Chapter 1: The Return of the Lich King

Rumble…

Deafening muffled thunder rang out one after another. Dark clouds filled the sky, accompanied by shocking snake-like bolts of lightning. It seemed as if the entire sky was about to collapse. Under the terrifying might of nature, all living things between heaven and earth hid in fear. However, deep within the Sunset Wasteland, a majestic castle was packed with dense crowds of Liches, Skeletons, and other Undead, prostrating themselves piously outside a towering palace.

In the center of the main hall was a huge blood pool. Blood energy rolled within it, containing endless vitality. At the end of the main hall stood a mottled and broken Soul Summoning Banner. It suppressed a massive and complex Magic Array, frantically extracting the Magic Power contained within the underground Crystal Vein. The entire main hall rippled with unparalleled energy fluctuations. The high-level Undead prostrating outside the palace, such as Liches and Dark Knights, could not help but let out a moan as the Magic Power in their bodies multiplied wave after wave. In just a short moment, the Magic Power absorbed was several times more than what they would gain from hundreds of years of Cultivation!

“What is life, and what is death? Ten thousand years of Cultivation, a hundred cycles of reincarnation, all for the enlightenment of this moment!”

Inside the majestic and solemn palace, the Lich King draped in a black robe spoke as he walked toward the Crown of Wisdom at the end of the main hall. His steps were firm and powerful; every step he took left a clear footprint on the ground. The aura of a superior being emanating from the depths of his Soul made every Undead prostrating outside the hall tremble. The vitality from the blood pool, the Soul energy condensed by the Soul Summoning Banner, and the Magic Power from the underground Crystal Vein poured into his body like a surging river. His withered skin incredibly began to swell and fill out.

First, it was his hands and calves, then his pectoral muscles and thighs. Pieces of developed muscle bulged high. Finally, the muscles on his face filled out. In just a dozen steps, he transformed from a Lich with a withered body like a mummy into a tall, burly young man with a full forehead!

“I, Ovisis, swear that the Lich King’s wrath will spread across the Dallas Continent, and to every corner of the entire Plane…”

The Lich King spoke as he continued walking forward. He paused for a moment, reached out to hold the solemn and noble Crown of Wisdom, which represented supreme authority and wisdom, and slowly placed it on his head. Instantly, the wind and clouds changed color, and the lightning above the Lich Castle became even more intense. With a loud boom, the highest watchtower of the castle was split in two by a muffled thunderclap. The low-level Undead prostrating on the periphery, such as Zombies and Skeletons, instantly fell into commotion.

“No matter how great the might of heaven is, it cannot block my steps. No matter how fierce the tribulation is, it cannot extinguish the will of a Lich King! Wearing this crown, I, Ovisis, am the Divine Domain Lich King of the Wasteland, comprehending the enlightenment of life and death!”

Lich King Ovisis turned a blind eye to the lightning tribulation in the sky. Before his voice fell, he resolutely put on the ancient Crown of Wisdom and frantically devoured the Magic Power contained in the underground Crystal Vein like a whale swallowing seawater. With a ‘pop’, the surging Magic Power and Soul Power in his body turned into sections of Magic Crystals and Soul Crystals. He broke through the bottleneck he had painstakingly cultivated for thousands of years in one fell swoop. His Divine Sense shook, and in an instant, he sensed the boundless Sea of Souls. However, just as he was about to step into the Divine Domain Realm and become a Divine Domain Lich King, a snake-like lightning bolt spanning thousands of miles suddenly appeared in the Void. With a ‘boom’, it submerged into his body. Wherever it passed, his meridians snapped inch by inch, and strands of blood seeped out from all over his body.

At the same time, an invisible shockwave spread far away, instantly unstoppable like a volcanic eruption. Whether it was the Necromancers skilled in magical attacks or the Dark Knights with powerful bodies, they all shook instantly and fell in circles like cut wheat, their lives completely cut off. The castle, known to be indestructible, also developed dense spiderweb-like cracks and even collapsed with a loud crash.

A lightning storm?

The Lich King’s pupils constricted, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. Suddenly, a black pen appeared in his hand. The iron pen was like a hook, drawing mysterious Runes in the air, instantly condensing terrifying fluctuations of Magic Power. The speed was fast, but unfortunately, it was still a step too late.

With a loud ‘boom’, the palace guarded by layers of Magic Arrays collapsed in response. Cracks the size of hairs appeared on the ancient and mottled Soul Summoning Banner. An even more terrifying snake-like lightning followed like a shadow. With a ‘crash’, it submerged into his body, ruthlessly shattering the newly condensed Magic Crystals and Soul Crystals. The skin that had just grown turned into voids along with his muscles and bones in the blink of an eye.

