Chapter 19

Whoosh!

An array of runes was etched into the ground.

'What is this?'

Yushinyun blinked, utterly bewildered. He had never used the Raise Skeleton skill before. Even if he had unconsciously cast it, it would have been impossible for a summon to occur, given that he had not met the skill's level requirements and had not extracted the necessary essence.

Just as he regained his composure and began to reflect on the current situation, a series of system messages appeared before his eyes.

[A deceased entity wishes to follow you voluntarily.]

[Special condition, 'One who has piqued the deceased's interest,' has been met.]

[As a reward, the rank limit of your necromancy trait is temporarily lifted.]

[The 'Raise Skeleton Warrior' skill has been automatically activated.]

[As a reward, you have obtained the skill 'Bone Spear'.]

[As a reward, your Wisdom stat has slightly increased.]

[As a reward, your Mana stat has slightly increased.]

[Your experience has reached the maximum.]

[You have reached level 23.]

'The deceased wants to follow me voluntarily?'

A message with content he had never seen in his previous life appeared before him. Indeed, the reason for the rank limit being lifted and the summon proceeding smoothly was none other than the will of the deceased, 'Yi Yilang.'

The will of the deceased could lift the rank limit—this was a fact he had just realized.

Still feeling bewildered by the unexpected turn of events, Yushinyun was a mix of confusion and joy.

Swoosh!

Finally, the summoning ritual was completed.

[Your necromancy trait rank is significantly lower compared to the deceased entity.]

[The deceased entity's rank is automatically adjusted.]

[The deceased entity's rank has been adjusted to 'Gold'.]

[The higher your necromancy trait rank, the more the deceased entity's rank will be automatically adjusted upward.]

Yushinyun's eyes focused on the skeleton of Yi Yilang, which had appeared before him. Yi Yilang had been adjusted to the 'Gold' rank, indicating the pinnacle of martial prowess.

The peak swordsman skeleton had a noticeable difference from the previous skeletons, one that could be seen at a glance.

'A black skeleton...'

While the bones of a first-rate martial artist skeleton glowed with a faint blue light, the peak swordsman skeleton had bones that were darkened. Although it was smaller in size compared to the previous ones, the overwhelming aura it exuded made any size difference negligible.

Yushinyun immediately checked his status window.

'...!'

He was struck with shock.

[Skeleton Warrior, 'Peak Swordsman']

Level: 30

Traits: Peak Swordsman (A+), Born Leader (A), Calm (A)

Skills: Thunder Cloud Twelve Swords (雷雲十二劍) (A+/10-star), Flying Thunder Body (飛雷身) (A/9-star), Thunder Roar Fist (雷鳴拳) (B+/9-star)

Internal Energy: 5,475 (approximately 15 years)

Strength: 236, Agility: 210, Vitality: 211, Mana: 0

-Internal energy is required for the 'Summon' and 'Maintain Summon' abilities of the Fist School.

'Unbelievable!'

The traits and skills were overwhelmingly A-ranked. The Peak Swordsman and Thunder Cloud Twelve Swords were even higher at A+.

The stats, averaging over 200, were comparable to the 40-level summon 'Blood Golem' and did not fall short in any way. It was hard to believe these were the stats of a mere skeleton.

Putting his shock aside, Yushinyun turned his head to the peak swordsman skeleton. Unlike the previous skeletons, which immediately knelt and pledged their loyalty upon completion of the summon, the peak swordsman skeleton stood still, gazing at Yushinyun. An overwhelming aura of dominance emanated from him.

Yushinyun did not back away. He met the empty, glowing red eyes of the skeleton.

'...!'

At that moment, Yushinyun's eyes trembled as if an earthquake had struck. The emotions of the peak swordsman skeleton, or rather, Yi Yilang, were transmitted through the burning flames.

-...Interesting...kid.

Only then did Yushinyun understand why such a result had occurred. It was not his choice but Yi Yilang's, as the name 'One who has piqued the deceased's interest' suggested. Yi Yilang was far more remarkable than he had imagined.

Yushinyun fell into deep thought, wondering if he could handle such a powerful entity.

Thud, thud.

At that moment, the peak swordsman skeleton began to approach Yushinyun. Yushinyun did not back away but stood his ground.

Crack.

The peak swordsman skeleton placed his thin, blackened hand bone on Yushinyun's shoulder. Yushinyun fearlessly met the flames in the skeleton's empty eyes.

At that moment,

[The Skeleton Warrior 'Peak Swordsman' wishes to impart the skills 'Thunder Cloud Twelve Swords' and 'Wall of Lightning'.]

[Do you wish to receive the skill 'Thunder Cloud Twelve Swords'?]

[Do you wish to receive the skill 'Wall of Lightning'?]

Another stroke of luck was approaching him.

Chapter 2

A day had passed.

It was a pitch-black night, with the moon hidden behind the clouds. The road leading from Shaoxing, where the Jin Family Manor was located, to Hangzhou was unusually bustling.

Normally, even the busiest of merchant caravans would not dare to enter this treacherous path. However, a group of people had appeared there.

