Little Sam’s steps unconsciously quickened, he wanted to quickly leave the dark corridor and reach a lit area like the stairway, the hall, or the kitchen.
But he wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination; he felt he had been walking for a long ti and still hadn’t escaped the darkness.
"Sothing’s wrong." Little Sam stopped and glanced towards where the curtains were, outside was still the tree shadows clawing at the air.
Little Sam trembled as he walked forward, pulled open the curtains, and imdiately heard the pounding sounds of the mountain winds against the windows, along with the peculiar shaped tree.
The tree was deeply etched in his mory, it was close to the terrace.
And he had retreated from the terrace so ti ago. This ant that he hadn’t actually moved at all.
Yet Little Sam could hear his own frantic heartbeat and the sound of his throat gasping for air, a side effect from his earlier quick steps. With such feedback from intense movent, why hadn’t he moved any actual distance? What on earth was happening?
"Soul Blind?" Little Sam unintentionally muttered this term.
It was sothing he read in a book a few days ago at the orphanage, describing a unique soul ability. It appeared like an illusion technique, but it directly acted on the mind through a wave frequency, guiding and misleading inner choices, resulting in effects similar to illusions.
The most famous aspect of Soul Blind is making one lose their sense of distance, trapping them in an endless looping maze.
And this situation was incredibly similar to what Little Sam was currently experiencing.
"If it really is Soul Blind, it ans there is a high probability that the undead are attacking..." Little Sam’s heart pounded as he decided to test it out.
The simplest experint to determine if he was under Soul Blind was to make a mark and walk forward, if he returned to the mark, he was likely obstructed.
Little Sam carved a deep mark into the wall with the dagger he carried, then took a deep breath and walked briskly forward.
Minutes later, Little Sam still hadn’t walked out of the dark corridor, and once again, he saw the knife mark.
"It’s really Soul Blind!" Little Sam’s expression grew grim: "Ordinary souls simply can’t wield such power. Adar, Shanni, even Frode haven’t learned it yet, this is very likely a Soul Blind created by the undead. If it truly is from the undead... then Lady Cilla’s chances are high."
Little Sam couldn’t help but recall the eerie laughter he had heard before.
At that ti, he thought it was the strange wind outside, but in retrospect, the abnormality in the corridor clearly appeared after that laughter. Perhaps that laughter was a kind of psychological suggestion against him.
He distinctly rembered that the laughter was sharp and piercing, with clear female vocal characteristics.
He didn’t know what Lady Cilla’s voice was like, but he had a hunch that the eerie laughter was very likely Lady Cilla’s.
If it really was Lady Cilla, he had no ans to deal with it. He currently possessed no extraordinary power, unable to deal with even an ordinary undead, let alone a fully empowered special undead!
"No, if it truly is Lady Cilla, it’s not completely without ans. The Book of the Undead recorded so clues..." Little Sam clenched the fist hidden in his sleeve: "Even if this thod works, I must first confront her."
Lady Cilla casting such a Soul Blind on him was surely intended to tornt him, to watch him despair. She won’t reveal herself actively in the short term.
The only way to face Lady Cilla directly is to break the Soul Blind!
Little Sam was a person of great resolve, and although he was terrified to his core, he understood that at the brink of life and death, self-rescue was his only option. Upon deciding on this option, he would muster all his strength to implent it.
Just like when he discovered the farr secretly watching him, planning to use him as a living sacrifice, he imdiately decided on his course of action.
He had no hesitancy in his character, and reality didn’t allow him to hesitate.
Little Sam suppressed his racing heart and looked again at the deep, dark corridor.
"The book said Soul Blind misleads the mind and obscures intuition. So, I won’t rely on intuition, or follow my inner choices." Little Sam closed his eyes, conjuring in his mind the scene of him killing the farr, a mont he couldn’t forget and was least susceptible to misdirection.
He ticulously recalled every detail of killing the farr, his emotions, actions, language, mindset at that ti, all played back in his mind.
