Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 449 Old Jasper, Stunned by the Beating
Su Li smiled as he watched the soldiers being set ablaze. Their morale was soaring, and their fighting spirit was high. After their initial victory, they were undoubtedly more confident about the upcoming decisive battle against Old Jasper.

A moment later, he turned and walked toward Orstein, who was wiping the dirt off his warhammer.

"Well done, Marshal." Su Li praised sincerely, "You decisively defeated the Night Wandering Corpse Vanguard and blunted the enemy's advance. You deserve the greatest credit for this battle."

Orstein grinned, his face still somewhat pale, but his spirits were high: "I have fulfilled my mission, my lord. Thanks to your divine magical support, as well as the timely firepower of Lord Green Dragon and my dwarf brothers, and... that crucial shot."

He pointed to the huge wreckage of the hearse in the distance.

Su Li nodded, his sharp gaze fixed on the direction where the monsters had receded like a tide. After a moment's thought, he asked, "What do you think old Jasper is thinking right now?"

Erstein pondered for a moment, looked at the battlefield littered with wreckage, and said with a smile, "I bet old Jasper is either bewildered or quite smug right now."

Su Li raised an eyebrow: "Then he really is conflicted."

"Let's ignore him for now and see what our gains and achievements are."

Mentioning this, Erstein immediately perked up and said, "The greatest achievement is undoubtedly in morale. In this battle, we crushed thousands of undead monsters in one fell swoop, and our own losses were negligible, which completely proves our strength. The fear we had of the legendary wizard Jasper before the battle has been swept away! The soldiers are all in high spirits and eager for battle."

"After all, the supplies we seized were incredibly abundant. This is completely different from the contaminated garbage left behind by our old adversary, Chaos, which required a great deal of effort to clean up. The 'remains' of these Nightwalkers are quite valuable."

"You probably remember that many of the Night Wanderers were corpses collected by Old Jasper's team from various outposts, which is quite different from the monsters that the vampire counts created with black magic."

"Therefore, the loot dropped is extremely generous. The most important thing is undoubtedly the equipment."

Orstein's voice rose considerably as he spoke: "Old Jasper's 'Nightwalker Corpse' team collects corpses everywhere, many of whom were mercenaries, adventurers, or even soldiers of minor lords in life! When they are resurrected, their weapons and armor don't decay and disappear along with them. Now that those undead have vanished, what remains are solid, usable iron weapons!"

He pointed to the rear of the battlefield, where soldiers were carrying and sorting through piles of spoils. "Look over there! Intact chainmail, half-armor, and helmets, though some are rusted and dented, can arm many soldiers with a little remelting or repair. Swords, axes, and spears are piled up like mountains. Especially the weapons left behind by the skeleton warriors, although old-fashioned, are mostly made of solid steel, even far superior to the farm tools in the hands of many newly conscripted soldiers! The dwarf brothers are already clamoring to start the forge."

Erstein paused, then carefully took out a small object wrapped in thick velvet from the leather pouch at his waist. He unwrapped the cloth, revealing an antique-looking amulet.

"Also, while clearing out the lich territories destroyed by Lord Green Dragon's poisonous breath and forest magic, we found this in the ashes of a particularly tall skeleton wearing tattered mage robes." He handed the amulet to Su Li.

This amulet is a dark, silvery-gray color, its main body a smooth, polished fragment of a dark gray gemstone with mithril inlaid along its edges. Within the gemstone, an extremely faint, cold gray mist seems to slowly circulate. The gemstone is fixed to a treated, tough black spirit-binding cloth, etched with fine, continuously circulating defensive runes. The entire amulet exudes a cool and steadfast aura.

“Master Grondar of the Mage Guild has done a preliminary appraisal,” Orstein’s voice carried a hint of excitement. “This thing is extraordinary. It’s called the ‘Soul Stone Barrier Amulet.’ It’s a rare-grade ring.”

"Its core is that highly concentrated gem fragment, and the outer layer is a specially treated spirit-binding cloth. The runes on it can combine and guide the power of the two. The effect is very practical and targeted—specifically to combat the spiritual erosion and negative energy impact of the undead."

“The person who wears it,” Orstein explained, “can feel an invisible, cold barrier enveloping their mind. This barrier effectively weakens common undead attacks such as fear auras, mental shrieks, and negative energy drain. Master Grondal said it is almost completely immune to low- to mid-level necromancer spells and mental attacks; even powerful curses or mind control from high-level necromancers can be greatly weakened, giving the wearer time to react. Moreover, the stable energy it contains seems to have a certain deflecting effect on physical negative energy attacks (such as certain undead breaths).”

