Level 8 Necromancer

That night, Lin Yun did something bold.

He did not attack the Corpse Demons, but instead cast a Level 6 light-type spell, Holy Light Illumination, from above the valley. It had no offensive power, but it emitted a strong aura of light over a wide area.

To undead creatures, the aura of light was like a flame to a moth—both a threat and a form of Deterrence.

White light poured down from above the valley, shrouding the entire cave entrance.

The remaining twenty or so Level 5 and 6 Corpse Demons let out shrill howls simultaneously. They retreated frantically, huddling together in an attempt to avoid the blinding white light. Although the two Level 7 Corpse Demons did not react as violently, they were clearly unsettled, pacing back and forth at the cave entrance.

The black-robed man rushed out of the cave, his face as pale as paper.

"No..." his voice was filled with despair, "No! You can't do this! My magic artifact... my magic artifact is just one step away from completion!"

He waved his Bone Staff frantically, dark green light surging from the gemstone as he tried to dispel the white light. But the range of Holy Light Illumination was too vast; his necromantic magic power could not cover it entirely.

More importantly, he dared not stray too far from the cave entrance.

His magic artifact was still inside. If he left, the artifact would lose his infusion of magic power, and all his previous efforts would be for nothing.

Lin Yun observed all of this from the shadows, the corners of his mouth curling upward slightly.

He had bet correctly.

This Necromancer was trapped by his own magic artifact. He could not run, he could not pursue, and he could only defend passively. Meanwhile, those Corpse Demons were dwindling day by day.

This time, Lin Yun did not intend to wait!

He arrived at the entrance of the valley once again. This time, he did not hide.

He stood under the moonlight, the light-type magic power within him slowly releasing, white light enveloping his entire body.

"Necromancer!" his voice echoed through the valley, "Come out!"

A moment later, the black-robed man walked out of the cave.

He looked even more disheveled than before—his black robe was full of wrinkles, his face was as pale as a corpse, and the flames in his eye sockets were much dimmer. He clutched the Bone Staff tightly in his hand, but the gemstone at the top of the staff was already covered in cracks.

Behind him, only two Level 7 Corpse Demons and fewer than twenty Level 5 and 6 Corpse Demons remained.

"A... a child?" The black-robed man saw Lin Yun clearly, his expression shifting from fear to disbelief, "The one who has been harassing me for the past few days is just a child?"

"It is me," Lin Yun said calmly.

The black-robed man stared at him for a few seconds, then let out a burst of frantic laughter: "A twelve or thirteen-year-old child has pushed me to this point? Is the Radiant Church so desperate? Sending a child to die?"

He raised his Bone Staff and pointed it at Lin Yun: "Do you know what I am doing here? I am refining a necromantic magic artifact! If you give me just half a day more, I will succeed! By then, not only will I recover from my injuries, but I will also break through to the realm of a Level 9 Undead Archmage in one go. When that happens, even if the High Inquisitor of the Radiant Church comes, I won't be afraid!"

His voice grew increasingly agitated: "But you! You ruined my plan! You killed my Corpse Demons, exhausted my mental energy, and prevented my magic artifact from being completed!"

"Since you delivered yourself to my doorstep, then become a sacrifice for my magic artifact!"

He swung his Bone Staff violently, and the remaining Corpse Demons moved in unison, swarming toward Lin Yun from all directions. The two Level 7 Corpse Demons charged at the front, their speed astonishingly fast.

Lin Yun did not retreat.

He raised his right hand, a Level 6 Spear of Light coalescing in his palm, and then—three consecutive spears shot toward three different directions.

"Spear of Light!"

Three dazzling white lights tore through the night sky, striking the heads of three Level 5 and 6 Corpse Demons with precision. The three Corpse Demons collapsed to the ground, the flames in their eye sockets instantly extinguished.

This was the advantage of a Level 7 mage. His magic power was extremely abundant; he could cast Level 6 spells as if they cost nothing.

The black-robed man's face turned even uglier. He waved his Bone Staff frantically, driving the Corpse Demons to increase their speed.

