The Undead Realm

After the inheritance from the stele ended, Lin Yun stayed in the cave for several more days, digesting what he had learned during that time.

The mysteries of the Law of Death were profound beyond measure. Even with the guidance of the Inheritance Stele, he had only just touched the threshold. The nature of the soul, the structure of the Undead Realm, the principles governing the flow of death energy—these were things he could study for a long time.

But theory was still theory. Like any other kind of magic, Necromancy could only be truly mastered through practice.

Lin Yun sat cross-legged in the middle of the stone chamber. He put the stele back into his Space Ring, closed his eyes, and began to consider his next step.

There were two ways to summon the undead.

The first was the method he had learned from the inheritance: offer up a little soul power to open a rift to the Undead Realm, then randomly summon an undead creature. It was simple and quick, and did not consume much soul power. But it had one fatal flaw: unpredictability.

The creature summoned might be a weak Skeleton Soldier, a powerful Undead Knight, or even a legendary Bone Dragon. With good luck, he might summon an undead creature far stronger than himself; with bad luck, the creature might be weaker than an ordinary beast. Worse still, if the summoned undead was too powerful for the summoner's soul power to control, the summoner himself would suffer the backlash.

Random summoning was essentially a gamble. Lin Yun did not like gambling.

The second method was to send his spiritual consciousness into the Undead Realm, searching through its endless sea of undead for a suitable creature, then use an Undead Contract to make it his battle companion.

This method was more deliberate and safer. The summoner could choose an undead creature suited to his needs and abilities. Once the contract was established, the creature would become the summoner's loyal servant and would never turn on its master.

But the drawbacks were obvious. Sending his spiritual consciousness into the Undead Realm required a great deal of soul power, and he could only remain there for a limited time. His spiritual consciousness would be extremely vulnerable in the Undead Realm, and an attack from a powerful undead creature might cause irreversible damage. More importantly, a contracted undead creature could not be far stronger than its summoner. A Level Seven Mage could contract, at most, an undead creature at the peak of Level Seven.

"Peak of Level Seven..." Lin Yun murmured.

He was currently a Level Seven Mage. After being tempered by the inheritance, his soul power was already far beyond that of an ordinary Level Seven Mage. Contracting an undead creature at the peak of Level Seven would certainly improve his combat strength, but only to a limited extent. After all, he himself was Level Seven, and with the advantage of Seven-Element Magic, he would not struggle too much against an opponent at the peak of Level Seven.

But that was not the point of Necromancy.

The true value of Undead Summoning lay in numbers. A Necromancer could contract multiple undead creatures at once and form an army of the dead. An individual undead might not be as strong as he was, but ten or twenty together would be a force to be reckoned with. Moreover, undead creatures felt no pain, feared no death, and never tired. They had a natural advantage in a war of attrition.

But that was for the future. He had only just begun, and contracting one undead creature at the peak of Level Seven was already the best choice.

"I'll try it first." Lin Yun made up his mind.

Lin Yun took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

Following the method from the inheritance, he gathered his soul power deep within his consciousness, then released it in a sudden burst—not the gentle spread of Soul Perception, but something far more forceful and directed.

A violent tremor ran through the depths of his consciousness.

Then he "saw" a rift.

It appeared in his mind, like a tear in the dark sky. Beyond it stretched an endless gray expanse: gray skies, gray earth, gray mist. There was no sunlight, no wind, and no hint of life.

That was the Undead Realm.

Lin Yun's spiritual consciousness became a faint ray of light and slipped through the rift.

The instant he entered the Undead Realm, a frigid force enveloped his consciousness. It was unlike Morton's Soul Attack, which had been filled with malice. This coldness was more fundamental, more neutral. It was the power of death, one of the basic elements of this world.

Lin Yun steadied his mind and began to observe his surroundings.

He stood on a gray wasteland. The ground was cracked black earth, barren of even a blade of grass. A few bare hills rose in the distance, covered in jagged rocks and no vegetation. The sky was eternally gray, with no sun, moon, or other source of light, yet the whole world was shrouded in a dim, ashen glow. The light seemed to come from nowhere and go nowhere.

This was the Undead Realm.

