The air would usually be fresher after a rain. However, due to the sudden northern winds, the air would always have a fishy and foul smell, making people feel mysteriously uncomfortable.
The spring rain was unable to wash away the aura of death in the air. For the new residents who had just moved in, this was indeed the smell of home. They hoped that this world would be completely twisted into a part of the Undead Planes. However, the magical forest where the former Port District was located was an impenetrable fortress.
The open Dimensional Door would always be a threat. Outside the Port District of Victoria, in the middle of several dozen gigantic Soul-Summoning Towers, the power of death was constantly gathering and distorting here, transforming into a black pillar of light that covered the sky.
Around this pillar of light that seemed to reach to the heavens was a distorted space. There were mountains and rivers in that area, and countless black figures seemed to be doing something. That was where the mortal plane and the Desecration Plane intersected. Undead would occasionally appear from the void.
Liches and liches were busy with small mountains of broken limbs and corpses beside them. Most of the low-level undead that had just appeared were missing limbs. At the very least, they needed to be given "spare parts" that would allow them to walk normally.
And the first thing the high-level undead would do after coming out of the dimensional barrier would be to thank the heavens or the God of Fate for protecting them. After all, the dimensional barrier would clash with each other and the dimensional laws would clash with each other, which would be like trying to cross a dangerous strait in a storm. Not only would this require courage and power level, it would require even more luck.
The Undead Emperors were no idiots. They already knew that this was a critical moment. In fact, they had spent countless amounts of effort and secretly prepared for this day. No matter how thorough their plans were, they couldn't stop a sudden misfortune from descending upon them.
Based on how things were developing, if this Dimensional Descent really did create a new dimension, then the Dimensional Door to the Desecration Plane would have been opened for nothing.
The harsh situation was right in front of them. If they couldn't destroy this new dimension's will, then the Dimensional Door to the Desecration Plane would likely be completely taken over by the Desecration Plane. Once the new dimension's will completely awakened, it would likely launch a large-scale counterattack. At that time, this Dimensional Door would be useless.
Find a new location for Dimensional Descent? Let's not even talk about how to convince the Bardi Empire to make yet another sacrifice without achieving any results. Just now, the Undead Emperors had paid a tremendous price and risked their lives to personally descend upon the Bardi Empire.
And even if they were able to successfully suppress Bardi's objections, the previous preparations at the Port of Victoria would take more than one or two years to complete. In order to reach the Dimensional Descent standard, the Soul-Summoning Towers there had been secretly operating for many years. The amount of Kasolan's Tears in the citizens' bodies was more than five times the average amount. How many years would it take to start preparing again?
And it just so happened that dimensional laws were clashing against each other. Dimensional teleportation was basically a lucky draw. Low-level undead were cheap, and there were countless low-level undead in the Death Planes. It wouldn't be a pity even if three out of ten low-level undead teleported here. However, it would be quite a pity if any mid-level undead teleported here.
The concept of mid-level undead didn't exist in the mortal plane. Those without intelligence were considered low-level undead, while those with intelligence were considered high-level undead. However, in many Death Planes, due to dimensional laws that favored the undead, any undead that reached a certain level (around Bronze) would be able to regain their experience and intelligence. It was precisely because of this that the Undead Planes had such a large population base that the Undead Planes were far more prosperous than the outside world had expected. Their civilization level wasn't low either.
No intelligent lifeform would be able to endure being transformed back into a bloodthirsty beast that was driven by their instincts. They would still be considered important in the mortal plane, so how would they be willing to be transformed into beasts or slave soldiers in the Undead Planes? "Mid-level undead" that lost their intelligence would only be considered slightly stronger low-level undead. They wouldn't even be able to use one-third of their original strength, which was an obvious waste.
As for high-level undead, they were probably the most pitiful of all species in terms of birth rate, which made them even more precious. It was no exaggeration to say that undead armies would forever lack mid-level and high-level leaders. It would be far too unprofitable to gamble thousands of years' worth of resources on a single chance.
Of course, the more powerful an existence was, the more likely they would be able to survive in such a situation. Naturally, they would have a higher chance of surviving through Dimensional Teleportation. But if they were unlucky and met with some sort of temporal rift, even the Undead Emperors themselves might not have the confidence to survive through Dimensional Teleportation.
No matter how much they had to pay, the highest chance of succeeding was only fifty-fifty. Gambling thousands of years' worth of resources on this single gamble was basically a gamble that they would definitely lose.
