

Just as Lu Heng was considering this, Lin Zeyu returned with a small demon in his hand. "I caught it. This is the one."

In his hand was the Void Stealer, which looked like an Abyssal Spirit, semi-transparent in deep purple, with little combat power but strong stealth abilities.

The Void Stealer had been playing dead, suddenly opening its eyes and struggling to escape from Lin Zeyu's palm, releasing Void Energy.

Lu Heng was quick, taking a step forward and pinching its neck with lightning speed.

The Void Stealer's Void Energy release abruptly stopped.

The neck was the Void Stealer's weak point, and by pinching it there, it couldn't move.

"Still trying to escape?" Lin Zeyu flipped his palm, grabbing the revolver and pressing it against the Void Stealer's head, ready to shoot and blow its head up.

Lu Heng raised his hand to stop him, then slapped the Void Stealer to the ground, demanding, "Where is the treasure? Tell me!"

"Gurgle, gurgle..." The Void Stealer emitted a shrill cry, struggling as if pleading.

Lu Heng didn't understand the meaning of the cry, but it didn't matter. With Lin Zeyu's Hunter's Mark ability, the Void Stealer couldn't escape.

"Reapply the mark to it, and cut off one of its claws. If it dares to run, detonate the mark and kill it."

Upon hearing this, Lin Zeyu's face lit up with a mischievous smile. He reapplied the Hunter's Mark and then cut off one of the Void Stealer's claws with a dagger.

Lu Heng released the Void Stealer, saying, "Lead me to the treasure, or I'll detonate the mark and kill you."

The Void Stealer, true to its name, was skilled in stealth and theft.

It would hide the stolen items in places no one could find.

In other words, its treasure trove would contain many treasures.

The Void Stealer emitted gurgling cries and began moving towards the southern foot of the mountain.

After following it for about twenty minutes, the Void Stealer burrowed into a mountain wall.

"Can you still see it?" Lu Heng asked.

"Yes, it hasn't run away. There might be a hollow cave inside the mountain wall," Lin Zeyu said, keeping his eyes on the Void Stealer.

"Good, I'll go in and take a look." Lu Heng said, then vanished into the shadows, passing through the mountain wall and entering a cave.

The cave had no exit, and it was pitch black inside. Without the Shadow Vision state, it was impossible to see anything.

Inside the cave, the Void Stealer crouched on a pile of messy items, awaiting judgment.

Since its combat power wasn't strong, the stolen items might not be high-level treasures.

It only stole items it liked, and these items usually contained a small amount of energy.

For example, gems, materials, and some D-class and C-class items, including accessories, weapons, and small equipment.

The cave had no exit, so there was no oxygen, and the air composition was complex.

Lu Heng drew the Aurora Blade and slashed at the thinnest part of the mountain wall with a Rift Slash.

Boom!

With one slash, the Rift Slash cut through the three-meter-thick mountain wall, creating an opening.

Lu Heng walked out of the cave, took a breath of fresh air, and said, "Muyu, clear the air."

Su Muyu raised her hand and used the Sky Dominator's weather control ability, creating a gust of wind to blow away the murky air in the cave.

Then, the three of them re-entered the cave, illuminated by the Celestial Phoenix, they could clearly see the cave's interior.

Lin Zeyu walked over, picked up the items on the ground, and said, "D-class gems, C-class accessories, this is quite good."

This ring was dug out from a pile of corpses, still attached to a severed finger bone."

Upon finding the hidden treasure, Lin Zeyu chuckled, flipped his palm, and once again took out his revolver, aiming it at the Void Stealer's head.

"Gurgle, gurgle..." The Void Stealer hurriedly pleaded for mercy, pushing all the items from the treasure trove before Lin Zeyu.

From its gestures, it seemed to be offering these treasures in exchange for its life.

"These items of yours are either D-grade or C-grade, not enough to trade for your life. You might as well die. I'll shoot once, and I promise it'll be painless. How about it?" Lin Zeyu prepared to pull the trigger as he spoke.

"Gurgle, gurgle..." The Void Stealer hurriedly used its remaining claw to draw characters on the ground.

Due to its lack of a sophisticated language system, the Void Stealer could only make gurgling noises.

In the Abyssal World, it had no issues communicating with its kind, but conversing with humans was more complicated.

None of the three could hear what it was saying, so they could only guess it was pleading for mercy.

However, as it wrote on the ground, Lin Zeyu finally understood.

Since it was written in Quel'dorei Elven language, all three had been exposed to this language upon their transmission to this world, enabling them to understand it.

Lin Zeyu's eyes widened as he read the meaning of those characters, and he waved behind him, shouting, "Lu Heng, come here quickly! He wrote the word 'Soul Vault'!"

