Chapter 429: Snake Shadow Ghost and Rat Eye Ghost

Zi Di's current soul crystals had fallen below twenty.

Since obtaining them for the first time, her supply had never been replenished.

In truth, she had no way to replenish them.

Each crystal used depleted her reserves, leaving her with less than twenty now.

The resources Zi Di had gathered for undead cultivation came almost entirely from Cang Xu.

Honestly, her rapid advancement to an iron level necromancer was largely thanks to him.

“To maintain this cultivation pace before my official resurrection, I must find new undead resources,” Zi Di frowned again, sinking into distress.

Gathering undead resources was no simple task.

Necromancers had always been in a precarious position, hunted by the entire world. Just finding reliable channels was incredibly difficult. Numerous factions secretly laid traps, spreading false information about black markets to lure necromancers into revealing themselves.

Zi Di currently had urgent matters to attend to and simply didn't have time for this.

“Acting under my current identity carries too great a risk. If exposed, the consequences for the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps would be catastrophic, consequences we cannot bear.”

“Therefore, I must still entrust this to Cang Xu.”

Zi Di sighed softly within.

She harbored deep trust and expectations for her comrades.

On one hand, this mindset had been forged by their arduous struggle for survival on Mystifying Monster Island. On the other, it stemmed from her merchant nature.

Merchants excelled at networking, leveraging connections to mobilize resources and generate profits.

'Just because I couldn't do something didn't mean others couldn't.'

'If others could, through cooperation, I too could benefit and transcend my own limitations.'

This was the mindset of a merchant.

It was precisely this mindset that led Zi Di to swiftly agree when the dragonman youngster had persuaded her to share the Bloodcore with others.

This decision stemmed not only from her deep affection for the youngster but also from her own understanding and values.

Zi Di began meditating, gathering magic power to fill her expanded magic pool after the upgrade.

Though magicians could harness external elemental energy, their own magic pool also had to be replenished. It was like a merchant's capital, the larger the principal, the more leverage they gained.

"Compared to bronze level, my iron level undead magic power has expanded over twofold. It's even twice as large as my fire-element magic pool in life, and my spirit has grown stronger too," Zi Di silently compared.

This was a unique cultivation experience one most magicians would never possess.

“But compared to my bloodline-purified body, my current meditation efficiency still falls far short!”

The gap was quite evident.

Zi Di's bloodline had been purified to 100% purity, matching Lan Zao's extreme refinement. Unlike Lan Zao, however, her Gunpowder Flower bloodline was gold level, surpassing the silver level Fish Bladder bloodline.

Originally, Zi Di had planned to create a passive meditation environment to continuously elevate her body's magician level.

Unfortunately, an unexpected incident occurred with Lan Zao, forcing the dragonman youngster to control the Deep Sea Monster Fish to pursue him, and taking her body with him.

Before parting, both had considered having Zi Di take her body on the journey to the Ice Sculpture Capital.

But after thorough deliberation, they both deemed the risk too great. If discovered, the truth about Zi Di's undead identity would be exposed. If danger struck along the way and her body was destroyed, the consequences would be even worse.

Judging by the ambush in the Cold Wind Valley, the dragonman youngster and Zi Di's concerns were justified.

They had made the right choice, leaving Zi Di's body safely aboard the Deep Sea Monster Fish.

Through the Soul Send Spell, Zi Di could control her body, though this wasn't true resurrection. Meditation remained difficult, plagued by numerous interferences. Even so, the efficiency of meditation in this state far surpassed her current capabilities.

The gold level bloodline was truly exceptional!

Having experienced it, Zi Di found it unforgettable.

“My current ghost life form likely caps out at iron level.” With more experience, Zi Di could now make a fairly accurate assessment.

Generally speaking, transforming a normal life into an undead ghost didn't necessarily mean an increase in aptitude.

Cang Xu was an exception because he was selected by the soul aspect inheritance hidden within the oil painting. He had been tested and found to possess the aptitude for cultivating necromancy magic.

Zi Di hadn't directly accessed the undead inheritance, but her own dual cultivation achievements proved she was qualified to practice necromancy.

Yet, through practice, Zi Di grew increasingly aware: her aptitude for this path was also limited.

Zi Di wasn't disheartened. In fact, she felt content.

