Chapter 1 A Glimmer of Hope

The era of co-governance was a glorious one, seeing the rise of many powerful legendary figures, geniuses beyond count. However, in the midst of war, many ultimately couldn't escape the hands of fate, becoming mere piles of bones in the rolling wheels of history. Only a precious few managed to survive to this day.

Among the people Nie Yan had met, Kars was one, God of War Krowe was another, and this guy before him was yet another.

The longer these survivors lived, the more powerful they became. Their understanding of power was something that ordinary NPCs couldn't even begin to fathom.

Now that he had been discovered, there was no need for Nie Yan to hide. He slowly revealed himself, walking towards an open space in the stone chamber. He could feel a powerful force pushing against him, blocking him from the outside. There was a barrier here!

Invisible chains appeared in Nie Yan's vision, stretching out from the surrounding rock walls, firmly binding the NPC.

These chains were transparent, yet they definitely existed.

Nie Yan cast a Detect on the undead NPC.

Necromancer Nadage: Legendary Mage, Level 260.

As for health and other information, Nie Yan couldn't see it. Necromancer Nadage's level was slightly lower than the God of War Krowe. He had not yet reached the realm of the gods.

The Nadage Spell Staff, which Nie Yan had looted from the Dark Treant, must have belonged to him.

Bennet's Soul trembled violently, as if sensing something.

Necromancer Nadage focused his attention on Bennet's Soul, revealing a hint of surprise. "So, it's the soul of a Crypt Lord. I do have some things here that are related to it." With that, he took out a black talisman, covered in obscure runes.

As Necromancer Nadage took out the talisman, Bennet's Soul suddenly burst forth with a dazzling light, interweaving with the black talisman in a brilliant display, particularly striking in the enclosed stone chamber.

Nie Yan was certain that the black talisman had some kind of connection with Bennet's Soul, which was why Bennet's Soul had led him here.

Necromancer Nadage revealed a mysterious smile, his facial bones twitching slightly. "This talisman is called the Spirit Communication Talisman. It can summon a powerful Crypt Lord from another dimension. However, the summoned Crypt Lord is only a fleshly body, without a soul. If Bennet's Soul were to be integrated into it, it would become a powerful summoned creature. Power always drives people mad!"

Necromancer Nadage's sinister smile sent a chill down Nie Yan's spine. It was as if he knew that Nie Yan would be interested in this talisman, like a fisherman waiting for a fish to bite.

Nie Yan was silent for a moment, then said, "Would you allow me to take a look at this Spirit Communication Talisman?"

Necromancer Nadage didn't refuse, nodding his head. "You may."

He moved his pale, skeletal fingers, and the Spirit Communication Talisman floated towards Nie Yan.

Nie Yan caught the talisman in his hand and checked its attributes.

Spirit Communication Talisman (Legendary Item): Special Item. After using this item, you can summon the fleshly body of a Crypt Lord, lasting for three hours. Skill cooldown is sixty natural days. Crypt Lord: Level 100 Lord, Health 20,000,000.

A powerful item!

A skill with a cooldown of sixty natural days was something Nie Yan had never seen before, either in his past life or this one. Even on the forums, he had never seen anyone show off an item like this. Something like this would definitely only appear in SSS-rank quests.

The summoned Crypt Lord was a Level 100 Lord. At the current level, such a powerful creature could even crush player fortresses.

Nie Yan felt a sudden surge of greed, wanting to take the Spirit Communication Talisman for his own. Since Necromancer Nadage was a Lawful Evil NPC, Nie Yan wouldn't feel any guilt even if he took the Spirit Communication Talisman.

Nie Yan was on hostile terms with Necromancer Nadage!

Just as this thought flashed through Nie Yan's mind, Necromancer Nadage suddenly let out a cackling laugh, saying in a sinister tone, "Don't try to take it. Without my permission, you think you can snatch the Spirit Communication Talisman from a Legendary Mage? Even though I've been trapped here by this damned seal for a thousand years, I can still control your life and death."

Necromancer Nadage flicked his finger, and with a *poof*, the Spirit Communication Talisman in Nie Yan's hand shattered into pieces, disappearing without a trace.

The powerful force from the Spirit Communication Talisman made Nie Yan's right hand tremble incessantly, completely numb, losing all feeling.

Necromancer Nadage was warning Nie Yan! Nie Yan's mind raced. It seemed this quest wouldn't be easy. Necromancer Nadage was a Lawful Evil NPC. If Nie Yan did the quest for him, he would face severe punishment from the Lawful Good side. Moreover, Necromancer Nadage was a dangerous character. After Nie Yan completed the quest, Nadage might discard him after using him, which would be a great loss.

