Atus West, Kanak.
In the downtown area of Kanak, the battle between the Revolutionary Army soldiers and the Savior Sect armed forces was nearing its end. The last remnants of the Savior Sect's strength were suppressed in the downtown area. Under the overwhelming advantage of the Revolutionary Army, the Savior Sect armed forces were expected to be annihilated in a short time. However, just as the Revolutionary Army soldiers were about to launch their final fierce attack, something unexpected happened, surprising everyone.
During the battle, the howling violent wind covered the sound of gunfire and shouts. Hearing this huge sound, all the soldiers couldn't help but temporarily stop what they were doing and look towards the north, where the unusual wind was coming from. Immediately, what came into their sight was the sand and dust rolling up all over the sky, which was turning into a dark yellow giant wall of wind and sand, approaching Kanak from horizon to horizon. A terrifying human face appeared on the giant wall of wind and sand, giving all the soldiers present an unprecedented sense of powerful oppression.
Facing such a terrifying spectacle, both the Revolutionary Army soldiers and the Savior Sect armed soldiers couldn't help but stop fighting for a moment. They stared in astonishment at the surging colossal power, falling into panic, not knowing what to do.
On the other side, north of Kanak city, at the forefront directly facing the incoming wind and sand, the leader of the Adus Revolutionary Army, Shadi, stood there. He raised his head, looking at the gradually approaching terrifying giant face. The chaotic wind blew his clothes, and the surrounding attendants were even blown so hard they couldn't open their eyes. Facing the violent undead disaster, Shadi muttered in his heart.
'Please, Seytut!'
'Heh... it's that familiar time again...'
After a simple exchange with Seytut, Shadi extended his hand forward. Then his eyes began to turn ice blue, and a circle of fluorescence began to appear around his pupils. The temperature around him also began to drop rapidly. After deeply relying on Seytut again, Shadi used abilities beyond the Chalk Rank.
"Frost..."
Muttering, Shadi began to use his abilities on a large scale. Under the invisible Spirituality influence, the entire Kanak and even some surrounding areas were affected. The temperature began to drop rapidly. Soldiers in the city suddenly felt the hot temperature around them becoming colder and colder, and after a while, they could exhale white mist.
The temperature of Kanak began to drop rapidly under the influence of Shadi and Seytut. The temperature in this area plummeted by more than ten degrees in a short time. Seytut, based on his knowledge, used low temperature to create a localized high-pressure environment in Kanak, creating a wall of air pressure in Kanak to prevent the sandstorm from continuing to move south. This method quickly worked. The huge swirling sand and dust that was originally approaching the south suddenly slowed down, and the advance of the entire swirling sandstorm quickly came to a standstill.
'It worked! Lowering the temperature really has an effect on that guy! What's the principle behind this?' Seeing the scene of the swirling sand and dust, Shadi said excitedly in his heart, and Seytut immediately responded.
'Simply lowering the temperature is useless... This also involves many detailed operations. In short, the knowledge in these areas cannot be explained clearly to you in a short time. If you are willing to be a student, I will explain it to you slowly when I have time in the future. The urgent task now is to deal with this guy.'
Seytut responded to Shadi like this, and then he constantly changed the temperature to fine-tune the localized high pressure he created, thereby weakening the massive swirling sandstorm while deflecting and guiding it in another direction, diverting its path away from Kanak.
On the other side, the Spirit of Diya Ding, which formed the sand and dust whirlwind, also seemed to feel that its advance was obstructed. It tried to break through forcefully a few times without success, and even felt that it might be led astray, so it became very angry and took new action.
On the giant wall of wind and sand whose southward path was blocked, the huge face belonging to Diya Ding Baruk opened its giant mouth. What was spoken from it was the hoarse, sandy words that stirred the environment and stretched for thousands of miles.
"I am King Diya Ding... I am King Adus... My people... I have returned from death... I shall settle accounts with the rebels..."
The sandstorm transformed by the Spirit of Diya Ding spoke. His words shocked the hearts of every soldier present. The soldiers in front of them immediately understood what kind of existence this monster-like sandstorm was. It turned out to be their former king, the last tyrant of the Baruk Dynasty.
"King Diya Ding... You're kidding, that's King Diya Ding!"
"No way! He... didn't he die? How can he still be here!"
"Undead... King Diya Ding's undead has returned! He's here to get revenge on us!"
...
As the sandstorm undead approached, the soldiers in Kanak city fell into panic for a while. This time they finally knew whose face the giant sand and dust face belonged to, and they knew why this terrifying sand and dust had arisen. It belonged to the original king of this country, to the tyrant who should have been overthrown by them.
