Curse Cult

In the era of Lin Lei, every soldier was indoctrinated with the ideology of fighting for their lord; they lived for the lord's life and fought for the lord's survival.

"Centurion Lin, Miss Alice is still waiting for you."

Seeing that Lin Lei had already directed his soldiers to set up defensive measures and arranged traps in various locations, Aier led Lin Lei to meet Miss Alice.

This was the second order Alice had given when instructing Aier.

Lin Lei followed behind Aier, maintaining a steady pace as they walked along thick, smooth walls lined with rows of iron statues and candles.

After Aier made a turn, he led the closely following Lin Lei to a study. As Aier fumbled with the bookshelf, the sound of floorboards grinding slowly emerged. The floor, which had appeared flat, slowly shifted aside to reveal an opening large enough for an adult man to enter.

"Centurion Lin, there are mechanisms set up on the path ahead. Please watch where I step and do not stray."

Facing Aier's solemn warning, Lin Lei nodded instinctively. He figured that if someone with Aier's Silver-rank strength had to be this cautious, the consequences of a wrong step would surely be dire.

Aier held an oil lamp, dispelling the fog within a three-meter radius. Under the light, Aier moved very slowly, and Lin Lei, following behind, was even more meticulous. A journey that should have taken less than five minutes took a full ten.

"We're here."

Aier blew out the lamp he had been carrying and placed it on the wall nearby.

The previously pitch-black tunnel became remarkably bright here. Lin Lei was astonished to discover that this was an entire underground palace, spanning a space of over thirty zhang. Illuminated by magic lamps, it was as bright as any palace on the surface.

If not for the dark tunnel still visible behind him, he would have doubted he was underground at all.

There were quite a few people in the underground palace. Judging by their appearance and the aura they exuded, these were all experts, at least on par with Lin Lei's own level of strength.

Lin Lei was puzzled as to where Flower Territory had found so many powerhouses, but since he was about to meet Miss Alice, he quickly pushed the doubt to the back of his mind.

Walking into the largest palace in the center, which bore the sign Green Spirit Palace, and with Aier leading the way, it didn't take long for Lin Lei to find Alice, who was busy inside.

The youthful, beautiful, and slightly assertive girl Lin Lei remembered had vanished over the past month, replaced by a heroic female general. The luxurious, comfortable silk robes she once wore had been replaced by cold, hard armor.

Her eyes were bloodshot and showed signs of fatigue. Hearing the sound of Aier and Lin Lei entering, she stopped talking to a person in blue mage robes and looked toward them.

"Long time no see, Centurion Lin."

Looking at the newcomer, Alice said with a smile.

"Seeing you here means you are willing to help defend our Flower Territory."

"I wouldn't dare say that. Helping to defend Miss Alice is my duty, and it is my honor."

Lin Lei replied with composure.

"Haha, since Centurion Lin is willing to participate, I won't beat around the bush. Let me tell you clearly who our enemy is this time.

Half a year ago, by chance, a minion of the Burning Legion escaped into our Flower Territory. Because my father was busy participating in the battle against Dalaran at the time, he never discovered this tumor, allowing the creature to take root and develop in Flower Territory.

Initially, they only had warlocks from the Shadow Council—evil cultists who sacrificed their own lives in exchange for power—but a month ago, necromancers from the Scourge Legion's Curse Cult arrived, making the situation much more complex."

"Does Miss Alice have a foolproof plan?"

Lin Lei had already anticipated Alice's news. Although he was surprised that the Scourge Legion's Curse Cult had arrived, it was within reason.

According to his memory, the Scourge Legion was controlled by the Burning Legion until the failure of the second invasion. It was not surprising that the Burning Legion's Shadow Council and the Scourge Legion's Curse Cult were acting in concert.

"No."

Alice shook her head and continued.

"Who can guarantee a foolproof plan? We can only fight to the death. As humans, we must fight these evil creatures."

"In that case, I, Lin Lei, will not fear for this shell of mine. I am willing to be the spear in Miss Alice's hand to slay these bloodthirsty, chaotic enemies."

Lin Lei offered his oath with a knight's salute. His voice was not loud, but it was resonant and firm. Alice smiled and beckoned to the maid beside her.

"Feiying, go give this bag to the Centurion."

As she spoke, she took a small black bag from her side, only the size of a palm. Lin Lei took the black bag, looking at Alice in confusion.

"There are ten thousand gold coins inside, a reward for your arrival. The defense of the inner court will depend on you from now on."

