Chapter 494 – Deadbone: Are Undead Waves Really So Inconvenient?

Shattered Isle Region, Warzone.

With frequent victories, the Land of Miracles occupied by humans gradually expanded outward, dispersing the Filth and allowing the land to slowly regain its original color.

The veteran soldiers who had been stationed in this warzone witnessed these changes firsthand. The density of the Crimson Mist across the entire island domain had significantly decreased compared to the initial stages.

When they ventured out into the Red Mist Shroud, the duration for which their anti-Filth potions remained effective had also greatly increased.

In contrast to the humans’ celebrations, the monsters only felt irritation.

As the Filth receded, they seemed trapped within this small island domain.

A Soul Realm Dragon sharpened its claws, brimming with restless anger.

For a being like him, the Shattered Isle Region was merely a small pond, and the Crimson Mist was too sparse, making it far less comfortable than their homeland, Dragon’s Slumber Valley.

Without bathing in sufficient Crimson Mist, he felt utterly uncomfortable.

How damned annoying.

The Dragon arrived at the mountain peak to pay homage to the esteemed Ice Burial Grand Duke. Here, he completely suppressed the irritation in his eyes, but he also represented the many Crimson Dragons, eager to obtain an answer from this place.

Ice Burial Grand Duke was coiled atop the towering peak, his eyes as cold and indifferent as his title, showing no trace of anxiety over the unfavorable situation.

He remained silent, and the silence made the visiting Dragon break out in a cold sweat.

After a long while, Ice Burial Grand Duke spoke, “Have you found any results regarding the matter I tasked you to investigate?”

“Yes.”

The Dragon lowered his head and quickly replied, “The powerhouse who erected the golden barrier that day is known as ‘Giant Spirit God Lu Liu,’ a Hero of Tianyuan City. While the golden barrier was not solely his achievement, it was undoubtedly led by this Giant Spirit God. This human is our great enemy.”

“The commander of the Taixuan Alliance in the Shattered Isle Region is also the Lord of this Giant Spirit God, the Tianyuan City Lord.”

“Additionally, our investigations suggest that the powerhouse who defeated the Fallen Pupilblade Grand Duke is also likely affiliated with this Tianyuan City Lord. Furthermore, the territory of this Tianyuan City Lord is located adjacent to the Shattered Isle Region. Several minor overlord forces under our jurisdiction have been destroyed by Tianyuan City.”

The Dragon’s investigation was thorough.

This was not his work alone; he was merely compiling the findings.

But as he spoke, he realized that this Tianyuan City Lord had clashed with their Dragon’s Slumber Valley on numerous occasions.

Tianyuan City was located in the neighboring island domain and must have been involved in the battle over half a year ago.

“This human Tianyuan must be eliminated!”

“As long as we destroy the human Tianyuan, we can easily capture the Shattered Isle Warzone and then invade the heartland of Taixuan, spreading the glory of the Filth.”

The Dragon emphasized gravely.

After speaking, he slightly raised his head to glance at Ice Burial Grand Duke.

The Grand Duke showed no surprise, as if he had long been aware of this information. He merely said, “Continue the investigation, especially regarding the territory of this Tianyuan City Lord. Miracle Lords rise because of their territories, but their territories are also their weakness.”

The Dragon nodded in understanding.Finally, he couldn’t help but ask, “But without the rising mist tide, we cannot enter the Ten Directions Island Region. Moreover, the power displayed by Tianyuan City is already extremely formidable, and the human warzone isn’t far from Tianyuan City. I’m afraid only a powerful being like Your Excellency, the Grand Duke, can crush that human territory with overwhelming force. However…”

But there was no opportunity.

The Grand Duke couldn’t even descend upon the human warzone in the Shattered Isle Region, let alone the neighboring Ten Directions Island Region with its much harsher environment.

Ice Burial Grand Duke remained unconcerned. “Just do as instructed.”

After all…

He gazed into the distance, murmuring in his heart.

At the same time.

The northernmost part of the Ten Directions Island Region, the Land of Red Mist beyond the boundary passage.

Here,

“Whoosh~ Whoosh~”

One after another, massive and ferocious crimson dragons descended upon this place.

“I am Goldblade Grand Duke.”

“I am Azure Sand Grand Duke.”

“I am Dragon Flame Grand Duke.”

Three Hunting Grand Dukes arrived together, looking down upon the vast, dark mass of monster armies that had already gathered below.

At the forefront of the army.

One, two, three…

Jackalweres, Snakemen, Dinosaur-men, Winged-men…

Over a hundred Legendary Realm beings standing mid-air knelt down, offering their most loyal salute to the three Grand Dukes.

…

Simultaneously.

Holy Griffin Empire, Erudite Research Institute.

“In at most one year, we will face the full rise of the crimson mist tide. But even at this current stage, some regions adjacent to the Land of Red Mist have already begun showing signs of the mist tide rising.”

“Report the observations to the Imperial Parliament. The remaining matters are beyond our decision-making authority.”

…

Giant Amber Mountain Warzone, a neutral territory warzone.