A world where the Law of Death took physical form, the final destination of the souls of the dead.

Lin Yun's consciousness moved slowly across the wasteland. He did not dare go too fast or stray too far from the rift. Spiritual consciousness was extremely vulnerable in the Undead Realm. If a powerful undead creature attacked him, he might never make it back.

He had not gone far when he spotted the first undead creature.

It was a Skeleton Soldier, much more intact than the one he had summoned in the living world. Its bones were a grayish white, covered with a thin layer of frost, and ghostly green flames flickered in its eye sockets. It wandered aimlessly across the wasteland, as if searching for something.

Lin Yun sensed its strength. Around Level Five.

Too weak.

He continued on.

Along the way, he encountered all kinds of undead creatures: rotting Corpse Demons, Zombies missing limbs, Undead Knights riding Bone Horses, and Ghosts circling through the sky... Their levels ranged from Three to Seven, but most were around Five or Six.

He even saw a gigantic Bone Dragon lying atop a hill, apparently asleep. Its aura was so powerful it was suffocating—at least Level Nine, perhaps even Saint Realm. Lin Yun immediately changed course, not daring to approach.

These undead creatures were either too weak or too strong.

Undead creatures at the peak of Level Seven were much rarer than he had imagined.

Lin Yun wandered through the Undead Realm for a long time.

Time had no meaning there. He had no idea how much had passed—perhaps a few hours, perhaps several days. His soul power was slowly running out, and the rift to the living world was gradually shrinking.

He had to hurry.

Lin Yun quickened his pace and expanded his Soul Perception to its limit. In this gray wasteland, Soul Perception was his only "sight." His consciousness had no vision or hearing here; only soul power could sense the things around him.

At last, near a pile of rocks, he found a suitable target.

It was an Undead Knight at the peak of Level Seven.

It was a head taller than an ordinary Undead Knight and rode a horse that had likewise become undead. Its bones were a deep black, covered by a complete suit of bone armor. Beneath its helmet was an empty face, with bright dark red flames flickering in its eye sockets. In its hand it held a rusted longsword, wreathed in a faint aura of the undead.

The Undead Knight's aura was powerful—at the peak of Level Seven, just one step away from Level Eight.

More importantly, there were no other undead creatures nearby. It stood alone among the rocks, perfectly still, as if waiting for something.

Lin Yun cautiously approached.

His spiritual consciousness had no physical form in the Undead Realm, but he could sense the Undead Knight scanning its surroundings. The force was cold, carrying a faint hint of hostility.

The Undead Knight seemed to sense something. The dark red flames in its eye sockets flickered.

Lin Yun stopped at once, drawing his soul power in as tightly as he could while using Soul Soothing. It was a technique he had learned from the inheritance, one that could calm agitated undead creatures and reduce their hostility.

The flames in the Undead Knight's eye sockets flickered a few times, then slowly settled.

Lin Yun breathed a sigh of relief.

He continued forward until he was only a few steps away from the Undead Knight. Then he began to establish an Undead Contract.

An Undead Contract was a bond between a Necromancer and an undead creature.

Both parties had to agree to establish the contract. The summoner used his soul power as a medium to invite the undead creature. If it was willing, it would accept the invitation and leave its Soul Imprint on the contract. Once the contract was established, the undead creature would become the summoner's battle companion and obey his commands.

Of course, if the undead creature was unwilling, the contract would fail. Establishing one also consumed a great deal of soul power—the higher the undead creature's level, the greater the cost.

Lin Yun gathered his soul power into a thin strand and slowly extended it toward the Undead Knight.

"Sign a contract with me and become my battle companion." He sent his will through his soul power. "I'll give you strength and a reason to fight. You won't have to wander this wasteland anymore or wait for a fate that will never come."

The dark red flames in the Undead Knight's eye sockets flared violently.

Lin Yun could feel its resistance: an instinctive aversion to being bound. Though undead creatures had lost their memories and emotions from life, they still retained their most basic instincts: a desire for freedom and a rejection of restraint.

He did not withdraw his soul power. Instead, he continued to send his will.

"I won't keep you bound for long. After each battle, you can return to the Undead Realm and be free again. All I need is for you to fight at my side in battle."

