Chapter 201 – I Was Just Careless

(After some mental calculations, I found that Elite troops are indeed quite difficult to fight, so I made version adjustments to the previous chapter’s Radiant Spirits, downgrading their rank to ‘Rare Three-Star’.)

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The seventh trial was somewhat different from the previous six.

The defending enemies didn’t immediately launch overwhelming attacks upon appearing, but instead continuously formed battle formations. Over a thousand Radiant Spirits guarded the elderly Hero on both sides, spreading out like a pair of golden wings.

Golden light shimmered brilliantly, their imposing presence vast as the ocean.

Mu Yuan watched from afar, his expression turning grave.

Battles with commanders were completely different from those without!

The troops in the Land of Trials possessed certain coordination and tactical abilities, making them much smarter than mindless wild monsters. Even so, they weren’t truly integrated legions, so the Undead Legion actually only faced about half of these Radiant Spirits in real combat.

Through Deadbone’s precise command, they pulled enemies apart, split enemy formations, and further established advantages. Sometimes they even created situations where they outnumbered the enemy, allowing their own warriors to quickly surround and eliminate dozens of Radiant Spirits.

Relying on command and the two sharp blades—Rakshasa and Red Robe—the Undead Legion gradually eroded the enemy forces, steadily building advantages until achieving final victory.

This wasn’t because the Radiant Spirits were foolish—their combat AI wasn’t low at all.

It was just that Deadbone was slightly superior.

But now, the defending forces also had a Hero commander. Their coordination would inevitably become more seamless, forming a relatively tight-knit whole.

Moreover, having a Hero present meant these Radiant Spirits… received enhancements from the Hero’s aura.

Enhancements!

Compared to these ‘wild troops’ guarding the trials, the Lord’s troops possessed several major advantages. First, they underwent special training and consumed various Treasures, giving them higher physical, mental, and energy attributes at equivalent levels. Second, the Lord’s elite legions inevitably wore exquisite, even luxurious equipment, while ‘wild troops’ only wore the most basic standard-issue gear.

Considering how the Undead General’s Apprentice Tier combat nearly shattered the ‘Skeleton General’s armor,’ one could see how subpar standard equipment was.

But the main reason his Undead Legion could charge and slaughter Elite-tier troops while only at Tier 1 was the Hero enhancements.

Deadbone provided two major enhancements to the Skeleton Generals and Wraiths/Specters.

First was the Level 3 Hero aura enhancement—Attack +3, Defense +3, Movement Speed +30%, and Undead-type troop energy +30%.

Second was the enhancement from the talent ‘Undead Domination’—Destructive power moderately increased, energy limit moderately increased, and energy recovery rate significantly increased.

Under these two enhancements, a Tier 1 Level 6 Skeleton General’s basic attributes weren’t much inferior to an Elite Ironclad Scorpion that had just entered the Elite tier, while the Bone Undertaker could rival rare troops at the early-middle stages of the Elite tier.

Mu Yuan estimated that this Radiant Spirit Hero only possessed the most basic enhancement aura, but… this still provided a tremendous boost to over a thousand Radiant Spirits.

And Radiant Spirits themselves were top-tier rare troops. The neighboring Wave Caller Spring Spirits were already prized specimens among Rare Three-Star troops—expensive and powerful. Yet Radiant Spirits were even more expensive and fierce than Wave Caller Spring Spirits.

Direct confrontation would be extremely difficult.

However,The enemies in this level have weaknesses!

“Hero!”

“Hero!”

Deadbone gazed into the distance, murmuring in his heart. After communicating with Rakshasa, Red Robe, and the others, they quickly devised a strategy.

The Gatekeeper Elder didn’t launch a fierce assault, appearing quite amiable instead.

“Don’t rush, take your time. I’ll show some leniency to newcomers like you who’ve just reached this level.”

“However, once you make your move, be prepared… to face my thunderous onslaught.”