As the name suggests, this warzone isn’t controlled by any major power. After all, the various territories standing in the Giant Amber Mountain region nominally don’t belong to any faction.

Some territories have formed small nations, city-state alliances, and organizations, but these haven’t received formal recognition from the world.

These small nations and organizations vary in strength, with a very few large territories among them, but the overall power of the entire region falls far short of being able to confront the mist tide and monster overlords.

Naturally, the Giant Amber Mountain Warzone is jointly guarded by three forces:

Local lords of the Giant Amber Mountain region.

Lords of the Taixuan Alliance.

Lords of the Divine Radiance Empire.

The Giant Amber Mountain region lies between Taixuan and Divine Radiance, a vast neutral territory.

Blazing Fire Heller, after emerging from the Apocalypse Secret Realm, didn’t pause for a moment before accepting a mission and rushing straight to the Giant Amber Mountain Warzone.

He serves as a specially appointed expert, assisting in the defense of the warzone.

“The mist tide has begun to rise.”

Beyond the warzone, crimson mist surged forward as monsters roared and howled.

Massive crimson dragons stood tall in the sky, casting down immense draconic pressure.

“Your Excellency Fire God, you’ve arrived. We’ll be relying on you in the coming period.”

The Divine Radiance representative stationed in the warzone warmly received him.

He added, “The one leading reinforcements from the Taixuan side is Ice Fist Lord.”

“Ice Fist? He’s not my match.”

Heller declared confidently, “I will command the entire warzone and win this mist tide war.”

He moved across the battlefield like a god of fire.

In the sky above, a Blazing Sun—larger, more brilliant, and more dazzling than the actual sun—hung suspended, radiating endless light and heat.

His performance was exceptionally brilliant.The mere presence of the Blazing Sun in this single round significantly boosted the morale of the entire warzone.

Blazing Fire Heller even defeated a Hunting Grand Duke head-on on the battlefield, undoubtedly a resplendent victory that further elevated his already illustrious reputation.

The name of the Fire God spread even more widely across the world.

The significance of defeating a Hunting Grand Duke far surpassed slaying ten or even a hundred legendary beings.

The Fire God truly lived up to his renowned name.

Yet, while the scorching Blazing Sun still hung high in the sky, in the distance, at the horizon where the Crimson Mist surged, rolling orange flames swept forth.

At first, the orange flames were merely a speck in the field of vision, but in the blink of an eye, they formed an endless, sprawling line at the edge of sight.

In another moment, the orange flames filled the entire view, the entire world.

For tens, hundreds, even two to three hundred miles around, the vast wilderness seemed entirely enveloped by these orange-red flames.

Faintly visible, these sky-obscuring flames vaguely took the shape of a pair of massive fiery wings.

Massive fiery wings stretching for hundreds of miles, blotting out the sky!

“F-Firewing Grand Duke!”

“A high-ranking Hunting Grand Duke on par with Ice Burial Grand Duke, standing at the Third Realm!”

The number of Hunting Grand Dukes in Dragon’s Slumber Valley was considerable.

And among Hunting Grand Dukes, there were distinctions of strength.

Blazing Fire Heller knew all too well that the ones he could defeat were, at most, the ‘lower-ranking Hunting Grand Dukes’ at the Soul Realm. How could a mere Soul Realm cultivator possibly contend with a Law Realm powerhouse?

Just as he sensed something amiss, the sky-filling orange flames spread with unimaginable speed, enveloping the Blazing Sun that hung high in the sky.

Flame against flame.

Yet, this massive Blazing Sun, brimming with boundless light and heat, actually began to burn under the orange flames.

Flames were burning.

The flames were gradually consumed by the burning.

The massive Blazing Sun slowly shrank, dimmed, and eventually fell powerless to the ground.

…

“Giant Amber Mountain Warzone in critical condition? The Fire God, one of the Divine Radiance Empire’s star Lords, is on the brink of death?”

As the commander of the Shattered Isle Warzone, Mu Yuan received the urgent report at the first moment.

Some of the strong fighters from the Shattered Isle Warzone were urgently dispatched to support Giant Amber Mountain.

He, however, was not among them.

After all, he was the supreme commander and the pillar of the Shattered Isle Warzone. If he left, the powerful beings from Dragon’s Slumber Valley would surely swiftly return.

Moreover, Mu Yuan currently needed a little more time.

Time to digest and absorb the gains from the Apocalypse Secret Realm a few days prior.

He turned his gaze toward the Great Domain of the Dead.

After emerging from the secret realm, Deadbone did not return to Black Mountain in the Shattered Isle Domain but went directly back to its main base at Undead Holy Mountain.

It needed to go into seclusion.

At this moment,

Undead Holy Mountain, eighteenth underground level.

Deadbone sat in meditation here, reflecting on its recent gains.

“Perfect Domain.”

“The Perfect Domain is truly profound and extraordinary, containing the ultimate principles of heaven and earth.”

Besides the Perfect Domain, it had also made slight progress in skills.

Based on the Epic Skill ‘Undead Holy Mountain,’ it perfected the ‘Gates of the Underworld,’ a skill it had long been researching but lacked the power to complete.

