Chapter 686

Chapter 686: The Chilling Raven

Lolan Hill stood on the white stone platform, holding the wooden sword. She recalled how when the youth had ascended the stage, he had swiftly moved around her, waiting for the right moment, his figure as silent and elusive as a shadow.

If not for the conspicuous emerald green, he would have been a top-notch assassin. The reason he could move so silently was due to semi-ghostly transformation, eliminating any resistance or friction, making him even more ghostly. At the same time, the emerald green wooden sword in his hand could break through Lolan Hill’s defense.

Although his overall strength was not on par with the young lady, this was the most troublesome opponent she had encountered today. As a natural Sequence, Lolan Hill did not have an effective method to counter ghostly transformations, and she had to ultimately withstand the ghostly longsword aimed at her soul.

However, for her special soul, this eerie longsword was ineffective. The emerald green ghostly flames were instantly extinguished upon contact, and even reversed, shocking the youth, causing him to momentarily lose his senses and stand still.

After the analysis, she gracefully twirled the sword, then placed the wooden sword behind her back, turning her body. The youth also trembled and fell weakly onto the stone platform, unconscious, with only dozens of fireflies still fluttering around him, reluctant to leave.

This was the downside of ghostly transformations; although externally there was no injury, internally the soul was impacted. Mildly, one might feel dizzy or lose their senses; severely, one might become abnormal or foolish. Generally, cultivators should avoid such attempts.

Nevertheless, Su Ye still gave a passing grade, and had the youth carried away.

“Next.”

Then another batch of newcomers ascended the high platform. However, these people were not much different from those in the morning, and no exceptional cases appeared.

Once all the new recruits waiting to be assessed had completed their tests, it was already late afternoon. The sky grew darker, and the sunset was testing the horizon at the edge of the sky.

“You’ve worked hard, Jialan,” Su Ye stretched and walked over.

“Lastly, congratulations, Jialan, you have passed as well.” She wrote down the last name at the bottom of the register, sealing it.

“From now on, you will be a formal disciple of the sect. There will be an initiation ceremony tomorrow morning, make sure you don’t miss it.”

“Oh, remember to wear that yellow gauze robe, there are requirements for attire,” Su Ye thought about what else needed to be added.

“That’s about it, look forward to it tomorrow.”

Lolan Hill nodded to show she understood.

Before leaving, Su Ye took out a small yellow wooden bell from her sleeve and handed it to Lolan Hill.

“This is for you,”

In the future, this could be used to exchange for things at the sect’s market. After all, I’ve troubled you for so long today, and if I don’t show any gratitude, it would make me seem quite stingy as your senior sister.

Seeing that Lolan Hill was still somewhat hesitant, she directly grabbed the young lady’s fair hand and placed the bell in her palm.

“Take it, no need to be so formal. See you tomorrow.”

“Mm.” The two parted ways for now, and Lolan Hill also headed towards her residence.

The evening forest was shrouded in bluish-purple dusk, somewhat hazy. The young lady in white clothing was also dyed by this twilight, blending into the sky below.

Walking on the path where fallen leaves scattered, some faint sounds came from afar, seemingly the voices of new disciples exchanging words with each other.

They should be allocating living places now, the young lady thought, looking up at the sky. Some faint stars began to appear on the horizon.

Although the path wasn’t long, the sky darkened exceptionally quickly. When Lolan Hill pushed open the courtyard gate, the sky had already turned completely dark.

As soon as she stepped into her courtyard, she saw a bird emitting a ghostly blue flame floating in the air. Its figure was blurry, swaying like water ripples, as if it was at a crucial moment during its advancement.

The mischievous Dai Ju was standing nervously to one side this time, watching his good friend advance, too afraid to make a sound.

Though this Dark-Crowned Blue Raven was diligent in cultivation, it still lacked experience. Coupled with its not-so-impressive strength, advancing now naturally encountered difficulties, even some danger.

Seeing this, the light in Lolan Hill’s eyes shifted from emerald green to pale purple. Her body moved swiftly like the wind, rushing over.

Although she didn’t practice much in the Necromancer Sequence, she had reached Level 2, which could still be of some help.

After coming beside the Dark-Crowned Blue Raven, she extended her index and middle fingers, using them as swords to perform the Western Dipper Sword Technique. A series of pale purple light points floated in the air, circling around each other, while the surrounding mana and magic power were also drawn in, forming a spell array.

With the assistance of the spell array, Lolan Hill focused her mind, closing her eyes, and began to perceive the condition of the bird in front of her.

In her Sea of Consciousness, a blue-black crow was trembling in a nest between branches, with a huge shadow moving back and forth above its head, occasionally emitting sharp whistles, making the crow even more frightened.

Seeing this scene, Lolan Hill understood that this might be what it feared most in its dreams.

Seeing remnants of blood around the nest, dead chicks, torn remains, and large feathers, it seemed to belong to another adult bird.

The bell must be untied by the one who tied it; mere comfort may not solve the problem, and with the bird’s wisdom, it might not even understand these words.

After clarifying this, Lolan Hill’s consciousness enveloped the young fledgling like a gentle breeze, carrying it away into the sky.

It struggled continuously, extremely terrified, trying to escape the shadow overhead. However, that soft wind still circled around its body, first blocking the sharp whistling sound, then lifting its wings, allowing it to fly effortlessly.

As the blue raven fledgling ascended higher, the shadow in the sky grew increasingly faint, and the commotion weakened. Seeing this scene, it seemed to also notice something amiss, its small body rapidly growing, shedding its downy feathers, sprouting wing feathers, becoming more and more like its usual self.

Finally, this blue raven broke through the hazy clouds of the sky, flying above the clouds, warm sunlight bathing its body, the clouds below it no longer casting shadows, becoming sparse and transparent.

The bird in the courtyard, surrounded by blue flames, let out a long, joyful cry, its figure expanding by a circle, long dark blue feathers growing from its tail, and a few feathers on its forehead curling up slightly, adding to its attractiveness, making it much more splendid overall.

It spread its wings, circling around the young lady at a moderate speed, the feathers on its wingtips brushing against Lolan Hill’s face, giving her a slight tickle.

“Alright, alright, you don’t need to thank me so much; after all, it was your own effort,” Lolan Hill held the bird and examined it carefully.

[Dark-Crowned Blue Raven]

Status: Healthy

Sequence: Necromancer Sequence 4 · Cold Shadow Raven (Rare Silver Rank)

Talent:

Dark Vision [Rare]: Can see in darkness and detect soul bodies, hidden traces of the astral plane, remnants of dragon veins, etc.

Abilities:

[Cold Shadow Flame] (Excellent): A cold flame that can scorch souls, causing their thoughts to freeze and reactions to slow down. (Has additional damage to soul bodies and slows neural reflexes.)

Skills:

[Night Roam Lv.3] (Excellent): Enters a semi-ethereal gliding state, undetectable by senses other than sight. (Cannot conceal from detective spirits.)

[Soul Seize Lv.2] (Good): Can intimidate weaker soul bodies, causing them to lose focus. (Has minor interference effect on peers, ineffective against higher ranks.)

Although its strength isn’t top-tier, this dark-crowned blue raven does have some special abilities. Perhaps it could be used for treasure hunting or as an assistant? The young lady pondered, then brought the two chirping birds into the attic.

Today, she would reward them and make something delicious.

(The chapter ends)