Chapter 279: Valthor's Creation

  The one who spoke was Talise. She could see that something seemed wrong with Ethan, but the gradually spreading aura made her dare not approach. She could only cry out anxiously. By this point, Aimee had already fainted in her arms.

  I don't want to die! Let's get on the road. Yes, let's get on the road! The layer of black aura in Ethan's eyes suddenly dissipated.

  To get on the road is to step forward, to charge, to fight, to face everything, to accept everything—it's about not wanting to die. I don't want to die! This voice wasn't loud in Ethan's mind, where his consciousness was gradually fading, but just as it had torn an opening in the atmosphere in the room, it also tore a rift in his consciousness. The desire for life, which had been suppressed to the point of almost vanishing, was stimulated and immediately rushed out.

  Ethan's hand loosened, and the aura continuously transmitted from the hilt abruptly stopped. All the deathly intent and will to death that had surged in his chest and mind dissipated.

  Before the hilt could hit the floor, Ethan caught it with the pouch filled with water from the Sunwell. With a soft plop, the pitch-black, dense aura completely disappeared from the space.

  "Good. Let's get on the road." Ethan let out a long sigh, turned his head, and smiled at Talise. There were beads of sweat on his forehead, and his smile was tired, but also calm. Although it had been extremely dangerous just now, he now looked as if nothing had happened at all.

  "I thought something was wrong with you." Talise also let out a long sigh and walked over, holding Aimee. Aimee had just fainted and wasn't seriously hurt. As the aura vanished, she slowly woke up. Rubbing her eyes, she looked confusedly at Talise and Ethan, who were holding her. She didn't seem to understand what had just happened.

  No matter what had happened to Ethan, Valthor made no move, just watched quietly from the side. As Ethan fell silent and then awoke, Valthor's expression also kept changing. But he never moved or spoke. However, just as the three of them reached the entrance to the passage, he suddenly spoke: "Wait."

  "What is it?" Ethan turned back.

  "You walk this path because you are meant to, because you are qualified. I have done nothing, merely fulfilled my duty of guarding the path here. But you healed my injury, and that was beyond the call of duty." Valthor shook his head, seemingly displeased, "I said I would not owe you any gratitude. If I feel I owe someone, I can't sleep."

  "You're right. Healing you was purposeful. It was showing favor to curry favor, it was malicious," Ethan said with a smile.

  "But in fact, you did heal me. Even if it was malicious, this cough of thirty years suddenly stopping will make me feel like I owe you something at all times. To make me forget this matter, I will give you two things."

  The two figures covered by cloth in the corner walked over and pulled the cloth that had been covering them away.

  "This can also be considered something I've spent thirty years pondering. Due to a lack of experimental materials, I only managed to create these two recently. Although they are not yet a complete success, they are still usable. Take them and use them. This way, you and I are even." Valthor said faintly.

  From the beginning, Ethan and Talise had known that these two should be something like zombies or skeleton puppets, but when the large cloth was torn away and the true faces of these two "people" were revealed, both of them were stunned, completely and utterly stunned.

  It had been half a day since entering the underground of Nighon through the passage from Valthor's hut.

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  The passage was very narrow at the beginning. But after walking for over an hour, it opened up, and they officially entered the true underground world of Nighon. Except for the occasional passages that reminded one they were underground, it basically lacked the stifling feeling of a typical cavern. In some especially vast spaces, one could even feel a sense of open wilderness, with countless faintly glowing gems on the ceiling hundreds of meters high, like a starry sky. The surroundings were often vast, stretching for a mile around. In the central areas of Nighon, it was said there were even underground great plains dozens of miles wide.

  This was not the lifeless, silent zone that most people imagined. Various unique underground plants and animals were visible everywhere in the wider areas, especially around underground rivers. On the rock walls in many places, there were some luminous plants or gems. Although the light was very faint, one could barely see after getting used to it.

  By surface standards, this should have been just an unremarkable wilderness trail. It seemed it hadn't been trodden by the underground dwellers like the Drow or Minotaurs. Aunt El had a map, left from who knows when, indicating the route forward. It was said that no Necromancer had ever come down here to see it; this map was probably left by Archibald.

  Time was urgent, but rest was still necessary. Ethan found a suitable spot to stop. Aimee was barely able to hold on.

