With his exceptional business skills, Allen quickly won the favor of Madam Chongmei.
Soon after, Baiara also proved her immense value to Allen in the war against the undead.
The undead army was already at the gates of the city.
Alan led the demonic mercenaries out of the city to repel the enemy.
Meanwhile, Baiara planned to act alone, teleporting directly to the cemetery city and launching a surprise attack on the necromancers' home!
"Madam, William and Spencer aren't accompanied by bone dragons. They're likely staying in the main city."
Before leaving, Allen politely expressed his concern for Baiara.
"You're traveling alone, deep behind enemy lines. If you encounter a bone dragon, will you be in danger?"
"Haha! My dear, don't worry about me."
Baiara donned the enchanted crown and held the holy emblem, her smile radiating immense confidence.
"As a 'Sister of Glory,' dealing with stinking bones is my specialty!"
"A mere bone dragon poses no threat to me."
"Be careful. If anything happens, feel free to send me a telepathic message."
"Also, turn on sensory sharing. I'll check on you when I have time."
"If necessary, I'll help you resolve the threat."
"Okay, ma'am. I wish you a safe journey!"
Alan kissed her cheek as she leaned in, and they embraced goodbye.
He watched Madam Chongmei disappear into the teleportation array.
Alan's eyes darkened.
He had originally estimated that Byara was at the early sixth stage.
He wouldn't be a sure win against a bone dragon also at the early sixth stage.
However, judging by the disdain Baiara displayed when she mentioned the bone dragon...
I've probably grossly underestimated this witch's strength!
The stronger Baiara becomes, the greater the current support she provides him.
But in the long run, the greater the hidden dangers!
Alan gritted his teeth. It seemed he would have to lie low for a while, continuing to serve the Burning Legion as a lackey.
Only after reaching rank six would there be a chance of defection!
Recovering from his thoughts, Alan led his troops out of the city to meet the enemy.
Alan was reluctant to lose his orcs, ogres, tauren, and other loyal troops, so he left them in the city as a reserve.
The main force in this battle was the demon mercenaries exchanged for souls.
Alan did not trust demons!
He dared not keep demons close to him, fearing ambushes.
His personal guards were the flesh golem "Meat Dump" and the totem behemoth. The presence of these two absolutely loyal, burly figures by his side gave him some peace of mind.
Across from him, a tidal wave of undead was sweeping in.
The front row, as usual, consisted of cannon fodder like skeletons and zombies.
There were also ghouls mixed in.
The faint presence of vengeful spirits drifted in the air.
In the back row, robed necromancers prepared to unleash their "Death Cloud."
Two necromancers sat in the center of the necromancers.
William also wore a robe, but the style was rather unusual.
It looked more like a long, floor-length scarlet dress.
It matched his heavily made-up appearance.
Spencer's style was completely different.
This bald, burly man had a face covered in tattoos.
He wore armor and carried a massive silver sword on his shoulder!
Both men stood on high ground, silently observing the battle.
At the same time, Allen was also deploying his troops in front of the city gate.
He also had no shortage of cannon fodder.
A large group of Suicide Demons charged at the forefront.
Diving headfirst into the swarm of undead, boom, boom!
A single explosion devastated a vast swath!
Behind the Suicide Demons, the Cunning Demons activated their "Revenge Aura."
The instant the Suicide Demons exploded, the Cunning Demons behind them were also affected.
Through their "Revenge Aura," they transferred their own damage to surrounding enemies.
This layered effect caused even more devastating damage to the undead army than the Suicide Demons!
The Cunning Demons possessed a "rapid self-healing" physique.
In the chaotic battlefield, their chances of survival were higher.
Soon, the undead tide was contained. Fragile skeletons and clumsy zombies fell one after another.
This exposed the more elite ghoul forces.
On Allen's side, core combatants like ape demons, vulture demons, and succubi also entered the fray.
A brutal, dimensionality-reducing attack on the ghouls!
Noticing the unfavorable situation, William frowned and issued two orders in quick succession.
The vengeful spirits in the air quickly advanced and entered the battlefield.
At the same time, the ghouls unleashed their "Death Clouds" toward the chaotic battle zone, providing fire support for the undead forces.
Seeing this, Allen sneered.
He had already prepared a countermeasure for this undead tactic.
The shadow demon forces collectively took to the air to engage the vengeful spirits!
