Chapter 302 – Goblin Prince, You Court Death!

In the Tianyuan Territory, within the Scepter of Heavenly Authority.

Inside a massive furnace encircled by nine torrents of intertwined light and shadow, a curtain shimmering with stardust drifted ethereally.

It was breathtakingly beautiful and dreamlike.

“The second-generation concealment magic has finally been developed.”

Isloria wiped the fine sweat from her forehead. Fusion magic wasn’t her favorite field of study, but after countless days and nights, she felt a profound sense of accomplishment having successfully created this large-scale spell.

Beside her, Mu Yuan and General Dolai were drenched in sweat, completely drained.

Dolai had even transformed into a puddle of condensed liquid, spread flat on the ground.

It was cold and unresponsive.

It didn’t want to get up.

Dolai had given its all!

After all, the initial fusion determined the spell’s upper limit, and it hadn’t dared to slack off even slightly. The subsequent steps were simpler—just extracting energy from small energy storage stones to power the Scepter of Heavenly Authority.

Lord Mu had expended even more effort. Not only did he have to output energy, but he also handled some of the delicate operations during the spell fusion, leaving him both physically and mentally exhausted.

That said, the three of them had managed to fuse a near-perfect, top-tier large-scale spell, so such exhaustion was to be expected.

Normally, this kind of development and fusion work required a team of over a hundred elite mages to execute.

Even then, the resulting large-scale spell would pale in comparison to what the three of them had achieved.

“The second-generation concealment magic incorporates the River of Stars and the Starry Sky Eye into the foundation of the Night Concealment Illusion. This not only makes the entire spell more natural and longer-lasting but also greatly enhances its ability to conceal ‘living auras.’ Moreover, under the cover of this spell, the Tianyuan Territory’s resistance to divination and prophecy has significantly improved.”

Aside from its higher energy consumption compared to before, the spell had no flaws.

But this couldn’t really be considered a flaw in the spell—it was a flaw in Lord Mu himself.

He was poor.

If powered by Soul Sand, this spell would burn through a hundred Soul Crystal Coins per day.

Even Lord Mu couldn’t sustain that.

Even if he could afford it, the pain would feel like being stabbed by a saber.

Thankfully, small energy stones could support it.

「Large-Scale Spell: Night Sky Concealment」

In the lord’s vision, this concealment spell appeared like a dome of starry sky, enveloping the Tianyuan Territory. Twinkling starlight flowed across it, converging into rivers, and occasionally, eyes would open on the starry curtain, roll around, and then sink back into obscurity.

Though it looked a bit strange, it didn’t matter—functionality was what counted.

Aside from the lord’s vision and the hero’s vision, ordinary people, even Fourth-Order Experts or those in the Legendary Realm, couldn’t see this spectacle.

Under the cover of the Night Sky Concealment, the Tianyuan Territory seemed to vanish into a Spatial Rift, disappearing without a trace. Fourth-Order Experts would have to approach within a few kilometers to notice anything amiss.

Of course, it was hard to say for those in the Legendary Realm.

Legendary Realm experts could manipulate the power of heaven and earth, potentially detecting anomalies from much farther away. Exactly how far, Mu Yuan couldn’t say—he wasn’t in the Legendary Realm and had never experienced the wonders of such power.”Regardless, the concealment of Night Sky Concealment is quite sophisticated and won’t pose problems in the short term… After all, the Wilderness is vast, with hundreds of kilometers separating the territory from the nearest large Tribe.”

Mu Yuan wasn’t planning to maintain it for too long anyway.

The small energy stones in his possession weren’t enough to sustain it indefinitely.

But surely it could last until Dolai’s promotion to Legendary Rank?

He thought.

As a Devour Slime, Dolai recovered extremely quickly. After lying flat on the cool floor for half an hour, it sprang up full of energy.

It began its daily task.

Eating! (Scratch that) Cultivation!

To ensure rapid cultivation progress, Dolai was very unpicky, eating almost anything – including minerals, plants, and crystals.

Currently, over half of Tianyuan Territory’s material income ended up in Dolai’s stomach.

However, since Tianyuan Territory had severed trade with the outside world and couldn’t conduct transactions with the Winged-People Kingdom, the territory’s material income was limited.

The main income came from gifts from monsters.

Monster materials were plentiful, but solely devouring monster materials would lead to some ‘dietary imbalance’, resulting in limited growth in basic three-dimensional attributes over a day. To increase the daily cultivation benefits limit, the only way was…

After working hard for half a day, Dolai took advantage of the dim twilight to rush over a hundred kilometers to the concealed small Soul Sand Mine.

Looking around, there was no one… no monsters in sight, so Dolai used its rarely employed earth-element ability to slowly sink underground, arriving deep within the mineral deposit.

