Chapter 236: Undead Gathering
The zombie before Cang Xu was actually Ku Feng!
The silver level loner, the wandering ronin Ku Feng.
He once joined with Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps ships to hunt ocean beasts and had had a prominent battle performance during the battle for Two Eyes Island.
Cang Xu’s gaze shrank, finding it hard to believe, “I didn’t expect that you were an undead ronin?”
Ku Feng also sized up Cang Xu.
He didn’t recognize Cang Xu as the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps’ magician Lao Zhong, but he had been there when Cang Xu had revealed himself and fought Long Fu and the others during the battle of Two Eyes Island.
Therefore, Cang Xu being a necromancer was expected.
At the time, when Qing Xin had followed Cang Xu in retreating, Ku Feng had been observing it all.
Thus, Qing Xin and Cang Xu coming together onto the island was within Ku Feng’s expectations.
Qing Xin observed Ku Feng as a stranger, she had been a slave on Two Eyes Island and had no freedom.
At that moment, Qing Xin opened her mouth and made known their purpose in coming, “We are both Wisteria Merchant Alliance elders, come to participate in the undead gathering.”
Ku Feng nodded, “Follow me.”
It seemed the undead gathering didn’t investigate its participants stringently, Cang Xu and Qing Xin glanced at each other, then followed Ku Feng onto the island.
After the three followed a thin trail, they arrived at a cliff.
Ku Feng jumped off the cliff and dropped into the ocean.
Qing Xin used wind path magic to help her and Cang Xu slowly descend.
As it turns out, there was a cave under the cliff.
The cave was pitch black.
Ku Feng entered first, followed by Qing Xin and Cang Xu who were slowly going in warily.
The cave did not narrow, rather it widened up considerably.
It was half seawater, half damp rock.
The ocean rock naturally formed an exceptionally level reef that one or two ships could berth easily at.
In the deepest part of the cave, pressed close to the rock wall, was an ash gray tombstone.
The tombstone was made from countless bones, skulls, and joined limbs, it was three meters tall and emitted a silver level aura.
Cang Xu slowed his steps, “Could that be a Eulogy Tombstone?”
Ku Feng nodded, “That’s right.”
The necromancy sect had three aspects, the bone, soul, and corpse aspects.
The Eulogy Tombstone was a bone magician artifact; its main purpose was teleportation between tombstones.
Seeing this tombstone, Cang Xu knew that there had to be a bone aspect cultivator in this undead gathering.
“Wait for a bit, you are the first to arrive.” Said Ku Feng.
Cang Xu’s thoughts moved as he pondered Ku Feng’s words.
Ku Feng saying they were the first to arrive was a bit strange.
Because it was very obvious that Ku Feng had arrived here earlier than them.
“Ku Feng’s tone, it seems he is the master of this place.”
“Ku Feng, Weeping Pine Island…the two seem to have a hidden connection.”
“How did he come to this place?”
“I steered the Iron Lump away just as the battle for Two Eyes Island finished.”
“Ku Feng was still on the island.”
“It is possible that there is a Eulogy Tombstone hidden either on Two Eyes Island or a nearby uninhabited island.”
As Cang Xu was guessing, the tombstone suddenly burst open with a gray light.
Space fluctuated intensely.
After a few seconds, space abruptly became still.
A ghost appeared beneath the tombstone.
She was a fishman ghost, 1.5 meters tall, and had a 2 meter long bone magic staff.
It was clear she was a necromancer who had used the tombstone to teleport here.
The fishman ghost first greeted Ku Feng, then looked at Cang Xu and Qing Xin, she was just about to speak when the seawater suddenly churned.
A moment later, the seawater swelled into a billow.
In the wave came out an iron level three headed sea serpent.
The sea snake was not a normal living thing, rather it was undead, its body was rotting flesh and in some places, dim white bones were exposed.
The three headed sea serpent had a seat on its back.
In the spacious seat was a small human skeleton.
One could tell at a glance at the small human skeleton was a child.
His head was very big, he had a deep blue brocade cloak draped over his shoulders, and on his head he wore a diamond crown.
“I’m here.”
“Ah, newcomers!”
The small skeleton’s eye sockets ignited with hidden fire as he shouted with excitement.
Ku Feng introduced them to Cang Xu and Qing Xin, “This is the ghost magician Qi Ling, that is the skeleton magician Xiao Wang Zi, that is his mount Xiao San.”
Qi Ling and Xiao Wang Zi both showed magician etiquette.
The sinister and rotten three headed sea serpent slightly bowed its head, politely expressing its greeting.
Cang Xu and Qing Xin glanced at each other, sending back their own greetings according to their history and status.
Hearing that they were Wisteria Merchant Alliance people, Qi Ling and Xiao Wang Zi grew warmer.
Xiao Wang Zi said, “When I made this tombstone, the Wisteria Merchant Alliance subsidized much of its materials.”
As it turns out, he was the Eulogy Tombstone’s creator.
“We’ll wait for one more Lordship, then we can begin.” Said Ku Feng.
“Lord?” Upon hearing that honorific, Cang Xu’s eyes tightened.
