Wizard: Starting from Escape from the Thorn Garden

Chapter 95 The Howling Lord

The moment they stepped into the Bone Valley cave, a stench of decay and death, ten times denser and chillingly cold than the outside world, surged forth like a viscous tide, instantly enveloping the six members of the Green Peak Alliance.

The air was thick with the stench of rusty blood, the putrid smell of rotting corpses, and a chilling, bone-deep cold that sent shivers down one's spine.

"Activate the amulet! Life Resonance!" Evan shouted, activating the Alliance amulet first. A faint layer of silver light covered his entire body, while he guided the wind element to form a flowing barrier around him, barely dispelling the erosion of death energy.

Sofia's body was instantly covered in grayish-white rock armor, emitting a dull hum, the weight of the rock providing her with solid physical defense.

Kyle and Serena's figures almost completely blended into the flickering shadows at the cave entrance, their presence vanishing without a trace.

The nebula crystal in Elena's hand glowed with soft starlight, forming a thin mental barrier to resist the omnipresent negative mental whispers.

Kate, on the other hand, appeared the most composed.

His entire body was covered in thorny iron armor, with dark gray metallic thorns swirling slightly in the deathly aura. The life resonance halo shone steadily, neutralizing and dispelling the deathly aura that was trying to corrode him.

A faint tremor emanated from the Bloodthirsty Vine pattern on his right arm, as if it had developed an instinctive desire for this dense environment of death energy, but it was firmly suppressed within the cage of order by the Seed of Origin.

He activated the jade beacon, and a warm, life-giving aura emanated from his body, further enhancing his resistance.

The interior of the cave is more spacious than the entrance, but the terrain is rugged and complex.

Huge, varied skeletons of creatures piled up haphazardly like collapsed stone pillars, forming natural obstacles and shelters.

The cave walls were covered with a thick layer of moss that emitted a ghostly green phosphorescence, providing a faint light source but also making the entire space appear even more eerie and sinister.

The ground was slippery, covered with sticky black mud and broken bone fragments, and made a teeth-grinding "crunch" sound when stepped on.

"Seed of Origin, deeply scan the environment, mark the source of threats," Kate murmured to herself.

Dark golden roots spread through the sea of ​​consciousness, while a stream of icy analysis surged into awareness:

[Environment: Core Cave of Bone Valley]

[Energy Attributes: Highly condensed necromantic energy, slightly polluted by the abyss with corrupting properties, mixed with resentment that can cause mental interference]

[Spatial structure: Relatively stable, but with multiple energy turbulence nodes (suspected undead gathering points)]

[Threat Perception: High! A large number of undead bio-energy responses (early to mid-level 4) have been detected, densely distributed and forming a cluster defense. Energy fluctuations in the core area are abnormally intense.]

[Recommendation: Prioritize clearing out the outer undead clusters to avoid being surrounded.]

"Watch out! Behind the pile of bones to the left, a swarm of skeletal warriors!" Kate shouted, pointing to a bunker made of giant beast skulls on the right. "Ghouls lurking on the right flank!"

Almost as soon as he finished speaking.

"Snap! Snap!"

The mountain of bones piled up to the left suddenly exploded.

Dozens of skeletal warriors, clad in tattered, rusted armor and wielding bone blades and shields, surged forward like a tidal wave, their eyes blazing with eerie green soul fire and emitting silent roars.

Their movements were perfectly synchronized, bearing the marks of their rigorous training in life. With bone shields in front and bone blades behind, they formed a simple yet imposing wall of bones.

At the same time, several swift black shadows suddenly darted out from the eye sockets of the huge beast skull on the right.

It was a ghoul with festering skin, exposed muscles, and a foul stench.

They moved on all fours with incredible speed, their sharp claws gleaming with an eerie light, lunging straight at the flanks of the formation, emitting greedy "ho ho" sounds.

Sofia reacted the fastest with a low growl, slamming her fists into the ground.

Boom!

A thick, three-meter-high gray-white rock wall instantly rose from the ground, precisely blocking the path of the skeletal warriors' charge.

The skeletal warriors' bone blades struck the rock face, sparks flying and a dull thud echoing as their charge stalled.

"Wind Shackles - Strangulation" Aiven's Wind Staff strikes rapidly.

Countless condensed cyan wind strands appeared out of thin air, coiling around the onrushing ghouls like serpents.

The zipline, carrying the power of cutting and binding, instantly bound and slicing the ghouls at the forefront, sending blood and bits of flesh flying everywhere.

"Shadow Strike - Throat Cut," Kyle's icy voice echoed from the shadows.

Two almost invisible shadows appeared instantly behind the ghoul horde. Sharp shadow daggers silently slashed through the air, and the heads of two ghouls flew into the sky.

Serena moved like a ghost through the gaps between the skeletal warriors, her daggers piercing precisely into the joints or the gaps in the skulls where the soulfire resided, each strike causing a skeleton to fall apart.

Elena's nebula crystal hovered above her head, showering down starlight to form a stable mental barrier, resisting the increasingly intense mental wails and resentment emanating from the depths of the cave. At the same time, she conjured several starlight arrows in her hands, aiming precisely at the soul fire in the skeletal warrior's eye sockets.

