Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 475 The Legend of the Fallen Elf and the Regretful Dwarf

As the dwarves stormed off, the stagnant air in the tomb's hall seemed to move slightly, only to become colder and more calculating. The mocking smile on Iseramar Vil Starspeaker's lips hadn't completely faded when her burning gaze eagerly focused once more on Su Li, or more precisely, on the three body bags behind him.

"Alright, the boring farce is over." Her cool voice carried a hint of imperceptible urgency, as if the end of a millennium-long wait was finally approaching, making it impossible for her to maintain absolute composure any longer. "Mortal, fulfill the contract. Hand over those... 'things' to me."

She stretched out her semi-transparent hand, elegantly pointing to the three body bags, but the gesture carried an undeniable demand.

Su Li didn't move immediately. He stood still, calmly meeting Yseramar's burning gaze, and suddenly spoke, his tone carrying just the right amount of doubt:

“Lady Star Speaker,” he said slowly, each word crystal clear, “before completing the main transaction, you seem to have forgotten something else… or rather, someone else. The spirit of the dead who desecrated the tomb you guarded and disturbed the slumber of many elves—Mhawa. Aren’t you going to deal with him first?”

Yseramar's spirit paused almost imperceptibly, the light in her deep blue eyes seeming to flicker, as if a sophisticated instrument had momentarily malfunctioned due to an unexpected input. She had indeed almost completely forgotten about that despicable undead knight.

But the legendary archmage's reaction speed was astonishing; that momentary hesitation was almost imperceptible. She immediately responded with a tone that blended contempt and self-righteousness, as fluently as if she had prepared a speech beforehand:
“Mhawa?” She tilted her head slightly, as if referring to an insignificant name. “Just a bug that sneaked into the Holy Land. His fate was already sealed. Once I purify the biggest source of pollution here and stabilize the magical cycle, dealing with him… will be a piece of cake, easily wiped out with a thought. His existence is irrelevant and shouldn’t interfere with important matters.”

She skillfully steered the conversation back on track, reiterating the concepts of "purification" and "serious business," attempting to draw Su Li's attention back to the transaction itself.

Su Li listened quietly to her explanation, his face expressionless, though his deep gaze lingered on her for a fleeting moment, as if assessing the credibility of her words. Finally, he nodded slightly, seemingly accepting the explanation and having been successfully "fooled."

"I see," he said casually, without asking any further questions.

Iserama breathed a sigh of relief and was about to urge him again when he saw Su Li make a move.

He gestured for Durmst to come forward, but instead of handing over all three body bags, he... took only one! The body bag containing parts of Agrim Ironfist's remains was taken out separately.

Su Li, carrying the body bag, looked at Yseramar, who was frozen in place on the high platform.

"What are you doing?!" Ysera's voice, for the first time, lost its icy elegance, replaced by sharp astonishment and impending rage. "Three! There are three contracts! What do you mean by only offering one?!"

The azure energy surrounding her began to fluctuate erratically, and the temperature in the hall suddenly dropped.

Faced with her questioning, Su Li remained frighteningly calm, and even the corners of his mouth seemed to curl into a barely perceptible smile.

“Ms. Star Speaker,” his voice was as steady as ever, yet carried an unquestionable principle of trade, “our trust doesn’t seem to have reached the point where I can pay the full ‘payment’ all at once. Cash on delivery is the most basic rule.”

He raised the body bag in his hand. "How can I guarantee that after handing over the remains of the three masters to you, you will open the passage out of here as promised, instead of... conveniently 'purifying' us as well to completely preserve the secret of your tomb?"

He stared directly into Yseramar's deep blue eyes, which were flashing intensely with anger and surprise.

“I want to see the ‘reward.’ The faded leaves of the Sacred Tree of Aetherarian that you promised.” Su Li clearly stated his demand, “One set of remains in exchange for one leaf. Fair enough, isn’t it? Once we’ve collected three leaves and have the assurance to leave, I will naturally offer the remaining two sets of remains… in their entirety.”

He specifically emphasized "three pieces" and "fully presented", implying that he had all the chips in his hand and knew that the pieces were the key. The three pieces, plus the one that Mhava had contributed earlier, were exactly the four pieces needed to leave!
Yseramar's spirit trembled violently, not from the cold, but from extreme anger and the shock of her plans being disrupted. She never imagined that this seemingly resigned human lord would reveal such shrewd and composed fangs at this moment! He wasn't being deceived at all; he was executing his own plan step by step!
The air in the hall seemed to freeze, with only the faint hissing of the wildly surging, almost out-of-control blue energy surrounding Yseramar. What appeared to be a smooth transaction had instantly transformed into an ultimate battle of wits and patience.