It was precisely this aptitude that saved her from complete death on Mystifying Monster Island. Though now transformed into undead life, a sliver of hope for resurrection remained.

“Besides, my undead aptitude isn't without room for improvement.”

"Once I find the answer, and discover the nature of my undead bloodline, then purify it, as long as my current bloodline concentration isn't 100%, there's potential for growth."

Zi Di could test bloodlines with potions, but her methods were limited to living beings, undead were beyond her expertise.

Cang Xu shared all the undead inheritance he'd acquired from Weeping Pine Island.

Yet these teachings were either foundational or elementary, lacking any bloodline knowledge.

The undead school had developed spells capable of directly detecting undead bloodlines and cultivation aptitude, but such spells were recorded in intermediate undead inheritances. Cang Xu hadn't even managed to obtain them from Jian Gui yet.

Zi Di's meditation efficiency was low.

Partly due to bloodline limitations, partly due to a lack of negative energy.

Typically, suitable locations for necromancers to cultivate are graveyards, mass burial grounds, ancient battlefields, and the like.

Yet she now found herself in the very heart of Blood Kin City.

Fortunately, she still possessed undead resources that could supply negative energy.

This approach was actually quite wasteful. These undead resources could easily serve as alchemy materials or similar uses. Extracting the negative energy for meditation rendered these resources largely useless. Even if some residual value remained, it would be drastically diminished.

Moreover, to conceal the fluctuations of negative energy and prevent her secret from being exposed, Zi Di had to lay down a magic formation for camouflage.

She wasn't worried about her identity being revealed through necromancer cultivation.

Her primary confidence lay in the Deceptive Disguise spell.

To date, this spell had never failed her.

Still, it was a resource drain. The cost was incalculable - the Pearl Bubble was a god level material!

By the time Zi Di replenished her newly expanded magic pool, it was deep into the night.

Yet she felt alert and vibrant. As a ghost, she required no sleep. Only when her spirit reached utter exhaustion would she slip into slumber.

Zi Di summoned several ghosts and began modifying them.

From the undead inheritance obtained from Cang Xu, Zi Di specialized in cultivating the soul aspect.

The core content of the elementary soul aspect inheritance centered on necromancers modifying basic ghosts, enhancing them comprehensively or in specialized areas.

This formed the foundation for a necromancer to build an army single-handedly.

Zi Di modified only two types of ghosts: snake souls and rat souls.

Nearly all these ghosts originated from Snake Rat Island.

On Snake Rat Island, she obtained vast numbers of ghosts by slaying tide snakes and smelt rats.

Following the methods in the elementary undead inheritance, she was transforming snake ghosts into snake shadow ghosts and rat ghosts into rat eye ghosts.

Snake shadow ghosts could blend into shadows for concealment. They could covertly track targets, providing the necromancer with markings within a certain range.

Rat eye ghosts enhance reconnaissance capabilities.

“Reaching iron level has significantly boosted my soul-altering abilities.”

The effects of leveling up were immediate and palpable.

Soon, Zi Di's magic power reserves were depleted.

She meditated once more, drawing negative energy from the undead materials.

Once again, her reserves were quickly exhausted.

After several rounds, the undead materials were heavily depleted, but she gained over twenty iron level modified ghosts.

“Thankfully, modifying ghosts is necromancy, not alchemy.” Zi Di exhaled a cloud of stale breath.

After hesitating, she decided to activate Deceptive Disguise Formation.

She retrieved the formation diagram panels and swiftly assembled them.

She had practiced this step extensively beforehand, preparing for future emergencies that might require immediate adjustments to Deceptive Disguise spell's actual effects.

Compared to the Bloodline Purification Formation, constructing the Deceptive Disguise Formation was less complex. Back then, Zi Di and Cang Xu had completed the first such formation.

Once the portable formation diagram panels became available, Zi Di immediately began secretly assembling a second Deceptive Disguise Formation.

This too was a precaution against unforeseen circumstances.

If the primary Deceptive Disguise Formation were to fail, leaving survivors without a functioning one when urgently needed, the consequences would be dire.

The ordeal on Mystifying Monster Island had profoundly altered the survivors' approach to action. Those who had survived now sought the utmost preparedness. Only through such thoroughness could they maintain a higher margin for error in this perilous environment and secure greater chances of survival.

