Nearby, Qin Yuer and Ding Yumian stood on a high spot, watching the entire process of Cheng Xiaoyu summoning his Shadow Soldiers.
They were both Calamity Users with terrifying abilities, but seeing this made them realize their Junior Apprentice Brother's power was even more frightening.
He could clearly summon creatures resembling the undead without any help from the Undead Element. His power came purely from the Shadow Element.
And apparently, he could even turn Demon Beast corpses into undead. The rest was still somewhat understandable, but that part was truly unbelievable!
At some point, the pristine white snow had been stained a vivid scarlet, like plum blossoms blooming recklessly across this winter landscape.
The two sides were evenly matched in numbers and strength, but the Shadow Legion could revive indefinitely. All it needed was mana to return to the battlefield.
Under the combined assault of the Shadow Soldiers and Shadow Mages, the Ice Bear Clan quickly fell. One corpse after another lay scattered across the snow.
Watching from the cave entrance, the Ice Bear King saw all its underlings die. It slammed its forelimbs into the snow and let out an enraged roar, sending clouds of snow billowing into the air.
"Roar!"
"Heh, the boss is finally coming out, is it?"
Cheng Xiaoyu had stood to the side with his hands in his pockets, never joining the fight. When the Ice Bear King finally lost its patience, a smile appeared on his face.
The Ice Bear King was at Commander Level. With one sweeping strike of its paw, several Shadow Soldiers dissolved into Black Mist. In no time, it had cut the Shadow Legion's numbers by more than half.
As expected of an Ice Bear King at Commander Level—it had wiped out a portion of the Shadow Soldiers in an instant... Never mind. I'm done playing around.
Cheng Xiaoyu recalled all the remaining Shadow Soldiers, unwilling to keep wasting mana. Besides, this battle had been little more than a game—the Shadow Demon Wolves hadn't even made an appearance yet.
"Yegelite."
At his liege's call, Yegelite, who had been guarding him all along, stepped forward. Holding its longsword, it walked ahead slowly, its black cape and blood-red headpiece fluttering behind it. An air of calm surrounded it.
It strode forward at a leisurely pace, its armor clanking in the howling snow like a countdown to death.
The Ice Bear King charged first, swinging its arm down at Yegelite and kicking up a vast spray of snow.
Suddenly, a black figure burst out of the snow. A sword flashed across the Ice Bear King's shoulder, leaving a bloody gash that exposed its stark-white bone.
The Ice Bear King reacted swiftly, turning at once to grab the shadow in midair. But the figure instantly teleported farther above it.
Yegelite spun through the air several times, then swiftly dropped toward the ground, driving its sword deep into the Ice Bear King's back.
It didn't stop there. It even ran along the Ice Bear King's back, its sword carving a long, bloody gash.
The instant it landed, it turned and swung its sword in one fluid motion, without the slightest hesitation!
The Ice Bear King's legs were severed. It dropped helplessly to its knees, its jaws gaping wide. In just a few seconds, its white body was already covered in blood, and its savage sword wounds looked especially gruesome.
"Whoa..."
Cheng Xiaoyu stared in amazement and couldn't help exclaiming.
Yegelite walked in front of the Ice Bear King and raised its head to look it over, as if admiring its own work of art.
Even so, the Ice Bear King was a Demon Beast at Commander Level. Its final outburst before death would be ferocious. It opened its bloodied mouth, ready to summon what strength it had left.
In an instant, a flash of swordlight streaked by. Its savage head flew away and finally rolled to a stop in the snow. Its headless, scarlet body toppled over.
If I'd really had to fight Yegelite during the Job Change Quest, I'd definitely have died at its hands...
Looking at the Ice Bear King's gruesome corpse, Cheng Xiaoyu broke into a cold sweat and felt a pang of fear.
He could already take on a Demon Beast at Commander Level by himself, but not all Commander Level creatures were equal. Yegelite was definitely stronger than he was!
Yegelite shook the blood from its sword, walked up to Cheng Xiaoyu, and knelt on one knee. It lowered its proud head to show respect.
[My liege, the task is complete.]