Itheramar Vil the Starspeaker's spirit trembled violently with extreme rage, the surrounding eerie blue light raging like a storm, casting a strange glow over the hall. The temperature in the tomb plummeted below freezing, and tiny ice crystals condensed in the air.

"You!" Her voice lost all its elegance, becoming sharp and piercing, like shards of ice scraping against glass. "How dare you... question me? Threaten me?! Mortal, do you know what you're doing?! Without my permission, you'll never leave here! That leaf? Ha... I won't give it to you, so what?!"

Faced with this almost tangible anger and threat, Su Li remained unusually calm, even displaying a knowing air of having anticipated it. He slightly shrugged, his tone almost cruelly calm:

“Not so,” he said. “If you refuse the deal, then we’ll have to leave and return to the Valley of Memories. The effects of the Double Crescent Night haven’t completely faded, and there are still many areas in the valley that we haven’t explored. Perhaps there are other ways out, or perhaps there are more… interesting ‘discoveries’.”

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Yseramar's increasingly unstable spirit, and added meaningfully, "We can search slowly, explore slowly. I just don't know, Lady Starspeaker... whether you can wait until the next double crescent moon night to have 'visitors' like us again."

These words, like a cold dagger, precisely struck Ysera's greatest weakness—she couldn't wait any longer! Ten thousand years of imprisonment and torture had already pushed her to her limit, and Su Li and his group were the only opportunity she had waited countless years for to break the deadlock!
The air was frozen solid, a chilling killing intent and a burning desire battling fiercely within Yseramar's spirit. She stared intently at Su Li, her gaze seemingly intent on tearing him apart, but ultimately, the yearning for freedom overwhelmed everything.

“…Very well… mortal…” Her voice was forced out through clenched teeth, filled with humiliation and suppressed rage, “You’ve won… this time!”

With extreme reluctance, she raised her hand, and a withered, yellowed leaf, its edges curled, yet still radiating a faint, ancient life force, slowly coalesced in her palm—it was a faded leaf from the sacred tree of Aetherarion. With a sudden wave of her hand, the leaf, as if drawn by an invisible force, floated lightly toward Su Li.

Su Li caught the leaf precisely; it was icy to the touch, yet he could sense a strange spatial fluctuation within it. After carefully examining it, he put it away, then gestured for the chosen knight to hand over the first body bag.

Yseramar almost impatiently grabbed the body bag, didn't even look at it, and slammed his hands on it!

"In the name of the starlight, purify this filth!" she chanted, and her body erupted with an incomparably dazzling, blinding pure white magical radiance! The light was so intense and so "holy" that it seemed to truly contain supreme purifying power, illuminating the entire tomb hall as bright as day.

The bright light lasted for a few breaths, then suddenly went out.

As the light faded, the body bag in her hand... along with the remains of Agrim inside, vanished without a trace, as if it had truly been completely purified and returned to nothingness.

"See that? The dwarves' filthy obsessions have been annihilated by the pure power of the stars!" Yseramar's voice carried a hint of haste after casting a spell, yet he forced back his haughty demeanor. "Next! Quickly!"

Su Li stared intently at the empty space, saying nothing, but simply proceeded with the second transaction as instructed. Another leaf was obtained, and the second body bag (Valdek's left arm) was swallowed and vanished by Yseramar with the same dazzling "purification" light.

When the final transaction was completed, Su Li put away the third leaf and handed over Gorenson's right hand remains. At that moment, the eagerness and desire in Isera's eyes reached their peak. She almost snatched the body bag away!
The final "purification" ritual begins.

However, just as the dazzling pure white light reached its peak, a sudden change occurred!
The light did not dissipate as it had the previous two times; instead, it collapsed inward and was completely absorbed into Yseramar's spirit body! Her spirit body was like a bottomless pit, frantically devouring the enormous energy, as well as the immense power contained within the energy... the vast power of the three legendary dwarven remains and the death obsession accumulated over millennia!
"Ughh ...
The pure white radiance was stained with a murky purplish-black, and the eerie blue starlight was covered by scarlet blood! Her noble and elegant face became ferocious and terrifying, her mouth stretched into an inhuman arc, and her eyes burned with flames of chaos and destruction!

"Success! Finally...success!! Hahahaha!" She laughed maniacally, her voice sharp and distorted, echoing in the tomb, sending chills down one's spine. "Ten thousand years! A full ten thousand years of imprisonment! Torture! Waiting! I am finally...free! Resurrected!!"

