Nobody answered him immediately.

Because they were all thinking the same thing.

One woman covered her mouth slightly.

"You mean..."

Another man finished the thought for her.

"Someone made the dead fight for them."

The table went silent.

Even the surrounding conversations quieted slightly after those words were spoken aloud.

It sounded insane.

Impossible.

And yet, no one could deny what happened.

At another table, a middle-aged cultivator frowned deeply while gripping his cup.

"There are only a few forces in the continent capable of strange abilities like this," he said quietly.

The others looked at him immediately.

"You mean the top five?"

The man nodded slowly.

A younger practitioner scoffed nervously.

"That’s ridiculous. Why would one of those monsters come all the way to a backwater region like ours?"

"That’s exactly why it doesn’t make sense," the older man replied.

Those five forces stood at the very top of this continent. Ancient powers with terrifying foundations, sects and clans so powerful that entire region feared offending them.

Compared to those giants...

This region was nothing.

A remote, weak, and forgettable place.

Another man leaned closer.

"But if it’s not them... then who else can make dead bodies move?"

No one had an answer.

That uncertainty only made things worse.

Fear grew quickly when people couldn’t understand something.

Especially in a world where the concept of undead creatures simply didn’t exist.

To them, death was final.

The dead stayed dead.

That was common sense.

Last night shattered that belief.

Inside the Clear Water Sect, the atmosphere had also changed.

Disciples whispered among themselves while moving through the halls, their expressions tense.

Even the elders looked more serious than usual.

And inside one quiet courtyard, Fuing stood alone, holding one of the broken bone fragments recovered from the street.

His eyes studied it silently.

An elder approached carefully from behind.

"Sect Master," he said quietly, "the city is becoming restless."

Fuing didn’t look away from the fragment.

"That’s normal."

The elder hesitated.

"Do you really think this is related to one of the top forces?"

Fuing stayed silent for a few moments before answering.

"...No."

That surprised the elder.

Fuing slowly closed his hand around the fragment.

"If one of those powers truly moved," he said calmly, "this city would already be gone."

The elder’s expression tightened slightly.

"Then what is this?"

Fuing finally lifted his gaze.

For the first time since last night, there was visible seriousness in his eyes.

"...I don’t know," he admitted.

"And that is exactly the problem."

----

Inside the inn, the noise from the streets below was faint, muffled by thick wooden walls and distance. Morning had already passed, yet the city still hadn’t calmed down from the chaos of the previous night.

Aiden sat quietly inside his room.

The curtains were closed, leaving only dim light spilling across the floor through the narrow gaps in the window. A small wooden table sat near the center of the room, untouched food resting on top of it.

And kneeling in front of him was Nyxveil. The undead lowered his head respectfully, dark cloak pooling beneath him like a shadow.

"A report from Graveknit," Nyxveil said calmly.

Aiden leaned back slightly in his chair.

"Go on."

Nyxveil raised his head just enough to speak clearly.

"The last town has fallen."

Aiden’s expression remained calm, though his eyes sharpened slightly.

"Completely?"

"Yes, my lord."

Nyxveil continued without hesitation.

"The remaining resistance collapsed shortly before dawn. The combined forces from the Clear Water Sect and the nearby clans attempted to defend the town, but they failed to stop the advance."

Aiden tapped his finger lightly against the armrest.

"And Ren Kai?"

"He survived."

Nyxveil’s tone remained emotionless.

"But heavily exhausted. Several elders died."

Aiden stayed silent for a few moments.

Then he asked quietly,

"Casualties?"

"Heavy on both sides," Nyxveil answered. "But favorable to us."

Of course they were.

The undead didn’t care about losses.

Humans did.

That difference alone slowly crushed morale over time.

Aiden rested his chin against his hand slightly, his thoughts moving calmly.

"So they will finally understands they’re in a real trouble now," he murmured.

Nyxveil lowered his head again.

"They are afraid, my lord."

Aiden gave a faint smile at that.

"Good."

Before Nyxveil could continue, a loud sound suddenly echoed through the city.

Dong!

Dong!

Dong!

A heavy bell rang from the direction of the main gate.

Aiden’s eyes shifted toward the window immediately.

Nyxveil remained kneeling silently.

The bell continued ringing.

Aiden stood up slowly and walked toward the window. Pulling the curtain aside slightly, he looked down toward the streets below.

People were already rushing outside.

"The sect returned!"

"Open the way!"

"They’re back!"

Excitement spread quickly through the nearby streets. Shopkeepers stepped out of their stores. Civilians gathered along the roads leading toward the city entrance.

Many carried hopeful expressions.

After all, most people still believed the Clear Water Sect had gone out to destroy the enemy forces threatening their city.

They were expecting victory.

A triumphant return.

Aiden watched quietly from above.

Then his eyes narrowed slightly.

"They lost," he said calmly.

Nyxveil remained silent behind him.

Far in the distance, the gates slowly opened. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

A group entered the city.

