293 Blood Oath

Three Six-pointed Star Arrays were laid out one after another, and together formed a complicated many-sided shape. This was a disaster energy field without question—its sole purpose was to distill Death Energy before re-classifying it to sustain the operation of magical equipment like the Psychic Tower and the Great Graveyard. Anyway, this was a mageweath that a top-notch Necromancer had to master. On certain levels, the disaster energy field acted like a heart and controlled everything; once this heart stopped, the world it ran would also fall into nothing.

Hence, Lin Li withdrew his hand…

Lin Li knew that the mine probably hid more than just simple treasures. For the Gem of Curse and the disaster energy field to appear at the same time, this might just be the burial ground of some powerful Necromancer. This was no child's play; the burial ground of a top-notch Necromancer meant powerful magical equipment of all kinds, signified the life's work of the Necromancer, and meant the presence of a strong summoned creature deep in sleep at the moment. None of these could be trumped by a bit of treasure.

Plucking the Gem of Curse from the disaster energy field was not a difficult feat, but it might take away their chance to continue exploring. Who knew, they might lose the opportunity to stumble upon a treasure cove of magical gemstones because of this—now that would be something to regret.

With one last look at the Gem of Curse, Lin Li pushed open the phony stone door meant as a disguise while gritting his teeth.

"…" Never did Lin Li think that there would be such a vast difference between what lay on both sides of the door. Once he pushed the door open, it was like there were two different worlds in the mineshaft—a quiet stone room on one side, and a gloomy and terrifying graveyard on the other side. Looking into the distance, all he could see were numerous tombstones and the flickering light of vigil lights, coupled with the whimpering cry of the blowing wind. It was a bone-chilling sight.

As they walked into the big graveyard, Lin Li thought he had returned to the nest of Azardas, the Dragon of Destruction. The graveyard was nested within the spacious mountains, and one look told them that there must have been thousands of tombstones in the graveyard. In the center of these tombstones, there lay a massive ancient mausoleum. The architectural style of the mausoleum looked to be around a thousand years old to Lin Li as he looked at it from a distance. The kingdom of the High Elves had just fallen then, and many things like the arts and architecture in Anril contained remnants of the Dark Ages.

The faint light of the vigil lights hovered above the mausoleum like green fireflies; it looked like a sea of green from a distance. The wind blew high and low on the vast mountainside, forming a mix of whimpers and groans that raised the hair on their backs.

As they weaved through the numerous tombstones, bits of skeletons could be seen scattered around. Their ghastly white added to the eeriness of the place.

The mausoleum at the center of the graveyard was the only exception as it oozed magnificence and grandeur. Standing before it, the trio could see a faint light coming from within it…

"If there's really a treasure here, I'm afraid this is where it is hidden…" Lin Li turned back to the other two from where he stood in front of the mausoleum. "Shall we go take a look? "

"Of course!" Gerian replied without a second thought.

"Well… erm, I guess we could go take a look…" Ysera was apprehensive, but seeing that Gerian already decided on it, he did not dare to protest for fear of displeasing the middle-aged fatty.

"But this door…" Gerian said, feeling sheepish all of a sudden. "Would it be like the one outside?"

"This door should be fine…" Lin Li scrutinized it before leading the two forward after he had ascertained that there was no mageweath laid down around it.

Lin Li was correct as the door was alright. It gave way with just a light push, only creaking lightly in the process.

Then…

Light shone through the mausoleum's door—suddenly, all Lin Li could see was light that shone like glittering gold, just as if he was basking in the afternoon sun.

"My God…"

Lin Li was no stranger to money, for the wealth he'd held in the Endless World could only be described as astronomical. In the Anril world, he enjoyed the same comfort, for he easily earned more than a million in gold coins at an auction selling the Arcane Magic Potion. Gerian even had to get him a crystal card at the Glittergold Bank.