A powerful, chaotic, and suffocating surge of energy erupted from her, impacting the entire tomb hall. The stone pillars shook violently, and the crystal coffin shattered!
“Revenge! I will have my revenge!” She roared hysterically, brandishing her hands which had turned into claws. “Revenge against my fellow elves who abandoned me here, leaving me to suffer this eternal solitude! Revenge against those stubborn, filthy dwarf scum whose resentment even in death won’t let me find peace! Revenge against all that is alive! This hatred of ten thousand years… I will make you pay a hundredfold!!”

Su Li had retreated the instant the anomaly began, forming a defensive formation with the chosen knights. He crossed his arms over his chest, calmly gazing up at the twisted, expanding entity radiating terrifying energy, his voice piercing through its roar:
"As expected... you had a scheme all along."

"Conspiracy? Hahaha!" Yseramar, or rather the chaotic being that now possessed her form, let out a piercing laugh. "It is liberation! It is awakening! Mortal!"

Her voice was filled with resentment and madness: "Do you think I want to stay in this cold tomb forever? Watch the corpses of my own kind crumble bit by bit? Feel the resentment of those dwarven scum eroding my soul day and night? I begged! I begged the goddess Lilith, I begged any possible being! I resented! I resented all the beings that caused all this! I even... fell!"

Her spirit tumbled in the chaotic energy, revealing countless phantom faces of pain and distortion.

"Finally, I've figured it out! I, Yseramar Vil the Starspeaker, do not exist to guard these withered bones! I do not cling to life for that laughable elven glory! I will live for myself! Even if... I twist life and death, reverse the laws! Embrace the power of chaos, so what?! As long as I can break free from this eternal prison and gain true, vibrant life! Taking revenge on all of this is the meaning of my rebirth!"

She finally tore away all pretense, revealing her true face—a face whose faith had crumbled under the torment of millennia of solitude, who had plunged into chaos, and who yearned for resurrection! The remains of those three legendary dwarves were not sources of pollution that needed purification, but rather the most crucial and powerful "fuel" she used to reverse life and death and reshape her body!
At this moment, having absorbed all the power, she is transforming into some terrifying form, and a true catastrophe is about to befall her.

"It's over...it's all over..." Bound by runic chains, Mhawa collapsed to the ground, his soul fire flickering wildly in extreme shock, uttering desperate murmurs, "You guessed it...this madwoman...she's not a guardian at all! She's going to devour all the energy, all the resentment, everything...!"

He gazed at Yseramar on the high platform, his body twisting and expanding, his energy fluctuations growing increasingly terrifying, his voice filled with unprecedented fear.

"This momentum...this greed...if she succeeds, she'll be a living monster, drawing upon the resentment of ten thousand years of battlefield experience and the power of three legends! A true, living legendary archmage! At that time...we'll all die! We'll all become the first nourishment for her new body!"

His words sent a chill down the spines of everyone who had experienced the battle with Jasper. The horror of Jasper was still vivid in their minds—the terrifying power to manipulate the undead and desecrate death, the despair that nearly drove them to the brink of destruction… and the being that was being born before them, with its energy level and evil intentions, seemed even more terrifying than Jasper!
“Old Jasper… at least Old Jasper was severely injured by the Spear of Order!” Mhava’s voice became hysterical, the chains rattling as he struggled. “But this… this spirit monster! Where are we going to find a second Spear of Order?! Lord! Su Li! You promised me! Our deal! Do you have any backup plans?! Think of something! I never want to be enslaved by this monster again! Hurry!”

Amidst these desperate cries, Su Li calmly closed his eyes. His consciousness sank into his body, establishing a connection with that carefully concealed entity—the mysterious black box from Lustria. It wasn't placed in a magic pocket, but rather hidden by Su Li using special means in… the right hand of the last dwarf ancestor, Gorenson, who had handed it over!
He forcefully protected M'Hawa, suppressed Gerson's anger and doubts, and completed that seemingly compromising deal step by step, all in order to use his death magic to hide this "bomb" inside the remains of the dwarven ancestors, and finally deliver this carefully prepared "gift" to the core of Ysera's power!
"Now!" Su Li silently chanted in his heart, his powerful will acting like a key to activate the black box hidden inside the wreckage of Gorenson!
Om-! ! !
A deep, muffled hum, seemingly emanating from the depths of an abyss, did not travel through the air, but resounded directly from the depths of the souls of all beings with keen energy perception!

On the high platform, at the core of the spirit body that was frantically absorbing energy and twisting and changing, a point of extreme darkness, seemingly capable of devouring all light, suddenly erupted!

