Chapter 39: Wraith
Chapter 39: Wraith
“Is this also a Stitched Abomination?”
Li Yi moved closer to observe. His face suddenly paled, revealing horror.
Here, lying upright, was a bronze-colored corpse that seemed forged from iron and stone. Its entire body radiated a fierce, icy aura, a presence so vast and heavy it actually overshadowed the level 5 or so “Night Dancer”!
Just by approaching, Li Yi felt bathed in its sinister, baleful presence, his whole body turning cold.
Its belly was already split open. The organs inside were also like iron and stone, and, shockingly, there was a scene of pulsing and undulation!
This startled Li Yi so much his face lost all color.
“Stitched Abomination? You could say that… This thing could be considered the predecessor of the Stitched Abomination. It’s called a ‘Terracotta Warrior’.”
Gu Yanran gave a smile that truly lived up to her name, her lips curving as she explained.
“Terracotta Warrior?” Li Yi uttered this unfamiliar term, feeling a sense of dread and panic.
“In ancient times, the ‘Corpse Refining Art’ used to create ‘Terracotta Warriors’ was the precursor to ‘Corpse Stitching’ in necromantic magic.” Speaking to this point, a trace of resentment flashed in Gu Yanran’s eyes. “However, this method has always been scorned by those hypocritical orthodox Mages, continuously suppressed, leading to its decline until today.”
“Even the ‘Sage of Magic’ Confucius once said—’The originators of this, are they not without posterity?’. You see what we’ve been cursed as? Fortunately, the War of a Thousand Realms flourished, giving Necromancers a place to use their skills, allowing this path to gradually recover.”
“Therefore, while the magical lineages as a whole have progressed, this necromantic branch should actually revere the ancient and disparage the modern.”
“This Terracotta Warrior is from the Mausoleum of the First Emperor, also commonly called a Hell Warrior.” A strange light shimmered in Gu Yanran’s eyes, her voice unusually excited. “With this, my original secret art—’Return of the Dead’—might steadily advance one rank, reaching the top tier of the Emperor level!”
“What does this have to do with me?” Li Yi was a bit confused, while also secretly marveling inwardly. Judging by Gu Yanran’s tone, could she create original secret arts?
“This item was something I won from a bet. And the bet was whether you could defeat Xun Ye.” Gu Yanran glanced at Li Yi with her eyes, her expression amused.
“You bet I would win?”
As soon as he asked, Li Yi knew he had said something foolish. Gu Yanran had already won the bet; was there really a need to ask?
“Teacher Gu, you… had confidence in me?”
As he said this, Li Yi lifted his head to look at Gu Yanran, feeling a peculiar sensation in his heart.
“Of course!” Gu Yanran sounded a bit lacking in conviction. Naturally, she couldn’t admit she had wavered and regretted it. After a pause, she added unnecessarily, “You defeated Gao Huanzhang. Compared to that, Xun Ye was probably a piece of cake for you, right?”
Li Yi clenched his fist. In his eyes, a fierce light suddenly blazed.
Being recognized… since coming to this world, this feeling was a first.
It felt… really good…
“Li Yi, I am a person who doesn’t like owing favors,” Gu Yanran said, changing the topic proactively, perhaps feeling guilty. “Teaching you a secret art can be considered returning the favor!”
“A secret art?” Li Yi’s eyes brightened. Having more secret arts for protection was always better. “Is it… ‘Return of the Dead’?”
“‘Return of the Dead’? You’ve got quite the imagination, kid!” Gu Yanran put her hands on her hips, seeming both annoyed and amused as she shot him a look. “‘Return of the Dead’ requires enormous materials. Even I often find it burdensome. You couldn’t afford it even if I sold you!”
“Then what is it?” Li Yi still felt some envy for the “Night Dancer”. Though he had expected this outcome, he couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed.
“It’s something I tinkered with by accident. Sage-tier, top grade. Called the ‘Elemental Wraith’.”
“Elemental Wraith?” Li Yi’s eyes moved. Though a little disappointed, he had to look forward.
“Do you know the difference between a Headless Knight and a Stitched Abomination?”
Li Yi looked up, his face blank.
“A Headless Knight is summoned from the Nether Prison, belonging to summoned creatures. A Stitched Abomination is personally refined by a Necromancer, belonging to crafted creatures.” Gu Yanran had expected this. Her explanation was brief, but the logic was clear.
Li Yi nodded, showing understanding.
“What about Elemental Summoning?” Gu Yanran asked again.
