Lin Yun kept watch in a hollow outside the cave entrance for the entire night.
At dawn, the Black-Robed Man emerged from the cave again. This time, he didn't create any Corpse Demons. Instead, he brought three monsters that were clearly a size larger than ordinary Corpse Demons. He stood at the entrance for a while, seemingly surveying the surroundings.
Lin Yun held his breath and didn't move.
The three large Corpse Demons were powerful—level seven. They were on the same level as the Black-Striped Leopard and Iron-Armored Rhino he'd encountered before. But they were even harder to deal with than magical beasts. They felt no pain, never tired, and would fight to the bitter end unless they were completely destroyed.
The Black-Robed Man stood at the entrance for about fifteen minutes, then turned and went back inside. The three level-seven Corpse Demons remained at the entrance, standing like statues, the faint green flames in their eye sockets barely visible in the morning light.
Lin Yun leaned against the cliff wall and closed his eyes, his mind racing.
One Necromancer, three level-seven Corpse Demons, and forty or fifty level-five and level-six Corpse Demons.
Those were the enemies he had to face.
If he charged straight in, he might not lose. After breaking through to level seven, his magic power had liquefied, and its total volume was more than ten times what it had been at level six. On top of that, he practiced all seven elements, giving him seven times the reserves of a single-element mage. That meant he could cast countless level-six spells.
But having plenty of magic power didn't mean he could afford to act recklessly. Necromancers wielded unpredictable methods, and Corpse Demons neither feared pain nor death. If he got surrounded, even his vast reserves would eventually run dry. More importantly, he had no idea what level this Necromancer was!
He had to outsmart him.
Lin Yun began recalling everything Doehring had taught him about Necromancers.
"Necromancers are powerful, but they have one fatal weakness—their strength comes from necromantic magic power, which they replenish by absorbing death energy and souls. If they go too long without replenishing it, their power will gradually decline."
"Also, controlling Corpse Demons requires a constant expenditure of Spiritual Energy. The more Corpse Demons they control, and the higher their levels, the greater the cost. If they control more than their Spiritual Energy can sustain, the Necromancer himself will be affected."
"So the best way to deal with a Necromancer isn't to fight him head-on. Wear down his Spiritual Energy and force him to divide his attention, then look for a chance to kill him with one strike."
Lin Yun opened his eyes, a glint flashing in them.
He decided to test his opponent's strength first.
Rather than attack the cave entrance directly, he went around to the other side of the valley and found a spot on higher ground. From there, he could look down over the entire valley and get a clear view of the cave entrance.
Then he took a deep breath, raised his right hand, and conjured a Spear of Light.
A level-five Spear of Light. For him, a spell of this level cost almost nothing, like drawing a scoop of water from the ocean.
"Go."
The Spear of Light shot down from above and struck the outermost level-five or level-six Corpse Demon with perfect accuracy.
"Chhh—"
Black smoke rose from the Corpse Demon's head. The flames in its eye sockets flickered a few times, then went out. It crashed to the ground and became a pile of rotting flesh.
Almost at the same moment, an angry roar rang out from inside the cave.
The Black-Robed Man charged out, his eerie green gaze sweeping over the surroundings. The three level-seven Corpse Demons behind him rushed out as well and formed a line at the entrance.
"Radiant Church dogs?" The Black-Robed Man's voice was hoarse and cold, with a slight tremor of unease. "You finally found me?"
Lin Yun remained motionless behind a rock, using Wind Element magic to mask his presence.
The Black-Robed Man searched for nearly half an hour but found no trace of anyone. His expression grew darker as he paced back and forth at the entrance, apparently unsure what to do.
In the end, he didn't choose to flee.
He muttered a few incantations and redeployed the Corpse Demons outside the cave. More of them were sent out, forming a tight perimeter around the entrance. Then he turned and went back inside.
Lin Yun watched everything from behind the rock.
He had a question of his own: why wasn't the Necromancer running?