The darkness rapidly expanded, transforming into an invisible, insatiably greedy vortex!
"Huh?! No—!!!"

Yseramar's ecstatic scream instantly turned into a scream of extreme terror and pain! She felt the immense energy that had been flowing into her spirit like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, helping her to rebuild her life—the boundless power from the three dwarven legends, the accumulated death winds of millennia, and the resentment of the battlefield—was now being forcibly cut off, pulled, and devoured by an incomparably tyrannical and irresistible force!
It felt like someone about to reach the summit was suddenly pulled off a cliff! Like someone desperately thirsty seeing a water source right in front of them suddenly dry up!
The surging chaotic energy flames around her contracted and dimmed rapidly, like a punctured air sac! Her spirit body, which was just beginning to solidify, began to become ethereal and unstable again!

"What's going on?! What is this?! What... what did you do to me?!" Ysera's face was contorted with shock, anger, and disbelief. She frantically tried to control the flow of energy, but found it all in vain. She could only watch helplessly as her power was plundered by the suddenly appearing "black hole"! She stared intently at Su Li below, who was frighteningly calm, and asked a sharp question.

Su Li slowly opened her eyes, looking up at the collapsing chaotic spirit body. Her gaze was as cold as a mirror, reflecting her disheveled state and despair.

"What did you do?" Su Li's voice rang out calmly, with a hint of knowing mockery. "I just prepared a... 'return gift' in advance."

“From the very beginning, when you were so eager to get the remains but completely indifferent to the desecration of the cemetery by Mhawa, I knew there was something wrong with you.” He analyzed calmly, as if dismantling a clumsy scam. “Would a dutiful cemetery caretaker let the vermin who defile the holy site go unchecked and only focus on the so-called ‘greatest source of pollution’? That doesn’t make sense.”

"The anxiety you display stems not from a sense of duty, but from your own yearning for liberation. Your so-called 'purification,' with its seemingly sacred energy fluctuations, conceals an undeniable...greed and distortion. More importantly..."

Su Li's gaze was sharp as a knife, as if he had already seen through the deepest depravity of her soul.

"A true guardian who has stood firm for ten thousand years wouldn't have those eyes. There's no peace or sacrifice in your eyes, only the madness tormented by the long years and... the hunger for liberation. I guess the radiance of the goddess Lilith can no longer shine into your soul filled with resentment, can it, 'Lady' Star Speaker?"

“So, I have to make an extra preparation.” He slightly raised his hand, pointing to the ever-expanding energy black hole in her chest. “Do you like this ‘gift’? This is the ‘liberation’ you’ve been longing for—to be completely devoured by a more greedy being.”

Su Li raised a finger.

Woo——! ! !
A deep, resonant dwarven horn, seemingly emanating from the heart of the mountains, suddenly ripped through the chaotic energy hissing within the tomb, causing the entire hall to hum. This was the sound of the Thunder Horn, imbued with ancient power and an undeniable call.

Runes shimmered and intertwined in the air, forming a familiar summoning circle. The imposing figure with a fiery red beard—the legendary dwarf spirit Ankol Redbeard—once again broke through the barrier between the spirit world and reality, descending with a thunderous roar!

His massive battle axe slammed into the ground with a dull thud. His heroic spirit body was more solid than ever before, and his burning eyes immediately locked onto the twisted, screaming elven spirit on the high platform, as well as the ever-expanding dark vortex on her chest.

Almost simultaneously, hurried and heavy footsteps echoed from the entrance to the tomb, accompanied by incredulous exclamations.

"That horn? It's the lord's summons!" Gerson Grayrock's gruff voice rang out, tinged with surprise and doubt. The dwarves who had returned rushed back into the hall, only to freeze in place at the sight before them, their pupils dilating in shock.

They saw that the dark rift at the core of the evil elf's spirit was frantically devouring the power she was absorbing, but that immense energy—originating from the violent power and millennia-long obsession of their three ancestors, mixed with Yseramar's own soul power—did not dissipate. Instead, it was forcibly guided, transforming into a thick torrent of energy that roared into the body of Ankol Redbeard, who had just arrived!

“The power of our ancestors…that is…that is the power of our ancestors!” a young dwarf engineer exclaimed.

Gerson Grayrock gaped, his battle axe drooping slightly. He saw the dark rift plundering wildly, and he saw the power that belonged to their ancestors flowing continuously into the body of their own legendary dwarven spirit! Ankol Redbeard's spirit solidified at a visible speed, radiating a terrifying pressure that chilled the heart, its aura even surpassing its life!

This is not blasphemy, this is...revenge! This is reclaiming!

(End of this chapter)