Su Li took the talisman; it was icy cold to the touch, but the strange, solid feeling within that chill was clearly perceptible. The talisman's craftsmanship wasn't exquisite, even somewhat rough, clearly a product of pragmatism, but the protective power it contained was very real.

"A rare ring? This is amazing!" Su Li weighed it in his hand. There weren't many rings of this caliber in the entire territory. It would be incredibly valuable in battles against the undead, especially against a necromancer of Old Jasper's caliber. "It seems Old Jasper's lich has some hidden treasures. I'll keep this safe for now; it might come in very handy during the final battle."

He handed the amulet back to Orstein. "Continue clearing the battlefield. Register all valuable loot, especially enchanted items like these. Prioritize distributing amulets and enchanted items to troops, mages, and priests for replenishment and enhancement. These spoils will be our capital for the next battle."

Orstein solemnly put away the amulet: "Understood, my lord. We will make good use of old Jasper's 'generosity.' We hope he will come and fight us again. After all, he is a powerful legend. Defeating his troops will bring us a lot of divine favor. In this battle alone, we have produced one champion knight, 23 elite knights, and nearly a hundred mortals who have broken through to the ranks of apprentice knights."

Just as Su Li and Erstein were filled with ambition and high morale, not far from the battlefield, in the shadows of a forest...

The cold, negative energy, like a tangible mist, flowed slowly through the twisted roots of the ancient tree. The light here was almost distorted and swallowed up; only the faint moonlight that occasionally pierced through the gaps in the decaying branches and leaves could barely outline the silhouette of the withered figure in the center.

Old Jasper, the legendary lich and ruler of the Nightwalkers, hovered silently a few feet above the ground. His bony fingers unconsciously twirled a crystal of ice formed from pure negative energy. In the shadows beneath his hood, two eerie blue soul flames flickered and swayed violently, like candlelight in a storm, revealing the turmoil within their master.

Before him floated a mirror composed of ice and shadow. Reflected in the mirror was the final scene of the Ravenhill battlefield—the Blackwood soldiers' thunderous shouts of "Glory!" seemed to pierce through space, shaking the deathly silent forest; the blazing campfires illuminated the faces of the human victors; the scattered remains of the undead, especially the wreckage of the corpse wagon torn to pieces by dwarven cannons—once a vital point of his magical power—stood like the most glaring mockery.

"Hiss..." A deep, resentful, and incredulous gasp escaped from the lich's decaying throat, like a viper spitting its tongue.

That's it? Just like that... gone?!

That was one of his four most elite vanguard units! It consisted of carefully selected tomb guardians, enhanced with powerful necromancy, forming the core; mixed with fierce zombies salvaged from the battlefield; equipped with bloodthirsty ghouls as the assault spearhead; and further enhanced by spirit-binding monks driving corpse-carrying wagons, providing a death aura and unified command! This force was more than capable of easily crushing the entire defenses of a medium-sized human territory!

He sent this vanguard to Raven Ridge, partly to test the waters. After all, the name Su Li Bauhinia... had already acquired too many fantastical connotations among the caravans and refugees on the edge of the Black Pine Forest.

"Prophet," "Rising Star," "All-Knowing Information Provider of Blackforest Territory," "Champion Knight Manufacturing Machine"... these titles spread like a plague through the lower levels of the border princely territories, even reaching the ears of this undead overlord. A mortal lord, gathering so many chosen knights around him in such a short time? This in itself is unusual! Not to mention the rumors about him seemingly always being able to "predict" the enemy's movements.

Old Jasper had scoffed at this, but couldn't completely ignore it. He'd lived too long, seen too many charlatans, but also knew that there were indeed exceptions in the river of fate who could glimpse fragments of the future. Su Li's rise and the speed at which his forces expanded were simply unbelievable. Sending the vanguard to Raven Ridge was precisely to test their strength.
If Su Li truly possessed the ability to "foresee," he would likely have laid down heavy troops or clever traps at Raven Ridge in advance. The intensity of resistance encountered by the vanguard would be a crucial indicator of the scope and accuracy of his "foresight."

Meanwhile, are those chosen knights truly worthy or merely empty titles? What is the actual fighting strength of the Black Forest army? A head-on battle will be the best test.

Ultimately, regardless of the outcome at Raven Ridge, the momentum of this vanguard would attract the attention of the Black Forest Territory, creating an excellent opportunity for his main force, the true "Awakening Core," to infiltrate the Valley of Memories via a more covert and deadly route. However, he never expected the probe to end like this!

This wasn't a case of encountering fierce resistance, nor was it a case of falling into an ambush and suffering heavy losses... This was total annihilation! It was a complete and utter defeat, like eggs hitting a rock!