“This, I do know,” Li Yi nodded. He was no longer the ignorant newcomer he was at the start. “Using Mana as the bones, elements as the flesh and blood, summoning an Outer Realm spirit as the soul, to craft an Elemental Life. Its progression can go from low-level Air Servants to high-level Tempest Genies, even up to a ‘Hurricane Commander’.”
“Correct,” Gu Yanran’s eyes showed appreciation, and she smiled slightly. “This art actually lies between summoning and crafting. It’s powerful and practical, but overly complex and obscure, especially for low-level Mages, it’s as difficult as crossing a chasm. So, I thought of a compromise…”
“A compromise?”
“What if we didn’t use an Outer Realm spirit as the soul?” Gu Yanran’s voice in the lamplight had a distant, elusive feel.
“What could replace it?” Li Yi’s curiosity was piqued; he couldn’t help but ask.
“A Twisted Wraith!”
As she spoke, Gu Yanran turned her hand over, revealing a triangular glass bottle.
Inside, a mass of pale mist churned and surged, its form unstable, constantly changing, rising and falling.
It occasionally struck the glass walls. Faint, sorrowful wails resonated from the bottle. Even the faint sound that escaped gave one a dizzying sensation.
“Twisted Wraiths are the most adaptable among the thirteen types of wraiths, and not too difficult to control either.”
Li Yi listened quietly, hardly daring to breathe loudly.
“The basic ‘Elemental Summoning’ results in ‘Air Servants’, ‘Earth-Stone Servants’, ‘Flame Servants’, and ‘Dew Servants’. You know this, right?”
“I know.” Li Yi nodded honestly.
“Through my improvements, using a ‘Twisted Wraith’ as the soul, we can craft four types of Elemental Wraiths—’Air Wraith’, ‘Earth-Stone Wraith’, ‘Flame Wraith’, and ‘Dew Wraith’.”
“What about their attributes?” Li Yi listened carefully, now looking up to ask.
“That question hits the mark… It seems your theoretical foundation is quite solid.” Gu Yanran lightly praised him, smiling. “Their attributes are quite different from regular Elemental Summoning! For example, the ‘Dew Wraith’ has absolutely no healing ability whatsoever. But its water wave attacks carry a trace of Yellow Springs aura, capable of harming the soul!”
Li Yi nodded. In his heart, he was secretly itching to try.
“Next, I will craft each of the four wraiths in sequence. Pay close attention!” Gu Yanran raised one finger and said seriously, “I will only do this once!”
“Yes!” Li Yi nodded heavily. Deep in his pupils, light suddenly flowed forth, shining intensely.
“Oh? You already know how to use a mental technique like ‘Focus Mind’? Did you figure it out yourself?” Gu Yanran was slightly surprised again. She pulled out the stopper. The wails of the wraith surged out, spreading through the air!
…
Crescent moon.
Under a withered, decaying old tree, Yu Qian seemed to be waiting for something, pacing back and forth. Broken shadows from the tree fell on his cold face, creating mottled patterns.
“Zhangsun Shenji is not worth worrying about! His ‘Heaven-Earth Resonance’ is actually about borrowing power to strike. His own cultivation is negligible! If not for relying on ‘Eternal Dawn Radiance’, forget the top eight, he probably wouldn’t have made it past the first round! Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been tripped up by those Hyena Gang trash… In the coming days, as ‘Eternal Dawn Radiance’ gradually fades, his strength will only keep shrinking.”
“Su Xuan’er is a formidable opponent! However, she has her own headaches. The overt and covert struggle with Bai Yun is probably about to begin… She wasn’t very interested in the top spot to begin with, so she might not even participate.”
“And then, there’s Li Yi!”
Yu Qian’s expression shifted. He was shocked to realize that mentioning this name actually made him feel a hint of fear?
It had to be said, that one Water Bullet Spell tore apart the arrogant disguises of many.
“Afraid? A commoner, a dog-like creature, could actually make me fear him?”
The more he thought about it, the more indignant he felt. In his eyes, killing intent surged forth.
“Sir Yu Qian, were you looking for me?”
This person… made no footsteps?
A chill ran down Yu Qian’s spine. He turned his head sharply, startled, and saw a lazy face beneath a hood.
“You, are you Hong He, known as ‘Green Arrow’?” Yu Qian took a step back, warily increasing the distance. “A Tree Shadow Cloak? I must say, that’s rather interesting…”
“A small gadget, not worth a second look…” The man before him spoke modestly. He was always polite to clients.
The Tree Shadow Cloak was made from leaves of the Fusang giant tree and had the “Tree Shade Blessing” effect. Among forests, protected by tree spirits, it allowed one to move without a sound, even masking one’s scent.
Yu Qian’s expression remained unchanged as he looked the man up and down.