Buddha God?
Hearing that divine title, Iville Ai felt a strange sense of familiarity. After recalling carefully, she finally remembered that in the Bahharuth Empire, there was an Adamantite Rank adventurer team called "Silver Thread Bird." One of its members was a follower of the Buddha God.
This was information provided by Tia and another person. The Bahharuth Empire could be considered their base of operations.
It was said to be a little-known deity, while others claimed it was a subordinate of the Four Great Gods.
As for the specifics, Iville Ai didn't pay much attention.
"Then... more specifically."
"Abyss" Benjamin's pair of scarlet pupils showed consideration, flashing in the dim environment. "I will need to re-examine this record to obtain clearer information."
He didn't understand why that Undead who mastered Eighth Tier magic would offer such a high price for such information.
"Tenth Tier magic..."
"Abyss" Benjamin's three arms trembled slightly. No matter how he thought about it, it felt somewhat unbelievable!
If the other party truly possessed such means, then they were a legendary "god"... Did such an existence really need to cooperate with them, even suffering from negative effects like invisibility due to magic's side effects?
"Abyss" Benjamin felt both excited and fearful in his heart, but more so, he felt a sense of shock and suspicion.
"I will take this information back."
Seeing that the other party had nothing more to say, Iville Ai was not surprised, fully understanding the emotions within him.
She knew it.
Such a bargaining chip would scare the other party!
When Iville Ai first heard Tang Zheng's instructions, she was far more excited and fearful than "Abyss" Benjamin before her.
"There's one more thing... uh, never mind." Iville Ai opened her mouth, then continued, "Let's conclude this exchange for now. How about we have a second exchange in three days?"
She had originally planned to use the bargaining chip of the Crimson Dragon Lord to inquire about the "Imperia Kingdom."
Now, it was inconvenient to speak. The other party had already been scared, and if she continued to inquire, it might make them suspect they were "liars."
If it affected the Crimson Dragon Lord's investigation, that would be troublesome.
"No, no problem. Then I shall take my leave."
"Abyss" Benjamin's hoarse voice immediately sounded as he frantically cast Teleport Magic and vanished.
Swish!
The terrifying figure, exuding a strong aura of negative energy, disappeared from thin air.
Iville Ai, hearing the lingering word "leave" in the room, stared blankly at the vanished figure.
--On the border of the "Imperia Kingdom."
A ruined town.
Several days ago, Tang Zheng had secretly set up the "Sacrifice: Spiral of Death Ritual" in this town.
When he first arrived in this country, Tang Zheng and Iville Ai had scouted all the cities and towns in the entire country, not just to ascertain if there were any unknown hidden enemies.
By understanding the situation of these towns, Tang Zheng chose this location on the country's border, with its strong negative energy aura and a relatively large number of Undead.
"Undead with self-awareness are very precious research materials."
Tang Zheng placed Cassius Habakkuk, bound by ninjutsu, in the center of the ritual, his gaze sweeping over the entire setup.
"Hiss!"
"Moo!"
"Creak..."
"Aargh!"
Inside the ritual, over 100 Undead creatures, with their limbs broken to prevent movement, were letting out occasional roars.
"It feels like something is still missing."
Tang Zheng stood at the edge of the magic circle, murmuring softly, "But it was just an experiment anyway, so it should be enough."
He initiated the ritual!
Instantly, a faint black light flickered on the circle, and an invisible wave spread out, mobilizing the hundred-plus Undead gathered on the ritual and all the negative energy in this area.
It transformed into a visible mass of gray smog, rapidly gathering towards the center of the ritual!
"What, what are you doing?"
"Who are you? Negative energy... you can actually draw upon negative energy. What kind of ritual is this... Ah, ah—"
Cassius Habakkuk struggled and shouted, his hoarse voice laced with terror and pleas.
But soon!
His terrified screams turned into pained groans.
Observing these changes.
"An unexpected development," Tang Zheng watched the scene before him, his brow furrowed slightly. "And yet, an outcome that was also within my expectations."
Undead are the "representatives" of negative energy.
Using the ritual's power to infuse a large amount of negative energy into an undead's body should theoretically only strengthen them.
However, Cassius Habakkuk's continuous pained groans clearly indicated that this was a one-sided wishful thinking.