Flesh and blood bodies, facing incorporeal ghosts, are at a great disadvantage.
Shadow demons, also incorporeal, could easily deal with vengeful spirits.
The enemy's greatest threat came from the Corpse Witches.
The Death Cloud, while harmless to the undead, inflicted considerable damage on the demons.
Alan gathered a large group of playful demon children around him.
The average weight of a demon child was only ten kilograms.
Alan's "Thousand Miles of Leisurely Garden" could carry five tons!
Carrying a hundred demon children, plus flesh golems and behemoths, they collectively teleported directly behind enemy lines!
The teleportation point was behind the Corpse Witches.
The hundred demon children emerged from the teleportation array and immediately drained the magic power of the nearby Corpse Witches.
Instantly, they had drained the magic power of half of the Corpse Witches!
The demon children used the stolen magic power to cast invisibility.
They vanished into the night.
Stealthily, he continued to steal the magic power of the corpse wizards.
As for the corpse wizards whose magic power had been drained, they had lost the energy to release the "Death Cloud" and could only use a small dagger for self-defense.
Their combat effectiveness had degenerated to a level even lower than that of the ghouls.
Boom!
Alan raised his hand and fired a "Shaping and Expanding Moonlight Cannon"!
A wave of moonlight spread out in a cone, directly wiping out all the corpse wizards within a hundred and twenty meters in front of him!
The Totem Behemoth roared and leaped up.
It fell from the sky like a human meteorite, smashing into the crowd and crushing a large number of corpse wizards.
The Flesh Golem, under Alan's remote control, also rushed towards the corpse wizards.
The golems were naturally extremely magic resistant, immune to most necromancy attacks.
Bearing the Death Cloud, they rushed into the crowd and knocked down a corpse wizard with a single punch.
On the higher ground, William and Spencer, seeing the situation looming, quickly opened a "anywhere portal" and teleported directly to the chaotic battlefield.
Alan sensed a surge of magical energy and casually crushed the skull of a cadaver, turning and heading for the teleportation point.
"You're courting death, boy!"
William's enchanting face twisted with rage.
He chanted an incantation, and necromancy gathered in his palms.
They transformed into a swarm of pale beetles, buzzing towards Allen.
The 4th-level necromancy spell, "Disaster Beetles," sucked essence and blood, feeding back upon the caster—extremely vicious!
Alan didn't want to be caught off guard by these blood-sucking beetles, so he silently cast a 3rd-level "Dispel."
Swish!
A flash of green light instantly dispelled the "Disaster Beetles."
In a battle between sorcerers, the one with greater mental power has the greatest advantage: a greater ability to dispel their opponent's high-level magic!
At this moment, Allen fully utilized this advantage.
William's expression changed slightly, and he instantly activated "Teleport"!
The tall and muscular Spencer took his place.
Gripping his sword with both hands, he roared and charged at Allen.
This man was both a sorcerer and a valiant warrior.
The greatsword, imbued with necromancy, shone with a pale halo.
Alan was also a melee warrior.
Spencer's fierce fighting style was just what he wanted.
He imbued his right hand with "Steel Rake" and directly blocked the greatsword's blow.
Clang!
Sparks flew in the night sky!
Spencer tumbled and fell, his greatsword falling to the ground.
The broad, thick, refined silver blade had already broken!
Alan's right arm was nearly severed.
Only a layer of skin remained, connecting the trembling stump.
Spencer spat out a mouthful of blood and struggled to his feet.
Seeing Alan's severed arm, a flicker of satisfaction crossed his eyes!
However, his joy was premature.
The blood was minimal.
Alan's face showed no sign of pain.
"You cut my arm off with one sword. You're quite strong."
He spoke casually, as if it wasn't his own arm that was broken.
Alan freed his left hand, grasped his right arm, and pressed it against the stump.
Flesh and blood fused, and in an instant, it healed as before.
Alan flexed his right hand and nodded with satisfaction.
"Damn it! Forgot this guy's an ogre wizard, born with regenerative powers!"
Furious, Spencer launched into a reversion!
His rapidly expanding flesh burst through his armor, unfurling jet-black, glossy wings.
In a flash, the bald man transformed into a giant black-feathered bird, its eyes bloodshot.
Death Vulture—this is Spencer's fifth-order reversion form!