"Understood."

Alice ended the conversation with Lin Lei. Holding the bag of gold, Lin Lei returned to his defensive post with Aier's help.

After Aier left, Lin Lei opened the small bag. Inside lay one hundred purple gold coins, shimmering brightly.

With Lin Lei's current strength, earning wealth was simple. His salary as a member of the City Defense Department was five hundred gold coins per month, not to mention various other miscellaneous incomes.

Of course, Lin Lei's expenses were also high. The magical beast meat he and Red Fire consumed daily accounted for a third of his income, not to mention the high-quality forage for Red Hare and the maintenance costs for his armor and weapons. When all was calculated, Lin Lei hadn't actually saved many gold coins.

The ten thousand gold coins Alice gave him were of great use. His comprehension of the Yang Jian character card had reached eighty percent, and his strength had further increased to the second stage of the Silver rank through actual combat.

After this, further comprehension of the Yang Jian character card became increasingly difficult, and the medicinal ingredients for the body-tempering formulas he obtained from the system became more and more precious. Lin Lei was becoming increasingly desperate for gold coins.

Lin Lei thought to himself, and with a single thought, he tucked the small black bag into his pack. In the face of the current crisis, these funds could not yet be put to use.

Meanwhile, Edward led his men to the Crouching Dragon Ravine. Beyond this point lay a desolate, dense forest. Countless magical beasts, Ogre, Goblin, Kobold, and other wild monsters lived there. Edward and his men would begin their sweep from this point.

Edward climbed to the top of the mountain, dismounted, and looked down at the bottomless forest below. He said to the captain of his guards with some emotion.

"Another year of the hunting day. I wonder if everything will go smoothly this time. According to intelligence from adventurers, an Ogre tribe that was defeated in the deeper regions has arrived here. This year will be harder than previous ones."

"With the Lord presiding, they are just a group of savage creatures. Even if they are born with immense strength, their intelligence is low. How could they withstand our edge? You are overthinking it, my Lord."

"Perhaps."

Edward sighed. What he worried about at this moment was not the hunt, but the Flower Territory thousands of miles away. After that secret talk, he knew his daughter would have a daring plan. Lacking decisiveness, he could only tacitly consent to her actions.

"Whoosh."

A dark energy orb smashed toward Edward, its pitch-black form radiating powerful energy fluctuations.

"Protect the Lord!"

The guards on alert nearby spotted the energy ball, and three men rushed forward, using their own bodies to shield Edward.

"Boom!"

Accompanied by a massive roar, the three guards didn't even have time to let out a scream; their bodies were blown apart instantly. Severed limbs flew through the air, and blood splattered across the ground, spraying onto those nearby.

In the woods not far away, a figure in a black robe couldn't help but curse, "A pity," before hurriedly shifting positions.

Edward was also shocked by this series of events. Recovering from his distraction, he looked at the guards who had died tragically before him. While a sense of lingering fear arose in his heart, he let out a thunderous roar.

"Who is it?"

Edward channeled his power to sense the residual energy.

"It is the power of the undead. Guards, search! You must capture that disgusting undead rat."

Just as Edward raised his greatsword to head into the dense forest below, countless black shadows slowly emerged all around.

"Skeletons, undead."

"What is happening? Have we been surrounded?"

"What do we do? They are all over the mountains and plains; we've been ambushed."

The crowd murmured in confusion. The more timid mercenaries were trembling all over; encountering these creatures resurrected from the dead would make any normal person's skin crawl.

Edward stopped in his tracks, calmly watching the undead that had suddenly appeared. As a lord, he naturally realized that this was highly unusual.

First, an assassination attempt by a necromancer, followed by thousands of undead units—all of this told him that this was a naked ambush, a long-planned attack.

Reason told him that sacrificing the majority to break through from the direction they came was the correct choice.

Edward looked at the soldiers waiting for his decision. Those bright eyes were filled with a longing for life. Remembering the soldiers who had just sacrificed their lives for him, these things solidified his determination to fight against this Scourge Legion.

"Everyone, form a defensive formation! Look closely at those skeleton frames in front of you. These filthy Scourge mages have desecrated human corpses. We must avenge the defiled dead and avenge our comrades who just died tragically!"

Edward shouted loudly. His firm, powerful voice and tall, imposing figure brought the panicked soldiers back to their senses. Looking at the approaching Ghoul, skeletons, and zombies, their initial fear transformed into anger—an anger at the insult to the dead.