Undead Mage: I Have a Skeleton Clone

Chapter 754 - 489: Corpses as Resources, Frost Giant Dragon’s Tomb?

Fang Zhou looked at Yan Yan. "Director Yan, what possibility do you think it is?"

"I don’t know."

Yan Yan shook his head, then stated confidently, "But I’m sure that before we enter the main burial chamber, whatever is inside won’t come out! It didn’t emerge even after all that commotion and our losses just now."

Fang Zhou nodded. If it were going to emerge, it would have done so already.

Of course, it might also be trying to weaken the invaders’ strength through various means, such as ubiquitous mechanical traps or various undead servants. Adventurers who came to this Naraku Mage’s ruins, hoping for more wealth and resources, were bound to search every area. And these areas were certain to hold all sorts of dangers. As invaders entered these rooms one by one, their strength would likely be gradually weakened, ultimately leaving them unable to complete the challenge of the tomb’s master.

Losses from death and injury were permanent.

Yan Yan was right. Regardless of the race, mages possessed a mage’s wisdom. For nearly all adventurers, this series of trials set up by the Naraku Undead Mage could only weaken their strength step by step. However, an Undead Mage like Fang Zhou, who strengthened himself through battle, was an absolute exception.

"Gather all the Undead," Fang Zhou commanded.

Ten minutes later, Fang Zhou raised his left hand. "Revive, my warriors!"

The Flame Medal adventurers watched in shock as the Undead Creatures that had caused them so much trouble moments ago were revived by Fang Zhou’s mana, becoming his new allies. The vampire and the pack of ghouls were especially subservient, surrounding Fang Zhou like a veritable Undead Royal Guard.

After arranging his new guardian force, Fang Zhou looked ahead.

There were still five unopened alchemical doors, which meant five unknown areas awaited exploration. And then there was the main burial chamber. Fang Zhou was filled with anticipation for the surprises hidden within.

"Director Yan."

Fang Zhou looked at the Director of the Flame Mage Corps. "I’ll leave cracking these dilapidated alchemical doors to you, then?"

Each alchemical door was adorned with many Magic Runes, and it was hard to tell if they formed Protective Barriers or magical traps. Some even had Alchemy Locks. Yan Yan was vastly experienced in adventuring. He often said that the domains of ancient mages were full of both danger and opportunity.

"Don’t worry, Lieutenant Fang Zhou, we excel at this!"

Yan Yan casually cast Flame Body Protection on Jing Fei before they walked over to the alchemical door opposite the Servant Sleeping Area. The door also bore a nameplate: "Storage Area."

As the name suggested, it was a place for storing things, and the items inside probably weren’t especially important. The most valuable treasures had to be in the Mage’s main burial chamber at the end of the passage.

The Magic Runes on the alchemical door were intricate. However, even Fang Zhou could see they were different from those on the Servant Sleeping Area’s door, clearly serving a different function.

"Hmm? These Magic Runes... have some strange variations... They’re from a different era, a different civilization’s legacy, but fortunately, the principles of Magic are universal." Yan Yan muttered as he studied them.

Fang Zhou observed silently from the side, gaining a deeper understanding of Yan Yan’s abilities. Director Yan was a remarkably rare type of powerful Mage, one who combined scholarly knowledge with practical adventuring experience. As the ancient saying in Longxia goes, he knew both the "what" and the "why."

Though I’m certainly far stronger than Yan Yan in terms of pure combat power, I have to admit I’m leagues behind him when it comes to the knowledge needed for adventuring. This wasn’t a matter of intelligence or talent, but simply because Yan Yan had lived several decades longer than Fang Zhou.

"Done! The basic Magic Runes are universal, and a few simple differences are no challenge for me!" After a full ten minutes, Yan Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Turns out it’s a preservation Barrier formed by Frost Attribute Runes, designed to maintain a cold internal temperature. Frost and Undead are highly compatible Energy Attributes. It’s the appearance of a Flame Rune Array in an Undead Mage’s tomb, like we saw before, that’s the real anomaly."

"Can the Rune Lock be opened?" Fang Zhou asked, as this was his main concern.

"Of course! This thing is simple; the rune circuitry isn’t complex. Jing Fei, come over. I’ll explain the internal structure of this Rune Lock, then it’s up to you."

Jing Fei walked over and conferred with Yan Yan in hushed tones. Then he took out a set of tools from the storage equipment in his Personal Space and began a series of dazzlingly complex maneuvers.

CLICK.

In no time, the lock sprang open, and so did the door. A chill, as cold as an ice cellar, rushed out to meet them.

After they took precautions, Yan Yan glanced at Jing Fei. "Go take a look."

Jing Fei hurriedly sneaked inside and quickly gave the "all clear" signal.

Fang Zhou commanded the Undead Army to enter, then couldn’t help but sigh. Even in the Era of Myth, time remained the most terrible thing, capable of eroding all things, glorious or decayed. However, certain powerful spells, combined with sufficient cold, could delay the erosion of time. This scene before them was a perfect example.

No matter how many years had passed, everything in this storage area remained fresh—

Exquisitely crafted obsidian display stands housed perfectly preserved corpses encased in blocks of solid ice, filling half the room. They were like Ice Coffins, packed densely together. There were dozens of them, everywhere one looked. The extreme cold ensured the Ice Coffins would not melt, and the ancient corpses frozen within still retained their original appearances.