He had a choice, really.
If Jack and the Black Donkey were in danger, he could just up and leave.
It wouldn't affect him.
But the thing was—
He couldn't live with himself if he did.
Chen Yu couldn't get past his own conscience, so he had no choice.
He had to save them!
Since they chose to follow Chen Yu, he had a reason to guarantee their safety.
Otherwise, why would they follow you?
He kicked open the tree door.
The biting cold felt as if the bottom of the tree hollow was a frozen cavern, a fierce wind howling out, making Chen Yu, who had just stepped inside, involuntarily shiver.
No!
To be precise, it wasn't ice and snow, but more like dry ice fog.
Chilling.
It enveloped everything around him.
Sensing this coldness, Chen Yu swallowed and stopped.
No one disturbed him.
Whether it was Black Bean squatting on his shoulder or the little devil sitting on his shoulder, they just watched him silently.
The little devil could understand Chen Yu's current mood very well.
The Undead Lair.
The first time she encountered it, she was so scared by the chilling cold that she ran out. At that time, she was already a silver-level mage.
Yet, she still lacked the courage to face it.
At this moment, Chen Yu was experiencing the aura of the undead for the first time, so it was not surprising that he felt like retreating.
At least he hadn't retreated yet.
"Hoo!"
After a long while, Chen Yu, whose entire body was tense from being intimidated by the undead aura, let out a long breath.
He raised his hand and gently placed it on his chest.
Feeling his rapidly beating heart.
His gaze suddenly became firm, and he clenched his right fist tightly.
"So this is the aura of the undead."
Chen Yu smiled slightly.
He stepped fully into the tree hollow with his back foot.
It was indeed heart-pounding.
That eerie coldness felt as if countless invisible hands were touching his body. At the nape of his neck, it felt as if specters were breathing cold air onto him.
He, who had lived in sunlight for the past twenty years,
Had never experienced such a feeling.
It was like the bone-chilling unease one felt when staying in a graveyard deep in the night.
However—
What was there to be afraid of!
If Jack and the others dared to go in, how could he, the highest leader of the enterprise, falter here.
He opened the crafting interface.
【Adventurer's Gale Sword】
【Crafting Cost: Gale Element Crystal Shards 722/1, Iron Block 385/10, Copper Block 227/5】
Craft.
【Cave Reminder: Adventurer Gale Sword crafted successfully】
【Cave Reminder: Adventurer Gale Sword crafted successfully】
【Cave Reminder: Adventurer Gale Sword crafted successfully】
...
Purple light.
Blue light.
One Gale Sword after another appeared in Chen Yu's hand. Seeing the faint glow emitted by these swords, Chen Yu didn't even bother to look closely and threw them into the warehouse.
What he wanted was not this scrap metal.
【Cave Reminder: Adventurer Gale Sword crafted successfully】
Clang!
A dazzling golden light flashed before his eyes.
Here it comes.
Chen Yu immediately clenched his fist.
【Perfect Adventurer Gale Sword】
This was what he needed.
Putting the rare-grade sword in his hand back into the warehouse, Chen Yu grasped the perfect-grade Gale Sword.
At this moment,
His entire equipment configuration was perfect-grade.
Although he had decided to go and bring Jack and the others back, it didn't mean he was acting rashly without considering the consequences.
Hesitation leads to defeat, and decisiveness also means getting oneself killed for nothing.
He had to elevate his state to its peak.
This way, the chance of rescue would be greater.
He was going to save people, not to die with Lion Jack and the Black Donkey.
There was a colorful future waiting for him in the cave, and countless cat-eared girls and bunny girls waiting for his affection.
He wasn't going to die!
Clutching the sword in his hand tightly, Chen Yu took another deep breath and lightly raised his sword, swinging it forward.
"Charge!"
...
Creak.
Creak.
Outside a luxurious underground palace, several skeleton warriors with faint blue flames burning in their eyes, holding bone blades or rusty blades in their hands.
The grating sound of their bones made one's scalp tingle.
They patrolled outside the palace.
The crimson palace gate, which was more than five meters high, revealed its opulence inside.
Red carpet.
It extended all the way to the throne at the far end of the palace's main hall.
On either side of the carpet stood bronze statues holding swords, spears, and halberds. Despite their ancient patina, these statues were covered in thick dust and cobwebs.
Yet, this did not detract from the magnificence of this underground palace in its prime.
There were also two bronze statues with axes flanking the gilded throne.
Fierce and menacing.
They stood like wrathful guardians, gazing at the main hall of the palace.
On the throne—
A pale-faced man, wearing silk boots and with legs crossed, a gray-black magic-patterned robe, held a stemmed glass in his slender, bloodless fingers.
He gently swirled the red liquid in the cup.
The liquid did not cling to the sides of the glass,
Clearly, this was not blood, but likely a beverage similar to wine.
To the left of his throne was a walnut staff, topped with a large skull with a ruby embedded in its forehead.
To the right, a black obsidian treasure chest was placed.
Continuously swirling his wine glass, a hint of contempt and disdain flickered in his eyes. After taking a sip of the wine, he lowered his gaze to the lion and the black donkey at the foot of the steps below him.
Two skeleton warriors stood behind them, restraining them.
"How should I deal with you two?" the young undead mage mused with a faint thoughtfulness in his eyes. "Actually, you haven't affected me in any way."
"You just want to snatch this black obsidian treasure chest."
"I must say, you have good taste."
"This chest does indeed contain some excellent treasures, but your strength is too lacking. You couldn't even defeat the skeleton warriors outside this Undead Palace."
"But..."
The undead mage's gaze instantly turned sinister. With a bang, he crushed the wine glass in his right hand, and the bright red wine dripped onto the red carpet.
"Your blood has defiled my sacred land. What do you think I should do with you?"
"This is the Undead Palace I just discovered!"
"And it's been desecrated by the two of you beasts."
The restrained Lion and Black Donkey were covered in blood, but their eyes remained resolute as they stared fiercely at the undead mage on the throne.
"You still dare to look at me?"
The undead mage roared in anger, and four wisps of ghostly fire appeared around him.
"Very well, you stubborn fools. Then I shall dig out your eyes and refine them into puppets. Then I'll see how tough you can be."
"Dig out their eyes!"
Instantly, the skeleton warriors restraining the Lion and the Black Donkey raised their bone blades high.
Just then—
Boom!
Suddenly, the palace gate was kicked open.
A youth holding a sword shimmering with Gale elemental energy strode in, cursing. He then spat at a skeleton warrior he had just cleaved.
"Is this all? Undead, trash!"
"Tsk!"