Chapter 300: An Unexpected Guest

After learning that Elena's advancement required a Necromantic Plane, the White Dragon Lord immediately tapped his network of contacts, asking around for leads on a Necromantic Plane.

A few days later, he actually tracked down three suitable Necromantic Planes. However, all three were already claimed, and the asking prices were simply too high. He would probably have to sell off more than half of White Castle to afford one.

It wasn't that the other organizations were opportunistically hiking prices; a Necromantic Plane was genuinely worth that much. Even the smallest Necromantic Plane was considered a Small Material Plane. Even if all its mineral resources had been mined out, the plane itself remained a massive fortune. The unique magical materials produced within a Necromantic Plane's distinctive environment were like the goose that laid golden eggs, and a Heart of the Plane was an utterly priceless treasure.

Left with no other options, the White Dragon Lord could only post a commission in the Council's mission hall, offering a high price for any leads on a Necromantic Plane.

The day after the White Dragon Lord posted the mission, an unexpected guest arrived at White Castle.

In White Castle's reception room, the White Dragon Lord sat in the seat of honor and raised his glass to the visiting guest.

"Priest Sinod, White Castle welcomes you."

"The honor is all mine."

After the two exchanged pleasantries for a while, the atmosphere of the conversation grew harmonious. The White Dragon Lord spoke in a joking tone.

"I wonder what good news Priest Sinod has brought me with this visit?"

Clad in golden priestly vestments, Priest Sinod spoke with a smile.

"I do indeed have some good news."

He paused for a moment before continuing.

"As Your Majesty Amos knows, a few years ago, a material plane under the Holy Sanctuary's banner was targeted by a High-Tier Legendary lich. I had no choice but to personally oversee the plane, and I couldn't even accept Your Majesty's invitation. It wasn't until recently that the Holy Sanctuary finally freed up some manpower, and Knight Magellan and I joined forces to ambush the lich."

Magellan was the Holy Sanctuary's first holy knight, also possessing the combat power of a High-Tier Legend. The White Dragon Lord's heart stirred.

A lich!

A Necromantic Plane?!

"What was the result of the ambush?"

"It got away."

Priest Sinod sighed helplessly.

"But the lich's physical body was heavily damaged. We followed the trail and discovered its lair."

Exactly as I expected, the White Dragon Lord thought.

Seeing the White Dragon Lord's look of understanding, Priest Sinod continued.

"That's right. That lich is the lord of a Necromantic Plane. According to the intelligence we gathered, the plane still retains the remnants of civilization. It is highly likely that the lich initiated an undead scourge and destroyed its own plane."

"Knight Magellan and I pressed our advantage and pursued it, but the lich had fortified its lair into an impenetrable stronghold. The two of us nearly suffered a massive loss."

Seeing Priest Sinod's lingering expression of dread, the White Dragon Lord felt somewhat astonished.

"Oh? What happened?"

"It has a Magic Tower! We calculated that unless the Archbishop personally went with a Divine Artifact, it would take at least four High-Tier Legends to defeat the lich while it held the territorial advantage. But the Holy Sanctuary is short on manpower, and the Archbishop cannot leave the Sacred Mountain, so he sent me to find you."

Priest Sinod harbored some doubts of his own. Although the White Dragon Lord had saved him in the past, he didn't believe the dragon could deal with a lich. Even if ice magic could destroy the lich's physical form, it couldn't trap its soul.

The White Dragon Lord's heart grew heavy. Had the Archbishop seen through his secrets after only a single meeting?!

Because he studied Soul Magic, the White Dragon Lord's soul was far stronger than that of an ordinary High-Tier Legend. He speculated that the Archbishop had noticed this anomaly and consequently sent Priest Sinod to White Castle.

Suddenly, the White Dragon Lord thought of the Cat-Woman. Perhaps the Archbishop simply wanted to use White Castle to invite Hajir.

The White Dragon Lord didn't know what the Archbishop was thinking, but there shouldn't be any malicious intent. With such a mutually beneficial opportunity delivered right to his doorstep, he had no reason to refuse.

"White Castle can dispatch two High-Tier Legends."

"For the Holy Sanctuary, it will still be Knight Magellan and me."

With both sides willing to cooperate, the White Dragon Lord and Priest Sinod quickly reached an agreement. They would join forces to deal with the lich, and the spoils from the Necromantic Plane would be split evenly.

Originally, as the provider of the intelligence, the Holy Sanctuary should have taken an extra ten percent according to the rules. However, since Elena would purify the Necromantic Plane, its value post-purification would naturally be much higher. Therefore, after discussing the matter, the two decided to simply split the profits fifty-fifty.

The two parties didn't even sign a contract. The White Dragon Lord didn't have to worry about the Holy Sanctuary scamming him; this was the benefit of cooperating with a Lawful Good faction. Similarly, the Holy Sanctuary wasn't worried about the White Dragon Lord betraying them at the last moment. As long as he still wanted to remain in Nordhill, he wouldn't do such a thing.

"Your Excellency Sinod, tell me what intelligence you gathered during your last trip to the lich's lair so I can make some preparations."

"The Bone Tower!"

Priest Sinod sighed.

