Chapter 221: Dragon‑Worship Cult

"I see."

WaLiWuSi smiled gently, then suddenly raised his left hand bearing a magic ring. Light surged on the ring, and a thick black beam shot out forcefully.

Naimi Xisi's face darkened; in his heart he sank. This body was a simulacrum he had crafted, and without the Red Dragon's aid he might not defeat the mage before him. He had hoped the opponent would show courtesy, but instead turned hostile and ambushed.

The black beam seemed to come from an endless abyss, like a black lightning bolt, instantly tearing the air; where it passed, space appeared warped, emitting a sizzle.

It was an Eight-ring Necromancy spell 【Black Thunder】; a single strike could utterly destroy this fragile simulacrum.

The edge of the black beam flickered with eerie light, like dancing ghosts in darkness. It surged forward at extreme speed, bearing an unstoppable momentum.

But Naimi Xisi was not only adept at spells; he was also proficient in mana, especially the Psychic Teleportation ability.

A silver flash streaked by, and Naimi Xisi instantly vanished from the spot. Black Thunder lost its target, striking a knight; the black light enveloped him, instantly turning him into a pool of sludge.

WaLiWuSi saw the attack miss and his eyes darkened; he recognized it as a mana fluctuation, and a hint of trouble arose in his mind. Mana is mysterious and ever‑changing; even he could not be fully prepared.

The next moment, Naimi Xisi appeared behind WaLiWuSi, and simultaneously an invisible stance manifested.

Seven-ring Abjuration spell — 【Instant Counter‑Magic Stance】!

Naimi Xisi and WaLiWuSi were only two meters apart, yet the Counter‑Magic Stance spanned a radius of ten meters! In an instant, all magic items on WaLiWuSi fell into silence.

Six-ring Mana — 【Obscure Beam】!

Naimi Xisi did not stop; his spell could not be cast, but his mana was unaffected, and an obscure, incomprehensible beam shot from his hand.

At first the beam was unremarkable, its color dim and exuding a nauseating aura; WaLiWuSi could not react before it struck, instantly slowing his movements, as if he were sinking in mire, even his neural response became sluggish.

"Damn!!"

Naimi Xisi was about to continue casting, but an extremely powerful magical energy erupted from WaLiWuSi's body.

"Magic Net, answer my call!"

A massive amount of magic was drawn from WaLiWuSi's body, causing him to lose one of his nine-ring Spell Slots today.

Naimi Xisi did not hesitate, instantly using mana teleportation again to leave the Counter‑Magic Stance area.

Sure enough, just after he left, a ring in WaLiWuSi's hand ignited, scorching flame forming a 360‑degree ring around him.

"The Plastic Energy Master's Paragon Power 【Summon Mana】? Also adept at Necromancy and Conjuration, this mage is no ordinary one."

Naimi Xisi squinted; most mages are not born as legendary mage sons like Saifaar, who held a golden key at birth, a child of the Magic Goddess's chosen. Even a nine‑ring mage mastering two schools is already average.

The WaLiWuSi before him could act thanks to the Plastic Energy Master's Paragon Power 【Summon Mana】; this ability lets a caster sacrifice one of their highest‑ring Spell Slots to ignore Dead Magic Zones and summon a Magic Net.

Add Necromancy and Conjuration spells, and in a short time he employed three schools' abilities; this mysterious mage's power is far from simple.

WaLiWuSi brushed his robe: "The Counter‑Magic Stance restricts my casting, but using mana to attack—nice tactic. Are you an Arcane Spirit Master?" No one answered; the brief exchange gave the knights time to react, and they raised bows, firing at the sky‑bound WaLiWuSi.

Meanwhile, soldiers pouring in through the city gate also charged toward Naimi Xisi and his companions.

Feathered arrows, propelled by the knights' strong arms, raced toward the sky‑bound mage, but WaLiWuSi remained unmoved; the arrows, upon contact, were halted by an invisible force and then reversed, shooting back at the knights.

"It's 【Reversal Arrows】; no need to exert effort, you block those soldiers," Naimi Xisi said calmly.

"Yes!"

The black knights surged forward like unstoppable blades, crushing the fragile kingdom warriors beneath their warhorses and spears. Soon, more soldiers poured in, and the knights, confined to the narrow city streets, were forced into melee with them.

WaLiWuSi, seeing no one beside Naimi Xisi, produced a black clay long‑nose jar.

"Behold my servants,"

WaLiWuSi gently patted the long‑nose jar; strands of black smoke poured from its nostril, coalescing on the ground into clumps of black fog.

"Wait, damn, Dragon‑Worship Cult?!" Naimi Xisi was shocked upon seeing the jar.

This jar is called 【Black Soil Clay Pot】 on Frelen, a very peculiar, standardized legendary magic item.

!

Anyone possessing this pot is reviled across Frelen, because its crafting technique belongs exclusively to a cult named 【Dragon‑Worship Cult】.

The organization believes the world will ultimately be ruled by a death dragon, so all members master Necromancy and tirelessly seek powerful dragons, persuading (or forcing) them with benefits or force to become draconic liches.

Because most spellcasters of the Dragon‑Worship Cult are proficient in Necromancy, they devised a magic item called 【Black Soil Clay Pot】.

The pot has no other function; its sole purpose is storage like a bag of holding, but it can only store one kind of thing: undead.

The Dragon‑Worship Cult's necromancers stash the undead they create into the Black Soil Clay Pot and carry it, greatly boosting their combat power.

A necromancer's most awkward weakness is lacking their handcrafted minions when traveling alone, but the Black Soil Clay Pot perfectly compensates for that.

Thus the 【Black Soil Clay Pot】 is coveted by many necromancers, yet because only the Dragon‑Worship Cult possesses its crafting technique, and the cult is despised by all churches on the Frelen Continent, necromancers can only sigh at the pot.

"Sharp eyes, you spotted it; it seems you must die today," WaLiWuSi said with a hint of regret, shaking his head.

Black smoke spread across the ground at breakneck speed, soon forming a massive black cloud. In the pitch‑dark where one could not see a hand, countless hoarse roars echoed, followed by innumerable undead emerging from the fog.

Naimi Xisi frowned at the sight; this Dragon‑Worship Cult mage clearly amassed many corpses to create undead. By his rough count, there were at least four thousand skeletons and over two thousand zombies before him.

Moreover, numerous high‑level undead were present!

(End of Chapter)