Thunder rumbled in the heavens, a deep, terrifying growl that echoed through the air. The sky was thick with dark, swirling clouds, accompanied by serpentine lightning strikes that were as vivid as they were deadly. It seemed as if the entire firmament itself might collapse. Beneath the overwhelming power of nature, the world and all its creatures trembled, retreating into hiding. Yet, deep in the heart of the Desolate Plains, a grand castle stood, brimming with a dense mass of liches, skeletons, and other undead beings, all dutifully bowing before the towering palace.
At the heart of the grand hall was a massive blood pool, its crimson waters churning with life force, radiating boundless vitality. At the far end of the hall, a weathered and tattered Soul Summoning Banner stood, suppressing a sprawling, intricate magical array that furiously drew upon the magical energy contained in the underground crystal veins. The entire hall vibrated with an unparalleled wave of energy, and the high-ranking undead beings—lich lords and dark knights—kneeling outside the palace, were unable to stifle their involuntary groans, as the magic within them surged, multiplying with each passing moment. In the span of seconds, the amount of energy absorbed surpassed what they would normally gather in hundreds of years of cultivation.
"What is life, and what is death? Thousands of years of cultivation, countless cycles of rebirth, all for the enlightenment of this moment!" The Lich King, garbed in a dark robe, spoke as he moved towards the crown of wisdom placed at the end of the hall. His steps were firm and resolute, and with every stride, a distinct imprint was left on the ground. An air of supremacy emanated from his very soul, causing every undead prostrating outside to shudder. The vitality from the blood pool, the soul energy from the banner, and the magic drawn from the crystal veins below surged through his body like an unstoppable river. His once withered skin slowly began to swell and expand in an almost incomprehensible transformation.
First, his palms and calves began to fill out, followed by his chest and thighs, as muscular mass swelled beneath his robes. His face, too, filled with vitality. In the span of mere moments, the once desiccated lich had transformed into a tall, powerful figure—a young man, his face radiant and full of vigor!
"I, Ovissis, swear that the wrath of the Lich King will echo throughout the entire Daras continent and every corner of this world..." As the Lich King continued his solemn vow, he moved forward, pausing briefly to take the majestic and noble crown, symbolizing supreme authority and wisdom, and placed it upon his head. In that instant, the sky above the lich castle darkened even further, and the storm intensified. With a deafening crash, the highest tower of the castle was struck by a bolt of lightning, splitting it in two. The lower-ranked undead—zombies, skeletons, and others—fell into chaos as they recoiled from the immense power.
"No storm of the heavens can halt my advance, no calamity can erase the will of a Lich King!" Ovissis continued, undeterred by the chaos. Without a moment's hesitation, he donned the ancient crown, and as the magic power surged from the underground crystal veins, he felt an overwhelming surge of power flooding his being. Within seconds, the magic and soul crystals inside him formed into tangible forms, shattering the barriers he had struggled against for millennia. His consciousness expanded, and he was suddenly aware of an infinite ocean of souls.
Just as he was about to transcend into the divine realm, the void above him rippled with an enormous serpent-like lightning strike, crashing into him with a deafening roar. His muscles snapped, and blood oozed from his body. A wave of invisible shock rippled outwards, and the undead surrounding him, from the magical liches to the dark knights, were struck down instantly, their life forces snuffed out.
A thunderstorm? Ovissis' eyes widened in shock as he coughed up blood, a black quill materializing in his hand. With swift, decisive motions, he began drawing arcane symbols in the air, channeling the last of his magical strength to summon a formidable defense. But it was too late.
With a thunderous crash, the magical array protecting the palace shattered, and the Soul Summoning Banner cracked, splitting into thin fissures. A new, more terrifying serpent-shaped lightning descended, piercing through him and devastating the magic and soul crystals he had just formed. His newly regenerated flesh and bones flickered like shadows, turning to mist.