Kate didn't immediately join the battle. He flashed, activated "Spatial Blink," and instantly appeared on a protruding skeleton above the side of the cave.

He surveyed the entire battlefield, the Seed of Origin operating at full power, his cold gaze sweeping across the chaotic battlefield, precisely capturing the energy nodes and movement trajectories of every undead.

"Shadow of Thorns - Paralyzing Poison Mist - Covers the back row of Skeleton Warriors".

"Seed of the Spiritual Pivot - Mental Blast - Target: Ghoul Leader".

Kate calmly issued the instructions.

Several Thorn Shadows lurking in the shadows ruptured their core poison sacs, and highly concentrated pale purple paralyzing poison mist exploded violently in the rear of the skeleton warriors, instantly freezing the movements of several skeleton warriors.

At the same time, a silver seed, wreathed in pale blue moonlight, shot out silently, accurately hitting a slightly larger...

The ghoul head that commands the other ghouls explodes at its spiritual core.

"Awooo—!" The ghoul leader let out a shrill scream, clutching its head and rolling around, instantly losing control of its pack.

The tide of battle turned instantly.

With the tacit cooperation of the Green Peak Alliance and Kate's precise control of the situation, the surging skeletal warriors and ghoul hordes were swiftly divided and annihilated. Filthy blood soaked the black mud, and shattered bone fragments covered the ground.

However, before they could even catch their breath...

"Whoosh!!!"

An indescribable wail, seemingly striking directly into the depths of the soul, suddenly erupted from the deepest part of the cave.

This sound didn't travel through the air; it exploded directly in everyone's mind! It was filled with endless pain, resentment, madness, and—a strange temptation.

It's as if it wants to completely tear apart and assimilate people's reason!

"Ugh!" Sophia groaned, and the light on her rock armor fluctuated violently, with tiny cracks appearing.

Evan's wind barrier shattered instantly, his face turning pale. Kyle and Serena were forcibly jolted out of the shadows, blood trickling from their mouths.

Elena's starlight barrier shook violently as if struck by a heavy hammer, and the light of the nebula crystal dimmed slightly. She groaned and forcibly maintained the barrier, but her face was as pale as paper.

Deep within the cave, a dense, gray-black deathly aura surged and condensed as if boiling!

A massive, twisted figure slowly emerged!

It was forcibly mixed together from countless wailing faces of vengeful spirits, viscous black death energy, and abyssal energy that flickered with ominous purple light.

Standing five meters tall, its shape constantly changes, sometimes resembling a bloated giant, and sometimes like a writhing mountain of flesh.

At the core of its body, a huge, constantly pulsating "heart" radiating a dark purple light is clearly visible, its surface covered with twisted blood vessels and the faces of vengeful spirits that constantly appear and disappear.

A terrifying pressure, as if it were a tangible force, crushed down upon them. It was a power of rules far exceeding the peak of the fourth level, touching the threshold of a formal wizard! Pseudo-wizard level—Wailing Lord.

Its "head," composed of countless vengeful spirit faces, turned towards the crowd, and two deep purple lights shone from its empty "eye sockets," locking onto the intruders!

"roar-!!!"

Another soul-piercing scream erupted! Ten times stronger than before!

puff!

Elena could no longer hold on and spat out a mouthful of blood, shattering the starlight barrier completely.

Aiven, Sophia, and the others were struck as if by a heavy blow, staggering backward. The protective light on their bodies flickered erratically, and their souls felt as if they were being torn apart. Kyle and Serena even knelt on the ground, their spirits severely damaged.

A feeling of despair instantly filled the air!

"No! We're no match for them!" A look of horror and determination flashed in Evan's eyes. "Retreat! Retreat immediately! I'll cover the rear!"

Sofia gritted her teeth, bracing herself against the crumbling rock armor, preparing to cover the others. Elena struggled to reassemble the starlight. Kyle and Serena tried to merge into the shadows, but the surrounding space seemed frozen by the will of the Howling Lord, making shadow leaps extremely difficult.

The Howling Lord seemed quite pleased with the crowd's reaction. It slowly raised its massive arm, made of death energy, pointing it at the crowd. At its core, the Howling Heart shone with a brilliant purple light, and a destructive energy, a mixture of mental shock and death decay, was frantically gathering! It was about to crush these ants completely and turn them into new vengeful spirits.

At this critical moment.

Kate, who had been standing at a high place and seemed to be least affected by the terrifying soul's shriek, suddenly had an unprecedented sharp glint in her eyes.

"The Nursery of Reincarnation — Unfolds!"

Buzz—! ! !

An invisible, vast force field expanded instantly from Kate's center, covering an area of ​​nearly a hundred meters around her.

Within the domain, space is slightly distorted yet stable, with flowing life energy intertwined with powerful spatial fluctuations.

The Howling Lord's terrifying soul shriek and mental pressure, upon touching this area, were as if they had crashed into an invisible, incredibly tough wall.