  He didn't dare to light a campfire. In this underground world, the light and heat of a fire generally meant attracting large numbers of uninvited guests. Although there probably wouldn't be anything too dangerous here, and they were still far from the major tribes, Ethan didn't want to take the risk. He took off his outer coat and put it on the little magician, letting her sleep in a relatively dry crevice in the rock wall. Talise stayed with her, while Ethan took Sylka and Rodhart a distance away. Aimee was terrified of these two, and even the look Talise gave them was wary and strange.

  Not far ahead, there was an underground river. The gurgling sound of the water could not mask the sound of Sylka and Rodhart gnawing on the giant lizard. The crunching and gnawing sounds spoiled Ethan's appetite. At this moment, he even felt that the worms he ate in the Lizard Marsh were more flavorful than the jerky he was eating now.

  But to think he could still eat something, he had to admit his own nerves had become strangely strong. At least Talise and Aimee couldn't eat it no matter what; Aimee was even somewhat in a daze from excessive terror.

  Ethan had never thought he would see these two people again, especially Rodhart, and that it would be under such circumstances. He couldn't judge whether Rodhart could still be considered a person, or rather, if he could still be considered alive.

  A crunch, crunch sound came from where the two were eating. It seemed they were even chewing the lizard's bones. From the fact that they could still eat, it seemed they were indeed still alive, but there was not a single spot on their bodies that held any vitality. Even Aimee's life-detection magic couldn't detect these two. According to Valthor, every part of their bodies, except perhaps their teeth, had been taken out and individually refined with Necromancy. Necromantic magic arrays were even carved into their bones. From this perspective, they didn't seem to be living creatures. The Necromancy in their bodies, in both intensity and precision, was a thousand times higher than things like zombies or skeletons. They should be called undead beings.

  "This is a secret method left by Lord Archibald. The original intention was to create the strongest undead warriors, but it seems he himself never truly succeeded, because the materials were too hard to find." When Valthor spoke of these two inhuman people, a faint, proud smile actually appeared on his ugly old face, "I experimented for thirty years and only managed to barely create these two. The first one took no small amount of time, but the second one was much faster. However, there wasn't enough time, so it's not yet fully complete."

  "Not only does it require outstanding physique and combat ability, but the key is a tenacious willpower. Only a warrior whose willpower has reached the point where it can transcend the flesh can endure the pain of having their body slowly and consciously remodeled without dying. To ensure their flexibility, the fit between their will and their body must also be high, no different from a living person. Therefore, all these modifications must be performed while they are conscious, slowly adjusting, slowly modifying."

  As he spoke, Valthor's spirit seemed to get better and better, gradually becoming quite animated, which was somewhat inconsistent with his previous image. It was unclear whether it was because his chronic ailment of many years was gone and he was in a good mood, or because he was proud of explaining his masterpieces to someone. The work of thirty years was being displayed and explained to people for the first time; anyone would be a little involuntarily excited.

  "Just having a firm will is not enough. The minds of such people must already be completely filled with the most basic things like killing intent, desire, and lust, so they can accept this kind of body from the deepest levels of their consciousness. You know, the spirit and the flesh are actually inseparable. For example, this big one, I heard he was the leader of a band of thieves who killed like flies, and even his Battle Qi was a bloody Battle Qi I had never seen before. And this younger, thinner one, although he doesn't look so fierce, just to seek refuge with the Necromancers, he dared to charge into Diya Valley all by himself. This kind of ambition and desire, which transcends all other feelings, is actually more evil than simple ferocity, and thus more suitable."

  "Every single muscle fiber was pulled out and remade. I guarantee even insects don't have their explosive power. In terms of coordination, there's no problem because their basic consciousness is maintained, and they haven't lost a fraction of their martial skills. The heart is no longer a vital point; the blood vessels and muscles throughout their body can contract and squirm on their own. The blood has also been completely replaced. Necromantic curses are carved on their bones, which can be released at any time." Valthor pointed to Rodhart's stomach, showing off his masterpiece, "When you have time, you can cut open their stomachs and have a look. The liver has been transformed into something that can store Necromancy, achieving an effect similar to a magic gem, and it can be recycled. The stomach can attract rotting meat and convert it into Necromancy. The techniques involved here can greatly improve your Necromancy control ability..."