Chapter Eighty-One: The Forbidden Object

Mus City.

A group of city guards were pointing in astonishment toward the southwestern sky, discussing in hushed, excited voices. A distinct azure pillar of cloud stretched straight between heaven and earth, blossoming into a mushroom-shaped formation in the air. The blue pillar and its cloud, illuminated in the glow of the setting sun, shone resplendently, persisting long without any sign of dispersing. This strange and magnificent spectacle drew crowds of commoners to stop in the streets and outside the city, all eager to witness this rare event.

The azure pillar had appeared for less than five minutes…

Lord Mayor of Mus City galloped wildly into the street, face drawn and anxious, his clothes in disarray. Behind him followed over a hundred stern-faced elite guards. Under the astonished gazes of countless citizens, they thundered toward the city gates.

Atop the wall, several men and women wore the golden crests of the Ael and Salem families over their chests. They exchanged complex, uneasy glances.

“Hmph.”

The leader, an arrogant and cold-faced man, sneered:

“Even our esteemed Lord Mayor has been attracted here. Was I wrong? That blue cloud is obviously a military warning signal! News of the Imperial Capital’s siege has leaked. If we don’t act now, once the surrounding towns unite their forces, you all can imagine what fate awaits our two families.”

“The young master is right—the situation is dire. We cannot delay any longer. But in my view, our two families’ members might be sent away under another pretense…” One middle-aged man glanced at their kin observing the ‘Azure Signal’ on the wall, a trace of reluctance and pleading flickering in his eyes.

“Such womanly compassion!” The arrogant man gave him a scornful look and dismissed him icily.

“No more talk!”

“Take action!”

With a flick of his wrist, a dark red signal arrow shot skyward from the wall, flashing with a dazzling blood-red light. It soared high enough to be seen across the whole city, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.

All over the battlements, city guards and members of the Ael and Salem families alike turned toward the group in confusion, unable to fathom why the arrogant man had acted so suddenly.

The Lord Mayor, charging at the head of his hundred-strong cavalry, reeled violently in the saddle, his eyes narrowing sharply. The Azure Signal had warned them—trouble had come.

“To arms!”

Without hesitation, the hundred elite guards unleashed their battle aura, their momentum surging. A force of five-star swordmasters, led by the mayor, no longer cared for the crowds in the streets—they accelerated, thundering toward the city gate.

…

After half an hour’s hard ride, the two thousand city guards led by Helian Quan finally saw Mus City appear ahead.

At the sight, everyone’s spirits sank to rock bottom.

Flames soared within the city. Even from a kilometer away, Xu Wen caught the thick stench of blood and the unique aura of death that marked the presence of a mass of undead.

His brow tightened. “Be on your guard,” he urged, riding up to Helian Quan’s side. “There may be more than one necromancer in Mus City.”

Helian Quan’s face was grim as he nodded silently. Mus City was more than ten times the size of **** Town; a single necromancer could not possibly control it all in such a short time.

More necromancers meant that the danger in Mus City was far greater than in **** Town—this time, many more lives might be lost.

“Ready bows and crossbows!” Helian Quan ordered.

A resounding roar rose from the ranks as soldiers nocked their arrows and raised their weapons, the air thick with the tension of imminent battle.

In a matter of moments, the force charged up to the city walls.

“Help!”

“Save me!”

Chaos reigned outside the city. Countless civilians, weeping and screaming, poured out of the gates, fleeing in all directions. Behind them surged even more townsfolk, but their faces were twisted with savagery, their eyes burning red. Their movements were unnaturally swift, faster than the fleeing crowds before them. Their appearance was utterly bizarre.

In the blink of an eye, dozens of civilians were knocked to the ground by these red-eyed pursuers—some dragged from carriages, then surrounded and bitten by clusters of attackers. They seemed less like humans than wild beasts.

The scene was so ghastly that even battle-hardened veterans were shaken. Xu Wen, horrified by this nightmarish tableau worthy of a horror film, involuntarily sucked in a cold breath. A forbidden concoction flashed through his mind—Rage Zombie Powder.

“Those with red eyes are no longer human! They’re necromancers’ zombies!” Xu Wen’s shouted warning explained everything and gave Helian Quan and the guards all the justification they needed to act.

Without the slightest hesitation—

“Loose!”

With a sweeping gesture, Helian Quan gave the order. The city guards’ crossbows fired, and the sky filled with the ceaseless hiss of arrows.

Not far away, over a hundred zombies were felled before they could reach their prey, their bodies pierced through by the deadly bolts.

Many civilians, seeing hope, rushed desperately toward the city guards.

“Be careful! Don’t let these zombies grab or bite you, or you’ll become one of them!” Xu Wen called out an urgent warning.

“If a bite turns you into a zombie…” He Chen’s skin crawled. Wasn’t this even more terrifying than skeletal warriors or other undead?

Sensing the wavering spirits among the soldiers, Xu Wen quickly added, “Don’t worry, ordinary zombies are at best equivalent to two-star fighters. Their attacks are simple. As long as you use battle aura and defensive magic, they can’t harm you!” The city guards present were all at least three-star fighters—each could handle seven or eight zombies alone.

“Zombies are extremely fragile—the head and heart are their fatal weaknesses!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than another volley of arrows rained down. Zombies struck in the head or heart died instantly and utterly, though some from the first volley began to rise again.

Seeing this, Helian Quan and the other strong warriors breathed a collective sigh of relief and silently congratulated themselves on bringing Xu Wen along. Though no one knew how he possessed such knowledge, his presence had made everyone safer. Had they charged in blindly, the consequences would have been dire.

Little did they know that as Xu Wen watched the endless stream of zombies pouring from the city, his fury blazed like never before.

Bastards!

They had used forbidden drugs on ordinary civilians on such a massive scale!

More than two hundred thousand commoners!

Those necromancers would turn Mus City into a true city of death!

As he watched wave after wave of men, women, children, and youths—once ordinary citizens, now with crazed red eyes—surge desperately toward the city guards, Xu Wen burned with rage. For the first time in his life, he utterly loathed the profession of necromancer, wishing nothing more than to tear every necromancer in the city to pieces.