Chapter 175-The Skeletal Soul Siphon

The shadow lantern that could block undead perception was pierced by an arrow, instantly alerting the skeletal dragon to the presence of the group of people in black.

With a haunting and ethereal dragon's roar, a terrifying deathly mist surged forth like waves, as if to drag all living beings into the abyss of death.

“My lord, your lamp... Why did it suddenly break?” The voice of a black-robed figure trembled as she asked.

“I don’t know…”

The Minister of the Holy Nation was also stunned. She stared at the arrow lodged in the lantern, and belatedly turned her gaze into the distant darkness.

“There are others hiding here besides us!”

It was already too late to discover the enemy’s presence— the skeletal dragon would not give them even a moment to spare!

The skeletal dragon spread its vast bony wings, whipping up a chilling whirlwind of death. Dense black mist gushed out from its body, carrying with it shrill and mournful wails, as though countless lost souls were crying within.

The black mist took the shape of skulls, surging forward to attack the black-clad figures. Many among them were trembling with both hands, not knowing how to react.

Suddenly, a blazing circle of holy light rippled out, enveloping all the black-robed figures. The black mist that touched the light let out pitiful shrieks and instantly vanished in wisps of blue smoke.

“Don’t panic, I’m still a Level 45 Order Bishop, after all.” The Minister of the Holy Nation brandished her staff, golden chains appearing behind her and radiating the majesty of Order. “It’s only a bone dragon. Show your true skills, let these undead witness our might!”

“Yes!” The black-robed figures instantly straightened their backs, radiating intense holy light that stood in sharp contrast with the deathly aura of the skeletal dragon.

Holy power and death mist clashed, igniting a dazzling brilliance.

Sensing the threat of the holy light, the skeletal dragon let out another deafening roar and, beating its massive wings, soared into the air.

The Minister quickly cast a spell. Her left foot stomped the ground, and a golden magic circle appeared beneath her. From it, golden chains erupted, writhing wildly like spirit snakes, shooting up toward the skeletal dragon in the sky—determined to drag down this arrogant undead.

The skeletal dragon flapped its bony wings and spewed forth a pitch-black, icy breath of death. The putrid stench of decaying bones spread rapidly with the breath, and the golden chains instantly lost their luster, powerless as they fell to the ground.

The long-dead bones littering the ground seemed to be summoned, eerily rising one after another. Ghostly blue flames flickered in their sockets as they brandished bone claws, surging toward the black-clad figures like a tide of corpses.

Yet, the black-robed figures did not panic. They held their formation with perfect discipline. The holy light radiating from their bodies was a natural bane to the undead—those undead attempting to break through the line were repeatedly beaten back, unable to approach their formation at all.

Meanwhile, Bai Yueling and her two companions were hiding deep in the shadows, silently observing it all.

“What a fierce battle… Is this the world of the strong?” Zijingyue sighed.

Bai Yueling wore the look of an amused bystander, commenting leisurely, “Letting the tiger fight the wolf, so we remain safe.”

No matter which side survived between the skeletal dragon and the people in black, they would be severely weakened. At that time, Bai Yueling and her group could step in at full strength and reap the rewards.

Vicky, watching the seamless coordination among the black-robed figures, murmured, “The holy light they wield is exceptionally pure—clearly they are devout followers of the Goddess. Their teamwork also feels strangely familiar to me…”

She paused to think, then suddenly exclaimed, “I remember now—they’re paladins!”

Bai Yueling was stunned. “What did you say?”

“The tactics they use are exactly the same as those taught to knights in the churches of the Light Faction!” Vicky said solemnly. “These people in black aren’t strangers—they’re the knights of the great churches themselves!”

The skeletons, unable to breach the defense for so long, found the battle at a stalemate.

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Suddenly, the skeletal dragon let out a roar. A black hole-like suction swept through the entire crypt in an instant. The invisible force raged like a storm, even making the stone walls of the tomb tremble slightly.

Pitch-black death mist gathered into a massive vortex, spinning ever faster with the skeletal dragon’s roar, growing in strength.

The people in black were instantly swept into the air by this terrifying suction, cries of alarm echoing one after another. Their screams mingled with the dragon’s roar, composing a symphony of death.

Bai Yueling’s heart tightened. She swiftly tackled Zijingyue and Vicky to the ground and shouted, “Don’t look at it!”

Zijingyue and Vicky, upon hearing this, immediately closed their eyes tightly.

Almost in the next instant, a terrifying black light burst out from the skeletal dragon, illuminating the entire crypt.

Bai Yueling instantly felt her soul wrenched, as if it would leave her body at any moment, to be sucked into that dreadful black light by the skeletal dragon.

This was the skeletal dragon’s most powerful AOE skill—“Soul Siphon”!

As the black light flashed and disappeared, the black-robed figures who had been sucked into the air fell to the ground like raindrops. But their pupils had lost all light; their life force had completely faded.

One by one, ghostly souls floated out of the dragon’s body. Their expressions showed terror, rage, or regret, but in the end, they could not resist being drawn underground, returning to the River of Souls.

At that moment, Bai Yueling opened her eyes and happened to witness this scene.

“To see souls return to the River of Souls with my own eyes…” Bai Yueling muttered. “Does that mean…the River of Souls is nearby?”

Normally, when a life ends, its soul would leave the body and drift toward the River of Souls that circles the world. But this process is usually vague and impossible to perceive.

There is only one situation where a person can see souls return to the River of Souls with their own eyes: when the River is very close to the deceased. But such occurrences are exceedingly rare—there are only a handful of records in history. And even if one knows the River is near, finding it is another matter.

At that moment, a cold system notification sounded:

[Your teammate “Zijingyue” has died.]

Zijingyue lay pale on the ground, her pupils unfocused, before she turned into a beam of white light and vanished.

Her mental strength was nowhere near as great as Bai Yueling’s. Even from this distance, she couldn’t withstand the skeletal dragon’s “Soul Siphon”.

Vicky was also gasping weakly. As a spiritual mage, her mental strength was far stronger than ordinary people’s, which is why she survived.

“Soul Siphon” was an indiscriminate AOE skill targeting all life. When the skeletal dragon unleashed this move, every living being in the crypt was affected.

All life… Bai Yueling paused for a moment.

Wait, if all life was attacked, then Lie Lie would—

She hurried to Lie Lie’s side. Sure enough, inside the membrane, Lie Lie’s face was ashen, like a flickering candle about to go out.

“What should I do… If Lie Lie dies during her class change, not only will the transfer fail, but all the materials will be wasted! I have to save her…”

Bai Yueling bit her silver teeth tightly, frantically searching her bag for consumables, but none were of any use.

Just then, Anlisa, who had been silent all this time, finally reminded her:

“Idiot.

“Corrupt her.”

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