Not only was Stone pale at that moment, but Fang Zheng did not look much better either. Just think about it: you had planned to raid Shadowfang Keep, only to run into Kel'Thuzad the moment you entered. How would you feel?
This was fucking not how the script was supposed to go! They were not even from the same version!
Looking at the Lich floating in midair before him, Fang Zheng quietly took several steps back as well. No wonder neither he nor Stone had anticipated this. The opponent's disguise had been far too convincing. As one of the Council of the Undying's top powerhouses, it was almost certain that he possessed the abilities of the Legendary Domain. Logically speaking, a figure like this should have no weak soldiers under his command. Undead skeletons were just the basics; a few Banshees or Bone Dragons would not have been surprising. If Fang Zheng and the others had encountered higher-level troops, they would never have pushed so deeply inside so easily.
But what happened? This guy had clearly read too many web novels and was an expert at playing the pig to eat the tiger! All the way here, Fang Zheng and Stone had only encountered basic Undead creatures like Skeleton Soldiers and Undead Giants. Thus, Fang Zheng had not paid much attention, and even Stone had assumed there was merely a mad Lich inside. An ordinary Lich might still be dangerous to Grand Knights like Stone and Malte, but at least it was manageable.
What they had not expected was that one of the Council of the Undying's most terrifyingly powerful beings was inside! A Lich Lord!
You're at least a boss-level existence. Could you have some shame? Did you really have to mess with us like this? And why were you dressed so low-key? What game boss did not wear gold and jewels? Unlike you, dressed in nothing but a tattered black robe... Fang Zheng admitted that he had misjudged him.
Oh... right. Liches had no faces.
"Perfect. Since you are here, do not leave..."
Frank remained remarkably calm. He extended a hand and made a grasping motion through the air toward Fang Zheng and Stone.
But at that very moment, a flash of fire appeared at the Lich Lord's side and shot toward him like a meteor.
"Stop!"
Great Knight Malte raised the longsword in his hand high. Blazing flames burned upon its blade as he roared, gripping the sword tightly and slashing downward. Roaring fire spiraled toward the Lich Lord floating in midair. Yet the Lich Lord did not even spare Great Knight Malte a glance. Before the fierce flames could reach him, a translucent ectoplasmic barrier appeared out of thin air around his body. The surging fire instantly shrank like a guttering candle in the wind, then went out completely.
The Lich Lord's movements did not pause in the slightest. He lightly clenched his right hand, and in the next instant, Fang Zheng and Stone felt the ground begin to shake. Behind them, a wall of white bones rose from the earth, swiftly cutting off their retreat.
This was bad!
At the sight, Fang Zheng's expression darkened completely. He gripped the Skycleaver Sword tightly, indecision in his eyes. To be honest, he had never expected the people of the Main World to be so damn crafty. If he had been more cautious... it would not have done a damn thing! His understanding of this world was shallow to begin with. Without enough information, did he not have to rely on others' judgment?
"Guests are guests. Why not join my ritual as well?"
"Never!"
Hearing the Lich Lord speak, Stone roared and charged forward again with his Greatsword raised. But the Lich Lord clearly understood that villains died from talking too much. He said nothing more, merely extending his hand and tracing several gestures through the air. Then, a horrifying scene unfolded.
The dozen or so Holy Knights' corpses lying on the ground suddenly burst apart with a crack. Their bones rose from their bodies as if drawn by invisible threads, spinning and reassembling. Before long, they had formed into a terrifying monster with an enormous upper body and a long scythe clenched in both hands.
"It is a Deathbringer! Be careful!"
Malte's expression changed drastically as he looked at the monster. He hurried forward with Stone, attempting to attack the terrifying creature from both sides. But its reaction was even faster than they had imagined. Almost the instant it took shape, the Deathbringer suddenly raised both arms and swung its scythe through a full one hundred and eighty degrees, striking Malte's and Stone's weapons in succession. Both Grand Knights shuddered and staggered back. Yet icy cold rapidly spread from their hands, and in the blink of an eye, thick frost had formed over both their arms.
What terrifying power!
Malte and Stone shook their hands, shattering the ice binding their arms. At the same time, they exchanged a glance, each seeing the other's shock and fear. This was merely a Deathbringer casually summoned by the Lich Lord, yet it could stand evenly against the combined strength of the two of them?
