Chapter 143: Strange Skeleton

The dim apartment showed signs of long abandonment. The dark hallway had broken lights and sparking wires dangling from the ceiling. The floor was cluttered with fallen clothes racks, beer bottles, and shattered glass.

Wu Li shivered as she stepped inside.

Level 1 Rule Objects could influence their surroundings with radiation. Prolonged exposure risked infection from Level 2 and 3 Rule Objects, according to the archives.

“Too quiet.”

Black ooze pooled in Wu Li’s palm before spreading across her body like liquid armor, forming a metallic shield. Only Fourth-level Great Mages could wield this spell—the critical distinction separating them from weaker mages. Lower-level mages remained vulnerable to instant kills, but Fourth-level practitioners like Wu Li became near-unstoppable, earning their place in the taboo level rankings.

She reached the stairwell after navigating the corridor.

A small service window crouched beneath the stairs, its one-way glass missing. This had once been a utility payment station, now left to decay. Wu Li peered into the dark cavity but saw nothing.

“Not here?”

She summoned five translucent insects—perception bugs common among mages. Their feedback showed no anomalies on the first floor, yet unease prickled her instincts. Suppressing doubts, she climbed higher.

The second floor held six cramped rooms. Each empty space mirrored the first floor’s normalcy.

“Wait—where are Autumn Moon’s footprints? She definitely entered earlier.”

The realization struck as she ascended to the third floor. This place felt unnaturally pristine, devoid of any trace from previous visitors.

The third floor differed entirely—one solitary room exhaled icy breaths through its doorway.

The Rule Object waited here.

Creaking hinges announced Wu Li’s entry. Unlike the ruin below, this room gleamed spotlessly. A bar counter faced the entrance, beside a hall resembling a train station lounge. Four figures sat scattered across the space.

“People!?” Her pupils narrowed. Her bugs had detected no life here earlier.

“Greetings, guest. Pawning something?” A skull popped above the counter—a child-sized skeleton wearing a theatrical reaper’s cloak.

“Rule Object? Unlikely.”

Wu Li stayed silent. In Transcendent dealings, especially with Rule Objects, one wrong word meant death.

The four occupants noticed her. One wrinkled his nose in disdain.

“Newcomer?”

“Trouble.”

Newcomer? What gathering was this? Where hid the Rule Object? And where was Autumn Moon?

Wu Li’s mind raced with thoughts.

But these people clearly had no desire to acknowledge her, as if fearing being dragged down by her.

“If the guest isn’t here to pawn items, then the next task will begin,” the skeleton continued when Wu Li didn’t respond.

“Any clues?”

The mercenary man who’d first spotted Wu Li asked.

“The clue is—beware of shadows.”

After finishing speaking, Black Mist billowed beneath the skeleton. Concealed by the haze, it gradually sank downward until nearly vanished. Wu Li couldn’t let this sole clue escape—she hadn’t found the Rule Object nor any leads about Sister Qiuyue. Valuable clues clearly required proactive measures.

“Evil Energy Shackles.”

A magic circle flashed in Wu Li’s palm. A formidable force surged from the void, materializing eight shadowy chains that pinned the fading skeleton mid-air.

“Guests shouldn’t attack staff.”

The skeleton tilted its skull, addressing Wu Li in emotionless tones.

Crack! Snap!!

Chain links ruptured in rapid succession. Wu Li’s binding spell inexplicably shattered. Freed, the skeleton rotated its skull toward her, socket-flames dancing.

“For breaking rules, I’ll deprive you of vision for three days.”

Darkness engulfed Wu Li’s world as light perception vanished.

Vision stolen?

Power of rules! This skeleton must connect to the Rule Object—she couldn’t let it escape.

Startled yet more convinced, Wu Li summoned a blackwood staff with a flick. Surging magic enveloped her. Vision loss couldn’t fully suppress a mage—mental energy served as their truest senses. As a Fourth-level Great Mage, her mental energy stood formidable.

“Evil Energy Cage!”

Boom! Crash!!

Four obsidian pillars plummeted from emptiness, anchoring the surrounding space.

“May you… complete this task…”

The skeleton dispersed like smoke, utterly unaffected. Wu Li’s spell struck empty air.

“Divine technique?”

The apparent leader among four observers spoke.

“Never thought there were ability users besides Priest Wu Qiuyue. Seems I knew too little about our world. I’m Kuang Long—mercenary captain.”

Priest Wu Qiuyue?

Wu Li turned. Through mental energy, she read their nonhostile intent before asking:

“Tell me about that skeleton. And… Priest Wu Qiuyue.”