Although it still caused the domain to fluctuate violently, it was forcibly weakened and dispersed, greatly reducing the pressure on everyone within the domain.

"Seed of Origin, in-depth analysis, locking onto the core node." Kate's mental energy surged into the Seed of Origin like a flood.

Dark golden roots spread wildly, and the icy analytical force field was raised to its limit. With the blessing of the Reincarnation Nursery, Kate's perception was amplified to the extreme.

He "saw" it!

Under the analytical force field of the Reincarnation Nursery, the Wailing Lord's massive and twisted energy body was no longer a chaotic mass of terrifying energy, but transformed into a sophisticated structural diagram composed of countless energy veins, nodes, and core driving sources.

Its source of power is that beating, wailing heart.

However, the Heart of Wailing does not exist independently. It is connected to the Wailing Lord's massive energy body by three main energy transmission channels, which are like thick blood vessels.

These three passages are connected in three ways: one to its "head" made of vengeful spirits, one to its "body" formed of death energy, and one that goes deep into the ground, seemingly connecting to a larger source of death deep within the cave!

These three channels are the key nodes supporting its terrifying power, like the aorta connecting the heart to the whole body. "Found it!" Kate's eyes flashed with a fierce light.

"Spatial anchoring, locking the node connection point."

He formed hand seals, his fingertips swirling with highly condensed moonlight essence and spatial power, and pointed three points in mid-air at the Howling Lord's massive body.

hum!hum!hum!

Three invisible anchor points, formed by pure spatial rules, instantly traversed spatial distances and precisely anchored themselves at the connection points of the Heart of Wailing and the three energy transmission channels of the head, torso, and underground source.

The instant when spatial anchoring takes effect.

The Howling Lord's frantic gathering of destructive energy abruptly froze.

At its core, the Heart of Lamentation throbbed violently, radiating a brilliant purple light! But the surging, boundless energy, when passing through the three connection points that were forcibly "nailed" by spatial anchors and whose spatial structure was firmly locked, seemed to crash into a wall of sighs.

The energy flow instantly became sluggish, disordered, and even reversed.

"Roar! Ro ...

The Howling Lord let out an unprecedented roar filled with shock, rage, and pain, its entire energy body twisting and boiling violently.

It attempted to mobilize its power to impact the spatial anchor point, but the spatial rules contained within that anchor point were extremely stable and could not be shaken in a short period of time.

Its power output was forcibly cut off by nearly half, and the condensed destructive energy began to backfire out of control due to the disordered energy circuit!

"Now!" Kate's figure vanished instantly.

"Spatial Blink - Dash"

He appeared directly in front of the Howling Lord, whose movements were distorted due to energy disturbance and whose core Howling Heart was exposed, less than ten meters away.

"Bloodthirsty Poison Ivy - Penetration"

Kate's Bloodthirsty Vine pattern on her right arm burst forth with an unprecedented interplay of dark gold and scarlet light.

The ferocious instinct roared within the cage of order, but under the absolute suppression and guidance of the Seed of Origin, this power was highly condensed and tamed.

Several monstrous vines, solidified as solid, covered with dark gold thorny armor, and with their tips wreathed in highly compressed demon-slaying purple light and spatial-tearing energy, shot out from the sky like spears of judgment reaching out from hell.

The target was the core of the Howling Lord, the Howling Heart, whose defenses were greatly reduced due to energy disorder and which was pulsating incessantly.

The vines moved at an extreme speed, and within the realm of the Reincarnation Nursery, the space seemed to be folded.

The Wailing Lord attempted to block with its deathly giant arm, but the vines pierced through the physical barrier as if they were phantoms.

puff!puff!puff!

The three thickest vines pierced with pinpoint accuracy the connection between the Heart of Wailing and the three energy channels, precisely at the point where the space was anchored and locked.

The fourth vine, like the most vicious venomous dragon, pierced deeply into the heart of howling.

A highly concentrated burst of demon-slaying purple light erupted, tearing space apart and unleashing rampant energy, while nerve-numbing toxins were injected in a frenzy.

"Awooo—!!!!!"

The Howling Lord let out a desperate shriek that shook the entire cave and even made the space tremble slightly.

The punctured connection nodes have collapsed!

The wailing heart, like a punctured balloon, unleashed a violent surge of energy, a mixture of spiritual pollution and the decay of death, which then leaked and backfired.

Its massive energy body collapsed and dissipated at a visible speed, and countless vengeful faces were annihilated in a shriek.

Under the analysis of the Reincarnation Nursery, the control of spatial anchoring, and the deadly piercing of the Bloodthirsty Vine, the pseudo-wizard-level Howling Lord was instantly killed by Kate in a near-crushing manner!

Rumble—!!!

The Howling Lord's massive body completely collapsed, turning into scattered gray-black death energy and specks of purplish-black energy.

A fist-sized, dark purple crystal, seemingly containing countless wailing faces and radiating immense spiritual and death-based energy fluctuations—the Heart of Wailing—and a slightly smaller crystal, resembling solidified black flames and radiating pure death-based energy and a faint, undying will—the Heart of the Dead—fell from the dissipating energy core!