"The lich's Mage Tower is an incredibly tall Bone Tower. The souls of the dead wail atop it. If we want to destroy the lich, we must first purify those innocent souls."

The White Dragon Lord's expression grew solemn.

"Are there many?"

"Every living creature in the entire plane! The lich slaughtered the whole plane and imprisoned their souls, whether they were intelligent beings or animals. I don't know how long they've been trapped within the tower, but those souls have long since been tortured into losing their sanity, twisting into vengeful spirits."

Sinod remained expressionless, but the White Dragon Lord noticed his tightly clenched hands; the pale knuckles betrayed his inner agitation.

"Those souls will attack any living being. Knight Magellan and I were almost overwhelmed by the tide of vengeful spirits."

Priest Sinod looked a little embarrassed.

"And then the two of us fled back here."

This lich was certainly ruthless!

That was the White Dragon Lord's assessment of the lich he had yet to meet. After slaughtering every living creature in an entire plane, it used their corpses to forge the Tower of Bones, and then enslaved the souls of the dead to act as the Bone Tower's guards. It was no wonder the Holy Sanctuary was dead set on destroying it.

The White Dragon Lord observed Priest Sinod, and Priest Sinod observed him in turn. The priest noted that the dragon's expression upon hearing about the tide of vengeful spirits was merely one of surprise, without a single trace of fear.

The ignorant were fearless, but so were the truly strong. Obviously, the mage dragon couldn't be ignorant, which meant he definitely had a way to deal with the tide of vengeful spirits. A sliver of anticipation rose in Sinod's heart.

After having lunch with the four dragons, Priest Sinod left White Castle. The two sides agreed to make their move in exactly one month.

The White Dragon Lord immediately followed this up by traveling to the Nine Eyes Alliance to visit the Cat-Woman.

The Elven Forest.

Golden sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting beams of golden light and leaving dappled spots across the grassy ground. Colorful wildflowers bloomed and revealed their centers, while a perfectly subtle floral fragrance drifted through the air. Bees and butterflies chased each other among the flower beds.

The White Dragon Lord sniffed the air, the floral scent bracing his draconic spirit. Shrouded by a Magic Barrier, the Elven Forest presented a scene bursting with the vitality of spring regardless of the actual season.

"As expected of the Elven Forest most frequently sung about by bards. It truly is beautiful!"

A bee landed on a white wildflower, drinking in the intoxicating nectar. Suddenly, a massive foot descended from the sky, crushing both the bee and the flower flat against the ground.

"What a pity that fairy tales are all lies. Beneath the beautiful facade of the Elven Forest lies nothing but the naked law of the jungle."

A few hundred meters away, a gray wolf with a wild hare in its jaws hid behind a large tree. If it had heard the White Dragon Lord's murmurs, it surely would have agreed with him.

Taking massive strides, the White Dragon Lord soon arrived at his destination: a colossal tree several times taller than the surrounding timber. Curtain-like aerial roots hung from the giant tree, with some weaving together to form a massive nest-like dwelling. This was the headquarters of the Withered Vine Druids.

The great tree was full of vibrant greenery, yet a layer of withered, yellowing leaves carpeted the ground beneath it. As the White Dragon Lord stepped on the dead leaves, he caught a whiff of decay masked beneath the floral scent.

Inside the suspended dwelling, the Cat-Woman sensed the arrival of the guest. An aerial root extended into the house from outside, weaving into a disk beneath her feet that gently lowered her to the ground.

Hajir gazed at the White Dragon Lord who had dropped by so suddenly.

"Is something the matter? Meow~."

The White Dragon Lord nodded.

"I've found a Necromantic Plane, but there's a bit of trouble. A High-Tier Legendary lich has occupied it and established a Mage Tower."

"I've allied with the Holy Sanctuary. White Castle needs to send two High-Tier Legends, but Senior Ancient Gold Dragon doesn't have the means to deal with a lich. I'd like to ask you to lend a hand."

"No problem!"

The Cat-Woman didn't hesitate in the slightest. Elena was her only disciple, the successor to the Withered Vine Druid Sect, and was about to become the longest-lived Withered Vine Druid in history.

After all, even a High-Tier Legend could live for ten thousand years at most, while an Ancient Dragon possessed a lifespan of a hundred thousand years. Elena had come to visit her, so she was well aware of the changes that had occurred in her disciple.

A long lifespan meant one could accomplish many things, such as having more time to search for suitable disciples and expand the ranks of the Withered Vine Druids. This was the Cat-Woman's lifelong dream, and Elena had given her hope. For the sake of her beloved disciple, the Cat-Woman naturally agreed to help.

Besides...

The Cat-Woman cast a curious glance at the White Dragon Lord. The changes in Elena were all due to the Bloodline Advancement Ritual prepared by him. If he could prepare a Bloodline Advancement Ritual of that caliber for his three younger siblings, then what level had the White Dragon Lord himself reached?!

Curiosity really did kill the cat~!

Old habits died hard. The Cat-Woman was immensely curious about the White Dragon Lord, but she was too embarrassed to outright ask about his secrets. It felt like cat claws were scratching at her heart.