At that moment, the illusory chains binding Necromancer Nadage shook. He stood up, fixing his gaze on Nie Yan, the flames in his eye sockets flickering. Nie Yan felt like he was being stared at by a snake.

Nie Yan's heart trembled. He would look at the quest details first, saying calmly, "What is it that you need me to do?"

Necromancer Nadage said, "It's actually very simple. Just do as I say. Don't try to test my patience. If I discover any disloyal behavior on your part, I'll let you know just how foolish your actions are. And don't try to leave this place. If you try to escape, you will immediately become a corpse."

Nie Yan felt a dark power silently hovering near his throat, like the grim reaper's blade, ready to kill him at any moment.

Nie Yan's mind was racing. What kind of quest was this? How could he complete it, both protecting himself and killing Nadage?

Necromancer Nadage waved his staff, and stone pillars rose from the floor of the stone chamber. Nie Yan scanned them; there were seven in total, distributed in a strange formation. On top of each of these stone pillars was placed a piece of pure white stone, oval in shape, about the size of a fist, emitting a dazzling white light. When this white light shone on Necromancer Nadage, he seemed to be very afraid of it, dodging it and uttering angry curses. The language he used was Ancient Undead, which Nie Yan couldn't understand.

Seeing these things, Nie Yan was shocked. These stones were exactly like the Holy Light Stones in his bag, only slightly larger, containing powerful holy light power. It was these Holy Light Stones that formed the magic formation that bound Nadage.

Nadage moved his finger, and the broken Nadage Spell Staff from Nie Yan's bag suddenly appeared in his hand. A black aura was swirling at the top of the staff, filled with destructive power.

Nie Yan gripped the Nadage Spell Staff. He never expected that the broken Nadage Spell Staff he had obtained from the Dark Treant would be related to this quest.

Suddenly, a crack was torn open in the outer barrier. Necromancer Nadage said in a low voice, "Come in, and listen to my instructions."

Nie Yan hesitated for a moment. At this point, he was a fish on the chopping board, at their mercy. He had no choice but to do as Nadage said, and could only bide his time.

Nie Yan stepped into the barrier, step by step, all the while paying attention to Necromancer Nadage's expression. Even though his face was just a skull, Nie Yan could still sense some changes in his emotions.

The moment Nie Yan stepped into the barrier, Necromancer Nadage revealed a trace of nervousness, fleeting though it was, it still caught Nie Yan's eye.

He was somewhat afraid of Nie Yan!

Nie Yan was certain that after he entered the barrier, he could pose a threat to Nadage. The key was how to kill Nadage. Thinking of this, Nie Yan calmed down. In this kind of situation, panicking was useless.

Bennet's Soul floated in front of Nie Yan, seemingly conveying some information.

Nie Yan checked his quest status.

Quest Progress: Find Finas' Venom Sac, 2/3, Kill Necromancer Nadage, Obtain Spirit Communication Talisman.

Indeed, this quest was to kill Necromancer Nadage, not to save him.

"Destroy the Holy Light Stone in the Xingli direction!" Necromancer Nadage said in a low, hoarse voice. Xingli referred to a direction, roughly north by east. It was a professional term in magic formations.

Nie Yan pinpointed the direction, and swung the spell staff in his hand, sending a Shadow Arrow towards the Holy Light Stone in the Xingli direction. With a *boom*, the Holy Light Stone exploded, turning into fragments, with dust fluttering down.

"Destroy the Holy Light Stone in the Xingyan direction!" Necromancer Nadage revealed a look of wild joy. As the Holy Light Stone in the Xingli direction was shattered by Nie Yan, the illusory chain binding his left arm loosened slightly.

Nie Yan swung the staff again, and the Holy Light Stone in the Xingyan direction shattered in response.

"For a thousand years, I can finally leave this damned place! Let that old ghost Kars die! I will turn the entire Greenlund Empire into my undead army!" Necromancer Nadage laughed maniacally, his sinister and terrifying voice echoing through the stone chamber.

At this moment, Bennet's Soul absorbed the holy light power from the Holy Light Stones, emitting a burst of intense light. Nie Yan could feel the light on the Nadage Spell Staff dimming somewhat. Although he didn't know how to complete this quest, Nie Yan understood that this spell staff was definitely the key to the quest. Without the spell staff, he couldn't destroy the Holy Light Stones.

Just as Necromancer Nadage was laughing madly, and his attention was diverted from him, Nie Yan drew the Zennarde's Sword, and struck down on the skull at the top of the spell staff in one swift blow, decisively, regardless of the consequences of the quest!

The Nadage Spell Staff broke into two pieces in response!