Lin Yun retreated while continuously casting Spear of Light. One, two, three... every spear of light hit the head of a Corpse Demon with precision. His magic consumption was negligible, but the number of Corpse Demons was decreasing rapidly.

Ten, eight, five...

By the time the last Level 5 and 6 Corpse Demon fell, the two Level 7 Corpse Demons had already reached a point ten meters in front of him.

Lin Yun did not panic. He cast the wind-type spell Wind Walk, his body retreating lightly while his right hand condensed a thicker Spear of Light—still Level 6, but infused with more magic power, making it nearly twice as powerful as before.

"Go!"

The spear of light struck the head of the Level 7 Corpse Demon on the left, blasting a large hole in it. The Corpse Demon staggered but did not fall. Lin Yun followed up with a second and third spear of light, hitting the same spot consecutively.

The moment the third spear of light exploded, the flames in the Level 7 Corpse Demon's eye sockets finally extinguished. Its body crashed to the ground, never to stand again.

Only the last one remained.

Lin Yun turned to face it, his right hand condensing a spear of light once more. But this time, he did not attack directly; instead, he first bound it with Binding of Light, and then—

"Bebe!"

Bebe pounced from the side, his sharp claws accurately piercing the back of the Corpse Demon's skull and extracting its undead fire.

The last Level 7 Corpse Demon fell.

The black-robed man stood at the cave entrance, his face filled with despair.

His Corpse Demons were all gone. His mental energy was exhausted. His magic artifact could not be completed.

As a Level 8 Undead Archmage who had lived for hundreds of years, at his peak, he had dozens of Level 8 Corpse Demons and Golden Armored Zombies under his command, with countless Level 7 Corpse Demons. However, not long ago, his trail was discovered by the Radiant Church, which dispatched a team of Ascetics led by a Level 9 mage. In that battle, his Level 8 subordinates were wiped out, leaving only a few Level 7 Corpse Demons. With no other choice, he had to hide in the Magic Beast Mountain Range to recover his strength.

Coupled with a severe soul injury that prevented him from communicating with the Undead Realm, he could not summon new undead, so he had to set his sights on these mercenaries. Over the course of more than a month, he had carefully accumulated these few dozen Level 5 and 6 Corpse Demons, only for them to be almost completely slaughtered by Lin Yun now. His heart was filled with hatred!

"You... you..." the black-robed man's voice was hoarse and trembling, "Who exactly are you?"

"Ernst Institute, Lin Yun Baruch." Lin Yun said calmly.

The man in the black robe stared at him for a few seconds, then let out a burst of crazed laughter: "Baruch? The Dragonblood Warrior family? Hahahaha... I never expected that I, Morton, would end up falling at the hands of a child from the Dragonblood Warrior family!"

The laughter stopped abruptly. His eyes suddenly turned wild and desperate.

"But, do you think you've won just like that?"

He slammed his hands upward and began to chant a spell. Dark green light surged from his palms, condensing into a twisted sphere of light in the air. The sphere emitted a heart-stopping aura, and the surrounding air turned frigid because of its presence.

Lin Yun's pupils contracted sharply.

He recognized this magic—Delin had explained it in detail before; it was the most sinister method of a Necromancer.

Soul Attack!

A Necromancer could condense all of their mental energy and soul power to strike directly at an enemy's soul. This attack ignored physical and magical defenses, hitting the origin of the soul directly. If the soul was not strong enough, it would be instantly destroyed, leaving behind an empty shell without consciousness.

This was the Necromancer's final trump card and their most desperate move—because it would not only exhaust all their mental energy but also cause irreversible damage to their own soul. Unless driven to a dead end, no Necromancer would ever use this technique.

And the Morton before him had clearly reached a dead end.

Lin Yun wanted to dodge, but the speed of the Soul Attack was extremely fast and almost impossible to evade—it locked onto the soul directly; no matter where the body hid, it would be pursued.

The dark green sphere of light flew from Morton's hands, heading straight for the center of Lin Yun's brow.

