Chapter 401 A Deal with Death

The fight with the Tenth Tier Warrior had not lasted long when a hexagram magic array suddenly appeared in the battlefield, and two figures walked out from within. "You two, if you still wish to continue fighting, I suggest you go deeper into the Misty Forest. Such battles will severely damage this area and cause great trouble for the ordinary people living nearby," said a mage who had just emerged from the six-pointed star magic formation, quickly casting a spell to temporarily halt the combatants.

The speaking mage was a Space Mage, his robe covered in complex symbols and lines that appeared very profound. His spiritual force, as tangible as matter, hovered in the air, then formed a Spell Structure, as if he would expel these mages if they continued to fight. His companion was a knight in blood-red armor, fully encased in heavy armor, his thick visor and Aura obscuring his face.

"Honorable Mage, he has killed members of our family," said the Tenth Tier Warrior, glaring fiercely at Shaoke, then revealing his family's name. "I am from the Orpheus Family."

At this point, the mage also ordered his golem to stop fighting, silently offering a salute to the two newcomers, and then remained silent. He sensed that these two outsiders were dozens of times more powerful than the Tenth Tier Warrior, suspecting they were Eleventh Tier beings.

The Space Mage ignored the Tenth Tier Warrior from the Orpheus Family, instead fixing his gaze on Shaoke. "Mage Xueye?" When Shaoke nodded in confirmation, the Space Mage nodded back and said, "If you have time, you can go to the Death Stronghold near the Bloody Fortress. There, you can exchange ideas with fellow Death Mages of your tier; they will be of great help to you." Then, turning to the Tenth Tier Warrior, he added, "Either leave here, or go deeper into the forest to fight. This area is currently not permitted for battles between people like you."

Shaoke looked at the ground beneath him; the forest for several miles had completely disappeared, with deep pits and cracks appearing on the earth. If not for the thick snow, the mage could not be sure whether a great fire would have started. Their earlier fighting had distracted him from noticing these things.

"But Honorable Mage, he killed some members of our Orpheus Family, so he must face our family's punishment," the Tenth Tier Warrior frowned, reiterating the reason for his conflict with the mage. However, before he could finish, he was attacked.

The previously silent Bloody Knight instantly appeared on his mount in front of the warrior, punching fiercely with a fist wrapped in Aura. Dodging, the Tenth Tier Warrior evaded at high speed, gathering all his Aura to block the attack. But under the Bloody Knight's assault, his Aura was shattered, and he crashed heavily to the ground.

"Die or leave this place," the Bloody Knight rasped. "Don't talk to me about the Orpheus Family again. If necessary, we can annihilate your entire family within a few magic hours." Having said this, the knight glanced at Shaoke. "Remember, if you want a prolonged fight, don't do it here. If this happens again, I won't hesitate to make you eternally vanish." He took out a magic item, crushed it, and threw it onto the ravaged ground.

The magic item emitted a powerful white light, and all the chaotic fluctuations caused by the magical and Aura damage quickly dissipated. Shaoke knew that in time, the area would once again be lush with trees.

The Tenth Tier Warrior, after resting for a moment, quickly flew away. The Space Mage and Bloody Knight also departed, leaving Shaoke alone, floating in the air with his golem.

The mage stared in the direction where the Bloody Knight had left. He was lost in thought for a long time, wondering how the knight knew his name and why he asked him to go to the Death Stronghold for exchanges. Putting aside these puzzling matters, he began to examine the stone golem.

The golem's combat performance in the previous battle greatly satisfied the mage, though it had sustained some damage. He could repair it using more Eighth Tier stone powder.

The only issue was that the golem could not fight for extended periods. Of course, if he infused it with a large amount of magic power, crystals, or magic cores, the combat duration would increase significantly, but that would be too costly in materials.

The mage planned to modify the golem after advancing to the Tenth Tier, following the knowledge he had acquired. If successful, he would no longer worry about the golem's problems. Most importantly, he wanted to attach his powerful Death Will spell to the golem. Although the golem could only use it a few times, it would be highly effective in battle, and he could replenish the spell at any time.

Having made his decision, the mage descended to the ravaged ground and began repairing the golem. He placed a crystal slab inscribed with a complex magic array on the ground, set some high-grade crystals on it, and then took out a stone statue and placed it on the array. The golem also stepped onto it.

As he chanted the incantation, the two stone figures on the array slowly levitated and began spinning rapidly. After nearly half a magic hour, the spell ended. The golem, which had been cracked and damaged, was fully restored. The other stone statue had been absorbed as material.

After checking the golem for any other damage, he put it away and flew toward the barbarian stronghold in the distance. There, Mage Roman and the others were anxiously waiting for his return. The earlier battle had been so intense that they could feel it over a hundred miles away.

Upon his arrival, Shaoke briefly mentioned that the military had intervened in the fight, then said no more. They stayed there for about another half year before deciding to leave the barbarian tribe and return to their own stronghold. However, before that, Shaoke suddenly proposed going to the Imperial Capital to visit old companions he hadn't seen for years. Everyone agreed, as there was nothing urgent waiting for them back at their stronghold.

"Is this the place?" After a few days, they arrived at the Imperial Cemetery near the capital. Except for young Moyu'er and Anling, who hadn't participated in that battle, everyone fell silent. Shaoke stood before the grave of the Sleazy Officer from years ago, lost in thought. Finally, he went to the grave of the Death Mage he had once known. There, he took out the heads of Eighth Tier Practitioners he had collected over the years from battles and laid them one by one before the grave. After clearing the sparse weeds around the grave, he led his wife and daughter away. The Blue-robed Female Mage did not come here; she went to another cemetery where those Eighth Tier Practitioners were buried. Many graves were empty, as deaths above the Eighth Tier often meant the body's disappearance. They did not see the one-armed old Legion Commander there.

For the sake of young Moyu'er, the mage stayed in the Blue Feather Capital for over a month. However, Shaoke did not accompany Roman and the others for leisure; instead, he asked the Blue-robed Female Mage to take care of them while he went alone to the Death Stronghold near the Bloody Fortress.

Although Roman and the others wished Shaoke could spend more time with them, they ultimately did not voice any objections.

The Bloody Fortress remained much the same as it had hundreds of years ago, with no major changes. However, when Shaoke arrived this time, he sensed something he had not noticed before. The souls of fallen soldiers outside the fortress did not dissipate into the world but were collected by a strange magic array. This method was far better concealed than the method he had used of collecting heads of Eighth Tier Practitioners.

"You noticed?" Just as Shaoke was observing this, he suddenly felt a subtle fluctuation nearby. Before he could activate his Defensive Spell, someone stopped him. "I thought it would take you much longer to arrive."

Shaoke touched his staff and said softly, "I happened to have some free time, so I came." He withdrew his probing spirit force. "Let's head to the stronghold now. I don't have too much time outside." By this, he meant that with family responsibilities, he could no longer act as freely as before.

The mage was the Eleventh Tier Space Mage who had stopped the fight with the Orpheus family. He nodded and led Shaoke toward the underground stronghold. "Don't mind the Bloody Knights' words; they are like that with everyone." After reaching a small hut, he cast a spell to transport Shaoke to the stronghold. There, Shaoke would discuss spell knowledge with other Ninth Tier and Tenth Tier Spellcasters.

Most importantly, he would share insights and techniques on cultivating the Death Will spell. The mages he exchanged with had all learned the Death Will spell, many only up to the Seventh Tier or even lower. They hoped that through such exchanges, they could increase their chances of mastering the Death Will spell.