The flames in the Undead Knight's eye sockets flickered more and more violently.

Lin Yun could sense its hesitation. An undead creature at the peak of Level Seven had basic intelligence and could make simple judgments. It was weighing its options. Accepting the contract meant giving up some of its freedom, but it also meant leaving this silent wasteland for the living world, where it could fight.

At last, the flames in the Undead Knight's eye sockets settled.

It lowered its head slightly, gathered its soul power into an imprint, and placed it on Lin Yun's contract.

The contract was established.

Lin Yun felt a large portion of his soul power vanish. At the same time, a new presence flowed into his consciousness—the Undead Knight. He could sense its location, its condition, and its emotions.

He opened his eyes—or rather, he had no real eyes in the Undead Realm, but he knew the contract was complete.

"From today on, your name is Dark Blade." Lin Yun gave it a name.

The flames in the Undead Knight's eye sockets flickered once, as if in reply.

Lin Yun did not linger. Most of his soul power was gone, and the rift was rapidly shrinking. He took one last look at the Undead Knight—or rather, Dark Blade—then turned and flew toward the rift.

The moment his spiritual consciousness returned to the living world, a powerful wave of dizziness washed over him.

Lin Yun opened his eyes and found himself drenched in sweat.

The stone chamber was just as it had been, and Bebe was still curled up beside him. Nothing had changed, but he knew he was no longer the same.

He could sense Dark Blade's presence. The contract was like an invisible thread connecting him to some corner of the Undead Realm. Whenever he wished, he could summon Dark Blade into the living world.

But at that moment, Dark Blade was not what caught his attention. It was the aura clinging to his own body.

A cold, decaying aura entwined itself around his soul and body. It was the aura of the Undead Realm, a mark left on him by the power of death. After spending so long there, his soul had inevitably been tainted by its atmosphere.

If he returned to the academy now, any Light Element mage would easily sense the undead aura on him. He would be mistaken for a Necromancer and hunted by the Radiant Church.

Lin Yun frowned, raised his right hand, and condensed a white light.

Light Magic: Purification.

It was one of the Level Six Light Magic spells he knew best. Warm light enveloped his body like sunlight breaking through the gloom. The undead aura clinging to him hissed in the light, melting away like snow before a raging fire.

The purification lasted about a quarter of an hour. By the time the white light faded, the undead aura on Lin Yun had disappeared completely.

He let out a long breath and stretched.

"Good thing I know Light Magic," he murmured.

Bebe hopped over and perched on his shoulder, rubbing its little head against his cheek as it chirped twice. It seemed to have sensed something; its tiny nose twitched as it sniffed him all over.

"It's gone. I've purified it already." Lin Yun smiled and stroked its little head.

Bebe chirped twice, apparently unconvinced. It sniffed him a few more times before finally settling down, satisfied.

Lin Yun leaned against the stone wall, closed his eyes, and sensed Dark Blade's presence.

The contract was like a fine thread connecting him to the Undead Realm. He could sense Dark Blade's condition. It had returned to the Undead Realm and was waiting quietly among the rocks. As soon as he called, it would cross the barrier between the two worlds and come to his side.

An Undead Knight at the peak of Level Seven.

Though it would only provide a limited boost to his combat strength, this was just the beginning. The true power of Necromancy lay in numbers. Once his soul power was strong enough, he could contract a second undead creature, a third, or even a tenth. Then he would no longer be fighting alone.

Besides, Undead Summoning was only one branch of Necromancy. Soul Attack, Soul Enslavement, Soul Refining... He had yet to begin studying these more profound techniques.

Lin Yun opened his eyes and looked at the gray sky outside the cave entrance.

The inheritance in Necromancy was over, but he still had much to digest. His insights into the Law of Death, his practice of Undead Summoning, and the cultivation of his soul power—these were things that could keep him in the Magic Beast Mountain Range for a while longer.

But that was for later.

For now, he just wanted a good rest.

Lin Yun closed his eyes and slowly sank into meditation. Bebe curled up beside him, its little body rising and falling. Before long, it was fast asleep.

The stone chamber grew quiet again, disturbed only by the occasional chirping of insects outside the cave and the faint light remaining on the stele.