Time to eat!

This Soul Sand Mine was buried quite deep, making extraction difficult and likely to create significant commotion. Therefore, until the surrounding situation truly stabilized, Mu Yuan had no plans to mine it.

He only had Dolai go over periodically to nibble at it.

Dolai found nibbling much easier – whether it was ordinary rock, raw Soul Sand ore, or rich Soul Sand ore, it could just swallow everything whole and digest it without discrimination.

Silently, Dolai chewed out a large cavity in the deeply buried mineral deposit.

This was cultivation.

Other commanders in Tianyuan Territory were also cultivating. Some were raising their Ranks, others were honing skills, some were deepening their Concepts, while others were beating or being beaten – the entire territory was filled with martial spirit.

Lord Mu didn’t need to urge them at all.

To the west, in the Skull Graveyard, Bone Two – who called itself the second greatest skeleton under the Undead Emperor – was teaching some newly self-aware elite skeletons.

“Thinking back to those days when our territory only had a few thatched huts, when we followed Dead Bone Boss into the forest to confront various enemies that seemed incredibly powerful at the time… it all feels like just yesterday.”

Bone Two seemed like an elderly skeleton lost in reminiscence.

“Back then, your Second Brother was just a small Skeleton Warrior. Facing a group of gargoyles far above my Rank, Second Brother showed no fear at all, executing a sliding tackle and charging straight forward…”

A group of rookie skeletons shouted “Second Brother is brave!” and “Second Brother is mighty!”

Finally, another skeleton asked, “And then what happened?”

“And then? Ahem… then of course, through Second Brother’s heroic combat, we defeated the stronger with the weaker, thoroughly dominating those gargoyles and earning our territory’s first bucket of gold. Ahem, of course, all this was thanks to Dead Bone Boss’s steady command and our Lord’s wise decisions.”

At this point, Bone Two sighed slightly.

It had been so long since they had fought alongside Dead Bone Boss.Not long ago, Dead Bone Boss had once again ventured north alone to investigate the surrounding monster tribes. Meanwhile, the rest of them could only remain within the territory, drilling and training the other skeletons.

It seemed likely that at this very moment, Dead Bone Boss was engaged in combat with powerful monstrous enemies. Yet they couldn’t even lend a hand—how utterly unreasonable!

Bone Two sought out Bone Four, determined to strengthen itself and catch up to their boss’s pace.

Bone Four glanced at it. “Is it possible that the boss didn’t bring you along because you’re too reckless and would interfere with his stealth operations?”

“Impossible! Absolutely impossible!”

Bone Two slammed its sword onto the ground with a clang, then obediently picked it back up.

Bone Four knew all too well that a single-minded skeleton like Bone Two couldn’t be reasoned with. This second brother was simply too impulsive—overflowing with bravery but severely lacking in caution, having failed to learn even a fraction of their boss’s steady demeanor.

Bone Four pulled out a book. “This is the introductory volume from the boss’s Steadiness Series titled ‘Are You Steady?’ You should read it in your spare time.”

It strongly disapproved of Bone Two’s recklessness, often using it as a cautionary tale to remind itself. However, it completely agreed with Bone Two’s earlier point about increasingly struggling to fight alongside their boss.

Just because the boss could venture deep into the Wilderness without them didn’t mean they could allow themselves to gradually fall behind.

Truth be told, they hadn’t actually fallen behind.

They were now commanders capable of leading their own forces—well, except for Bone Two, who lacked the necessary leadership skills.

But what they truly desired was to contribute their strength when the boss faced powerful enemies.

“Our Undead Territory can serve as an energy source for the boss during battles, but that alone is far from sufficient.”

After months of development, their territory had expanded significantly, resembling a bone-strewn wasteland teeming with various skeletal creatures.

Little Skeletons, Skeleton Soldiers, Skeleton Warriors, Skeleton Mages, Skeleton Archers, Skeleton Knights, and more.

Yet as an energy source, ten Bone Four territories couldn’t match a single Undead Holy Mountain belonging to their boss. What damn use were they then?

Therefore, under their Lord’s foresight and Dead Bone Boss’s brilliant command, they had long begun developing combination techniques. Though often, these techniques would become obsolete shortly after creation due to rapid version updates.

Except for this one.

“No matter how many updates occur, our Undead Territory remains the absolute core of the tactical system.”

“Come, Second Brother Bone Two, let us create the ultimate Body Integration technique. Only through this can we keep pace with our boss and fight alongside him.”

The principle of Body Integration was simple—the merging of Undead Territories.

Skeleton-type Undead Territories, Specter-type Ghost Markets, and Treant-type I Am the Forests all possessed the potential to evolve through combination, fusion, and quantitative changes leading to qualitative transformation.