Well, those were just numbers…

Lin Li had never thought that the result could be so astounding when the numbers were translated into actual objects. The main entrance of the mausoleum led to a spacious hall around the size of a football field, with heaps of gold coins scattered around it; they varied in size, but resembled hills nonetheless. Red and green gems peeked through the sea of glittery gold, covering the hall in a dreamy light…

"F*ck, we've hit the jackpot…" Gerian's pupils dilated slowly, his beady eyes resembling gold coins more and more as he looked at the glittery gold hills. Face flushed and breathing hastened, he would have pounced on all the treasures if it were not for Lin Li's tight hold on him.

"Be careful, I sense something amiss here…" For some reason, Lin Li frowned as he stared upon the mountains of gold.

"What's wrong?"

"Hell, I don't know, either…" Maybe it was the setting, or the fact that they were currently in a spooky graveyard, but Lin Li could not help but feel unsettled. Even though there were mountains of gold right in front of him, he could not wave away the uneasiness, feeling as though they were being watched by some eyes hiding in the dark.

This feeling occurred twice to him after coming into Anril: once in the Nightmare Mountains, and the other time in the Shadowglen. While nothing terrible happened each time, Lin Li believed that his hunch was right, and the time might just not be ripe even though nothing out of the norm happened.

All in all, it was an unsettling feeling.

Besides, Lin Li felt a familiar presence coming from within the mountains of gold.

Compared to the unsettling feeling, Lin Li was more concerned about this familiar presence.

Truth be told, Lin Li had already felt this presence the moment he had broken the Song of Death and opened the tightly shut stone door. It almost felt like a blood connection that transcended even time and space, like a brand on the soul, the clarity of it undeniable no matter the distance between them.

It was especially strong when Lin Li approached the mausoleum, just as though a voice right next to his ear was calling him.

Lin Li , however, was unable to recall what could be so familiar that it would feel like a blood connection to him…

The trace of suspicion lingered on his mind until a small noise came from deep within the mountains of gold…

"Be careful!" Lin Li realized he was in trouble just as the noise sounded. A sudden noise coming from a mausoleum sealed for the past thousand years… What could it be besides the damned Undead creatures?

Indeed…

No sooner had Lin Li's warning been issued than a heap of gold coins scattered, and a dozen skeletons wielding rusted machetes came tumbling through the gold coins in the air.

"Damn it, it's these things again!" Lin Li felt a headache coming; he could never seem to rid himself of the Undead creatures ever since the fight at the Shadowglen. Time and again, from the Shadowglen to Blackhills Town, and from Alanna to Jarrosus, the damned Undead creatures pursued him relentlessly like a nightmare he could never free himself from.

A pity he did not have the time to ponder further.

While a dozen Skeletal Warriors brushed the gold coins aside and charged forward, noises could be heard from the nearby piles of gold. All of a sudden, the gold coins rained down as the noises continued like swarms of locusts chewing away at crop fields. Ysera paled at the sight—sure, it was not his first encounter with the Undead, but in such numbers… that was a first. Judging from the massive size of this hall, they would be doomed if every heap of gold coins hid Skeletal Warriors.

"Retreat to the door!" Lin Li prompted his dumbfounded companions as he wielded the Aether Staff.

"Oh…" Ysera found himself breaking out of his trance at Lin Li's warning. From their position at the center of the great hall, they would be surrounded if Skeletal Warriors emerged from every pile of gold…

Gerian and Ysera hurriedly retreated out of the mausoleum as Lin Li held the Aether Staff tightly, spilling verses after verses of intelligible spells. The Dragon's Eye atop the magic staff gleamed as a sea of light started spreading; he managed to stop the Skeletal Warriors that continued pressing closer with a blazing fire.

After using the Wall of Fire spell, Lin Li took a few steps back, and quickly began his recitations with his back pressed against the cool stone wall.

