Chapter 534, Soul-Capturing Jade Stone
The necromantic clone glanced at the tavern owner's corpse.
His brow slightly furrowed. "This is worse than Shiyali's condition."
"Give it a try. If it doesn't work, we'll let it go," the prophecy clone said.
The necromantic clone nodded, drank a bottle of spirit potion, turned the owner's head back to its normal position, and cast [Resurrection Spell] again.
The tavern owner suddenly opened his eyes and began to gasp violently for air.
His eyes reflected the terror of having just experienced death.
He glanced around in confusion before collapsing back onto the floor with a thud.
The prophecy clone checked him and said, "He's passed out, but his life signs are stable."
The tavern owner had also come back from the dead.
Both clones were somewhat surprised.
After all, the description of [Resurrection Spell] was quite strict.
It required casting within one minute of death.
But this case had far exceeded that limit.
Luck couldn't fully explain this.
The necromantic clone muttered skeptically, "Could it be that leveling up improved the spell's effectiveness? How did they both come back?"
The suspicion was that his level increase had enhanced the effects of various skills.
Other skills either gained extended durations or larger areas of effect.
If the resurrection spell extended its effective time, it would make sense.
At that moment, footsteps sounded at the door.
Several guild members entered, carrying wounded individuals.
"Island Master, the steward asked me to bring the wounded to you," one of them said.
Wu Heng glanced at the injured and said, "I'll sustain their lives; you administer the potions."
"Understood!"
...…
Meanwhile, at the battle site—
With Wu Heng's clones and Sheila Grey joining the fray—
The pace of the extermination accelerated.
The cultists were already few in number, and aside from the necromancer, none posed much of a threat.
Under a relentless assault—
The last cultist was pierced by a blade and killed.
The entire area fell silent.
Several squads quickly checked the corpses to confirm their identities.
Shortly after, Squad Three's leader, Orin, returned hurriedly. "Five living bodies, four rotting corpses, but the necromancer isn't here."
At this, Wu Heng and Sheila Grey's brows both furrowed.
He wasn't here.
With so many people pursuing him relentlessly, how could he have escaped?
The necromancer was the most dangerous target—the rest didn't matter.
Sheila Grey immediately gave an order through the earpiece: "The necromancer escaped. Search along the route. He's just a spellcaster; he won't have gotten far. Notify us the moment you find him. If we don't catch him, we're all at risk."
"Yes!" the squads responded in unison.
They dispersed rapidly and began searching along the path.
Sheila Grey frowned and looked at the four Wu Heng clones beside her. Addressing the nearest one, she said, "Take the rotting corpses back and see if the Skeleton Prophet can track him."
It was a desperate measure—
The only possible link to the necromancer might be through the corpses.
"Understood," Wu Heng nodded.
He gathered the corpses on the ground.
Just as he was about to leave—
Glenda descended quickly from above, still in her invisible state. "I found an 18th-level Professional over there," she reported.
Wu Heng followed her gaze.
He immediately turned toward the direction and said to Sheila Grey and the clones, "We've found the target—it's the 18th-level necromancer."
Their eyes widened, and everyone instantly became alert.
One clone said, "He's level 18. After death, he'll spawn spectral spirits. We need to pick up the necromantic specialists from the tavern."
"Got it!"
Sheila Grey quickly approached, her eyes filled with the hatred of facing an enemy.
"Then let's hurry. We can't let him escape again."
...…
Behind the tavern, in a narrow alley—
A brown earthen coffin rose from the ground, and the next moment, it crumbled into fine sand, revealing the black-robed necromancer.
His gaze darted around as he swapped his cloak for one of a different color.
He summoned three spectral spirits that hovered on either side of him like vengeful ghosts.
"Go, scout the area. I need to avoid detection and leave this place," the necromancer instructed.
The spirits split into three directions, soaring into the sky.
Under their guidance, the necromancer navigated past search teams and began his escape.
Today's plan had encountered some unexpected complications.
With his power, he should have been able to kill his targets and leave safely, gradually wiping out the guild's members.
But the enemy's reinforcements had arrived faster than anticipated.
Most of the cultists who followed him to the island had already died.
Still, that wasn't a major issue. As long as he was alive, the island's inhabitants provided enough resources to rebuild a necromantic army.
