Chapter 37: Tricked!

The inside of the Great Hollow was already in chaos.

Fang Zheng was completely surrounded by two Undead Giants and one Blood Flesh Puppet. On the other side, Shi Dong and Mart were working together to deal with the Death Envoy. The other Templars were not doing well either, as they were being engulfed by another Blood Flesh Puppet and a dozen Skeleton Soldiers. They looked to be on the verge of collapse.

What should we do?

While keeping an alert eye on the two Undead Giants in front of him, Fang Zheng thought carefully. The appearance of the Duke of Bones had completely caught him off guard. In Fang Zheng's view, the current situation couldn't get any worse. Even Shi Dong and Mart together couldn't take down a single undead creature summoned by the Duke of Bones. In this situation, let alone destroying the ritual, even self-preservation was difficult.

Meanwhile, the Blood Flesh Puppet and the Undead Giants were equally troubling. The Blood Flesh Puppet seemed utterly unkillable. Fang Zheng had already used Divine Storm to shred it to pieces more than once, but it didn't matter; even when it was reduced to a tattered mess full of holes, it stubbornly launched attacks at Fang Zheng. With the two towering Undead Giants, even Fang Zheng had to resort to dodging.

Damn it... If only Shi Dong and Mart weren't here...

After another roll to avoid the Necromancer Golem's attack, Fang Zheng gripped his longsword tightly in his right hand and swung it forward from behind. The Sky-Cleaving Sword, carrying a trace of the Sword Scar of Light, slashed the Necromancer Golem in the head, leaving a deep wound. The heavily struck Undead Giant roared in anger and fell to one knee. Just as Fang Zheng was about to finish it off, a strip-like object resembling minced meat twisted out from the side, topped with a human face, screaming towards Fang Zheng with a wail.

Again?

Hearing that eerie and chilling sound, Fang Zheng's eyes narrowed, and he reluctantly dodged backward. This Blood Flesh Puppet had already been ground down to almost nothing by him. Yet even so, it showed no signs of being eradicated, but rather became increasingly troublesome. Fang Zheng had tried several Paladin skills on it to no avail. Maybe he should try a Five Fireballs to completely char it to ashes?

Unfortunately, Fang Zheng's Soulstone didn't include Jaina. As for whether Psionic energy would work on undead creatures... Fang Zheng didn't hold out much hope.

"Ahhhhhhh!!!"

The jerky-like Blood Flesh Puppet charged again. Fang Zheng raised the Sky-Cleaving Sword in his hand, and a golden shield appeared in front of him. The Blood Flesh Puppet slammed into the golden shield, screaming as it was forced to retreat. But Fang Zheng didn't miss this opportunity; he raised the Sky-Cleaving Sword and swung it down with force.

Judgment!

The golden Holy Light instantly enveloped the Blood Flesh Puppet. Under the omnipresent bombardment of Holy Energy, the Blood Flesh Puppet emitted a shrill screech, and its previously upright body started to go limp. Though it was a bloodless and tearless puppet, undead creatures were inherently restrained by Holy Power.

Taking advantage of the moment the Blood Flesh Puppet "softened" up, Fang Zheng took a swift step past it. Without hesitation, he swung the Sky-Cleaving Sword down again, completely severing the head of the Necromancer Golem. The previously heavily wounded Undead Giant, which hadn't yet risen to its feet, collapsed to the ground, utterly dead.

Finally took one down!

Fang Zheng breathed a sigh of relief, but the death of this Necromancer Golem didn't bring much joy. The Necromancer Golem, the Blood Flesh Puppet, and even the Death Envoy were just minor players. Fang Zheng had not forgotten that above them still stood a powerful lich, one of the five councilors of the Council of the Fallen, the Master of Lich, the Duke of Bones, Frank.

Fang Zheng didn't know how powerful he was, but from the looks of Shi Dong and Mart, the enemy shouldn't be much weaker than Kel'Thuzad. Although Fang Zheng could deal 250%+ Holy Damage to undead due to his titles and various bonuses, there was still a basic value. If he was dealing with ordinary undead creatures, he could still manage to one-shot them. But against these thick-skinned, high-level enemies, his low attack power would immediately become a glaring weakness.

What should he do next? How much longer did he have to wait?

