Chapter 7

Xia Zuo and the others waited anxiously, believing in Daina, an outstanding thief who had carried out dangerous missions many times and always returned safely. He was an invaluable scout.

Just as everyone was getting anxious, a blue-eyed bird flew in like an arrow and perched on Joanna's arm. Joanna reached out to take a folded piece of paper from the bird's leg. The blue-eyed bird was a flying magical creature raised by Daina, small in size but fast in speed. Many thieves kept one or two, though they couldn't be used in combat, they were excellent for delivering messages.

Joanna unfolded the paper and read it carefully, then handed it to Xia Zuo: "Daina is fine. He's hiding in the castle. This paper marks the guard situation inside. He's not to be underestimated; there are gargoyles and ghouls stationed at important places. Daina asks us to attack the castle, and he will strike from behind."

"Daina has done a great job. Dewen, what do you think about the attack?" Xia Zuo handed the paper to Dewen Gale, seeking his opinion. After all, among the six, Dewen was the strategist.

Dewen took the paper but before he could speak, Collin shouted, "Why consider? Just charge in. We've wasted so much time. He's just a lich, and we have six people. Bonifas's magic level is higher than his. We're not to be trifled with; we can crush him."

"Collin! Listen to Dewen," Xia Zuo's tone became stern.

"That's the truth," Collin muttered under his breath.

Joanna rolled her eyes at him, "If you don't speak, no one will think you're dead. We listen to the leader."

"Collin has a point. We have six people, and our strength exceeds the lich Nicholas Andrew. We can just crush him, especially with Daina in the shadows. No need for tricks, just charge in. When our strength surpasses the enemy, we face them head-on. When we are weaker, we use strategy." Dewen smiled, revealing his white teeth.

"True," Xia Zuo nodded.

"Still, we need to choose a time. Let's do it at noon today. The sun is at its strongest then, which can limit the lich's abilities," Dewen added.

"Will Bonifas be affected too?" Collin asked, puzzled.

"I'm fine. Although I specialize in necromancy, I also have some proficiency in water and earth magic," Bonifas replied.

"Then it's settled. Before noon, we'll be at the castle gate. When the sun is at its peak, we'll launch the attack. Daina has already tampered with the gate," Xia Zuo said. The others smiled, Tao De's leg was almost healed, and he smiled too.

Wang Qianian killed Daina with a single sword strike. He didn't intend to kill Daina, but it was his instinctive reaction. He didn't even think about it; the sword had already pierced Daina's throat. Seeing the disbelief in Daina's eyes and the gurgling sound from his throat, Daina fell to the ground.

Wang Qianian was momentarily stunned, even feeling a bit nauseous. After all, he was from Earth, where the law was deeply ingrained in his subconscious. A strange thought crossed his mind: "I killed someone! That's a death sentence."

He quickly came to his senses. In this world, or at least in this place, no one would care. He felt nauseous, but the lich's body had nothing to vomit. His reaction was purely psychological. He took a deep breath, his eyes showing determination. He had killed someone, a qualitative change. He didn't realize it, but he had truly changed. Apart from a bit of reluctance, he didn't feel much guilt.

Dead is dead. He glanced at the body on the ground and began to calm down. He started to consider who might be after him. Could it be the Inquisition so quickly?

He shook his head. The man didn't seem to be an Inquisition officer. His attire indicated he was a thief. If it were the Inquisition, they would have crushed him directly.

He searched the body but found little. The dagger on the ground didn't reveal his identity, but Wang Qianian was 70% sure he wasn't an Inquisition officer.

Looking at the body, Wang Qianian had a sudden idea. He made a gesture and chanted, and the body stood up, opened the door, and walked into the servant's room.

Wang Qianian didn't follow. He was thinking about other things. His instinctive reaction had saved his life, confirming his direction was right. Killing someone seemed to have opened his mind. He didn't know that he had stumbled upon something that would have ruined a normal person. As a lich, he was unharmed and even aligned with the principle of "single-mindedness." This was essential for any cultivation, leading to enlightenment. He had unknowingly aligned with this principle, though it was only the beginning.

