The Legend of Immortality

With a flick of his mind, Liu Lei began to manipulate the water suspended in the air, gradually forming it into a perfect sphere. This was a fundamental ability of his, a power intrinsic to his bloodline—control over objects. Manipulating an amorphous substance like water was far more difficult than moving something fixed, like a vase, but for Liu Lei, it was still a trivial task, one he often used to amuse himself. Releasing his concentration, the water ball plummeted to the ground, and the unconscious werewolf on the floor was instantly roused, springing to his feet in a flash.

Soaked and disoriented, the canine creature bared its teeth and swung its head, searching for the one who had knocked it out. Liu Lei, comfortably seated on the sofa, watched as the furious beast prepared to pounce. Just as the werewolf gathered itself for the leap, Liu Lei calmly invoked a spell, "Shadow Bind," freezing all of its movements in an instant. The beast, enraged and filled with might, found itself utterly powerless against the invisible force binding it. Its formidable strength, which had been ready to unleash, was rendered meaningless as it crashed heavily onto the floor. 

Liu Lei erupted in laughter, his amusement uncontained, while the werewolf writhed in frustration, glaring at him with burning hatred. After a prolonged fit of laughter, Liu Lei stood slowly, stretching his neck as the dark magic known as "Intimidation" unfurled, a wave of psychic pressure suffocating the air. He cast a protective barrier around the room, releasing torrents of dark energy that flowed from within him, suffusing the space with an overwhelming, nearly invincible presence.

Beads of sweat began to trickle down the werewolf's fur-covered face as it struggled under the immense pressure. Liu Lei's power surged, the dark energy now feeling like an unrelenting wave, crashing against the very soul of his captive. With a casual flick of his hand, the werewolf's massive form was lifted effortlessly, as if it were no more than a scrap of paper, and dragged before Liu Lei.

As the "Shadow Bind" lifted, the werewolf immediately dropped to his knees, his voice trembling as he spoke with respect, "One of the Ten Fierce Warriors of the Wolf Clan, Der, greets you, my lord!" Liu Lei, surprised by this reaction, took a moment to process before responding, "Rise. Do you have companions?"

"Yes," Der replied, standing and bowing his head, his hands clasped in front of him as he spoke further, "Our group consists of ten members. This operation is led by the dark mage, Christopher. In addition to myself, there are two others from my clan: Lawfa and Steven, both also among the Ten Fierce Warriors. The Blood Clan's Duke Redley brought two other counts, while the remaining three are dark mages."

"So much power?" Liu Lei thought inwardly. "What are they after?"

"And what is your mission?"

"I... I don't know, my lord," Der stammered. "All I know is that we're to steal something, and I heard the Church has sent their own people as well."

"The Church?" Liu Lei mused silently, "What kind of object could both the forces of light and dark desire?" He then spoke aloud, "Go back and tell Christopher that I wish to meet with him."

"Yes, my lord." With that, Der opened the window and leapt out into the night.

Liu Lei, pleased with the effectiveness of his power, reflected on how the "Intimidation" spell had so thoroughly influenced Der's mind, forcing him to reveal all he knew without any need for coercion. It was a useful ability, indeed. Watching the werewolf bound across the rooftops, Liu Lei smiled to himself, content with the outcome.

Once Der had departed, Liu Lei summoned the "Heavenly Cleansing Sword." A small orb shot from his mouth, flashing briefly in the air before transforming into a blue flying sword that began to circle around him, moving playfully in the air. Liu Lei spoke to it, almost as if to himself, "Should I help them? What do you think, Heavenly Cleansing? We are all creatures of the dark, and in this world dominated by light, shouldn't we help each other to survive? Yet, if I intervene, the peaceful days we have will be over. What should I do?" The blue sword, without life, continued its dance through the air, unable to answer Liu Lei's musings.

The "Blood Corpse Technique" that Liu Lei practiced had no methods for crafting magical tools or refining elixirs. After all, his very being as the King of Zombies was already a formidable weapon. The Zombie King relied on the sheer strength and regenerative power of its body to withstand any attack, while also utilizing that power to unleash devastating physical assaults to defeat any foe. As such, the Zombie King did not need to cultivate magical implements. However, the Taoist scriptures of the "Great River True Interpretation" did contain profound techniques for crafting artifacts. Although Master Feng and Elder Da Sha had gifted him many magical treasures when he left the country, Liu Lei believed in quality over quantity, choosing to focus on perfecting a single item—the "Heavenly Cleansing Sword." This focus had allowed him to reach a basic level of mastery with the "Sword of Spirit" in just over a decade. However, achieving the next stage—creating a "Qi Sword," a sword that could transform and become formless—was still a distant goal.

In the twelve years since he began his journey, Liu Lei had developed a rough understanding of the "Pangu Axe" and its devastating physical power, but the legendary "Breaking of the Void" was still beyond his reach. Since forming the "Great Dao Golden Pill," his power had not greatly increased. However, with the "Pangu Axe" and the "Heavenly Cleansing Sword," as well as the dark magic he had recently learned and the insights gained from his practice of the "Blood Corpse Technique," his strength had far surpassed what it had been in his homeland.

Meanwhile, several kilometers from Liu Lei's residence, Der had returned to his human form and knelt before the dark mage Christopher, who stood before him, using his "Dark Sight" to scan Der's body. After a long silence, Christopher withdrew his magic, sitting back in his chair with a thought. *A six-tier "Shadow Bind" and a seven-tier "Intimidation" spell—what a powerful mage! The lingering darkness around him... If only he would help us, this mission would be much easier...*

Der remained motionless, trembling on the ground, until Christopher finally spoke, breaking the silence. "What did he tell you?"

"He... he wishes for you to meet with him," Der replied.

"Is that so?" Christopher mused. *It seems he still adheres to the first of the dark world's codes—to help one another. Not many remember that these days.* He then asked, "And what did you tell him?"

Der quivered, "I... I told him everything I knew."

"What?!" Christopher's anger flared as he glared at the trembling werewolf. After a long pause, he let out a deep sigh. "Fine, it's understandable that you would reveal everything under the influence of a seven-tier 'Intimidation' spell. At least you didn't learn too much." With a dismissive wave, he sent Der away. Sitting back, he thought, *If he follows the first code, then perhaps he is trustworthy. I will trust him... I have followed the second code myself...*

Christopher gave an order to the Duke in the next room. "I'm stepping out for a moment." He opened the window and cast the "Wings of Magic" spell, flying out into the night.

The dark world followed three sacred laws: mutual assistance, mutual trust, and the prohibition of displaying power in front of ordinary humans.

Christopher's meeting with Liu Lei was cordial, despite his initial intrusion into Liu Lei's room, which triggered a magical trap. The ensuing dark lightning burned his two-century-old robe to ash. Liu Lei agreed to assist them with their mission, but only if he could avoid direct interaction with the Church. Christopher left satisfied, but from that moment on, he was relentlessly curious about the magic trap Liu Lei had set—after all, a three-hundred-year-old dark mage, particularly one skilled in magical traps, would not easily forget being caught in one. Liu Lei, however, could not bring himself to reveal that although the trap was infused with dark energy, it was an ancient Chinese defensive array—one that had caught Christopher through his own carelessness.