"In the Hill event, both the birth of the Death Knight and the Soul-Eating Demon were the result of a large accumulation of negative energy."
Tang Zheng's gaze held a pensive expression:
"And the Death Knight and Soul-Eating Demon that were born were actually unconscious individuals. Especially the Soul-Eating Demon transformed from Khajiit, it had completely lost its self-awareness."
After a moment of thought.
Tang Zheng reached into the ritual and quickly withdrew his hand. His dragon claws, covered in Flesh Armament, showed slight signs of corrosion:
"Living beings are corroded by contact with negative energy. Yet, even the undead are affected by absorbing it."
It seemed.
His previous idea of using negative energy to enhance Iville Ai's strength was a bit too naive.
If "Sacrifice: Spiral of Death Ritual" could enhance the strength of undead by absorbing negative energy, why wouldn't the Alliance Leader do so?
It's only used to create high-level undead creatures.
That's the problem!
"I'm becoming more curious about the magic technology within the [Abyss Body] that can allow Iville Ai to obtain [Degenerated Vampire God Ancestor]."
Tang Zheng looked at the center of the ritual, at Cassius Habakkuk screaming as if affected by something, and lightly shook his head:
"If I can obtain that technology, perhaps I can figure this out. And after developing for over 400 years, the [Abyss Body] should have plenty of excellent magic and technology."
In a moment, The negative energy drawn into the area gradually dissipated, and Cassius Habakkuk's screams also ceased.
He appeared to be only mentally exhausted.
Tang Zheng did not notice.
The professions [Saintly Master] and [Fallen Lord] simultaneously flickered when he touched the negative energy, then returned to calm as if nothing had happened.
The air hissed!
His thick dragon tail, covered in Flesh Armament, swung and struck down from the sky, heavily impacting the center of the ritual.
Rumble!
Cassius Habakkuk's sturdy zombie body, struck by a "blunt" attack, only managed to let out a scream before completely turning into pieces.
The shockwave generated by the tail strike spread along the ground, creating a massive roar like an earthquake.
Instantly, the Spiral of Death Ritual was destroyed, and everything within the entire area was swept away as if by a hurricane, leaving nothing behind!
Buzz—
[Gained Experience: 78121]
[Experience Bar: 3045w/188w]
Tang Zheng glanced at the meager increase in experience points, a thought flashing through his mind as he took out a "Raise Dead" magic scroll from his Item Box.
Under the gloomy, overcast sky.
After teleporting several times back to the Royal Capital, Iville Ai called out several times but could not find the Crimson Dragon Lord.
Even the undead Cassius Habakkuk was nowhere to be seen, which made Iville Ai's heart tighten.
"Did something happen?" Iville Ai's gaze sharpened, and she quickly cast detection magic to observe.
After a thorough investigation, she finally breathed a sigh of relief!
Iville Ai was well aware of the terrifying strength of the Crimson Dragon Lord. If anything had happened, there would surely be traces of battle left behind.
Since there weren't any.
It meant the Crimson Dragon Lord had only temporarily left, something that had happened a few times before.
Iville Ai found a clean spot, recovering her mana while waiting.
Approximately three hours later.
The sky had completely darkened.
"Was your exchange with the [Abyss Body] successful, Iville Ai?"
A majestic voice rang out.
Iville Ai, who had been resting, quickly and respectfully stood up. "Dragon Lord."
Tang Zheng had already returned. He had been flying at an altitude of over a thousand meters, observing and preventing Iville Ai from being secretly tracked and bringing back unknown enemies.
After all, the [Abyss Body] was backed by a mysterious True Dragon Lord. These beings were all extremely cautious, secretive, and highly dangerous.
One could never be too careful!
"It went relatively smoothly, Dragon Lord. Regarding the intelligence on the 'Sanctuary'..."
Iville Ai recounted the entire exchange in great detail.
Tang Zheng was visibly taken aback, his face showing surprise and unexpected delight. Fortunately, he was in stealth, so Iville Ai couldn't perceive his emotional changes.
There was actually intelligence about the Sanctuary!
Tang Zheng was both surprised and pleased. He had approached the [Abyss Body] with the mindset of "giving it a shot," with his primary objectives being:
First: to investigate the True Dragon Lord behind the organization.
Second: to instigate the rebellion of the [Abyss Body] in advance.
Was this considered luck?