Ever since he mastered many core magical mantras in the Aurora Square, Lin Li was able to reach a level of great completion with his skills. Right now, he could wield any magic below level-10 with ease, be it shortening the time taken to cast it or changing its magical elements. With a little bit of risk, even a level-10 magic could be cast in the blink of an eye…

Given the twisted nature with which he cast magic, conjuring Flaming Storm, a level-8 magic, needless to say, was as easy as breathing for him. As the spells tumbled out of his mouth swiftly, numerous fiery dragons pounced on the Skeletal Warriors, each brandishing their fangs and claws.

One, two, three…

Like the falling autumn leaves, dozens of Skeletal Warriors had been reduced to ashes in a flash as the Flaming Storm continued its onslaught. So rapid was Lin Li's use of magic that the Skeletal Warriors were caught in the sweep of magic before they could even rise from the heaps of gold coins, which left the great hall empty in a matter of seconds.

Still, Lin Li did not let his guard down one bit.

At this point, Lin Li could not be more sure of the fact that this was the tomb of a top-notch Necromancer. Song of Death mageweath, Gem of Curse, and the disaster energy field… which of these could have belonged to anyone besides a powerful Necromancer? How could he not expect anything besides these lowly Undead creatures?

Hence, Lin Li grasped the Aether Staff tightly with both hands.

Indeed…

Before Lin Li could unleash the fourth Flaming Storm, a noise came from the great hall, and Lin Li realized all of a sudden that the stone door opposite the great hall had opened.

"Damn it… " Lin Li felt his heart tighten.

Unsurprisingly, a sea of Undead creatures poured out just as the stone door gave way.

This was definitely a bone-chilling sight.

Corpses, vengeful spirits, Skeletal Warriors, and Hell Ghouls…

Undead creatures of all kinds came swarming in waves drenched in a stifling death aura, looking like tiny dots from afar. Even if Lin Li had stayed a week at the Shadowglen, where the Undead roamed, and witnessed a great war of the Undead creatures, he could not help but be dumbfounded when presented with this scene. While they were trumped by the ones in the Shadowglen in terms of quantity, they easily won with their variety. This was a banquet of the Undead creatures of some kind—as the door opened, every lowly Undead creature you could name came pouring out of it…

"Is this a joke… " The thought of death came to Lin Li as he stared at the throngs of undead creatures. If he'd known this would be the outcome, he would have fled with the Gem of Curse instead of exploring the burial grounds of a powerful Necromancer. Look where this brought him—even if he used the Thousand Miles of Ice spell to expel the undead creatures, it was going to take him at least a day…

"M-Mage Felic, what do we do now?" Ysera swallowed saliva with difficulty, feeling regret deep in his guts. He would have slapped himself if he could. God damn it, why did he interfere with the affairs of the Guild of Magic? Great, he would be smashed into jam by the sheer number of the Undead here now.

"Protect President Gerian and retreat outside first, I'm going to stall them." Lin Li quickly made a decision knowing he would not be able to take on so many Undead creatures. The only way out was to escape, and even that had to be done separately…

"Nonsense, I don't need any protection!" Ysera had not even had the chance to speak before Gerian had scolded from aside. However, after his scolding, he suddenly realised the condition he was in, he would be of no help even if he stayed and thus the middle-aged fatty changed his tone. "Even if you think this old man will get in your way, I can leave on my own, at least let Ysera stay to help, it shouldn't be much of a problem…"

"That's enough!" How could Lin Li not understand Gerian's concern? This was really not the time to debate who should take the risk, however, and as he continued kindling the firewall, he turned to Ysera, who was hesitating at the side. "What are you waiting for? Take President Gerian and leave immediately! "

"Oh, ok…" As Ysera stared at the Undead creatures that were pressing in on them, he knew they could not delay further. Without worrying about Gerian's consent, he grabbed his robe, and dragged him out of the mausoleum.

Seeing the two retreat outside, Lin Li let out of breath of relief, and slowly retreated as well, maintaining the firewall blocking the Undead creatures all the while.

