Chapter 235: Beep beep beep beep beep, sending you off with a horse's pleasure

The monster pile is packed so tight—we really ought to strike now and ruthlessly grab a wave of experience?

Thus Ji Ming's eyes lit up in the literal sense, readying to use 【Saint's Judgment】 to blast them all skyward.

But the High Heat Holy Light Beam hadn't even been fired when I saw a crackle of a bunch of Flame Burst and Ice Arrow Techniques raining down.

At least the front-row skeletons still look somewhat human, so you can die with understanding.

The rear-row skeletons had no idea what was happening before being turned into a pile of bone scraps by red-braised cold dressing.

A large batch of experience was just wasted like that, credited to Eleanor, who had already hit the experience cap for Skeleton Soldiers.

Stirling, taking advantage of the cleared stairwell entrance, charged forward to block the skeletons trying to pour out, while shouting loudly.

"Ji Ming, Divine Chosen, we should still use our divine arts sparingly—we can still control this situation!"

"No, can't you give the team's support guy a sip of soup?"

But Ji Ming couldn't just claim to be a supreme god with near‑infinite power to shoot freely; he could only force an emotional expression.

"Well, using divine arts really hurts my body—thanks a lot…"

However, fortunately due to low usage, the stairs leading underground are relatively narrow.

Whether horizontally or vertically, it's a single path—even with many skeletons, they can't all enter.

So even though this terrain limits Eleanor's area‑of‑effect damage, it also reduces the number of foes the party faces at once.

As long as the support's healing keeps up, Stirling alone wielding his hammer can still open a path smoothly.

But when the stairs reached the end, what met the eyes was not the underground warehouse described by the association representative, but a vast, enormous space.

You can't exactly say they lied, because ground traces show this place once had many partition walls.

But now those walls have all been destroyed and toppled; only a few thick pillars remain, faithfully supporting the ceiling.

And in the center of this underground hall stands a tall purple gate from which blue ghost fire constantly pours out.

The goal is right before them, yet the party doesn't rush to act.

Because the greatest danger here isn't these skeletons, but the high‑level necromancer that must exist.

However, this final boss isn't of the underworld, so it hasn't forced them to search everywhere like solving a case.

"Cackle…"

In a string of possibly unpleasant laughter like a Black Magic Immortal combined with a Crab Boss, a skeleton‑only figure flew out from behind the purple gate, landing steadily… almost falling to the ground.

It's obvious this high‑level necromancer is probably a lich, so he…

Huh?

As a veteran gamer, Ji Ming has seen plenty of bone monsters.

There are the solemn, black‑robed type; the comic type that occasionally pulls out a bone to wipe it clean; and even the indescribable type that adds a special bone to itself.

But a being like this before him, he's never seen in all his years.

Every bone on the lich seems gilded, looking dazzling even in darkness.

—This is the luxury of a wealthy lich!

Attached to the lich's back are possibly dragon‑kind wings, not only huge in span but requiring every joint to fully unfold.

—This is the aura of a high‑rank lich!

The lich holds a massive staff studded with gems of various colors, making its original material unrecognizable.

—This is the grace of a powerful lich!

The lich's legs are together, standing at attention; splaying the legs outward would be unsightly, so it adopts a perfectly straight military stance.

—This is the confidence of a majestic lich!

Moreover, the weapon must be proudly held forward, thrusting straight at the enemy.

The abdomen must not retract; it must thrust forward powerfully, slamming the hips!

—This is……

What the hell is this thing?

So the skeletons didn't move, the lich didn't move, and Ji Ming and company didn't move either.

Both sides remained locked in silence for a full ten seconds, until the lich let out another burst of laughter.

"Cackle, pitiful humans, have you been scared by the great Lord Rodrigues?"

It's too scary; even Stirling couldn't help but step back half a pace, turning to whisper.

"Sorry for my poor eyesight, do you recognize what species this is?"

Eleanor frantically flipped through a bestiary, hesitating as she spoke.

"Could this be a lich? But are there liches that look like this?"

And Ji Ming, having made peace with his ignorance, raised a handful of air ready to snap a commemorative photo.

Entirely electro‑plated gold, with a pair of large wings, a half‑paralyzed stance, weapon pointing straight ahead—either no adornment at all or everything maxed out……

"Hey, what's‑his‑lord, did your crown used to have two horns?"