But when the battle reached a critical point, they couldn't consider investments and expenditures anymore. "Even if an entire brigade has to fight to the death, we must take down XXX Highland." This was a slogan often shouted in certain situations.
Obviously, a small hill that had already been blown flat wasn't worth exchanging lives for. Even if they managed to take down the hill, they wouldn't be able to exchange it for any benefits. The most important thing was still the strategic significance it represented. "Not being able to take down the hill" or "being a moment too late" could result in the entire battle being lost.
And right now, this semi-isolated Undead Plane that was becoming more and more independent was a strategic high ground that was being fought over. The Order Gods could interfere at any moment. That was why even though they knew that teleportation at this time would be a huge loss, the Undead Emperors unhesitatingly used everything they had after discovering that the Undead Emperors were starting to lose control of the plane.
"Ah, I'm here, I've seen it, I've conquered … Ahhhh!"
That lucky ghoul walked out of the black pillar of light and didn't even have the time to celebrate that he was actually lucky enough to pass the test of death before he lowered his head in a pitiful howl. Large amounts of black mist left his body, and at the same time, his hundred years of rationality and experience were also gone.
The ghoul that had just been speaking so boldly and yet when he opened his eyes, he was nothing more than a drooling ghoul. He had already transformed into an evil creature that directly lowered his head and started gnawing on the corpses.
"… Yet another unlucky fellow that was sent here without even understanding the situation."
A corpse necromancer linked him with a death contract and ordered him to give way. They had seen far too many of such occurrences over the past few days, so they were already used to it.
The next to walk out was an injured Undead Knight squad. Quite a few of them had broken arms and legs, and they barely managed to walk out of the pillar of light by supporting each other. Judging from how they were still able to maintain their rationality, they were all high-level undead. These were elite reinforcements and important figures. A corpse necromancer immediately came over to heal them and register them to be reorganized.
"All members of the Blood Red Thorns Knight squad are here. I am the squad leader, Elbert. "
The corpse necromancer was actually an Undead Lord level Death Knight Lord. The corpse necromancer used his "Death God's aura" to heal the Death God's injuries as he registered the Death God's name. However, halfway through writing, he hesitated for a moment and asked this question.
"All members? Isn't the Blood Red Thorns a famous Knight squad from the White Ghost Valley? It's said that they have over a hundred high-level Death Knights … "
The corpse necromancer was unable to finish his sentence as his pale hand was already gripping the corpse necromancer's skull. The Death Knight Elbert had an expression of anger.
* Crack! *
Should I say that everyone was happy? The talkative corpse necromancer once again showed what it meant by "you wouldn't die if you didn't ask for it." The Death Knight Lord also found a target to vent his anger on after suffering such heavy losses. However, he was unable to let go of his anger when he saw how many of his brothers had died.
"We haven't even entered the battlefield yet, and only thirteen of our 136 brothers are left … Damned Aso! Damned dimensional cracks! And damned fate! "
But so what if he complained? He wouldn't be able to change his fate as cannon fodder. Since the Undead Emperors had made up their minds, even Undead Lords wouldn't be able to escape their fate of death.
Although the normal probability of being teleported was around 40%, this was an average of countless 0% and 100% odds. If they were unlucky, such as running into a Blood Red Thorns Spatial Crack, they would have a 10% chance of being unlucky.
But even if he cursed the Undead Emperors for forcing them to enter the dimensional crack, it wouldn't change what would happen next. As dimensional invaders, they could only continue down this path to the very end.
Soon, this Death Knight squadron, which had suffered heavy losses, would be brought to the Soul-Summoning Tower for treatment. Then, the Death Knight Lords would be able to use their abilities as commanders to reorganize low-level and mid-level undead. As long as there were enough skeletons and zombies, a single Death Knight Lord would be able to lead an entire army.
"Plants vs Zombies" continued. The battle on the frontlines hadn't stopped. But if one paid attention to the situation on the battlefield, they would notice that the undead hadn't sent out many high-level undead who were considered elites. Numerous camps had been constructed around the Soul-Summoning Tower, and large numbers of undead laborers were working overtime. Soon, a fortress level defensive line would be constructed.
When adding fuel to the fire was no longer effective at reducing the enemy's combat strength, and would only serve as experience for the enemy's growth, not a single qualified commander would start a pointless battle.
Every camp was filled with reinforcements from the Desecration Plane. It was evident that the undead were accumulating their military strength for an all-out attack. The small skirmish before them was nothing more than a scout on the frontlines.
