DipNovel Chapter 18: Unexpected Change
Chapter 18: Unexpected Change
The next morning, Lin Yun packed his bags early and continued on his journey.
After a night of meditation and recuperation, his magical power recovered to about 70-80%, and his mental state improved significantly. Beibei was even more energetic, and early in the morning she rushed into the forest and caught two plump wild rabbits, which squatted in front of him and chirped incessantly as if to show off her achievement.
"Alright, alright, I know you're amazing." Lin Yun smiled and patted its little head. He cleaned up the rabbit, roasted one for breakfast, and kept the other for the journey.
Sunlight filtered through the treetops, and the thin mist in the forest gradually dissipated. Birdsong rose and fell, adding a touch of life to the mountain forest. Lin Yun's mood brightened along with the weather—in just one more day, he could return to the academy.
As he walked, he pondered his plans for when he returned. He needed to find a way to acquire the seventh-level magic spells of the other magic systems, continue to delve deeper into the earth magic of the Delin Church, and not neglect the dark magic... There was also the training in the Swallowed Star World; his physical fitness had to be improved as soon as possible, otherwise the true power of his mental energy could not be fully unleashed.
Cultivation in both worlds requires a significant investment of time and energy, so he needs to carefully plan his next steps.
Beibei perched on his shoulder, her little head nodding as if she were dozing off. The warm sunlight bathed her, making even Lin Yun feel a little sleepy.
Just then, a faint sound came from ahead.
Lin Yun stopped and listened intently. The sound was intermittent, like the clanging of metal, mixed with a low roar—very similar to the "ho ho" sound made by the corpse demons yesterday.
Beibei woke up too, her little nose twitching and making low warning noises.
Lin Yun frowned slightly, releasing a "wind of probing".
The feedback from his senses made his heart tighten—about 500 meters ahead, there were more than a dozen familiar, chilling auras, exactly like the corpse demons from yesterday. Among those auras, there were also several faint life energies, moving rapidly, seemingly avoiding something.
Someone is being attacked by a zombie.
Lin Yun hesitated for a moment, but still decided to go and take a look. Not because he wanted to meddle, but because he wanted to find out where these corpse demons came from. The appearance of undead creatures on the outskirts of the Monster Mountain Range was abnormal in itself.
He held his breath and moved forward cautiously.
After passing through a dense forest, Lin Yun arrived at the edge of a relatively open clearing. He hid behind a large tree and peeked out to observe.
A battle is taking place in the open field.
One side consisted of seven or eight mercenaries clad in leather armor and wielding weapons. Their equipment wasn't particularly sophisticated, but their teamwork was excellent, clearly indicating they were experienced adventurers. Leading them was a burly middle-aged man who wielded a broadsword, each swing accompanied by a whistling sound.
On the other side were twelve or thirteen corpse demons—exactly the same kind that attacked Lin Yun yesterday. Their grayish-white skin, empty eye sockets, flickering eerie green flames, and sharp claws sent chills down one's spine.
But what puzzled Lin Yun was that the attack methods of these corpse demons were completely different from those of yesterday.
Yesterday, those corpse demons pounced on him relentlessly, determined to kill him. But these corpse demons before him, while also attacking the mercenaries, were clearly holding back—they were using their claws and bodies to force the mercenaries back and knock them down rather than directly killing them.
"What's going on?" Lin Yun wondered.
After observing for a while, he discovered something even stranger.
The mercenaries knocked down by the corpse demon were not killed. The corpse demon would pounce on them, pinning their bodies down with its claws, and then exhale a cloud of grayish-white mist from its mouth, enveloping the mercenaries' faces. The mercenaries enveloped in the mist would immediately stop struggling, their bodies stiffening as if controlled by some force, then they would stagger to their feet and follow the corpse demon in a certain direction.
"They're capturing them alive." Lin Yun's heart sank.
The mercenary captain clearly realized this as well. His swordsmanship grew increasingly fierce as he tried to break through the encirclement, but the number of corpse demons was too great, and they were impervious to pain and death; he simply couldn't break through.
"Old Liu! Little Zhang!" The mercenary captain shouted his companion's name, but only a fainter and fainter voice answered him.
One mercenary after another was knocked down, enveloped in a grayish-white mist, and then stood up stiffly, like walking corpses, following the corpse demon into the depths of the mountains and forests.
Lin Yun stood behind the tree, his fingers gripping the trunk tightly.
He should help. But his magic power has only recovered to about 70-80%, and his light magic power is only about half. Yesterday's battle proved that light magic is the most effective against corpse demons; other types of magic can only temporarily repel them, not kill them completely.