At the front was Ren Kai.

But the moment people saw his face, the excitement began fading almost immediately.

He looked exhausted.

Dust covered his robes. Parts of his armor were damaged, stained with dried blood. His expression was dark, heavy, and colder than usual.

Behind him came the disciples and elders of the Clear Water Sect.

And they looked no better.

Some were injured.

Others supported wounded companions while walking.

Several disciples had pale faces and lowered heads, avoiding eye contact with the crowds gathering around them.

The atmosphere was completely wrong.

The people waiting near the streets slowly stopped cheering.

One man blinked nervously.

"...What happened?"

Another looked toward the injured disciples.

"Where’s the rest?"

No one answered.

Even the other forces that returned alongside the sect looked terrible. Clan leaders walked silently with tight expressions, while hired mercenaries carried wounded men on makeshift stretchers behind them.

One woman in the crowd finally gathered the courage to ask loudly,

"Did... did we win?"

Ren Kai kept walking for a few more steps before stopping.

The entire street seemed to hold its breath.

His jaw tightened slightly.

Then he spoke.

"...No."

Just one word.

But it felt heavy enough to crush the excitement instantly.

The surrounding crowd erupted into noise immediately afterward.

"What do you mean no?!"

"How many enemies were there?!"

"Where’s Elder Zhao?!"

Fear returned almost immediately.

Because if even the Clear Water Sect came back looking like this...

Then what exactly were they fighting?

The noise in the street slowly died again.

People looked at each other uneasily. No triumph, and celebration.

Only silence and fear spreading through the city like cold water.

From the inn window, Aiden watched the scene calmly.

Then his gaze shifted toward Ren Kai once more.

For a brief second, he looked up toward the buildings around him, his expression tense, almost instinctive.

As if searching for something.

Or someone.

Aiden stepped slightly away from the window before Ren Kai’s eyes could sweep toward the inn.

Then he let the curtain fall back into place.

The room became quiet again.

Behind him, Nyxveil finally spoke.

"My lord," he said calmly, "what are your orders now?

Aiden stood silently for a few moments.

Outside, the sound of frightened voices continued spreading through the city.

Then he smiled faintly.

"Nothing for now," he said.

His eyes darkened slightly.

"Let them drown in fear first."

Nyxveil remained kneeling in front of him, waiting silently for further orders.

Aiden walked back toward the table slowly before sitting down again. His fingers tapped lightly against the wood as he thought for a moment.

Then he spoke.

"Pass a message to Graveknit."

Nyxveil immediately lowered his head further.

"Yes, my lord."

Aiden’s eyes turned colder.

"Tell them to prepare."

Nyxveil stayed motionless, listening carefully.

"I don’t want them attacking this city yet," Aiden continued calmly. "Not until every undead is properly armed."

He leaned slightly against the chair.

"Armor. Weapons. Shields if possible."

Nyxveil nodded once.

"It will be done."

Aiden’s gaze darkened slightly.

"If we’re going to attack a city protected by sects and powerful practitioners, then half-rotten bodies holding broken weapons won’t be enough anymore."

The undead army had grown too large.

Too visible.

The next battle would not be a raid on a small town.

It would be war against an entire city.

And cities had walls, defensive formations experienced practitioners.

Even someone like Fuing.

He still remembered the moment Vayne was destroyed in a single strike.

That kind of power couldn’t be underestimated.

Nyxveil finally spoke again.

"The blacksmiths from the captured towns are already being gathered," he reported calmly. "Graveknit anticipated your intentions."

Aiden gave a faint smile at that.

"Good."

Nyxveil slowly stood up from his kneeling position.

"Will there be anything else, my lord?"

Aiden shook his head lightly.

"No. Go."

Nyxveil placed a hand over his chest respectfully before his body slowly dissolved into dark mist, vanishing silently from the room.

The moment he disappeared, the room became quiet again.

Aiden leaned back in his chair and exhaled slowly.

Then he raised one hand.

A transparent screen immediately appeared in front of him.

[Name: Aiden (Level: 45)]

Class: Necromancer (Death God — Locked)

Basic-Grade Summon: 19

Bronze-Grade Summon: 35

Iron-Grade Summon: 0

Silver-Grade Summon: 0

Gold-Grade Summon: 0

Legendary-Grade Summon: 0

Mythical-Grade Summon: 0

Summon Slot Available: 54/88

Active Skills: Lord of the Dead, Bone Shield, Bone Spear, Undead Reinforcement, Undead Sight, Possession Command, Fear Pulse, Bone Armor, Grave Calling, Bone Prison, Corpse Explosion, Bone Rend, Grave Step, Grave Anchor, Bone March

Passive Skills: Mana Channeling, Necrotic Sustain, Necrotic Reservoir, Undead Dominion, Death Aura, Death Duelist, Bone Density Reinforcement

Skill Points: 6

Subordinate: 5

Gold coins: 15321

Undead Army: 8785

Normal undead: 8770

Body Tempering undead: 15