"A Natural Wonder?"
"That is right. A Natural Wonder, the 【Bone Soul-Exalting Altar】."
Natural Wonders were a category of special buildings. In fact, the unique regions within Chen Xu's Undead Kingdom could also be considered Natural Wonders.
However, because those regions were too vital, no Lord of the Undead would ever move them out of their own territory.
The 【Bone Soul-Exalting Altar】 was different. This type of Natural Wonder was specifically designed to be placed in other worlds to proclaim the name of the Lord of the Undead and promote the Land of the Undead.
Beyond spreading their prestige, the 【Bone Soul-Exalting Altar】 had another special function: it could bestow blessings upon wild skeleton-type undead, amplifying their strength and increasing their growth potential.
"But a Natural Wonder is supposed to be for people to see, right? You are building it in this secret realm where almost no one usually visits."
"Or do you plan to turn it into a tourist attraction and charge for tickets after it is finished?"
Faced with Qi Xuanheng's peculiar imagination, Chen Xu was momentarily at a loss for words.
"Uh, Elder Qi, this Natural Wonder actually has a practical use. It can provide buffs to skeleton-type undead, enhancing their power and growth potential."
Hearing this, Qi Xuanheng said with slight surprise, "Enhancing power and potential? To change one's destiny and recreate their foundation... such a creation is truly extraordinary."
"Of course. It is a Natural Wonder, after all. If it did not have something special, it would not deserve the name."
"But Daxia does not really have many skeleton creatures. Aside from you Necromancers, there do not seem to be any other classes that deal with skeletons. At most, there are some Beast Tamers with... unique tastes, the kind who like undead creatures."
Chen Xu, however, took a long-term view.
It had only been a little over a hundred years since the start of the dungeon era. How many Necromancers could there have been? Given more time—two hundred years, five hundred years, even ten thousand years—there would surely be many more Necromancers or other classes that utilized skeletons.
All those Necromancers could come to the 【Bone Soul-Exalting Altar】 here to receive blessings and strengthen their skeleton summons.
By then, Necromancers, who were already quite formidable, would be able to reach even greater heights.
"Elder Qi, this altar serves the present but benefits the future for a thousand generations. Perhaps one day, this secret realm will become a holy land for Necromancers across Daxia, and even the entire Blue Star."
Qi Xuanheng nodded, agreeing with Chen Xu's words.
Anything that could improve one's foundation was precious, regardless of how many people it served. One could say that treasures capable of enhancing potential were the cornerstones of a powerful organization.
"I will submit the list now. Some items are a bit difficult to mobilize, so I expect them to arrive by the day after tomorrow at the latest. Do you need a construction crew from the Heavenly Crafts Academy for this Natural Wonder? I can make an appointment for you."
As he spoke, Qi Xuanheng took out his smart terminal and scanned the list into an electronic file.
"That will not be necessary. I just need the materials."
This type of Natural Wonder was a specialized structure for a Lord of the Undead. As such, Black Knights like Xuan Chu and Xuan Zhong, who served as the Lord of the Undead's right-hand men, were well-versed in the process.
It would be enough for them to lead the skeleton soldiers in the construction.
...
The next day, at 9:00 AM, the city center plaza was teeming with people.
Those present were former residents of Mohai City and citizens of Daxia who had proactively migrated from other cities.
Chen Xu, Ye Bufan, and Xiang Longwu were not squeezed into the crowd. Instead, they stood atop a tall clock tower near the plaza.
"Little Friend Chen, this should be your first time attending a city's opening ceremony. How does it feel?" Xiang Longwu asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Lively. Extremely lively."
In this life, it was the first time Chen Xu had seen so many people gathered together.
The chatter from the crowd was quite noisy, clearly audible even from the top of the tower where the three stood.
Yet, this noise felt strangely comforting. Since the start of the dungeon era, days like today—filled with joy and allowing people to temporarily forget their troubles—were rare.
"Yes, lively. In Daxia, this bit of liveliness is truly hard to come by." After saying this, Xiang Longwu sighed and looked toward the distant horizon.
Ye Bufan remained silent, wordlessly picking up the gourd hanging from his waist. With a flick of his left hand from his sleeve, he produced three wine cups.
Controlling the cups to float in the air, he filled them with wine, offering one to Chen Xu and one to Xiang Longwu while holding the third himself.
Chen Xu did not understand why they had suddenly started pouring wine in the middle of a conversation, but since it was a gift from a senior, he did not dare refuse.
Once all three held their cups, Ye Bufan did not put away the gourd. Instead, he held it before his chest.
"Dungeon Era, Year 68, June 9th. My brother, Liu Chen."