Reversion Spencer circled above Allen, searching for a chance to swoop down.
Even further away, William also activated his fifth-order reversion, transforming into a blood-stained humanoid skeleton.
Most of his muscles had withered.
Only his blood vessels and heart remained misshapen and malformed!
The blood vessels coiled around his bones like thick, red worms.
As the heart beat in his chest, his blood vessels trembled slightly, squeezing out streams of blood.
A "Blood Soul Corpse," a special kind of corpse demon, was William's atavistic form.
Alan frowned at this sight.
Are all necromancers who have regressed to their ancestral form this ugly?!
In comparison, the ogre calling himself a handsome guy is downright modest.
Atavistic William slowly raised his hands.
The veins in his wrists emerged from his skin like little snakes.
With a puff, two streams of foul-smelling blood spurted out at Allen!
Alan had never seen such a bizarre attack method!
But it wasn't hard to guess that the blood was highly poisonous, brimming with cold, negative energy, and imbued with the Dark Corrosion Curse!
Even with the protection of his "Soft Bone Flesh Armor," he wouldn't dare withstand such a strange and vicious flow.
He raised his hand and activated the Whirlwind Dragon Claw, intending to open a repulsive force field to block the oncoming venomous blood.
At that moment, his body suddenly trembled inexplicably.
His flesh and blood body had transformed into an illusory spirit!
Just in time to avoid the splattering of poisonous blood!
Alan himself couldn't perform the spell of instant transformation!
Suddenly, he realized that it was most likely Bayara's doing!
Using his own body as an anchor, he cast the spell from a distance.
After a few brief seconds, Alan transformed back into a physical body.
The Blood Soul Corpse and the Death Vulture pounced simultaneously.
With his palms, Alan activated the Whirlwind Dragon Claw and the Ice Soul Palm, respectively, preparing to engage the two monsters in a decisive battle.
Suddenly, a strange surge of magical power surged within him!
Swoosh!
A golden glow radiated from Allen.
It was like a golden lotus blossoming.
Level 3 "Daylight," the nemesis of light-sensitive undead!
Atavistic William, caught in the golden light, screamed in agony, as if engulfed in flames, and retreated hastily.
Atavistic Spencer, in the air, in the form of a skeletal vulture, was not an undead creature.
Though his eyes were stung by the sudden burst of intense light, he persisted in diving.
Alan gathered his composure, intending to unleash his Whirlwind Dragon Claw to head-on impact with the skeletal vulture.
However...
Madam Chong Mei had different ideas.
Using him as an anchor, she activated "Extended Powerful Pyroblast."
Boom!
Alan, as if transformed into a nuclear warhead, suddenly erupted in intense light! The area within a hundred feet was first swept by flames and light radiation, then ravaged by the shockwave unleashed by the explosion.
Billowing black smoke rose into the sky like a mushroom cloud.
The dead vulture in midair was blown to pieces, its wings shattered, and flaming feathers flying everywhere!
"Biyala! I can handle this myself. You don't have to meddle!"
Alan, unable to bear it any longer, roared through the telepathic link.
"Sweetheart, why are you so angry?"
The aggrieved voice of Madam Chongmei echoed in his mind.
"I care about you and help you kill the enemy. What's wrong with that?"
"You're disrupting my battle rhythm!" Alan patiently explained.
"Hehe... sweetheart, you don't need to fight hard. Just be my spell relay."
"Instead of fighting on the battlefield, you might as well save your precious energy and work hard at night."
Alan gritted his teeth, suppressed his anger, and said nothing.
Biyara's behavior, even if it was out of kindness, was extremely disrespectful!
Alan couldn't afford to offend this great witch yet, so he vented his anger on the enemy in front of him.
Spencer, who had been blown to pieces, still maintained his ancestral form.
The bloody wound was slowly turning black.
A strong aura of negative energy emanated from his entire body.
The Death Vulture possessed a magical property.
When on the verge of death, the negative energy stored in its body exploded, and its dying body automatically transformed into a zombie.
Allen didn't bother waiting for him to complete his undead transformation. He raised his hand, a vortex swirling in his palm, sucking him in directly!
A chill swirled from his left hand, and with a "Frozen Soul Palm" he struck the atavistic Spencer, instantly shattering him into bloody, icy shards!
Atavistic William, witnessing this brutal scene from a distance, trembled with fear!
