Probing

Lin Yun kept watch from a hollow outside the cave entrance for the entire night.

As the sky began to brighten, the Black-Robed Man emerged from the cave once more. This time, he did not create any Corpse Demons; instead, he brought out three monsters noticeably larger than the average Corpse Demon and stood at the entrance for a while, seemingly surveying the surrounding environment.

Lin Yun held his breath, remaining completely motionless.

The aura of those three large Corpse Demons was formidable—level seven. They were on the same tier as the Black-Striped Leopard and Iron-Armored Rhino he had encountered earlier. However, they were far more troublesome than magic beasts because they felt no pain and knew no fatigue; unless they were completely destroyed, they would fight until the very last moment.

The Black-Robed Man stood at the entrance for about a quarter of an hour before turning back into the cave. The three level-seven Corpse Demons remained at the entrance, standing like statues, the ghostly green flames in their eye sockets flickering in the morning light.

Lin Yun leaned against the cliff wall, closed his eyes, and his mind raced.

One Necromancer, three level-seven Corpse Demons, and forty to fifty level-five or six Corpse Demons.

These were the enemies he had to face.

If he were to charge in head-on, he might not necessarily lose. After breaking through to level seven, his magic power had liquefied, and his total reserves were more than ten times what they had been at level six. Furthermore, he practiced all seven elements, meaning his magic power reserves were seven times that of a single-element mage—this meant he could cast countless level-six spells.

But having sufficient magic power did not mean he could be reckless. The methods of a Necromancer were treacherous and unpredictable, and Corpse Demons feared neither pain nor death. If he were to fall into an encirclement, even with vast magic power, there would come a time when it would be exhausted. More importantly, he did not know the level of this Necromancer!

He had to use strategy.

Lin Yun began to recall everything Delin had taught him about Necromancers.

"Although Necromancers are powerful, they have a fatal weakness—their power stems from necromantic magic, which must be replenished by absorbing death energy and souls. If they go without replenishment for a long time, their strength will gradually decline."

"Additionally, a Necromancer needs to continuously expend mental energy to control Corpse Demons. The more Corpse Demons they control, and the higher their level, the greater the consumption. If the number of Corpse Demons controlled exceeds the upper limit of their mental capacity, the Necromancer themselves will be affected."

"Therefore, the best way to deal with a Necromancer is not to fight them head-on, but to exhaust their mental energy, force them to divide their attention, and then look for an opportunity for a one-hit kill."

Lin Yun opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them.

Lin Yun decided to first test the opponent's bottom line.

He did not attack the cave entrance directly; instead, he circled to the other side of the valley and found a position on higher ground. From here, he could overlook the entire valley and see the full view of the cave entrance.

Then, he took a deep breath, raised his right hand, and condensed a Light Spear.

A level-five Light Spear. For him, the magic consumption of this level was negligible, like scooping a ladle of water from the ocean.

"Go."

The Light Spear shot down from the heights, accurately striking one of the level-five or six Corpse Demons at the very edge of the cave entrance.

"Sss—"

Black smoke rose from the head of the Corpse Demon, and the flames in its eye sockets flickered a few times before extinguishing. It collapsed with a thud, turning into a pile of rotting flesh.

Almost simultaneously, an angry roar erupted from within the cave.

The Black-Robed Man rushed out of the cave, his ghostly green gaze scanning the surroundings. The three level-seven Corpse Demons behind him also rushed out, forming a formation at the entrance.

"A lackey of the Radiant Church?" The Black-Robed Man's voice was hoarse and cold, carrying a hint of nervous tremor. "You finally found me?"

Lin Yun hid behind a rock, using wind magic to shroud his aura, remaining motionless.

The Black-Robed Man searched for nearly half an hour without finding any trace. His expression grew increasingly gloomy as he paced back and forth at the entrance, seemingly hesitating over something.

In the end, he did not choose to flee.

He muttered a few incantations under his breath and redeployed the Corpse Demons outside the entrance—more Corpse Demons were sent out to form a tight perimeter around the cave. Then, he turned and returned to the cave.