「Gates of the Underworld」

「Description: You can open a gate leading to Undead Holy Mountain at any time. The cost for undead beings to travel through it is minimal, while the cost for non-undead beings is relatively high.」

With the intention of resisting and stopping the calamity beasts, Deadbone also enhanced an older version of a skill.

「Corpse Giant (Epic)」”Description ①: Created using Desolate Kingbone and Earth’s Withered Bones, this colossal giant can contain endless death energy. The more bones the Corpse Giant incorporates, the larger its form becomes, possessing several evolutionary stages.”

“Description ②: Improved by Hero Deadbone, the Epic Corpse Giant can exist perpetually as a bone construct, stored within the core bone. Simultaneously, Hero Deadbone engraved the conceptual powers of ‘Hardness’ and ‘Desolation’ upon this eternal bone construct.”

Just as Death Knight had once utilized an Epic Treasure to simultaneously control conceptual powers through dual channels, the Corpse Giant construct—completed within mere hours via the Apocalypse Secret Realm’s conduit—became Deadbone’s second controllable channel.

He had realized the conception from over ten days prior.

Naturally, dual-channel control alone was far from sufficient—how could this compare to veteran powerhouses with centuries of accumulation?

The giant wielded Death Lament.

With but a thought, brilliant golden light erupted from Deadbone’s eyes.

This radiant glow, every strand materialized from unyielding will.

Golden royal will entwined around Death Lament, transforming it into a golden sword.

Monarch’s Lament Sword.

Deadbone initially intended to engrave his second conceptual power upon this golden greatsword, but soon discovered that the blade—woven from royal will and grounded in Death Lament—possessed the capacity to directly oppose conceptual forces.

Living will holds infinite possibilities.

This too was a harvest from the Apocalypse Secret Realm.

“The Monarch’s Sword can directly destroy conceptual powers—this ability may serve as a trump card at critical moments.””

“Upon the Banner of Lost Souls, I’ve also engraved a conceptual power, making four channels total.”

“Yet this remains insufficient, profoundly insufficient.”

“If this bone doesn’t accumulate dozens, hundreds of methods to counter Law Realm experts, how can I contend against true Law Realm powerhouses?”Never underestimate veteran strong ones like Ice Burial Grand Duke and Firewing Grand Duke who have lived for centuries.”

He needed to stockpile just a few more… hundred million preparations.

Contemplating this, Deadbone gazed toward the mountain range above.

His combat power composition consisted largely of the Undead Holy Mountain, with the undead ocean forming another major component.

During his previous battle with Death Knight, he hadn’t truly utilized the Undead Holy Mountain’s power, yet his undead subordinates’ performance had undoubtedly been constrained.

While he could still gather power from the undead, their numerical advantage remained unrealized.

Deadbone pondered.

He had gained some inspiration within the Apocalypse Secret Realm, but needed to return to his stronghold to refine these revelations.

“This bone previously utilized military soul traits to command the Undead Legion and maximize undead combat effectiveness, but that falls short.”

Military soul could unify a thousand, several thousand elite troops into a single entity, sharing life and death.

Yet conceptual power could sever the resonance threads of military soul.

Moreover, what were a thousand or several thousand soldiers? Merely negligible numbers within the vast undead tide.

The undead tide’s advantage lies in numbers.

In massive, fearless quantities that could resurrect after death—endless and limitless.

Since this is the case…

Deadbone rose, appearing atop the main peak of the Corpsebone Mountains—the Holy Mountain Peak.

Heaven and earth trembled.

The undead awakened throughout the mountain range, beginning their pilgrimage toward the sacred peak.Viewed from high above, countless black dots of varying sizes converged from all directions, quickly forming into a dark tide.

This surge resembled roaring waves, where even behemoths like Bone Dragons were but insignificant droplets within it.

As the tide swept forth, the entire mountain peak seemed submerged by the black deluge.

Deadbone stood firm at the center, surrounded by the rising waters.

As the tide surged forward, his entire skeletal form merged into its flow.

It was at this moment he finally understood.

“The bones have finally comprehended the true essence of the Undead Calamity Breath.”

“The Undead Tide was never meant to be such an unwieldy thing.”

Ding!

Notification: Through sufficient accumulation, you have advanced in the application of the Undead Calamity Breath’s great power. You have developed a branch ability of the Undead Calamity Breath—Tide of Death.

——

Tide of Death

Description: Hero Deadbone gathers undead creatures into a tide that sweeps across all directions, bringing death wherever it passes.

Ability ①: The Tide of Death functions as a unified entity, possessing damage distribution capabilities similar to the Army Soul Legion.

Ability ②: The Tide of Death possesses revival capabilities. When the tide suffers damage, it can consume death energy to resurrect perished undead, restoring the tide to completeness. The Tide of Death persists through endless cycles of death and rebirth.

Ability ③: Deadbone can extend the conceptual powers he commands throughout the entire Tide of Death.

Deadbone is the Tide of Death, and the Tide of Death is Deadbone.

————

(End of Chapter)