They were all dressed in black from head to toe, with black masks covering their faces, exuding a suspicious aura. Their eyes, visible through the slits in their masks, glowed with a menacing light.

"We'll take a short break."

The masked figure, who was smaller in size compared to the others, stopped and spoke.

Thud!

The other masked figures immediately halted and stood still, like a line of soldiers.

They were the assassination squad secretly deployed by the Jin Family Manor to assassinate Yushinyun. The leader of the squad was none other than Gounamsheng, the Blood Demon who had beheaded the Black Bear of the Jin Family Manor with a single strike.

His cold, sunken eyes glanced back.

In the distance, a masked figure carrying someone on their back was slowly approaching.

'Tsk, why did they follow us here?'

Gounamsheng, watching the scene, clicked his tongue in annoyance.

As the subordinate arrived and set down the person they were carrying, the individual began to curse in a sharp voice.

"Move faster, you idiot! You're so slow it's unbearable!"

The voice was that of a woman.

None other than Bai Linhua, the Gold Fox.

Gounamsheng, who had been quietly observing the commotion, spoke with a tone of irritation.

"Miss, there was no need for you to come along."

Only then did Bai Linhua stop her kicking and sneered in response.

"Hmph, I couldn't stay away. I need to see that torn-up man crawl to me and beg for his life with my own eyes."

'What a vicious woman. Even if she had entered the demonic path, she would have survived to the end.'

Gounamsheng inwardly clicked his tongue at her venomous words. However, she did not notice and instead looked in the direction of the Baiyun Escort Agency and spoke.

"Surely, when we arrive, that rat You Jinshang won't pretend he doesn't know anything, right?"

While it was true that You Jinshang and the Jin Family Manor had been secretly colluding, there was no great trust between them. After the previous incident, there was much talk within the Jin Family Manor about whether You Jinshang had known about Yushinyun's abilities and pretended not to, or if he truly did not know.

However, Gounamsheng, who had been present and observed the situation, had read the panic in You Jinshang's eyes.

"There's no way. You Jinshang is in a difficult position within the escort agency due to Yushinyun's performance."

"Stupid fool! You didn't figure that out sooner, which cost the life of a Fang Division leader..."

Bai Linhua, who had been ranting, suddenly inhaled sharply and stopped speaking. She had just realized she was talking to the person who had beheaded Fang Shenyun.

It was an unavoidable situation, but Gounamsheng could not escape the criticism for killing an ally. A dangerous aura began to emanate from him, and Bai Linhua swallowed hard.

Gounamsheng was the only person in the Jin Family Manor whom she could not treat casually.

"Let's end this pointless chatter and move on."

Gounamsheng, who looked visibly irritated, stood up. The assassins, who had been resting, also began to get up.

Whoosh!

At that moment, the sound of air being torn apart echoed.

'This!'

Only Gounamsheng, who had heightened his senses, quickly realized what was happening and pulled Bai Linhua behind him to protect her.

Thud!

In that instant, a chilling sound was heard.

Bai Linhua, who had almost fallen due to Gounamsheng's strong grip, was about to vent her frustration but then screamed in horror.

"Aaaaah!"

The chest of the guard who had carried her was pierced by a large spear.

"Enemy!"

"Everyone, prepare for battle!"

The assassins, who had belatedly realized they were under attack, shouted loudly.

Whoosh!

Demonstrating their extensive training, they did not panic at the death of their comrade but quickly formed a perfect battle formation.

They frantically searched for the enemy, but the darkness made it difficult to see.

At that moment, a look of confusion appeared in Gounamsheng's eyes as he examined the dead guard.

'...Bones?'

He realized that the weapon that had pierced the guard's chest was not a spear but a sharp, pointed bone, reminiscent of a stalactite hanging from a cave ceiling.

'What is this?'

Just as Gounamsheng was bewildered, the tearing sound of air echoed again.

This time, it was not just one.

Sharp, pointed bone spears rained down on them one after another.

"Aaaaah!"

"Choke!"

"Block it!"

Screams echoed one after another. Even the assassins who managed to dodge were left with large and small wounds.

The bone spears, imbued with formidable power, were difficult to block with ordinary swords.

"Idiots! Infuse your swords with internal energy!"

Following Gounamsheng's command, a faint aura began to emanate from their swords.

The assassins of the Jin Family Manor were all at the highest level of first-rate martial artists. Though crude, they had the ability to form a sword aura.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

The assassins began to barely cut the bone spears before they could reach them.

As the attacks began to fail one by one, the bone spears gradually decreased.

Gounamsheng, who had been on edge, finally let out a sigh and surveyed the assassins.

'Damn!'

His face was contorted with frustration. Four deaths and numerous injuries had occurred, and the unexpected casualties had made his veins bulge.

"Cowardly to hide in the darkness and attack! Show yourself!"

Gounamsheng's roar, imbued with internal energy, shook the surroundings.

At that moment, the bushes at a distance rustled, and a figure emerged.

It was none other than Yushinyun, who had a look of disbelief on his face.

"Really, who's being cowardly when we're here to assassinate someone?"

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