He also existed in the form of a Luminous Spirit, but his pale, glowing long hair danced wildly, revealing an overwhelmingly domineering aura beneath his gentleness.

Like a Sword piercing the heavens!

“Fight!”

Deadbone’s response was merely a single, calm word.

As his voice faded, the black mist swirling around the legion began to boil violently.

The Hero Elder seemed rather unscrupulous—while speaking of leniency, the moment Deadbone finished speaking, he swung his arm down. The Luminous Spirits, already arranged in an arc like wings, extended and crossed their arms with palms facing outward, gathering clusters of brilliant golden light.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

Golden-orange beams, like a torrent of meteors, flooded the entire sky.

But Deadbone was prepared.

At this moment, the surging, boiling black mist transformed into steeds and a massive dark cloud.

With Rakshasa as the vanguard, the unified legion burst forth at a quarter of Rakshasa’s full speed. The mist-formed horses galloped, instantly evading hundreds of golden beams.

The golden light engulfed the area where the legion had been, instantly scorching the tender grass, followed by the ground collapsing and rumbling as it sank.

But the Undead Legion had already raced hundreds or even thousands of meters away by the time the beams were fired.

Here, golden light still fell like a net.

The Gatekeeper Elder had predicted Deadbone’s movements!

“Slash!”

Deadbone finally drew Death Lament.

The talent of Undead Domination and the legion’s inherent unity overlapped, allowing him to instantly unleash a sword aura dozens of meters long.

No, not a sword aura.

But a Greatsword molded from condensed black mist, with distinct brownish-red patterns visible on its blade.

The Greatsword collided with two to three hundred golden beams.

Intercepting most of them.

The black Greatsword cracked and shattered violently.

This wasn’t due to inability to withstand the impact. Under Deadbone’s control, the Greatsword fragmented into hundreds of smaller swords, whooshing through the air to intercept the remaining beams.

The remaining two to three hundred black small swords fell like rain toward the countless golden figures in the sky.

“Not bad.”

The Elder stepped toward the left flank, and the right-wing legion began to shift formation under his command.

“But this alone is far from enough.”

Before his words were fully spoken, his will had already directed the left-wing Luminous Spirits to change formation.

These Luminous Spirits possessed varying skills—some excelled in close combat, others in long-range attacks, and still others…

Dozens of Luminous Spirits radiated golden light, spreading their arms as if embracing the sky, forming hexagonal light walls in front of them.

Thud, thud, thud—they blocked the incoming black rain of swords.

In the first exchange, no one died, though several Luminous Spirits had their light walls broken and were injured by the rain of black swords.

On the surface, the Undead Legion had a minor victory, but with such a vast numerical disadvantage, failing to break the stalemate early would only lead to loss.

Sooner or later, they would be surrounded and defeated.

The great battle raged on.The sky and earth were dotted with Brilliant Spirits in a formation that appeared loose but was in fact tightly connected. No matter where the Undead Legion attacked, they would be struck by beams of light from all directions.

After several minutes, the Undead Legion had only managed to slay 63 enemies.

They themselves remained unscathed.

However, this was only because the nascent Legion Soul had distributed the damage. In reality, the soldiers had each suffered significant losses and had narrowly escaped death multiple times. If the Brilliant Spirit Legion seized just one opportunity, they could severely wound the undead.

But,

Deadbone was also waiting for an opportunity. He stared intently at the figure in the sky, clad in the Heavenly Battle Garment.

「Brilliant Spirit (Hero): ???」

「Grade: Outstanding One-Star」

「Rank: Elite Peak」

「Skills: ??」

This Hero was one grade higher, an advanced variant of the Brilliant Spirits. Moreover, as a Hero, he undoubtedly possessed additional skills beyond the basic configuration of two skills and one talent.

The intelligence was still unclear.

Deadbone could only make rough guesses based on the characteristics of the Brilliant Spirits, the illustrated guide, and the information provided by the Lord.

But it was enough.

Now was the opportunity!

At this moment, the distance between the Undead Legion and the Heroic Elder was approximately four to five kilometers.