"No..." Ovissis' voice was a whisper of despair, his once indomitable spirit faltering as he struggled against the encroaching darkness. But with each passing moment, his body weakened, and his consciousness dimmed. Just as he was on the brink of vanishing, a heavy presence seemed to fall from the sky, crashing down upon him. Without thinking, he drew the final symbol in the air with his quill, the last remnants of his magic and soul crystals quickly melding with the body above him, leaving behind an indelible imprint of defiance and unwillingness to succumb.
With a tremor that shook the very earth, the once-feared Lich King, who had commanded an army of the undead, dissipated into a mere wisp of shadow, vanishing into the cold winds of the desolate plains.
In the aftermath, the Lich Castle lay in ruin, its once-grand halls now nothing but a shattered memory. The blood pool within the palace was drained, the crystal veins exhausted. Only the tattered Soul Summoning Banner still fluttered in the wind, a faint reminder of past glory. Inside the silent hall, a young man, covered in blood, struggled to rise.
"What... where am I?" Alan groggily shook his head, blinking in confusion as he surveyed the runic symbols etched into the walls of the palace. He remembered traveling west, crossing the vast Gerum Grasslands, when an unprecedented storm struck. A bolt of lightning had struck him down, and he lost consciousness. But now, waking up, he found himself not in the comforting embrace of a nurse's care, but in the ruins of a forsaken palace, with his mind filled with strange and unfamiliar memories.
"Ovissis, the Wisdom Crown, the Lich Castle..." Alan muttered to himself, sorting through the vast memories in his mind. A sudden jolt of realization hit him. "What? I... I've inherited the soul imprint and will of Ovissis, becoming a Lich King?"
He pinched his thigh, confirming that this was no dream.
He'd played countless games—heroes, invincible warriors, and even fought lich bosses—but he never imagined that he would become one. At least he hadn't turned into a mummified, lifeless undead. His body still retained its vitality, and even his pride was intact. That was far better than a lifeless, rotting corpse.To truly become a mummified wraith, lying next to a stunning beauty, yet powerless to act, would be more despairing than death itself!
Anxiety, unease, confusion…
For a long while, Allen slowly calmed himself, sorting through the vast and unfamiliar memories in his mind.
Before him stretched a vast, almost limitless wilderness, its expanse far beyond the imagination of any mortal. A normal person could live their entire life without ever seeing its edge. As for the size of the entire Dallas continent, even Ovysis, the Lich King who had lived for over nine thousand years, had no knowledge of it. The wilderness was rich in resources but teeming with monstrous beasts, where only the strong survive, scattered with countless nests, settlements, and castles of various sizes.
"Before, I worked myself to exhaustion just to buy a pigeonhole-sized house; never did I imagine I would now possess a castle thousands of times larger, along with a vast army of liches! Could this be destiny?" Allen thought, reflecting on his university graduation days, when he appeared prosperous on the surface but was actually poor. He bitterly shook his head, marveling at the unpredictable nature of fate, while feeling an exhilarating sense of anticipation for the future.
What is a villa compared to this? Before a magnificent, towering castle, it is but dust!
In the harsh, survival-of-the-fittest world of the Sunset Wilderness, life was grueling for the common folk, but for a lord with an army of millions, it was a different kind of excitement!
"Magic is the path to cultivation; the soul, the source of power..."
Picking up the cold, black magic pen from the ground, Allen muttered, as a strange memory unconsciously surfaced in his mind. His right hand moved instinctively, drawing an intricate rune in the air.
Whoosh...
A soft sound, and suddenly a fiery, blazing flame appeared before him—red-hot, searing, flickering in the cold wind, emitting waves of intense heat. In an instant, a pool of blood several steps away evaporated rapidly, rising into a thin mist.
No expensive, cumbersome wands, no long, awkward incantations—just a simple rune, and a fiery flame appeared out of nowhere!
So this is what magic is?
