Chapter 1494
...Boddy, what are you looking at? Hurry up and accept my gift. Take these for now, and I'll prepare something bigger for you later. These are too small...
Leon smiled and took out the Death Tome, flipping to the page of the Sage's Chapter. A faint, mysterious radiance appeared, and the small mountain of undead essence before him transformed into a torrent, surging into the Sage's Chapter.
As the torrent of undead essence was devoured by the Sage's Chapter, ripples began to emerge on its surface. The surrounding area was filled with a terrifying energy storm, forming a black-gray tornado, with its tail anchored to the Death Tome.
One mountain of undead essence was swallowed, but the deathly tornado of yin energy did not stop. The undead essence from the dozen or so nearby mountains began to converge into the black-gray tornado, which was then drawn into the Death Tome and devoured by the Sage's Chapter.
After all the undead essence was consumed, three slots for level-eight ultimate spells appeared, and there was even a faint trend toward manifesting a slot for a level-nine ultimate spell.
The mysterious brilliance on the surface of the Sage's Chapter continued to flow, then gradually dimmed. Leon felt a mix of anticipation and regret.
Back when Leon first obtained the Sage's Chapter, ultimate spells were a tremendous aid. But as his level increased, even when the Sage's Chapter could imprint ultimate spells, it became less useful and was gradually set aside.
Of all the Death Tome's magical components, the Sage's Chapter was the first to be abandoned. But now, in the Undead Plane, with enough undead essence, it has once again unleashed its terrifying power.
A level-eight spell, once imprinted onto the Sage's Chapter and released again, becomes an ultimate level-eight spell, with power rivaling that of a level-ten spell. Thanks to the nature of ultimate spells, a particular trait within a level-eight spell can be pushed to its limit. If used well, it might even surpass the effects of a level-ten spell.
Now, three slots for level-eight spells have appeared, and there's even a faint sign of a slot for a level-nine spell emerging. The Sage's Chapter has once again become a trump card.
Three level-eight Limit Spells, each as powerful as a level-ten spell and capable of being cast instantly—these are battle-changing trump cards.
If the Sage's Chapter can imprint a level-nine spell, a level-nine Limit Spell would have power comparable to level eleven. At that level, it's a complete qualitative leap.
A Limit Spell isn't just about amplifying certain traits of the spell—it's about elevating the underlying magical rules to their absolute peak. That's power beyond the Sky Rank.
At any moment, it's the strongest trump card you could hold...
A level-nine Limit Spell... Just thinking about it makes Leon shudder. Throughout history, the number of times a level-nine Limit Spell has appeared can be counted on one hand. Even in the golden age, almost no one could bring a level-nine spell to Limit Spell status.
Those few terrifying beings who were nearly god-demons could only master one or two level-nine Limit Spells, and even those weren't essential to them. Their true strength already surpassed the power of level-nine Limit Spells!
The difference between level-eight Limit Spells and level-nine Limit Spells is like the gap between Title Archmage and Sky Rank. The former are still spells, while the latter have begun to tap into the rules themselves—the difference is immeasurable.
Limit Spells are the brightest jewels of mage civilization. Every time a level-nine Limit Spell appears, it changes the course of history.
Right now, Leon is still far from mastering a level-nine Limit Spell. The only Limit Spells he can barely handle are a few at level seven—none at level eight, and level nine is out of the question.
If even Leon struggles with this, it's even more meaningless for other mages. Limit Spells are practically useless in real combat for others. For a Sky Rank mage, what use is a level-three or level-four Limit Spell?
After discovering the changes in the Sage's Chapter, Leon was in a great mood. He didn't rush to imprint a level-eight spell, instead leaving the undead essence's power within the Sage's Chapter.
Every time a Limit Spell is cast, it consumes undead essence. Even though those three slots can now imprint spells, once a spell is imprinted, the undead essence is expended. Replenishing it later might not trigger another upgrade in the Sage's Chapter.
This massive influx of undead essence might be the key to breaking through this upgrade threshold.
When Leon looked back at Gimble, he found himself starting to accept this gnome ghoul. Sure, there was a natural hatred between the living and the undead—a visceral disgust and enmity that no undead could escape.