Even brave Grand Knights like Malte and Stone broke into cold sweats. The Council of the Undying had a poor reputation, but they rarely appeared before the public. Unlike the Church of the Day of Destruction and the Twilight Legion, they did not enjoy causing trouble everywhere. On the contrary, because the Council of the Undying believed that "all things shall die," they had enough patience to wait for their enemies to destroy themselves. Thus, the Council of the Undying was more often active in graveyards and battlefields. Their usual work consisted of digging up the remains of powerful beings and reviving them as Undead creatures. Naturally, such desecration of corpses would never be accepted or recognized by the Holy Temple.
There were even private rumors within the Holy Temple that although the Council of the Undying appeared low-profile, they were actually the most terrifying enemies of all living beings. When they encountered a troublesome opponent, they would not resort to every possible means to kill them like the Twilight Legion or the Church of the Day of Destruction did. Instead, they could simply wait patiently.
After all, time was their ally. They did not need to act personally. They only needed to wait, and those once-powerful enemies would die of old age or be killed by someone else. Then the Council could stroll out at its leisure and dig up their graves. Was that not wonderful?
Because of the Council of the Undying's passive and negative attitude toward battle, most people had mistaken them for petty clowns like the Church of the Day of Destruction, capable only of plotting in the shadows and collapsing like rats the moment they entered a frontal battlefield.
But the moment this Lich Lord acted, that rumor was shattered. They truly did not like direct confrontation, but that did not mean the Council of the Undying were petty clowns hiding in rat holes. A Deathbringer created on the spot could withstand the full assault of Grand Knights Stone and Malte. In fact, Frank still showed no intention of acting himself. He seemed more interested in the ritual.
That did not mean Frank would allow them to interfere freely. He snapped the fingers of his right hand, and the torn flesh of those Holy Knights began to wriggle and fuse like melting pudding. Then it transformed into two human-sized Flesh Golems, which pounced respectively toward Fang Zheng and the other Holy Knights.
What the hell!
At the sight, Fang Zheng's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He had only heard some things about the Council of the Undying from Stone, knowing that these Undead creatures possessed profound attainments in the transformation between life and death. But only now did Fang Zheng personally understand how terrifying these dreadful Liches were. Pulling out people's bones to create Deathbringers was not enough; they even reused the leftover flesh to make two Flesh Golems. These things counted as mid-level Undead creatures, and their strength depended on the "materials" used to create them. If a golem's flesh came from a few farmers, Fang Zheng could deal with it without any pressure. But the flesh of these golems came from Holy Temple Knights. That was a different matter entirely.
The Flesh Golem was far faster than expected. In only a few breaths, it had reached Fang Zheng. Looking at the enormous slab of meat before him, Fang Zheng felt his scalp go numb. He had seen disgusting monsters in the worlds of Diablo and Dark Souls, but this was the first time he had ever seen something this revolting.
Though he did not understand how Flesh Golems were made, Fang Zheng could tell at a glance that the monster's body looked like the limbs of those Holy Temple Knights had half-melted and fused together again. What made him feel even more sick was that the organs actually seemed to be functioning?
In particular, the five eyes in front of him, seemingly installed in all the wrong places, blinked as they watched him. The sight made Fang Zheng so nauseated he nearly vomited.
"Roar—!!"
But the Flesh Golem did not share that feeling. It was now like a beast driven by instinct. With a roar, it lunged at Fang Zheng. Two arms suddenly shot out from its jelly-like body, each gripping a bloodstained longsword.
What the hell was this!
Facing the monster before him, Fang Zheng cursed under his breath. Then he rolled to the side, dodging the creature's two consecutive slashes. He swung his sword in a backhand strike, and the radiance of Judgment erupted, blasting small holes across the Flesh Golem's body.
Without blood, the flesh was an unsettling pale white. He could even clearly see the shriveled blood vessels and internal organs within. What disgusted him even more was that, perhaps under the influence of magic, those organs were still functioning!
Fang Zheng felt that he should really find a restroom and throw up properly. Unfortunately, there was no restroom nearby, nor did he have the time. After being struck, the Flesh Golem's body trembled, and another two arms emerged from the wounded spot, gripping longswords and slashing at Fang Zheng again. This time, however, Fang Zheng did not retreat. He flicked his sword, and dazzling Holy Light drew a pleasing silver arc through the air, severing the two arms head-on. Then Fang Zheng raised his sword. Shining Swords of Light formed at his side before screaming toward the enemy.
Countless Swords of Light riddled the Flesh Golem with holes almost instantly, turning it from jelly into cheese. Yet this did not seem to be much of a problem for the Flesh Golem. Its body merely collapsed for a moment before beginning to fuse and reshape once more.
At the same time, Undead Giants on both sides were already striding toward them.
Before you continue