Chapter 158: Praise of Life

“Moreover, in the last few days, the Skeleton Monarch’s Undead Mist has advanced at least three kilometers.”

“The Skeleton Monarch has probably already seen that he’s all bark and no bite. The final battle between them could happen in the next day or two. And no matter which of them wins, they won’t let you live.”

“Aragon needs me,” Fiona wrote. “Besides the Skeleton Monarch, there is another presence of Demon Qi in this world.”

“You’re sure Aragon will win?” the Little Leather Whip snorted. “What if it’s the Skeleton Monarch who wins? That other presence of Demon Qi is in the sea. That thing has been lying dormant for four years—who knows how much power it’s amassed in the ocean? The seas in this world are much, much larger than the land.”

“This world is too dangerous. I don’t want to die here with you, you stupid woman. When they start fighting, we’ll escape. You just have to hide for eight months, and we can go back.”

“So, you didn’t possess me not because I’m dirty, but because you might die in this world?” Fiona was sharp for once.

“Something like that! Don’t you want to go back alive?” the Little Leather Whip said.

“But if Aragon fails, there will be no one left to stop the Undead Calamity. Where could I possibly hide?” Fiona wrote.

“The Land of the Dead has vast, desolate territories,” the Little Leather Whip said. “The Skeleton Monarch wants to conquer the world; he won’t have time for you. Once he rules the world, he’ll most likely go to war with the thing in the sea. That thing is a much bigger threat to him than you are. You just need to play hide-and-seek for eight months, and we’ll be safe…”

「…」

Having gained Divine Power, Li Ye’s senses were far more refined than before. Besides, Fiona was already a key target of his surveillance.

He saw the words Fiona wrote the moment she finished.

‘Escape?’

‘With her speed, where could she possibly run to?’

‘Too naive.’

Li Ye didn’t pay Fiona any mind. They weren’t in the same camp to begin with; it would be strange if she trusted him completely.

Li Ye was studying the two new skills he had obtained.

He had long since discovered what the Little Leather Whip had just realized.

In their back-and-forth, the Skeleton Monarch had been constantly probing his limits. If nothing unexpected happened, their final battle was truly about to begin.

Luckily, the roll of paper was quite effective, actually letting him create two new skills at once.

‘As expected, a demon object’s Derived Skills have no limits. As long as I’m willing, I can keep developing them indefinitely.’

‘Compared to the roll of paper, the Team Emblem and the watch are far too restrictive.’

‘In the future, when choosing demon objects, I’ll need to consider not only their practicality but also their scalability.’

「…」

Binding with Ropes: When you use rope-type weapons, you gain a Full Attribute Bonus. The higher your proficiency, the greater the bonus.

Praise of Life: After using a Binding Technique on a target, you will awaken their desire to bear new life, grant them the ability to conceive, increase the success rate of conception, and accelerate the birth of new life.

「…」

Staring at the two skills, Li Ye was speechless.

The first skill was normal enough.

‘But what the hell was the second one?’

‘Who would have thought I’d awaken such a ridiculous skill from a roll of paper?’

‘Can a skill like this really defeat the Skeleton Monarch?’

After carefully studying the descriptions of the two new skills, Li Ye’s gaze fell on Elsa beside him.

Elsa’s face instantly turned red. She fidgeted and said, “Your Excellency…”

Ever since Li Ye had tied them up that one time, all the Saintesses of the Holy Guard Team looked at him with gazes full of longing.

‘I seriously suspect I awakened Praise of Life because of them.’

He glanced at Elsa and abandoned the idea of testing the skill on her.

‘The skill’s description seemed a bit aggressive. It would be bad if something went wrong.’

‘An unwed pregnancy would be too cruel for a young woman.’

He knew how these beautiful women around him felt. No matter what he did, they would be willing, letting him pick them as he pleased.

Back when he was still a Mortal, if he had met a beautiful woman like Elsa—even just one—Li Ye would have spent his entire fortune to marry her.

But the Demon Qi had transformed him, giving him mysophobia.

Even if the people around him bathed daily.

In his eyes, they were still no different from beggars who hadn’t bathed in days. He really couldn’t bring himself to touch them.

Besides, Elsa and the others had a habit of carrying dirty tissues with them…

In the end, they were no longer beings on the same level. He wouldn’t be willing, even if he had to stoop.

That’s why Li Ye couldn’t understand why Fiona was so keen on indulging herself, just as he couldn’t understand why Dao Baifeng would give herself to a filthy, stinking beggar…

「…」

He flashed onto the top of the city wall. Looking at the Undead Knights on the wall, the roll of paper in Li Ye’s hand flew out with a WHOOSH.

It wrapped around the Bone Dragon, the knight, and even the Elf Divine Archer Shabei, whose flesh had rotted but not yet completely fallen off, and hoisted them all into the air.

The soldiers on duty on the city wall looked curiously at Li Ye and the ensnared Undead.

The moment they were bound, the Undead became excited.

The second step after being bound was for Fiona to come out and whip them.

That was the happiest moment of their day.

After all, having become Undead, they had lost many of the pleasures of being human. Fiona’s whip allowed them to experience the joys they had known in life.

But this time, something seemed different.

After Li Ye bound them, Fiona didn’t appear.

Soon, the Undead realized something was wrong.

The Bone Dragon Knights’ white bones gradually turned red. Their cold bodies, which should have been unable to feel temperature, suddenly became scalding hot, as if they had just been pulled from a boiling pot.

An indescribable emotion erupted from their Soul Fires.

The Soul Fire in each Undead Knight’s eye sockets flickered rapidly.

“Aragon, what have you done?” Shabei asked in terror. He knew he had become one of the Undead, but after regaining his senses, he still believed he should stand with the humans.

In recent days, his former comrades-in-arms had endured their disgust for the Undead and accepted him back, even letting him train the Elf Archers.

But now, the strange sensation suddenly erupting inside his body filled him with fear.

Because he now had an irrepressible desire to have a baby!

‘By the Elf King.’

‘I’m a male elf!’

Soon, Shabei lost his senses. He struggled relentlessly, trying to break free from the paper’s restraints.

Li Ye observed the Undead he had bound, sensing the changes in their bodies.

‘Body temperature rising.’

‘Soul Fire flickering.’

‘Consciousness seems to be fading, too!’

‘What an aggressive skill!’

「…」

The roll of paper was too tough. No matter how hard the Undead struggled, they couldn’t break free from its bonds.

Li Ye released the Undead from their bonds and continued experimenting with his new skill.

The moment they were freed, the Bone Dragon Knight, its mount, and the undead Elf Divine Archer fell upon one another, mauling each other in a fierce embrace like wild beasts…

The scene was too gruesome to watch!

The eyes of the soldiers from every race on the wall went wide in an instant.

“Your Excellency, what’s happening?” Geser came to Li Ye’s side, stammering as he stared at the horrific scene below.

“The Purifying Cloth has awakened a new ability.” Li Ye nodded nonchalantly, but his eyes finally lit up. In that moment, he saw a glimmer of hope for defeating the Skeleton Monarch.