Chapter 142: Sudden Change

"Damn it!" The moment the Skeleton King absorbed that half of Li Ren’s soul fire, both Li Ren and Fan Yunshan felt a strange, inexplicable sensation in the depths of their consciousness.

Li Ren’s face turned deathly pale in an instant. Losing that portion of his spirit fire felt as though his very body had been cleaved in two. Yet, despite this excruciating pain, he felt an eerie and inexplicable sense of peace.

Fan Yunshan, sensing the disappearance of that half of Li Ren’s spirit fire, grew even more stern.

In the distance, the Skeleton Mountain had already come into view. The Dragon Hawk streaked across the sky like a blurred crimson line, its speed so immense that it covered vast distances in mere blinks of an eye.

Leaving Li Ren and Fan Yunshan to their urgent journey, we turn to the Shadow and his group, who had launched a fierce assault on the mountain well before them and had now managed to penetrate the Skeleton Cave.

Once inside, they found that the skeletons—both in level and power—were significantly superior to the cannon fodder outside. Even Landis and Rania, who were blazing a trail at the front, were forced to slow their pace.

Although Shadow knew everyone was giving their all, he couldn't suppress a surge of impatience.

"Pick up the pace! We must break through before that damned creature completes its absorption!" Shadow roared, his eyes bloodshot.

Hearing this, Rania pushed her body to its limit, a dense, crimson blood-light erupting from her form. The intensity of this aura was so great that even Landis cast a glance of surprise and suspicion in her direction. Seeing Rania’s state, Landis eased his grip on his weapon, slowing his advance just enough to let Rania take the lead.

As the blood-light flared with increasing intensity, the vampires of the legion behind Rania began to emanate the same crimson glow. The closer they were to Rania, the brighter their aura burned. When it seemed the energy had reached its breaking point, Rania let out a low cry. With both hands, she shoved forward as if pushing a heavy, invisible stone.

Under this motion, the dense blood-light surged forward as if drawn by a powerful force. The vampire legion followed suit, their energies converging into a massive bolt of blood-red lightning. The vampires closest to Rania were even consumed by the sheer suction, their very bodies transforming into streaks of blood-red energy that were absorbed into the vortex.

Rania gasped, a trace of exhaustion appearing on her face. Releasing such a potent skill, even by offloading most of the energy consumption onto the vampire legion, left her feeling drained and miserable.

The blood-red lightning crackled with icy menace the moment it materialized, instantly purging the musty, earthy scent of the Skeleton Cave with the heavy stench of blood. As the lightning fully formed, absorbing the final vestiges of red light from the legion, it unleashed a terrifying pressure—a sharp, blood-soaked intensity that felt suffocating to all who stood near.

Under Rania’s control, the crimson lightning surged deep into the cave. Every monster in its path, regardless of its level or how much it had been reinforced, was reduced to a faint grey mist by the combined might of the vampire legion. This mist drifted and was gradually absorbed by the legion itself, the primary force behind the strike.

Great swaths of this mist converged upon Rania. When the haze finally dissipated, the previously pale Rania had recovered her vigor. Though a hint of fatigue remained from unleashing such a technique, her strength seemed undiminished—if anything, she appeared even more formidable. Rania herself could not help but feel a flicker of surprise.

However, these were trifles. With the skeletons of this level cleared, the group pushed rapidly toward the next. Utilizing the lingering energy of the blood-red lightning, they decimated the majority of the skeletons on the next floor, easily brushing aside the remaining resistance.

Shadow watched the last few skeletons putting up a futile struggle before the massive doors leading to the Skeleton King’s chamber. His eyes narrowed with a fierce, cold light. With a violent shove, the doors swung open, revealing the eternal, motionless figure of the Skeleton King.

Seeing the Skeleton King sitting there, slumped at an angle, Shadow’s heart sank.

It was entirely outside his expectations—or perhaps, it was exactly what he had feared most. It was the worst-case scenario they had hoped to avoid. In his previous life, when they had reached the Skeleton Hall, the Skeleton King had still been in the final stage of absorbing the spirit fire, allowing them to intervene and snatch it back.

But now, the Skeleton King showed no signs of weakness. The blue fire burning within its skull seemed to mock their impotence. Shadow bit his lip so hard that blood trickled down his chin, but he paid it no mind. He knew all too well how terrifying the sudden power spike of a skeleton would be after completing the evolution of the soul fire. Even with Landis’s help, they might barely manage to hold their own, but reclaiming the fire was now impossible.

He had sacrificed everything, returning to this world with the help of a divine artifact, driven by the regret of their past failure. He had strived to make Li Ren stronger, to ensure no one would harbor regrets again. He had been elated by the early emergence of Luoyun City, thrilled by Li Ren’s growth, and delighted by the influx of powerful allies and the acquisition of Yuxiao City.

Yet, here they were, facing a catastrophe they were utterly unprepared for. They did not yet know that the Skeleton King had only acquired half of Li Ren’s soul fire. Looking at the now-fused King, Shadow felt a soul-crushing bitterness.

It meant that all his efforts, all the sacrifices he made to return to this world, had been for nothing. Everything was anchored to Li Ren, and now, due to his own negligence, Li Ren had truly "died."

Shadow stood frozen, staring blankly at the Skeleton King, unable to process the reality before him.