"Dungeon Era, Year 68, August 1st. My brother, Li Fei."
"Dungeon Era, Year 73, December 13th. My sister, Zhang Zihan."
...
"Dungeon Era, Year 85, April 7th. My brother, Zhou Qi."
Ye Bufan recited a string of over twenty dates and names. With each one, he tilted the gourd, pouring a bit of wine into the air.
After Ye Bufan finished, Xiang Longwu took the gourd and likewise recited dozens of dates and names, pouring wine for each one.
Returning the gourd to Ye Bufan, Xiang Longwu raised his wine cup and shouted, "To old friends!"
Ye Bufan also raised his cup. "To old friends!"
Seeing this, Chen Xu raised his cup as well. After a moment's thought, he shouted loudly, "To the heroes!"
"Hahaha!"
Hearing this, Ye Bufan and Xiang Longwu burst into laughter, then raised their cups and drained them in one gulp.
Chen Xu followed suit, finishing his drink in a single breath.
The wine was incredibly strong upon entry, but it had a rich aroma and left a lingering warmth that nourished his entire body.
After putting away the wine cups, Ye Bufan looked into the distance as if reminiscing about the past.
"Transcendent power and Transcendent classes may look glorious on the surface, but how many can truly make it to the end?"
"So many old friends were drinking and talking with us just the day before, only to fall in a dungeon the next. Some did not even leave a body behind."
"I have cultivated the path of immortality for over sixty years. My cultivation grows higher, yet the people I know grow fewer."
After Ye Bufan finished, Xiang Longwu took up the conversation.
"Each generation brings forth new talents, and each generation's loyal bones are buried in the yellow earth. About twenty years ago, the friends remaining from Old Ye's and my generation were already few."
"So, we established this rule. Whenever Daxia wins a great victory worth celebrating, we offer wine to our friends to comfort their spirits in heaven."
"If the day comes when one of us is also unfortunate, we will entrust this task to someone else to carry on."
"Some of the names mentioned earlier were not even known to us. We simply accepted the entrustment of others to pass them down."
After Xiang Longwu finished, he turned to look at Chen Xu, and Ye Bufan did the same.
"Little Friend Chen, you have reached such a level at a young age. Perhaps you will see the dawn of a new era. I wonder if you are willing to accept the entrustment from the two of us? So that these names from the old era can also hear the sounds of the new."
"Senior Ye, Senior Xiang, your strength is extraordinary. Why would you ever need me?"
Faced with this request, which carried a hint of finality, Chen Xu was unsure how to respond.
"However, since both seniors trust me, I will not decline. If that day truly comes, I will carry your entrustments and recite them in the new era."
Hearing this, the two smiled. They cupped their hands and bowed slightly, saying in unison, "Thank you, Fellow Daoist."
"But I still hope that both seniors will be there in the new era to personally mourn your friends."
Before the two could reply, the host's shout rang out from below.
The event had reached its climax. The host gripped the microphone tightly and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Next, we invite the heroes who pioneered Xinwang City—Ye Bufan, Xiang Longwu, and Chen Xu—to unveil the hero statues! Please, heroes!"
With that, he pointed toward the top of the clock tower, guiding the people's gaze.
Seeing that the crowd's attention had shifted toward them, the three stopped their conversation.
"Brother Xiang, Brother Chen, since I am a few years older, let me start!"
Ye Bufan leaped into the air, summoned his spirit sword, and began flying. Mid-air, a sword light came from the west and struck the veil.
The red veil split in two and fell slowly, revealing the statue of Ye Bufan.
Then, Ye Bufan landed his sword at the base of the statue as bursts of cheers erupted from the crowd.
Xiang Longwu also took to the air, striking out with a palm. The wind from his palm swept out, swirling the entire veil into the sky. He then used his light-body technique to step across the air and land steadily on the ground.
"Fine, fine. Everyone is going for the cool factor, I see."
Seeing how stylishly his seniors had performed, Chen Xu did not want his closing act to fall flat.
He raised his hand and summoned nine bone dragons, including Sindragosa. He had each of them grab a point on the veil, slowly lifting it as they flew toward him.
As for Chen Xu himself, he rode Invincible, stepping onto the veil held by the nine bone dragons and walking through the air as he slowly descended.
In ancient times, there were nine dragons pulling a coffin. His nine dragons unveiling was probably decent enough.
Once the veils of the three statues were removed, the host picked up the microphone again and shouted.
"Long live the heroes! Long live Daxia! Long live humanity!"
"Long live the heroes!"
"Long live Daxia!"
"Long live humanity!"
Rate on N.U.