He hurriedly took out the runestone and chanted an incantation to summon the Bone Dragon!
A blood-red formation pattern emerged on the battlefield.
The Bone Dragon's hideous form slowly emerged.
William was about to breathe a sigh of relief when his expression suddenly changed.
The Bone Dragon had indeed teleported over.
However, only a broken body remained, slumped on the ground, as if its muscles had been pulled out.
Wait a minute... why is there no head?
Where did the Bone Dragon's head go?! "Hehe...are you looking for this?"
A woman's laughter suddenly rang out from behind him.
Spencer turned back in shock!
Biyala, dressed in a pristine white robe, had appeared behind him, clutching a massive skull.
"You want this, don't you? Here you go."
Mrs. Chong Mei casually tossed the skull of a bone dragon towards him.
How could William dare take it?
He raced against time to cast his spell, his mind preoccupied with escaping!
As soon as he stepped through the "Anywhere Door," the skull of a bone dragon crashed down beneath him, exploding with a bang.
Golden holy light, mixed with fiery crimson flames, erupted!
In the final seconds after being incinerated by the "Flame Strike," William's mind was filled with despair and confusion.
He couldn't figure it out.
Why was that white-robed woman, who looked every bit like a Sister of the Holy Light, in the Underdark?
As a priestess who worshipped the Light, why would she be mingling with the demon-aligned "traitor" Allen?
With these questions in mind, William ceased his thoughts forever.
Across the blazing Holy Fire Pillar, Allen
He gazed at Madam Chongmei from afar, his face gloomy.
Despite the resounding victory in this battle, the annihilation of the undead forces, his mood wasn't quite so good.
Indeed, Baiyala had been a great help.
The problem was, she'd gone too far, and too much is worse than too little!
Biyala was too assertive, always acting on her own.
Alan, equally assertive, hated the feeling of being manipulated by this witch!
It felt like he was just a puppet in her hands.
How could a man of seven feet be manipulated so easily by a witch?!
Alan had a premonition that with Baiyala's arrival, the day when the Demon Mercenaries would become the masters wasn't far off.
This also meant that his time as a "traitor" was running out.
Those who fail to plan for the future will inevitably face immediate worries.
Alan quickly made a sound decision.
After this meditation, I'll switch to another ancestral spirit!
When I become stronger, it won't be too late to come back and play against Bayara!
With a heavy heart, Alan ended his meditation.
…
Blood Pond Secret Realm.
The peaceful time passed quietly.
After a year of seclusion, Alan advanced to the late fifth stage!
Current attributes: Constitution 50, Agility 34, Spirit 56
As his cultivation level increases, his venom glands evolve again.
New ability added—Absorption Resistance!
…
Absorption Resistance: Absorb blood essence, gaining the most significant resistance.
…
Absorption Resistance is similar to the system's built-in "Virus Resistance."
For the same blood essence, it is only effective upon initial absorption.
Resistances of the same type can be accumulated.
For example, Allen absorbed the blood essence of a low-level demon and gained level 3 fire resistance.
Later, by absorbing the blood essence of a red dragon, his fire resistance could potentially increase to level 4, or even higher!
And so on. The more essences of fire creatures he absorbed, and the higher their level, the faster Allen's fire resistance would increase!
This growth pattern mirrored that of virus resistance!
Alan even suspected that the integration of the "Gluttony System" and the venom glands was subtly transforming his body.
The new ability "Absorption Resistance" was likely an evolution of "Virus Resistance."
In addition, Allen also awakened two new spells.
The 4th-level "Scrying" spell, cast through a crystal ball, a mirror, or a calm surface, allows him to attempt to detect distant targets.
The maximum detection range of "Scrying" depends on the caster's mental attributes.
However, not everyone and everything within the detection radius can be clearly seen.
Detection efficiency depends on your familiarity with the target.
The more familiar you are, the easier it is to lock onto the target.
Relying on hearsay or following a map is likely to lead to errors.
The 5th-level "Malicious Transfiguration" permanently transforms a creature into a fragile small animal, such as a mouse, chicken, or frog.
The "Frog Prince" in the fairy tale was cursed by "Malicious Transfiguration."
"Malicious Transfiguration" is more vicious than ordinary negative states.
However, the conditions for successful casting are extremely demanding.
A creature afflicted with "Malicious Transfiguration" has two attempts to resist.
