[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-black-dragon-necromancer":3,"chapter-black-dragon-necromancer-black-dragon-necromancer-chapter-22":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Black Dragon Necromancer",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2312782,4521,"Chapter 22","black-dragon-necromancer-chapter-22",22,"\u003Cp>The fewer the words, the bigger the matter; the more urgent, the more steady you must be. Five days had passed since Sakavi checked into the inn in the Lojia Grand Canyon, yet he still showed no sign of moving. He tossed the letter from Ruidena onto the table without a glance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boss, what does the letter say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ll see for yourself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying this, Sakavi lifted a cup of wine and sipped it elegantly. Even amid the chaos of the slums, a drow elf’s refined tastes must not be abandoned. Indeed, Sakavi was now a proud male drow exile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even in the slums ruled by gangs, exiled drow were despised—not for any other reason than that even when reduced to this state, they still clung to their pretensions. Wine had to be wine, baths had to be taken daily, and any tear in clothing had to be discarded immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not all drow were nobles, but common folk had no right to thoughts—let alone exile? Had the Matron Mother approved? Did they even know which way to walk once they stepped outside?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, many exiles were tacitly permitted by their families. The internal struggles in the Underdark were fierce; death and clan annihilation occurred frequently. Exiles preserved the family’s bloodline to the utmost, ready to assist fleeing survivors after defeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, elf numbers were far from small. Ordinary elf families had at least three children; drow families started at five. Their multi-millennial lifespans stretched marriage and reproduction intervals enormously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This caused their population to lag behind humans, who could bear five children every decade. As for survival capability, elves existed wherever inhabited planes existed—humans did not always.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, in every dark corner, drow outnumbered goblins. After all, the drow hadn’t yet sunk to the point where meeting meant instant death with no need for words—goblins clearly had.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this face—a drow’s, so despised that even dogs wouldn’t bother barking—Sakavi moved unseen through this land teeming with cultists. As for why no one tried recruiting him, Verna said: “Cultists? What kind of trash even thinks to recruit us?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet investigations by his hundred-plus drow operatives revealed the count’s territory was far worse than he’d anticipated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t merely a cultist problem—it was that countless demons lurked in the caves, and deep in the valley, a new planar rift had opened, forming a channel to the Abyss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Devils seemed to lurk behind this place, though their role remained unknown. Logically, action should come swiftly: once the ritual array in the canyon absorbed enough sacrificed souls, it would tear space wide open. In the ensuing chaos, demons could pour through the rift directly into this realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Sakavi felt something was off. Such an obvious threat—could the Church of the War God truly miss it? Yet the local patriarch insisted no cultists existed. Normally, in the presence of demons, the Church had the right to bypass local authorities and eradicate the threat outright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their schemes were none of his concern. Since he’d waded into this mire, he must ensure his own safe withdrawal. The more they pressured him, the more he must hold firm—until he understood his own role here, he wouldn’t strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A dagger drawn on paper, Boss. They’re pushing us to act now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We can’t move yet. We brought too many men—they can’t be hidden. For now, we wait. Let whoever cracks first make the first move.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boss, if we’re watching their show, why not add some spice?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You mean the Loka Plains to the north?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly. No matter how many schemes they hatch, if Loka stays quiet, this side can’t erupt. During my investigation there, I found traces of the Dragon Worship Cult. Only a sacrifice of over ten million souls can shake a planar boundary—don’t forget, the plane repels Abyssal energy fiercely.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sound reasoning. Send word to Grap: take the hundred newly forged Deathbringers and destroy the Dragon Worship Cult’s rural contact points in the Loka Plains within three days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To initiate a sacrifice, victims must remain in place, unable to flee—but no one’s a fool. To solve this, a massive undead plague must be unleashed, forcing souls to cluster together for the ritual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the sacrifice conditions aren’t met, a shortage of souls is manageable—but if too few are gathered, the unspent energy will rupture the array and turn back on the caster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a disgraced evil organization, the Dragon Worship Cult couldn’t possibly muster enough personnel. Their low-level ritualists were likely temporary thugs and ruffians. If such people vanished en masse, the caster would have to halt the ritual to avoid backlash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A routine undead plague is easily suppressed, but if the shadowy players behind it don’t want this to end in an anticlimax, they’ll have to reveal themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boss, they’ve started moving.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Judgment Knights of the War God?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No. It’s Count Gash’s men.