“No…”

The Lich King shouted in despair, unwilling to dissipate just as he stepped into the Divine Domain, struggling stubbornly once more. But as terrifying lightning bolts entered his body one after another, his life force was completely cut off, and his consciousness became increasingly blurred. On the verge of death, he suddenly felt a heavy body seem to fall from the air, smashing heavily onto him. Without time to think, the Dark Magic Pen in his hand subconsciously drew the last Rune. The last trace of Magic Crystal and Soul Crystal about to dissipate in his body quickly seeped into the body pressing down on him, carrying a trace of unwilling will to fail and an unyielding Soul Imprint.

A generation of Lich King who could make a thousand-mile radius tremble with a stomp of his foot just turned into a void shadow and disappeared without a trace in the cold wind!

The formerly fearsome Lich Legion suffered fatal heavy losses, and the entire majestic Lich Castle almost turned into ruins. The blood pool in the main hall was empty, and the Crystal Vein deep underground was completely consumed. Only the ancient and broken Soul Summoning Banner still swayed gently in the cold wind, seeming to tell of past glory. The main hall was dead silent. After a long while, a young man covered in blood struggled to slowly stand up.

“This…, what is this place?”

Hu Feng shook his dizzy head and opened his eyes to suspiciously examine the palace engraved with Runes. He only remembered going out for travel and encountering an unprecedented rainstorm while crossing the Western Geermu Grassland. He lost consciousness after being struck by a terrifying lightning bolt. He didn’t expect that after waking up, what he saw was not the charming smiling face of a nurse, but a gloomy, ruined palace. His mind was stuffed with large segments of unfamiliar memories.

“Ovisis, Crown of Wisdom, Lich Castle…” Hu Feng suspiciously organized the vast memories in his mind, talking to himself, when suddenly his whole body shivered, “What, I…, I actually inherited Ovisis’s Soul Imprint and will, and became a Lich King?”

Hu Feng pinched his thigh hard to confirm that he wasn’t dreaming.

He had played games like Heroes of Might and Magic and World of Warcraft long ago, and he hadn’t not killed Lich bosses before, but he never thought that he would one day turn into a boss-level Lich King. Fortunately, his body didn’t wither like Liches in games, and his little brother down there was still there! If he really turned into an Undead like a mummy, unable to perform even if a stunning beauty lay beside him, that would be even more desperate than death!

Nervous, uneasy, confused…

After a long while, Hu Feng slowly calmed down and organized the unfamiliar, vast memories in his mind.

This was a vast, or even boundless Wasteland. Its area far exceeded people’s imagination; ordinary people could not see the edge of the Wasteland in their entire lives. As for how big the entire Dallas Continent was, even Ovisis, a Lich King who had lived for more than nine thousand years, didn’t know. Resources on the Wasteland were abundant, but Demonic Beasts roamed, the weak were prey to the strong, and there were scattered countless creature nests, Settlements, and castcles of various sizes.

“Before, in order to buy a small house the size of a pigeon cage, I was exhausted to death all day; I didn’t expect that now I have a castle thousands of times bigger, and also possess a huge Lich Legion! Is this fate?” Thinking of his days after graduating university, which seemed glamorous but were actually poor, Hu Feng shook his head with a bitter smile, lamenting the changeability of fate. At the same time, he was also full of excitement and anticipation for the future.

What is a villa worth? In front of a magnificent castle, it’s not even worth mentioning!

In the law of the jungle Sunset Wasteland, life for ordinary people was extremely difficult, but for a City Lord with millions of troops, it was a completely different kind of excitement!

“Magic is the path of Cultivation; the Soul is the source of power…”

Picking up the pitch-black and cold Dark Magic Pen from the ground, Hu Feng muttered to himself, and a segment of unfamiliar memory involuntarily surfaced in his mind. His right hand moved subconsciously, drawing a mysterious Rune in the Void.

Chi…

With a soft sound, a scorching flame suddenly appeared in front of him. Red, hot, flickering in the cold wind, emitting circles of oppressing high temperature. Almost instantly, a pool of blood several steps away evaporated rapidly, rising in curling smoke.

Without an expensive and heavy Magic Staff, without long and awkward incantations, just by drawing a Rune, a dancing, scorching flame suddenly appeared!

Is this so-called Magic?

Looking at the flame dancing in the cold wind, feeling that real, pressing high temperature, Hu Feng widened his eyes excitedly. The flame lasted for a very short time, dissipating in the cold wind before he could look closely, but just that instant was enough to make one extremely excited.

The Magic Crystal and Soul Crystal in his body, as fine as dust, were nearly transparent in color. They had almost instantly exhausted all their energy, floating in his body like a candle in the wind, as if they would dissipate at any moment. The contained Magic Power and Soul Power were pitifully small, not even one ten-millionth of Ovisis in his prime, at most the strength of a first-order Magic Apprentice. But this Magic Crystal and Soul Crystal, less than one ten-millionth, carried the memory and will of a generation of Lich King, leaving the seed of Cultivation in his body!