The dead tyrant returned as a sandstorm, vowing revenge. This scene gave countless soldiers in Kanak city immense shock. Whether it was Shadi's Revolutionary Army or the Savior Sect armed forces, in front of Diya Ding, they were all rebels to be killed. All the soldiers in the city also fell into a panic as a result. Under Diya Ding's terrifying and shocking oppression, many soldiers even began to lay down their weapons and flee the battlefield. At the same time, fear also deepened their understanding of King Diya Ding in their hearts. The concept that Diya Ding was the true King of Adus suddenly appeared in the hearts of these soldiers.
Not only that, but the voice Diya Ding emitted by relying on the environment traveled across great distances, directly reaching Dosa and some surrounding towns in the distance.
Diya Ding's words suddenly rang out in the sky above Dosa. The citizens who were living their normal lives were all startled upon hearing these words. After a brief moment of astonishment at experiencing such an event of disembodied voice for the first time, they began to discuss it in various corners of the city.
What is this voice? Is it true that it claims to be King Diya Ding? Didn't King Diya Ding die? Why can he still speak in such a magical form now? Could it be that the Revolutionary Army lied to them with false propaganda? Is King Diya Ding now bringing an army back to fight?
For a time, various rumors filled every corner of Dosa. Tens of thousands of people were discussing intensely, what was the truth of that voice? But no matter how they discussed? What kind of result would they discuss in the end? The idea that King Diya Ding was not dead and was returning at this moment had already emerged in their hearts, and many people even subconsciously believed that Diya Ding was the King of Adus.
After that widely disseminated speech, the recognition that Diya Ding still existed and was still the King of Adus became clear in the hearts of countless soldiers and civilians. King Diya Ding was resurrected in their hearts, and the swirling sandstorm that Diya Ding had transformed into was greatly enhanced at this moment.
Visibly, the rotating wind speed of the swirling sandstorm with a human face began to increase rapidly, and the range of the entire swirling sand and dust also significantly expanded by a circle, becoming larger and more violent.
Suddenly, the entire Kanak was affected by the aftershock of the swirling sand and dust, causing dust to fill the sky, wild winds to rage, and the sound of wind and sand to roar. Countless soldiers were hiding everywhere in the cold wind and sand, their fear even greater. Some soldiers even began to pray and repent to Diya Ding, who was now like a god, amidst the strange change in the heavens and earth, and this action undoubtedly further strengthened Diya Ding's power.
'What... what's going on, Seytut! Why did this guy suddenly strengthen so much, and it feels like it's starting to move towards us again, I feel like I can't hold on anymore!'
North of Kanak city, Shadi looked at the phenomenon of Diya Ding's swirling sandstorm suddenly strengthening in front of him and couldn't help but shout to Seytut in his heart, while Seytut replied with a solemn expression.
'His enhancement... is related to the declaration of kingship just now... This speech spread quite far, not only affecting the soldiers in the city, but also affecting ordinary people in other cities in the distance. Their perception changed because of this declaration, so it was enhanced. This special spiritual body of his might be related to the recognition of his kingship by the people of this country.'
'Ah... getting stronger because of perception? Is there such a thing? How is this done!'
'It should be done through some very precise and profound soul modification surgery. This modification stitched together the soul of that last king with the concept of the country of Adus, allowing the recognition of the citizens to strengthen him, but it seems it is far from perfect.
'Ah... what an interesting modification technique, a deep rewriting of the soul itself, reconstructing it to expand the dominion over other entities. This is clearly the domain of'Silence', turning the factual perception of ordinary people into power... This is again within the scope of 'Light'. Stitching a soul with the concept of a country... This is not only limited to 'Light', it even touches upon 'Qi' (Awakening/Enlightenment)... I would love to see the designer of this modification surgery...'
Seytut said this with emotion in Shadi's heart. His words made the extremely tense Shadi couldn't help but become anxious, and then he spoke loudly.
"Stop lamenting and researching those useless things, what should we do now to stop this guy!"
'Under the current circumstances, there is no way. This thing has the Adus national soldiers in this area... and possibly even the legal basis of the seven hundred years of the Adus Baruk Dynasty as support. With us now, we can never win. It feels like we should prepare to escape. It is possible to escape.' Seytut responded to Shadi like this. Shadi listened and spoke more anxiously.
"Escape? You want me to abandon the tens of thousands of soldiers here and escape alone?"
'Otherwise, what? Where there's life, there's hope, kid. While it's still far away, let's go!'
Listening to Seytut's words, Shadi was silent for a moment, and after a while, he slowly spoke.
