Chapter 226 – Epic Two-Star, The Might of a King

Mu Yuan eventually found Deadbone at the Academy.

Under the cover of night, most areas of Tianyuan Territory were shrouded in darkness. In the southern residential district, only scattered places like the ‘Hospital’ and ‘Guard Headquarters Building’ remained illuminated.

The Academy was one of those areas that stayed brightly lit.

As a rare structure, it didn’t require oil lamps—instead, crystal light pillars inside emitted soft yet brilliant illumination.

However, it was very late, deep into the night, and the Academy was nearly empty of people.

Before a certain bookshelf stood Deadbone, clad in gleaming black armor with a dark cloak draped behind him. Around him, intricate energy manifested into numerous hands, retrieving several books and suspending them mid-air, pages rustling as they turned.

He would occasionally pause his reading to ponder, then pick up a brush to write and sketch on blank paper.

After gathering his materials, Deadbone would take a blank book and begin filling it with content.

After a while,

a book titled “The Art of Steadiness: From Tianyuan Territory to the World” gradually took shape.

For Deadbone, the Dao of Steadiness was an endless path—he was but a humble climber on this journey. He needed to continuously improve and learn.

Learning wasn’t limited to cultivation and skill creation alone.

Steadiness was not such a narrow concept.

Both combat techniques and cultural literacy had to be emphasized and studied; only then could one avoid straying from the true path of steadiness.

To this end, he had specifically requested the Lord to bring over many relevant books and documents.

However, the Dao of Steadiness could not be copied blindly.

Steadiness varied across different territories and circumstances.

After absorbing and digesting cultural knowledge, Deadbone would compile books such as the “Steadiness Series” and “Tianyuan Will” based on the territory’s actual conditions. Especially the latter—under his strong recommendation, it was promoted not only among troops who had gained self-awareness but also among the territory’s residents.

Read Tianyuan Will, learn the Lord’s spirit.

However, the book “Tianyuan Will” still had many shortcomings and was far from fully elucidating the Lord’s spirit, noble character, visionary insight, and, most importantly, his steadfast and steady approach.

Deadbone was determined to strive diligently, study the Lord’s spirit earnestly, and strive to compile a “Tianyuan Will” that was more accurate and easier for everyone to understand and learn.

At this thought, the soul fire in Deadbone’s skull burned with rare excitement, casting a bright, eerie blue glow from beneath his visor.

…

Mu Yuan placed a copy of “Tianyuan Will” back on the shelf.

“Did I really say so many inspiring quotes?”

He probably had.

Back when Deadbone was still a Skeleton Soldier or Skeleton Warrior, in his naive and adorable phase, Mu Yuan would occasionally share motivational stories. For instance, the carp leaping over the dragon gate, rising from a Little Skeleton to the King of Bones, or the saying “Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west—do not bully the skeleton while it’s poor.”

Among these, there might have been some famous quotes and sayings.

I’m truly impressive…

Not really.

My son Deadbone has the makings of a great scholar.

In the end, Mu Yuan contacted Deadbone through their Mental Link, instructing him to head to a designated ‘Evolution Grounds’ within the Skull Graveyard.

There, Isloria had set up an auxiliary ritual array a few days prior, which only required filling it with Soul Sand to activate.Between him and Deadbone, no words were necessary.

“Evolve, and advance along a more stable path.”

With just that single sentence, the Undead General’s state was boosted to 200%.

For the glory of Tianyuan;

For the stability of the territory;

For a bright future;

He, Deadbone, must obtain sufficient power from this evolution.

The radiance of evolution descended, enveloping Tianyuan’s strongest warrior as he began his transformation toward Epic Two-Star.

Across the heavens and earth,

Violet light shimmered, dazzling even in the deep night, its scale far surpassing—by several times—what had been seen during the birth of Epic One-Star.

The Domain Jammer operated at full capacity.

Even as the violet glow enveloped the entire western district of the territory, the outside world remained tranquil, without a single trace of purple light.

“At Epic Three-Star evolution, the Domain Jammer might still manage to conceal it, but when Deadbone steps into Legendary life, I’m afraid…”

Not just afraid.

It would inevitably become impossible to conceal.

The birth of a Legendary entity would spread orange radiance across hundreds of kilometers, and without concealment, it might be clearly visible even thousands of miles away. Especially for the birth of a Legendary life.

“We’ll deal with that when the time comes.”

“Reaching Epic Two-Star already requires a full twenty thousand Evolution Points. Epic Three-Star would need either eighty or a hundred thousand, and Legendary One-Star…”

Following the pattern, crossing a major tier would demand far more than minor rank advancements—possibly requiring several hundred thousand or even a million points.

That day remains distant.

Even though evolving an Epic-tier being isn’t difficult for him now, Legendary… is still beyond expectation in the short term.

But if calculations show it’s feasible within a reasonable timeframe, perhaps he could assist the Undead General in a full sprint toward Legendary.

…

The evolution to Epic Two-Star lasted considerably longer.

Deadbone remained transformed into light for a full seven to eight minutes before Mu Yuan heard the system’s confirmation prompt in his ear.