As he detailed these mories, Little Sam’s feet started moving.
His body unconsciously walked forward, while his mind contemplated another unforgettable event. This was the thod for breaking Soul Blind he read about in the book.
When Little Sam finished recalling all the details of killing the farr, he opened his eyes.
This ti, he found himself standing under a lit wall lamp.
The corridor on the third floor had only one wall lamp lit, and it was near the stairway!
Previously, no matter how he walked, he couldn’t reach the stairway. Now, seeing the wall lamp ant the stairway was adjacent!
Little Sam look ahead, and indeed, he saw the dark corner.
"Escaped!" Little Sam felt a surge of joy in his heart, but before he could celebrate, a wave of eerie laughter accompanied by a cold wind struck from behind.
Little Sam didn’t dare look back, he only charged forward through the corner to the stairway, intending first to reach the well-lit first-floor hall, then strategize further.
As Little Sam crossed the corner and descended, from the corner of his eye, he glimpsed the depths of the corridor.
A massive black shadow occupied the end of the corridor.
He could vaguely discern that the outline of the shadow resembled a... giant spider!
...
On the high ground behind the lake’s hill, Angel and Frode stood there, gazing into the distance.
Frode was watching the castle, sensing the eerie chaotic death aura within.
"Lady Cilla has arrived," Frode’s tone was certain, his eyes carrying an unfathomable expression.
"Yes, she went to the third floor of the castle."
Although Angel was replying to Frode, his gaze wasn’t on the castle but on the distant horizon. The rolling low black clouds not only enveloped the entire mountain forest but also obscured the far-off Saint Sem City and surrounding towns.
This grand dark phenonon, though preluding Lady Cilla’s entrance, was not created by her.
Lady Cilla rely took advantage of the situation, entering the castle amidst the pervasive dark clouds.
However, although the black clouds weren’t created by Lady Cilla, she likely manipulated them, as the surging death aura extended to the end of the black clouds.
The area enveloped by the black cloud is filled with Lady Cilla’s violent, cruel chaos energy.
She is using the spread of the black cloud to create panic and attract the undead to Star Lake Castle, preparing to turn it into a ghostly domain once more.
Frode also noticed Lady Cilla’s aura hidden within the black cloud. He looked to the horizon and murmured, "The vast death energy signifies Lady Cilla’s strength."
"It also signifies her stupidity," Angel added.
Frode nodded in agreent because as the black cloud spread, Frode had already seen several points of light rising from distant Saint Saim City, rapidly flying toward the nearby mountains.
Saint Saim City is the core of the Silver Egret royal family, which possesses the Royal Wizard Group!
Although this wizard group is diverse and weak, mostly composed of first and second-level apprentices, with only one third-level apprentice, Neya; but even if weak, they are still Transcendents. Besides, with backing from Hurricane Tower, their knowledge foundation is absolutely substantial.
Even if they can’t kill the undead, they can certainly suppress and expel them to so extent.
If necessary, they can even seek help from Hurricane Tower.
For this reason, Angel said that although Lady Cilla is strong, she is very foolish. Without Angel, Lady Cilla’s quiet arrival and quiet departure would likely achieve her goal; but now, even without Angel, Lady Cilla would find it difficult to escape.
During their conversation, the chief of the Silver Egret Royal Wizard Group, Neya, had already flown out of Saint Saim City on a flying broomstick.
Neya’s face was pale, her gaze moving from the black clouds overhead to the distant mountains.
To fill the black cloud with such terrifying death energy, there must be a powerful undead interference, and the source of this undead is the distant mountains.
"What place is that over there?" Neya asked a male apprentice with white hair and beard standing behind her, aged and frail.
This old apprentice wore reading glasses with a golden chain and looked like an old scholar. He also sat on a broom, adjusting his glasses, which flashed a reflection as he gazed into the distance.
"That’s Star Lake Castle, the residence of that lady."