The strength of a Magic Apprentice, the potential of a Demi-god!

After inheriting the memories of Lich King Ovisis, Hu Feng understood that he had inadvertently touched the origin of Magic that countless Magicians dreamed of!

The Divine Domain is the goal Cultivators dream of all their lives. Failing to impact the Divine Domain Realm often results in on-the-spot death; but there is another possibility, which is stepping into the Demi-god Realm between the Divine Domain and the Saint Domain. Some Demi-god Strongers, after failing to impact the Divine Domain, are left with only a strand of remnant Soul, their strength greatly reduced, and they can only hide in dark places all year round to heal. Others become braver with each setback, their lifespan greatly extended, their Cultivation unfathomable, and they can impact the Divine Domain Realm again.

The strength of Demi-god Strongers varies, even greatly, but even a Demi-god Stronger with only a strand of remnant Soul has a far deeper understanding of Cultivation than ordinary Saint Domain Magicians and Sword Saints. The Magic Crystal and Soul Crystal condensed at the instant of impacting the Divine Domain can be said to condense the essence of a Stronger’s lifetime of Cultivation. In order to break through to the Divine Domain Realm, Lich King Ovisis painstakingly cultivated for more than nine thousand years, but unexpectedly fell short at the last step, leaving only the last trace of power attached to Hu Feng, giving the latter the potential to become a Demi-god Stronger, or even a Divine Domain Stronger!

The Cultivation of Undead and humans is completely different. After losing vitality, they can only Cultivate the Soul Fire in their minds, absorbing Magic Power and thin Soul energy from the air. Their bodies are far inferior to other creatures of the same level. The further one Cultivates, the harder the progress becomes. Those who break through to the Divine Domain Realm can be said to be very few.

Faced with innate disadvantages, even powerful Undead have to accept their fate, but the powerful Lich King Ovisis was different; he swore to Cultivate to the Divine Domain Realm, comprehend the origin of Magic, and feel the enlightenment of life and death. Although he finally dissipated under the lightning storm, he devoured a large amount of vitality and successfully condensed the legendary Magic Crystal and Soul Crystal. He was just a little bit away from bidding farewell to his Undead identity and gaining new life.

“Genius, what a pity, what a pity…, Ovisis, let me fulfill your dream, Cultivate to the Divine Domain Peak, and thoroughly feel the enlightenment of life and death!” Hu Feng put on a black robe, covering his head like Ovisis, quickly determined his Cultivation goal, and sorted out the relics left by Ovisis.

On the Wasteland, the weak were prey to the strong, and there were countless powerful Demonic Beasts. As long as one hadn’t Cultivated to the Divine Domain Realm, one could become someone else’s prey at any time. The energy contained in the Magic Crystal and Soul Crystal in Hu Feng’s body was negligible, only having the strength of a first-order Magic Apprentice, not much stronger than a Skeleton with first-order strength, but his Cultivation potential was far beyond that of a small Skeleton.

What is a Magic Crystal, what is a Soul Crystal?

Magic is Magic Power, Crystal is crystallization. Magic Crystal is the crystallization and essence of Magic Power; Soul is Soul energy, Soul Crystal is the crystallization and essence of Soul energy. After condensing Magic Crystals and Soul Crystals, the understanding of the origin of Magic, the speed of casting Magic, and the power of Magic are all beyond the reach of ordinary Magicians!

“Dark Magic Pen, Dark Ring, Soul Summoning Banner…” Hu Feng carefully counted the treasures left by Ovisis, extremely excited.

The Dark Magic Pen was pitch-black and cold, containing wisps of pure energy fluctuations. Whether it was because he inherited Ovisis’s Soul Imprint or for some other reason, holding it in his hand gave a feeling of being one with his body. He could cast powerful Magic by drawing a few Runes in the air, without needing any Magic Staff or incantations. The Dark Ring sealed a huge space, but unfortunately, most of it was empty, leaving only a small amount of Crystals and equipment. These two treasures were extremely rare, but the most eye-catching one was the mottled and broken Soul Summoning Banner.

According to Ovisis’s memory, the Soul Summoning Banner was a treasure he obtained by luck after narrowly escaping death in the North Sea Graveyard thousands of years ago. After refining, it became the core of all Magic Arrays in the entire Lich Castle. It was also the most powerful treasure in his hand, with amazing power. As long as enough Magic Power was input, it could unleash earth-shattering attacks. When going out hunting, as long as there was enough Magic Power and Soul Power, one could teleport back by sensing this banner, and could also condense Soul energy within a thousand miles of the castle to speed up Cultivation!

