Chapter 226: The False Demon Hunter

The speaker is Ding Laji, the Demon Warlock of the Dragon Stone Mercenary Corps.

Lei En has a deep impression of him; this congenitally deformed dwarf is hideously ugly in appearance, has dealt with Demons for years, yet holds a very pure faith in the God of Magic, his soul is balanced and peaceful, and his tiny body contains great wisdom.

However, the fellow is usually wayward; ever since the Dragon Stone Mercenary Corps moved outside the castle, he often disappears, showing up only once every few days, always in a drunken stupor.

Lei En learned this from his brief remarks and the mercenaries' gossip behind his back.

Ding Laji's greatest hobbies are drinking and patronizing prostitutes.

He spends all the money he earns in the mercenary corps on taverns and brothels, seeking pleasure day and night, crazier than a sound man, often disappearing after hiring prostitutes.

It's rare to see him here today.

"How can you be sure it's an Undead Wizard?" Lei En asked.

The White Bone Altar is used for sacrificial rites to the Lord of the Dead, but it is not necessarily built by an Undead Wizard.

As one of the Abyss's four great evil gods, the Death God most feared by ordinary people, the Lord of the Dead has many followers, far beyond just undead beings.

Any of His followers could potentially erect a White Bone Altar.

For example, some primitive troll tribes, or humans and other races that revere the power of death, as well as Death Knights, Mummy Lords, spirit‑communing monks, and so on.

Half a month ago, Lei En, as a novice, killed a Death Knight; it might be related to this matter.

"Lord, hic—..."

Ding Laji hiccuped as soon as he opened his mouth; the smell of his alcohol could not even mask the corpse stench emanating from the altar, making him instantly embarrassed.

Ai Mili Si glared disapprovingly at her own advisor.

Ding Laji was unfazed, raised a hand and raked through his nest‑like hair, then continued, "Lord, the White Bone Altar actually comes in several varieties; they look similar in form, making it hard for ordinary people to tell them apart, but their functions differ greatly."

He stepped on a skeleton and climbed onto the altar, pointing at several skulls in its center.

"The number of skulls and their arrangement have strict requirements, used to differentiate the altar's effect."

"There are seven skulls here..."

Ding Laji lowered his head to double‑check, "Arranged in a scythe‑shaped symbol, indicating that this altar aims to receive the Lord of the Dead's death‑power blessing; for a period thereafter, any Undead spells cast within the altar's surrounding area will have their potency amplified."

"This is the battle environment Undead Wizards favor most."

"Each time a living being is slain and its soul harvested, an Undead Wizard's soul power rises slightly; the more enemies killed, the more undead they can convert, making them increasingly hard to defeat."

"The appearance of this type of White Bone Altar usually heralds the arrival of an Undead calamity."

Speaking of that, Ding Laji's expression turned serious.

Lei En was rather impressed; indeed, one cannot judge a person by appearance.

The Demon Warlock's knowledge is deeper than imagined, but now is not the time for praise; he asked in a deep voice, "How large is the White Bone Altar's range? How long can it last?"

"It depends on the number of sacrifices."

Ding Laji's gaze swept the altar's perimeter, "The more people sacrificed, the larger the area and the longer it lasts. There are at least two hundred corpses here, so it should persist for a month; as for the range…" He estimated for a few seconds, then replied, "Lord, your small half‑territory should be entirely within the range."

Lei En's expression was grim.

The manor is located by the sea, in the northern part of Gra Morgan Territory; its half‑territory happens to cover the most densely populated area.

He immediately drew the Thunder Hammer, ready to smash the altar.

"Lord," Ding Laji shook his head, "Even after the sacrifice ends, destroying the White Bone Altar will not erase the amplification effect on Undead Wizards; the Lord of the Dead has already brought this area into His sight."

"I suggest not touching the altar; in case an accident occurs…"

Lei En felt a chill; he had been burned by this before.

The Fraudster Luo Xi's Conflict Mark is still on his body; over the past few months he has been grinding it away with the fire of faith, most of it has faded, and it will vanish completely soon.

"Is the altar just left here?" Lei En was irritated; with so many corpses piled like a hill, it could not be ignored.

Ding Laji nodded, "When the sacrifice effect ends, the altar will weather away and disappear; Lord, you need not worry."