The details of the battle shown in the mirror sent a chill down the spine of even the most knowledgeable and legendary lich:
That area-of-effect divine spell, precisely covering the entire army! Defense enhancement, weapon enchantment, courage boost… the power and breadth of its effects are simply unbelievable! This is something no ordinary chosen priest could achieve! That Su Li, the sacred artifact in his possession, or his own power, far exceeds intelligence estimates!

The green dragon's terrifying power astonished him even more. Its venomous breath and violent forest revival magic instantly tore apart his carefully arranged central army! The existence and power of Eliria were simply beyond his imagination. How could this green dragon's magical strength be so great? Its Giron magic spells were far beyond what a Chosen One could possess.

More importantly, the accuracy and power of the dwarven artillery! Especially that fatal blow against the corpse transport vehicle! He couldn't understand how a human territory could have so much dwarven equipment and artillery.

Of course, what impressed it most was the assault force of the Black Forest Guard and high-ranking attendants! Under the leadership of that brute Orstein (even old Jasper had to admit that this guy was indeed incredibly brave), they actually managed to break through his strongest tomb defense formation!
“He foresaw…he must have foreseen it!” Old Jasper’s soul fire flickered wildly as his bony fingers crushed the negative energy ice crystal. “Otherwise, how could he have so precisely gathered such a powerful force and devised such targeted tactics? Even the green dragon happened to be here! Even the dwarven artillery fire was aimed so accurately! He not only knew my vanguard would go through Raven Hill, he even knew the composition of the vanguard, and knew that the corpse wagon was the key node!”

Panic, like cold vines, began to entwine the core of old Jasper's mind (even though he no longer had a heart of flesh and blood). The more he thought about it, the more unfathomable Su Li seemed:
Omniscient? Perhaps he truly possesses some method to see through everything? A magical network? Divine revelation? Or... some kind of forbidden time-seeing?

Perhaps he truly was favored by fate? After reaching the legendary level, he became increasingly convinced of things like destiny and divine favor. With so many chosen ones gathered and so many perfectly timed victories, he even wondered if a god was paving the way for him.

The key question is, besides what he sees before him, does he have any other hidden cards up his sleeve? He doesn't believe that Su Li would reveal all his cards in their very first encounter.

Besides the green dragon, the chosen knights, and the dwarven allies he has on the surface, he must have an even more powerful trump card up his sleeve! But what drives him crazy is that he has no idea what it is.

What pained him even more was that the loss of this striker was far more complex than it appeared on the surface!
"That vanguard... that was the core strength I'd accumulated over nearly a century!" Old Jasper's soul roared silently. To cultivate an elite undead legion composed of tomb guardians, enhanced zombies, and bloodthirsty ghouls required a large number of high-quality corpses, powerful necromancy, a long period of time, and... luck! He only had four such organized elite units left, like the one wiped out at Ravenhill! The loss of each one was crippling!
He originally thought sending out a force would be enough to probe and draw fire, but this probing "arm" was cleanly and decisively severed by the enemy! This wasn't a probe; it was practically handing himself over to the enemy to sharpen their knife!

The image in the mirror froze on Su Li standing on the high ground, delivering a triumphant speech with great confidence. The confident gleam on the young lord's face, in old Jasper's eyes, was now full of mockery and unfathomable meaning.

“We were careless…we severely underestimated this opponent.” Old Jasper’s soul fire pulsed violently: “Su Li Bauhinia…this guy not only has the ability to ‘predict,’ but his own strength and the resources he controls are also far beyond what a border princely territory should have!”

The aftershocks of panic did not completely subside; instead, they fermented and swelled within the lich's cold and rational mind, giving rise to a series of far-fetched and chilling speculations. His bony fingers unconsciously traced the mirror's surface, and the shattered ice crystals scattered in the negative energy mist, as if symbolizing his complete rejection of the original intelligence.

"Precognition... no, this is probably more than just precognition!" Old Jasper's consciousness operated wildly like the most sophisticated necromancy, magnifying every detail on the battlefield and connecting them into a chain of evidence pointing to an even more terrifying truth.

Moreover, those incredibly powerful cannons, inscribed with targeted runes and terrifyingly accurate, along with numerous dwarven helicopters hovering overhead! "This is far beyond the support a border dwarven outpost could provide! Did the people of Dragonrock Fortress participate in this battle?" The more Old Jasper thought about it, the more terrifying it became. Had Su Li foreseen all of this? Had he preemptively requested reinforcements from the dwarven kingdom? If the Gray Mountain dwarven kingdom had participated in this battle, then he and the Nightwalker Corpse were completely surrounded.