Meanwhile, the wood spirits didn't seem to have any intentions of initiating an attack. After all, they would be greatly weakened after leaving the forest's protection. If they attacked the undead's territory, that would be the equivalent of leaving their own plane. They would lose their undying abilities, and they would have one less death every time they died. Naturally, they wouldn't have the ability to initiate an attack.
The wood spirits were quite worried as they watched more and more undead troops appear. However, all they could do was continuously reinforce their defensive lines, reproduce, and create new war machines.
For the undead, just their military strength wouldn't be enough. Due to the dimensional laws, it was impossible for the Undead Emperors to descend at their full power. They also had far too many powerful subordinates, so it would be difficult for them to directly descend. Even if they couldn't completely descend, it would still be a problem for them with their weakened power levels. But even if they couldn't do it, there was someone else who could.
"I never expected that I'd return so soon."
The lich Feyman slowly walked out of the dimensional laws. He sighed about how the world was unpredictable as he casually took the skeleton of a corpse lich beside him and restored the lower half of his body that he had lost during the teleportation.
With Undead Emperor Aso personally helping him with the dimensional laws, even if he was unlucky and encountered a dimensional crack just like the unlucky lich before him, he was still able to successfully teleport.
As an Undead Lord who had reached the Myth rank in the mortal plane, as well as one of the strongest undead in the world of Aichy, the former Second Senator of Xiluo, Feyman, indeed had the right to be proud.
Although he had ultimately lost in Xiluo's internal war, as the vanguard of the "leading party" in the Aichy plane, he was still highly regarded and trusted by the Undead Emperors. He had even been taken in as a disciple by Undead Emperor Aso, who taught him many undead secret techniques and even obtained the opportunity to comprehend the dimensional laws of the Desecration Plane.
"Heh heh, Omar! Lionheart! We still have plenty of time. Just wait for me to return and slowly calculate. "
Lionheart faintly saw the door to breaking through to the Myth rank. His power level had greatly increased, and he wanted to take revenge. He also received full authority from Undead Emperor Aso to become the frontline commander. It could be said that he had great authority.
Not only that, as long as he could take down this small plane that could be used as a springboard, he could even become the overall commander of the entire undead invasion. It would only be a matter of time before the Yongye Calamity happened again. Perhaps he would even be more powerful than that person from back in the day. Feyman smiled proudly when he thought of this. He felt even more spirited than before, and he even felt that losing Xiluo's internal war might not have been a bad thing.
"Don't be happy too early. The will of a plane isn't easy to deal with. Let's hurry up and organize our army. I keep having an ominous premonition."
Feyman was overjoyed just from obtaining the key to a higher power level, but the former First Senator, the Immemorial Bone Dragon Gricasio, received even more. Undead Emperor Aso's evaluation of Gricasio was, "Give him two hundred years, and we'll have another Undead Emperor."
That's right, Gricasio had received guidance from an Undead Emperor who had been born as a bone dragon. He had already accumulated enough to begin with, and he was now one step away from becoming an Undead Emperor. It would only be a matter of time before he opened the final door to the Myth rank. It would only be a matter of time before he became the next Undead Emperor.
Although Gricasio told himself to be careful, that was just his habit of keeping a low profile. He had always been the strongest undead in Xiluo, and he had always been the strongest undead creature in this plane. Now that his power level had greatly increased, he wouldn't be afraid of anyone.
"It's a pity that 'that person' isn't here. Otherwise, I could show him my newly obtained power."
Now that Gricasio himself had reached that level, the Immemorial Bone Dragon even faintly felt the desire to challenge that person who had always suppressed him.
"Ohhhh!!"
"We'll definitely win! The living shall sleep forever, and eternal night shall arrive! "
"Lord Gricasio has finally arrived. We can once again charge forward! "
Cheers attracted the attention of the two Undead Lords. It turned out that there was an incredibly gigantic bone dragon circling in the air above the campsite. An ordinary bone dragon wouldn't even be as large as one of Gricasio's claws. His wings of death were capable of blotting out the sky. This was the aura of a top-level undead. Many high-level undead naturally viewed this as an ally that had come to provide reinforcements.
The undead army here had always been suppressed. One of the main reasons was that there hadn't been a top-level undead capable of controlling the situation. Now that it seemed that an Immemorial Bone Dragon, who was at least at the Myth rank, had arrived, it was only natural for the undead to be excited. Some well-informed undead even shouted out the name of the bone dragon that was supposed to arrive.
