Chapter 81: Apprentice of Creation

"System hidden quest trigger condition met. Hidden title acquired: Apprentice of Creation. Quest received: Uncover the Secret of the Violet Gold Clan."

Apprentice of Creation: Allows arbitrary combination of skeleton forms below level 100, with a success rate of 30%. Failure results in the disappearance of the original species.

Secret of the Violet Gold Clan: Bones of violet-gold hue contain unimaginable power. Legend tells that when the gods fell and blood burned the earth, those who possessed violet-gold inherited the power of the gods themselves! Head to the Land of Bones to seek the origin of the Violet Gold Clan.

Li Ren stared at the system message, momentarily stunned. He had inexplicably gained a new title and a quest. Yet, when he examined the title’s effect, inspiration suddenly struck, and a smile played across his lips.

“This thing is extremely useful!” he thought, a mixture of wonder and satisfaction in his heart. He didn’t speak aloud the specifics, but the joy on his face betrayed that it was certainly no trivial matter.

As for the quest, it offered almost no clues—just a mention of the Land of Bones, with no clear reward. He decided not to dwell on it for now; dealing with his current time-limited quest was far more pressing.

At present, Li Ren stood with an enormous fist, the size of a washbasin, on his left hand. The skeleton horde could no longer disguise his peculiar state. After equipping this item, he gained a new skill: Voodoo Explosive Fist.

The name alone sounded formidable, though he was unsure how it would perform.

So, instead of lingering at the back, he charged straight to the front of the skeleton horde, raising his bizarre violet-gold fist. With a furious roar, he gathered every ounce of his strength, eager to see what this new skill could truly do.

He swung his fist. A surge of power erupted, sending a ripple of violet energy through the air—a visible wave that spread swiftly forward.

Following the ripple, a massive phantom fist surged forth.

“Damn it! This is outrageous!” Li Ren’s voice echoed behind the fist.

He found himself propelled forward by the force of his punch, like an arrow loosed from its bow—though this arrow appeared none too willing.

In short, Li Ren flew ahead, causing untold devastation along his path. Waves of violet energy swept forward, coloring everything in their wake. Every player struck by the violet surge was instantly slain, their bodies dissolving into scattered equipment.

With a resounding crash, Li Ren finally halted. His massive fist remained embedded in a sturdy wall within the Celestial City. All the players who witnessed this incredible scene were struck silent.

Li Ren alone was left with his fist lodged in the wall, truly caught in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat.

If the crowd regained their senses, each unleashing a skill upon him, he would surely be finished.

He struggled to free his fist. Fortunately, the players were still stunned by what they had just witnessed; none dared attack directly. His skeleton minions soon caught up, causing a stir among the players—those at the front began to retreat. They knew they lacked the strength to block Li Ren’s advance, and none would willingly risk losing experience or equipment for a futile death.

Yet, Li Ren knew his luck would not last. Just as he finally freed his fist, two blade-wielding guards arrived. Their armor gleamed, and the enormous curved blades in their hands shimmered with cold light, making Li Ren’s heart tremble.

These were the Blade Guards! Fiercely powerful, capable of teleporting when they attacked!

Damn it!

Li Ren cursed inwardly, though there was nothing he could do.

He had anticipated this situation, even worse ones—such as two Blade Guards joined by at least two Archer Guards nearby.

With a sharp whistle, an arrow struck one of his minions in the head, instantly reducing it to dust under its mighty force.

Oh hell!

“All I did was imagine it, and now you really send Archer Guards against me?!” Li Ren groaned inwardly. How was he supposed to fight this?

The Blade Guards teleported in for melee, while the Archer Guards perched atop rooftops for ranged attacks. No matter which he targeted first, he would face a coordinated assault from the others—a truly miserable predicament.

Luckily, he still had plenty of souls; a hundred minions were enough to hold the line. Meanwhile, the players began stirring once more. With NPCs now “holding off” the terrifying Li Ren, they were less afraid of dying; soon, a barrage of magic would likely rain down upon him.

“This must not happen!” he thought urgently.

Li Ren spread out his hundred minions, sending them in a circular sweep through the player ranks. By pushing the players beyond their spellcasting range, he could achieve his immediate goal.

Thus, the battle between skeleton minions and human players erupted first.

A sudden twang caught Li Ren’s attention—an Archer had already targeted him, the arrow whistling through the air with piercing cries. Meanwhile, one of the Blade Guards’ figures blurred, signaling an imminent attack—teleportation!

At that moment, Li Ren became utterly calm, casting aside all distractions. His focus narrowed to the speeding arrow and the flickering blade about to appear. Teleportation caused spatial ripples, and for that reason, he did not despair facing the Blade Guard’s attack.

After all, he too could teleport. His understanding was deep; he had often used it to travel, so he was intimately familiar with its workings.

Li Ren instantly ducked, lowered his head, and rolled sideways—the arrow nearly grazed his skull. Not his scalp, for he had none, but his bare skull. In that awkward movement, the space before him vibrated violently, and a slash of blade light descended like a bolt from the blue.

Without so much as a glance, the soul flames in Li Ren’s eyes flickered with brief joy, then froze into icy resolve.

As the blade light struck, he vanished from his spot.

Blink!

At that same moment, behind the Blade Guard who had not yet attacked, Li Ren’s shadow appeared, exploiting the blind spot in the guard’s vision and taking into account the Archer’s firing angle. With this sudden appearance, he needed only to deal with the one unsuspecting opponent before him.

And that opponent remained oblivious.