"Cackle, even though you're weak humans, but… do you have them? I thought those two holes were innate."

Ji Ming finally understood why players never forget to livestream and record—some things are definitely worth keeping a memory of.

I never expected to see, in an utterly ordinary basement, a lich with the aesthetic of a trendy brother!

Was he originally struggling in Guangfu during the returning‑south‑sky weather, how could he be so trendy?

And while the three stared at each other, Rodrigues satisfiedly lifted his head.

Heh, that so‑called God of Shadows, who claimed Sunlight City hid tigers and dragons, said someone had thwarted his first wave of attack.

The result was that, upon arriving in person, he saw nothing but a bunch of weak, pitiful humans.

Even the special squad they painstakingly sent in could only stand before his overwhelming aura, too scared to breathe—how ridiculous!

Thinking this, he glanced back at the gate of the dead that kept spewing out skeletons.

As long as I can take Sunlight City, I can definitely become the second-most powerful existence in the Strange Council after Shadow.

At least that little brat who constantly whines and makes Shadow read bedtime stories to put him to sleep definitely can't compare to someone like me, who is mature, steady, and possesses great power and scheming ability—a perfect lich!

It's just strange—what the hell council used to say it had seven members outwardly, but when I got there there were only six…

Forget it, let's just get the present matter done first.

He then let out a cold snort to show his dignity, and the staff in his hand straightened a bit further.

"Human, your so-called Holy Light God is nothing but a ridiculous candle flame—surrender now, and I can still spare your lives!"

"Even if you are completely obedient, I can also bestow honor upon you, transforming you into a successful and excellent lich like me!"

This first half of the sentence could still be considered a normal villain's recruitment line, but this last sentence…

"Too trendy, bro—I don't want to get rheumatism at a young age!"

Not only Ji Ming found it hard to bear; the other two couldn't stand it either.

No matter how you say it, it's still a kingdom that inherited the Elf Cultural Heritage Basin, and the Radiant Nobles' aesthetic is still on point.

Although it has gradually become extravagant under the influence of comparison and hedonism, it hasn't yet reached this point.

So Eleanor imagined herself turning into a skeleton, then pictured herself with those exaggerated huge wings on her back.

"Too ugly—I refuse!"

Stirling put it more bluntly.

"Your fucking aesthetic!"

—See? I knew they wouldn't refuse the recruitment.

Unfortunately, the lich also forgot about recruiting lackeys and instead flew into a rage.

If it were merely a rejection, no matter how rough, he would tolerate it with his broad… chest… bones.

But if someone questions his aesthetic…

A lich can bear resentment, but you cannot insult my all‑golden self!

After being on the field for a while, he finally made his second move, slamming the scepter in his hand hard onto the ground.

Amid the scattered gems that clattered down because the glue failed, he loudly commanded:

"Undead, attack!"

Although the squad moved quickly, breaking through to here from the dense, tide‑like skeletons also took a considerable amount of time,

therefore the quality of the skeletons now being teleported in has doubled again; besides holding various weapons, they also wear tattered leather armor.

As for raw materials, it shifted from the bones of weaker herbivorous beastmen to those of more ferocious carnivorous beastmen.

Moreover, besides the skeleton giants transformed from large beastmen such as minotaurs and rhinoceros‑headed persons, flying skeleton birdfolk have also appeared.

Although their average level is still only around ten, even the strongest among them reaching fifteen would be considered top‑tier.

But it's still a case of quantitative change leading to qualitative change—sand piled into a tower, ants devouring an elephant, the undead rolling into a terrifying natural disaster.

Even if Ji Ming immediately took out a Calming Talisman and formed a magic array around the three of them,

but in what seemed like an endless wave, the transparent golden light shield could only be described as precariously hanging on.

What's worse, the originally flat battlefield suddenly turned into three‑dimensional combat.

Stirling's hammer ultimately couldn't reach the beings above, and Eleanor, though called a magic artillery turret, could only cover one or two sides.

Even if Ji Ming now declares that Saint's Judgment can be activated infinitely, wanting to clear all surrounding enemies is still no easy task.

So even if they've exerted all their resistance, continuing like this will likely just be a matter of time before they're worn to death.

Therefore, surrounded by layers of skeletons, although the lich could no longer see the three of them, he had already opened a bottle of champagne in advance.

