He suddenly looked up, and all the weakness, fear, and relief in his eyes vanished instantly.
They were replaced by a layer of coldness.
Pushing off the ground with his left hand, he used the momentum to spring his heavily injured body upward.
His right hand swung out.
The scroll, its edges flowing with dark-golden secret patterns, was already fully unfurled.
He aimed it directly at Grand Duke Tisolus, who was only inches away!
“Go back to sleep for another few centuries!” Bai Xuan roared hoarsely, tearing the scroll with all his might.
Once torn, the scroll spontaneously ignited, turning to ash in an instant.
However, a network of chains composed of pale golden ancient runes emerged from the ashes.
The chain network acted like a living snare, carrying a powerful binding magic as it descended upon the Grand Duke!
It was too fast! The distance was too close!
The Grand Duke’s attention was still focused on the tracking spell.
He never expected this dying human, who couldn't even stand up, would dare to launch a sudden attack.
Furthermore, he was using such a high-level sealing technique!
“You—?!”
The Grand Duke’s roar was cut short, turning into a scream of shock and fury.
The boiling death energy around him tried to resist, but the light of the sealing chains was unstoppable.
Combined with the fact that he was already heavily injured and distracted by the tracking spell, his resistance failed.
The defenses he hastily gathered melted away as quickly as snow under the sun.
The pale golden runic chains swiftly coiled around his massive frame.
The chains tightened rapidly, pinning him back down to the bottom of the coffin.
“Insect! How dare you! What kind of seal is this?!”
The Grand Duke struggled within the chains, his voice distorted by rage and the erosion of the sealing power.
He recognized the style of the runes on the chains, and shock flooded his heart. “An ancient... seal?! Who exactly are you?!”
Having completed the act, Bai Xuan could no longer support himself and collapsed onto one knee.
Yet when he looked up, his face wore a cold and satisfied smile.
“Who am I?”
He coughed, his voice raspy. “Just an unlucky guy who was almost absorbed by you as fuel.”
“As for that performance about old ties, it was quite good, old man. Too bad.”
Bai Xuan shook the Evil God Inverse Scale gripped in his hand. “The way you looked when you saw this didn't exactly scream ‘old friends.’”
These words were like a salt-covered blade stabbing deep into the Grand Duke’s wound.
To have his disguise seen through by an Awakened Rank ant, and then to be mocked using the very thing he feared most!
“Cunning! Despicable! Lowly insect!” The Grand Duke completely lost his composure.
The tightening of the sealing chains caused him pain, but the mental humiliation and the fury of having his plans interrupted drove him nearly insane.
The tracking spell collapsed due to energy backlash and sealing interference, meaning the last traces left by that demi-human had vanished!
“I will tear you apart! I will pull out your soul and roast it over soulfire for ten thousand years!”
“How dare you stop me! Do you have any idea what that thief took?! You’ve ruined everything!”
“I ruined everything?” Bai Xuan sneered, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.
“You killed my teammate and tried to trick me into leaving like a fool. Did you expect me to just stick my neck out and wait for you to recover before you came to kill me?”
Bai Xuan’s gaze gradually turned icy.
“As for that cat-woman, she stole from you, and you two can fight it out for all I care. But for now, it seems you’re the one who’s out of luck.”
“You can't seal me!” The Grand Duke’s voice became shrill and piercing, filled with venomous malice.
“This seal can hold me for two years at most! Two years! Once I break free, even if I have to chase you to the ends of the continent, I will find you first!”
“I will make you taste every agony of the Eternal Silence land! I will make you regret everything you’ve done today!”
“Two years?”
Bai Xuan nodded, appearing to consider it seriously. “Then I’d better hurry up.”
His attitude enraged the Grand Duke even further.
Amidst hysterical shrieks and curses, Grand Duke Tisolus’s massive frame rapidly shrank and became transparent under the restraint of the pale golden chains.
Ultimately, he turned into a dense mass of black energy and was forcibly sucked into the coffin.
The chain network condensed along with it.
The Grand Duke’s screams and the violent energy fluctuations within the tomb vanished simultaneously.
Dead silence returned, leaving only the sound of Bai Xuan’s exhausted panting.
Clatter.
Three items fell into the coffin.
An ornate piece of cloth covered in pale golden runes, a leather diary.
And the silver chain pendant that the Grand Duke had been clutching in his right hand.
He didn't go up to check immediately. Instead, he forced himself to carefully sense the surroundings first.
Only after confirming there was no more danger did he laboriously move over.
Inside the wide sarcophagus lay the three items.
One piece of information immediately caught Bai Xuan’s eye.