The White Dragon Lord wasn't surprised at all by the Cat-Woman's ready agreement. After all, Elena was the dragon closest to her, and there wasn't a third Withered Vine Druid in this world.

Guided by the Cat-Woman, the White Dragon Lord spent a day enjoying the Elven Forest before returning to White Castle, leaving behind the gift he had brought before his departure.

It wasn't anything valuable, just a Dimensional Bag stuffed entirely with dried fish.

The last time the Cat-Woman read books in the White Tower, the snack she ate the most was dried fish, so the White Dragon Lord simply catered to her tastes.

One month later.

The White Dragon Lord arrived precisely on time at the designated meeting place, where Priest Sinod and Knight Magellan were already waiting.

Aside from the two from the Holy Sanctuary, there were also ten Legendary Mages present. These ten Legendary Mages were helpers hired from the Council through a mission posted by the Holy Sanctuary. They would work together to lock down the spatial fabric around the Bone Tower, leaving the lich with no avenue of escape.

If necessary, these ten Legendary Mages would also join the battle. The combined force of ten Legendary Mages with off-the-charts combat power and diverse methods was a force that even the White Dragon Lord would have to temporarily retreat from.

As a side note, during this month, the White Dragon Lord had declined the Witches' Council's invitation to explore the Desolation of Extreme Winter, using the development of the sub-plane and the upcoming assault on the Necromantic Plane as his excuses. He had no desire to fight alongside teammates harboring ulterior motives.

Not long after, the Cat-Woman also arrived.

"Sorry, I woke up late."

She wasn't too late, so no one minded.

Once everyone was assembled, they gathered around as Priest Sinod spoke up.

"Everyone! We will teleport directly to the Necromantic Plane where the lich resides. However, the drop point we've chosen is quite a distance from the lich's Bone Tower. For safety's sake, we need to get a clear picture of the Necromantic Plane's current situation before making a move."

Priest Sinod gestured to one of the Legendary Mages and introduced him.

"This is Mage Teresa Leslie. He is a master of Soul Magic, and his soul-searching techniques can pry open any enemy's mouth. Therefore, we need to capture one of the lich's subordinates as quickly as possible. To prevent the lich from being alerted, we must strike immediately the moment we obtain the intelligence."

Teresa nodded and smiled at the group. Surrounded by so many beings of the same rank and several High-Tier Legends, he didn't dare act arrogant despite his mastery of Soul Magic.

As someone who also studied Soul Magic, the White Dragon Lord took an extra glance at Teresa Leslie. He had already confessed his proficiency in Soul Magic to Priest Sinod—after all, it couldn't be hidden once the fighting started anyway. If someone else was willing to do the heavy lifting now, the White Dragon Lord naturally had no objections.

Sinod then proceeded to assign tasks to the rest of the Legendary Mages.

"Is there anything anyone doesn't understand, or anything you'd like to add?"

The Holy Sanctuary's arrangements were perfectly reasonable, and no one raised any objections. Sinod immediately relayed the coordinates of the Necromantic Plane to the White Dragon Lord.

The White Dragon Lord rapidly chanted an incantation, teleporting the entire group to their target plane.

Inside a small valley within the Necromantic Plane, the White Dragon Lord observed his surroundings.

Leaden clouds hung like ink in the sky, casting a dim, ashen pallor over the entire world. Gray snowflakes drifted down, settling onto the bare, pitch-black branches around the valley. These trees had died long ago, their branches twisted by the power of death into shapes resembling clawing, spectral shadows.

The White Dragon Lord brushed aside the accumulated gray snow, exposing the blackened earth beneath. This land had died ages ago; let alone plants like grass or seeds, there wasn't even a single microorganism left.

A putrid aura of death permeated the air, causing all the living beings present to feel physically sick. It was only after casting magical buffs on themselves that everyone felt a little better.

The Cat-Woman frowned. She tapped the ground with the dead-wood staff in her hand, unleashing a powerful burst of vitality.

The White Dragon Lord's pupils shrank. He watched as a fresh sprout pushed its way out of the deathly soil covered in gray snow. The shoot grew at a blistering pace, maturing into a large tree in mere moments, while blades of grass and wildflowers sprang up around its base.

"Phew~!"

Standing beneath the large tree, the Cat-Woman let out a long breath.

"That's much better."

Everyone stared in awe.

Back in Nordhill, any Legendary druid could pull off a feat like this. But here in the Necromantic Realm, only a High-Tier Legendary druid could accomplish it with such ease.

Yet even a High-Tier Legendary druid could usually only maintain this by relying on their vast reserves of natural primal energy. The moment they cut off that energy supply, the tree would immediately revert to its original state.

The Cat-Woman, however, had genuinely and directly converted the power of death into the power of life. She had revived the soil itself so that it could provide nutrients for the tree. Even if she walked away now, the tree would be able to withstand the erosion of the deathly energy for quite some time.

If the White Dragon Lord had to evaluate the Cat-Woman's move, only "miraculous" could properly describe the marvel in his heart.

Aside from the White Dragon Lord, Priest Sinod also saw through the intricacies of the spell and couldn't help but praise her.

"Truly worthy of a Withered Vine Druid!"