Allen stared at the flickering flame in the cold wind, feeling the intense, scorching heat that emanated from it, his eyes wide with excitement. The flame's duration was brief, vanishing into the wind before he could take more than a fleeting glance, but even that moment was enough to thrill him.
The magic crystal and soul crystal inside his body were almost transparent, and they quickly drained all their energy, floating like a dying ember inside him, as though they could vanish at any moment. The magic and soul power contained within them was pitifully small, not even one-millionth of Ovysis's peak power—at most, he had the strength of a first-level magic apprentice. Yet, these crystals, though so small, carried the memories and will of a lich king, leaving behind the seeds of cultivation within him!
The strength of a magic apprentice, the potential of a demigod!
After inheriting Ovysis's memories, Allen realized that he had unknowingly touched upon the very essence of magic, something that countless sorcerers could only dream of!
The Divine Realm was the lifelong dream of every cultivator. Those who failed in their attempt to break through often perished on the spot; however, there was another possibility—the path of the demigod, a realm between the Divine and Saint realms. Some demigods, after failing to break through to the Divine Realm, were reduced to little more than a lingering soul, their power greatly diminished, hiding in dark places to recover. Others, however, grew stronger with each setback, extending their lifespan and enhancing their power to the point where they could challenge the Divine Realm once more.
The strength of demigod cultivators varied greatly, but even the weakest among them possessed far greater insight into cultivation than an ordinary Saint-level mage or Sword Saint. The magic crystal and soul crystal formed at the moment of attempting to break through to the Divine Realm could be considered the essence of a lifetime of cultivation. Ovysis, the Lich King, had spent over nine thousand years in rigorous practice, only to fail in the end, leaving behind a sliver of his power in Allen, granting him the potential to become a demigod or even a being of the Divine Realm!
The cultivation of undead beings was fundamentally different from that of humans. After losing vitality, they could only cultivate the soul flame within their mind, absorbing the magic power and soul energy from the air. Their physical form was far inferior to that of other creatures at the same level. The further they progressed, the more difficult the path became, and the chances of breaking through to the Divine Realm were minuscule.
Faced with this inherent disadvantage, even the mightiest of the undead had to resign themselves to fate. However, Ovysis was different; he had sworn to reach the Divine Realm, to comprehend the essence of magic, and to grasp the enlightenment of life and death. Though he ultimately vanished in a storm of lightning, devouring vast amounts of life force, he had successfully condensed the legendary magic and soul crystals. Had it not been for a final, fleeting moment of failure, he would have left the undead realm behind, gaining a new life.
"Such a genius... what a pity," Allen sighed, draping a black robe over himself and covering his head, just as Ovysis had done. He quickly focused on the path ahead, organizing Ovysis's belongings.
In the Sunset Wilderness, where only the strong survive, the life of an ordinary person was harsh and unforgiving. But for a lord with a powerful undead army, it was a different kind of thrilling challenge!
"Magic pen, dark ring, soul summoning banner..."
Allen eagerly examined the treasures left by Ovysis, his excitement palpable.
The black magic pen was cold and sleek, radiating subtle waves of pure energy. It felt as though it merged with his body, allowing him to cast powerful spells simply by drawing runes in the air, without the need for a wand or incantations. The dark ring sealed a vast space, though most of it was empty, with only a few crystal stones and pieces of equipment remaining. These two treasures were rare indeed, but the most eye-catching was the tattered soul summoning banner.
According to Ovysis's memories, this banner had been acquired after he nearly perished in the Northern Sea Tombs. After refining it, it became the core of all the magical arrays in his lich castle, as well as his most formidable artifact. By inputting enough magical power, it could unleash devastating attacks. When hunting, as long as there was enough magical and soul power, Ovysis could instantly teleport back using the banner, and it could even gather soul energy from within a thousand miles of the castle, speeding up his cultivation.
