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墨書 Inktalez
Cui Ming had discussed this matter with the Crow, who mentioned that his good fortune was not merely coincidental. The key point of the strategy lay in first understanding the essence of one's abilities before refining them through the Six Elements. The Crow had initially grasped the essence of animal abilities and discovered a force within himself. Living on a farm, he used this power to command the wild crows around him. This connection led to his abilities being closely tied to crows. Although the Crow was meant to become a wild man, the former leader of the Fire Sect was no ordinary person; the Crow did not elaborate on who exactly he was. He only stated that it was the former leader who saved him and provided significant benefits, allowing his cultivation to advance rapidly, thus earning him the title of the greatest master.
Just as Cui Ming's initial ability was represented by cards, both Fate Card and Card Play took on card shapes.
The Lich, through his own research, guided Cui Ming in discovering a method of fortune-telling within his abilities, which pleased him greatly. However, he did not anticipate that Cui Ming would be stuck at this stage for five years without any progress. This led the Lich to believe that Cui Ming was indeed a waste of potential. Later, when the Lich noticed Cui Ming's breakthrough, he sent someone to find a professor who had a keen interest in strategy. Subsequently, they pursued Cui Ming, who managed to escape and defeated the Warden and his group in the desert.
When Cui Ming reappeared, the Lich was astonished by how rapidly his strength had grown; this excited him immensely. He hoped that each generation of Liches would be stronger than the last, believing that eventually one would break free from the curse of Death God's True Origin Power.
The Lich's teaching method for Cui Ming regarding fortune-telling was not incorrect; he bypassed the Six Elements and directly taught Cui Ming how to tell fortunes without caring for his well-being. Unbeknownst to the Lich, for Cui Ming to achieve his unique abilities in strategy, he needed to first learn fortune-telling and then return to comprehend the Six Elements—much like planting seeds before tilling soil—contrary to conventional cultivation methods.
This insight was precisely what the Lich needed. It was simple enough to state in one sentence, but discovering it was no easy task. With only one son left and limited time to spend with him as he grew up, he could not afford any risks.
The Warden explained the situation regarding Shadow Island. Currently, the Lich had already implanted True Origin Power into his daughter while also transferring some power to her. The Lich was slowly aging while his daughter's strength gradually increased. However, since she did not engage in regular Force training, her growth rate was very slow; thus, the Lich's aging process was also slow. At present, he remained at peak strength—if rated as ten, he stood at seven while his daughter was at three.
Cui Ming asked, "So what exactly should we do?"
The Warden replied, "Once your daughter and the Lich reach an equal level of power, everything will become irreversible; she will become the new contractor of death."
"Can she pass her powers on to the Lich's son?" Cui Ming inquired.
"Who told you that?" The Warden paused in surprise. "No, it can only be passed down to her own children unless the Lich's child is born from him and his daughter... that's too disgusting and absolutely not possible."
These were mere speculations without any basis. Cui Ming believed the Warden without question and asked about a key point: "So if there is potential for a son now, how can we change that?"
"Warden said, 'Cui Ming, you have no preparations and know nothing. How can we achieve our goals?'
Cui Ming shrugged. 'I may lack information, but I do not lack a plan. The plan is already in place; I just need some details adjusted due to the unclear situation.'
Warden thought for a moment and continued, 'To ensure the son's inheritance, there is only one way: under the condition that the daughter is weaker, the son must kill her. Since the son also possesses True Origin Power, he will rapidly absorb the daughter's True Origin Power through the process of her death and energy loss. To put it simply, the Lich isn't dead yet, but with only a few years left to live and the son still too young—after all, Force growth takes time—he will borrow his daughter's body to catalyze her True Origin Power through her death and pass it on to him.'
Warden was a servant of Shadow Island, where people rarely had ulterior motives. He was well aware of the conversation between the Lich and his daughter. It wasn't as simple as just killing her with a knife; it required a Soul Stealing Scroll and a Death Hat to set up a magic circle. The characteristics of the Soul Stealing Scroll would allow the son to absorb energy, while the Death Hat would significantly enhance his power. The Lich would be the main caster, and only when his strength surpassed that of his daughter could this magic circle be activated.
Cui Ming asked, 'Why not discuss with his daughter and eliminate both the son and the Lich? Everyone would be happy.'
'No, no. That daughter is too filial. Have you heard of burying a child for their mother?' said the Lich. 'The Lich's daughter has reached such an extreme level of foolish filial piety.'
'Will the Lich die after transferring power to his son?'
'No. After transferring power from his daughter, the side effects of the death curse will greatly alleviate, and the Lich's life will actually be extended. A portion of the daughter's power will be absorbed by her son, while another part will be absorbed by the Lich. The son is currently five years old and too young to practice Six Elements cultivation; he only possesses True Origin Power. He will wait until he turns eight before beginning Six Elements training. Before that, he will kill his sister to obtain True Origin Power. His strength will gradually increase while the Lich's strength diminishes until his death. By the time he is fifteen, he should completely inherit the Lich's power.'