An irrepressible excitement surged within Tang Zheng. "Was 'Buddha Domain' the previous name for the Sanctuary?"
"The World-Class Item [Two Worlds Mandala] clearly has a Buddhist style. Perhaps this place truly is that."
This reminded him of the World-Class Item held by the Great Tomb of Nazarick, named [Mountains and Rivers Beautiful Painting]!
Clearly, in [YGGDRASIL], World-Class Items weren't exclusively styled after Norse mythology.
"[Two Worlds Mandala], Buddha God..."
Tang Zheng mused inwardly, his excitement gradually being replaced by solemnity.
It was obvious!
Neither of these titles fit the art style of this Otherworld. That "Buddha God" was, without a doubt, likely another player who had descended.
Did they descend individually?
Or as a guild?
Tang Zheng's gaze grew more serious. There was too little intelligence to conduct any useful analysis. The only confirmed fact was that this item had existed for at least 250 years.
According to the rule of descent every hundred years, if that Buddha God was also of human race and died of old age normally, it would be at least another 100 years.
He calculated silently.
The time of the "Buddha God's" descent was likely after the "Eight Greed Kings," possibly a player who descended four hundred years ago... or perhaps three hundred years ago.
If that were the case!
That "Buddha God" might not have died of old age, making the possibility of accidental death extremely high.
Tang Zheng felt an inexplicable chill at this thought, as if a cold current was rising from his spine. That was a formidable feat – killing a player wielding a "World-Class Item."
Of course.
The possibility of dying of old age was higher. After all, [Two Worlds Mandala] was a World-Class Item without an owner.
If the "Buddha God" was killed, the item would most likely be seized by the victor. No... one shouldn't think about it that way.
Perhaps [Two Worlds Mandala] had certain conditions that needed to be met by its holder!
"The second contact is in three days?"
This thought crossed Tang Zheng's mind, and his voice became a little more serious as he sternly addressed the figure below:
"I need more detailed intelligence about this location."
"I understand, Dragon Lord."
Iville Ai nodded, though she was filled with more curiosity. What exactly was this so-called Sanctuary that warranted such importance?
"Uh... that, knowledge of Tenth Tier magic." Iville Ai suddenly remembered the conditions of their exchange and said hesitantly.
That "Abyss" Benjeri wouldn't be easily deceived. To obtain this intelligence from him, they would probably need to offer something of real value.
With a "swoosh."
In the sky.
An ancient, arm-length beast hide scroll appeared out of thin air and drifted downwards.
Iville Ai easily caught it, holding the scroll in her hand. Its surface had a slightly raised, thick texture, looking like the hide of some kind of crocodile.
She made a judgment.
"Dragon Lord, what is this?"
Iville Ai's gaze fell upon the beast hide. She saw densely packed text written on it and asked with confusion.
What does this have to do with "Tenth Tier Magic"?
"This is a special magic ritual I acquired unexpectedly."
Tang Zheng's deep, majestic voice echoed through the air. "The ability of this ritual allows a magic caster to unleash magic two tiers higher than their own mastered power."
"If the Undead within the 'Abyss Body' truly possess Eighth Tier magic power, then by mastering this ritual, they can indeed wield Tenth Tier magic."
As Tang Zheng spoke his final words, the corner of his mouth twitched imperceptibly.
The "magic ritual" wasn't the key; without mastering "Magic Rise," the ritual itself would be unusable.
This beast-skin scroll was not the original from the Lizardmen Ancestor, but a temporary copy Tang Zheng had made, incorporating some of his own understanding.
This made the setup method for the "Magic Rise Ritual" easier to learn and master.
Tang Zheng had no intention of deceiving the "Abyss Body"; in fact, he hoped more than anyone that they would master this power as quickly as possible.
Otherwise, how could they resist that True Dragon Lord!
Years later, when the "Great Tomb of Nazarick" descended, the "Abyss Body" still hadn't revolted, primarily because they felt they lacked the strength to defeat the True Dragon Lord.
Since these fellows couldn't make up their minds, Tang Zheng would give them the resolve!
If things had progressed normally.
The "Abyss Body" would clearly have been a gift package for the Undead King, and the Great Tomb would have dealt with a True Dragon Lord on the side.
Tang Zheng had no intention of letting the future Undead King reap such benefits!
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