Not far away, the real Gricasio had an expression of astonishment. He had never heard that the Undead Emperors had sent out another super bone dragon. Why did this bone dragon's figure seem so familiar? He felt as if he had seen this bone dragon not long ago.
"… Gria!!"
Feyman was the one who exclaimed in astonishment. Although Gria, who loved her appearance, rarely showed off her bone dragon form, in the final battle that decided Xiluo's royal authority, this bone dragon that suddenly descended from the sky had almost wiped out the entire Dark Night Council. Now that this familiar mana fluctuation was right in front of him, how could he possibly be mistaken?
When enemies met, their eyes would turn red. Feyman was about to rush up and take revenge, but Gricasio stopped him.
"Wait a moment, there's someone on her back."
"So what if there's someone? With the two of us working together, who do we have to fear?"
"… Based on Gria's personality, who do you think she'll let ride on her back? It can only be that person. "
"Could it be …"
The lich Feyman was suddenly startled. He hurriedly cast an Arcane Eye spell, and what he saw was the lich on the dragon's back.
Gricasio was casually lying down on a recliner, wearing a pair of magical crystal sunglasses to bask in the sun while proudly waving his hand in greeting, just like a leader inspecting his troops.
Suddenly, as if he noticed that Feyman was spying on him from the void, he smiled at the invisible eye and said something. Then, he snapped his fingers, causing the scene to return to the void.
"Long time no see. You've taken care of my child, so this time, let me personally play with you. Have a good game."
Gricasio, who was far away, uttered the words of his soul. That abnormal mana fluctuation was undeniable evidence. However, Gricasio and Gricasio didn't need any evidence at all.
Although Gricasio's mana fluctuations weren't very strong, just by looking at his seemingly calm but actually berserk soulfire, as well as his strange behavior that would forever be unfathomable, Gricasio was certain that that person had finally returned. That existence that even the Undead Emperors were so afraid of actually existed in the mortal plane.
It had been so many years, yet Gria had only faked his death. Just what scheme was he plotting behind the scenes? Why did he appear at such a critical moment?
"Yongye …"
"Impossible, impossible!"
Gricasio was still able to maintain his calm, but Feyland had an expression of complete collapse. Feyland had once been one of Emperor Yongye's advisors, so of course he knew how frightening Gria was. Feyland had previously dared to establish the Eich Parliament Faction to suppress the royal authority faction because he was certain that Gria would never return.
Meanwhile, Gria seemed to have received enough cheers and applause. She changed directions and flew towards a patch of green in the distance.
When Gria slowly glided past the dark clouds and arrived above the heads of the two Undead Lords, she actually circled in the air.
Feyman and Feyland could clearly see that Gria was happily waving at them on the dragon's back. Gria was even blowing kisses and waving at them. His enthusiasm made it seem as if he was a good friend who hadn't seen each other in a very long time.
"Hi!"
Even Gria's enthusiastic greeting was heard.
"… Hi!"
Feyland was actually frightened to the point that he hurriedly waved his hands in greeting when that familiar soulfire stared at him. This wasn't any spell. It was merely an instinct formed from the pressure he had accumulated over the years.
Only after receiving a response from Gria did the lich in the sky nod in satisfaction. He patted the bone dragon, and Gria slowly continued gliding towards the forest.
Seemingly believing that Gria was going to attack the enemy right after the reinforcements arrived, another round of cheers erupted in the army camp to send off the bone dragon.
"Long live Lord Gricasio!"
"Long live Emperor Aso!"
Only the two new commanders remained where they were, still in a daze. Gricasio, who had just been praised as "Long live the emperor," had an expression filled with hesitation. Gricasio's ambition to defeat his superiors had just risen up in him, but he had been frightened by that person's appearance. Gricasio seemed to have unknowingly vanished into thin air.
In the end, the two of them stared at each other blankly as their enemy left. They completely forgot their duties as commanders.
Neither of them had the courage to stop Gria even after she disappeared from their sight. After all, they would probably have to directly face Gria, an existence who had suppressed them for more than a hundred years just by relying on his lingering aura even after his death.
"Sigh, let's just take over the army like before. That way, those kids won't be impulsive and rush out after us. "
"Yeah. Yeah, let's not keep them waiting. Let's hurry up and go. This is ridiculous! We actually mistook the highest-level leader of our army for someone else! "
Alright then, when Gria reappeared in front of them, these two were still mega Undead Lords who gave even the True Gods headaches. They were obviously just stray dogs who had been scared out of their wits. They had been living under Gria's shadow for far too long.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
