Chapter 90
Ye Bai's heart raced with alarm. If she took a hit from the opponent's skill, even with the powerful Crocodile King bracer, her health would definitely not hold up.
As she observed the lich up close, her gaze sharpened. From a distance, the draconic lich had been shrouded in soul flames, making it hard to discern details. Now, she could clearly see what the lich was holding in its hand.
It was a thick, pure black book, opened wide.
Without needing to consult the paper figure, Ye Bai could confirm that the tome the lich was using for its ritual must be the precious codex that was originally supposed to be stored deep within the dragon clan's treasury!
Transforming an ancient dragon was no simple task; this codex would surely play a significant role in the ritual. No wonder the paper figure wanted to get in there to gain power.
Before leaving the treasury, Ye Bai had taken out a magic scroll and kept it in her backpack. Should she release the paper figure now?
Just as she hesitated, she suddenly felt something tugging at her cloak.
Looking down, she was pleasantly surprised to see the elusive donkey!
Scanning the other indifferent undead around, she began to realize that the donkey seemed to possess a natural ability to be overlooked. Ye Bai had relied on her mask to come here, while the donkey used this ability to go unnoticed by the nearby undead, including the lich above.
The donkey gave Ye Bai a look, as if asking how she ended up here.
— I’m here to help you!
Ye Bai made a face, unsure if the donkey could understand her.
The donkey then tugged at Ye Bai's cloak, indicating for her to follow.
Ye Bai complied, carefully sticking close to the oblivious undead as she followed the donkey, winding around the altar until they reached a rocky area. A large boulder blocked the back of the undead, but from here, she could peek out and see the lich reciting incantations at the skeletal altar.
"So, how do you plan to return to your body?" Ye Bai leaned close to the donkey's ear and whispered in the lowest voice possible.
The donkey turned its head, looking at her with a strange expression.
Ye Bai was taken aback. Was her guess wrong?
The donkey approached the altar where the ritual was taking place. Given that it could understand Draconic and had been waiting nearby, was it not the soul of the ancient dragon that was about to be transformed into an undead?
"Isn't that your physical body?" Ye Bai pointed at the massive dragon corpse, using gestures and silent lip movements to communicate with the donkey.
Wasn't the donkey waiting here to borrow that consciousness to return to its body?
— Are you out of your mind?!
The donkey rolled its eyes, clearly conveying that message to Ye Bai.
"…"
What was the donkey doing here?!
Just then, the draconic lich's incantation reached a climactic point.
A massive, ethereal flame, resembling a ghostly sun, erupted from the tome in the lich's skeletal hand, floating toward the head of the ancient dragon's corpse.
The once lifeless dragon, with its eyes tightly shut, suddenly opened them wide, revealing two pitch-black orbs.
As the soul flame approached, its light reflected in those dark eyes, creating two eerie glimmers that radiated foreboding.
The lich's soul flame emerged from the dragon's head, indicating a surge of emotion as the ritual reached a critical moment.
In the next instant, Ye Bai understood what the donkey was up to. It made a move she never could have anticipated.
"Ahh!"
The donkey suddenly let out a cry and leaped into action. Ye Bai watched as it jumped once, then seemed to step on the air for a second jump, reaching a higher peak.
At the apex of its second jump, the donkey's mouth was right in front of the soul flame that was about to enter the dragon's head.
*Rip!*
Like it was devouring the bread Ye Bai had offered, the donkey bit into that small sun-like flame, which was either energy or soul essence, as if it were a tangible object, taking a huge bite.
With this action, the donkey's earlier ability to blend into the background vanished.
All the undead turned to look at it, and the draconic lich let out a deafening roar:
"Who dares to steal?!"
A terrifying wave of magical energy surged, creating a powerful gust that swept across the altar. Just being caught in that wind, Ye Bai felt several ‘-133’ damage notifications pop up.
Realizing the situation was dire, the donkey quickly turned and leaped onto the nearby horde of undead, sprinting across their heads and shoulders.
Ye Bai watched as the donkey vanished in mere seconds, her mind racing with one thought—
I haven't even boarded the vehicle yet!
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Chapter 64
Ye Bai was momentarily stunned by the donkey's antics, but quickly realized that not boarding the vehicle was a good thing.
As the donkey dashed away, stepping on the heads of the draconic undead and drawing all their attention, it was the perfect opportunity for her to slip away.
The draconic lich roared in anger, the energy swirling around it causing Ye Bai to take several waves of damage.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Ye Bai sprinted toward the nearest group of undead, leveling up in the process and restoring her health to full amidst the turmoil. Like a fish slipping back into water, she rejoined the ranks of the undead.
The draconic undead, following the lich's orders, began to chase after the donkey's fleeing form.
As a large number of undead surged toward one direction, the entire island around the altar began to descend into chaos.
The undead were all focused on pursuing the donkey, leaving no one to notice Ye Bai. Her ‘small’ figure, compared to the draconic undead, was perfectly camouflaged as she moved against the flow, slowly but surely making her way out.
Having been forced from the treasury to this place, she had thought that helping the donkey would allow her to escape alongside it. Now, although Ye Bai had misjudged the plot, she was relieved that the outcome had been achieved in another way.
Just then—
The lich on the skeletal altar cursed and roared again, turning its gaze toward the dragon corpse.
Because a significant portion of the soul flame had been bitten away by the donkey, the mysterious power that was drawing the dragon back to life had weakened.
The two points of soul flame reflected in the dragon's eyes dimmed, returning to a state of slumber, and its eyelids began to droop, as if about to close.
In a panic, the lich, unable to leave the altar during the ritual, stomped its foot in frustration. Seeing that it couldn't retrieve the donkey, it turned to the draconic undead still surrounding the altar.
"Whoosh..."
A wave of soul-sucking energy emanated from the lich's outstretched hand, coalescing into a vortex that targeted all nearby undead indiscriminately.
Unaware of what was happening behind her as she focused on her escape, Ye Bai felt a chill run down her spine. She then saw a bluish soul flame burst forth from the heads of the undead around her, flying backward.
"Clatter..."
In the next moment, as the soul flames shot out from their heads, the undead collapsed to the ground as if their souls had been drained. To be precise, those whose bodies were less decayed simply fell over, while the more severely decayed ones crumbled apart.
The demigod lich gathered the soul flames from the surrounding undead, replenishing the previously diminished flame, and then, as its gaze swept around, it suddenly fixed on one direction, its eye sockets flickering with the two points of soul flame.
Amidst the chaotic remains of bones, Ye Bai, who had been perfectly hidden among the towering draconic undead, suddenly stood out, becoming the only living being still standing in the vicinity.
Oh no.
Before she could even turn around, Ye Bai felt a cold, eerie gaze, as tangible as ice, settle upon her.
This is bad; she must have become the donkey's stand-in in the lich's eyes.
Ye Bai glanced at her status bar and noticed a new negative buff.
【Soul Drain】: Absorbs the soul flames of undead beings.
Ye Bai was not an undead being, so this buff had no effect on her. However, under the effect of the 【Perfect Mask】, the lich likely perceived her as an undead creature.
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