「Ding!」

「Prompt: Your Hero ‘Deadbone’ has advanced in rank, stepping into Epic Two-Star tier, and has awakened the Epic talent ‘Lord’s Might’.」

「Prompt: Influenced by various factors, the talent ‘Lord’s Might’ has transformed, advancing into the talent ‘King’s Might’.」

——

「King’s Might」

「Description: Deadbone possesses unfathomable Divine Might; his every word and action can instill fear in enemies and even influence weaker beings, stirring in them a desire to submit. Due to Deadbone’s undead origins, his King’s Might is exceptionally effective against undead lifeforms.」

「The King’s dignity does not only target enemies; elemental particles will also bow before the King’s throne.Additionally, when Deadbone actively activates this talent, it significantly enhances the effects of the previous two aspects and possesses a powerful deterrent force. A single glance can cause countless enemies to faint or even annihilate them directly.」

「Higher-level applications require personal exploration.」

King’s Might!

Unlike Dragon Might, it isn’t merely an aura of pressure. It seems capable of interfering with reality and serves as a symbol of status.

At this moment, around Deadbone, who still stood motionless with his sword, an intangible Divine Might spread out, seemingly stirring the space around him into faint ripples.

Dark mist also surged and gathered, like soldiers forming ranks, guarding Deadbone on all sides.

This was the manifestation of the King’s dignity, to which even the elemental particles of heaven and earth must submit.

After awakening the ‘King’s Might’ talent, the spark representing Willpower Light in Deadbone’s mind rapidly expanded.

One inch! Two inches! Three inches!

The beam symbolizing Willpower Light continuously extended.The Willpower Light can only maintain a constant state, preserving combat power at the brink of death. But when the Willpower Light grows to a certain extent, it can interfere with reality.

It is said that the Willpower Light can also manifest, transforming into tangible entities.

This is still too distant for him and Deadbone.

However, the continuously growing and strengthening Willpower Light, in turn, fuels the aura of a king.

The rolling, invisible pressure seems to be condensing into something tangible.

Yet, Deadbone remains with his eyes closed, his ghostly blue soul fire still unlit.

He is still in a mysterious state.

After all, the Undead General has not yet learned any new skills; he is bound to gain more power during this evolution.

Lord Mu is certain of this.

…

“An Epiphany skill?”

“No, following the current steady path, what I lack is not skills.”

Deadbone has mastered skills across various categories: close combat, ranged attacks, debuffs, summoning, and resurrection. Adding one more Advanced skill would merely be the icing on the cake.

If he only achieves slight progress, wouldn’t it be a waste of this incredibly precious evolution opportunity?

Though the Lord never speaks of it, such an opportunity must have come at a great cost.

He cannot, and does not want to, let that cost go to waste.

So he must…

Even in the profound and mysterious state of evolution, Deadbone clearly controls the direction of his progress.

He does not Awaken a skill.

Instead, he manifests the Undead Holy Mountain.

Rumble—

As soon as it appears, the Undead Holy Mountain, suspended in mid-air like a mirage, begins expanding at a visible rate.

Deadbone’s idea is simple.

Since he can use the evolution opportunity to gain an Epiphany for an Advanced skill, why not use this chance to achieve an Epiphany and significantly enhance the power of the Undead Holy Mountain?

This territory, neither entirely real nor entirely illusory, existing between reality and the Spatial Rift, draws invisible power from somewhere in the Void Realm.

The bone-littered Holy Mountain continues to rise.

Three hundred meters! Four hundred meters! Six hundred meters!

More regions begin to emerge on the Holy Mountain, seemingly no longer limited to skeletal creatures.

Piles of flesh accumulate, forming hulking Abominations.

A Blood Pool forms, from which Blood Fiends emerge one after another.

High on the Holy Mountain, just below the Skeletal Throne, massive bones grow with a rumble, forming a gigantic skeleton over ten meters tall and dozens of meters long.

Two Bone Dragons soar out from this burial ground, circling the Undead Holy Mountain as they roar at the sky.

“Roar~!”

One of the Bone Dragons even flies out from the Holy Mountain’s territory, circling once over the Tianyuan Territory before returning to its nest in the burial ground to rest.

These are creatures derived from the Undead Holy Mountain.

They share its prosperity and its decline.

They are not true living beings, but as the Undead Holy Mountain continues to grow and develop, they may one day advance into genuine life forms.

However, compared to living beings or soldier types, these native Holy Mountain creatures have their own advantages—their Rank matches Deadbone’s, and they are ready for use upon birth, requiring no cultivation.

As Deadbone levels up, they too will grow stronger.

Whether venturing out to fight or staying within the territory as reliable power sources, they far surpass the weaklings at the Apprentice Tier or Professional Tier.

Driven by Deadbone, the Undead Holy Mountain has ascended to an entirely new level.

…

Two days later,

Mu Yuan activated the Beacon artifact sent from above.

Instantly, a winding path of starlight unfurled.Mu Yuan, accompanied by his own generals, stepped onto the path that folded space, leading to a certain Treasure Land.

After walking several dozen more steps, the view before them suddenly opened up.

Sunlight bathed the earth, and fragrant grasses swayed gently.

The road was paved with blue stones, flanked by bronze pillars carved with murals.

Setting foot here, one could feel an ancient and boundless aura rushing toward them.

A familiar figure waved to him.

“Hey Tianyuan, you’ve arrived too.”

Second update…

(End of chapter)