Wang Qianian didn't dwell on it. Daina was dead, and although Wang Qianian didn't know his name, he knew Daina had infiltrated the castle and been active all night. If not for his habit, he wouldn't have discovered him.

This habit, useful for long nights, was valuable. Wang Qianian had a thought: self-reflection to improve himself. He decided to make it part of his cultivation, though it wouldn't increase his magic, it would help him see himself more clearly.

Wang Qianian didn't know that in his hometown, self-reflection was a cultivation method. However, before his穿越, he knew nothing about cultivation.

Wang Qianian didn't believe Daina had done nothing, but Daina was dead. Wang Qianian went to the tower and found no abnormalities. He searched the castle, thinking about how an enemy might enter. The castle walls were high, and like Daina, it was unlikely anyone could climb them. The gargoyles on the roof weren't just decorations; ordinary people couldn't get up. The only way was the gate.

Did Daina secretly open the gate, or was there another method? Wang Qianian frowned. Daina was dead, so he had to check himself. It was a matter of life and death.

At the gate, the door was still closed, showing no signs of tampering. He tried to open it, hearing a cracking sound. He stopped, realizing something was wrong. The door was thick, and the bar was heavy. Even normally, it was hard to open, but the cracking sound was unusual.

On closer inspection, he drew a sharp breath. The door had moved slightly, but the crack in the bar was obvious. It was only held together by a thin layer. Without a battering ram, one person could easily break it open.

Wang Qianian was about to remove the bar but stopped. Instead of keeping the enemy outside, he decided to let them in. A cruel smile appeared on his face.

Xia Zuo and the others, with Tao De staying at the camp, approached the castle before noon. They were cautious, using trees for cover, quietly approaching the gate. The trees were sparse, but with their efforts to hide, they were hard to spot.

As the time approached noon, the five quickly reached the gate. Joanna drew her bow, an anti-magic arrow glowing white. At the same time, the gargoyles on the roof came to life, spreading their wings and diving down.

The bowstring twanged, and the anti-magic arrow, glowing white, pierced a gargoyle, which emitted black smoke and turned to rubble.

Bonifas's wand flashed blue, and a series of ice spears shot out, hitting another gargoyle. The gargoyle's movements slowed, and a layer of ice formed on its body. The ice spears struck, causing cracks to spread, and the gargoyle shattered.

The bowstring twanged again, and a third gargoyle was shot down by Joanna. Xia Zuo shouted, "Quick, ignore the gargoyles, Collin, break the door!"

Xia Zuo, while shouting, raised his sword, which glowed, and swung it to block a diving gargoyle, protecting himself and the others.

Collin, wielding a short axe, roared and charged at the gate. The door burst open, the bar breaking in two.

"Quick, inside!" Xia Zuo shouted.

Bonifas pointed his wand and chanted, creating a blue water barrier. A gargoyle dove down, the barrier indented slightly, then bounced it back, causing it to tumble in the air.

Taking the opportunity, the five quickly entered and closed the door behind them. Xia Zuo said, "Move," and they entered the castle's passage.

"Strengthen the alert!" Xia Zuo remained calm. The five formed a circle, Collin and Dewen back-to-back, Xia Zuo and Joanna the same, and Bonifas alone but ready.

Suddenly, a howl echoed, not loud but creating visible ripples in the air.

"Lich's Howl!" Bonifas shouted. A water barrier formed around his wand, but it rippled violently, and with a pop, it shattered.

Fortunately, the barrier had absorbed most of the energy. The group's faces paled, and Dewen's mouth bled slightly.

They hadn't even seen the lich, but he had attacked them with the Lich's Howl. They realized he was cunning, but they didn't take it seriously, thinking it was just a surprise attack.

A figure suddenly darted out from a door behind them. Collin raised his axe but stopped, "Daina, weren't you supposed to ambush the lich?"

Daina didn't answer, but his dagger lunged at Collin's throat.

Bonifas saw something was wrong, "He's under the lich's spell!"

Before he finished, a door opened, revealing a dark cannon barrel. A skeletal hand held a torch and lit the fuse.