"Yeah, invincible! Powerful! I am the greatest lich—win and then win again!"

There really was champagne; he didn't know where he'd snatched a bottle from.

After shaking it violently, he used the scepter in his hand to smash open the bottle mouth, placed it on his groin, and began swaying left and right.

Perfect Lich Victory Side MVP Settlement Animation. MP4

But before he could even launch into the four‑by‑eight rhythm, he suddenly heard an extremely sharp sound.

This sound was piercing and shrill, as if it wanted to pierce the soul directly; even the flames in his skeleton couldn't help but tremble.

If the lich's vital point weren't in his life box, this blast alone could have blown a hole in his soul.

"What's going on?"

He struggled to lift his skull, only to find that the sea of skeletons that had previously piled up like a small mountain had now turned into a field of white bones in the darkness.

Although his body suffered no damage, the drifting soul‑fire was blown apart, leaving each one dead beyond revival.

Then, with a loud boom, a war hammer swept across the bone surface, dragging those three living people out from the heap of bones.

The heavy‑armored warrior still held a war hammer in his hand, and the area‑damage mage still held a magic wand.

But in the hand of the last support alchemist, the long‑handled shovel had turned into a dull‑golden instrument he didn't recognize at all.

He tossed the suona into the air, gave it a couple of shakes, and Ji Ming used his finger to wipe the mouthpiece.

Just now, the magic‑array shield jointly constructed from the Calming Talisman and the Suppressing Evil Talisman finally showed a crack under the heavy pressure.

Although Ji Ming could repair it by releasing more talismans, it could only be patched up—purely defensive—and defeat was certain.

But Ji Ming might consider his Lawful Good alignment when killing living people, yet he has far too many cards to deal with the Strange.

Saint's Judgment excels at sneak attacks and point kills, while the Talisman Formation is suited for defense and support.

For an environment requiring all‑direction, indiscriminate attack, the natural stage is the Farewell Technique.

But the commonly used wooden fish and hand bell, though simple to play, lack penetrating power, making it hard for the skeleton friends to fully enjoy.

So Ji Ming took out the suona he had prepared in advance, then directly took out a bit of free skill and started drawing cards.

As expected, the uncanny luck directly chose arrangement.

【Wind Instrument Mastery·Divine Skill: When you play a wind instrument, you can cause other instrument users to fall into extreme inferiority】

【Introduction: Although it doesn't have that effect, but if you want to try it, I don't object】

……

A certain big-nosed recorder performer who embodies both greatness and lameness once said, this weird thing will disappear if you pretend not to see it.

So Ji Ming didn't care what was written on that skill, and directly started playing.

The fact proved the effect was especially good; Zhu Bajie carrying his wife had just blown three notes when the skeleton brothers were subdued by the Great Sage's Void.

"Damn it, what did you do!"

The champagne bottle that had been violently spraying just now had already been emptied, its wilted, miserable appearance resembling that of the current lich.

Stirling had already endured this huge ugly thing for a long time, and directly swung his hammer and charged forward.

With his head dizzy and throbbing, the lich flusteredly tried to cast a spell to resist, but before he could finish the first incantation, he was interrupted by the sharp sound of the instrument.

Lich (in pain): "Ah!"

And amidst the shrill screams, his jaw was smashed again by the hammer the next second, and along with it, the goat demon crown missing two horns flew off.

Lich (very much in pain): "Ah!!"

But this still wasn't satisfying, Stirling and Eleanor directly began to unleash a deadly assault on his mutilated body, physically and magically combined, violently destroying it.

Lich (ultimate pain): "Ah!!!"

They smashed hard while also shouting loudly.

"Divine Chosen One, now's the time!"

They didn't even need reminding; Ji Ming directly blasted a full-power Holy One's Judgment toward the door of the dead.

The newly emerged skeleton soldiers had just shown their heads when they were all vaporized into powder, and the door began an irreversible collapse.

And the collapse of the teleportation gate is horrifying; theoretically, no object can withstand the damage of spatial collapse.

So even if that elephant-headed skeleton, which in life was probably level forty or above, exerted all its strength, it still couldn't drag itself into the real world.

Thus it was sucked back into the teleportation space and blown apart into the spacetime turbulence.

And after Ji Ming additionally blew two more suona notes as a finishing touch, the vast space contained only a dazed lich head.

What happened?