From Secret Clan to the Divine Dynasty

In the Snow Mountain.

"Awake?"

When Yeager woke up, he felt as if his soul had been torn apart, his whole body trembling, and the first thing he saw was Darren's frosty face.

His heart skipped a beat, but he quickly smiled.

"Lord Darren, I truly thank you for saving me. Just now, without your protection, I would have surely died thoroughly."

Darren only snorted coldly after hearing this. Although he had tried his best to protect Yeager just now, his expression was still cold and merciless as he shook his head and said,

"You took matters into your own hands and nearly got both Chris and me killed. This is a grave matter, so listen well, Yeager: the Fischer family must punish you."

"I understand."

Yeager took a deep breath and nodded slightly.

He then took out a black smoking pipe and said,

"This alchemical tool of mine is actually a treasure from the Spirit Realm, found in the same place as the Forbidden knowledge used to subdue demons. Viscount Bast lacked the strength to obtain it initially."

Yeager revealed a smile, continuing to toy with the smoking pipe in his hand.

"A very good result—I used it to absorb some of the power of the Abyssal Flame Demon, hmm, roughly giving me three opportunities to unleash an attack equivalent to a high-level Monarch extraordinary attack... Unfortunately, there are only three chances."

"If I could have absorbed it for a longer period, there would have been more opportunities." His voice was filled with regret and disappointment.

The benefits from this adventure were substantial, and Yeager had long been prepared to face punishment.

However, Darren's next words made him stunned.

"However, Yeager, only a few of us need to know about this, and your punishment does not need to go through a family meeting. When you return, I will arrange the most arduous tasks for you."

Yeager smiled faintly, fully sensing the stark difference between Darren and Felix who were men of order.

He appeared to abide by order and rules, knowing that he must not let people act recklessly, but in reality, he valued feelings more.

Indeed.

How could a guy inherently crazy be a law-abiding person?

After Darren finished speaking, he first went to get the two Forbidden rare artifacts in hand, rested for a while, and then used his dragon form to retrieve the discarded Extraordinary material "Corner of the Pitch Black Object".

Then, he and Yeager quickly left Rhea, arriving at the predetermined border area belonging to Cyart, in the forest where everything began.

Soon, the two saw Chris returning from Rhea as well.

His gaze was as cold as frost, and it was not just a simple return from Rhea—he was also carrying three fresh Forbidden rare artifacts.

Clearly, the two Monarch powerful experts who had pursued him were now thoroughly dead, and the Forbidden rare artifacts had also been taken by Chris.

"A bit quicker than we thought, Uncle Chris..."

Darren looked at Chris, who was expressionless, knowing that now he had killed both a mid-level Monarch extraordinary exponent and a low-level Monarch extraordinary exponent with no real danger involved, although it indeed required his full effort.

"Besides acquiring extraordinary materials, we have also killed so many key figures, both the emperor of Rhea and the Salvation Church will not miss the chance to make a big deal out of this event."

Saying this, Darren's face gradually revealed a fanatical smile.

"So the hypocritical peace will be thoroughly torn apart, and war will soon follow."

Immediately after, Yeager analyzed aloud, "Among the Eastern Four Kingdoms, Vallere and us are openly supported by the Lorne Empire, while Rhea and Carnia are in league with the Seven Stars Empire." Experience more tales on empire

"Within the True Gods Church, it's certain that the Tempest Church stands with us, but as for the Reforging Church and the Salvation Church, they're likely to support the countries of Rhea and Carnia."

"As for the stance of the other three churches, it's still unclear, ambiguous."

Chris simply listened silently to their conversation, and Darren nodded, continuing,

"With our current power, although we're still not a true player on a global stage, we're certainly no mere pawns... At least in the upcoming war, we'll prove it to many people!"

"Let people see the power of the Fischer family!"

After the three returned to Fischer Manor, Darren waited a few more days until the other two extraordinary materials required for the promotion ceremony were also collected by the Exponents of the Dawn Church.

