Chapter 4: The Growth of Slaughter

Having retreated to the other side of the valley, Carol increasingly sensed that something was amiss; another strong companion who had come with him, August, was nowhere to be found

The strength of the bone warriors far exceeds that of the red warriors, yet it pales in comparison to the formidable defense of the rock salamander. Their bony weapons struggle to penetrate the stone armor of the rock salamander, and even if they manage to slip into the gaps of the armor, such short weapons cannot inflict substantial damage on magical creatures

"Bone Warriors, protect me!" While issuing commands for the nearest Bone Warriors to shield herself, Carol endured the excruciating pain and retreated swiftly.

The dark-robed sorcerer found it difficult to take action; he did not wish to leave traces of his magic on Alec's corpse, as that would completely eliminate any chance of rebuttal, and he would die in a most disgraceful manner

"Shadow Assassins? You actually exist!" The old man was filled with shock; although he could not see the killer behind him, he had guessed the other party's identity

Damn, this is the Forbidden Demon Sound! The black-robed sorcerer was taken aback; he had originally thought that this powerful bone was like most powerful bones, relying on physical attacks. However, he did not expect it to be such a rare sound wave attack. Being struck by the Forbidden Demon Sound within twenty meters would not cause significant physical harm, but it would result in a temporary loss of chanting ability.

***

Three young humans emerged, one of whom wielded a large axe. He smashed the nearby skeletal remains to pieces like a whirlwind of steel. His exquisite axe technique and calm demeanor clearly indicated that he was a seasoned expert in battle. Carol's heart sank, realizing that she had encountered a bone hunter specifically skilled in hunting skeletons

"The imperial sorcerer has a few good things, but I am not interested in helping him." A glint of killing intent flashed in Aisi's eyes: "I am wondering how that aberrant Graybone is doing. If he survives this battle, he is likely to become a Redbone."

In a state of panic, Lu Yan could only helplessly lift Alek's corpse to shield his head, unsure of its purpose, but it was the only thing he could do.

The dark-robed sorcerer hovered in the air, horrified to see Alec's vivid face quickly fade, the fire of life silently slipping away from his eyes

The battle skeletons under the command of Strongbone August were charging fiercely, clearly indicating that he had issued a command for everyone to charge. However, August himself was nowhere to be seen

Danger! Just as Carol was feeling pleased with herself, she suddenly sensed a hint of danger approaching

Glancing back slightly, Alec and the Red Bone lay motionless on the ground, while the villagers watched from a distance, hiding in fear. The black-robed sorcerer believed that Red Bone's body could not withstand the immense power of the rock salamander, so he did not bother to collect the bodies. Instead, he first directed the rock salamander, which was surrounded by the battle bones. He only had two of these summoning scrolls, and if not used wisely, he might indeed fall into the hands of the two strong bones today

Suddenly, a nearly invisible ice silk net descended from the night sky. By the time Carol realized it, he could already feel the cool threads of the ice silk net resting on his shoulders

At this moment, Lu Yan felt very comfortable, a wonderful sensation spreading throughout his body. He felt filled with strength, and more remarkably, he sensed a mysterious power flowing from Alec into his own body, as if he were absorbing Alec's life force.

Fool! The black-robed sorcerer muttered under his breath, as he did not wish to see Alec's body torn in two, which would only serve to increase the king's wrath

Is this my bone skill? Lyu Yan looked somewhat dazed as he stared at the bone needle in the palm of his hand

Fire! Turn! ... ... ''

The eyes of the three young men lit up, for the cranial bone spirit is indeed a valuable treasure

"Red Bone?" Howard chuckled in disbelief: "What is Red Bone? Even the Battle Bone is no match for Rick's axe. Didn't we also take down the formidable Strong Bone?"

The dark-robed sorcerer was unaware that he had just lost a powerful protector. He awoke from the shock of the prince's death. In any case, he needed to retrieve Alec's body first. He still carried valuable mission items on him, making it unsuitable for him to remain on the battlefield for long.