Lu Heng had already seen the words the Void Stealer had written on the ground, and it was indeed the three characters for "Soul Vault."

"Do you have the Soul Vault here?" Lin Zeyu hurriedly searched through the pile of junk, hoping to find the Soul Vault hidden among them.

Lu Heng made a judgment, "The Soul Vault couldn't be here. If it's referring to Dionysus's Soul Vault, then Dionysus would definitely sense it and come to retrieve it if it were here."

In other words, the Void Stealer was trying to convey that it knew the location of the Soul Vault.

Lu Heng crouched down and said, "You know where the Soul Vault is?"

"Gurgle, gurgle..." The Void Stealer nodded in response.

"Good. Lead us to Dionysus's Soul Vault, and I'll spare your life," Lu Heng promised it.

The Void Stealer itself didn't possess much combat power; its greatest threat was its ability to steal.

So, letting it live wasn't a big deal.

"Gurgle, gurgle..." The Void Stealer immediately flew outside, intending to lead the three to the Soul Vault.

For the Void Stealer, it could access many places that ordinary people couldn't reach.

Consequently, it could find treasures that were inaccessible to most.

In other words, it must have seen Dionysus's Soul Vault but was too afraid of Dionysus to steal it.

After all, Lichs have a sense for their Soul Vaults, and stealing one without the power to keep it would be a death sentence.

Clearly, this Void Stealer dared not steal Dionysus's Soul Vault, but it knew its location.

With its life at stake, it had no choice but to trade this secret for its survival.

The three followed the Void Stealer, continuing their journey deep into the Twilight Mountains.

Before they set off, Lu Heng informed Teris, telling him he could return to the Storm Cliffs first.

Upon hearing that they had found Dionysus's Soul Vault, Teris's eyes lit up, insisting on joining them.

Thus, the four of them followed the Void Stealer into the depths of the Twilight Mountains.

After nearly a day's journey, the Void Stealer led them to an underground altar.

The altar was constructed within an underground space, protected by a rune array, making it undetectable even to Sensors from the outside.

It was only when the Void Stealer entered that Lu Heng and the others realized there was another layer of space within.

Lu Heng broke through the mountain wall and stepped into the underground altar.

In the center of the altar stood a stone platform.

On the platform, a gem-encrusted box was placed with utmost precision.

At this moment, the box was open, and a faint aura of a malevolent spirit emanated from within.

In another focal point of the altar, a skeleton slowly rose, absorbing the energy from the Soul Vault.

This was the resurrection ritual of a Lich.

This skeleton was the new body chosen by Dionysus to house his soul.

The resurrection ritual was already halfway complete, and with just one more day, Dionysus would be successfully revived.

The hiding place of his Soul Vault was indeed well-concealed. Without knowing its exact location, searching aimlessly in the Twilight Mountains would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

Fortunately, the Void Stealer led the way; otherwise, they wouldn't have found it so quickly.

As Lu Heng stepped into the altar, the skeleton's body, which had absorbed the Soul Vault's energy, trembled.

Dionysus was currently in the midst of his resurrection ritual, the weakest moment for him.

Even an ordinary psychic could pose a significant threat to him, let alone Lu Heng.

Lu Heng drew his Aurora Blade and strode towards the Soul Vault.

At that moment, a shadow appeared within the Soul Vault, and it was indeed Dionysus.

He threatened, "Get out! Otherwise, I'll make you regret everything you've done!"

Lu Heng raised an eyebrow and asked, "Have you gone mad? I've already found your Soul Vault, and you still dare to speak to me like this. Kneel down and beg for mercy, and I might just spare your life."

Dionysus's face turned extremely ugly, and after a long silence, seeing Lu Heng approaching, he finally spoke in a negotiating tone, "Let's make a deal."

"What kind of deal?" Lu Heng was open to hearing it.

"If you leave the altar and wait for my resurrection ritual to end, I can tell you a secret, a secret about Augustus," Dionysus proposed his bargaining chip.

"A secret about Augustus? What's its value?"

"Lu Heng was indeed curious, but only if this secret could be transformed into a profitable opportunity."

As for why Dionysus knew Augustus' secret, it wasn't hard to explain.

Before Dionysus transformed into a lich, he was also an Arcanist, and Augustus was a Grand Archmage of Quel'dorei.

As fellow Arcanists, they would frequently enter and exit the Arcane Tower, naturally increasing the chances of discovering Augustus' secret.

Dionysus continued, "I guarantee this secret holds immense value and could even threaten Augustus to do your bidding."

Lu Heng's curiosity grew, "What secret could threaten a Grand Archmage?"

