Chapter 161: Resurrection

As Pang Ding’s voice rang out, the singing abruptly ceased. A short distance away, a figure hiding behind a tree peeked in their direction.

"Sylvie?"

Luo Yong recognized the figure; it was the same one he had previously seen near Roger's camp.

Her class was that of a Soul Singer, and the singing they had just heard had come from her.

Judging by the magical fluctuations radiating from her at this moment, it hadn't been long since they last parted ways, yet she had already reached Level 8.

However, the Magic Swordsman Geya was nowhere to be seen by her side.

At this realization, a sudden sense of foreboding welled up in Luo Yong's heart.

"Surely not..."

"What, what is it? Do you know her again? Why is it that wherever we go, you run into young girls you know?" Pang Ding muttered under his breath, poking fun.

"I only know a handful of people in total, and you've managed to run into every single one of them!" Luo Yong retorted.

"Who are you?"

Hiding behind the tree and looking at the two figures who had suddenly appeared, Sylvie couldn't help trembling slightly.

Clutched in her hand was a slender sword.

It was the very blade that Geya used to use.

"Oh?"

Pang Ding didn't feel any particular affinity for the person, but the sight of the sword filled him with a sense of familiarity, as it was of the exact same style as the one he used.

Only, Pang Ding's sword was custom-made.

While the one in Sylvie's hand was entirely ordinary.

"I am..."

Luo Yong paused, pondered for a moment, and said, "A mercenary from the Goge camp."

"A mercenary?" Only then did Sylvie lower her sword, though her expression remained tense. Her young face taut, she wiped away the tears on her cheek, pointed in a certain direction, and said, "The camp is over that way."

With that, she offered a slight nod before hurriedly walking away, her figure gradually vanishing into the dense forest.

"She's already gone, still staring?" Pang Ding tugged at Luo Yong and said, "That gentlemanly routine of yours doesn't work on young girls anymore!"

"Look at you delivering such sharp commentary, you must have taken specialized courses in it back at the academy!" Luo Yong remarked.

"So after all that, the magic circle leads here..." Pang Ding looked around and observed, "It must be an ancient teleportation array; otherwise, I wouldn't have failed to recognize it."

"Excuses." Luo Yong began to walk in the direction of Roger's camp. As he moved, the aura around him slowly shifted; the long spear on his back transformed into a long sword, now belted at his waist.

His class transformed into that of a Wind Whisperer, and winds of magic rippled around him from time to time.

"Hey! Not bad at all, I could tell you were no ordinary person from the start!" Pang Ding silently observed all of this, watching as Luo Yong's cloak changed its pattern and color, and asked, "Old Luo, what is your true class anyway?"

"Take a guess, you'll never figure it out," Luo Yong said indifferently.

"Bah! Why would I waste time guessing if I can't figure it out?!" Pang Ding shot him a sideways glance and asked grumpily, "Where are we going now?"

"Roger's camp. There's an astrologer there; we're going to find some clues from her," Luo Yong said.

"An astrologer... Hera?" Pang Ding asked in surprise.

"You know her too?"

"Nonsense, the entire Blood Moon Continent knows her!"

"Then stop chattering and let's go."

The two moved forward briskly, forgoing teleportation scrolls as they began to feel the strange, altered atmosphere near the camp.

"It's strange. Something seems to have happened here."

Along the way, they encountered very few human heroes. Even the occasional one out completing a quest was moving in rushed haste.

It was as if a mournful song lingered endlessly across the wilderness, echoing through the dense forests and reverberating among the mountains...

At Roger's camp, the two wandered around several times without catching a glimpse of the astrologer Hera. After asking around, they heard that she hadn't shown her face for quite a long time.

"Could something have happened in that place?" Luo Yong muttered to himself.

"What place?" Pang Ding asked.

"It's..." Luo Yong recounted the time he had secretly followed Hera before.

"Good grief, I really never would've guessed. You may not be all that powerful, but you've certainly got nerve, daring to do anything!" Pang Ding sighed.

"Tsk—" Luo Yong scoffed at the remark.

As they strolled through the quest hall, Luo Yong faintly overheard people discussing topics such as "Resurrection," "A maiden abducted by monsters," and "Death sacrifice." He drew closer and listened intently for a moment.

"...The astrologer Hera left a prophecy: only one who has studied necromancy yet remains uncorrupted by the darkness can possibly save the maiden!"

Amidst the crowd, an old man with a white beard and hair was recounting events that had transpired half a month ago.

A demon had broken through the seal, deceiving the human heroes guarding the area, and slipped near the camp to abduct a young maiden who was in the midst of carrying out a quest.

It intended to sacrifice her to complete an evil ritual, thereby destroying the altar, completely shattering the seal, and returning to plague the mortal realm!

