Yin Spirit Parasite (1)

The other core members of the Tower of Yin Spirits did not rush to act when they saw David Root make his move. They knew he had won the favor of the Void Yin Spirit and possessed an immensely powerful spell. Never mind a few dozen scattered undead fighters—even a regular Knights Order would have a fight on its hands.

Yet, to their surprise, while still more than fifty meters away, the Skeleton Soldiers abruptly halted their rapid charge. They raised their rifles, took aim, and opened fire!

Bang, bang, bang!

A rapid burst of gunfire echoed through the Pyramid hall.

Of the dozen or so people waiting to watch the show, five or six were shot and fell on the spot, including David Root, who had been preparing to cast a spell.

As the main target, David Root took the most hits. Seven or eight bullets tore through his chest and head. Agony wracked him, yet he could hardly believe what was happening. Even as he died, he could not understand why the Skeleton Soldiers had suddenly raised their rifles and fired.

They had been trapped by their own assumptions about Skeleton Soldiers. They thought them cannon fodder armed with rusty weapons, unable to beat even an armed farmer. They had never imagined Green's Skeleton Soldiers would be elite troops equipped with Enchanted Rifles. Caught completely off guard, they had no time to use their protective spells or defensive artifacts.

And so David Root—the cult pontiff whose name had struck terror into countless people across Northwest Province, a man who had slaughtered without restraint and held even the Kingdom's government in contempt—fell onto his back without so much as a scream.

Only then did the others react, hastily drawing their weapons and activating their defenses.

Everyone who had made it here was a core member of the Tower of Yin Spirits, at least an Intermediate Apprentice. Two were already Advanced Apprentice Knights. They raised Battle Aura Shields, called out to one another, and joined forces to defend.

After his first strike succeeded, Green did not blindly press the attack. He ordered the charge to stop and pulled the Ghouls and Skeleton Soldiers back behind the Zombies. They began retreating slowly, as though killing David Root was enough and he meant to quit while he was ahead. But in secret, Evil Spirit Maxim and the five newly transformed Ghosts entered Spirit Body Concealment and silently circled around to the Obelisk's flank.

A dozen seconds later, with the Undead Troops no longer attacking, the twelve surviving members of the Tower of Yin Spirits had finished preparing for battle. They were eager to counterattack, unaware that their retreat had already been cut off.

Green maintained Visual Synchronization with Maxim. As soon as he felt they were close enough, he gave the order.

First, the Gun Skeleton Soldiers unleashed a rapid volley to draw the enemy's attention. Then Evil Spirit Maxim and the five Ghosts appeared five or six meters behind the Tower of Yin Spirits' people. They became streaks of white, like lengths of silk, and hurtled toward the enemy.

Though Ghosts and Evil Spirits could conceal their spirit bodies, the fierce surge of Psychic Energy when they attacked made hiding impossible.

The moment they launched their attack, Green's Visual Synchronization with Maxim was severed. He could only return to his own view and watch the battlefield from behind.

Even so, the ambush remained sudden and well concealed. Six people were struck on the spot: two Knights, a warrior, a thief, and two mages. All were Intermediate Apprentices, but they had focused solely on the enemy ahead and failed to guard their backs. The Ghosts struck directly at their souls. Four died instantly. The two mages, whose mental strength was greater, survived the blow but fell unconscious.

"Behind us!"

The two Advanced Apprentice Knights at the front reacted fastest. They sensed Maxim and the five Ghosts the instant they appeared and roared as they turned, but they were too late. All they saw was six people falling together, while several streams of white vapor darted into the air and vanished again in a flash.

"Damn it! Ghosts!"

As Transcendents with considerable combat strength, they immediately recognized what had attacked them. Spells flew and Fighting Aura slashed through the air, but amid the chaos, not one attack hit its target.

Green, meanwhile, saw that the ambush had worked and immediately ordered an all-out assault. The Hard-Skin Ghoul charged at the head of the Ghoul squad, with the Gun Skeleton Soldiers providing covering fire. The clumsy but immensely strong Zombies stretched their stiff legs and lumbered forward at full speed...

The battle did not last long. Before the slower Zombies could even reach it, the Ghost and Ghoul squads had wiped out the enemy under the Gun Skeleton Soldiers' covering fire.

The corpses of seventeen people, including David Root, lay before Green. He searched them one by one, gaining a great deal of Psychic Energy.

Only then did Green truly understand the saying, "A man grows no fortune without a windfall, nor a horse grows fat without night fodder." Those seventeen people alone had brought him more than 2,200 Psychic Energy. If he converted their weapons and the Magic Artifacts they carried into Psychic Energy as well, the total would reach at least 4,000.

But this was not the time to tally his gains. Green directed the Skeleton Soldiers to clear the battlefield quickly and take every captured Magic Artifact into the Graveyard. Then he turned his gaze to the Obelisk.

Green did not know the origins of this ancient Pyramid, but he was certain it contained Psychic Energy—and an enormous amount of it. The Obelisk in particular was the heart of the entire Pyramid. If he could bring the Psychic Energy within it into the Graveyard, the gain would not be in the thousands but in the tens of thousands.

Yet Green had a feeling he would not get his wish this time.

As he approached the Obelisk, a dazzling burst of light suddenly erupted from it. Green shielded his face with a hand and stepped back. The Hard-Skin Ghoul flashed in front of him. When the light faded, an extraordinarily beautiful naked woman stood beneath the Obelisk. She looked to be in her twenties, with golden hair that reached her hips. Her full figure was breathtakingly alluring. She wore nothing, and only her long hair faintly veiled her intimate parts.

"Young warrior, thank you for saving me!" Her voice was warm and inviting, soothing to the ear.

Green frowned at the woman who had appeared out of nowhere. Rather than being drawn in by her alluring body, he grew wary and backed away farther. Nearby Ghouls and Zombies closed in.

The woman's warm smile faltered. "Damn it," she muttered. She flickered backward, leaving behind only a shouted "Now!"

Light and shadow wavered on either side of the Obelisk, revealing two figures. They flung off their cloaks and charged Green with a roar.

"Invisibility Cloaks!"

Green understood at once. Magic Artifacts capable of granting invisibility were exceedingly rare. He had never expected to find two identical ones here.

The two charging men were both close-range fighters: one wielded fist blades, the other a massive axe. Their long-prepared attack carried tremendous force. They easily sent the two Ghouls that moved to block them flying, then barreled straight toward Green like a pair of maddened bulls.