While the theory was straightforward, actual implementation proved difficult, requiring continuous adjustment and practice.

But that alone wasn’t enough.

Merging two territories would only achieve a 1+1 effect. What Bone Four aimed for was (1+1)×(1+1).

Lacking their boss’s extraordinary talent, it could only rely on time and repeated attempts to find a solution.

“First is territory merger. Second, we must harness the power of Military Soul Resonance.”

Military Soul Resonance was far more complex than simple accumulation.The current Tianyuan Territory includes fourteen Skeleton Lords, counting the three of them. Bone Four had long attempted combinations of two, three, and even four entities.

The greater the number of fusions, the more unstable they became, prone to collapse.

In severe cases, it could even damage the foundation of their Undead Territories.

Thus, inheriting a spirit of caution, Bone Four would not attempt multi-entity fusions without 99.8% certainty.

And today, the time had finally come.

Fourteen Skeleton Lords raised their bone greatswords toward the sky, shouting in unison.

“Undead Territory, Body Integration!” ×14!

At the westernmost edge of Tianyuan Territory, adjacent to the City Walls, one after another, desolate plains of stark white bones buried with countless remains manifested in mid-air.

The smallest of these wastelands was the size of a small village.

The largest, when fully deployed, rivaled the area of a town-level territory. Yet at this moment, these Undead Territories hung above each Skeleton Lord like miniature maps.

The three largest Undead Territories formed a triangular arrangement, sketching out a stable tripod formation.

The cultured Bone Four knew well that triangles were the most stable structures.

The remaining Undead Territories of varying sizes scattered sporadically around. Though seemingly dispersed, they were arrayed in an esoteric pattern, dotted like stars across the sky.

Bone Four now resembled a conductor leading an orchestra, coordinating everyone with a unique rhythm.

Under its direction, each Undead Territory began to transform. Some edges elongated and narrowed; some centers slightly bulged, forming small hills; some corners indented inward.

Viewed from above, the boundaries of many adjacent territories resembled precisely designed gears, ready to interlock perfectly.

Yet,

these territories did not merge.

Within each Undead Territory, skeletal creatures emerged from the ground one after another, gathering at the center. Their jawbones clacked open and shut, emitting “clack-clack-clack” cries as if chanting something.

They possessed no true wisdom but were extensions of each Skeleton Lord’s power, part of the lords themselves.

The chanting grew louder, gradually spreading beyond their respective territories, intertwining and resonating under a peculiar rhythmic coordination.

Black mist surged, shrouding the skies above each Undead Territory.

Faintly, each Bone Wasteland seemed to expand. No—it wasn’t an illusion. Under the eerie rhythm’s coordination and the territories’ mutual resonance, the Undead Territories began to swell.

Barren earth spread inch by inch.

Ghastly broken bone fragments sprouted from the ground like tender shoots.

Within dozens of seconds, the fourteen Undead Territories truly merged, forming a vast Bone Wasteland.

The merging of the Undead Territories was not the end—it was only the beginning.

In the blink of an eye, the entire Bone Wasteland began to expand at a speed far exceeding before, countless times faster. The stark white bones on the wasteland grew wildly as if fueled by stimulants.

In mere moments, vast stretches of bone woodlands formed.

This was no longer a Bone Wasteland but a Bone Forest.

A chilling, magnificent expanse of bone trees unfurled.The vast expanse of the Bone Forest radiated a prison-like oppressive might. This place could not only channel energy as immense as an abyssal sea but also grant terrifying enhancements to the various Skeleton Lords, even possessing an indescribable, dreadful power of suppression.

Bigger meant stronger, bigger meant more magnificent.

Through fusion and evolution, the scale of the entire Bone Forest had even surpassed Deadbone’s Undead Holy Mountain.

Of course, this power wasn’t real—it was also borrowed through the resonance of military souls. Once the time limit passed, they would revert to their original state.

Regardless of whether they’d revert or not, the question was: isn’t your skeletal brother formidable right now?

“Formidable, truly formidable.”

Sario wagged his tail in amazement.

He was just a little brother dragon—what else could he do but agree? And to be honest, the oppressive aura emanating from the Bone Forest before him was genuinely terrifying.

If the entire forest were to press down on him, Sario even doubted whether he could lift a single Dragon Claw.

So terrifying!

Wait, if even Bone Two and the others had become this strong, how could he remain the Frost Dragon, second only to one skeleton and above countless undead?

It seemed his standing in the group had dropped again, and again, and again.

Sario the dragon fell into deep thought.

Bone Two looked at Bone Four. “Our divine technique has reached Major Achievement. It’s time to emerge and lend the boss a hand. Let’s charge forth and join the boss in slaughtering the enemies left and right!”