It seems that killing is the primary means of my growth. Lv Yan looked at the bone needle in the palm of his hand, slowly growing under the nourishment of "strength" and the scriptures, gradually confirming this fact

Due to the inability to establish a mental connection through chanting and the rock salamander, the black-robed sorcerer could only command it through language

Lü Yan removed his palm from Alec's neck, and a slender bone needle stained with blood was drawn out from the wound on Alec's neck. The length of the needle was approximately the same as the distance from the wrist to the tip of the middle finger, just enough to pierce through a human neck

Without a response, only the dagger at the chest was drawn horizontally, slicing the old man's heart in half along the gap between the ribs, then withdrew and vanished

The situation outside has become rather complicated; I should take some action. The old man pondered for a moment and decided to deal with the two strong opponents. However, just as he stood up straight, an unexpected change occurred. The tip of a black dagger suddenly emerged from his chest without any warning, and red blood blossomed like flowers on his filthy magical artifact

Ah—" Carol let out a piercing scream, the terrifying sound waves generating a substantial whirlwind that lifted the ice silk net into the sky. However, one end of the ice silk net still caught on her left arm, and the low temperature rapidly caused her arm bone to crack. Before Carol could even feel the pain, she heard a snap, and her entire left arm shattered and fell.

"Aisi, do you want to help that magician?" The blue-haired Howard sealed Carol's bone spirit with a transparent crystal, only to find the archer gazing in the direction of the battlefield

Qiang Gu Carol accelerated backward, feeling quite satisfied. He did not expect that the foolish apprentice mage would actually chant magic right in front of him. The anti-magic sound could only harm those mages who were in the process of chanting. After getting closer, he did not rush to take action; he was simply waiting for the apprentice mage to make a mistake. He did not expect to succeed so easily.

Lü Yan has evolved into a Bone Warrior, already considered a Red Bone, yet he is absolutely no match for a wizard. He has witnessed those Red Bones being instantly reduced to dust under the hands of black-robed wizards, and now those deathly fireballs are poised to descend upon his head

The handsome man carrying a bow and arrow walked up to Carol and smiled faintly: "Strong Bones, the Black Valley Village does not have black crystals; that was merely bait I used to lure you in."

The powerful bone Carol arrived twenty meters away, not in a hurry to make a move, but cautiously observing the black-robed magician. It seemed that the enormous flame shield instilled a sense of fear in him, which was quite normal, as generally speaking, a powerful bone is not a match for an apprentice magician.

The king's sixth son thus died before his very eyes

However, the assailant clearly did not give him a chance to escape. An arrow with a crescent-shaped tip flew in, skillfully piercing through Carol's throat, lodging itself in his cervical spine. It propelled him backward for over ten meters, impaling him against a large tree. The cervical spine, akin to the vital point of a skeleton, once locked, rendered him nearly powerless, leaving Carol unable to move.

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Lü Yan lay on the cold stone ground, with the bloody corpse of Alike pressing down on him. Around him, the murmurs of the villagers filled the air with curses. If it weren't for the gruesome appearance of the blood-soaked skeleton, those women wielding hoes would likely have charged at him.

The dark-robed sorcerer felt his hands and feet becoming somewhat cold. Although this secret mission was an order from the Sorcerers' Association, even if he completed the task, the Association would not risk a confrontation with the king over a mere apprentice sorcerer. What awaited him was likely expulsion from the Sorcerers' Association, or even the cruel fate of being burned at the stake.

Glancing at the strong bone twenty meters away, the black-robed sorcerer decided to chant a very brief guiding spell to send the fireball around Alec's corpse to shatter that damned red bone

Aisi shook his head: "The black flame, even though it is still very weak, is nonetheless terrifying"

The black-robed sorcerer remained unperturbed as a large mass of skeletons pressed forward. He swiftly took out a scroll from his pack, tore it open, and infused it with magical energy. A beam of earthy yellow light shot from the scroll into the ground, and soon the ground began to tremble. A gigantic creature clad in rocky armor emerged from the depths, a rock salamander

The strong body is quite sturdy, yet Carol still dared not confront the fireball. He awkwardly dodged while retreating, simultaneously commanding all his skeletal subordinates to launch a fierce assault. He had already assessed the strength of the River Valley Village; it consisted of merely an apprentice mage and about twenty magic apprentices. Moreover, this apprentice mage had lost the ability to chant spells, making it possible to wear him down using the skeleton sea tactic

The old man collapsed in a pool of blood, enduring excruciating pain as he gently touched the tip of his tongue to the blood-soaked roof of his mouth, a silent syllable escaping from his trembling lips: "Explore!"

