"Kun-ge, did you see that Flame Goddess just now? She wiped out thousands of undead in a single move—insane!"
"I'm not blind… That has to be the contracted creature of some Super-Tier Mage."
"Heh, Kun-ge really knows everything."
High atop the city wall, two military mages whispered in awe.
With Jiang Feng's fiery massacre, the pressure on soldiers and hunters had dropped sharply—the battlefield almost seemed safe.
Around four or five in the morning, Zhu Meng and his squad finally flew back from the northern front. They were exhausted but barely injured.
At the sight of their return, morale soared—these Super-Tier Mages were the backbone of confidence.
At that moment, Flame Empress suddenly flew into Zhou Haoyu's side and vanished into his Contract Space.
The jaws of Zhu Meng and the others dropped.
He's the summoner controlling that thing?!
But… how? He was only a High-Tier mage!
"Kid… don't tell me you broke into Super rank already." Zhu Meng demanded, stunned.
"She's not my contracted beast—only temporarily staying inside my contract space," Zhou Haoyu answered honestly.
Du Xiao, the Hunter King, instantly understood. "No wonder I couldn't sense a contract imprint. So she's not actually bound to you, then."
Zhu Meng let out a breath of relief.
If Zhou Haoyu had already advanced to Super-Tier at this age, that wouldn't just be "genius"—that would be heretical. And if the Holy Court of Judgement marked him, not even Pang Lai could protect him.
It was fortunate that wasn't the case.
"It's thanks to you that our decapitation strike went so smoothly. I, Du Xiao, owe you a favor."
Hunter King Du Xiao clapped Zhou Haoyu's shoulder, then his eyes gleamed as if hoping to recruit him.
"How about joining my hunter team?"
"Uh… sorry, I'm already part of Clear Sky Hunter Squad."
"Clear Sky? Ah… then it's my bad."
Du Xiao didn't press further—Clear Sky was a first-rate group, even better than his.
Zhu Meng shot Zhou Haoyu a sidelong look. This kid really is something—so many identities at such a young age…
"Ahem. Since the Undead Monarch has been eliminated, shouldn't we call the civilians back into the city now?" Zhu Meng said.
"We might as well wait until daylight," Zhou Haoyu said, intending to stall a bit longer.
Zhu Meng narrowed his eyes. "…I've never seen undead move in the daytime. We'll see if you're bluffing."
Zhou Haoyu simply shrugged.
After catching two hours of rest on the northern tower, Zhou Haoyu reappeared on the wall—where Zhu Meng and several others were already gathered, faces grim.
Seeing Zhou Haoyu, Zhu Meng growled, "Good thing we listened to you. These undead aren't retreating at all in daylight."
Zhou Haoyu peered down from the battlements and saw a sea of undead still clawing at the wall—piling themselves into a horrific "corpse mountain."
"Withdraw," Zhou Haoyu said flatly. "We can't hold."
Last night had only been the vanguard. The real army—including the eight Undead Monarchs—was about to arrive.
Zhu Meng's face twisted… He loathed the idea of abandoning the city. But there was no longer any choice. Daylight-immune undead were too terrifying.
OOOOOOHHHHHH—!!!!
Right then, a deep funereal roar echoed from the northern corner of the city wall.
Everyone turned toward the sound—peering through the fine rain—just in time to see a skeletal giant with massive bone wings sliding along the clouds overhead.
It drew closer and closer—its colossal body as large as the city's main north tower—its vast wings blocking out the sky.
"Nether Bone Dragon…!!"
Zhou Haoyu's pupils contracted.
Before he could act, the Nether Bone Dragon opened its jaws—unleashing a giant lance of inky destruction.
BOOOOM—!!!
The northern gate—which had stood for centuries—was annihilated in a single blast. Even a huge swath of the city behind it collapsed into rubble.
Just one strike—and every mage there felt a chill in their soul.
Had the civilians not been evacuated in time… that one attack would have claimed tens of thousands of lives.
"There's something among the undead on par with the Totem Black Serpent… At this rate, we must retreat to the inner-city barrier."
Zhu Meng gave a deep, heavy sigh. As the highest-ranking commander on site, he had no choice but to order the retreat.
Once the command was given, he turned toward Zhou Haoyu. "You're coming with us. I need to ensure your safety."
Zhou Haoyu had, after all, saved several million lives in the Ancient Capital—if anything happened to him now, neither Han Ji nor Pang Lai would ever forgive Zhu Meng.
Zhou Haoyu nodded. He had already done everything he could.
Zhu Meng escorted him to the inner city, then rushed off to the Clock Tower Magic Association with Du Xiao and the others.
Originally Zhu Meng wanted Zhou Haoyu to come along, but Zhou declined.
He had something more important to do—clean out the rats hiding in the shadows.
But before that, he used his newly collected forty-two soul essences to upgrade the rest of his constellation stars.
Once the enhancement was complete, Zhou Haoyu went straight to Yitu Park.
If he remembered correctly, those Black Vatican rats were hiding somewhere within the park.
Along with them were the villagers from Hua Village… especially Hong Jun, the traitor who had joined the Black Vatican.
As for what would happen to the other village survivors, Zhou didn't care—the Magic Association could decide their fate later.
Just as he approached the park fountain, he sensed someone approaching from behind.
"Come out. No need to hide." Zhou Haoyu stopped walking and spoke without turning.
Moments later, a man in a hooded rain cloak walked out from the trees behind him.
[Activation condition: Kill Fang Gu at the Ancient King's altar.]
Zhou Haoyu's gaze stayed calm—as expected. That name confirmed it. This man was Fang Gu, the village chief of that hidden settlement.
A rare necromancer… with delusions of becoming the next Ancient King.
Too greedy and destined to be devoured, not crowned.
"Don't attack—I'm not your enemy."
Fang Gu clearly sensed Zhou Haoyu wasn't easy to deal with and quickly spoke.
"Fang Gu, I'm not interested in you. Don't get in my way—tonight I'm cleaning out rats," Zhou replied emotionlessly.
Fang Gu was instantly choked—he'd originally wanted to lure or persuade this man…
But before he could react, Zhou Haoyu's body vanished in a blur.
In the next instant, he was already hovering midair—above the memorial monument at the center of the park.
.....
For Advance Chapters
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