Chapter 302: Bone Mage
“Predator’s Might.”
As if a top-tier predator from legend had been resurrected, the talent field surrounding Zhou Ming erupted with dazzling blood-red radiance. Within the field, the phantom of a ferocious giant serpent gradually manifested.
An overwhelming pressure, terrifying to the extreme, surged toward the Mud Mire Fiend amid the serpent’s roar.
The chaotic aura capable of polluting the mind was instantly suppressed by Zhou Ming. The clash of momentum stirred rolling sound waves throughout the dim cavern.
After a brief exchange, a heaven-shaking battle immediately broke out.
The formless Mud Mire Fiend’s body writhed continuously, as several masses of mire the size of houses surged toward Zhou Ming, attempting to engulf him.
The air emitted constant corrosive sounds. The negative energy aura unique to undead creatures was mixed with water- and earth-element energy particles.
Although the attack method appeared simple, Zhou Ming realized that his presence had already been locked onto.
“Shadow Devour.”
Without the slightest hesitation, Zhou Ming immediately activated his innate spell.
The shadows scattered throughout the cavern instantly came alive, eventually condensing into a colossal shadow serpent over a hundred meters long.
The shadow serpent opened its massive jaws, and an invisible black hole appeared within the cavern. As its enormous maw swept through the air, the masses of mire were instantly devoured without a trace.
Then Zhou Ming pointed toward the Mud Mire Fiend on the ground. The shadow serpent opened its jaws once more and lunged forward to devour it.
In response to Zhou Ming’s counterattack, a twisted black mist suddenly emerged across the surface of the Mud Mire Fiend’s massive body, surging toward the shadow serpent.
The black mist seemed to contain countless ghostly spirits, releasing piercing wails as it enveloped the shadow serpent.
The sound was unbearably shrill, like fingernails scraping across a chalkboard.
In less than a few seconds, the shadow serpent dissolved into nothingness and vanished before Zhou Ming’s eyes.
“Truly a troublesome existence.”
After a brief moment of thought, Zhou Ming realized that the other spells he possessed would hardly be effective against the Mud Mire Fiend. The creature practically had no fatal point.
In its current form, whether through physical attacks, spell attacks, or even the use of deadly toxins, it was nearly impossible to achieve a one-strike kill.
Just as Zhou Ming was considering how to deal with it, the Mud Mire Fiend launched another attack. The mire on its body transformed into dozens of thousand-meter-long tendrils, striking toward Zhou Ming from all directions.
It was as if a grotesque hand had stretched out from the abyss, attempting to drag Zhou Ming into endless darkness.
The mire tendrils were surrounded by foul, chaotic energy, even disturbing the surrounding shadow energy particles. The Mud Mire Fiend clearly possessed a certain level of intelligence.
“Since that’s the case, I’ll use this opportunity to test the power of the Venomous Gall.”
In the next instant, an energy storm erupted within the cavern. Zhou Ming transformed into a two-hundred-meter-long Spirit Molting Giant Serpent.
A massive crimson halo merged into his talent field, forming something like a scarlet star that enveloped Zhou Ming, repelling the mire tendrils from approaching him.
“Gathering Sand · Poison Art · Withering Flower.”
The Spirit Molting Giant Serpent coiled in midair suddenly released a heart-palpitating aura. The Venomous Gall, which had already become a transcendent organ, burst forth within Zhou Ming’s body with an extremely vivid emerald glow.
As the toxins within the Venomous Gall were mobilized, Zhou Ming’s strongest self-created spell began to reveal its power.
When the giant serpent opened its jaws, an eerily enchanting purple flower bloomed within them.
Then it began to wither, turning into petals that fell one after another, descending toward the swamp below at a speed that appeared slow but was in fact extremely fast.
The Mud Mire Fiend clearly sensed the arrival of death and immediately attempted to stop the falling petals.
However, the spell Withering Flower had become unimaginably terrifying under the combined enhancement of Zhou Ming’s fully evolved transcendent Venomous Gall, the Spirit Molting Snake Emperor Bloodline, and his transcendent-level spiritual power.
The Mud Mire Fiend’s inability to move easily now became its fatal flaw.
As it attempted to use its tendrils to block the attack, the eerie purple petals instead made direct contact with its body.
In the next instant, the once-soft mire tendrils turned into grayish-white, hardened stone.
Like a viral infection, the terrifying toxin spread along the tendrils toward the Mud Mire Fiend’s main body.
Sensing the overwhelming power of the Withering Flower, the swamp on the ground suddenly collapsed, forming a massive pit that roared violently.
At the same time, violent energy surged within the Mud Mire Fiend, attempting to resist the petrification of its body.
However, before it could fully unleash its energy, the swamp within a radius of several kilometers instantly transformed into solid, hardened rock.
Originally, Zhou Ming would not have been capable of achieving such a feat. But due to the Mud Mire Fiend’s own nature, it not only died at his hands—its body and birthplace alike turned into nothing more than piles of shattered stone.
After eliminating the Mud Mire Fiend, Zhou Ming did not revert to his normal form. Instead, in the form of the Spirit Molting Giant Serpent, he manipulated shadows to split open the land beneath him, creating a deep fissure.
Using shadow-formed tendrils, he retrieved a gray crystal the size of a human head from within the crack.
“Your Excellency, would you care to reveal yourself now?”
The reason Zhou Ming had ended the battle so quickly—and remained in his giant serpent form—was because when he used his innate spell, he had sensed the presence of a third party through changes in the shadows.
“Jie jie jie…”
“Fortress Master Zhou is indeed extraordinary. The poison-type spell you just displayed filled even me with fear.”
Above the dim cavern, a green phosphorescent flame flickered, and a transcendent expert cloaked in black robes appeared.
Even the figure’s face was completely concealed, with only two emerald-green glimmers visible.
“Bone Mage… are you one of that Highness’s people?”
Sensing the distinct negative energy aura from the other party, Zhou Ming immediately associated it with the transcendent profession of Beast Spirit Sorcerers—the Bone Mage.
“Fortress Master Zhou is quite knowledgeable. I am one of His Highness’s Spectral Envoys. I came here to determine whether the newly emerged passage leading to the surface is worthy of your occupation.”
“And now?”
Although somewhat puzzled by the purpose, Zhou Ming still asked directly whether he qualified.
“Of course. Fortress Master Zhou’s strength has opened my eyes.”
“The only condition you must follow is this: once you occupy the passage connecting to the Dark Domain, you must never join the Alliance officials. This is an absolute will that cannot be defied.”
“Since it is the will of that Highness, I will naturally abide by it.”
Though he did not know the reason, Zhou Ming understood that he had no qualification to resist. Thus, he immediately chose to comply.
“Good.”
Seeing Zhou Ming’s agreement, the Bone Mage who had appeared suddenly prepared to leave.
“Please wait, Your Excellency. I would like to make a trade.”
“Oh? What kind of trade?”
Hearing Zhou Ming propose a deal, the Spectral Envoy showed a hint of interest.
“I want a map of the cavern distribution within the Dark Domain. I am willing to exchange this crystal for it.”
As he spoke, Zhou Ming took out the gray crystal he had just obtained. It clearly carried an undead aura, and he guessed the other party would be interested.
“Then I shall accept Fortress Master Zhou’s goodwill.”
“Oh, right. In the Dark Domain, there is a transcendent-level auction held every three years. One will take place at the end of this year. If you are interested, you may come to White Bone City.”
As his voice faded, the figure vanished into the darkness of the cavern without waiting for Zhou Ming’s reply.