Chapter 144: The Encounter

Lando spent three full days in the damp Bone Forest. The reason was simple: having subdued the Wraith Lord, it was only natural for its "home" to be relocated into his Mindscape. Upon the Wraith Lord's earnest pleading—and its emphasis that the pile of bones it inhabited consisted of rare, high-value necromantic materials—Lando readily agreed to the suggestion of moving the bone pile into his Mindscape.

Upon approaching those bones, he was surprised to discover a significant number of extractable souls hidden within. When he had ambushed the Wraith Lord earlier, he had only extended his Mindscape from a distance to set the trap; he hadn't expected such an unexpected windfall. After carefully questioning the Wraith Lord, he learned that many similar bone deposits were scattered throughout the swamps of the damp Bone Forest.

Lando remarked immediately that the situation was too small-minded; a dignified Wraith Lord deserved a grander residence. As a legendary powerhouse, it ought to live in a mansion. He promptly dispatched various undead creatures from his Mindscape to assist the Wraith Lord in excavating every single bone from the damp Bone Forest.

Wraith Lord: ?! (Black guy question mark.jpg)

Three days later, with the Wraith Lord leading the effort and the undead creatures working in unison, the damp Bone Forest had been thoroughly cleared of bones. The former got its wish—a "three-courtyard mansion"—and Lando "incidentally" extracted a vast batch of souls. It was a win-win for everyone.

The mud-covered undead creatures: ...

Leaving the damp Bone Forest behind, the very air felt fresher, which lifted Lando’s spirits even further.

Unfortunately, the age-old, unbreakable truth is that good moods are always subject to interruption. Two figures—one chasing, one fleeing—suddenly appeared in the distance and closed in on him at high speed. Before Lando could even let a question mark float over his head, a wave of blood-colored radiance engulfed him. That was... a necromantic curse!

...

Let us rewind time slightly.

Sultan looked at the figure ahead, who was fleeing with desperate effort despite suffering fatal wounds. Instead of showing any shred of appreciation, he was consumed by rage. The reason was a palm-sized white jade skull in his hand, which had now crumbled into fragments.

This was his most important life-saving treasure; he had never expected it to be destroyed in a mission he had deemed a sure success. Recalling how he had mocked those three Level 9 powerhouses upon leaving Brock for failing to capture a mere slave, he finally understood the subtle, mocking glares they had cast his way.

This only fueled his anger further. He was furious at the three for not explaining the situation to him—though he knew he would have only mocked them more at the time, their silence was still a fault. He was also furious that this detestable slave leader dared to refuse to die quietly, choosing instead to ambush and counterattack, which had led to his own carelessness and heavy losses.

Fueled by uncontrollable rage, Sultan no longer cared about the mission. He only wanted to tear the runaway before him into shreds to soothe his fury.

The chase continued at high speed, quickly leaving the safety zone and entering the wilderness. Luo Xiaohu hadn't expected his pursuer to be so tenacious. His desperate, lethal strike had failed to kill the man or even leave him seriously wounded. Now, covered in the enemy's curses, he wondered if he could even survive if he stopped to treat himself—let alone the fact that his pursuer showed no sign of letting him go, clearly intending to cut him down at any cost.

Suddenly, a young man appeared ahead. Luo Xiaohu felt a jolt of alarm; his hands were already stained with blood-red aura, but he immediately reined it in and slightly adjusted his trajectory. It wasn't out of a sudden surge of kindness, but because he saw the youth looking dazed and slow to react. Since the lad had no intention of blocking him, he didn't want to waste his remaining strength on an unnecessary attack. He was already at the end of his tether; every bit of energy mattered.

Just as Luo Xiaohu was about to brush past the youth, a wave of blood-colored radiance descended, enveloping the entire area.

"Damn it, I'm done for!" was the last thought that flashed through Luo Xiaohu's mind before he lost consciousness.

...

Sultan sensed that his curse had struck. Confident in his own strength, he slowed his pursuit and began to walk forward, contemplating how he would torture his prey.

Then, he saw that the youth, who had been caught in the blast radius, was standing there completely unharmed. It was only then that he noticed the youth looked somewhat familiar—he seemed to be one of the people traveling with him.

He didn't care much, viewing the boy as nothing more than a small ant. He decided that if the boy were sensible, he would let it slide, but if the lad dared to complain about being caught in the crossfire, he would kill him on the spot.

Lando looked speechlessly at the Level 9 Necromancer, who seemed to have a very dramatic internal monologue. He realized this was the man who had shared the luxurious carriage with him, though Lando still didn't even know his name.

With a casual wave of his hand, and amidst the man’s bewildered expression, a Lich materialized out of thin air. A black-and-red death ray, pulsating with terrifying energy, struck the man, instantly reducing him to nothingness.

This was the unique legendary-tier innate spell the Lich had awakened upon reaching the legendary rank—Finger of Death. It was capable of near-instant kills against most powerhouses below the legendary level, and could severely wound even existences of the same tier—provided, of course, that it landed.

Lando stared at the unconscious man before him. He found the world’s coincidences truly remarkable. He had felt a sense of familiarity when he first saw him, and when the man used that blood-red aura, Lando recognized him. This was the youth known by the codename "Tiger King," the very first opponent Lando’s Sentry Golem had faced in the Virtual World’s Battle Arena.

Lando nodded. The Lich understood and stepped forward to purge the curse from Luo Xiaohu’s body—a task not too difficult for a legendary-tier entity.

A moment later, the Lich ceased its efforts. The curse was largely cleared; the rest would depend on the youth’s own recovery.

Suddenly, Luo Xiaohu’s eyes darted rapidly beneath his lids. He snapped his eyes open and sprang up. Before his mind could register the situation, his body had already instinctively moved into a defensive stance. He had intended to continue the flight he was on before losing consciousness, but the sensation of immense danger forced him to switch to defense.

After a long moment, Luo Xiaohu finally cleared his head. He saw the youth he had glimpsed earlier looking at him with an amused expression. Looking around, the Necromancer who had been pursuing him was nowhere to be found.

Then, he spotted the Lich, and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"L-Legendary Undead?!"

Luo Xiaohu thought that was shocking enough, but what happened next made his jaw hit the floor.

Lando waved his hand, dismissing the Lich, and said to Luo Xiaohu with a smile: "Hello, Tiger King!"