Chapter 449: Section 236: Undead Gathering
The zombie that appeared before Cang Xu was astonishingly Ku Feng!
A Silver Level Lone Ranger—Wandering Warrior Ku Feng.
He had once boarded the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps’ ship, participated in hunting sea beasts, and had an outstanding combat performance during the melee on Twin Eyes Island.
Cang Xu’s gaze turned sharp, finding it hard to believe, “I never thought you would be an Undead Warrior?”
Ku Feng also sized up Cang Xu.
He didn’t recognize that Cang Xu was Old Zhong, the Mage of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, but he had witnessed Cang Xu using his current identity to fight along with Long Fu and others during the melee on Twin Eyes Island.
Therefore, he wasn’t surprised at Cang Xu’s identity as an Undead Mage.
At the time, Qing Xin had taken the initiative to retreat with Cang Xu, which Ku Feng had seen with his own eyes.
So, it made sense to Ku Feng that Qing Xin and Cang Xu would land on the island together.
Qing Xin looked at Ku Feng as if he were a stranger; when she had arrived on Twin Eyes Island, she was a slave with no freedom.
Now, Qing Xin spoke up, clearly stating their intention, “We are both elder-level members of the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce, here to attend the Undead Gathering at this location.”
Ku Feng nodded, “Follow me.”
The screening for this Undead Gathering seemed not very strict. Cang Xu and Qing Xin exchanged a glance and followed Ku Feng onto the island.
After walking along a trail for a while, the three came upon a cliff.
Ku Feng jumped straight off the cliff, plummeting into the sea.
Qing Xin used Wind Magic to slow her and Cang Xu’s descent.
It turned out there was a cave at the foot of the cliff.
The cave was pitch black.
Ku Feng led the way in, followed cautiously by Qing Xin and Cang Xu.
The cave was not narrow but quite spacious.
Half-filled with seawater and half with damp stone ground.
At the junction of sea and land, the naturally formed reef was unusually flat, making it easy to moor one or two sea ships.
At the deepest part of the cave, close to the cave wall, there was a grey-white tombstone.
The tombstone, three meters tall and assembled from countless skulls, limbs, and torsos, emitted an aura of the Silver Level.
Cang Xu paused in his steps, “Could this be the Sorrowful Song Tombstone?”
Ku Feng affirmed, “Correct.”
There are three veins within the Undead Faction: Bone Vein, Soul Vein, and Corpse Vein.
The Sorrowful Song Tombstone is a Mage Tool of the Bone Vein, and its main function is the teleportation between tombstones.
Seeing the tombstone, Cang Xu knew that among the mages attending the gathering, there must be some who practiced the Bone Vein.
“Let’s just wait for a bit; you two are the first to arrive,” Ku Feng said.
Something struck Cang Xu, and he began to ponder over Ku Feng’s words.
Ku Feng said that they were the first to arrive, which was a bit odd.
Clearly, Ku Feng had reached this place before them.
“The way Ku Feng speaks… He’s like the master of this place.”
“Ku Feng… Crying Pine Island… There seems to be a secretive connection between the two.”
“How did he come here?”
“I was on board the Iron Lump, having departed from Twin Eyes Island soon after the melee ended.”
“Ku Feng was still on the island.”
“Possibly on Twin Eyes Island or a nearby deserted island, there’s a Sorrowful Song Tombstone hidden.”
As Cang Xu was deducing, the tombstone suddenly emitted a grey-white brilliance.
The space started to fluctuate violently.
A few seconds later, the space suddenly calmed down.
A ghost figure appeared at the foot of the tombstone.
She was a Fishman ghost, 1.5 meters tall, holding a 2-meter tall bone Magic Wand.
Clearly, she was an Undead Mage who had used the tombstone to teleport here.
The Fishman ghost greeted Ku Feng first, then turned to Cang Xu and Qing Xin, and just as she was about to speak, the seawater suddenly began to churn.
The next moment, the water recoiled, forming a large wave.
From the waves emerged a Black Iron Level three-headed sea snake.
The sea snake was not a regular creature but an Undead, its body composed of rotting flesh, with ghastly bare bones exposed in some places.
On the back of the three-headed sea snake, there was a large seat.
Upon the wide seat sat a small skeleton.
At a glance, it was clear he had been a child in life.
His head was oversized, draped with a dark blue satin cloak, topped with a diamond crown.
“I’m here.”
“Oh, some newcomers!”
The small skeleton’s eye sockets blazed with ghostly fire, and his voice revealed an excited tone.
Ku Feng introduced to Cang Xu and Qing Xin, “This is the Ghost Mage Fin Spirit, and this is the Skull Mage Little Prince, and his mount, Xiao San.”
Fin Spirit and Little Prince both performed a Mage’s salute.
Even the gruesome and decayed three-headed sea snake bowed its head slightly, politely expressing its greeting.
Cang Xu and Qing Xin exchanged a glance, with the former sharing their origins and identities.
Hearing that it was a member of the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce, the demeanors of both the Fin Spirit and the Little Prince softened considerably.
The Little Prince said, “When I made this tombstone, the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce also subsidized a lot of materials.”
So he was the creator of the Sorrowful Song Tombstone.
“We’re just waiting for one more person, then we can begin,” Ku Feng said.
