The time Zhao Lun had to wait turned out to be far longer than he had imagined.
The backlash he suffered was far more severe than he had anticipated. It wasn't until three days later that his soul fire slowly returned to its optimal state, no longer languishing or stinging.
Perhaps it was just his imagination, but after this severe setback, Zhao Lun felt that his soul fire had become more resilient. He believed that after this tempering, if he were to face the same intense backlash again, he would not suffer as severely as before.
If his feeling was not wrong, then this could indeed be a surprising benefit.
In addition to recovering, Zhao Lun did not waste the three days entirely. He constantly absorbed the soul fire of the skeletal mages, and after consuming 13 level-2 soul fires from these skeletal mages, he finally obtained a new spell.
This new spell was a curse-type Level 0 spell, *Weaken*. For someone like Zhao Lun, who had a deep understanding of magic, any new spell, no matter the type, was a valuable addition. Even though he already possessed *Blindness* and *Stun*, he was still thrilled to learn *Weaken* and dedicated himself to mastering it.
Besides acquiring this spell, Zhao Lun also kept Ollis occupied. Seeing Ollis' restlessness, he indulged his need for action. Zhao Lun occasionally took him out to explore. Of course, the purpose of these outings was not just to satisfy Ollis but also to collect more soul fires from skeletal mages and, if possible, capture any mutated skeletons to add to his ranks. Over the course of these three days, Zhao Lun didn't make much progress in terms of finding new recruits, but Ollis had a great time. Zhao Lun estimated that Ollis had slain approximately 247 skeletons during their excursions.
All these skeletons would eventually belong to Zhao Lun once the Territory Altar was built. With this in mind, he instructed Ollis to drag every slain skeleton back to the Bone Mountain. In just three days, the size of his Bone Mountain doubled.
This was after Ollis had suddenly lost some of his enthusiasm on the third afternoon. If Ollis had maintained his earlier drive, Zhao Lun believed the number would have easily surpassed 300.
The reason for Ollis' sudden loss of energy was that his intelligence had been increasing rapidly. It seemed that Ollis had realized that Zhao Lun was not as pleased as he had imagined with the constant slaughter. The confusion over this realization had caused Ollis to lose his momentum. Zhao Lun, however, was secretly pleased. He knew that this might actually be a good thing.
To encourage Ollis, Zhao Lun gave him a hearty compliment, which immediately restored Ollis' energy. The once-doubtful skeleton sprang back into action, though Zhao Lun found himself regretting the praise, fearing that Ollis might go on another killing spree. He quickly ordered Ollis to stay close and refrain from causing any more trouble.
"Finally! It's not easy, but it's time to build the Territory Altar. Damn, after all this effort, this Altar better not disappoint me!" Zhao Lun, fully recovered, stood in front of the Bone Mountain with the reinvigorated Ollis, as well as Big Sword No.1 and the Bone Shield Skeleton, who had shown signs of reaching level 4.
"You three, take the soul fires and throw them up there!" Zhao Lun commanded with a confident tone, his posture resembling that of a leader giving orders. He directed Big Sword No.1 and the Bone Shield Skeleton to carefully collect thirty soul fires from the skeletons and throw them onto the Bone Mountain.
After the thirty soul fires were placed on the Bone Mountain, Zhao Lun stepped forward, raising his staff. He began to chant the incantation in a low, deliberate voice.
The incantation to build the Territory Altar was very different from casting a spell. Zhao Lun soon realized that the spell was much shorter, consisting of only a few syllables. However, these syllables were extremely difficult to pronounce, not because they were tongue-twisting, but because they drained spiritual energy instead of magical power. Zhao Lun had a vague understanding of the difference, although his ability to fully differentiate between the two was still developing.
With every syllable he uttered, his soul fire grew more exhausted. After about three or four minutes, Zhao Lun had only managed to pronounce the tenth syllable, and already, his head was pounding, his body on the verge of collapse. He felt thankful that he had taken the time to recover fully before attempting to construct the Altar.
"M%Y…"
Zhao Lun struggled to utter another syllable. It felt as though something was being torn away from him, and a wave of exhaustion crashed over him like a tide. He was determined to finish, though—only three syllables left. He *had* to finish this, no matter what.
"P&"
With tremendous willpower, Zhao Lun forced out one more syllable. The flood of weariness intensified, threatening to overwhelm him. But with that final utterance, the Bone Mountain in front of him began to glow faintly with a pale white light.
It was working!
Seeing the glowing Bone Mountain, Zhao Lun gritted his teeth and pressed on, chanting the final syllables, determined to finish the incantation. As the last syllable left his lips, his vision went dark. With a sickening crack, he collapsed to the ground.
But at least, before he fell unconscious, he had completed the chant.
In that very instant, the Bone Mountain erupted in a blinding flash of light, its brilliance so intense that it was almost unbearable to look at.
The surrounding skeletons, along with the bones within a one-mile radius, melted rapidly into white liquid, floating in midair. The liquid twisted and changed shape, as if an unseen, colossal hand were manipulating it.
Ollis, who had never seen anything like this before, stood in awe at the strange scene. He quickly rushed to Zhao Lun's side, raising his shield and sword, standing protectively over his fallen master. With his fiery eyes wide with confusion, Ollis hesitated for a moment before cautiously guarding Zhao Lun, prepared to defend him against whatever might come next.