After being ambushed, he should have realized someone was watching the place. A Necromancer hunted by the Radiant Church and hiding deep in Magic Beast Mountain Range ought to stay concealed. Once discovered, his first instinct should be to move, not to add more guards and remain where he was.
Unless... he couldn't leave.
Lin Yun's gaze settled on the depths of the cave.
Perhaps there was something inside he couldn't abandon. Perhaps a ritual he was performing had reached a critical point and couldn't be interrupted. Perhaps he was in too poor a condition to travel far. Whatever the reason, the Necromancer had chosen to stay. For Lin Yun, that meant both danger and opportunity.
He needed more information.
Lin Yun decided to test him again.
That night, Lin Yun changed direction and launched an attack from the eastern side of the valley.
This time, he used Fire Element magic—a level-five Fireball aimed at a small group of Corpse Demons to the right of the cave entrance.
The Fireball exploded among them, blasting three Corpse Demons away and setting them ablaze. Although Fire Element magic was far less effective against undead creatures than Light Element magic, it was enough to cause chaos.
The Black-Robed Man rushed out again.
This time, he reacted faster than he had during the day, appearing at the entrance almost the instant the Fireball exploded. His gaze swept over the surroundings, and the tip of the Bone Staff in his hand glimmered with a dark green light.
"Come out!" he roared. "I know you're here! People from the Radiant Church are nothing but cowards who hide in the shadows!"
Lin Yun still didn't reveal himself.
The Black-Robed Man searched for a long time, even sending two level-seven Corpse Demons into the woods. But Lin Yun had already moved to a different location. The Corpse Demons searched for half an hour and found nothing.
The Black-Robed Man stood at the cave entrance, his expression shifting between light and dark. He looked toward the woods in the distance, then back into the cave, his face twisting with indecision for a long time.
In the end, he still didn't choose to flee.
He recalled the two level-seven Corpse Demons, posted even more guards at the entrance, then turned and went back inside.
Lin Yun leaned against a tree, already sure of his conclusion.
Over the next two days, Lin Yun didn't rush into an attack.
He kept harassing the cave entrance, killing only one or two Corpse Demons each time before immediately changing position. He gave the Black-Robed Man no chance to fight him head-on, focusing instead on steadily wearing down his forces and Spiritual Energy.
His magic power reserves were exceptionally abundant. With level-seven liquid magic power in all seven elements, he had more than ten times what he'd possessed at level six. Each attack cost only as much as a level-five spell, an amount he could practically ignore.
On the first day, he killed ten level-five and level-six Corpse Demons, using twenty level-five Spears of Light. He spent less than one percent of his total magic power.
On the second day, he killed fifteen, using thirty Spears of Light and Fireballs. His magic power expenditure remained negligible.
But the Black-Robed Man's condition was clearly deteriorating.
After every attack, he rushed out to search, but never found anyone. His face grew paler, and the flames in his eye sockets grew dimmer. By the evening of the second day, he stood at the cave entrance, his body trembling slightly. His black robe was covered in dust, and the gem at the tip of his Bone Staff had grown much dimmer.
More importantly, the Corpse Demons had started moving more slowly, and their coordination was no longer as seamless as before. That meant his Spiritual Energy was being drained rapidly.
By the evening of the second day, the number of level-five and level-six Corpse Demons had fallen from more than fifty to around twenty-five.
Lin Yun watched everything from behind a rock above the valley.
"Almost there," he murmured.
At dawn on the third day, Lin Yun changed his strategy.
He stopped attacking the level-five and level-six Corpse Demons. Instead, he conjured a level-six Spear of Light and aimed it at the head of the level-seven Corpse Demon on the far left.
"Go!"
The Spear of Light shot out in a blaze of searing white light and struck the level-seven Corpse Demon squarely in the head.
"Boom!"
