As soon as the Human Emperor Banner came out, I became the Lord of the Old Ones

Chapter 208 Four Cards

The first thing to gush out from his fingertips was a cloud of chaotic gray mist.

The gray fog writhed, spread, and swallowed all sound and light, as if enveloping the entire floor in a suffocating, airtight space.

In the shadows, one could see a gigantic fungal life form standing deep within the gray fog, resembling an enormous mushroom.

【Mist Fungus】is a giant fungus that lives deep in the underground city of the First Era. It can spray spores with a slightly sweet smell at any time, causing prey that enters its predatory range to become dizzy, lose their balance and sense of direction, and fall into a "ghost wall" dilemma. In the end, they will be completely lost in the forked paths and intricate underground city, and fall head over heels in front of it in a daze.

As a lower form of life, the "Mist Mushroom" originally had little chance of giving birth to a remnant soul.

But the various evil races living in the dungeons—whether they are the ruthless dark elves, the cunning shapeshifters, or the foolish and brutal kobolds—all like to carry out all sorts of arson, murder, looting, fraud, betrayal, and other heinous acts under the cover of the "Mist Fungus."

The victims' corpses, blood, and screams became the best nourishment for the "Mist Mushrooms," injecting an incredibly intense resentment into these lower life forms. Over time, some of the "Mist Mushrooms" awakened a vengeful will similar to that of a soul, becoming terrifying predators in the dungeon.

Millions of years later, the "Mist Mushroom," which was refined into a guardian spirit, not only possessed hallucinogenic effects but could also absorb sound and light to the maximum extent, acting as a shield so that Sheikh Krat could fight freely without worrying about being heard by the outside world.

The "mist mushroom" wriggled continuously like a viscous, gelatinous substance.

The crimson stream of light that Chu Zhifeng spewed out plunged into the mist, and seemed to wander aimlessly as if dizzy and disoriented.

The thickest streak of crimson light, as thick as a thumb, grazed the target's neck and pierced through a freezer storing nutrient solution in the corner, bursting into a series of crackling sparks.

Sheikh Krat instantly switched from "merchant" to "fighter" mode, without even blinking, smoothly drawing two new rune arrays and summoning the second and third guardian spirits.

Gargoyles are common combat golems in the First Age, and their manufacturing processes vary widely.

One of the cruelest methods involves petrifying a living creature, then applying various secret medicines, solidifying it, and roasting it repeatedly until it is trapped in a bizarre state of being neither alive nor dead. The creature is then constantly hypnotized day and night, causing its will to gradually stiffen and be molded into the shape of its master.

Normally, these poor puppets stand like real statues around manors, castles, and magic towers, staring blankly at visitors.

Every night, a dark flame ignites deep within its frozen eyes, vigilantly scanning its surroundings. If any unfortunate intruder breaks in, it transforms into the most brutal killing weapon, unleashing its inescapable agony upon the intruder.

It is worth mentioning that gargoyles have skin as hard as iron.

It has a natural restraining effect on flying blade weapons like the "Blood Moon Meteor".

Following the gray-white monster statue appeared a silver-haired nobleman wearing a black cloak with a crimson lining that made his face appear even paler, yet still exuding elegance.

Although it is a phantom formed by the intertwining of spiritual energy.

The silver-haired nobleman smiled faintly, exuding a captivating charm.

Only the two sharp teeth peeking out from the corners of its mouth reveal just how dangerous it truly is. The Crimson Noble, also from the First Era, could perhaps be called a "blood clan" or even a "vampire."

As one of the most important intelligent races that make up the Phantom Demon Civilization, the Blood Clan is originally a long-lived race with a morbid obsession with so-called "immortality". Whether as individuals or as a whole, they spare no effort to collect the secrets of continuously prolonging life and even maintaining youth in the passage of time and the changing of years.

According to the latest research findings of archaeologists, the ability of intelligent life forms to transform into remnants of the past may be attributed to the extensive research conducted by the vampire clan.

Therefore, there are a great many "vampires" who have survived to this day in the form of remnant souls, and their strength varies greatly.

The weak cannot even maintain their human form and can only eke out a living in their bat form.

The powerful ones even retained some self-awareness and ancient memories, making them veritable encyclopedias of the Phantom Demon civilization.

Even when imprisoned in secret laboratories of the "Old Days Foundation," the "Ghost Museum," or the "Doomsday Research Institute," they can still subtly interfere with or even influence the direction of future development.

The "Crimson Noble" summoned by Sheikh Krat was not very strong. In the old family, he was just a "Baron" who barely made it to the Heroic Spirit Era and only managed to reach the "Silver" level.

However, this "Crimson Noble," "Gargoyle," and "Mist Mushroom" were discovered in the same ancient castle with a vast underground labyrinth. They belong to the same family and possess something that spirit masters call "bonds." Summoning them together can provide a significant boost and there is a certain chance to trigger a powerful combo skill.

Not to mention, the “true red aristocracy” have a morbid obsession with and exquisite manipulation of blood donation.

For a Soul-Eroding Body like Chu Zhifeng, who sacrifices blood to gain berserk power, it is also a natural nemesis.

In order to collect these three battle cards that originated from the same location and had a bond with each other, Sheikh Krat not only spent a lot of money, but also took the loss of two lives.

The enormous cost played an irreplaceable role at a critical moment.

The Gargoyle and the Crimson Noble stepped into the gray mist created by the Mist Mushroom, yet they were not disturbed in the slightest. Instead, they seemed like plants nourished by rain and dew, their skin shimmering with a faint glow, and their expressions becoming even more joyful and excited.

Sheikh Krat wasn't satisfied yet.

Despite having far superior combat experience and spirit control level compared to his opponent, the owner of the Shattered Star Club, who valued life above all else, was not prepared to give the out-of-control Spirit Devourer any chance to succeed.

After the Gargoyle and the Vacuum Noble joined forces to withstand Chu Zhifeng's fierce and bloody offensive, Sheikh Krat summoned his fourth guardian spirit.

This is a huge, square stone tablet, as thick and heavy as a tortoise shell.

It is also engraved with lines of square but clumsy ancient characters, surrounded by mysterious and intricate patterns, radiating a sacred light that is awe-inspiring and inviolable.

Upon closer inspection, one line of text appears to be two numbers representing the year, month, and day.

Judging from its shape, it actually looks like... a tombstone?
(End of this chapter)