Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

The sharp crystals of the Crystal Corridor are nothing compared to the spire before us; these spikes seem to be trying to pierce the sky like sieves.

The dense cluster of buildings created an extremely narrow racetrack, especially the Gothic buildings constructed by those ruthless liches, whose protruding eaves and sloping roofs could cut hair in the wind and slice through iron like mud.

Lyle couldn't help but sigh.

Did you guys consider the possibility of your houses being used as murder weapons when you built them?

Chapter 422 The Lich Beyond the Rules

The architectural decorations, resembling deadly weapons, reflected a cold light in the darkness. Considering the consistent misdeeds of Andre Academy, Lyle was not entirely at ease about flying over the Andre District.

Anxiety and trepidation arose in my heart, causing my slightly calmed heartbeat to accelerate again.

Then, that cold hand wrapped around Lyle's neck like stretching seaweed. Beatrice lowered her head and stroked Lyle's skin, or rather, stroked the pulsating veins hidden beneath his flesh.

"Nervous?" A mocking laugh echoed in Lyle's mind; Beatrice didn't miss the chance to ridicule him.

“Yes.” Lyle frankly admitted that as a member of the Andrei, he naturally understood that the danger of liches was on a completely different level from that of other races; the lich code did not include the concept of safety hazards. This meant that a lich's jokes were often deadly. “The upcoming matches may be very difficult. Andrei liches are troublesome.”

Strangely, Beatrice did not, as she usually did, add insult to injury by taking advantage of Lyle's dejected response.

"Hmph, should I call you a coward or an egomaniac? Aren't you one of Andre's too? Afraid of your own kind just because you have an extra body?" Beatrice reached out and ruffled Lyle's hair. "Relax, little brother, I'll get you there safely, in the name of the five-time Flying Champion. Hold on tight!"

As if to demonstrate her abilities, Beatrice suddenly accelerated, weaving through the razor-sharp traps formed by the pointed buildings.

"Of course I understand the danger of liches, but this area is an exception. In the flying competition, the Andrei District is actually the safest area in the Dark City. Because of the liches' innate indifference and aloofness, no lich is in the mood to interfere with the competition. Hehe, scared, aren't you? Those lich research fanatics won't have the mind to cause trouble. So, the only real obstacle in the Andrei District is these rigid buildings."

"Were you fooled? You should have seen your gloomy face just now, hahahaha..." Beatrice's laughter echoed in the night, like the satisfied laughter of a banshee of the night after she had vanished.

Lyle was neither angry nor lowered his guard because of Beatrice's teasing.

All life is stubborn, especially when a rule has persisted for many years; people subconsciously accept it as common sense. This means that when a long-established status quo suddenly changes, they are often caught off guard.

Liches are a cold and aloof race that dislikes social activities.

Others may be blinded by this stubborn status quo.

But Lyle will not, because he himself is the one who rewrites this stubborn status quo.

The liches have changed. After acquiring the disguise of flesh and blood, tasting food, and reliving emotions, their passion for research has transformed into a yearning for life. And the best part of life is play. The new Andrei liches might—no, they certainly won't miss any opportunity to unleash their chaotic instincts.

This has also put Lyle, the founder of the Flesh and Blood Disguise, in deep trouble. The invitation from the Executive Committee has become a part of Lyle Andrei's life, just like clocking out of get off work.

Anxious Lyle followed Beatrice, navigating the challenging terrain with ease thanks to Beatrice's skillful flight. Lyle even wondered if he was being paranoid, perhaps the liches had overlooked one of the major competitions of the Wandering City's celebration.

Lyle noticed something unusual, right where he had just passed. Because those blade-like sharp points always reflected light from all angles and pierced his eyeballs, Lyle had abandoned his sight and used his senses earlier.

In the world of magical perception, or more precisely, the death perception of necromancers, something new had appeared in the Andrei district. Scattered across the surfaces of the buildings were small red spots, like fallen petals.

It was bloodstains, blood spilled on the roof.

"Beatles!!!"

Beatrice had unknowingly accelerated her flight, her face grim, her previous composure long gone. "I smell it, jinx."

Those liches clearly had some fun in the city, but where did the attack come from?

Lyle, fully absorbed in sensing, discovered new traces. They were vertical flower-shaped patterns outlined by streaks of magic. At the very top, the previously concentrated magic blossomed into flowers. Following the traces vertically downwards, Lyle found the source of the traces.

A sinister skeletal device sat atop a crescent-shaped platform, a circular saw-like object spinning rapidly. Beside it, a lich was busily at work.

Because of the distance, Lyle couldn't see his face clearly, but he could sense his joy from his actions.

Unexpectedly, there was more joy among the participants afterward.

The clanging of bone fragments mingled with the lich's joyful cannon salute, and the spinning bone fragments shot into the sky like a rising full moon.

"The attack is coming from the ground! Beatrice!"

In their field of vision, like a rising tide, the spinning wheels of white bones churned and creaked as they surged upwards. Their target was singular: the two figures suspended in mid-air. To be struck would surely result in a horrific scream.

The leisurely flight instantly turned into a battlefield, with terrifying hissing sounds shrinking their living space. Frustration and panic intertwined, and their voices grew louder, as if in a strange form of catharsis.

"What is that?! Your damned liches' new toy!!!"

Lyle shrank back. "If I'm not mistaken, it should be a variant of the Spinal Wheel. Bian Tong told me that we probably have some differences in our concept of sending people into the sky, regarding the plan to use the Spinal Wheel to carry people into the sky."

"So it was your fault, you damn toy manufacturer!" Beatrice growled, focusing all her attention on searching for a glimmer of hope in the saw blade.

Lyle didn't speak, but silently reached out and grabbed Beatrice's arm.