Fang Zheng clenched his left hand, taking a moment to glance around. If he were alone, he would without hesitation activate Arthas's Soulstone. The Master of Lich might be fearsome, but the Lich King... well, it couldn't be worse, could it?

But now it wasn't possible; with Mart and Shi Dong still present, the traits of the Lich King were too distinct. If Fang Zheng activated the Soulstone, he was sure the two of them would immediately figure out his identity. At that point, all his efforts to infiltrate the Sanctuary would be wasted. He hadn't fought so hard to get into the Sanctuary just to flee before reaping any benefits.

Of course, Fang Zheng was prepared. He had an Invincible ready in his hand and would activate it at once if the situation turned dire. This was one of Fang Zheng's confidences. Thankfully, Prince Arthas had learned the Paladin skills quite thoroughly; otherwise, Fang Zheng might be even more disadvantaged now.

But if this continued, they would still die.

To be honest, Fang Zheng quite liked Shi Dong and Mart, the two Grand Knights. If it had been that crazy woman named Connie, Fang Zheng would have immediately activated the Lich King, possibly killing the madwoman in passing, then blaming it on the Master of Lich. Fang Zheng didn't like killing, but he wouldn't hold back against those trying to kill him.

But for Shi Dong and Mart, if possible, Fang Zheng hoped they could survive. It wasn't just that he got along well with the two; they were also influential within the Sanctuary. Fang Zheng didn't know if such people were the majority in the Sanctuary, but regardless, one more friend meant one more path.

However, it seemed that hope was getting dim. More importantly, what exactly did the Master of Lich want?

Thinking of this, Fang Zheng couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated. The enemy's strength was overwhelming, enough to crush all of them. It had already severely injured Shi Dong with a single strike. Adding Mart wouldn't make much difference. It probably just needed one AOE to wipe them all out. So why was it waiting? Could it be, like in novels, this boss liked to watch its enemies suffer before killing them?

While complaining internally, Fang Zheng glanced upwards, then suddenly widened his eyes in surprise.

It's gone!

The Master of Lich, who was supposed to be there, was gone!

Fang Zheng momentarily wondered if his eyes were playing tricks. He blinked and quickly looked around, finally confirming that while they were fighting these damn undead creatures, the Master of Lich had quietly slipped away?

What kind of play was this?

"Mentor, Grand Knight Mart, the lich is gone!"

"What?"

Hearing Fang Zheng's shout, the two Grand Knights, who were still entangled with the Death Envoy, were also stunned. They lifted their heads and looked around, and to their astonishment, found that the Master of Lich had indeed disappeared!

What was going on?

The battle continued, but everyone was baffled. Like Fang Zheng, none of them thought they could scare away the Master of Lich, not even Shi Dong and Mart. In reality, they were just struggling, a human's instinctual resistance and will to survive. They knew full well they couldn't defeat the Duke of Bones, and they equally understood that the enemy wouldn't let them go.

After all, the core principle of the Council of the Fallen was "Better dead than alive," wasn't it?

But now, the Duke of Bones had actually left?

What was this move?

"Thud!!"

Suddenly, at that moment, a heavy thud echoed. Both sides paused in surprise. Although the thud wasn't loud, it seemed to have a special pull, making even the least intelligent Necromancer Golem turn its head towards the sound. Fang Zheng was no exception; he looked in that direction as well.

It came from the center of the Magic Circle, where a large Stone Coffin rested. The sound was coming from within that coffin.

"Thud!!"

As everyone stared at it, the Stone Coffin trembled again. It was then that Fang Zheng noticed the Stone Coffin was wrapped in dozens of thick chains! Now, the chains were cracking from the impact, and some seemed on the verge of falling off!

Wait!

Seeing this, Fang Zheng felt a chill down his spine as a realization struck him.

Grand Knight Mart had said that the lich was planning to conduct some kind of ritual here, which was why they had come to stop it. When they had arrived, everything seemed uneventful, so Fang Zheng hadn't paid much attention. But now he suddenly thought of a possibility.

What if the Master of Lich's ritual had already been completed before their arrival?

What if he was just waiting for them to show up?

Realizing this, Fang Zheng's face turned incredibly grim.

Damn, they had been played!