Lei En thought for a moment and decided this was the only option.

A few people left the manor hall; wind‑elf Fa Bian waited outside and came forward, "Lord, we have identified the manor's owner. He is a silk‑trading merchant who bought the manor five years ago, but recent rumors say he intends to sell it and has met several buyers, one of whom is named Se Li Ke…"

Lei En's eyes flashed at the name.

The Undead Wizard who built the White Bone Altar is indeed linked to Death Knight Se Li Ke.

He recalled hearing at the Xialanwei trade fair that Se Li Ke said he was preparing to buy a manor for retirement, which must have referred to this place.

However, Se Li Ke was hammered into ash by him, leaving the manor unshielded, so the White Bone Altar was exposed.

Lei En couldn't help but feel relieved.

He had unintentionally thwarted the opponent's plan; otherwise, they wouldn't have known how long the altar would remain hidden, let alone that an Undead Wizard had infiltrated the territory.

The top priority is to locate that Undead Wizard.

According to Ding Laji, an Undead Wizard seeking the Lord of the Dead's blessing will not leave the White Bone Altar's effective range.

Half of Gra Morgan Territory, with a population of 340,000, makes finding someone somewhat difficult.

Even with a Soul‑Eye, it's still a matter of luck.

Moreover, time is tight; whatever the Undead Wizard's scheme, it will be carried out within the altar's active period.

"Only one month."

Lei En muttered softly to himself, pondering what to do.

"Lord," Ding Laji suddenly said, "I have some ability to track monsters; although Undead Wizards aren't monsters, they're similar enough, and I am willing to serve you."

Lei En looked at the dwarf; this was unlike his usual style.

The Demon Warlock is lazy and slothful, constantly avoiding tasks, clearly fearing any assignment, yet today volunteered, which was rather abnormal.

"Are you out of money?" Lei En asked with a half‑smile.

"Uh…" Ding Laji's face froze; he hadn't expected Lei En to see through him, so he stopped hiding and frankly admitted, "Lord Lei En, Mo Du's cost of living is too high; my funds are tight lately, hehe…"

"I just gave you three hundred Gold Shields a few days ago," Ai Mili Si said discontentedly.

Ding Laji lowered his head apologetically, "You don't know, Commander, Mo Du's women are too hot; three hundred Gold Shields only lasts two days of fun…"

Ai Mi Li Si's eyebrows knit, and she seemed about to flare up.

"Fine." Lei En had no mood for spectacle, waved his hand and said, "If you can locate the Dead Spirit Wizard, I'll reward you with 1,000 Gold Shields."

"Only 1,000 Gold Shields..." Ding Laji looked disappointed.

Lei En glanced at the Demon Warlock, decided to give the dead fish a push, and said lightly, "I don't care how you do it—by yourself or with help—as long as you kill the Dead Spirit Wizard, the bounty rises to 3,000 Gold Shields."

"Alright!"

Ding Laji's eyes lit up, "I've taken the Lord's bounty."

He was very confident, because from the arrangement of the White Bone Altar he judged that the Dead Spirit Wizard's strength was certainly not legendary, most likely a high‑rank wizard, and taking him down would be no problem.

Lei En said no more, ordered someone to guard the manor, and rode off on his warhorse.

Back at the castle, he entered the mechanical alchemy chamber for a while, then emerged, gave Xi Ka Liu Si a few instructions, and used a badge to open a portal and stepped through.

The next second, Lei En appeared in the residence atop Weizelan Tower, standing in the middle of the living room.

He walked into the bedroom, stood before a full‑length mirror, stripped off his clothes, activated his steel body and revitalized metal; his body first hardened, then softened, flowing like liquid.

Lei En adjusted his form, raising it a few centimeters and slimming his figure slightly.

His face rippled quickly, and after a few seconds became entirely different: deep eyes, a high straight nose bridge, a hairline shifted back a touch, a tall and sturdy build, exuding the charm of a mature man.

Then Lei En took out a set of leather‑lock combined armor and put it on.

He had prepared dozens of outfits inside a ring days earlier for contingencies; this armor was one of them, an enchanted set that could generate a layer of Elemental Armor.

Dressed in the armor, Lei En took out two swords.