The hundred soldiers let out a low, unified shout. The thinning black mist thickened once more, coiling like serpents. The nascent ‘Giant Sword Mound’ Legion Soul above the black mist also grew more solid.

“Legion Resonance! Shadowfall!”

The black mist flowed, thick with undead energy, surging forward like a curtain of rain, carving a black waterfall across the battlefield.

Wherever it passed, Brilliant Spirits froze in place, their bodies being coated in a pitch-black, ink-like darkness. In the next instant, these Brilliant Spirits exploded with a series of peng peng peng sounds, shattered into pieces by this incredibly solid shadowy waterfall that struck with the force of a top-tier expert’s punch!

They had no time to dodge, completely caught off guard.

A single strike annihilated a full 96 Brilliant Spirits, achieving a tremendous result.

“But this kind of Legion Soul skill, which coordinates the entire legion, can only be used two or three times in a single battle. Each resonance places a significant burden on the entire legion, including the Legion Soul itself.”

The Gatekeeper Elder’s expression remained completely unchanged; he even shook his head slightly in his mind.

Once a Legion Soul skill is used, if it fails to decisively turn the tide of battle, the user is in grave danger.

The Undead Legion could no longer perform a full-scale lateral shift.

At this point, they were still about three kilometers away from the Gatekeeper Elder.

“Three kilometers. An instant is enough.”

Rakshasa’s low voice echoed within the legion.

But his figure had already vanished.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

In mid-air, one, two, three strands of inconspicuous brown smoke appeared simultaneously. By now, Rakshasa was only a few hundred meters away from the Gatekeeper Elder.

Golden beams of light interwove, forming a laser-like net.

The Elder was also retreating.

But,

The Karma-Burning Fiend Spear tore through the golden light net. Rakshasa charged straight forward, allowing the remaining beams to strike his body, emitting sizzling sounds as they eroded his form. He paid it no mind, not even attempting to dodge.

His eyes were fixed solely on the figure of the Elder clad in the Heavenly Battle Garment.

The distance closed rapidly.

A red glow drifted from Rakshasa’s bracelet, materializing into the form of Red Robe. Her eyes shimmered with a bloody light, also reflecting the Elder’s figure.

In the next moment,

A trace of surprise flickered in the Elder’s eyes before they dimmed, and his entire body froze in place.

Rakshasa charged forward with his spear.But the old man had given the order just before falling into the illusion. Countless Luminarchs converged around him, forming walls of light that solidified into golden barriers resembling a honeycomb.

The barriers shattered under Rakshasa’s spear strikes.

Along with them, countless Luminarchs were pulverized.

Although they were rare three-star Elite Peak units, they were as fragile as infants before Rakshasa. Even the residual force of his attacks was enough to crack their bodies apart.

But in that one or two seconds of respite, the old man had broken free from the illusion.

A look of appreciation crossed his face.

“Not bad tactics.”

“If it were any other Hero of similar strength, they might have fallen for it and been completely slain. But even with my power restricted, my experience and knowledge far surpass that of ordinary strong individuals.”

He was impressed.

But he wouldn’t hold back.

The decapitation strike had failed, and this battle should come to an end.

He activated his ‘Light Flash’ ability—an Advanced skill that only a few brilliant Luminarchs could Awaken. It allowed him to instantly teleport several thousand meters away, making it a divine skill for entering or leaving a Battlefield.

The old man flashed, but not completely.

How could Deadbone not have anticipated this skill? From the initial flank assault, to the use of military soul techniques, to Red Robe’s Illusion control—everything had been aimed at one goal: decapitation.

The old man made his prediction.

Deadbone predicted his prediction.

In a daze, the Netherworld Market shrouded in gray-black mist faintly appeared in the sky, like a mirage.

The old man, having used Light Flash, failed to escape the Market’s coverage.

As he opened his eyes, the blue-faced, fanged Rakshasa stood right before him.

His Spear shot out like a Dragon.