But now, looking at Gimble's somewhat ugly face, Leon felt he couldn't let this guy die on the battlefield. Even though, on this battlefield, Gimble's rate of advancement was terrifyingly fast.
In fact, it's not just Gimble—any undead who survives here advances at a frightening pace. Once they hit level forty-seven, though, progress slows dramatically. After this war, Gimble might still be level forty-seven. Reaching forty-eight will be extremely difficult, and forty-nine is basically impossible.
As the war expands, the likelihood of him being killed and having his Soul Fire devoured by other undead rises sharply. If he fights on the front lines against the Northend World, his chances of dying are even higher.
"Gimble, do you remember what I told you? It's best not to fight on the front lines. Stay in the rear, battle other undead lords, and take territory. And seriously, don't fight in the Blighted Domain anymore..."
(This chapter isn't over yet ^.^ Please click next page to continue reading!)
Gimble looked confused. With his intelligence, there was no way he could grasp the hidden meaning behind Leon's words—he could barely understand the words themselves.
...Boddy, didn't you say that after we take this place...
Gimble didn't get it, so Leon quickly kept up his spiel. This guy was just too naive—not at all like the evil undead who die here all the time. And besides, they've got some history together. Even if Leon couldn't bring himself to kill Gimble on the battlefield, someone else might. The strong humans on the other side, though fewer in number, are far superior in quality and intelligence compared to the undead of the Undead Plane...
The famous undead of the Undead Plane who make a name for themselves in Northend are usually known for their intelligence, not just raw power.
Gimble, listen to me—there's a big war coming here soon. You know the Blood Lich, right? The one at the peak of level forty-nine, who doesn't even listen to the Undead King? He's already been taken out. Next, the war in the Blighted Domain will only get fiercer, with more and more powerful beings showing up. Maybe even the Undead King himself will appear.
This kind of war isn't something we can meddle in on the front lines. We could easily die. And think about it—after you die, those Mourning Vultures you killed will come back, peck at your body, and get their revenge.
Start moving your territory to the rear of the Blighted Domain, and gradually take over lands outside it. Think about it—while all the undead are fighting inside the Blighted Domain, nobody's fighting for the lands outside.
They're all going to die; we can't win. So in the end, all the undead in the Blighted Domain will be wiped out. The best territory will be the lands outside the Blighted Domain. If you claim those, you'll be the last one standing...
After Leon finished his pitch, Gimble was still bewildered. He didn't understand most of it, but he did hear that fighting in the Blighted Domain would get him killed, and that the Mourning Vultures would peck his body...
When Mourning Vultures got involved, Gimble stopped thinking so hard. Whether he understood or not, he just nodded in agreement.
Boddy, you're right—you really are smarter than me. I almost missed the Mourning Vultures' schemes...
Leon nodded and didn't bother explaining further. As long as Gimble followed instructions, that was enough. If Gimble lagged behind here, a bunch of other undead would probably follow suit. Those undead lords would just go along with it—they wouldn't think too hard. If someone starts grabbing territory, they'll join in too...
The war was intensifying, and the undead creatures here were growing stronger. The later it got, the less advantage the Northend World's coalition had. Even if they won in the end and drove the undead out of the Blighted Domain, and managed to set up that massive hexagram array to seal the place, the lands bordering the Blighted Domain would become the most important territory.
Letting Gimble take over here makes it easier to manage. Most importantly, it's a way to give Gimble a real benefit. The lord who ends up holding territory outside the Blighted Domain will be the biggest winner in this war.
After a few more instructions, Leon checked on Ragulin and Barton. Both had advanced to Sky Rank and reached level forty-three, while the Prince had reached level forty-four.
As long as the undead have enough opportunities, their rate of advancement is terrifying—the lower their level, the faster they advance.
Leon didn't interfere, letting them continue to exploit the battlefield and level up. When they're strong enough to command undead armies and compete for territory, that's when they'll join the struggle. Even if they're dragging their feet in the rear, that's fine too.
The main thing is, with the Death Tome backing these three, as long as the Death Tome isn't destroyed, their marks here mean they'll never truly die. If they're killed, Leon can just summon them again.
With these three plus Gimble collecting undead essence, the pace will pick up a lot. Maybe in a year or two, they'll have gathered enough undead essence for a level-nine Limit Spell slot to appear on the Sage's Chapter.