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Chapter 76 Entering the Mountain Stream, the Undead Crown's Strange Movement!

"Lord Silver Armor, save me!"

The hunter's shouts, transmitted through the sound transmission talisman, had already changed tone.

He leaned against an ancient tree, slashing out with his short sword in quick succession.

The blood of the Greyback Wolf splattered on his face, and before he could even catch his breath, the Blackhorn Boar charged at him from the side.

boom!

The hunter's leather armor collapsed on his chest, and he fell into the mud.

The bone-rotting spider leaped down from the tree trunk, its eight long legs gripping his back tightly.

Pale white spider silk wrapped around his right arm, and the dagger slipped from his hand.

The silvery-white sound transmission talisman fell to the ground, still faintly glowing.

"Help me!"

"I did as you instructed, and the route was correct!"

There was no response from the other end of the communication talisman.

Two black thorn hounds pounced, biting the hunter's shoulder and dragging him several meters away.

Long trails of blood were left on the muddy ground, but were quickly washed away by the rain.

Gu Qing stood on the outer edge of the mountain stream, not approaching.

The undead guard hidden in the hollow tree hole continued to watch that area. As long as it didn't exceed the range of shared perception, he could see the movements there.

No one responded to him.

Melissand was also sensing that area.

"There's a presence nearby, but it's far away and doesn't seem to be coming any closer."

Gu Qing narrowed her eyes slightly.

The hunter just called out to Lord Silver Armor.

It seems that the person in silver armor on the cliff has not gone too far.

The hunter grabbed the communication talisman again, and just as he was about to speak, a silvery-white light pierced through the rain.

laugh!

The light passed through the head of a black-horned boar and then into the abdomen of a bone-rotting spider behind it.

The two demons froze and collapsed into the muddy water.

The hunter looked up, his face covered in blood.

"Sir Silver Armor!"

The treetops in the distance swayed slightly.

A figure stood on a treetop, covered in silver armor. Rain fell on the surface of the armor and slid down along the gaps between the armor plates.

The distance was too great, and the black mist and rain obscured the view, so the undead guards could not see the person's face.

All that could be seen were a pair of plain silver combat boots and half of a black coat hanging down.

Several more beams of silver light shot out.

The monsters rushing towards the northwest fell one after another.

Just as a bone-rotting spider climbed onto the tree trunk, a silver light pierced through its abdomen, pinning it to the tree.

The other gray-backed wolf had only charged a dozen meters when its head was shattered by the silver light.

The person was clearing away monsters that had strayed from their original path.

As for the hunter under the tree, he didn't even look at him.

The hunter was clearly aware of this as well.

He tried to get up by supporting himself on the tree trunk, but his left leg was bitten off by the gray-backed wolf.

He had only lifted halfway up his body when he fell back into the mud.

"Save me! I was just doing what you told me to do. You can't treat me like this!"

"idiot!"

A hint of disgust flashed in the eyes of the silver-armored figure on the treetop, and he waved his hand dismissively.

Several silver nails shot down, scattering directly around them.

The next moment, the herd of beasts that had been rushing northwest immediately turned around and ran wildly towards the southeast again.

Then, the silver-armored man waved his hand, and a flash of silver light disappeared from his hand.

A burst of fire erupted from the communication talisman beside the hunter, instantly incinerating it and turning it into ashes.

Whether it was the stimulation from the silver nails or not, the monsters around the hunter's eyes turned red, and they swarmed at him, tearing him to pieces.

Silver Armor watched all of this unfold, and after confirming the hunter's death, he immediately turned and fled.

Gu Qing stared in the direction where the silver-armored figure disappeared, and did not allow the undead guards to chase after him.

The other party never approached the hunter from beginning to end; their actions were only to control the herd of beasts.

If they can abandon even their own people, chasing after them might not catch them, and they might even stumble into another trap.

More importantly, the armor left no markings that could prove its identity.

Gu Qing withdrew the shared perception.

"Cecilia, do you recognize that armor?"

Cecilia thought for a moment, then shook her head.

"Not the standard silver armor of the Tribunal."

"The armor of the Tribunal is forged by the Holy See. It has a holy sword and cross on the chest and the number of the Tribunal is engraved on the shoulder armor. The armor that person is wearing does not have these features."

Gu Qing looked at the few newly fallen silver nails in the woods.

"Has it nothing to do with the Holy See?"

"The power on the armor belongs to the light element, and the forging method also shows traces of the Holy See."

Cecilia raised her hand, and black and white light intertwined in her palm.

"They only modified the outer armor plates and erased the original patterns. The energy circulation inside is not easy to conceal. When he made his move just now, some of his power flowed along the armor, and I could feel it."

"It's more like a suit of armor that has been modified by a private individual."

There were no standard patterns or adjudication team numbers.

Even if someone witnessed it, it only proves that the perpetrator possessed light-elemental power, and cannot directly point to the Holy See of Light.

The same goes for those few spatial interference silver nails.

The array patterns have a papal style, but there are no markings to confirm their origin. Once the energy crystals are exhausted, even the rune lines will dissipate.