Even if it were a tremendous secret, attempting to threaten a Grand Archmage might result in being blasted into ashes by Arcane power before one could finish speaking.

Dionysus further explained, "I assure you that this secret is something Augustus would never want exposed, for its revelation would ruin him."

Lu Heng finally showed interest. If it were indeed a secret capable of ruining a Grand Archmage's reputation, utilizing it effectively could accomplish many things.

In fact, using threats to monetize such a secret was the lowest-level approach.

Noticing Lu Heng's interest, Dionysus continued his persuasion, "I guarantee Augustus would never dare let this secret slip. It would destroy his life. If you allow me to complete the resurrection ritual, I'll reveal this secret..."

Before he could finish, a sword beam shot into the cave from outside, piercing Dionysus' Soul Vault.

Boom! The Soul Vault exploded, and Dionysus' soul roared in anger and resentment, pointing at Teris with his finger, intending to curse, but he couldn't speak.

With the Soul Vault destroyed, his soul quickly dissipated, vanishing into the void within moments.

Lu Heng turned to Teris, a puzzled expression on his face.

Dionysus had been about to reveal the secret of Grand Archmage Augustus, a secret that could ruin him.

But before he could, Teris suddenly struck, destroying the Soul Vault.

This action was clearly an attempt to silence him.

A thought suddenly occurred to Lu Heng—could Teris know Augustus' secret and be keeping it for him?

Although he hadn't heard the secret, since Teris had acted, there was nothing to say.

Teris walked to the center of the altar, raised his hand, and grabbed the void, causing Divine Energy to spill out from the fragments of the Soul Vault, which he condensed in his palm.

He turned and walked towards Lu Heng, speaking in a tone devoid of emotional fluctuation, "Extend your palm."

Lu Heng complied, extending his left palm.

Teris transferred the collected Divine Energy from the Soul Vault into Lu Heng's palm, then strode outside, leaped into the sky, and vanished into the horizon in the blink of an eye.

Was this a hush money? Lu Heng wasn't entirely sure, but since it was Divine Energy, he decided to absorb it first.

[Absorb 1500 points of Divine Energy extracted from Dionysus' shattered Soul Vault.]



The original plan was to obtain the Magic Codex, extract its Divine Energy, absorb it, and use it to upgrade the Windrunner skill.

Now, instead of extracting Divine Energy from the Magic Codex, Lu Heng obtained it from Dionysus' Soul Vault.

Upgrading a B-Rank skill to A-Rank required exactly 1500 points of Divine Energy.

The proficiency of the Windrunner skill had already been maxed out while practicing the Wind Dragon Extinction Slash.

It was the perfect time for an upgrade.

Lu Heng used his talent to unlock the Windrunner skill's lock and then guided 1500 points of Divine Energy into the skill slot.

The Divine Energy merged with the Windrunner energy, forming an energy vortex that accelerated its rotation.

Within the vortex, energy continuously compressed and condensed, elevating its grade.

After several minutes, the grade leaped to A-Rank, and Lu Heng promptly closed the skill lock.

[Skill "Windrunner" upgraded to "Wind God Step"]



[Wind God Step]



[Skill Level: A-Rank]



[Skill Consumption: 10 Primal Energy/minute]



[Effect 1: Harness the power of the gale, increasing running speed by 150%.]



[Effect 2: Charge in place for 2 seconds, gather the power of the Wind God, and unleash a 3x acceleration effect for a linear thrust. Simultaneously reduce wind resistance and enhance endurance when breaking the sound barrier.]



[Effect 3: Gain control over the wind, charge in place for 2 seconds, gather the power of the Wind God, and release a whirlwind dragon spiral.]



Upon seeing the upgraded skill name, Lu Heng's eyes lit up.

Each upgrade of this skill had been ideal.

Lu Heng's most desired skill was Wind God Step, which allowed him to harness the power of the Wind God, greatly aiding his practice of the Wind Dragon Extinction Slash.

With this skill, Lu Heng was confident he could master the Wind Dragon Extinction Slash within three days.

After inspecting the altar, Su Muyu approached and asked, "I've checked the surroundings; there's no danger. There are some crystal cores and magic items in the secret room next to the altar, prepared by Dionysus for the resurrection ritual. After the resurrection, you'll have a set of magic equipment to use."

Lin Zeyu held the Void Stealer and asked, "What should we do with this?"

Lu Heng casually replied, "Since we promised, let it go."

The Void Stealer posed no threat beyond stealing, so they released it.

Lin Zeyu casually threw it away, saying, "Let's go. You know the consequences if you dare steal from us again."

"Chirp, chirp..." The Void Stealer chirped a few times and quickly disappeared into the void.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end