Swallowing the Stars: Starting with Panlong

Chapter 21: The Legacy of Necromancer Magic

The black-robed man's corpse lay at the cave entrance, his ashen face still bearing the shock and resentment of his dying moments. Dark green blood seeped from his seven orifices, gleaming eerily in the moonlight. Lin Yun stood beside the corpse, silent for a moment.

An eighth-level necromancer who had lived for hundreds of years died right before his eyes.

If Morton hadn't been injured, if his level eight corpse demon were still alive, if his magical artifact had been completed—if any one of these conditions had been met, Lin Yun wouldn't have been his match. But there are no "ifs" in this world. Death is death; no matter how powerful one was in life, in death one is nothing more than a cold corpse.

Lin Yun crouched down and began examining Morton's belongings.

What first caught his attention was a ring on Morton's left ring finger. The ring was dark silver, with fine magical runes engraved on its surface, gleaming faintly in the moonlight. Lin Yun's heart suddenly raced—he had seen something similar before, in Delin's description.

Space ring.

This is an extremely rare magical item, with an independent space carved out inside for storing items. The method for making spatial rings has long been lost, and there are only a handful of spatial rings in the entire Yulan Continent, each one priceless.

Lin Yun carefully removed the ring from Morton's finger. The ring felt cool to the touch and was as light as a feather. He tried to probe it with his spiritual power—there was no resistance. Morton was dead, and the spiritual imprint on the ring had dissipated; it was now ownerless.

Lin Yun used his mental energy to penetrate the magical patterns on the ring's surface and "saw" a space that was about 100 meters long, wide, and high.

His breathing quickened. With this spatial ring, traveling would be much more convenient!

The space was filled with things—gold coins, crystal cores, magic books, various magical materials, several changes of black robes, and some bottles and jars whose purpose was unidentifiable. The number of gold coins was astonishing, roughly estimated to be at least close to a million, piled together like a small mountain. There were also many crystal cores, ranging from level three to level eight, including dozens of level eight crystal cores, emitting various colors of light.

But what really caught Lin Yun's attention were those magic books.

He used his mental power to "retrieve" the books one by one and examined them carefully. Most of the books were theoretical works on necromancy—"Fundamentals of Necromancy," "The Creation and Manipulation of Corpse Demons," "Advanced Soul Power," "Summoning of the Necromancer Realm"... Just these titles alone made Lin Yun feel a chill. This kind of knowledge would be forbidden books in any country, and anyone found in possession of it would be hunted down by the Holy See.

But among these necromancy books, Lin Yun discovered several other books that made his heart race.

The Complete Collection of Dark Magic Spells (Levels 6 to 9)

Lin Yun could hardly believe his eyes. He carefully opened the book, browsing through it page by page. Earth, fire, water, wind, thunder, light, darkness—of the seven elements of magic, what he lacked most were spells beyond level six. Delin only knew earth magic, and Ernst Academy only taught up to level six; he had never been able to acquire spells from the other elements. But now, this book contained all the dark magic spells from level six to nine.

It wasn't just dark magic. Lin Yun continued searching and found several other magic books in his spatial ring: "Wind Magic Spells (Level 7-8)", "Lightning Magic Spells (Level 7-8)", and "Light Magic Spells (Level 7)".

Although incomplete, each book is priceless. The level seven and eight spells of the wind, lightning, and light elements are exactly what he needs. With these, he won't be without magic after his breakthrough.

"These... will keep me learning for a long time," Lin Yun murmured, a genuine smile appearing on his face.

He carefully put the book back into his spatial ring, then put the ring on his finger. The dark silver ring was slightly too big for the boy's slender finger, but it fit him just right.

Just as he was about to stand up, something deep inside his spatial ring caught his attention.

It was a small, palm-sized black stone tablet, lying quietly in the corner of the ring. The tablet's surface was rough and uneven, covered with densely packed, tiny runes. These runes didn't resemble any known script; they were more like some kind of ancient marking. The tablet emitted a faint black light, but it wasn't the somber black of dark magic; rather, it was a deep, all-encompassing black that seemed capable of swallowing all light.

Lin Yun took out the stone tablet.

The moment he touched it, he felt a strange power surge into his consciousness from the stone tablet. That power was neither as cold as necromancy nor as fiery as light magic, but rather a... neutral, pure power, as if it came from another dimension.

"What is this?" Lin Yun murmured.

He carefully examined the surface of the stone tablet and finally found a line of small characters at the bottom—written in ancient script, which he could barely make out.

"The Stone Tablet for the Inheritance of Necromancer Magic"

Lin Yun's pupils suddenly contracted.

When Delin explained the magic system, he mentioned that the magic systems on the Yulan Continent were not equal. The seven elemental magics—earth, fire, water, wind, lightning, light, and darkness—while powerful, essentially belonged to the realm of "laws." And above the laws, there existed something even higher.

rule.

There are three kinds of rules: the rules of death, the rules of life, and the rules of fate.