Moreover, he had an even bigger question in his mind—why were these corpse demons capturing living people? Was someone controlling them?
If we act rashly and alert the enemy, we may never find the answer.
Lin Yun gritted his teeth and made a difficult decision—to refrain from taking action for now, and instead follow these corpse demons to see where they were taking people.
The mercenary captain was the last to fall.
He was the strongest, single-handedly cutting down three or four corpse demons, but those demons he had slain quickly rose again, staggering, and continued their attack. Finally, he was pounced on by three corpse demons simultaneously, a grayish-white mist shrouding his face. His struggles grew weaker and weaker until they ceased completely.
The mercenary captain stood up stiffly and, along with the other controlled mercenaries, lined up and followed the corpse demon into the depths of the forest.
After they had walked a distance, Lin Yun quietly followed them.
He dared not get too close, fearing he would be discovered by the undead. These undead creatures perceived things differently from ordinary magical beasts; they didn't rely on sight or smell, but on sensing life force. Lin Yun used wind magic to envelop his aura, minimizing leakage, while maintaining a distance of about two hundred meters, trailing far behind.
The corpse demons' procession moved at a leisurely pace, heading deeper into the Monster Mountain Range. Lin Yun grew increasingly puzzled—this was already the middle section of the Monster Mountain Range; further in lay the territory of level seven and eight magical beasts. Who would be controlling the corpse demons here?
After walking for about an hour, the terrain ahead began to steepen. The dense forest gradually thinned out, replaced by jagged rocks and steep cliffs. The corpse demon's party turned into a narrow valley, with towering cliffs on both sides that blocked most of the sunlight.
Lin Yun paused at the valley entrance, carefully observing his surroundings. The information relayed by the Detective Wind indicated that deep within the valley emanated an extremely dense, chilling aura, many times stronger than that of the corpse demons.
He took a deep breath and carefully walked into the valley.
The valley was deeper than Lin Yun had imagined.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, the procession of corpse demons ahead stopped. Lin Yun hid behind a huge rock and peeked out to observe.
At the end of the valley was a steep cliff face with a huge opening, three or four meters high and more than two meters wide. The opening was pitch black, and it was impossible to see what was inside, but a chilling aura emanated from it, making the surrounding temperature much lower than outside.
The corpse demons stood in two rows on either side of the cave entrance, as if guarding something. The controlled mercenaries entered the cave one by one and disappeared into the darkness.
"As expected, someone is manipulating things behind the scenes," Lin Yun thought to himself.
He observed for a while and found that apart from the dozen or so corpse demons, there were no other guards at the cave entrance. However, the corpse demons were cleverly positioned, sealing the entrance tightly with almost no gaps to squeeze through.
Lin Yun frowned and began to think about what to do next.
Forcing his way in is definitely not an option. His magical power hasn't fully recovered, and his light magic power is only about half of what it used to be. Moreover, the situation inside the cave is unknown, and rushing in rashly would be too dangerous.
But he was unwilling to go back like this. He had finally found the lair of these corpse demons, but he didn't even know what was inside.
Lin Yun pondered for a while and decided to find a secluded place to hide and observe for a period of time to see if he could find more clues.
He looked around and found a hollow in the cliff face on the right side of the valley, partially hidden by vines, just big enough to squeeze into. He crept over quietly, crawled into the hollow, and used the vines to conceal himself. From this position, he could clearly see the situation at the cave entrance, while the corpse demons at the entrance would have little chance of spotting him.
Beibei perched on his shoulder, her little nose twitching as she warily watched the direction of the hole.
Time passed by, second by second.
As darkness fell, the valley grew even colder. The eerie green flames in the eye sockets of the corpse demons at the cave entrance stood out starkly in the darkness, like a dozen will-o'-the-wisps flickering in the night.
About an hour later, there was finally movement inside the cave.
A figure dressed in a long black robe emerged from the cave. He was slender, and his face was obscured by the shadow of his hood. In his hand he held a bone-white staff, the tip of which was inlaid with a dark green gem that emitted an eerie glow in the darkness.
Lin Yun's pupils contracted slightly.
Necromancer.
Delin had once explained in detail the characteristics of necromancers—black robes, bone staffs, and a chilling aura. These people were practitioners of necromancy, skilled in controlling the undead and corpse demons. They were the mortal enemies of the Church of Light and beings that everyone on the entire Yulan Continent wanted to kill.
Unexpectedly, a necromancer was hidden deep within the Monster Mountain Range.
The man in black robes stood at the cave entrance, seemingly counting the number of corpse demons. Then, he muttered something under his breath, and the corpse demons turned around in unison and entered the cave.
The cave entrance is now empty.
But Lin Yun did not rush to take action.