Lin Yun observed all of this from behind the rock.

He also had a question in his heart—why didn't this Necromancer run?

After being ambushed, he should have realized that someone was targeting this place. A Necromancer being hunted by the Radiant Church and hiding deep in the Magic Beast Mountain Range should prioritize staying hidden; upon being discovered, his first reaction should be to relocate, not to add more guards and remain in the same spot.

Unless... he couldn't leave.

Lin Yun's gaze fell deep into the cave entrance.

Perhaps there was something in the cave he could not abandon. Perhaps the ritual he was performing had reached a critical moment and could not be interrupted. Perhaps his condition was too poor to endure a long journey. Regardless of the reason, the fact that this Necromancer chose to stay was both a danger and an opportunity for Lin Yun.

He needed more intelligence.

Lin Yun decided to test him one more time.

That night, Lin Yun changed direction and launched an attack from the east side of the valley.

This time, he used fire magic—a level-five Fireball, targeting a small group of Corpse Demons on the right side of the entrance.

The Fireball exploded among the group of Corpse Demons, sending three of them flying, their bodies engulfed in flames. Although fire magic did far less damage to undead creatures than light magic, it was enough to cause chaos.

The Black-Robed Man rushed out again.

This time, his reaction was faster than during the day; he appeared at the entrance almost the instant the Fireball exploded. His gaze scanned the surroundings, and the tip of the Bone Staff in his hand shimmered with a dark green light.

"Come out!" he roared. "I know you're here! People of the Radiant Church are all rats who hide their heads and show their tails!"

Lin Yun still did not reveal himself.

The Black-Robed Man searched for a long time, even sending two level-seven Corpse Demons into the mountain forest to search. But Lin Yun had long since changed his position, and after searching for half an hour, the level-seven Corpse Demons found nothing.

The Black-Robed Man stood at the entrance, his expression shifting between uncertainty and anger. He looked at the distant mountain forest, then back into the depths of the cave, his face showing a long struggle.

In the end, he still did not choose to flee.

He recalled the two level-seven Corpse Demons, added more guards to the entrance, and then turned back into the cave.

Lin Yun leaned against a tree, his mind already made up.

Over the next two days, Lin Yun did not rush to attack.

He constantly harassed the cave entrance, killing only one or two Corpse Demons at a time before immediately changing his position. He did not give the Black-Robed Man a chance for a direct confrontation, choosing instead to steadily drain his forces and mental energy.

His mana reserves were exceptionally abundant. With seven types of level seven liquid mana, his total capacity was over ten times what it had been at level six. Each attack consumed only the amount of a level five spell, which was almost negligible to him.

On the first day, he killed ten level five and six Corpse Demons, using twenty level five Light Spears. His mana consumption was less than one percent of his total.

On the second day, he killed fifteen, using thirty Light Spears and Fireballs. His mana consumption remained insignificant.

However, the state of the Black-Robed Man was clearly deteriorating.

After every attack, he would rush out to search, but he could never find anyone. His face grew increasingly pale, and the fire in his eye sockets dimmed. By the evening of the second day, he stood at the cave entrance, his body trembling slightly, his black robe covered in dust, and the gem atop his Bone Staff had lost much of its luster.

More importantly, the movements of the Corpse Demons began to slow, and their coordination was no longer as seamless as before—this indicated that his mental energy was being heavily depleted.

By the evening of the second day, the number of level five and six Corpse Demons had dropped from the initial fifty or so to about twenty-five.

Lin Yun hid behind a rock above the valley, observing it all.

"Almost there," he muttered.

On the third morning, Lin Yun changed his strategy.

He no longer attacked the level five and six Corpse Demons, instead condensing a level six Spear of Light—aiming for the head of the level seven Corpse Demon on the far left.

"Go!"

The Light Spear shot out, carrying a scorching white radiance, and struck the head of the level seven Corpse Demon with a heavy thud.

"Boom!"

A large hole was blasted into the skull of the level seven Corpse Demon, the ghostly green fire in its eye sockets flickering violently as it let out a shrill howl. But it did not fall—it swayed, the fire still dancing in its remaining eye, and it opened its maw to lunge in Lin Yun's direction.