Cheng Xiaoyu smiled faintly and placed a hand on Yegelite's shoulder.
"Thanks for your hard work."
"Junior Apprentice Brother!"
Qin Yuer walked over with Ding Yumian. Looking over the snowfield littered with corpses, then at Yegelite beside Cheng Xiaoyu, she exclaimed,
"Junior Apprentice Brother, you're incredible! You wiped out every Ice Bear in that cave."
"Yeah, and the undead creatures you have are ridiculously strong. Just the Knight beside you can kill a Demon Beast at Commander Level in one blow."
Faced with his two beautiful senior sisters' praise, Cheng Xiaoyu smiled and said,
"Yuer Jie, Yumian Jie, you were curious about how I turn Demon Beasts into undead, right? I'll show you."
He walked to the center of the Scarlet Snowfield. Black light filled his eyes, and an oppressive aura spread through the area. He spoke in a cold voice.
"Rise!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Black Mist rose from the corpses and slowly gathered into black bears made of ice.
Qin Yuer and Ding Yumian both looked astonished. This was the first time they had seen this kind of magic. The Undead Element had similar abilities that could transform the dead, but Cheng Xiaoyu's power was much more direct.
Once Shadow Extraction had succeeded on all the other Shadow Ice Bears, Cheng Xiaoyu turned his gaze to the headless corpse of the Ice Bear King. He had failed once when extracting the Giant Demon in Demon City, and the Ice Bear King was slightly stronger than it. He wondered if he would succeed this time.
"Rise."
[Shadow Extraction Success]
"Rise."
[Shadow Extraction Success]
"...Rise."
[Shadow Extraction Success]
In an instant, the enormous Shadow Ice Bear King rose to its feet, its aura a few shades stronger than it had been in life. It threw back its head and roared.
It slowly lowered its forelimbs to the ground. Its black body crouched in the snow as it bowed its proud head to its liege.
"Phew..."
Cheng Xiaoyu let out a breath. It seemed he'd have to hurry up and improve his cultivation. Otherwise, it would be terrible if he encountered a Demon Beast he wanted to claim but couldn't extract its shadow.
"So that's how it's done..."
Qin Yuer gazed at the Shadow Ice Bear, which seemed to have been brought back to life. Understanding dawned on her pretty face, and then her eyes filled with solemnity.
Grandpa Xiao was right. Those people absolutely must not discover Junior Apprentice Brother's ability. Otherwise, it could very well rival the Power of Calamity...
Junior Apprentice Brother, don't worry. Senior Sister will protect you!
After returning to Modu, Cheng Xiaoyu planned to go into seclusion for a while. After a long period of honing his skills and gaining experience, he was only one step away from the High Tier.
Once he broke through to the High Tier, he would tackle Demon City again. He also had the Intermediate Limited-Time Dungeon Key he'd obtained earlier, and he figured he could level up a bit there as well.
Back at his apartment, Cheng Xiaoyu happened to run into the three beautiful girls next door, who were also returning home. They greeted him sweetly, their voices blending together like the songs of orioles.
He wasn't some lecher, but being surrounded by three girls who were all School beauties was still better than being around a bunch of burly men.
Cheng Xiaoyu had a pretty good idea why the three girls were there. Their influential families had learned he was President Xiao's student and had probably sent them to get closer to him.
He could have kept his distance, but given the girls' relationship with his younger sister, he decided to let things take their course...
"Hey, Sister Tang Yue, what's up?"
After showering, Cheng Xiaoyu walked into his bedroom and answered Tang Yue's video call.
Tang Yue looked at the young man's bare upper body on her phone screen. His firm, muscular physique made her cheeks flush. She swallowed quietly, then pretended nothing was amiss as she said,
"Xiao Yu, I found out that the Black Vatican has been showing up frequently in Modu lately. Be careful for the next little while."
"Really?"
Cheng Xiaoyu furrowed his brow, set down the towel he'd been using to dry his hair, and nodded solemnly.
"Okay, I'll keep that in mind. Anything else you need to tell me?"
"Um... move your phone down a little. I can't see your abs..."
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