However, at that moment, something unexpected occurred all of a sudden…

Just as Lin Li finished the last wave of Flaming Storms, intending to retreat outside of the mausoleum, a black puff of smoke appeared in the center of the great hall. Lin Li whipped his head around at hearing a noise, only to find that the stone door had shut tightly. Lin Li paled at this moment. His escape route was gone as the army of Undead creatures closed in on him—bad things really came in threes!

"F*ck, you really want to trap me in here, huh? " Tightly grasping the Aether Staff, Lin Li began his recitation yet again.

Just as the first syllable rang out, a tall figure appeared from the puff of black smoke. He looked to be a young man in his twenties. With his black cape and a pale face as well as the air of elegance radiating from him, he looked to be a High Elven aristocrat from the Dark Ages.

How can my luck be this bad… This air of elegance only served run a chill down his limbs.

Lin Li clearly remembered that two months ago in the Shadowglen, he had seen the same air of elegance which, correct, belonged to the high-ranking Vampire who had died a mysterious death in the end.

The same gory stench, and the same eerie blood-red pupils.

This dude had to be a true high-ranking Vampire.

I'm in big trouble… Lin Li could not help but gulp as he thought of how powerful a high-ranking Vampire could be…

This high-ranking Vampire could well be the leader of the Undead creatures. As he arrived atop the black fog, the great hall quieted down in an instant. The corpses stopped their growling, and the vengeful spirits ceased their painful whimpers; even the Skeletal Warriors wielding their machetes stilled as if held by an unknown force, standing frozen in their spots, and only the lights in their hollow eyes continued flickering.

The death aura coming from the high-ranking Vampire was incomparably powerful, just like the legendary aura of a dragon. So powerful it was that Lin Li found himself gasping for breath. At this point, he realized that this Vampire was so powerful that it was probably above the one back at the Shadowglen…

Despite mastering many core magical mantras and attaining the 16th level which was coveted by every Archmage, he was probably still no match for the powerful Death Energy.

At this point, all Lin Li could do was to continue his recitation, praying that the Thousand Miles of Ice spell could buy him some time…

However, at this point, the black-cloaked High-ranking Vampire did something beyond Lin Li's wildest dreams.

He lowered his head, his pale face filled with loyalty and passion, and then… he kneeled down.

"The Great Immortal King, you have finally arrived… "

"Huh?" Lin Li almost choked on his saliva out of shock. W-w-what's going on now?

Wait a second… The Great Immortal King?

Is this another muddled dude?

Lin Li remembered clearly that a few days ago, in the Aurora Square, the mage named Garat had called him the "Mighty Immortal King" as well, even going as far as to say that "He would wield skeletons as his staff and be crowned king once again". Indeed, it was almost the same scenario as the one now, and the same look of loyalty and passion, rivaling the most devoted followers of Brilliance Shrine!

Do I really look like the Immortal King? Lin Li touched his face unconsciously, thinking to himself, Am I really that unlucky?

"O Mighty Immortal King, on behalf of the Lus Feratu Family, I pledge our allegiance to you!" As Lin Li remained doubtful about the situation, the Vampire kneeling on a single knee carved a line on his forehead with a long and sharp nail…

Blood trickled out of the gash…

"What the hell…" Lin Li's eyes bulged at the sight. While he knew little about Vampires, he had heard Andoine mention on occasions that they usually pledged their loyalty using a blood oath like this…

What the high-ranking Vampire was presenting now was a blood oath in its most complete form.

With fresh blood as a guide and with life bearing witness, he lay down a vow to never betray—such was the blood oath of a Vampire.

Lin Li froze in shock, for he knew that if he walked over and painted the blood on his forehead with his finger, it would seal the blood oath. This high-ranking Vampire would become his most loyal servant, so fiercely loyal that he would give his life up for Lin Li without a second thought if he was asked to.

At this moment, Lin Li really felt as though he were in a dream.

For some reason, he had barged into a mausoleum, and stumbled upon unimaginable wealth presented in the form of gold coins. All of this would have been thrilling enough, but little had he known that a high-ranking Vampire at least level-18 would pledge his allegiance to him using a blood oath!