The first attempt is based on physical strength.
If the target's physical attributes are strong enough to exceed the caster's mental attributes, they are likely to be immune to "Malicious Transfiguration."
If the target's physical attributes are not strong enough, the first attempt to resist will fail.
There's a second chance to test their spirit.
If the recipient's spiritual attributes are higher than the caster's, even if their body is transformed into a fragile animal, they can still retain their original memories and spellcasting abilities.
After practicing the two newly awakened spells, Allen opened the system page again to check the recently received martial arts fusion notifications.
Three in total appeared.
The first one was a heavyweight!
"Do you want to spend 7 potential points to fuse the 3rd-level 'Vaporous Form', the 3rd-level 'Liquid Alchemy', the 5th-level 'Soft Bone and Flesh Armor', and the 6th-level 'Ice Soul Freezing Wave' to attempt to deduce the 7th-level body refining secret technique?"
Alan's cultivation had already reached the late fifth level.
"Soft Bone and Flesh Armor" was gradually failing to keep up with his level requirements.
Previously, in the meditation world, having his arm severed by Spencer's sword was a dangerous sign!
Of all the martial arts, Allen valued defense the most!
Only by building the thickest armor possible, ensuring that the opponent can't even harm a hair on your head, can you feel safe.
Alan's current potential reserve is a staggering 24 points.
Investing 7 points to deduce the 7th-level body refining secret technique, a wise choice!
Soon after, Alan received a system notification.
Ding Ding—
"7th-level body refining secret technique deduced. Please name it!"
…
Unnamed 7th-level body refining secret technique: Dual physical and magical defense, with a minimum defense penetration limit of a level 4 enchanted weapon; practitioners can freely switch their flesh and blood body into gaseous, liquid, or solid states.
Gaseous state is equivalent to "gasified form."
Liquid state is equivalent to fluid water element.
Solid state: Flesh and blood crystallize like ice, doubling hardness and defense, but the texture is hard and brittle, making it more vulnerable to sonic damage.
…
Alan read the introduction and slowly exhaled.
The excitement within him lingered for a long time.
Dual physical and demonic defense, and an increased defense penetration threshold—all within expectations, consistent with normal upgrade logic.
What truly surprised him was the three-state transformation of gas, liquid, and solid!
This wasn't just about strengthening defense; it could also spawn a variety of ingenious tactics!
In fact, this was no longer a purely defensive skill!
From the flexible and hard "Soft Bone Flesh Armor" to the three-state transformation of gas, liquid, and solid, the evolutionary path was clear and a qualitative leap!
Alan pondered for a moment, ultimately deciding to name this miraculous seventh-level body refining technique... "Three-Phase Illusion"!
The next two fusion prompts shared similarities, yet possessed diametrically opposed properties.
"Should I spend 6 potential points to fuse the 5th-level 'Vortex Dragon Claw' and the 4th-level 'Fire Wall' to attempt to deduce a 6th-level fire-based martial art?"
"Should I spend 6 potential points to fuse the 5th-level 'Vortex Dragon Claw' and the 5th-level 'Ice Soul Palm' to attempt to deduce a 6th-level ice-based martial art?"
Both new martial arts are based on the 'Vortex Dragon Claw', with additional fire or ice-based skills incorporated.
What will the final product look like?
It wasn't difficult for Alan to guess about 80% of the way there.
Aside from the energy properties, the other properties of these two martial arts are likely similar.
Fusing them both would be a waste of potential.
The 6th-level ice-based martial art already has 'Ice Soul Freezing Wave'.
One more would just be icing on the cake.
Conversely, Alan hadn't yet learned a single fire-based martial art!
This is definitely a shortcoming, a hidden danger!
In fact, when Allen awakened "Fire Wall" and had high hopes for it, he intended to use it as a springboard to develop fire-based martial arts!
"Dragon Claw" was the martial art he was most comfortable using.
Adding the much-needed fire attribute to it was a timely help, achieving the best of both worlds.
Invest 6 potential points and wait a moment.
The system notification arrived as expected.
Ding Ding—
"Level 6 Fire and Force Field Martial Arts Fusion Completed. Please name it!"
Fire attribute, derived from "Fire Wall."
Force field attribute, inherited from "Dragon Claw."
All of this was within Allen's expectations.
Curious, he continued to examine the detailed description of the new martial arts.