"No, if I have to leave, I will arrange the retreat deployment first before leaving. With so many people, we should evacuate as many as possible. If we retreat in a chaotic manner, many unnecessary people will die. Seytut, can you do your best to hold on for a while longer for me?" Shadi pleaded with Seytut like this. Listening to Shadi's words, Seytut paused slightly, sighed deeply, and replied.
'Alright... Anyway, it's not me who dies in the end, do as you please.'
"Thank you, Seytut."
Saying that, Shadi continued to gaze at the constantly approaching giant wall of wind and sand, and began to call out loudly to the attendants in the distance who were being blown away and hiding, asking him to come over and deliver his orders.
...
Meanwhile, a little earlier, inside the Lakheman Royal Tomb in Dead Eagle Valley.
In the ceremonial chamber within the underground palace, Naifnis sat in the small tomb chamber constructed of cold stone, meditating silently in the center of a magic circle constructed of bone powder. In front of Naifnis's magic circle, three bone fragments of different shapes were placed, while the masked Dorothy and her several Corpse Puppets sat to the side watching the scene. Not far from Dorothy, a translucent elder's spiritual body floated, which was the Utar Shaman of the Tupa Tribe.
After meditating in the magic circle for a moment, Naifnis slowly opened her eyes. A slight confusion appeared in her eyes, and then a pale, translucent mountain cat spirit body rotated out from within Naifnis, floating in mid-air and stretching gracefully. That was none other than the Wilderness Spirit, Soul Xu. Upon seeing Soul Xu, Naifnis's confusion dissipated, and she said with a smile.
"Thank you, Soul Xu, the ritual has been successful!"
Naifnis said this, and then Soul Xu floated in front of Naifnis, watching him lick his mouth. Naifnis, seeing this, of course knew what the other party was thinking, and decisively took out three iron coins from her clothes and placed them in front of Soul Xu. Soul Xu immediately began to lick happily after seeing them. Then Naifnis turned her gaze to Dorothy and Uta, and still said with a smile.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the ritual was successful. I have successfully advanced and become a Soul Contracter."
In preparation for the more important ritual afterwards, Dorothy and Uta decided to let Naifnis, as the only and important one, advance on the spot, advancing to the Chalk Rank Soul Contracter of the Body Reliance Path, to increase the fault tolerance rate.
The advancement ritual for a Soul Contracter requires three bone fragments containing at least Black Rank souls, a soul of at least Chalk level that can be suppressed within one's body, and a spiritual field with an excellent'Silence' Spirituality environment as the ritual location. And now, Naifnis has gathered all the conditions.
All the ceremonial chambers in the Lakheman Royal Tomb are made of Dark Cold Stone (cold stone), located in the deepest part of the entire royal tomb, naturally providing the most suitable spiritual field for undead to rest. As for a cooperative spirit of Chalk level strength, there is the familiar partner, the Wilderness Spirit, Soul Xu. As for the three bone fragments containing at least Black Rank souls, they were kindly provided by A Tiff and his subordinates, the treasure thieves who had previously invaded Neff's home and kidnapped people. Everything was ready.
Finally, with everything in place, Naifnis finally advanced to the Chalk Rank Soul Contracter here. Now Naifnis's body can exert more of the abilities of the soul she relies on, and can even slightly modify her body according to the characteristics of the attached soul, and can also leave her own soul from her body to attach and control others with her soul.
"Hmm... so everything is ready now, let's begin, Utar Shaman."
After nodding, Dorothy had one of her Corpse Puppets speak to Uta beside her, and Uta's spiritual body nodded and slowly floated up.
"Prepare to accept the reliance, girl recognized by Soul Xu."
After speaking, Uta floated towards Naifnis and merged into her body. After Naifnis closed her eyes and accepted Uta's soul reliance, a hint of vicissitude and remoteness appeared in her reopened eyes.
On the other side, Dorothy had already begun to control her Corpse Puppets, following the method given by Sazhuoya, quickly erasing and destroying the soul control magic circle at the edge of the stone coffin step by step. After destroying the magic circle, Dorothy had all the Corpse Puppets gather on one side of the huge stone coffin, put their hands on the coffin lid, and then pushed it open together with force.
With a bang, the heavy coffin lid fell to the ground, and immediately, a large amount of gray-black spiritual mist gushed out, almost instantly covering the entire tomb chamber. For a moment, a chill ran down the spines of all the living people present.
From this spiritual mist, a vague black shadow full of resentment was faintly visible, and a distorted, strange sound came from within.
"Have you come again to prolong your foolish and despicable existence? My decaying royal descendants..."