Chapter 85: The Sun Crystal

Following Liu Zhi’s gaze, Vidnina noticed a transparent crystal at the very center of the land, radiating a mysterious light from an unknown source.

The crystal was no larger than half a fist and its form was distinctly irregular. Without hesitation, Liu Zhi stepped forward and picked it up.

“Is this a game item?”

The instant he held the crystal, a familiar sensation welled up inside him, reminiscent of the feeling he experienced when he acquired the Twisted Spine of Lief.

A trace of delight appeared on Liu Zhi’s face. “This trip wasn’t in vain—this is a real treasure.”

As he spoke, Liu Zhi pulled out his appraisal magnifying glass and began examining the crystal.

The properties of the crystal then appeared before him:

[Sun Crystal (Grade C): Staff Charging Item. Contains infinite solar power, can cast Light indefinitely, or use Large Flash ten times daily. To use: embed in the staff’s slot and activate with mental energy.]

Blinking at the crystal’s properties, Liu Zhi mused, was this an endless torch? Upon reflection, he realized it was certainly better than nothing; at least its quality surpassed that of Thunder Coral, which was powerful but limited in uses, and he still had no clue how to recharge that item.

Now, with this self-sustaining treasure, Liu Zhi should have been pleased.

He considered embedding the Sun Crystal into his Death Staff. With a mental nudge, the staff emitted a bright glow. Liu Zhi found he could control the radius of illumination with his mind—from a meter around him to a maximum of ten meters.

With the staff’s length and the range of its light, Liu Zhi looked as though he were wielding a blazing torch, and paired with the longsword in his right hand, he resembled a legendary wizard.

Aside from the Sun Crystal, Liu Zhi found nothing else of value. Completing a circuit of the area, he forcefully extinguished the flames in the blue corridor.

After all, the blue corridor led directly to Liu Zhi’s Nether Palace; he had no desire to face another enemy incursion.

Once the blue flames were out, Liu Zhi finally realized the advantage of the Sun Crystal.

Within the illuminated area, the mist retreated, allowing him to clearly see his surroundings, immune to the wild fog’s influence.

Leaning on his Death Staff, Liu Zhi returned to the Nether Palace, then extinguished the Light spell on the Sun Crystal. He glanced at Vidnina, “Did you see that? Pretty impressive, isn’t it?”

Vidnina said nothing, simply resting her hand on her sword, standing silently behind him.

“Alright, with this I can explore the nearby area, see if there’s anything worth collecting in the wild beyond the palace. But before that, I need to visit the Golden City—I just received two bits of information, I want to check if anything’s hidden there.”

As Liu Zhi spoke, he prepared to leave the palace.

But at that moment, something caught his attention and he exclaimed, “What’s going on?”

Liu Zhi realized his magic was somehow affected. Though his spiritual improvement had raised his mana to seventy-six points, he now had only six points available—barely enough to support Vidnina’s daily needs outside.

Where had the rest gone? He should have had ten points left.

Upon closer inspection, Liu Zhi found, somewhat speechless, that the extra ten points had been absorbed by the Nether Palace.

The previous fusion of angel and sword had expanded the palace’s area, and maintaining such a vast domain naturally consumed more mana.

This discovery left Liu Zhi helpless. He felt like the most pitiable necromancer—bearing the title, but lacking the spells, unable even to bring his undead servants outside, forced to rely solely on his sword to resolve everything.

Shaking his head with resignation, Liu Zhi muttered, “Forget it, let’s go out and settle things. After this, I won’t leave anymore. I’ll send an undead to gather food outside. I refuse to believe that staying in the palace will still drain my mana.”

With that, Liu Zhi placed his hand on the Nether Altar and was transported out of the palace.

He appeared at the same spot where he had entered—the summit of the Golden City’s pyramid.

Vidnina followed him out. Though her entry and exit cost one mana point each time, since she wished to accompany him, Liu Zhi had no intention of stopping her.

He glanced at the city below the pyramid, then at the still-open internal passage, his expression calm as he headed toward the corridor.

With the Sun Crystal in hand, Liu Zhi activated the Light spell, illuminating his path and meticulously scanning his surroundings for any new, undiscovered murals.

Vidnina had little interest in such matters; she simply followed, her hand on her sword.

With no one impeding their progress, they swiftly and safely reached the grand hall where Liu Zhi had once battled Lief.

With the demon Lief dead and all items taken, the mist that had once filled the hall had vanished. The eight feathered serpent heads around the hall still spouted water, making the chamber damp and cool.

Standing at the doorway, Liu Zhi pulled out the scrap of cloth left by Kartler and began to examine it.

He soon compared the drawing on the cloth to the layout of the hall, and noticed that one feathered serpent head was missing in a particular spot.

“It’s right here,” Liu Zhi said excitedly, pointing to the location.

It was directly opposite the red boulder where Lief had once sat, with its back to the hall’s entrance.

The angle and orientation meant that anyone entering would overlook the absence of a feathered serpent head.

Without the diagram in hand, Liu Zhi might not have noticed either.

But now, things were different. Raising his Death Staff, the Sun Crystal’s illumination revealed the situation clearly.

Once, a feathered serpent head had occupied the spot, but it had been forcibly broken off. A massive stone blocked the water channel there.

Liu Zhi eyed the spot, gathered a wind blade with his longsword, and struck out forcefully.