Since the man in black had no control over other Dark Mages, that would be the end of him once Lin Ming left the Juncture.
“Slay!” Lin Ming destroyed two Dark Mages appearing—they weren’t too strong.
“Continue ahead,” Lin Ming ordered.
The man nodded. He wanted to reach the destination as soon as they could, avoiding being discovered by the domain’s master.
“Here we are.”
It was a stone door in front of them, an indentation similar to the token on Lin Ming’s in the middle. Lin Ming held up the emblem, ready to place it.
“Mages from the outside world?” A voice came.
Lin Ming knitted his brows together. He didn’t need to turn to know who it was.
“No. 7, how dare you led extraterritorial mages to my domain?” the Dark Mage stared at the man in black and said indifferently.
“Hear me out, please, No. 6.”
“Save your nonsense for later.” The Dark Mage called No. 6 had no interest in hearing No. 7’s excuse. “Are you here to become my appetizer?”
Following the Dark Mage’s whistle, a gigantic Dark Magical Beast appeared. That was the Tier 8 beast he tamed—Lin Ming already grasped the information beforehand.
“Tsk-tsk. Did the sight of my Tier 8 Dark Magical Beast intimidate you, Tier 6 Mage?” No. 6 scoffed.
No. 7 winced internally. If No. 6 hadn’t come, he would have kept himself alive. Now, No. 6 was digging his own grave. The Tier 6 Mage in front of them was nothing they’d ever seen before.
Without more dawdling, Lin Ming cast his attack. “Fiery Phoenix Spell!” As their destination was behind the door, he was eager to proceed and obtain the clue. He used 100% of his power.
The spell annihilated the beast instantly. No. 6 flinched. “Impossible!”
Lin Ming tossed the magical core left behind by the dead beast to No. 6. “Swallow this, and I shall spare your life.”
“Not over my dead body.” No. 6 thought he was better than No. 7.
“I know the source of your stubbornness. It is because your consciousness would not perish, am I right?” Lin Ming smirked. “Last chance.”
No. 6 shivered. Chills ran down his spine. He finally understood how the cunning No. 7 was tagging along behind Lin Ming submissively. He uttered softly, “I am a Tier 7 Dark Mage. You are merely a Tier 6—”
Before he could finish, scorching flames had encompassed him. No. 6 could no longer withstand the pressure. “I will engulf it!” He shoved it into his mouth.
At the same time, Lin Ming integrated No. 6’s Soul-absorbing Bells as he held it in his hand.
The reason why No. 6 had admitted defeat was because Lin Ming’s flames had not only harmed his physical body, but he was afraid his consciousness might vanish, too.
Lin Ming kept No. 6 alive because he needed more intelligence, and No. 7 being the lowest in the food chain would not suffice. He held the token up and placed it in the indentation on the door. A green laser shot out, and the door opened slowly. He walked in.
“Another tomb?” It was the same as his previous discoveries, but here there was a coffin.
“Open the coffin.” Lin Ming activated the Soul-absorbing Bells mentally and instructed No. 7.
No. 7 was frightened, but he couldn’t control his body.
Thud!
No. 7 pushed the lid open. Nothing happened, but inside, they discovered a complete set—a pillow and a shroud. On the bottom of the coffin was a few words that caught Lin Ming’s attention.
“To enter the realm, thou shall convert to the dead,”
The words disappeared. Lin Ming sank into his thoughts. He was here to find clues for the Sage Tier Mages’ breakthrough, and the sentence he saw was most probably a clue.
“Convert to the dead?” Lin Ming frowned. Did anyone have to die to get the final clue? Or was approaching death the key to obtaining the hint? “Maybe not.” He shook his head.
As he examined the pillow and shroud in the coffin, something clicked in Lin Ming’s mind. He turned to look at No. 6 and 7, the Dark Mages—they weren’t faithful enough.
“Bai Han!”
Bai Han showed up. “Master!”
“I need you to keep an eye on the two. If they attempt anything, activate the Soul-absorbing Bells to erase their consciousness.”
“Yes, you have my word. If the two make a move on you, I will remove their existence without using the bells, even.” Bai Han took over the bells from Lin Ming.
Bai Han wasn’t visible to No. 6 and 7, and even the Sage Tier Mages outside the Juncture. As an artifact spirit, he was ethereal. Only Lin Ming or any other mages surpassing the Sage Tier could see Bai Han.
Now.
No matter what, Lin Ming had to give it a try. He put on the linen shroud and rested his head on the pillow. Under Bai Han’s control, No. 7 came forward to close the lid.
Lin Ming closed his eyes and held his breath. As seconds passed, nothing happened. Confined in the coffin, Lin Ming felt like he was suffocating. “Have I been wrong?” Lin Ming pursed his lips. Perhaps the clue was somewhere else in the tomb?