'Wow, that's ruthless,' Cui Ming remarked about a fifteen-year-old Demigod.
'Indeed.'
Cui Ming pondered for a moment. 'So currently, it is the Lich's daughter who has signed a contract with Death?'
'Correct.'
"After your daughter died, the one who signed the contract with Death is the son of the Lich?"
"Yes."
"If the son of the Lich dies, does that void the contract?"
"Yes, it must be passed down through Bloodline."
"So, does that mean the magical items, the Soul Stealing Scroll and the Death Hat, become unclaimed?"
The Warden looked at Cui Ming, who noticed the Warden's pupils dilate with a hint of excitement. Why be a servant? In the early years, it was due to the Lich's oath, but that had been lifted many years ago. Why not roam freely across the Three Continents and become a local tyrant? It was because of the allure of the Soul Stealing Scroll and the Death Hat that held such a strong pull on the Warden.
Cui Ming said, "I told Strategy a secret: Lich Set Up A Magic Circle. With the daughter dead and then the son dying... what will happen to Lich's power in that magic circle?" If he still existed against all odds, there would be no need to fight; it would be like seeking skin from a tiger. Even if he could destroy the Lich's lineage, Cui Ming did not want to play the hero.
The Warden lowered his head in thought for a while before looking up at Cui Ming. "The death of his daughter and the absorption by his son is a process. During this process, Lich must maintain the magic circle to complete the transformation. The Lich cannot engage in any other actions during this time; otherwise, his son will die."
You know this too? Hmph, I don't believe it. Cui Ming frowned. "But if Lich's power remains intact and his son dies, we won't survive either." He had already considered the Warden as an ally.
The Warden smirked. "He definitely won't kill you so quickly now; he trusts me greatly. When the time comes, I will be watching over you."
"And then?"
"And then when the magic circle activates, you kill his son," said the Warden. "He stops maintaining the magic circle; his son dies or watches as you kill him. You teleport away, and he chases you... Teleporting in any direction for ten miles, Lich won't catch up to you. With one teleportation, you could even leave Shadow Island."
This was problematic; there was a flaw—Shadow Island was Lich's territory. Any Force Creature entering Shadow Island would be detected by Lich, let alone Cui Ming's teleportation. But the Warden couldn't say this; otherwise, Cui Ming would definitely refuse to cooperate.
Cui Ming was well aware of the situation; he had Zhir and understood some of the abilities of these Demigods.
Warden already had his own plans. As long as Cui Ming acted, the Lich would pursue him, and with the Death Hat and Soul Stealing Scroll being unclaimed, along with the magic circle broken, he could easily take the treasures and leave. As for Cui Ming's life or death, it had nothing to do with him. It was a good plan—quite clever indeed. Warden observed Cui Ming, who believed that as long as he dealt with the Lich's son, everything would be fine since the Lich could not leave Shadow Island due to the contract curse tied to his True Origin Power. It was a well-calculated scheme; by cooperating with him, Warden could take the treasures without any benefit for the Lich in hiring powerful assassins to hunt down Cui Ming.
Cui Ming could discern truth from lies; he had his own thoughts. He asked, "Can we cooperate?"
Warden extended his hand. "Sure."
Cui Ming shook hands with Warden and then said, "Rabbit meat is truly quite good."
Warden looked at Cui Ming, who smiled back at him. After a long moment of contemplation, Warden mustered his courage and speared a piece of meat to swallow it down, feeling quite anxious inside.
Cui Ming was satisfied; Warden had successfully transformed from an accomplice into a principal actor. However, there were definitely issues at play. Originally, he intended to be the pawn; now Warden was willing to take that role. If Cui Ming's guess was correct, the Lich on Shadow Island could monitor any Force Creature's activities just like his Fate Card. This meant that killing the Lich's son and escaping would be nearly impossible.
This time, Cui Ming decided to play big. Playing big didn’t just mean raising the stakes—though that was a prerequisite—but also that Cui Ming himself wasn’t entirely confident; otherwise, it wouldn’t be playing big but rather leading someone into a trap. His plan was only half-formed; the other half would have to wait until they reached Shadow Island. The first step of this initial plan had already succeeded: Warden had joined forces.
What if Warden was wary of his teleportation and tricked him into going to the island? That was fine; if that were the case, Cui Ming would let Warden go first. He possessed a Fate Card that guaranteed his safety; once on Shadow Island, the Lich wouldn’t allow him to die immediately—at least not before his son achieved something significant. This was an advantage for Cui Ming, so he wasn’t afraid of Warden betraying him.
What was Strategy? It was defined by himself.
As for how to execute the specific plan, that would have to wait until they reached the island. The last time he faced pursuit from a skeleton head, it was his Fate Card that warned him about Shadow Island being a place where survival was nearly impossible. But this time would be different; Cui Ming had means of escape, allies, and deeper schemes in mind. Moreover, the power dynamics on Shadow Island had already shifted. At least when Warden appeared nearby, Cui Ming hadn’t detected any Skeleton Life Tokens. (To be continued.)
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