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Interesting. Let me guess—he’s a devil’s pawn, right? Demons needn’t show up; the undead plague can’t be stopped. Viren probably can’t leave his house now, and Grun likely isn’t paying attention here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Correct. Last night, after Grap’s raid, twenty-five regional command posts in the Loka Plains were wiped out—the Dragon Worship Cult’s main forces there are gone. The sacrifice conditions can no longer be met.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Issue orders: The Dark Lady Ros is colluding with demons, attempting to invade the Crimson Moon Plane. Heroic Count Gash stopped them. On his return, he was ambushed by drow elves and slain in battle.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do we still eliminate the demons’ claws here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Evacuate everyone. Count Gash was killed by people from the Underdark. What does Sakavi, holed up counting coins, have to do with it? I will openly come to quell the undead plague.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Understood, Boss!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three hours later…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Count Gash, where are you going? You’ve ruined our Dark Lady Ros’s plans—and now you think you can leave?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“??? Didn’t Ros say she was too busy? What are you doing here—taking advantage of the chaos?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough talk. Today is your death day.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is that so? A few drow think they can take my life? Look closely—remember my face. You’ll need to describe it to Ros.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gash’s face split down the middle. The devil, master of disguise, finally revealed his true form: a face too perfect, devoid of life. His eyes held no pupils—just smooth, dark-gold surfaces, like ancient gold coins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His skin resembled fine parchment, pale and delicate, faintly marked with watermarks of countless cursed contracts—signatures and crests. He wore a perfectly tailored black tailcoat, a black feather quill in his right hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A low, hypnotic voice suddenly sounded—not loud, yet carrying an undeniable persuasion, nudging listeners to think as he wished. He was less a devil than a bank’s chief clerk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Drow, our plan hasn’t failed—only the demons’ followers are too irrational, refusing any dialogue. We must be patient. As long as conditions allow, the plan can still achieve its intended effect.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is that so? Ros might be pleased. But I, Sakavi, am not. Whoever makes me unhappy will never be happy again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The foremost male drow tore off his mask. Beneath the crimson moon, a grotesque black dragon head loomed, terrifying, its vertical pupils gleaming with greed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your words are persuasive. But I won’t give you another chance to speak.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A black dragon? Interesting. Did this place make you smell gold? Name your price.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I want it all—and your head.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is that so? Has no one ever told you that excessive greed brings destruction?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, iron chains snapped around the black dragon-man. Beneath his feet, a sinister emerald-green pattern flared to life. He glanced at the tightening chains and shrugged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No one told me that. But someone did say: don’t be clever. Was this shackle activated subtly, hidden in your words? Had I agreed to anything just now, my soul would already be enslaved.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Clever. I hate clever people. They demand more effort to deceive, to weave more intricate illusions.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whether I agree or disagree, I’ll be signing a clause accepting eternal servitude, won’t I?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Honestly, talking to you, black dragon, is infuriating—if I had such emotions. Why must you oppose me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t care what you are. I only care whether I can profit from you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gold is…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A blade suddenly slashed across the devil’s throat. In the devil’s stunned gaze, the dragon-man grinned—a chilling smile, his ivory teeth like a row of daggers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Devil, you seem to have forgotten one thing: black dragons never follow rules.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You two lads behind me—will you write your names now, or after being tortured? Don’t answer. I don’t want to speak to you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sakavi waved his hand. The drow instantly subdued the two silent orcs. Two high-rank devils weren’t worth his personal attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Verna, plan changed. Erase all traces here. Kill every cultist at the Perch Wharf tonight—leave no sign. We never came here. We never saw this devil. Resume investigation tomorrow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Understood. Is there something wrong with this devil?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He didn’t sneak in. He was invited to this plane to do business.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You mean the real Count Gash is still alive?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whether he lives or dies doesn’t matter. If everyone believes he’s dead, he must die—even if he isn’t. Kill every orc behind us. Take the bodies. Remember: our mission isn’t complete. We’re still hunting Gash.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Understood. The Penitent Knights will believe the drow did this. In fact, we did.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sakavi sealed the devil’s corpse within his domain and led his men out of the valley.\u003C\u002Fp>",1571,"2026-06-20T13:10:04.638Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","8f5e4a74f18a8804c5ac6b4df27dc71c903c495c280dac40503483d10f17a05f","black-dragon-necromancer-chapter-23","black-dragon-necromancer-chapter-21",145,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fblack-dragon-necromancer-cover.jpg"]