The other two level seven Corpse Demons moved as well. Their speed was more than double that of the level five and six Corpse Demons, and they began their charge almost the moment the Light Spear struck.

Lin Yun did not linger, turning to run.

As he ran, he analyzed the effect of that strike in his mind.

A level six Spear of Light hitting the head directly could only blast a hole; it could not destroy the Undead Fire of a level seven Corpse Demon. The defense and vitality of a level seven Corpse Demon far exceeded that of an ordinary one; level six light magic was insufficient, and it would take at least two or three consecutive hits to kill one completely.

But his light-elemental mana was extremely abundant. Even if it took ten hits, he could afford the cost.

However, he chose not to force a head-on fight. Because there was a better way.

Lin Yun wove through the forest, the roars of the Corpse Demons echoing behind him. Bebe jumped off his shoulder, turning into a gray streak of lightning as he met the lead level seven Corpse Demon head-on.

"Chi-chi!"

Bebe's sharp claws precisely pierced the eye socket of the Corpse Demon, attempting to snatch out the Undead Fire within. But the Corpse Demon reacted with lightning speed, jerking its head, and Bebe's claws only caught a piece of rotting flesh, missing the flame.

The Corpse Demon swiped back with a claw, which Bebe nimbly dodged before pouncing again.

Lin Yun stopped in his tracks and turned to face the pursuing Corpse Demons.

He needed to create an opening for Bebe.

"Binding of Light!"

Light-elemental mana transformed into bands of white light, wrapping around the two level seven Corpse Demons. The Corpse Demons struggled frantically, the light bands emitting a "hissing" sound as they were eroded by their undead energy.

Lin Yun knew that the Binding of Light could not hold them for long. Three seconds at most.

But those three seconds were enough.

"Bebe!"

Hearing his call, Bebe immediately abandoned the Corpse Demon he was grappling with and lunged toward one of the ones bound by the light bands. This time, he did not go for the eye socket; instead, he circled to the side and behind the Corpse Demon, then—leaping up violently, he drove both small claws into the back of the Corpse Demon's head simultaneously.

"Hiss—"

The Undead Fire was pulled directly out from the back, flickered a few times on Bebe's claws, and then extinguished.

The body of the level seven Corpse Demon stiffened in place before crashing to the ground.

The light bands shattered, and the remaining two Corpse Demons broke free, lunging toward Lin Yun.

Lin Yun did not hesitate, turning to run. Bebe caught up and scrambled back onto his shoulder.

After running for a distance, the Corpse Demons stopped chasing—they were restricted to a certain range and could not leave the valley too far.

Lin Yun leaned against a tree, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

"One," he muttered. "Two left."

His light-elemental mana hadn't even been depleted by one percent.

Just as Lin Yun was considering his next move, a violent magical fluctuation erupted from the direction of the valley.

He crept back to observe and saw the Black-Robed Man standing at the cave entrance, waving his Bone Staff frantically. His voice was hoarse and hurried, as if he were chanting some emergency incantation.

Lin Yun listened carefully and vaguely caught a few words—"Magic Artifact," "cannot be interrupted," "give me one more day."

His guess was confirmed.

This Necromancer was indeed trapped here. He was refining some kind of undead Magic Artifact, and it had reached a critical moment that could not be interrupted. That was why he couldn't run and had to defend his position to the death.

But Lin Yun's continuous harassment had pushed him to his limit. The number of Corpse Demons was dwindling, his mental energy was being depleted, and that "pursuer from the Radiant Church" kept attacking relentlessly.

Lin Yun watched the frantic state of the Black-Robed Man and reached a conclusion in his heart—he was about to collapse.

Yet, the more critical the moment, the more cautious one must be. A Necromancer driven into a corner was very likely to do something insane.

Lin Yun retreated to a safe zone to continue recovering his mana. Although his own consumption was negligible, staying in peak condition was never a mistake.

He needed to wait, waiting for the perfect opportunity.