He didn't mean anything by it; he was just afraid that Beatrice might get so angry at one point that she would throw something from a high place, and that way he could still put up a fight.

The roar of takeoff continued, and Beatrice barely managed to hold on, her physical and mental strength being severely depleted in this escape.

Just then, an unusual hiss came from the ground, and a huge spinal saw blade shot into the air, heading straight for the two of them. It was like a venomous snake that had been lurking for a long time, baring its fangs and darting out from a tricky angle that they couldn't dodge.

"Hmph, naive."

While in flight, Beatrice tumbled in the air, her body flipping over, and she actually managed to make a sharp 180-degree turn, avoiding the intended flight path of the giant bone fragment. But after that, Beatrice screamed in surprise.

"No! Bastard!"

Beatrice did manage to turn her body, narrowly missing the saw blade, but she forgot that there was someone behind her.

Because of his extreme maneuvering, Lyle saw Beatrice's pale face. Due to inertia, the cocoon enveloping Lyle entered the saw blade's range. It was as if Beatrice had deliberately pushed him in.

The sharp blade began to cut through the black slime and bright red blood, the hissing sound almost deafening Lyle. A pair of pale arms emerged from beneath the spinning bone fragments, passed through Lyle's neck, and embraced him.

Lyle didn't realize what was happening, but he still carried out his planned actions.

"Heretical practices flourish, while bones wither away."

The splattered slime climbed onto the bone wheel, and the blood flowing from the cuts in the black tentacles formed a sinister magic circle on the bone fragments. The rapidly spinning bone fragments were instantly dismantled, and each fragment was devoured by Nia's flesh and blood.

Lyle was held close to Beatrice's chest, his nose making intimate contact with the Bloodstone on her chest, and Lyle could also smell the fragrance of roses.

Because Beatrice had tightened the clamp a bit, Lyle's voice sounded like it was coming from inside a jar.

"Well, you didn't really need to do that. I left countermeasures in my toy research, so they can't hurt me."

"Shut up."

Lyle's head was fixed in place, and all he could feel was the touch of skin, the smell, and the darkness.

"Beatles, are you alright? Um, could you loosen your grip a little? I can't see your face."

The restraints on Lyle's head tightened, and his lips were squeezed out of shape by the brandy gemstone, leaving him only able to make muffled sounds.

“Shut up!” Beatrice made Lyle do it.

In the darkness, the vampire girl continued her flight.

Andrei's lich is cleaning up the mess in preparation for the possibility of another contestant.

"Manipulator! Look how accurate my shot was! It hit the bullseye!"

"Shining, I urge you to be kind."

"By the way, is the Plague Doctor also participating?"

"I didn't see it; it probably passed by here a long time ago."

"Hehehe, we worked so hard and eliminated so many of his opponents..."

"The head of the epidemic prevention team will definitely thank us."

Chapter 423 Beatrice's Strength

When Lyle regained his sight, what came into view were large pumice stones with various crooked and strange huts on their surface. Those strange buildings were witches' huts, and they had arrived at the witch quarter, which was right next to the lich quarter.

Lyle had once stood at the exit of the Lich Quarter, observing the witches' dwellings. Compared to before, the Witch Quarter now lacked the witches riding broomsticks that darted through the air. Was this another test? Lyle's gaze swept across the open area, trying to find the hidden wicked witches.

However, no, perhaps because it wasn't related to my major.

Lyle and Beatrice returned to their initial suspended state. Beatrice's quick recovery was truly unexpected; he had originally thought he would be suffocating against that gem for more than an hour.

“Witches won’t stay here; they have other jobs.”

"Are you sure? Maybe they're lurking in the shadows, ready to ambush you. You know, they recently got a feline mistress."

"The trials of the Witch Quarter don't require open or covert attacks. Witches are the quintessential spellcasters; they prefer to flaunt their knowledge rather than their strength..."

Lyle felt that Beatrice hadn't finished speaking. After all, the two of them had just passed through an area typical of spellcasters, and... had understood the importance of survival knowledge.

What would a witch use to demonstrate her knowledge?

The pungent, acrid smell was like a screwdriver prying open Lyle's nostrils, and the rich, indescribable odor was performing a terrible ritual in his respiratory tract.

The bubbling soup and the clanging of the iron walls created a unique symphony. On the floating rock that Beatrice flew towards, Lyle saw many bubbling cauldrons, each large enough to stew five or six people, with colorful, strange-smelling broth forming a disgusting, chaotic pattern.

"Potion."

"The Witch Quarter's test is to find the right potion, use it to taint your body, and continue forward," Beatrice said, smiling at Lyle. "That's why I'm carrying you around—to the pot."

"No! No! No! Those potions, who knows what they do! What if you choose the wrong one!"

Beatrice laughed as she swooped down and threw Lyle into a dry pot.

"If you make a mistake, this will happen."

Beatrice grabbed the tentacles and pulled Lyle back out, stroking the brown fur on his body.

"Look, little rabbit."

Lyle was transformed into a wet, lop-eared rabbit, held by Beatrice by the base of her ears, her rabbit feet kicking in the air.

“Oh, you don’t like it? My dear brother-in-law.” Beatrice lifted Lyle Rabbit above her head, and she spun around on top of the cauldron amidst the smoke. Steaming cauldrons appeared in the rabbit’s vampire-colored eyes, and the rabbit stopped thrashing about.

The demon laughed.

"Don't worry, there's plenty more here, brother-in-law. You'll be satisfied."

Lyle emerges from the bath.

"Hehehe, this time it's a goat, baby. This expression is just like your dull look."

Lyle emerges from the bath.

"Hahaha, can you act like a crocodile for once? Why are you biting your tail ball? Are you actually a mutated armadillo?"