One steel sword, one silver sword.

These were the weapons of the legendary Demon Hunter slain earlier at Haibuliji Port; both swords were premium, costly, and Lei En had kept them until now, finally putting them to use.

He grasped the twin blades, sensing the runic enchantments on them.

The longsword's shape shifted in his hand, adjusting to remove distinctive features; it now resembled a standard Demon Hunter cross‑sword, yet the runes remained intact, ensuring it wouldn't be recognized.

Sheathing the twin swords behind him, Lei En looked at his reflection and nodded in satisfaction.

In this form, anyone would only see a Demon Hunter.

He moved his limbs a few times to adapt, then finally took out a Soul Gun and its holster, fastening it to the outside of his thigh.

That Soul Gun was left by the gunman who tried to assassinate him on the day he first arrived at Mo Du.

Lei En also made minor cosmetic tweaks to the Soul Gun.

A gun needs ammunition, and he had long prepared a batch of combustible element bullets, mainly Explosive Shells and Armor Penetration rounds; though not a true gunner and lacking the requisite Element, they couldn't unleash the Soul Gun's full power, but were sufficient for combat.

Pairing a Demon Hunter with a Soul Gun has become a popular trend in recent years.

Of course, Lei En also didn't forget to strap a leather sack to his waist, filled with various magic potions and bombs.

He lacked demon soul fragments, so he couldn't craft alchemical bombs and had to substitute hand grenades.

Recently, Lei En had mixed a large amount of gunpowder in the mechanical alchemy chamber for bullet production; with abundant materials, he conveniently made a batch of hand grenades.

Tests showed the hand grenades' power was far from weak and they were quite reliable in use.

Twin swords, Elemental Armor, a slender build, and hand grenades masquerading as alchemical bombs—this is the disguise Lei En designed for himself, a cat‑type Demon Hunter!

He possesses a Soul Eye, stronger than a Demon Hunter's Gosoren's Eye; a Voice of All Things, substituting the hunter's tracking scent and not lacking; Level‑7 Swiftness, a few points faster than a legendary Demon Hunter…

Combined, even a genuine cat‑type Demon Hunter couldn't match them.

The only flaw is that he can no longer form seals.

Nevertheless, Lei En isn't afraid to show his hand; even relying solely on twin swords and speed, without spells, he can still be an outstanding Demon Hunter.

"I couldn't become a Demon Hunter before; now I can give it a try,"

Lei En struck a few poses before the mirror, feeling smug, "Hey, if Luo Jie sees me like this, I wonder if he'll recognize me?"

Prepared, he took out the badge.

The Weizelan badge can teleport to any spot within a fifty‑mile radius of Fu Kong Cheng; Lei En stood at the window overlooking his domain, selected a secluded spot, and activated the portal.

He stepped out of the portal, walked a short distance in the right direction, and arrived at his destination.

A massive arena loomed before him.

The Giant Hammer Arena.

It was Lei En's second visit, so the arena was familiar, but this time he didn't intend to enter, opting instead to wander outside.

Night had just fallen, and the streets outside the arena grew livelier, entering nightlife.

Shops, taverns, inns, casinos—people everywhere, with Transcendents visible throughout, alongside myriad exotic races.

Lei En aimlessly roamed, his Soul Eye constantly active, scanning each passerby and observing their souls.

Although he had already placed a bounty on Ding Laji, he found it unreliable and decided to search personally.

One must admit, Transcendent beliefs are quite complex.

In just over an hour, Lei En saw a fair number of Evil God followers, but they all worshipped Ai Lun E Si's local deity, not the four Abyssal Evil Gods.

These deities posed far less threat to humanity than the Abyssal Evil Gods; the difference lay mainly in ideology.

He even saw two followers of Luo Xi.

Normally he would have silently followed, cut them down to recharge himself, but now he lacked the inclination and avoided them.

He silently recorded their appearances, deciding to act after the conflict's mark faded.

After circling outside the arena a few times, he saw no followers of the Lord of the Dead.

Passing a street corner, Lei En heard a familiar voice; turning, he saw it coming from a tavern and strolled inside.

Upon entering the tavern and climbing to the open platform on the third floor, he saw Ding Laji sitting at a table, speaking loudly.

(End of Chapter)