Lin Yun could only do one thing—he concentrated all his mental energy deep within his consciousness, guarding his soul origin with everything he had.

The dark green light sank into the center of his brow.

In an instant, Lin Yun felt a force of extreme cold flood into his consciousness. That power was filled with despair, resentment, and madness, like a storm composed of countless sharp blades, attempting to tear his soul into pieces.

The intense pain nearly caused him to lose consciousness. He gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, his body trembling uncontrollably.

The accumulation of three lifetimes played a role at this moment. His soul was far stronger and more resilient than that of an ordinary person. But Morton was a peak eighth-rank Necromancer; even though he had been severely injured before, this strike condensed all of his soul power. Even though Lin Yun's soul far exceeded that of a normal person, it began to crack.

His consciousness blurred, his memories shattered, and that line of defense guarding his soul was collapsing inch by inch.

No... I can't hold on...

Just as Lin Yun's soul was about to be torn apart—

The Small Bronze Tripod on his chest suddenly lit up.

It was a warm and vast radiance, not as scorching as light magic, nor as cold and gloomy as necromancy. It was like the most ancient starlight in the night sky—profound, tranquil, and irresistible.

The small tripod vibrated slightly.

A warm force surged from the small tripod, instantly flowing through Lin Yun's entire body and gathering deep within his consciousness. The power was gentle yet firm, like a mother's hand stroking a child's forehead, wrapping around and dissolving those cold forces that had invaded his consciousness bit by bit.

The dark green light dissipated silently before the power of the small tripod, like snow meeting the sun.

Lin Yun felt the soul-tearing pain vanish abruptly, replaced by an unprecedented tranquility. His soul was not only restored but also became more solid and pure than before—the power of the small tripod had tempered his soul while dispelling the intrusion.

He opened his eyes.

Morton lay slumped on the ground, black blood seeping from his seven orifices, the flames in his eye sockets completely extinguished. His face was full of disbelief, his lips trembling slightly as he uttered his final words.

"How... is it possible... your soul... has... what is that..."

Before he could finish, his body completely lost all signs of life.

Lin Yun stood where he was, gasping for air. His back was soaked with cold sweat, and his legs felt somewhat weak.

It was close. Just a little bit more, and he would have died.

He looked down at the Small Bronze Tripod on his chest. The light on its surface had faded, and it had returned to its ancient, mottled appearance, resting quietly against his chest as if nothing had happened.

But Lin Yun knew that if it weren't for it just now, he would already be an empty shell without a soul.

"Thank you." He whispered.

The small tripod grew slightly warm, as if in response, and then fell completely silent.

Bebe jumped over from the side, crouched on his shoulder, and rubbed its little head against his cheek, letting out two "chi-chi" sounds filled with worry.

Lin Yun reached out and stroked its little head, forcing a smile.

"It's okay." He said, "I'm still alive. I was too impulsive this time!"

After resting for a while, Lin Yun struggled to his feet and walked into the cave.

Deep in the cave, those mercenaries were lying on the ground, unconscious. There were no wounds on their bodies, and their breathing was steady, though their faces were somewhat pale.

Lin Yun used a light-attribute spell to cast a Purification Spell, dispelling the necromantic mist from within their bodies.

The mercenary captain, Bax, was the first to wake up. He looked around blankly, then saw Lin Yun, a look of survival appearing on his face.

"Little brother... did you save us?"

Lin Yun nodded: "It's good that you're all okay. That Necromancer is already dead."

Bax and the other mercenaries woke up one after another. Seeing the corpse of the man in the black robe outside the cave, they all understood what had happened. They thanked Lin Yun profusely.

Lin Yun waved his hand: "You should leave here first; it's too dangerous. I need to deal with something."

Bax looked at the little Shadow Mouse crouched on Lin Yun's shoulder and nodded: "Then take care of yourself. We'll be going."

The mercenaries packed up and hurried out of the cave.

Lin Yun took one last look at the depths of the cave—there was a crude altar there, upon which sat a semi-finished dark green crystal, emitting a strong necromantic aura. This was the magical artifact the Necromancer had refused to give up even in death.