【Sealing Medium: A piece of cloth taken from Tisolus used as a medium to seal Augustine. Sealing duration: two years. The seal can be broken prematurely by destroying the item.】
So he was sealed into this!
He took out the 【Evil God Inverse Scale】.
Looking at the scale that had once terrified a Hero Rank undead, a complex expression flashed in his eyes.
Then, he approached the runic cloth and, without hesitation, pressed the cold scale directly onto the center of the fabric.
The moment the scale touched the cloth...
Bai Xuan clearly felt an extremely weak but terrified struggle and tremor coming from within the fabric!
It was as if the Grand Duke, sealed inside, had once again come into contact with the aura that made his soul shiver.
You treated me as fuel for an ant, and now you’re sealed by that ant, forced to spend two years suppressed by the aura you fear most.
He wrapped the scale with the cloth. Sensing that the tremors beneath the fabric became even more pronounced, he finally stored it back into his ring.
Two years is enough for me to get stronger. By then, what can a low-health Grand Duke like you even do?
After finishing this, he began to check the other spoils:
【Tisolus's Tomb Diary: The pages are written in the common script of the Glay Empire. Some pages are blurred or missing due to dampness. All entries are signed “Tisolus.”】
The Grand Duke’s diary... this might contain many secrets about this dungeon.
【Silver-Wrapped Crystal Covenant Pendant: A core token of aristocratic political marriage and one of the keys to the Imperial Treasury. Two tiny names are engraved on the back in the common language of the Glay Empire: Ethan and Ramona.】
This is incredible—it’s actually a key to the Imperial Treasury.
How much treasure must be in an empire’s treasury? If I can find the other keys and the treasury door, I won't have to worry for several lifetimes.
Also, this pendant isn't just a key; it’s a marriage token for nobles.
However, after so many years, that part is likely meaningless.
Storing the three items into his Space Ring, he took one last look at the empty Eternal Silence King's Sarcophagus and the trashed tomb.
There were no other valuable items left.
That Grand Duke really was making empty promises from start to finish.
Aside from the core he was forced to surrender and the keys he held, he had nothing.
Bai Xuan walked toward the ruby the Grand Duke had thrown on the ground, and information flashed before his eyes:
【Ruby: A decorative gemstone with faint magical power. Can be sold for a high price.】
Trying to trick me by calling this a Secondary Core, hah!
But it should still fetch a good price.
Bai Xuan collected the gemstone, leaned against a nearby stone pillar, and slowly slid down to a sitting position.
Fatigue, blood loss, mana depletion...
Negative statuses rushed over him like a tide, nearly drowning him.
Leaning against the pillar, he slowly began to recover.
In his mind, Tessa’s despairing eyes and her final cries as she was dragged into the coffin resurfaced.
Though their acquaintance wasn't deep, seeing a living person vanish in such a tragic way right before his eyes left a mark on his heart.
‘Resorting to any means to survive, only to die so pointlessly...’ He closed his eyes.
A strong surge of emotion welled up—it was anger toward Kami.
That woman was the source of all the tragedy and trouble.
She had schemed against him, used her teammates, and ultimately succeeded in stealing a Hero Rank Grand Duke’s left hand and his entire collection!
How much benefit could she get from that left hand?
Did the 【Skycrown Potion】 and 【Holy Silver Dragon Inverse Scale Armor】 promised by the Duke really exist, and had they fallen into her hands?
He had fought with all his might, ending up heavily injured and on the brink of death, just to barely seal the Grand Duke.
All he got was a diary, a treasury key that he might not use for ages, and a life-threatening enemy who would break free in two years.
Meanwhile, Kami had likely already fled far away with unimaginable wealth and secrets, living a life of leisure.
“Kami...” Bai Xuan whispered the name.
He would remember this debt.
The priority now was to leave this place, and then... get stronger as quickly as possible.
Two years was not a lot of time.
He looked at his status on the panel:
【Class: Redeemer Lv.3 (42%)】
【Health: 120/400】
【Mana: 8/200】
【Trait: Digitalization】
【Active Skills:
Holy Light Catalyst Lv.1 (16%): Tap a wound to quickly stop bleeding and stimulate muscle healing through vibration.
Redemption Strike Lv.1 (23%): A heavy, powerful blow.
Purifying Severance Lv.1 (12%): Purifies toxins, corrosion, curses, and other continuous damage energies, temporarily increasing the target's status resistance.
