Chapter 89
Regaining her vision, Ye Bai followed the gaze of the multitude of spirits and was immediately struck dumb by the scene before her—
In the center of that black island, where a multitude of dragonborn spirits gathered like stars around a focal point, lay a colossal creature that left one breathless.
Its body resembled a small mountain, with wings extending over twenty meters on each side, covered in scales that had gathered dust for countless years. The surface was riddled with what could only be described as ‘minute’ wounds, devoid of blood, yet the intact parts still radiated an indomitable resilience, hinting at the ferocity of the battle it had endured.
On its massive head, eyes as tall as a human’s were tightly shut. It had fallen at the heart of the island, long devoid of life, yet its mere presence exuded an indescribable, overwhelming intimidation.
This was an ancient dragon, a creature that seemed to have been dead for countless years.
Connecting to the opening above that led to the surface, Ye Bai couldn’t help but speculate whether this dragon’s corpse had plummeted here alongside the Sky City. What could have drawn these spirits to gather here now?
As her thoughts raced, Ye Bai’s attention was drawn to a nearby altar made entirely of white bones, positioned right beside the massive dragon carcass.
Atop the altar stood a figure draped in a long robe, clearly a spellcaster among the dragonborn spirits.
It appeared slightly shorter than the towering dragonborn undead, standing at about two meters tall, extremely slender—almost a mere collection of skin and bones. Yet, it was enveloped in a visible, vibrant necromantic flame, completely covering its body. From a distance, it looked as if a soul flame had been ignited upon the altar.
The ghostly light Ye Bai had seen before she set foot on the island seemed to emanate from this very being.
In an instant, Ye Bai recognized this extraordinary undead creature on the altar—a Lich.
The pinnacle of necromantic spellcasters, a Lich retained its full intellect, unlike other mindless undead. To become a Lich, one had to actively choose the transformation, and despite possessing the weaknesses of the undead, they maintained their intelligence.
As long as the Lich’s phylactery remained intact, it could resurrect itself even after death. Those who became Liches were typically powerful mages in life, but after death, they could no longer wield their former magic; all would transform into necromantic spells.
Seeing the throng of dragonborn spirits gathered here, along with the ancient dragon’s corpse beside the altar, Ye Bai took a deep breath. It was clear what was unfolding before her—
The most common tactic employed by Liches was to control mindless undead through necromantic magic and to transform powerful beings into undead that would obey them.
This Lich was conducting a ritual to transform the ancient dragon’s corpse into a skeletal dragon!
No wonder so many undead had congregated here; the stronger the creature in life, the more difficult it was to convert into an undead. It required a wealth of precious magical materials and a significant gathering of soul flames. Thus, the entire dragonborn undead of the underground city had been summoned here to serve as fuel for the ritual.
Ye Bai’s gaze, initially fixed on the altar, suddenly caught a familiar shade of gray out of the corner of her eye.
Startled, she quickly turned her attention in that direction—
And there, not far from the altar, in a spot where no other undead dared to approach, stood a donkey that seemed utterly out of place in the surrounding environment.
How did it get there?!
Ye Bai’s eyes widened in shock. She had previously speculated that the donkey was somehow connected to the undead anomaly, and upon seeing the Lich, she understood the reason, but she hadn’t expected the donkey to be here.
In that moment, a flurry of thoughts raced through her mind.
She watched the donkey standing not far from the altar, a position that other undead kept their distance from, likely due to the Lich’s command. Yet, the donkey stood there boldly.
It was clearly a living donkey; not only did the nearby dragonborn spirits seem oblivious to its presence, but even the powerful Lich conducting the ritual appeared unaware of it.
Ye Bai was filled with questions and curiosity. What was the donkey doing there? Was it trying to interfere with the ritual?
Aside from that possibility, she couldn’t think of any other reason.
If this ritual to transform the dragon into an undead were to succeed, it would undoubtedly be an affront to the ancient dragon race, who once roared through the skies, looking down upon all lesser beings.
Unfortunately, the dragonborn spirits around her had already become undead and were unaware that they were participating in a ceremony that could be deemed sacrilegious against the ancient dragon they once revered.
Once transformed into undead, their allegiances would shift, and even the Lich leading the ritual might have once been a worshiper of the dragons. Perhaps this was its way of expressing reverence.
Previously, having seen the paper figure, Ye Bai had speculated that the donkey might understand Draconic and had a special connection to the dragon race. Could its true identity be that of a hidden last dragon or something similar?
Ye Bai couldn’t help but imagine the connection between the dragon and the donkey… It seemed unlikely, yet from a dramatic standpoint, it felt oddly ‘reasonable.’
After all, she had shared two days of feeding with the donkey. If it truly was an ancient dragon or closely related to one, helping it during this significant event would surely earn her some goodwill.
And as for the matter of the mask, that was merely to assist it, so the dragon mark issue could probably be overlooked… right?
Ye Bai glanced around and then jumped down from the stone she was standing on.
Relying on the fact that she wouldn’t be recognized, she decided to sneak closer and see what was going on.
Even if there was a minuscule chance the Lich possessed detection skills for the undead, it was likely too preoccupied with the ritual to notice her.
Like navigating through a crowded subway, Ye Bai pushed her way past the dragonborn spirits, who were fervently focused on the altar, and made her way toward the ritual site with some difficulty.
Even if her attempt to tame a mount failed, gaining the favor of a potentially powerful NPC from the divine realm would still be a worthwhile outcome.
Though both seemed to be hidden figures, Ye Bai had always felt more positively toward the donkey than the paper figure. This was largely due to human nature; the paper figure had always been overly eager, showering her with attention, which only made her distrustful.
Thinking of the paper figure, Ye Bai suddenly had another thought. As she maneuvered through the throng of dragonborn spirits, she finally reached the front row of undead near the altar.
But upon getting closer, she found no sign of the donkey.
Cautiously, Ye Bai stepped past two dragonborn spirits, ready to retreat at any moment, but her ‘cutting in line’ did not attract any attention from the other undead.
It seemed they were unable to approach due to some form of suppression rather than a conscious decision to leave space, so whether Ye Bai stood closer or farther was entirely up to her.
At this distance, Ye Bai was now only about thirty meters from the white bone altar. She could even hear the incantations being chanted by the Lich:
“Antitot… Lusvenne… mighty dead, please respond to my prayer… rise from the darkness…”
The complex syllables and high-frequency sounds, difficult for other races to imitate, emanated from the Lich’s throat, creating an atmosphere thick with dread.
The ancient Draconic mixed with the language of the undead, and with the system’s translation, Ye Bai caught snippets of it.
Holding her position, Ye Bai used a skill to gain insight into the Lich clad in tattered black robes, with a golden whistle hanging from its neck.
【Dragonborn Lich Zelrus】
Level: ??
Health: ?????/??????
Skills: Undead Catastrophe, Resurrection of the Dead, ???
Weaknesses: Light, Fire, ???
Seeing the Lich’s skills, Ye Bai’s heart skipped a beat. **Undead Catastrophe** was a hallmark legendary spell in necromancy, and only those of at least level 80, semi-divine beings, could wield such power.
This was undoubtedly a semi-divine boss, one with a name and a backstory.
She couldn’t be discovered!
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