System S.E.X. (Seduction, Expansion, eXecution)

Chapter 728: Chapter 728: Pillars of Despair

Realizing the futility of the battle, the allied armies finally broke. "Retreat! All vessels, full reverse! Abandon the perimeter!" the commanders screamed through the communication arrays.

Deep within the dark sanctuary, Ethan watched the chaotic retreat through his mental link. "They are attempting to break the encirclement. Do not let a single one of them escape," Ethan said, his voice flat and unyielding.

The Lich let out a harsh, bone-rattling cackle that echoed off the damp stone walls. "Do they truly believe fleeing my domain is that simple, Master? Since you laid out the blueprint for this trap, I have not wasted a single breath. Rise, Pillars of Despair!"

Outside, the earth groaned and violently ruptured. Massive, jagged pillars composed of compressed bones and screaming souls erupted around the entire five-kilometer perimeter. The structures acted like ancient siphons, frantically absorbing the fresh blood and mutilated corpses scattered across the valley.

A visible shockwave pulsed from the pillars, rippling across the landscape. One by one, the massive war vessels lost their spiritual propulsion, crashing violently into the dirt as their arrays deactivated. The dark wave swept over the combined armies, instantly multiplying the local gravity ten thousand times over. Cultivators below the Spirit Sea Realm were instantly crushed into the mud, unable to lift their heads, while the patriarchs struggled desperately just to take a single step.

The Lich’s mocking laughter boomed across the entire valley, channelled directly through the bone pillars. "Dumbass! Did you believe you could march into my tomb and leave whenever it suited your whims?!"

Turning back to Ethan, Vel’Kha’Lems grinned horizontally. "Let us ascend to the surface, Master."

Ethan looked at the ancient entity, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Can you move your true body already?"

"No, but I can execute this," the Lich said smoothly.

With a sharp, cracking sound, several of its own blackened rib bones detached themselves from its skeletal chest. The bones hovered in the air, melting and fusing together until they transformed into a massive, terrifyingly ornate book bound in calcified marrow and ancient runes.

Ethan stared at the floating artifact, a rare gleam of genuine curiosity in his eyes. "What is that? It looks frighteningly impressive."

"This is my Grimoire," the Lich explained, pride dripping from its raspy voice. "Second only to a Lich’s phylactery, the Grimoire is the ultimate core of a true mage. Whether they practice the orthodox paths or the dark arts, every true master of magic possesses a Grimoire—it is the absolute compendium of every spell, law, and secret they have mastered throughout their existence."

The skeletal book settled, floating silently beside the Lich. Vel’Kha’Lems extended a bony finger, causing the heavy pages to rapidly flip open on their own, stopping precisely at a section titled Doppelgänger Spell.

The Lich began to chant an ancient, low-frequency incantation. The runes on the page flared with a sickly green light, and within seconds, a perfect, flesh-bound clone of the Lich materialized right beside them.

"He is my copy, Master," said the Lich, his glowing crimson eyes locking onto the doppelgänger. "He can exert half of my absolute power. You may rest entirely assured of his capabilities."

"Very well, let us go," said Ethan.

With a simple gesture, Ethan activated his Void movement, carrying himself and the Lich’s perfect clone seamlessly through the layers of rock up to the surface.

The valley was a scene of absolute desolation. The once-proud, massive war vessels had tragically plunged into the earth, their heavy hulls cracked open like broken toys. Cultivators screamed in agony, desperately trying to pull their comrades out from the wreckage or drag their pinned bodies through the thick mud. Ethan felt a sharp pang of anxiety in his chest, his eyes frantically scanning the debris for any sign of Mary or Louisa. However, he forced his expression to remain cold and detached.

He stood silently beside the clone of the Lich, who viewed the entire catastrophic landscape as nothing more than a grand theatrical performance.

"It is time to thoroughly clean this trash," the Lich cackled, his voice booming over the wind.

He extended his skeletal hand. Beside him, the calcified pages of the Grimoire spun at a blinding speed, stopping on a forbidden, dark page. The Lich began to chant a high-tier, rhythmic incantation. "Thou, the winged sovereign who once dominated creation, descend from the halls of the damned and manifest thy unmitigated fury without compassion!"

The ground violently shook as millions of scattered bone fragments, shattered lances, and skeletal remains across the five-kilometer valley tore away from the dirt. They flew into the sky, swirling into a massive, terrifying vortex of white calcium and necrotic energy. The fragments locked together with concussive, metallic cracks, rapidly forming an immense, sky-blocking skeletal structure.

Within moments, a colossal Undead Bone Dragon materialized, its hollow ribcage burning with green spectral flames as it unleashed a soul-rending roar that caused the remaining flagship hulls to vibrate violently.

"Wow, a giant dragon," Ethan said, his eyes scanning the massive skeletal frame blotting out the sky. "What exactly can it do?"

"Show the Master what you can do," the Lich ordered, a cruel smile twisting his skeletal features as he gestured toward the valley.

The colossal Bone Dragon beat its massive, wings of exposed bone, elevating itself higher into the darkened sky. It paused at the apex of its ascent, its hollow chest expanding violently as it took a deep, unnatural breath of necrotic energy. Opening its massive jaws, it exhaled a devastating, highly concentrated bomb of thick grey, almost black smoke that descended upon the trapped armies like a falling shroud of death.

-------------------

From this moment forward, to avoid confusion regarding cultivation ranks, I will include this footer with the current established levels.

Note: These are only the ranks mentioned so far to avoid spoilers.

Body Refinement Realm

Skin Refinement / Bone Refinement / Organ Refinement

Spiritual Gathering Realm

Spiritual Perception / Spiritual Mist / Spiritual Condensation

Spiritual Core Realm

Core Solidification / Core Awakening / Spiritual Collapse (Half-step Spiritual Core)

Spiritual Soul Realm

Spiritual Soul Awakening / Soul Nourishing / Soul-Core Fusion

Golden Core Realm

Prime Fusion / Core Perfection / Core Destruction

Spiritual Sea Realm

The Melting Tide / The Tidal Horizon / The Sea Mist Ascension

Dao Manifestation Realm

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??

Spiritual Transcendence

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??

------

Sword mastery levels

Sword Intent.

Sword Aura.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!