“But I am no weakling.”

“The same Illusion won’t work on me again.”

Golden light flowed in his hands, while specks of golden fluorescence hovered beside him, resembling slender golden Swords.

Around him, dozens of Luminarchs were also trapped within the Market.

This was his reliance.

Thump, thump, thump, thump—

Several Luminarchs were impaled and exploded.

Several more were blasted apart.

And several others fell into silence.

With a glance from the corner of his eye, the old man noticed two more figures appearing nearby.

One had a serene expression, as if seeking to purify sins.

The other was ferocious, resembling a demon, with an extremely burly body like a black mountain of flesh.

“Two more strong individuals?”

But upon closer observation, it became clear that despite their vastly different appearances, their essential Qi was exactly the same.

They were the same person!

In just over ten seconds, more than half of the surrounding Luminarchs had been killed or injured.

And the old man still hadn’t found a way to break out of the Market.

He had no clue.

Having guarded the tower for countless years and witnessed the rise of many powerful individuals, there was no unit skill or talent he hadn’t seen. Yet, he couldn’t identify what talent or skill the Market and these three figures were transformed from.

Was this reasonable?

The old man had no more time to ponder.

He was driven into a corner, unable to flash away again.

The blue-faced, fanged burly man weaved through beams of golden light, closing in on him. The brown patterns on his body seemed to come alive, roaring as they formed a vicious celestial Dragon that shattered the light walls one after another with unstoppable force.

Without losing momentum, it surged through the old man’s body.

Dozens of meters away, Rakshasa’s figure reappeared from the mist.

Behind him, a series of crackling explosions echoed.

The old man, frozen in place, had his pure white battle garment crack before his entire body shattered into nothingness.

“I… was decapitated?”How long had it been since something like this last occurred?

The old man was one of the guardians of the Crimson Giant Tower. Even after being slain, he could still observe the battle as a spectator, though he could no longer continue commanding.

He gazed across the field.

The Netherworld Market gradually dissipated. The blue-faced, fanged strongman and the woman in red robes—both powerful figures—braved countless Shining Spirits’ interceptions and swiftly returned to their legion.

They had sustained considerable injuries.

The old man stroked his beard.

“Although this old man fell in battle, I still managed to deplete a significant amount of this legion’s strength.”

He had to admit this legion was exceptional, both in tactics and individual prowess.

However, the legion’s foundation was weak.

Their Rank seemed rather low.

Had many of the warriors not even stepped into the Elite Rank?

With such power, they still couldn’t handle the remaining twelve hundred Shining Spirits. No matter how strong the blue-faced strongman and Red Robe were, their power had limits.

They couldn’t reverse a collapsing situation.

“The ultimate victor will still be this old man…”

Before he could finish speaking, his eyes suddenly widened.

Around the Undead Legion, a majestic mountain abruptly manifested, covered with piles of white bones that formed a supreme Throne.

An intangible, mighty force spread out.

It was as if, from this moment onward, this place had become the territory of the King of Bones.

One Shining Spirit after another halted their movements, slowing down by more than half a beat.

Not only that—

Buzz buzz buzz—

Spatial ripples undulated as some Shining Spirits, following their combat AI, charged into the Mountain of Undead Bones, while more were forced to remain outside. In an instant, the battlefield split into two—inside and outside.

And inside,

the Undead Legion transformed into a meat grinder, swallowing over a hundred Shining Spirits in the blink of an eye.

Immediately after, another wave of Shining Spirits rushed into the Mountain of Undead Bones.

This cycle repeated.

By the time the Mountain of Undead Bones, under continuous bombardment from the outside Shining Spirits, could no longer effectively isolate space, the old man saw that the Shining Spirits on his side had become sparse and few in number.

“Fools! You fools!”

But he knew he couldn’t blame these Shining Spirits—devoid of wisdom and lacking a grand view of the battlefield. Ultimately, it was he who…

Had been too careless, unable to dodge in time.

4.5K chapter, more later…

(End of chapter)