After successfully activating the formation, Zi Di gradually channeled all the snake shadow ghosts and rat eye ghosts into it.

Zi Di knew the truth, these modified ghosts remained unchanged. But she was certain the Deceptive Disguise spell had been successfully cast. To the unsuspecting, these ghosts appeared as nothing more than scouting puppets.

To minimize the consumption of pearl bubbles and extend the spell's duration, the modified ghosts were disguised to closely resemble snakes and rats.

"I must conserve when possible. After all, Pearl Bubbles are running low," Zi Di sighed inwardly.

Compared to soul crystals, pearl bubbles were an absolute necessity for survivors, holding immense significance.

Zi Di wouldn't skimp where it mattered.

Like now, casting the Deceptive Disguise spell on these modified ghosts was essential. Using them directly risked discovery and major trouble.

Now, with the Deceptive Disguise spell, Zi Di could deploy them with confidence.

Moreover, as undead belonged to a newly established magician faction, even these lowly iron level ghosts held promising reconnaissance potential.

Take her previous battle in Cold Wind Valley: when she deployed Lan Lu's ghost, enemies never suspected a necromancer's hand at work, mistaking it for a combat-type alchemy puppet.

"If I could modify Lan Lu, my combat strength would increase dramatically. Even facing Zong Ge, I'd have a chance in direct combat."

At this stage, Zi Di wasn't quite ready to attempt modifying Lan Lu.

This ghost had been a two headed ogre magician in life, possessing immense potential. After its successful soul summoning, its room for growth was considerable.

Zi Di had devised numerous modification plans for it, but such alterations typically required substantial time. At this stage, she still needed Lan Lu's combat strength, making the timing inopportune.

“However, I could emulate that light magician and deploy large numbers of alchemy puppets.”

Zi Di's own combat prowess, constrained by her magician level, was limited.

Truthfully, she held little interest in combat herself.

Posing as a silver level, she typically relied on superior gear or spell scrolls to unleash barrages of firepower during battles.

Her foundational skills were solid, a testament to her training at the academy. But when it came to innate combat talent or brilliant improvisation in the heat of battle? That was almost entirely absent.

Zi Di herself understood her true interests and where her genuine talents lay.

She wasn't particularly fixated on her own combat abilities.

The battle in Cold Wind Valley had offered her some enlightenment.

After all, an enemy was often the best teacher.

“Compared to a standard magician, I can now control more alchemy puppets.”

After employing soul crystals and casting the Burden Alleviation Spell and Karma Reduction Spell, Zi Di's mental strain had significantly lessened. Her recent promotion to iron level had triggered a qualitative leap through quantitative accumulation, substantially expanding both her magic pool capacity and mental endurance threshold.

“Moreover, ghosts inherently excel in spirit power prowess.”

This disparity stemmed from their differing life forms.

“Still, acquiring combat-type alchemy puppets will involve Snow Bird Harbor.”

“Purchasing them within Blood Kin City feels unsettling.”

After all, Zi Di and her companions encountered an ambush while en route to Blood Kin City. The enemy's true identity remained unknown.

“I'll draft the letter now and have it delivered first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Hopefully this batch of alchemy puppets can arrive alongside the first shipment.”

“May it arrive in time.”

Zi Di's communication method with the Snow Bird Harbor branch was simple and straightforward: relying on messengers to swiftly travel via teleportation formations.

Tripleblade received Zi Di's letter at dawn.

At that moment, he was discussing recent expenditure matters for the mercenary group's funds with Fei She.

He had already learned of the ambush by mysterious powerful foes that Zi Di, Zong Ge, and their group had encountered in the Cold Wind Valley. Zi Di's plan to acquire a large number of alchemy puppets to enhance their combat strength was a good thing.

Tripleblade saw no reason to object and fully agreed.

“President Zi Di has once again become an iron level magician, truly excellent news.”

"We should inform Magician Bu Quan shortly. She likely knows more about alchemy puppets than we do. Perhaps she can offer better advice on selecting the most suitable models for us to purchase." Tripleblade remarked.

Then he sighed again: "But this means our expenses will increase significantly. What are we to do?"

He looked at Fei She with a worried expression.

Fei She smiled at him: "My stance remains unchanged, Tripleblade. Our current investment situation is sound. There's no need to worry excessively."