Bone Four: “←_←”

Bone Four: “When did you get the illusion that the boss needs anyone’s help?”

Impossible, absolutely impossi…

Well, actually, it might be true.

Bone Two fell into deep thought once more.

…

At the same time,

North of the Tianyuan Territory, an immensely powerful existence was striding through the air. He made no attempt to conceal himself. Wherever he passed, monsters either bowed in submission or trembled in fear—none dared to bare their fangs at him.

Because he was the king among goblins, the king of monsters.

High in the sky, he looked down upon his surroundings; the world seemed to be his hunting ground. He spread his Domain, radiating for several kilometers, searching for a suitable Treasure Land that met his needs.

“This area won’t do either.”

“Then again, this region has been ruled by two overlords for decades. Any place with resources would have long been occupied. But I need the support of the Gnoll Tribe’s overlord, so I can’t set my nest too far away.”

“Besides…”

To the east, a great river surged into the sea, mysterious and unknown.

To the west, the Red Leaf Forest was said to be the territory of the ‘Blood Tree King.’ That was a being of the Legendary Realm, far more powerful than him, even stronger than the Celestial River Sword Saint. He certainly wouldn’t provoke it.

Beyond the Red Leaf Forest further west, it seemed another overlord force held sway.

His only choice was here.

The Goblin Prince slowly tread through the air, spreading his Domain at intervals to sweep the surroundings. Although Domain detection wasn’t omnipotent, it provided far more truthful information than what eyes and ears could gather.

As a veteran of the Legendary Realm, the Goblin Prince’s mastery of his Domain, if not at its Peak, was exceedingly proficient.

At the same time,

The Undead General moved silently through the mountain forests. His steps seemed slow, but in the blink of an eye, he traversed hundreds of kilometers with ease.

Where he passed, either monsters remained completely unaware, or they were instantly annihilated, leaving not a single trace of battle.

“I’ve already launched a probing attack on the Gnoll Tribe. They mistook me for another monster and didn’t notice anything amiss, but…””I still haven’t managed to probe much information about the overlord gnoll behind the Gnoll Tribe.”

Various clues all indicate that the overlord gnoll does exist.

Yet the location of this overlord gnoll remains a mystery.

Unlike these conspicuous large tribes, the overlord gnoll keeps itself deeply hidden.

This is indeed a very tricky and dangerous formidable enemy!”

With this great enemy remaining, it could never feel at ease.

Of course, this required careful planning – after all, it was still too weak and lacked power.

Regarding how to find the headquarters of the overlord gnoll and overlord snakemen, Deadbone had some ideas. The simplest strategy was tracking.

The overlord forces maintained these monster tribes certainly not for free.

These monster tribes operated openly, monitoring all sides while controlling various resource-rich treasure lands.

Locustwood Forest; Black Iron Mine; Sharpstone Crystal;

Over these past few days, Deadbone had discovered several resource sites controlled by monster tribes. The rare materials obtained from mining and gathering at these resource sites couldn’t possibly all be enjoyed by the tribal chiefs alone – naturally they had to be offered to the overlords above.

Including the resources obtained from those wilderness structures.

By tracking the tribute delivery teams, it might be possible to locate the overlord forces’ headquarters.

This plan wasn’t necessarily feasible, but Deadbone had prepared multiple alternative schemes. It intended to try them one by one.

Suddenly, as if some ripple had passed through, the entire mountain forest fell into dead silence for a moment, then immediately returned to normal as if nothing had happened, with monster roars still echoing in the distance.

An illusion?

Not at all!

‘It’s a Domain.’

Deadbone was absolutely certain.

The Goblin Prince’s Mountain Domain hadn’t fully manifested. As an established Legendary Realm expert who had cultivated at this realm for quite some time, he understood the refined application of Domains.

Like right now, he was merely using his Domain as his eyes – the dispersed Domain consumed far less energy. Simultaneously, the entire Domain became formless and invisible, gently passing through like a breeze.

But it still couldn’t escape Deadbone’s perception.

Not only was it certain that a vast Domain was enveloping this mountain forest, it was also quite familiar with this Domain!

It had seen this Domain from afar before!

Deadbone stood as still as deathly rock, while behind it, a bone eye quietly emerged, gazing along the direction from which the Domain extended.

Its vision seemed capable of bending as it penetrated through layers of obstructing branches and leaves, spotting the goblin figure standing against the sky, divine and demonic.

A… goblin Legendary!

This was Deadbone’s third time encountering this Legendary Realm expert!

What was he doing?

He seemed to be haunting this place!

Was he searching for Tianyuan Territory?

He must have sinister schemes!

He already had committed crimes worthy of death!!

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(End of Chapter)