The old apprentice didn’t say the na outright, but Neya, once a mber of the Silver Egret royal family, understood.
She hadn’t been involved in the past internal royal strife but knew the history and felt so sympathy for those who were killed. But she wouldn’t get involved in mortal struggles, no matter her sympathy.
"The source is actually in Star Lake Castle. Is soone from that family filled with resentnt, turning into an undead?"
As Neya speculated, a sudden explosion of sparks ca from the distant town.
Neya sensed an anomaly and flew in that direction.
Not long after the spark exploded, a man in Silver Egret Royal Knights attire appeared on a rooftop, looking at the elegantly dressed chief wizard not far away.
"What happened?" Neya didn’t turn back but instead focused on the town.
The flas from the previous explosion had already begun to spread across multiple buildings, with the roaring fire swiftly engulfing an entire area.
Beyond the burning flas, Neya could hear the screams echoing throughout the town.
"Recently, multiple malicious incidents erupted in Yalai Town, the largest being the arson of the art gallery. With so many paintings and the dry air inside, it caught fire quickly," the knight said while kneeling.
Neya squinted, whispering, "Simultaneous malicious incidents..."
The old apprentice standing by comnted, "It’s the influence of the massive death energy within the black cloud. The death energy contains negative energy, which, although not directly contacting mortals, can easily evoke the vile desires buried within so extre humans."
The consequence of evoked desires is the current scene before them.
Yalai Town was just the beginning. In the few minutes Neya stayed there, she received further bad news from other towns.
Not only did problems arise in nearby towns, but Saint Saim City also began to experience turmoil under the black cloud’s influence.
However, being the Royal Capital, Saint Saim City had a substantial military presence and the Royal Knight Academy, where most knights were determined and loyal, ensuring the city was in better shape than other towns. Nonetheless, if the black cloud continued to churn, they wouldn’t hold out for long.
"This undead is too brazen," the old apprentice remarked with so disdain.
"The undead have no sense of daring; it’s rely their instinct. But even so, it’s rare for the undead to make such a bold move. Sothing might have provoked them," Neya stated. "Regardless, we must head to Star Lake Castle first."
Neya instructed the other mbers of the wizard group to assist the Royal Knights, while she took the seasoned old apprentice and quickly approached Star Lake Castle.
Soon, Neya saw the abandoned castle hidden within the eerie forest.
Just from afar, Neya’s spiritual sense detected a hint of threat from the castle.
"The undead are inside the castle, and... they are very strong," Neya murmured.
The old apprentice nodded, his voice trembling, "Even before approaching, I feel my heart pounding like a drum; it’s nothing like a newly erged undead..."
Possibly, it is an ancient one, employing soul tricks known to multiple undead!
Such an undead, even if faced by the entire Royal Wizard Group, couldn’t necessarily be detained.
The old apprentice looked at Neya with so trepidation, "What should we do now?"
Neya’s face was sowhat somber, "We need to assess the situation first. If necessary, I’ll seek help from my teacher."
Neya’s teacher is the White Art Witch, who dotes on her. If she reports this situation, help should arrive... However, Neya preferred not to disturb her teacher unless necessary.
"We’ll head outside the castle." Neya moved her foot, and the broom instantly drew an arc towards Star Lake Castle.
Just as they were about to reach Star Lake Castle, a whisper suddenly reached Neya’s ear.
"That’s Frode’s voice; is he here too?" Neya was startled and redirected her broom to fly toward the hill behind the lake.
On the hill, she saw a small cabin glowing with light and two people standing in front of it.
One was her old friend, the phantom Frode, and the other was a red-haired, golden-eyed man. Neya didn’t recognize him; his deanor didn’t exude any aura, resembling a mortal. Yet, given Frode’s presence with him at such a death energy-laden place, Neya found it hard to believe he was an ordinary person.
"Frode, why are you here?" Neya landed on the hill, standing close to Frode, puzzled. "You advised against approaching the castle. What do you know?"
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