Concussive Field Lv.1 (15%): Erupts a circular shockwave centered on the weapon's point of impact, forcibly repelling enemies within range and causing intimidation, stunning, and light damage.】
【Passive Skills: Strength Enhancement Lv.0 (16%)】
【Class Feature: Sacred Martial Radiance (Passive; attack power and healing power are linked. 20% of attack power is added to healing power, and 20% of healing power is added to attack power.)】
【Current Pleasure: 86, Draw Attempts * 4】
【Wealth: 70 silver coins, 75 copper coins】
【Items: Space Ring, Tisolus's Tomb Diary, Silver-Wrapped Crystal Covenant Pendant, Evil God Inverse Scale, Sealing Medium, Broken Compass that Always Points North, Simple Lighting Orb, Earth Element Heart, Rock Seal, Supplies Pack, Worn Treasure Map, Miscellaneous Trinkets】
Bai Xuan took out Tisolus's Tomb Diary.
He flipped it open; it should contain detailed records of the dungeon:
Glay Era 15276, July 17th (Tomb Era): I have been hiding in the tomb for over a month. The abyssal aura outside is growing denser. As an Imperial Archon, how can I watch my family and subjects perish? Ancient texts record that an undead body can resist the pressure of the Abyss. If I can complete the immortality experiment, I can protect my kin with an eternal form.
Glay Era 15276, October 9th (Tomb Era): The experiment has made initial progress. I can now stabilize the connection between the soul and the skeleton. However, magic consumption far exceeds expectations. The soul crystal reserves in the tomb are depleting daily. Today, I record two formulas for Exorcism Herbs... left for any clansmen who might enter later.
Glay Era 15277, February 21st (Tomb Era): A deviation has occurred in the experiment! The injected mana is beginning to backfire! Some servants have lost their minds, reduced to shrieking undead. My chest was pierced by the backfiring energy. My body is growing colder, swelling, mutating... I cannot stop... I must find Ramona again... the token, perhaps... the covenant can stabilize... Ethan’s engagement is still... I cannot let him...
Glay... 77... 7th... lost... all out of control... within the tomb... reduced to... undead. I... retain... consciousness, yet... half-man, half-ghost, bound... already... cannot stop it... Is this the... fruit of pursuit... Covenant Pendant... May my son Ethan be safe... May the covenant last forever...
(The last page is blurred, with only fragments like “cold... pain... protect... pendant...” remaining.)
It only recorded parts of the tomb.
There wasn't much information. This tomb became what it is because the Grand Duke’s experiment failed, causing his clansmen to turn into undead.
As for the rest, he could barely make out things regarding the Silver-Wrapped Crystal Covenant Pendant.
It seemed to be a marriage token for the Grand Duke’s family.
Correspondingly, the other family, the Ayla family, had another token.
Could that be the other key to the national treasury?
Suppressing his conjectures, he felt extremely exhausted and needed to recover.
Bai Xuan took out a life potion and his last mana potion from the ring and swallowed them with difficulty.
He hadn't expected the healing potion to actually come in handy.
Warm medicinal power and cold fatigue intertwined within him. Leaning against the stone pillar, he forced himself to maintain a sliver of consciousness as he waited for his status to recover.
...
“Anna! Look at that thing! The way it walks is so funny—it looks like its bones are about to fall apart!” A crisp girl’s voice broke the gloom of the misty marsh.
Glay Dungeon, Seventh Floor Main Level, 【Undead Fog Marsh】.
The air was damp and cold, carrying a strange, musty smell of rot.
The ground was a patch of black mud of varying depths, making a squelching sound when stepped on. Murky, dark puddles were everywhere, with the occasional bubble rising to the surface.
The fog here was no longer just a simple haze.
It didn't just block vision; as it was inhaled, it made one’s mind feel instinctively suppressed and fatigued.
Several tall trees, completely dead and twisted like demon claws, thrust out from the mud, their forms grotesque in this grayish-white world.
A noble lady with shoulder-length pink hair was currently lifting her skirt, carefully avoiding a puddle.
Her slender finger pointed toward a staggering, swaying shadow at the edge of the fog.
A Skeleton Wanderer was bumping along in the swamp, its bones covered in mud.
She wore a light-colored dress suitable for movement, and her amethyst-like eyes appeared exceptionally bright in the dim environment.
Her face was full of childish curiosity, as if she weren't in a dangerous dungeon but visiting an exhibition.
The personal maid, Anna, followed closely behind her, her brow slightly furrowed and her gaze alertly scanning the churning fog.
“Miss, please watch your step,” she reminded her gently.
Then, Anna’s tone shifted to that of a tutor:
“That is a manifestation of decaying joints and energy imbalance in undead creatures. Miss Amelia, you’ll need to brush up on your knowledge when we return.”
Hearing Anna’s words, Amelia’s face immediately fell. “I knew that, of course. I just didn't say it.”
Rate on N.U.
