Nathaniel knew the white figure was strong, but he hadn’t expected this level of strength. Within minutes, the figure had cleared away all the scarlet mist.
Every last wisp of it was gone like it had never existed. Such supernatural ability exceeded anything he could have imagined. Witnessing it firsthand was far more shocking than any secondhand report.
When the mist vanished, the white figure raised a hand, and the energy vortex quickly dissipated. Later, a crimson orb drifted down from above and settled into the figure’s palm.
Seeing his chance, Nathaniel channeled his true energy and shouted, “Your Excellency has used supreme divine power to clear away the deadly mist and saved our entire city from disaster.
“I, Prince Nathaniel Linsor, speak for all the citizens in expressing our deepest gratitude for your life-saving grace. Might I humbly request the honor of your company so I can properly show my appreciation as your host?”
This was a carefully crafted speech. First, he praised the white figure’s city-saving heroics, then used gratitude as a way to bridge the gap between them and create a face-to-face meeting opportunity.
At least from his perspective, he had shown genuine sincerity. He thought as long as this mysterious master wasn’t completely heartless, they should at least acknowledge his gesture.
After all, he was the third prince of Dragonmarsh, and his status was nothing short of noble. The fact that he had humbled himself enough to extend a personal invitation was already a rare gesture.
Without hesitation or pause, the white figure above seemed not to have heard anything. They transformed into a meteor and streaked away into the distance without stopping for even a moment.
Seeing that, Nathaniel’s smile froze instantly. He’d made extensive preparations and waited for this expert to show up so he could persuade them to join his cause. Unfortunately, things weren’t going according to his plan.
The powerhouse had no intention of acknowledging him whatsoever. After clearing the scarlet mist, the white figure just left without even sparing him a glance, and didn’t see him as anyone worth their time.
Nathaniel stood there in silence for a moment before finally cursing out loud, venting his frustration. “Damn it!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, a brilliant flash streaked across the distant sky. The next second, a white energy ball came hurtling down from above, crashing to the ground right at his feet.
The impact blasted a crater into the ground, and violent energy waves exploded outward from the pit.
Since Nathaniel was standing close, the blast sent him flying more than 30 feet through the air before he slammed into the ground. He lay there dazed and battered, covered in dust. When he touched his face, blood smeared across his fingers.
Nathaniel’s jaw tightened. He was pissed, but he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut this time. He knew the white energy ball was the powerhouse’s punishment for his outburst. He never imagined that from such a great distance, the figure could still hear his curse.
Indeed, such extraordinary individuals couldn’t be judged by ordinary standards. He finally realized not to offend them in the future.
Deep beneath Ashen Coast, the bone altar shuddered violently. Green ghost flames danced wildly on skull-topped candlesticks, casting flickering shadows across the walls, where murals made of flayed human skin seemed to writhe like
living things.
“Impossible!”
Eldrik Carrion’s withered fingers dug deep into the bronze altar as black blood seeped from beneath his nails. It trickled down the grooves to spread across ancient curse marks in sinister corrosive stains.
The skull crown atop his head emitted a piercing hum while the nine human eyeballs embedded in it simultaneously wept tears of blood.
“This deadly mist was saturated with the vengeful spirits of 100,000 souls, so how could it-”
Before he could finish, the soul-binding bell at the altar’s center exploded. Bronze fragments shot out like blades, carving spider-web cracks across the stone walls.
Sloan Vilehorn, a gaunt figure wrapped entirely in bandages, slowly rose to his feet. His clouded eyes fixed on the black blood pooling on the ground, then suddenly extended his corpse-spotted tongue and licked his fingertip.
“Elder Carrion, look-there are traces of golden light remaining in this blood.
Whoever did this means business.”
Upon hearing that, Eldrik’s eyes widened. Suddenly, his bone armor tore open. The heart of a living person, which was embedded between his ribs, beat frantically and shot a stream of black blood toward the vaulted ceiling.
“It’s a terrestrial immortal!”
His shriek shattered his entire bone armor. From within his ribcage, pale skeletal claws burst out like a nest of vipers.
“When did Skull Covenant offend someone of this level? This can’t be happening.”
The sound of snapping bones swallowed the rest of his words as his skeleton began to twist and grow in reverse. His spine tore through his flesh, jutting out as jagged bone spikes.
“Send out the order and recall all Blood Spyders,” Eldrik instructed.
From the depths came the sound of dragging chains as 12 cultists in human-skin cloaks crawled forward. With each movement, foul-smelling blood seeped from beneath their cloaks, leaving twisted bloodstains on the ground.
The lead figure pulled back his hood, revealing a face half-rotted, half-regenerated. Several pale maggots squirmed in his hollowed-out right eye socket.
“Elder Carrion, though our scarlet mist operation has failed, the corpse pods we’ve planted throughout Ashen Coast can still complete the mission and summon the Skull Lord,” the lead cultist said in a shrill voice.
“Fool!” Eldrik snapped.
He lashed out with a bone spike, piercing the cultist’s chest. The rotting flesh froze solid the instant it came into contact with the bone’s icy energy.
“With that terrestrial immortal standing guard, even if we activate the corpse pods, we won’t gather enough blood sacrifice to summon the Skull Lord.”
“Elder Carrion, I have a plan that could resolve our current crisis,” Sloan interjected.
“Speak.” Eldrik snapped his head toward him
Sloan leaned forward and began whispering in his ear.
“Here’s what we’ll do…”