Darren had already issued the order before leaving.

Having had so many Exponents for so many years, it would be absolutely abnormal for Darren to have to collect extraordinary materials himself, like a man with no one to help him.

The first extraordinary material was the "Corner of the Pitch Black Object," and the second was the "Remnants of the Nightmare World," followed by the third extraordinary material, "Death of the Undead."

"Remnants of the Nightmare World" were obtained by members of the Black Tide under Old Dog's lead. In reality, it exists at the interface between the Spirit Realm and the Dream World, consisting of very special "world fragments."

And "Death of the Undead" was just as Yeager had once predicted...

The "Eye of the Raven" from the Dawn Church had captured a batch of Resurrected Undeads in Cyart, and this group of "people" would become the sacrifice for Darren's promotion.

"No!"

"Spare our lives!"

Within the cage created by a spell, the Resurrected Undeads kept pleading for mercy, but Darren only sneered continuously and said:

"You should have returned to the land of Tranquility long ago, I'm just sending you back where you should have gone... And keeping you would be a disaster."

Darren knew very well that he needed to absorb all three materials through the essence of the dead to complete the ceremony, and he also knew where the aura of the dead was prevalent.

He and Uncle Chris then arrived in White Bones Canyon.

"The secret discovery of Viscount Bast, after all these years, has turned out to be a bargain for us," Darren murmured to himself.

Chris had spent years in the White Bones Canyon, so his grasp of the Power of Consecution was quick, while Darren continually drew the aura of the dead from the area, starting to transform and absorb the power of the sacrifices.

Time passed slowly...

His eyes gradually became as profound as the night sky, flickering with an unusual glow, as if he could perceive the essence of all things. With a blast of cold wind, the aura of the dead, like white mist, quietly awakened and transformed into invisible, twisted streams of air, swirling and intertwining around him.

Darren slowly raised his right hand, palm facing upward, as if inviting some unknown power.

In an instant, the surrounding white mist seemed to solidify, the drifting aura of the dead being drawn by an invisible force, converging towards him.

They enveloped the sacrifices together, quickly merging into streams of ghostly and eerie energy, swirling around his body, emitting low and mournful whimpers.

As the aura of the dead gathered, Darren's black robe billowed without wind, rustling loudly.

He took a deep breath, inhaling all the aura of the dead inside him.

The laments of the undead, the bloodiness of battlefields, the vicissitudes of the ages... all memories and emotions transformed into a mighty force, surging tumultuously within him.

Three days later.

Darren opened his eyes again, feeling a very special change within his body.

Finally, the last trace of the aura of the dead was completely absorbed, and he cried out to the sky, his voice filled with a desire for power and the domineering attitude to conquer everything.

"So it is, this feels very strange, more chaotic, deeper. I am now ready for the next step."

"To obtain the power of the 'Mad Lich' at the 6th Rank of the Path of Shadow..."

He pondered that the "Mad Lich" was likely geared towards spellcasting, yet he personally still preferred close combat, which was a pity.

"However, possessing more power is always a good thing."

Upon returning to Fischer Manor, Archer and the others had already prepared, and in the Grand Hall, Darren was soon granted the mighty power of the 6th Rank "Mad Lich"!

Everyone watched the scene, a massive black Spiritual Radiance filling several streets. After a while, he suddenly opened his eyes, feeling more powerful than ever!

The ratio of physical stature and Spiritual Power improvements was roughly three to seven, but the quantity of Extraordinary Power that came was very substantial!

"Oh, to become a 'Mad Lich' and actually have so many kinds of spells?"

Darren suddenly realized that after ascending to the 6th Rank, he had acquired a permanent Extraordinary Power as well as five distinct spells!

The permanent Extraordinary Power was the "Soul Box," and the five distinct spells were "Mad Curse," "Calling of the Dead," "Cloud of Death," "Soul Extraction," and "Huge Collapse."