“A person of high rank?” Cang Xu’s gaze sharpened slightly upon hearing such a respectful title.
Whether it was Ku Feng, the Fin Spirit, or the Little Prince who was a Skull Mage, they were all of the Silver Level.
The person of high rank Ku Feng referred to must be at least of the Golden Level.
In contrast, Cang Xu was merely masquerading as Silver Level; although Qing Xin was genuine, his equipment was severely lacking, limiting the combat power he could exert.
However, after waiting for a moment, there was no sign of anyone approaching.
Cang Xu probed, “How much longer must we wait?”
“Judging from the time, that person should be arriving soon,” the Fin Spirit replied.
“Please forgive my rudeness; this is my first time attending this gathering. What I want to know is, if that person doesn’t arrive, do we keep waiting indefinitely?” Cang Xu continued to inquire.
“No,” this time it was Ku Feng who responded to Cang Xu’s question, “If it’s way past the time, it means that person won’t be coming. We won’t wait any longer but will immediately start the meeting, and we’ll have to change the time and location for subsequent gatherings.”
Cang Xu fell silent, sensing the underlying implication.
The situation for Undead Mages was quite dire.
If someone did not appear as arranged, it was likely that an accident had occurred.
And such an accident could affect the meeting, threatening the lives of other Undead Mages.
Therefore, the meeting had to be convened immediately, aiming to conclude in the shortest time possible. And significant changes would be made for the planning of the next round of gatherings.
“Hey, newcomer, be patient!” the Skull Mage shouted, “Just wait a little more; it’s nothing. That person is very strong.”
The Fin Spirit concurred, “If that person doesn’t come, our gains from this meeting will be halved. I’d rather take some risk and wait.”
Cang Xu nodded, no longer speaking.
Although he was weak on his own, he still had companions waiting just outside the island.
Should any danger arise, he only needed to hold out for a while before help would arrive.
The cave fell silent again as the group continued to wait without a word.
After about fifteen minutes, the tombstone suddenly lit up.
Once the space stabilized, a tall black-robed Mage appeared out of thin air before everyone.
“Ship Ghost, sir!” Ku Feng, the Little Prince, and the Fin Spirit all greeted with salutations.
Cang Xu and Qing Xin quickly followed suit.
The black-robed Mage was hooded, revealing a Human Race face in the shadows. He radiated a Golden Level Mage’s aura, confirming Cang Xu’s earlier speculation.
“Oho ho ho.” The sinister black-robed Mage let out a hearty laugh.
He glanced around, nodding to Ku Feng and the others, “Long time no see. Little Feng, Little Fish, Little Child, oh, and you, Little Three.”
He extended a pale hand and waved at the three-headed sea snake.
The sea snake, originally lounging on the rocks by the shore, lifted one head and wailed in response.
“This time, we’ve also got two new faces,” said the black-robed Mage, Ship Ghost, turning his attention to Cang Xu and Qing Xin.
Facing a Golden Level, Cang Xu felt pressure but maintained a composed expression, “Though this is my first time at this gathering, we’re all old acquaintances.”
The Little Prince interjected, eagerly introducing to the black-robed Undead Mage, Ship Ghost, “The two of them come from the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce and are of an Elder level.”
“Oh? Is that so? Have they been verified by the Secret Order?” Ship Ghost inquired.
Ku Feng replied, “Not yet. I thought it would be better to have you witness it.”
Ship Ghost nodded.
Ku Feng moved to a spot on the cavern wall and infused it with Fighting Energy, slowly revealing a hidden stone door that led to a storeroom.
He retrieved an old-fashioned alchemy device from the storeroom.
Qing Xin immediately recognized it: It was an older model verifier, which the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce had since completely replaced with a newer version. The latter was more compact and accurate than the former.
Ku Feng placed the alchemy device in front of Cang Xu.
Cang Xu had already taken out a Purple Vine Secret Order.
He placed it into the alchemy device where it was verified as correct.
Ship Ghost looked towards Qing Xin.
Qing Xin explained, “My situation is a bit special; I can’t carry the Purple Vine Secret Order with me. My companions can vouch for me, or perhaps, the Warrior Ku Feng can do me this favor.”
Ku Feng nodded, “She was a slave at the auction and was rescued by her companions.”
He had been at the auction himself and saw first-hand when Bid Room #21 made a high offer to purchase the batch of slaves, including the blond mother and child, with Qing Xin among them.
From his point of view, it naturally seemed like a covert rescue operation.
“Welcome, the two of you.” Ship Ghost raised his hand, signaling Cang Xu to keep his Secret Order.
He looked up slightly, gazing at the cavern wall with a reflective tone, “I remember the first time I got in touch with the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce, I was only Silver Level.”
“Our path as Undead Mages is truly too hard.”
“Just the difficulty in obtaining Alchemy Materials is a hundred times more than other Mages face.”
“I must say, when it comes to obtaining resources, the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce has been of great help to me.”
“It’s a pity that today’s Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce is no longer what it used to be.”
“It has been split up by the various forces of the Holy Bright Empire, with only about one percent of its original size remaining.”
“Not only that, but the Empire’s Blood Light Sanction Court has also used the channels of the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce to ambush and arrest many Undead Mages.”
With these words, Ship Ghost’s gaze bored deeply into both Cang Xu and Qing Xin.
The atmosphere in the cave grew tense.