He needed more time to observe, to figure out the necromancer's strength, the situation inside the cave, and his purpose in capturing those mercenaries.
Delin once said that necromancers are considered invincible among their peers. They are not only skilled at summoning undead creatures, but also proficient in soul attacks and soul enslavement. A single necromancer's combat power far surpasses that of an ordinary mage of the same level. If you rashly rush in, you are likely to have your soul controlled and become a new undead.
Lin Yun is currently a level seven mage, but he only knows level seven earth-based attack magic; he doesn't know any level seven magic from other elements. Although light magic is effective against necromancy, his light magic is only at level six. Facing a true necromancer, he isn't confident of victory.
We must outsmart them, not attack them head-on.
Lin Yun took a deep breath to calm himself down and continued to observe.
The man in black robes stood at the cave entrance for about fifteen minutes, seemingly waiting for something.
Lin Yun carefully observed his every move, trying to find some useful information from it.
The black-robed man's magical fluctuations weren't particularly strong—probably between level seven and eight. He was enveloped in a dense aura of the undead, and the surrounding air became cold and damp because of his presence.
The bone staff in his hand was covered with dense magical runes, and the dark green gem at its tip occasionally flickered with an eerie light. Lin Yun could sense that the gem contained extremely powerful necromancy, possibly the core artifact of this necromancer.
The man in black muttered something under his breath, then turned and walked into the cave.
Lin Yun waited for about half an hour, and only after confirming that the man in black robes had not come out again did he quietly emerge from his hiding place and approach the cave entrance.
He didn't go in.
He carefully surveyed the area outside the cave entrance, noting its location, the surrounding terrain, and the entrances and exits of the valley. Then, he quietly retreated to his hiding place.
Going out to take the risk would be unwise. What he needs now is intelligence—more intelligence.
Lin Yun closed his eyes and began meditating to restore his magical power. He decided to stay here overnight to see if he could observe any more useful information.
Beibei squatted down beside him and quieted down, her little eyes fixed on the direction of the hole.
The night grew deeper.
The valley was pitch black, with only the occasional eerie green light flickering at the cave entrance. A few wolf howls echoed in the distance, reverberating in the night wind and adding to the strange atmosphere of the silent forest.
Around midnight, there was movement inside the cave again.
The man in black robes emerged again, followed by several corpse demons. The corpse demons carried a makeshift stretcher made of branches and vines, on which lay a person—no, not a person, but a corpse.
Lin Yun looked closely and found that the corpse's skin had turned grayish-white, exactly like the corpse demon. But there were no flames in its eye sockets, and its body did not move.
The man in black robes walked to an open area outside the cave entrance and began chanting some kind of incantation. Dark green light emanated from the gem at the top of the bone staff, enveloping the corpse.
The corpse began to tremble.
Then, two eerie green flames lit up in its eye sockets.
It slowly stood up, stiffly turned around, faced the man in black robes, and bowed its head as if to pay its respects.
A new corpse demon has been born.
Lin Yun's heart sank.
So that's how those zombies were created. Those captured mercenaries will probably become new zombies too.
The man in black robes nodded in satisfaction, then turned and walked into the cave. The newly created corpse demon followed behind him, disappearing into the darkness.
Lin Yun leaned against the cliff wall, closed his eyes, and his mind raced.
This necromancer is very powerful and cruel. He captures living people not for any other reason than to create more undead. If left unchecked, the number of undead he controls will only increase, eventually becoming a major threat.
But Lin Yun is not confident of defeating him right now.
If brute force doesn't work, then we'll have to outsmart them.
He needed to find the necromancer's weakness—he couldn't stay in the cave forever; he would eventually have to come out. To deal with the necromancer, he had to strike swiftly before the necromancer could react. Otherwise, if he was given the opportunity, he would be facing an endless army of undead.
Lin Yun opened his eyes, a determined glint in them.
He decided to stay there, observe the necromancer's patterns of action, and look for an opportunity to strike.
Beibei seemed to sense his determination, nuzzling his cheek with her little head and chirping twice, as if to say, "I'll stay with you."
Lin Yun patted its little head and continued to meditate with his eyes closed.
As night deepened, the valley fell silent.
The distant howling of wolves had stopped; only the occasional gust of wind blew by, carrying a few withered leaves that swirled in the air.
Lin Yun sat cross-legged in the depression, his breathing even and long. His magical power was gradually recovering, and his mental power was gradually solidifying.
He needs to continue observing tomorrow.
The day after tomorrow, it may be the same.
He needed patience. The most important lesson he learned during his month-long stay in the Monster Mountains was that sometimes, waiting takes more courage than fighting.