The Spear of Light blew a large hole through the Corpse Demon's skull. The eerie green flames in its eye sockets flickered wildly, and it let out a piercing howl. But it didn't fall. It staggered, the flame in its remaining eye still burning, then opened its mouth and charged toward Lin Yun.
The other two level-seven Corpse Demons moved as well. They were more than twice as fast as the level-five and level-six ones, and began charging almost the instant the Spear of Light struck.
Lin Yun didn't linger. He turned and ran.
As he ran, he analyzed the results of his attack.
A level-six Spear of Light had struck the Corpse Demon directly in the head, but had only blown a hole through it. It hadn't destroyed its Undead Fire. Level-seven Corpse Demons had far greater defenses and vitality than ordinary ones. A level-six Light Element spell wasn't enough; it would take at least two or three direct hits to kill one completely.
But Lin Yun had an exceptionally abundant supply of Light Element magic power. Even if it took ten hits, he could afford them.
Still, he didn't choose to fight head-on. He had a better way.
Lin Yun darted through the woods, the Corpse Demons' roars echoing behind him. Bebe leaped off his shoulder, transformed into a gray streak of lightning, and charged at the level-seven Corpse Demon in the lead.
"Chirp!"
Bebe's claws slipped precisely into the Corpse Demon's eye socket as he tried to claw out the Undead Fire inside. But the Corpse Demon reacted incredibly fast and whipped its head around. Bebe's claws caught only a piece of rotting flesh, missing the flame.
The Corpse Demon slashed back at him. Bebe dodged nimbly and sprang at it again.
Lin Yun stopped and turned to face the pursuing Corpse Demons.
He had to create an opening for Bebe.
"Binding of Light!"
Light Element magic power became bands of white light that wrapped around the two level-seven Corpse Demons. They struggled wildly, and the bands hissed as the creatures' necromantic power ate away at them.
Lin Yun knew the Binding of Light couldn't hold them for long. Three seconds at most.
But three seconds were enough.
"Bebe!"
At his call, Bebe immediately abandoned the Corpse Demon he was fighting and turned toward one trapped by the bands of light. This time, he didn't go for its eye socket. Instead, he circled around behind it and then leaped—driving both little claws into the back of its head.
"Chhh—"
He clawed the Undead Fire straight out through the back of its skull. It flickered a few times in Bebe's claws, then went out.
The level-seven Corpse Demon froze in place, then crashed to the ground.
The bands of light shattered, and the other two Corpse Demons broke free and charged at Lin Yun.
Lin Yun didn't hesitate. He turned and ran. Bebe followed, scrambling back onto his shoulder.
After he had put some distance between them, the Corpse Demons stopped chasing. They were confined to a certain area and couldn't venture too far from the valley.
Lin Yun leaned against a tree, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.
"One," he murmured. "Two left."
He had used less than one percent of his Light Element magic power.
Just as Lin Yun was thinking about his next move, a powerful surge of magic came from the direction of the valley.
He stealthily made his way back and saw the Black-Robed Man standing at the cave entrance, wildly swinging his Bone Staff. His voice was hoarse and hurried, as if he were chanting some kind of emergency incantation.
Lin Yun listened carefully and caught a few words: "Magic Artifact," "can't interrupt," and "give me one more day."
His guess had been confirmed.
The Necromancer really was trapped here. He was crafting some kind of undead Magic Artifact, and the process had reached a critical point. He couldn't interrupt it. So he couldn't flee; all he could do was hold his ground.
But Lin Yun's constant harassment had already pushed him to his limit. His Corpse Demons were dwindling, his Spiritual Energy was being drained, and that "Radiant Church pursuer" kept attacking.
Looking at the Black-Robed Man's frenzied state, Lin Yun concluded that he was close to breaking.
But this was precisely when Lin Yun had to be most careful. A Necromancer driven to the brink might do something insane.
Lin Yun retreated to a safe place and continued recovering his magic power. His expenditure had been negligible, but staying in peak condition was always the right choice.
He had to wait for the right moment.
Before you continue