Chapter 87 – The Final Evolution

Thundercoil Tower!

This defensive structure could easily manipulate the power of thunder, with its main material, the ‘Thundercoil Core,’ obtained during the purification of the Land of Filth.

The tower stood over ten meters tall, slender and pointed with no interior space, resembling a giant lightning rod towering high. Silver coils spiraled around it from the base to the very top.

Suddenly, flickering arcs of lightning lit up on the tower, rapidly flowing to the apex before shooting out a thick blue bolt of lightning as wide as an arm, aimed directly at a soft, jiggly blob of jelly nearby.

Crackle—

Countless tiny arcs of electricity exploded across the jelly’s surface, slightly charring it, though the marks quickly faded and disappeared.

Dolai opened its mouth wide and took a forceful inhale…

Slurp~ The dancing arcs of lightning on its body were all sucked into its mouth and swallowed whole.

After dozens of such thunder devourings, a faint glimmer of electricity flashed in Dolai’s large, captivating eyes.

Yes!

It could feel it now!

“Gurgle gurgle~!” (More, more!)

It called out to Dead Bone Boss in the distance.

Defensive structures would only attack autonomously when enemies entered their range; at other times, only the Lord or a Hero could control them.

The Thundercoil Tower was special—its thunder attacks could be adjusted in intensity. The longer the thunder flowed along the coils and charged, the thicker and more destructive the resulting bolt would be.

Even Dolai, which had developed some resistance to thunder, only dared to use low-power lightning during its training.

After all, it feared pain.

“The single-target destructive power of the Thundercoil Tower is indeed much greater than that of the Mage Tower, and the speed of the thunder is so fast that enemies basically can’t dodge it.”

Just like earlier.

Dolai had opened its mouth wide, intending to swallow the incoming thunderbolt directly, but it overestimated itself. It couldn’t even track the lightning’s trajectory before being thoroughly electrified.

Mu Yuan made his rounds and sent the four specters, now fully satiated, back to the Eternal World.

「Red Robe, Rakshasa: LV6」

Their levels were still a bit low, not even reaching the ‘Late Stage of Apprentice.’ However, their Rare Three-Star classes and temporarily maxed-out resentment gave these specters considerable combat prowess.

Tearing apart a group of Level 9 Great Goblins wouldn’t be a problem—after all, the attacks of those big brutes would only result in “immune, immune, immune” against them.

“Specter and ghost squads can be used as surprise troops. As long as they’re careful to avoid energy-based skills, they can roam freely and dominate the battlefield.”

To that end, Mu Yuan called upon the ever-versatile Deadbone to personally teach Red Robe and Rakshasa how to skillfully utilize energy.

Red Robe and the others were somewhat special, but not special enough to “ding ding ding” and comprehend any new skills.

However,

the Undead Emperor had made a discovery.

“The power of specters is unique; they can resonate to a certain extent?”

Mu Yuan pondered.

Red Robe activated its ‘Tear’ skill. Black mist seeped from its human-like palm, quickly shaping into a ghastly Ghost Claw, which it then slashed fiercely at a large rock in front of it.

Swish—

Several deep gashes were carved into the rock, with wisps of black smoke rising from them, carrying a strong corrosive effect.

This was the power of Red Robe alone.And what if, what if one could resonate with the power of dozens of specters? What kind of scene would that be?

“Not a bad idea. We can give it a try.”

Mu Yuan stood on his tiptoes, patted Deadbone on the shoulder, and gave it an approving look.

……

At the edge of the sky, the Crimson Mist seemed to have thickened. Even in broad daylight, faint reddish mist strands drifted visibly, heralding the approaching trial.

Throughout the day, Mu Yuan directed the Skeleton Warriors in building earthen walls, setting traps, and checking for any oversights or gaps.

The Undead General divided his time threefold: one part for exploration, one part for his own cultivation, and the remaining part for guiding Dolai, Bone Two, and other skeletons, as well as Red Robe and other specters.

Everyone was making their final preparations.

Time quickly arrived at the 25th day.

Buzz buzz—

The phone vibrated. As a novice Lord, Mu Yuan received an alert from the Association.

「Disaster Department Warning: The Lord Trial will arrive by tonight at the latest or early tomorrow morning. All prospective Lords are advised to prepare for the monster onslaught and successfully pass the trial.」

Mu Yuan put down his phone and logged into the forum to take a look.

“Tonight, huh? There’s still enough time for some last-minute improvements.”

Half a day later,

Mu Yuan summoned the three junior commanders of the territory.

Imperial Guard Lu Liu, Sharpshooter Seventeen, and the first Hurricane Falcon.

It was time to bestow upon him/her/them the evolution light.

This was the final evolutionary radiance before the Lord Trial!

Begin!

Mu Yuan walked up to Lu Liu, the tough warrior. Lu Liu knelt on one knee, and Mu Yuan placed a hand on his head. In the next moment, a miraculous glow burst forth.

“Glory… Guardian.”

“All things… rest upon a single arrow.”

Lu Liu advanced to the rare three-star unit type ‘Royal Imperial Guard.’ His full-body armor also upgraded to a more ornate gilded Glory Supreme Edition, with the golden eagle on his tower shield so lifelike it seemed ready to take flight.

He awakened a talent called ‘Unshakable Will,’ which greatly enhanced his own willpower, making him as steadfast as a rock. The more arduous the battle, the more formidable strength he could unleash.

Seventeen advanced to the rare three-star unit type ‘Marksman.’ She, too, donned rather splendid light armor, which seemed more form-fitting than before, barely hinting at some curves.

The talent she awakened was ‘Mind Arrow.’ Her arrows could follow her will, and if she could concentrate her mental power into the arrow, it could unleash unimaginable force.

“Will, mind—these seem to involve rather advanced powers, but…”

For Lu Liu and Seventeen, who were still at the Apprentice Tier, this was too distant. Mu Yuan didn’t hold high hopes for them to deeply explore the power of their talents, but even just using them instinctively would bring substantial improvements.

Like now…

Marksman Seventeen fired an arrow. The arrow, like a streak of light, curved mid-air, bypassed the obstacle in front, and directly hit a target that was out of sight.

Thump!

The entire wooden target exploded into pieces.

And by merely using her talent instinctively, Seventeen expended almost no extra energy.

“The Shrine has already brewed a new portion of ‘Upgrade Power.’ It’s just a pity that Seventeen was recruited late and her Rank is still lacking. Even if she consumed this Upgrade Power, she wouldn’t reach Rank 9 Great Perfection. Otherwise, having a Professional Tier Marksman in a defensive battle would absolutely be a game-changer.”In that case, he had no choice but to grant this precious opportunity to the territory’s great contributor before him—the reconnaissance hero ‘Asun’, who had repeatedly ventured into perilous lands for scouting missions, survived relentless pursuits by formidable foes, and stubbornly clung to life.

The radiance of evolution descended.

Amidst the shimmering white glow, the Hurricane Falcon’s body and wings began to elongate. In the blink of an eye, a majestic bird with bluish-gray feathers and a wingspan exceeding two meters appeared before him.

“Ding!”

“Notification: Your Hurricane Falcon, bathed in the Miracle Light, has undergone transformation and evolved into ‘Storm Falcon (Rare ★★★)’, awakening the innate talent ‘Storm Power’.”

The trial arc begins tomorrow, though necessary buildup and atmosphere-setting are essential—it certainly won’t conclude abruptly. Dear readers considering saving chapters for later, don’t forget to return on the release day for some delightful reading!

(End of Chapter)