Whether it was Ku Feng, Qi Ling, or the skeleton magician Xiao Wang Zi, they were all silver levels.
Ku Feng stating someone was “Lord” meant they were at least gold level.
By contrast, Cang Xu was only disguised as a silver level, and although Qing Xin was a real silver, she greatly lacked equipment and could only display a finite amount of military power.
Everyone waited for some time but heard nothing.
Cang Xu probed with a question, “How long should we wait?”
“Based on the time, his Lordship will be here soon.” Qi Ling replied.
“Please pardon my rudeness, this is the first time I’ve attended this gathering. I’m just asking that if his Lordship hasn’t arrived, will we be waiting forever?” Cang Xu continued to ask.
“Not at all.” Ku Feng answered Cang Xu’s question this time, “If too much time passes, then that will prove his Lordship won’t be coming. We won’t keep waiting, and instead convene the gathering immediately, furthermore, the time and place of following gatherings will be changed.”
Cang Xu couldn’t help but sink into silence, hearing the unspoken implications.
All necromancers were in dire circumstances.
If someone didn’t appear at the arranged time, then it was very likely something unexpected appeared.
And this unexpected thing was liable to bring disaster to the gathering and endanger the other necromancers.
Therefore, they had to instantly convene the gathering, finish it as soon as possible, and then greatly alter the next gathering.
“Hey newcomer, be patient!” The skeleton magician yelled, “Just wait a bit more, it is nothing, his Lordship is very strong.”
Qi Ling agreed, “If his Lordship doesn’t come, most of our earnings this gathering will be gone. I would rather take some risks and keep waiting.”
Cang Xu nodded and didn’t say anything else.
Although he himself was weak, he still had comrades to support him outside the island.
If there really was danger, then he’d only need to hold fast for a time before help arrived.
The cave was still, as the group continued to wait in silence.
After another dozen minutes, the tombstone suddenly lit up.
After space subsided, a tall black gowned magician appeared before everyone.
“Lord Jian Gui!” Ku Feng, Xiao Wang Zi, and Qi Ling all greeting him.
Cang Xu and Qing Xin also rushed to bow before him.
This black gowned magician wore a hood and had vague humanoid features. He emitted a gold level magician aura, revealing that his strength conformed to Cang Xu’s conjecture.
“Ah ha ha.” The sinister black gown magician let out a deep laughter.
He looked around, and nodded to Ku Feng and the others, “Long time no see, little wind, little fish, little child, oh and also you Xiao San.
He extended an inhumanly white palm and waved at the three headed sea serpent.
The three headed sea serpent had been lying on the reef. It lifted a head and howled in anguish as a response.
“This time, there are two new faces.” The black gown magician Jian Gui gazed at Cang Xu and Qing Xin.
Faced with a gold level, Cang Xu was under pressure, but he maintained his serenity, “Although this is our first time attending the gathering, we are all old friends.”
Xiao Wang Zi interjected, energetically introducing them to the black gown necromancer Jian Gui, “They are from the Wisteria Merchant Alliance, both elders.”
“Oh? Is that so, did you test their secret orders?” Jian Gui asked.
Ku Feng replied, “Not yet. I thought it would be better to wait so you could bear witness to it.
Jian Gui nodded.
Ku Feng walked to a rock wall and poured battle qi into it, causing a hidden rock door to slowly open up, exposing a storehouse.
He took out a large alchemy device from it.
Qing Xin immediately recognized it, it was an old version of an authentication device, the current Wisteria Merchant Alliance already had a new version in all locations. The new version was smaller and more accurate than the old one.
Ku Feng moved the alchemy device to Cang Xu.
Cang Xu took out a Wisteria secret order.
He inserted it into the alchemy device, and it was verified as authentic.
Jian Gui looked at Qing Xin.
Qing Xin explained, “I am in an unusual circumstance, I don’t have a Wisteria secret order on me. My companion can testify for me, and perhaps ronin Ku Feng can too.”
Ku Feng nodded, “She was a slave at the auction, her companion rescued her.”
He had also been at the auction, and had personally seen room 21 buy the blood mother and child, along with the other slaves at a high price, Qing Xin was among them.
From his point of view, he naturally understood that this was a clandestine rescue mission.
“Welcome you two.” He indicated to Cang Xu to take back his secret order.
He raised his head to look at the rock wall, and used a rueful tone, “Back when I first contacted the Wisteria Merchant Alliance, I was still a mere silver level.”
“We necromancy cultivators really are challenged.”
“It is a hundred times harder to acquire alchemy materials than other magicians.”
“I have to say, when it comes to obtaining resources, the Wisteria Merchant Alliance really helped me in that.”
“Regretfully, the Wisteria Merchant Alliance nowadays is no longer its former self.”
“It has already been partitioned by every great Sheng Ming Empire power, and barely one percent of what it once was remains.”
“Not only that, but the empire’s Blood Light Punishment Institution also used Wisteria Merchant Alliance channels to arrest and kill many necromancers.”
When he said that, Jian Gui looked deeply towards Cang Xu and Qing Xin.
The mood inside the cave couldn’t help but grow tense.