And then there's the astonishing number of Chosen Knights under Su Li's command... Did he really train all of these himself? Why did the people of Maleburg send an envoy to contact him as soon as he arrived? Could it be a conspiracy between the two sides? Otherwise, there's really no way to explain how such a small border colony could have so many Chosen Knights and Champion Knights!
Old Jasper's thoughts grew increasingly convinced that this was a conspiracy. It was a plot orchestrated by a human border princely territory and the dwarven kingdom, aimed at luring him out. Otherwise, how could a mere mortal lord possess such extraordinary abilities? This must involve a higher level of power struggle!
The conclusion was so clear it suffocated old Jasper: Su Li Bauhinia was no ordinary border lord! He had at least an Elector or a dwarven kingdom-level power backing him, and his goal was to lure him into action!

This realization, like the coldest venom, instantly froze the last thought in Jasper's mind of "head-on confrontation."

"A feint... my plan was correct, but the scale... was too small!" Old Jasper's withered lips twisted into a silent, extremely fearful sneer. "Using a vanguard to probe? It's like tickling a behemoth! To deal with an opponent like this, you must go all out, keeping him busy and giving him no chance to delay or use any precognitive abilities! Even if you foresaw my deployment, so what? I will overwhelm you with overwhelming numerical superiority, leaving you powerless to react even if you see everything clearly!"

He suddenly waved his hand, and the ice mirror in front of him shattered instantly! All surveillance of the defeated soldiers of Raven Ridge was completely cut off. Those remnants were now worthless and not worth wasting a single ounce of magic power on.

"Hold everyone in the Valley of Memories to a halt...wait for me!" Old Jasper's will, like a cold steel needle, pierced the heart of the Black Forest Territory, targeting a monstrous force led by his strongest Corpse Demon Lord, Mhava, and composed of his most elite Spirit Knights, messengers, and even a few Fear Beasts. This force had originally intended to infiltrate the Valley of Memories. But now...

"Plan changed!" Old Jasper's soul command traversed space, directly imprinting itself on Mhawa's cold consciousness, carrying an undeniable urgency and determination: "I've decided! Target—Valley of Memories! Awaken the 'Sleepers' immediately! At any cost! I want to see the entire heartland of Black Forest transformed into a deathly kingdom ruled by the ancient dead before the twin moons fall!"

He paused, then added the most crucial instruction, one that best reflected his distorted state of mind at that moment:
"Before awakening... all Night Wanderer Corpses, regardless of casualties, spare no effort, launch a full-scale attack! Destroy Su Li·Bauhinia himself! Kill him! Crush him! Let him and his damned 'precognition' and 'divine favor' turn to dust! For..."

After the command was given, old Jasper's skeletal body trembled slightly, clearly revealing that he was already filled with fear!
This battle shattered all his illusions, even causing him to retreat and no longer dare to confront Su Li head-on.

Instead, he chose to leave his main force here, while he himself went to the Valley of Memories, placing all his hopes on this lightning-fast, reckless raid.

"Su Li...you think you've won?" The lich's thoughts echoed through the desolate forest, filled with resentment and a twisted expectation: "What you won was just a small battle I deliberately let you win! The stronger your exposed power, the more it proves my judgment was correct! I'm going to keep you busy!"

"Enjoy this moment of glory. Soon, an ancient tide of death will surge forth from the most unexpected place, engulfing everything you have! Can your so-called precognition 'see' this?"

Old Jasper's figure slowly sank into the deeper shadows, preparing for his possible next intervention. He no longer paid attention to the victors of Ravenhill; his entire focus was on the deadly dagger hurtling towards the Valley of Memories, on the terrifying being about to be awakened, a being capable of overturning everything.

Meanwhile, Su Li, whom he considered unfathomable and seemingly protected by the gods, was at the campfire in Raven Ridge, discussing with his marshal how to use captured equipment to arm more soldiers, and asked with a hint of doubt, "Why haven't we seen Old Jasper?"

"It's the night of the double crescent moon, he should be at his most active. Why did he send out a probe strike force and then disappear without a trace?"

Orstein also looked puzzled and replied, "Yes, it feels like we just tested the waters, why did the Nightwalkers stop? Could they be brewing some big conspiracy?"

Big conspiracy?
Does it refer to the Valley of Memories? Could that be considered a grand conspiracy?

As they were pondering, Pegasus Knight Ariana strode into the command room and reported, "My lord, we have just obtained important intelligence. The Nightwalkers have made significant adjustments and seem to be preparing for a major operation!"

(End of this chapter)