The black-robed sorcerer did not see the white-bearded old man lying in the dark corner. As an apprentice sorcerer, he had few opportunities to interact with the archmage, who represented the pinnacle of power on the continent, and he was unaware that his mission was significant enough to require the archmage's covert protection.

As the black-robed sorcerer uttered two words, the nearby strong-boned Carol let out a sharp, piercing roar. This high-pitched sound, almost inaudible to the human ear, instantly penetrated the black-robed sorcerer's throat, interrupting his incantation... It even caused slight damage to his vocal cords

Carol's upper and lower jaws were slightly parted, and the dark red light in his eye sockets flickered rapidly, clearly not understanding why there were wizards in the valley village despite the absence of black crystals

The old man, well-versed in the methods of the shadow assassins, gradually lost his strength, yet a faint bitter smile appeared on his face: "Is this assassination solely aimed at me? Then that is good, that is good.

The entire world suddenly vanished in the old man's eyes; the houses, trees, stone walls, villagers, and even the towering mountains surrounding the river valley village all disappeared. Only the wizards battling on the stone wall and the shadow that had assassinated the old man were in motion, with the shadow moving in the opposite direction to the position of the wizard, the distance between them growing ever wider

The vast "power" surged forth once again, this time with an even stronger sensation. Lu Yan could even feel this "power" repairing his shattered leg bones and spine. He raised his head and looked in the direction from which the "power" was flowing, and saw an old man with a white beard lying in a pool of blood

"Alec is dead?" An old man with a face full of white beard stood up in the valley village behind the stone wall: "If he is dead, then so be it. This child had too strong a competitive spirit, which could pose a threat to the royal family. Dying on the battlefield is far better than dying in the future from poison or under the weight of books."

Carol was searching around in the gradually desolate valley; a strong bone is not so easy to deal with. Auguste could not have been silently dragged away by a beast, could he?

The magic apprentices on the wall gathered their panicked emotions and began to systematically unleash various spells once again. The spells of the wizard apprentices also possessed significant lethality against the bone warriors, causing the battle situation to become tense once more

The foolish magical creature hesitated for a moment, then suddenly raised its tail, which was over ten meters long, and fiercely swept it against Lu Yan's back, sending both Lu Yan and Alec flying over the several-meter-high stone wall and into the valley village below

The Flame Shield automatically hovered behind him as the black-robed sorcerer approached above Lyu Yan. Five fireballs floated around his palm, each capable of shattering Lyu Yan to pieces.

Rock Salamander, push them into the stone wall!" The black-robed sorcerer pointed, giving the command to the Rock Salamander, while Lü Yan, who was holding Alex's corpse in his arms, stood still.

"Can killing and causing death to humanity help me grow?" Lyu Yan quickly guessed the crux of the issue. He first felt this strange "power" beneath the stone wall, where all the skeletons around the wall had perished. Thus, the "power" of the death militia was transferred to him. Subsequently, the wound on the shoulder of the black-robed sorcerer and the "power" released upon the death of Alec were all absorbed by Lyu Yan. Now, the white-bearded old man in the pool of blood was also delivering vast "power" to Lyu Yan. At that time, all the skeletons around the stone wall had perished, and thus the "power" of the death militia was transferred to him. Subsequently, the wound on the shoulder of the black-robed sorcerer and the "power" released upon the death of Alec were all absorbed by Lyu Yan. Now, the white-bearded old man in the pool of blood was also delivering vast "power" to Lyu Yan.

That adorable little thing is indeed quite interesting. Should we consider promoting him? Carol recalled Lu Yan, who had killed Alec; it was Lu Yan who had inspired the apprentice mage's adventurous incantation

The black-robed sorcerer waved his hands in succession, sending dozens of fireballs flying towards Strongbone Carol in a rapid barrage. Although these instant fireballs, which did not require incantation, were not very powerful individually, their sheer number was still quite astonishing

"Aisi, you always talk too much. Just extract its bone soul directly!" The blue-haired youth waved his hand impatiently, and a blue, ethereal ice blade flew out from his palm, instantly severing Carol's head into two halves, with a dark red glow flickering within the bowl-shaped skull