The Mighty Mage
Chapter 256: Qi Zhaoyu

Chapter 256: Chapter 256: Qi Zhaoyu

Gu Jin could sense the unwillgeness to die in Zhu Masong’s eyes.

It was clear...there was a matter he wanted to finish but seeing his life slipping away, he could only accept the outcome.

"I can offer you a chance to finish what you’ve left behind. To fight one last time. But understand, you will not be the man you once were.

Once you become one of my people, you will lose the right to think on your own. I will be the person with whom you will be loyal...forever."

Zhu Masong’s brows furrowed as he tried to make sense of her offer.

His body was broken, hope was slipping away—what choice did he have? With a shaky breath, he whispered,

"I don’t care... as long as I can fight again."

Gu Jin’s lips curved into a knowing smile. "Good."

"Arise from the death." She said softly.

A sharp but gentle energy slowly traveled from her body to her hand, as she placed it firmly on Zhu Masong’s chest.

The energy seeped into his body, wrapping around his soul like a dark cocoon.

Zhu Masong gasped, his eyes widening as he felt the strange force pulling him back from the brink of death, yet dragging him into something far worse.

The magic was neither painful nor comforting—it was a numbing cold, like drowning in shadows. His consciousness began to fade, but not entirely.

His thoughts blurred, and the memories of his life—his purpose, his pain—started to slip away, just as Gu Jin had promised. He would no longer be the man he once was.

Bones cracked and reformed under her dark power.

His flesh withered away, leaving behind only skeletal remains, now encased in a dark armor forged by her spell.

A red light flickered in his eye sockets.

The skeletal warrior slowly rose from the ground, standing tall before her. His transformation was complete.

Gu Jin stared at the skeletal warrior trying to guess his powers.

A strange connection between them made Gu Jin understand his power.

"He still has the power of Super Rank mage, right?"

"Yes master, but he was only able to secure one element." The space answered.

"What element is it?" Gu Jin asked curiously.

"Earth."

"Earth is good. It is a good defensive and offensive element." Gu Jin commented.

"Zhu Masong," she addressed the skeletal warrior. "You will be my shield and my spear."

The skeletal warrior nodded, his hollow eyes glowing brighter.

"Yes, master. I will protect you and destroy your enemies."

Gu Jin smiled, satisfied with his obedience.

"Master I suggest you explore his power before attacking the parasites." The space advised.

"Bingo." Gu Jin snapped her finger.

"Let’s test your powers," she said, stepping back and waving her hand. "Create a protective barrier."

Zhu Masong lifted his bony hands, and a low rumble began to echo from beneath the ground.

The earth around them trembled as he summoned massive stone pillars, rising up from the ground and encircling them like a protective barrier.

Gu Jin cast an advanced rank fire spell to make a hole in the earth wall.

"Firey fist!"

With her hand that was engulfed in flame, Gu Jin punched the wall.

She thought she could only leave a small scratch but to her surprise she was able to make a significant crack.

"Space, is his power only at the beginning level of the Super Rank?"

"No matter, its because you are strong." The space replied.

Gu Jin wasn’t disappointed.

Though she made a small crack in the wall, Zhu Masong’s strength was at least as strong as her!

This means she was now at least two times more powerful than she was before.

"Take back the earth wall." Gu Jin ordered.

Zhu Masong obeyed.

With a flick of his wrist, the pillars crumbled into dust, revealing his complete control over the element.

Gu Jin nodded, pleased. "Excellent. Now cast the best earth offensive spell on one of the walls nearby."

Zhu Masong turned towards the nearby wall, his skeletal fingers twitching as he gathered energy from the earth.

A deep rumble filled the air as the ground began to shake beneath them.

With a swift motion, he slammed his hands down into the ground, and the earth responded violently.

Massive spikes of rock shot up from the ground, sharp and jagged, slamming into the wall with incredible force.

The impact was immense.

The stone wall, thick and sturdy, crumbled instantly under the pressure, reduced to rubble.

Dust and debris filled the air as the power of the spell dissipated, leaving behind a gaping hole where the wall once stood.

Gu Jin stood in awe for a moment.

"Space was the earth element always so good?"

"No master, you were lucky for the first time. The human whom you decided to convert into a skeletal soldier was a genius earth element mage."

Gu Jin’s eyes brighetend.

"Oh right! Can he evolve?" There was a hint of expectation in Gu Jin’s eyes.

"Master I don’t know about it. You will need to look at the hierarchy." The space answered.

"Okay. Anyways, what about the life force? How much life force has been used?"

"Master according to my estimation, half of it has been used." The space guessed,

Gu Jin heaved a sigh of relief. She decided to recover her mana before leaving for the magic academy.

On the way, just like before Gu Jin met many parasites.

As for why Gu Jin was able to identify them? It was all thanks to her necromancy element.

With her necromancy element, she could sense that a human’s aura was usually bright white or greyish.

Parasites on the other hand didn’t have a stable aura. Some had none, while some had a dark black with a hint of red aura, just like the resentful souls she had met in the cemetery.

She kept on sucking their life force.

Halfway through, Zhu Masong suddenly stopped and turned to his left.

Gu Jin curiously followed his gaze and saw him looking at a narrow alley.

"Does something matter?"

On the other side of the narrow alley, Gu Jin spotted what had caught Zhu Masong’s attention.

A large group of parasites were clamoring in front of a small, crumbling shop.

"We’ll break in soon," one of the parasites hissed, its voice low and slithering. "And when we do, we’ll feast."

Inside the shop, the air was thick with fear and desperation.

Over fifty humans huddled together, their breaths shallow and their eyes wide with terror.

They tried to hide in the shadows, but the crack in the door was too large.

The parasites could see them, hear their faint whispers, and smell the terror in their sweat.

A man named Qi Zhaoyu knelt near the back of the shop, his hands trembling as he clasped them together in prayer.

His voice was weak, shaking as he whispered,

"Please... please, gods, show mercy. Don’t let us die like this."

Beside him, a mother clutched her child tightly to her chest, trying to muffle the child’s sobs.

The mother’s eyes were filled with a hollow dread as she stared at the door, knowing it was only a matter of time before the parasites broke through.

"We’re going to die," one of the men whispered to no one in particular. His voice cracked with despair.

"They’ll tear us apart. There’s no escape."

Qi Zhaoyu’s heart sank as the hopelessness of their situation weighed on him. His lips quivered as he prayed louder, tears streaming down his face.

"Please! Someone, save us! I beg you... I don’t want to die. Not like this..."

The shop was eerily quiet except for the faint sounds of sobbing and murmured prayers.

The parasites, impatient and hungry, began scratching at the door, laughing with wicked delight.

"They’re praying," one parasite sneered. "Like that will save them."

Qi Zhaoyu looked around at the faces of those with him.

The elderly couple in the corner, holding hands, bracing themselves for the end.

The young girl clutched her father’s leg, her small body trembling.

The teenager, who had once been full of life, now sat silent, tears pooling in his lap.

Their eyes met his, and all Qi Zhaoyu could do was offer a weak, trembling smile as if that would bring them any comfort.

The crack in the door grew larger as the parasites shoved against it, the wood groaning under the pressure.

Splinters flew through the air as the barrier between life and death began to break.

Qi Zhaoyu hurriedly made a wind barrier, but the attack was so powerful that he was sent flying toward one of the walls.

Faint blood started to seep from the corner of his mouth.

"Young man there is no use...we will die anyway."

The young girl who was clutching her father’s legs cried,

"Wuu! I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die!"

Gu Jin could only see the parasites attacking the shop, suddenly the space shouted,

"Master one of the descendants of the soul you absorbed, is present in that shop."