“What a powerful Soul Summoning Banner. From now on, let people bear the wrath of me, Hu Feng, this Lich King!” Putting on the Dark Ring, Hu Feng was in high spirits. The Soul energy continuously transmitted from the Soul Summoning Banner made him involuntarily let out a soft groan, and the nearly transparent Soul Crystal in his body accelerated its rotation.

Although Magic Power and Soul Power were limited and temporarily far from enough to exert the true power of the Soul Summoning Banner; but with the vast resources in his hand, he believed that it wouldn’t be long before the Lich King’s wrath would descend upon the vast Wasteland again. Perhaps one day, his strength would be even stronger than that old Lich Ovisis!

“Lord, not good, something is wrong!” Before Hu Feng could continue to count the treasures in the main hall and the ring, a tall and burly Zombie Warrior rushed in panic, “Lord, a powerful Twelfth Step Dark Knight suddenly appeared outside and is killing his way in!”

For a Stronger, changing appearance is not a difficult task; what remains unchanged is the Soul Fluctuation in the mind. Ovisis had already dissipated, and a trace of Soul Imprint and will was inherited into Hu Feng’s body. The tall Zombie Warrior directly regarded Hu Feng, covered in a black robe, as the Lich King, without the slightest doubt.

A Twelfth Step Dark Knight?

Hu Feng gripped the Dark Magic Pen in his hand tightly, his expression grave. When Ovisis was alive, intimidated by his terrifying pressure, not to mention Dark Knights, not even a bird dared to appear around the castle. Ovisis had just died, and a powerful Dark Knight came knocking. Obviously, he sensed the change here and attempted to rush in and pick up a bargain.

Below the Divine Domain, wild creatures are divided into sixteen levels; the higher the level, the more terrifying the combat power. Among Undead Creatures, the combat power of a Twelfth Step Dark Knight is second only to a Fourteenth Step Skeletal Dragon, and its strength far exceeds that of a Zombie Warrior with third-order strength and a Skeleton Warrior with second-order strength. A single Dark Knight can often easily defeat a Skeleton Legion of hundreds of people!

“Go, lead the way!”

Hu Feng did not dare to neglect, took the Soul Summoning Banner and walked forward quickly. Looking at the developed muscles on the Zombie Warrior, he continued: “By the way, what is your name?”

“Lord, I am the squad leader of the eighth squad of the Zombie Team. I have no name, my number is 9517!” the tall Zombie Warrior replied respectfully, with great excitement amidst his nervousness. For so many years, this was the first time he was so close to the high and mighty Lich King. If all the high-level Undead hadn’t died in that terrible shockwave just now, he might never have been qualified to stand by Hu Feng’s side.

“Put on this Asura War Armor. From now on, you will be called Arnold, and be my personal guard!”

Hu Feng glanced at the muscular 9517, took out a pitch-black and ferocious armor with barbs on the knees and elbows from the Dark Ring, and strode forward. This tall, sturdy Zombie with muscles all over his body reminded him of a person, the Hollywood tough guy Arnold Schwarzenegger who used to make so many lovesick girls scream and admire him!

The attack of the Dark Knight made him truly realize the intense danger on the Sunset Wasteland. Without Ovisis’s pressure, the Lich Castle became a prey spied on by who knows how many people. He had to find every way to improve his strength and build an invincible elite team.

“Yes, thank you, Lord!”

The burly Zombie Warrior bowed, quickly put on the ferocious Asura War Armor, and excitedly led the way. For Hu Feng, a Lich King, a set of Asura War Armor refined from demon scales was not worth mentioning, but in the eyes of these low-level Undead, it was almost a priceless treasure!

Whoosh…

Walking out of the towering main hall, a castle with a circumference of nearly ten miles appeared in front of Hu Feng, majestic, spectacular, and grand. The tall city walls were all stacked with giant stones the size of heavy trucks, completely black, engraved with winding and mysterious Runes. An ancient, vicissitude, and majestic aura rushed toward his face. In front of the main hall stood a group of Zombie Warriors and Skeleton Warriors. Seeing his figure, they all prostrated on the ground in unison with a ‘whoosh’, opened their mouths, and let out an invisible scream from the depths of their Souls. Instantly, a violent Soul Fluctuation spread far away!

Under the terrifying shockwave earlier, the high-level Undead in the castle, such as Liches and Dark Knights, all died, but a small number of low-level Undead prostrating on the periphery of the palace, such as Zombies and Skeletons, luckily survived.

“This is my Lich Castle!”

Hu Feng’s eyes lit up. Although he knew through Ovisis’s memory that he had inherited a huge castle and a Lich Legion, seeing the many Undead Warriors prostrating neatly in front of him with his own eyes, and witnessing the majesty, magnificence, and grandeur of the Lich Castle, he was still extremely shocked!

The Return of the Lich King!