The other side didn't even rescue the tracker, clearly indicating they weren't planning to leave any survivors.

Gu Qing glanced down at the hunting license in his hand.

The red array pattern on the back still cannot be lit up.

The newly fallen silver nails filled in the interference area, sealing off the surrounding space once again. To break the blockade, more nodes must be found.

But the herd had already turned back.

The sound of trees snapping came from the northwest, and hurried footsteps pounded through the puddles, getting closer and closer.

"Master, the front of the herd is 300 meters away from us."

Melissand closed her eyes, and purple sound waves spread outwards.

"There are silver spikes pulsating in the east and north. The west has the fewest monsters, but they are also approaching this area."

Gu Qing recalled the undead guards he had scattered.

The silver-armored man didn't appear to surround and kill them; he simply corrected the beast horde's route and left immediately.

Regardless of what arrangements were made in the mountain stream, the other party did not want to fight him personally.

Since that's the case, there's no need to continue following the direction they've arranged.

"Withdraw from the other side."

Gu Qing took out the map and scanned the north side of the mountain stream with his eyes.

A direct breakout would result in encountering a large herd of beasts, while returning via the original route would require traversing the area covered by silver spikes.

There is a steep rock wall on the outer edge of the mountain stream, which is difficult for monsters to climb. As long as you go around that, you can avoid most of the beasts.

"Cecilia clears the way, Melissand keeps an eye on the surroundings."

"clear."

Cecilia gripped her whip tightly and walked towards the rock wall.

Just as Gu Qing was about to follow, a slight vibration suddenly came from the spatial ring.

He paused in his steps.

He probed the spatial ring with his spiritual power, a strange light flashing in his eyes.

It was the Crown of the Dead that was shaking.

After thinking for a moment, Gu Qing took the Necromancer's Crown out of his spatial ring.

As soon as the Necromancer's Crown was taken out, the patterns on it began to light up little by little.

A dense necromantic power surged within it, and the edge of the Necromancer's Crown trembled in one direction.

It seemed to be guiding something.

Gu Qing glanced at it, his expression shifting slightly.

The direction the Crown of the Dead points to is that mountain stream!

Looking at the still-vibrating Crown of the Dead, Gu Qing pondered.

The fact that the Necromancer's Crown reacted so strongly suggests that there must be something the Necromancer's Crown needs in the mountain stream.

Netherworld Star Essence!

The image of this spiritual material instantly flashed into Gu Qing's mind.

The only thing that could cause the Necromancer's Crown to exhibit such unusual behavior is probably the repair material it currently needs most.

Gu Qing's eyes flickered. If there really was Netherworld Star Marrow in the mountain stream, this trip would not be in vain.

"Master, the beast horde is only 240 meters away from us."

Melissant's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Deep within the rain, large swathes of trees fell one after another, countless monsters rushed through the puddles, and their roars grew ever closer.

Cecilia stood beside Gu Qing, her long whip already wrapped around her arm.

"Master, shall we go over there?"

Gu Qing looked at the narrow mountain stream ahead.

The other party drove away the beasts, sealed off the space, and went to great lengths to force him here. They must have left something for him in the mountain stream.

The normal choice for a person would be to summon the Desert Undead Dragon and force their way out.

But the Crown of the Dead reacted at that very moment.

Gu Qing put away the crown.

"Go in."

Cecilia didn't ask any further questions and turned to walk towards the mountain stream.

Gu Qing did not follow immediately.

"Melissand, how many escape routes are within your perception range?"

Purple sound waves spread along with the rain.

A moment later, Melissand raised her hand and pointed to both sides of the rock wall.

"One on the north side, close to the stone slope we just saw."

"There is a narrow gap on the west side, which can only allow one person to pass through at a time. The south side is blocked by a herd of beasts, so we can't go any further for the time being."

Two are enough.

Gu Qing raised his hand and waved, and fifty undead guards emerged from the undead space.

The pale white skeleton dissipated into the black mist and quickly disappeared outside the mountain stream.

Twenty guards hid on the north side of the rocky slope, ten guarded the west side of the crevices, and the remaining twenty split into four teams and dispersed outwards along the entrance to the mountain stream.

"Suppress the fire of the soul, conceal it completely."

The eerie light in the undead guard's eyes quickly dimmed.

Some crawled into hollow ancient trees, some lay down under puddles and decaying leaves, and a few stood against the mountain wall, using vines to cover their bodies.

Gu Qing confirmed the location one by one through shared sensing.

As long as these undead guards are still there, he can check the situation outside the ravine at any time.

Even when space is disturbed, the shared perception is not interrupted.

The first escape route has been set up.

Gu Qing took out the monster's corpse from the spatial ring.

Blackhorn Boars, Bone-Rotting Spiders, Blackthorn Hounds, and other carcasses collected along the way fell one after another onto the muddy ground.

Cecilia looked at the corpses scattered on the ground and understood what Gu Qing was going to do.

"The Lord of the Underworld's corpse explodes?"

Cecilia's loyalty to Gu Qing is 100%, and she is aware of Gu Qing's abilities.

"right."