"The Soul Singer sings for her, attempting to retain the maiden's wandering soul while awaiting the day of her return!" The old man waved his arms, chanting mystically as if he had become somewhat bewitched.

"It seems something really has gone wrong," Luo Yong frowned.

"Can you do it? Want to give it a try?" Pang Ding drifted over, whispering softly in Luo Yong's ear.

At this moment, Pang Ding had assumed the appearance of a talented young man, unconsciously exuding the aura of a powerhouse as he stood out prominently among the crowd.

"I'm not certain..." Luo Yong said.

"In matters like this, there has to be a first time," Pang Ding said in a deep, profound tone. His objective was blatantly obvious: he wanted Luo Yong to experiment on someone else first to see if his necromancy could actually resurrect the dead.

If it worked, and assuming a high success rate, he would then use it to resurrect Belinda.

If it didn't, they would simply have to think of another way.

He certainly knew how to crunch the numbers and plan ahead...

"Let's go."

Leaving the camp, the two set off toward the location of the demon mentioned by the old man.

According to the intelligence they had gathered, the demon that had broken through the seal was only a fragment of its true entity and had not fully emerged.

What it needed to do was find a way from the outside to break the seal and truly unleash itself.

"Has the astrologer Hera not come to reinforce the seal recently? Or has doing so lost its effect entirely? Why would the demon break through the seal?"

Walking along the road, Luo Yong muttered in puzzlement.

"That should do..." Pang Ding looked around, making sure no one was in the immediate vicinity, before pulling a rabbit out from behind his back and holding it out to Luo Yong.

"Did you just jab it to death?" Luo Yong felt that going to such lengths just to let him test the resurrection spell was—

"You can roast and eat it afterward, but to deliberately kill it just to run this kind of experiment is simply madness!"

"Stop blabbering and hurry up with the ritual while nobody's here!" Pang Ding tossed the rabbit directly onto the ground and stepped back.

"..."

Luo Yong rolled his eyes and let out a deep sigh. Magic surged around him as he shifted his class once more, leaking an aura of dark magic. His cloak and other equipment changed their appearance right along with it.

"Professional!" Pang Ding stood in the distance with wide eyes, offering a forced thumbs-up.

"Gecovida Cusopaha Koinoro..."

Luo Yong chanted the incantation with an expression of utmost solemnity. Embedded in the staff—which had transformed from his long sword—was a pitch-black gemstone surging with magical power. As he waved his hand, spell runes were carved directly into the empty air and melded into the magic circle.

Strange magic surged around Luo Yong, whipping his cloak into a frenzy of flapping sounds.

Beneath the rabbit, a profoundly arcane magic circle materialized, rotating slowly as if turning the gates of reincarnation.

Countless runes flickered, showering down upon the rabbit...

Thud!

Swish!

The rabbit suddenly leaped up and bolted forward, giving no one a chance to react as it quickly plunged into the brush and vanished from sight.

As for Luo Yong's side, the radiance dissipated, returning to absolute calm as if nothing had happened at all.

"I've heard that a necromancer's resurrection spell was originally created to bring back important people, friends, and family. Yet, over time, it gradually evolved into their most crucial combat tool—resurrecting slain enemies or monsters to drive them to fight on their behalf..." Pang Ding drifted over again, speaking with a lingering eeriness at Luo Yong's side.

"So? What's your point?" Luo Yong narrowed his eyes, staring at him expressionlessly, and asked, "What game are you trying to play now?"

"After Belinda is resurrected, she won't turn out like that, right? Won't turn into a puppet under your control?" Pang Ding asked with an unkind expression, a sharp glint in his small eyes.

"So, are you going to resurrect her or not?" Luo Yong countered.

"How about... we go look for the items you need first? Once we've gathered everything, we can resurrect your lover first, and then come help me resurrect Belinda," Pang Ding suggested.

"This concerns life and death, so I won't joke with you. Everything you just described is entirely possible." Luo Yong put away his staff and walked forward. "Unless one possesses divine power or holds supreme authority capable of calling a true spirit back home, truly resurrecting the dead is impossible—even if they are brought back, they can only ever be puppets."

"I knew it!" Pang Ding let out a long sigh, which also sounded somewhat like a heavy breath of relief. He shook his head, hurried to catch up, and said with a hint of discouragement, "You still have thirty years, but as for me, I don't even know if I can accomplish this in my lifetime!"

"Legend has it that there is a Necronomicon, the supreme sacred artifact of the undead lineage, which holds dominion over all undead beings in the world and grants supreme authority. With it, you can..." Luo Yong said indifferently.

"I know, but where are we supposed to find that thing now?" Pang Ding cast a strange look at Luo Yong, wondering just what kind of existence the man was trying to revive that required so many peerless treasures. It felt as though gathering them all could save the entire world.

"I have it."

"You have what? You have the confidence to gather everything within thirty years?"

"The Necronomicon is in my hands."

"What?!"