Chapter 171: Ancient Magical Array

"Necromancer, do you realize that by blocking the subterranean river, you have caused countless deaths across the sea of sand?"

Hongsunaibu shouted at him in grief and indignation.

Upon hearing Hongsunaibu's words, the sandman soldiers immediately erupted into a clamor. All of them had relatives or friends who had perished due to war and starvation not long ago. Now, seeing the mastermind standing right before them, every single one of them burned with righteous fury.

Sun Licheng turned his head and said to Abner, "Grand Shaman, please go and soothe the soldiers. I will go and ask what is happening."

"Sun Licheng, don't go. I think that pale-faced corpse is no good," Caroline grabbed Sun Licheng's arm, staring at the necromancer in the sky and whispering.

Sun Licheng smiled and shook his head.

"I must go and ask. Just as His Majesty the God of Knowledge and Diplomacy said, the wheel of fate cannot be defied. Ever since I begged His Majesty for the ability to foresee the future, I have had to shoulder this responsibility."

With that, Sun Licheng pushed Caroline's hand away, urged his camel forward, and rode ahead.

With an angel backing them up, Sun Licheng had no fear of any tricks the other party might pull. Arriving not far from the necromancer, he shouted upward, "I am Sun Licheng, emissary of His Majesty the God of Knowledge and Diplomacy. In order to restore vitality to the sea of sand, I have come to clear the blockage of the subterranean river. Whatever lies ahead, nothing can stop us. It is still not too late for you to leave; if you remain stubbornly unrepentant, destruction will be your only end."

Hearing Sun Licheng's words, the necromancer froze in astonishment. He had not expected Sun Licheng and his group to be dispatched by a deity.

In this world, no one lightly dared to joke about deities. Moreover, the presence of over two thousand sandmen behind Sun Licheng served as undeniable proof that he was not lying.

"So you are an emissary of the God of Knowledge and Diplomacy. Please forgive my discourtesy."

Judging by his divine title, the God of Knowledge and Diplomacy was clearly not an evil deity. Not daring to be negligent, Balake quickly offered a salute.

Seeing the other party lower his posture, Sun Licheng returned the salute in accordance with protocol.

"Lord Emissary, this subterranean river must never be opened again, or the entire world will be in peril."

Sun Licheng had not expected that Balake, despite becoming polite, would remain so obstinate, using the exact same reason to bar his path.

"Then, Lord Balake, can you tell me why?"

Sun Licheng felt a twinge of curiosity. Although he was somewhat angry, he sensed that the necromancer before him was not a duplicitous schemer; perhaps there really was a hidden story.

The necromancer looked around from atop his skeletal dragon, then patted the beast's head. The skeletal dragon let out a roar, flapped its wings, and slowly descended to the ground.

Seeing the necromancer leap down from the skeletal dragon and walk toward him, Sun Licheng was visibly startled, but without hesitation, he too leaped down from his camel and walked forward.

Sun Licheng had taken only two steps when he heard the sound of a camel galloping behind him, followed immediately by a figure leaping down right beside him.

Without even needing to guess, Sun Licheng knew this must be his cannibal wife.

Seeing yet another female elf appear, the necromancer paused for a moment, but after a brief thought, he continued walking over.

Under the watchful eyes of both armies, the three of them gathered together.

"Lord Emissary, this place is not suitable for discussing such important matters. Might I ask you to step aside with me?"

The necromancer Balake whispered to Sun Licheng, pointing toward a distant hillside.

Sun Licheng thought for a moment, then turned back and shouted, "Everyone, maintain your battle formations here. The wizard and I are going over there to discuss some matters. If there is the slightest sign of trouble, charge immediately!"

Hearing Sun Licheng's words, a trace of a smile appeared at the corner of Balake's mouth; he knew Sun Licheng was intentionally trying to intimidate him.

After shouting his instructions, Sun Licheng made a welcoming gesture and said, "Lead the way, Lord Balake."

And so, the three of them walked quietly to the hillside, found three boulders, and sat down.

"Lord Balake, can you explain what this is all about?"

Sun Licheng asked. Along the way, he had been observing the necromancer closely and felt that the fellow resembled a wet-behind-the-ears youth who should be trustworthy.

"To tell you the truth, I am not very old. Last year, I just graduated from the Aegis Necromantic Academy."

Balake began to explain to Sun Licheng.

In this world, there were two ways to become a necromancer: one was to be born into and join a necromantic academy from childhood to study the dark arts; the other was for a mage to change their faith halfway through life and become a necromancer.

Necromancers firmly believed that the former cultivated a much more steadfast faith in necromancy. Therefore, they would secretly gather orphans, teach them arcane arts, and directly turn them into necromancers. The Aegis Necromantic Academy was precisely such an institution.

As a top graduate of the Aegis Necromantic Academy, Balake was not only academically stellar but possessed an exceptionally firm devotion to necromancy. Back in the academy, he had even used magic without hesitation to transform himself into a true living corpse.

"Then how do you experience the joys of life?"

Hearing this, Caroline asked with a puzzled expression.

"All those joys you speak of can be replicated through arcane arts; they are merely stimuli to the brain. Freed from the shackles of the flesh, my mind can soar as high as a bird,"

Balake said with confidence.

Hearing Balake's words, Sun Licheng could not help but mentally applaud his scientific mindset and attitude, thinking to himself, "I should report this news back to the God of Knowledge and Diplomacy. The intellectual level of these undead is quite high; they even understand how the brain operates."

Caroline found it extremely difficult to comprehend such a scientific answer, so she stopped asking questions.

Without further interruption, Balake continued his tale.

After graduating from the Aegis Necromantic Academy, Balake began his training. To temper his willpower, he traveled entirely alone across the sea of sand until he reached the Megalithic Mountains.

Initially, he had been drawn by the unique death aura permeating the region, believing it to be an exceptional training ground for a necromancer. However, upon actually arriving, he discovered that hidden within the mountains was a massive ancient magic array sealing away a terrifying entity.

"Do you know what is sealed down there?"

Sun Licheng asked.

Balake shook his head and said, "That area has completely collapsed, and there are powerful magical barriers preventing me from getting across. However, through my observations, I discovered that the subterranean river below is constantly eroding the foundation stones of the magic array, pushing it to the brink of collapse. To ensure the magic array remained effective, I blasted the subterranean river to cause a collapse. Looking at it now, it worked; the magic array has stabilized again."

"Did you never think of reinforcing this magic array?"

Sun Licheng asked again.

Balake gave a bitter smile and replied, "Lord Emissary, this is an ancient magic array, and my level is far from sufficient to reinforce it. Besides, creating such a magic array requires extraordinary power. Where on earth would I find that kind of power?"

Only then did Sun Licheng understand what was truly going on.

"Then why did you send an army of skeletons to attack my troop?"

Sun Licheng asked once more, his eyes filled with coldness. In the recent skirmishes, the sandmen had lost two or three hundred men—those were vibrant, living lives.

"You don't know this, but there is a cult in this region that worships a certain demon god. They have constantly sought to destroy this magic array. I suspect that the shifting course of the subterranean river was manipulated by them. Ever since I cut off the river, that cult has sent raiding parties here more than once. I mistakenly assumed you were in league with them, which is why I dispatched the skeleton warriors to attack."

Balake offered a wry smile of explanation. He admitted he had been far too hasty, not only identifying the wrong enemy but also wasting a considerable number of magic scrolls in the process.

"A cult? A demon god? This is going to be troublesome."

After listening, Sun Licheng connected the information to that strange band of desert bandits, and a strong sense of unease welled up in his heart.