He glanced back toward the guild and sneered. "We've got plenty of time. I'll kill everyone around you one by one."
With that, he quickened his pace.
But after only two steps, he suddenly stumbled as a powerful force slammed him forward.
Bang~!
A moment later, the sound of an explosion followed.
The necromancer looked down in confusion and saw a gaping hole in his left chest.
Danger.
His eyes widened in shock.
His mummified body felt no pain, but the physical vessel was still vital.
Thud~!
His heart was pierced again, and he staggered backward.
The necromancer rolled backward, and a thick black mist immediately engulfed the entire alley, obscuring visibility.
Buzz buzz buzz!
Swarms of insects spread out, causing chaos inside nearby buildings.
Panicked residents, covering their heads, fled their homes and rushed outside.
The scene descended into chaos again.
As expected, the long-range attacks ceased.
The necromancer quickly found cover and pressed his fingers against the charred flesh of his wounds.
The injuries writhed and began to heal, gradually sealing the holes.
Bone armor emerged, covering his body.
He scanned the fleeing crowd.
In a cold voice, he commanded, "Find whoever attacked me and kill them. If you can't, control the civilians and have them do it."
Whoosh whoosh~!
The spectral spirits took off again and soared into the sky.
The necromancer waved his hand, summoning a giant clay urn.
Bang~!
The urn shattered, spilling a pile of corpses from various races onto the ground like heaps of rotting flesh.
[Battlefield of the Dead] was activated.
A horde of rotting corpses rose, crowding the narrow alley.
"You're all here, still hiding? Aren't you afraid of disgracing your guild?"
As he spoke—
Whoosh~!
A gust of wind swept through, dispersing the fog in the alley.
A golden beam of light shot into the alley from afar, forming a knight clad in armor and wielding a glowing sword.
Light Elemental Knight?
The Church?
The necromancer frowned, but the light knight had already charged forward, slashing into the rotting corpses.
His sword cleaved through their bodies, and flames engulfed them, reducing them to charred corpses that collapsed to the ground.
The necromancer waved his staff, intending to cast a spell on the light knight.
Bang bang bang~!
Three gunshots rang out.
The necromancer's body was riddled with bullet holes.
Even the bone armor couldn't block the attack, and his decaying body burst into splatters of blood.
Even after identifying the direction of the gunfire, his body couldn't dodge the shots in the narrow alley, making him a living target.
Fear flashed through his eyes as the necromancer quickly retreated back behind cover.
He could hear the light knight methodically killing the rotting corpses he had summoned.
Just then, the spectral spirits returned with information.
The necromancer's eyes widened as he shouted toward the distance, "Wu Heng, come out. Let's talk."
There was no response from the surroundings.
The necromancer shouted again.
"You're not at level 12—you've reached level 15, haven't you? You've been hiding your level because you're afraid the guild will fear our profession, right?"
"At your age, it's surprising and concerning. Join our Destiny Sect, and I'll make you the church's Saint Son. Power, women, resources—we'll support you in secret. You can remain the island master while also benefiting from our resources."
"You're smart. You should understand what I'm saying."
Seeing no immediate attack, the necromancer felt a glimmer of hope. "What do you say? We're the same kind. What could you possibly gain from staying with the guild? They're only ahead because they discovered the value of faith-based professions earlier and established order."
Tap tap tap~!
"After killing so many people, now you want me to join you?"
A voice echoed, and the necromancer spun around, seeing a black-haired man wearing colorful robes beneath leather armor walking toward him from a side path.
He's here?
Then who was attacking me from afar?
The necromancer frowned. According to the spectral spirits, Wu Heng shouldn't be here.
But he replied anyway, "A person's value rises with their performance, and you're worth the price I'm offering."
"You're just a grand knight. Can you really make this decision? Saint Son? Secret support?" another voice chimed in.
The necromancer turned again and saw another Wu Heng stepping out from the right.
His brow furrowed as he glanced around.
Clones?
He even prepared clones for me.
He answered, "With your potential, the church leader would definitely approve."
"You're offering him this invitation—what about avenging my sister? After killing so many people, you think you'll walk out of here alive?" Sheila Grey descended from above, her white wings spread wide and frost on her face.