Gu Qing scattered the bodies and buried them along several paths leading to the mountain stream.

Some of the bodies were hidden in bushes, while others were buried under rubble and decaying wood.

They left one body every few tens of meters, just enough to cover the two escape routes.

These monsters are not particularly powerful, so their individual detonation effects are limited.

However, if a dozen or so corpses are linked together, and the Netherworld Lord's Corpse Explosion is used to continuously trigger the explosion, the power of the explosion will be enough to hold back the pursuers.

Even if the herd of beasts charges at him, they will test the trap for him first.

After arranging the corpse, Gu Qing took out the fireball talismans she had made over the past few days from her spatial ring.

Rune attachment activated.

One by one, talismans were pasted onto the monster's corpse, and the traces quickly disappeared.

Several more were affixed to the inside of the Undead Guardian's bone shield, which Gu Qing could activate remotely simply by injecting his mental energy.

Melissand squatted to the side, watching Gu Qing affix the last fireball talisman.

"Master, if the other party comes in from outside, they will probably step on these things first."

"It's best not to come."

Gu Qing stood up and brushed the mud off her hands.

"If they really come, tell them to slow down."

A dull thud came from afar.

Two ancient trees were broken by the black-horned boars, and the herd of beasts had been forced to the outer edge of the mountain stream.

Several gray-backed wolves running at the front burst out of the black mist, their nostrils twitching.

Instead of attacking Gu Qing, they were affected by the silver nails and ran wildly southeast along the outer perimeter.

There are even more monsters behind them.

Gu Qing didn't delay any longer.

"Go into the mountain stream."

Cecilia stepped into the entrance first, her long whip catching the vines blocking her path and pulling them aside.

Melissand walked behind Gu Qing, the purple sound waves constantly spreading along the rock wall.

After the three entered the mountain stream, the mountain walls on both sides quickly closed in.

The roars of the beasts outside were mostly blocked by the rock walls, leaving only dull echoes.

Rainwater flowed down the mountainside, forming streams that trickled past our feet.

There are no tall trees in the mountain stream, only slippery gravel and large patches of weeds growing close to the ground.

Gu Qing walked a hundred meters and then looked back.

The entrance to the mountain stream is no longer visible from here.

He raised his hand and connected with the undead guards left outside.

Fifty blurry visions appeared one after another.

There was nothing unusual about the north side of the rocky slope.

The crack on the west side remains open.

Near the entrance to the mountain stream, a large number of monsters were passing by, but none of them turned to come in.

They would rather collide with each other than avoid this area.

Gu Qing looked away.

"The repelling effect of the silver nails?"

Cecilia shook her head.

"There are no silver spike fluctuations nearby."

Melissant's ears twitched slightly.

"These monsters are afraid of the scent of the mountain stream."

Gu Qing took out the Necromancer's Crown again.

The moment the crown appeared, all the patterns on it lit up.

This time, the crown did not just tremble slightly.

A dense necromantic power surged from within, pulling Gu Qing's arm deeper into the mountain stream.

The direction is clearer now.

It's right ahead!

Gu Qing continued forward following the guidance of the crown.

After walking several hundred meters, the mountain stream gradually narrowed.

The rock face in front was covered with vines, and rainwater fell from above, forming a thin curtain of water.

Melissand raised her hand to stop Gu Qing.

"Master, there is space behind us."

Cecilia lashed out with her long whip.

The long whip wrapped around the vine and tore it apart forcefully to both sides.

A recessed section of the mountain wall was revealed, beneath which lay a cave entrance that could only accommodate two people walking side by side.

There was no rain inside the cave, and it was pitch black deep inside.

The edge of the Necromancer's Crown was directly opposite the cave entrance.

Gu Qing didn't rush inside.

He summoned ten undead guards and had them enter the cave in two rows.

The pale figure disappeared into the darkness.

In the shared perception, there is a downward-sloping passage ahead.

The rock walls were covered with dark green moss, and many monster bones were scattered on the ground.

The deeper you go, the stronger the aura of the dead becomes.

The ten undead guards advanced nearly a hundred meters without encountering any attacks.

Gu Qing put away the Crown of the Undead.

"Walk."

The three of them stepped into the cave.

Cecilia walked at the front, holding black and white dots of light in her palm to illuminate the path beneath her feet.

Melissand stayed behind, her sonic perception constantly scanning the rock walls on both sides.

Gu Qing left behind a ghostly guardian after walking a certain distance.

Some were hidden in the depressions of the rock wall, while others lay in the piles of bones on the ground.

He took out several more monster corpses, threw them around the corner of the passage, covered them simply with gravel, and then affixed fireball talismans to them.

When they reached the end of the passage, only two of the ten undead guards remained with them.

Every possible escape route behind them was now under Gu Qing's control.

Deep inside the cave.

The dark red light on the six-pointed star array suddenly stopped flashing.

The lich standing in the center of the formation slowly raised his head.

Two pale green soul flames crossed the darkness and fell towards the cave entrance.

Its withered jaw opened and closed slightly.

"This is... the aura of the Necromancer's Crown?!"