The corresponding magics to these three rules are necromancy, the High Priest's life magic, and the Great Destiny spell of the Holy See of Light. These three types of magic are collectively known as the three supreme magics of the Yulan Continent, surpassing the other seven types of magic.

When Delin spoke these words, his tone was filled with deep reverence. "Necromantic magic corresponds to the rules of death. When cultivated to its peak, it can control life and death, communicate with the underworld, and summon armies of the dead. The High Priest's life magic corresponds to the rules of life. It can grant life, heal all wounds, and even bring people back to life. As for the Great Destiny Magic... that is something even Saint-level experts are unwilling to mention. Legend has it that one can see the trajectory of destiny and even change destiny."

Lin Yun asked Delin at the time, "Necromantic magic is so powerful, why are there so few people who practice it?"

After a long silence, Delin slowly said, "Because there are two demanding conditions for cultivating necromancy. First, the soul must be extremely pure. Necromancy directly affects the soul and the power of death. If the soul is not pure enough, it is easily corrupted by the power of death, turning into a mindless undead creature. Second, the cultivator must be able to perceive the existence of the rules of death. The rules of death are not as intuitive as the laws of elements; they require extremely high comprehension and special soul talent."

"Those who can meet both conditions simultaneously are few and far between on the entire Magnolia Continent. Moreover, necromancer magic is considered heretical by the Holy See of Light, and practitioners are hunted down once discovered. Therefore, necromancers are becoming increasingly rare, and now they are almost extinct."

Lin Yun looked at the black stone tablet in his hand, his heart filled with complex emotions.

The soul is extremely pure.

His soul had accumulated strength over three lifetimes and been repeatedly tempered by the small cauldron, making it far superior to ordinary people in both strength and purity. As for perceiving the rules of death... he didn't know if his comprehension was sufficient, but at least he was willing to try.

Necromancy, one of the three supreme forms of magic, corresponds to the rules of death.

If he could learn necromancy, his strength would experience a qualitative leap. Seven elemental magics plus necromancy—eight magics simultaneously—no, not eight. Necromancy is a power at the level of rules, not on the same level as elemental magic. Mastering necromancy would be equivalent to mastering a path to a higher realm.

Lin Yun took a deep breath and made a decision.

"I want to give it a try."

Beibei perched on his shoulder, tilting her head to look at the black stone tablet. Her little nose twitched a few times, and then she chirped twice, as if to say, "This thing is a bit strange."

Lin Yun patted its little head and put the stone tablet back into his spatial ring.

Now is not the time to study necromancy. He is still in the Monster Mountain Range, where new dangers could arise at any moment. He can study this stone tablet slowly after returning to the academy and to a safe place.

Lin Yun stood up and took one last look at Morton's body.

An eighth-level necromancer, once a powerful and influential figure, is now nothing but a cold corpse. His magical artifacts were never completed, his revenge was never fulfilled, and his necromancy legacy has fallen into the hands of a twelve-year-old boy.

Fate can be truly ironic sometimes.

Lin Yun turned and walked into the cave, arriving at the altar deep inside.

The altar was constructed of black stone, covered with densely packed magical runes. At its very center floated a half-finished, dark green crystal, emanating a powerful aura of the undead. This was the artifact Morton refused to relinquish—his hope, his obsession, his last desperate attempt to turn the tide.

Lin Yun stared at the crystal and remained silent for a moment.

Then, he raised his right hand and condensed a purifying light of light.

"Holy Light - Purification".

A white light enveloped the entire altar. The dark green crystal trembled violently in the light, its undead aura hissing and rapidly dissipating like ice and snow scorched by flames. Cracks began to appear on the surface of the crystal, growing larger and denser until finally—it shattered with a deafening crash.

Dark green fragments scattered across the ground, the aura of the dead completely dissipating. The runes on the altar also lost their luster, turning into an ordinary black rock.

Morton's last obsession vanished completely at that moment.

Lin Yun withdrew his hand and let out a long breath.

"it's over."

He turned and walked out of the cave. Moonlight spilled into the valley, bathing everything in a silvery glow. The distant forests rustled in the night wind, like the whispers of countless spirits.

Beibei perched on his shoulder, its little head nodding as if it were dozing off. It had been exhausted these past few days, secretly protecting Lin Yun in every battle, ready to intervene at any moment.

Lin Yun reached out and stroked its little head, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Let's go home."

He started walking and headed out of the valley.

The spatial ring on his finger glowed faintly; it was filled with gold coins, crystal cores, magic books, and the necromancer's magic inheritance stone tablet. The gains from this trial far exceeded his expectations.

But he knew that the greatest gain was not these.

Rather, it is the combat experience honed in life-or-death struggles, the magical realm broken through in desperate situations, and the spiritual power that becomes more solid and pure after the soul is tempered by the small cauldron.

These are the things that truly belong to him.

The moonlight spilled onto the forest path, casting a long shadow of him.

Beibei was curled up on his shoulder, already asleep, her small body rising and falling gently with his steps.

Lin Yun took a deep breath and quickened his pace.

Ernst College, he's back.