Her eyes burned with vengeance.
"You all…" The necromancer's expression changed, realizing negotiations were over. His voice turned cold. "Seeking death…"
Bang~!
A gunshot echoed, and the necromancer's head snapped back as a bullet pierced his forehead.
But his body remained standing.
Slowly, he lifted his head again.
His voice grew even colder. "Then we'll all die together~!"
He slammed his staff into the ground.
Instantly, countless spectral spirits burst from his body like a massive tornado, swirling outward in layers.
The air was filled with roars and ear-piercing screams.
Everyone widened their eyes in shock at the sight before them.
The sheer number of spectral spirits inside him was unbelievable, and judging by their behavior, even he couldn't control them after release.
The dense swarm of spirits spiraled and howled as they scattered.
"He's trying to escape," Sheila Grey shouted, rushing toward him.
Ahead, the necromancer's body was gradually encased in a brown earthen coffin, standing upright as it sank into the ground.
One of Wu Heng's clones shouted, "Don't go! I'll handle it."
Sheila Grey stopped in her tracks.
Wu Heng pulled out a rocket launcher and fired.
The rocket trailed flames as it shot forward, striking the earthen coffin directly.
Boom!
The coffin exploded, and the necromancer's body was flung into the air.
Two more Wu Heng clones appeared, aiming submachine guns and rifles at him, and opened fire.
Bullets tore into the necromancer's body, shattering his bone armor and sending sprays of blood everywhere.
Amid his agonized screams and curses, negative energy beams clashed with gunfire, but the necromancer was reduced to a pile of gore.
His spectral spirit emerged from the ruined body.
Wu Heng's necromantic clone gestured, and a bone cage rose from the ground, forming a prison in an instant.
The cage trapped the necromancer's spectral spirit along with the numerous other spirits hovering around.
Inside the cage—
The spirits grew restless and began crashing into the walls.
They tangled with and devoured one another, forming swirling vortexes of energy.
"Let me out! These spirits are mindless—they'll consume everything!" the necromancer's spirit shouted as he struggled to break free from a vengeful spirit's grasp.
"They're your pets. You deal with them," Wu Heng replied.
"You'll regret this!" the necromancer cursed.
"You too," Wu Heng said.
In the sky, several more ferocious spirits were flying around, attacking nearby residents.
Possessed individuals lost their senses, attacking those around them or slamming their heads against walls and twisting their necks.
Chaos erupted once more.
Wu Heng instructed Glenda to absorb the spirits and said to Sheila Grey:
"Have the guild members come to control the possessed civilians. The necromancer is dead, so the spirits won't last long."
Sheila Grey nodded and issued orders through the earpiece.
Wu Heng turned his gaze back to the bone cage.
The spirits had nearly finished devouring each other.
Only two remained—the necromancer's spectral spirit and a vengeful spirit.
Their levels had skyrocketed due to the consumption of other spirits.
Not wanting them to grow stronger, Wu Heng split the cage to separate them.
Amid curses and mockery, he sealed both spirits inside the Demon Soul Jar.
Sheila Grey deactivated her artifact state, her body encased in frost. "It's over."
"Yeah. Gather the corpses and have the squads come to help the civilians. There were too many spirits," Wu Heng said, removing the necromancer's space ring and wrapping the body in a grass mat.
Sheila Grey nodded, and they left the alley together.
They waited for the squads to arrive.
When the squads reached the area, Sheila Grey began issuing commands to control and treat the possessed civilians.
...…
After delegating tasks—
Wu Heng and Sheila Grey headed back toward the guild.
Upon returning to the guild—
Sheila Grey went to check on Shiyali.
Wu Heng remained in Sheila Grey's office.
He took out the ring he had taken from the Destiny Sect's necromancer and used his mental energy to inspect its contents.
The first thing he retrieved was a grayish-white jade stone.
"Why do I keep finding jade stones lately?"
One side of the jade stone had faintly visible runic patterns, resembling natural markings.
[Soul-Capturing Jade Stone (Artifact)]
[Effect: The array can extract fragmented soul power.]
[Side Effect: Sacrifice.]
(Description: A naturally formed artifact. When exposed to sunlight, it forms an array that can extract residual souls from living beings and corpses. The extracted souls lack sentience.)