"What a powerful soul summoning banner. From now on, let the world feel the wrath of me, Allen, the Lich King!" Allen donned the dark ring and confidently muttered, feeling the surge of soul energy flowing into him, causing his nearly transparent soul crystal to spin faster.
Although his magic and soul power were limited, and he couldn't yet unleash the full potential of the soul summoning banner, he was confident that, with the resources at his disposal, the wrath of the Lich King would soon return to the vast wilderness. One day, his power would surpass even Ovysis's!
"My lord, trouble! Terrible news!"
Before Allen could continue inspecting the treasures in the hall and the ring, a towering zombie warrior hurriedly burst in, his voice trembling.
"My lord, a powerful twelfth-level dark knight has appeared outside and is slashing his way in!"
For a powerful being, changing their appearance was trivial; what remained unchanged were the soul waves in their mind. The towering zombie warrior immediately mistook Allen for the Lich King, without any doubt.
A twelfth-level dark knight?
Allen tightened his grip on the magic pen, his expression serious. When Ovysis was alive, his terrifying presence alone kept the area around the castle free of even the slightest disturbance. Now that Ovysis had passed, a dark knight had sensed the change and was trying to take advantage of the situation.
Under the Divine Realm, creatures in the wild were classified into sixteen levels, with higher levels signifying more terrifying combat power. Among undead creatures, a twelfth-level dark knight was second only to the fourteenth-level skeleton dragon in combat prowess, far exceeding the zombie warriors with their third-level strength or the skeleton warriors with their second-level strength. A single dark knight could easily wipe out a legion of hundreds of skeletons!
"Lead the way, quickly!"
Allen wasted no time, grabbing the soul summoning banner and marching forward. He glanced at the zombie warrior's muscular frame before asking, "By the way, what is your name?"
"My lord, I am the squad leader of the eighth division of the zombie warriors. I have no name, only the number 9517," the towering zombie warrior responded respectfully, excitement mixing with nervousness. For the first time in so many years, he stood this close to the exalted Lich King. Had it not been for the devastating shockwave that wiped out all the high-level undead, he might never have had the privilege of standing beside Allen.
"From now on, you shall wear this Shura armor and be known as Arno. You will be my personal guard!"
Allen glanced at the brawny 9517, taking out a set of black, menacing armor from the dark ring, its knees and elbows spiked like a savage beast. He strode forward, his steps heavy. The towering, muscular zombie reminded him of someone—an iconic Hollywood star, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the man who had made countless girls swoon with admiration.
The arrival of the dark knight made him keenly aware of the danger lurking in the Sunset Wilderness. Without Ovysis's oppressive aura, the lich castle had become a prime target for those who would seize any opportunity to strike. He would need to raise his strength and build a formidable army of elite warriors to survive.
"Thank you, my lord!"
The sturdy zombie warrior bowed and quickly donned the menacing Shura armor, eagerly leading the way. To Allen, the Shura armor was nothing more than a mere trinket, but to these low-level undead, it was a priceless treasure!
Whoosh...
As they exited the grand hall, the sight of a castle nearly ten miles in diameter appeared before Allen. Majestic, grand, and magnificent. The towering walls were made of enormous stone blocks, each the size of a heavy truck, all black and etched with winding, arcane runes. An aura of ancient, timeworn, and dignified power radiated from it. Before the hall, a group of zombie warriors and skeleton soldiers stood, and as soon as they saw Allen's figure, they instantly knelt in unison, their jaws agape, emitting an invisible, soul-deep cry. In an instant, a violent wave of soul energy spread outward!
After the devastating shockwave, all the high-level undead, including the liches and dark knights, had perished, while only a handful of low-level undead, such as the zombies and skeletons, survived the catastrophe.
"This... this is my lich castle!"
Allen's eyes gleamed. Although he knew through Ovysis's memories that he had inherited a vast castle and an army of liches, witnessing the sight of so many undead warriors kneeling before him and beholding the grandeur of the lich castle still left him in awe!