Chapter 72: The Enemy Is About to Appear

"What is going on?" Watching the flames slowly rise, Liu Zhi couldn't help but feel a hint of confusion in his heart.

"I... don't... know... Just now... the flames... rose... from... over there..." Vidnina pointed in a certain direction.

Following where Vidnina indicated, Liu Zhi noticed that within the mist, several pairs of flickering flames seemed to be jumping about.

"Is that... street lamps?" Liu Zhi instantly thought of a possibility, and then it dawned on him. "Someone is trying to enter my Underworld Palace from the Netherworld—they're clearing a path?"

This realization left Liu Zhi somewhat speechless. He had thought that the skies of the Netherworld belonged to him alone; he never imagined that there were others who could enter, and who were now seeking the location of his Underworld Palace.

"When did they start?" Liu Zhi asked again.

This time, Vidnina didn't answer, but merely gestured toward the place where the first flame had appeared.

Gazing at the flames in the fog, Liu Zhi estimated the distance. "If they want to get in, it'll take them more than a day. I need to deal with a few things. Go and oversee the training of those young Eagle Warriors. I hope they can make it in time to join the coming battle."

With that, Liu Zhi hurried off. He knew that the battle for the Underworld Palace was now inevitable. Every bit of strength he could add to his side would increase his chances of victory.

When Liu Zhi returned to the top of the pyramid, he saw that the four ghouls had still not managed to carry up the stone drum.

Feeling somewhat helpless, Liu Zhi could only wait at the summit. Still, he didn't waste time. The enemy was indeed coming from the Netherworld, but they certainly wouldn't march to their deaths unprepared. They would have some form of protection to guard their bodies from the Netherworld's influences.

And this was precisely where Liu Zhi could act. In his recent experiments with mixing poisons, he had concocted a formula specifically suited for use in the Netherworld.

"If I recall, the poison needs moonwort and heather, a bit of bloodfruit, and finally, all burned together—and don't forget the trance mushroom."

Muttering to himself, Liu Zhi rummaged through his pack for ingredients. After discovering that a few were missing, he slipped into the nearby forest to gather what he needed.

By the time he had assembled all the materials, the four ghouls had finally hauled the stone drum to the top of the pyramid.

Glancing at the freshly gathered herbs in his hand, then at the four ghouls who had yet to set down the stone drum, Liu Zhi felt a touch of exasperation.

This poison could not be prepared within the Netherworld—the process would trigger chaos there. So he turned to the ghouls and said, "Wait here. Once I've finished with the poison, I'll come in."

He piled the prepared materials together, drew out a bottle, and placed the bloodfruit inside, crushing it until the juice soaked the entire vessel.

Afterward, he mixed the moonwort and heather with some dry grass and set them alight.

The flames burned with a peculiar blue hue, reminiscent of the blue fire that danced within the mist.

Liu Zhi tilted the mouth of the bottle forward, holding it above the fire to absorb the heat. Gradually, a strange aroma began to seep out.

He watched as the bloodfruit juice in the bottle thickened and solidified, taking on the appearance of a red jelly.

At this point, Liu Zhi tossed in a few pre-prepared ingredients, then added a single purple mushroom.

Sealing the bottle tightly, he shook it vigorously in his hands.

Only when he heard the sloshing of liquid inside did Liu Zhi finally breathe a sigh of relief. The concoction was a success.

[Successfully crafted an unnamed poison (complete, can be refined and upgraded): Main ingredients: Moonwort 30g, Heather 45g, one Bloodfruit, one Trance Mushroom, additives: …]

[Poison Effect: Upon exposure to air, creates a mist that sends undead into confusion. The effect lasts until the mist dissipates. The weaker the undead, the stronger the attraction.]

This poison had been an accidental discovery during one of Liu Zhi's earlier attempts. After he first made it, all the undead in the Golden City were thrown into complete disarray, running wild and nearly fighting one another. Only then did Liu Zhi realize its effects.

So he had studied it further, and now he saw his earlier intuition had been correct: the Netherworld was not his sole domain—there were other enemies, and this poison was the most potent weapon against them.

With that in mind, Liu Zhi prepared three more bottles of the same poison.

After stowing the vials, he extinguished the fire and prepared to return with the four ghouls to the Underworld Palace.

But just as he was about to leave, something caught his attention. He looked down at the leftover scraps from the poison-making process.

There wasn't enough left to make a full dose, and it seemed too trivial to bother putting back in his pack.

So Liu Zhi simply tossed all the herbs onto the recently extinguished fire, turned, and prepared to leave.

But in the next instant, he stopped short. The fire pit had flared back to life, emitting flames tinged with a green glow. Puzzled, Liu Zhi wondered what was happening.

Then realization struck—this was an opportunity. He quickly slung off his backpack, pulled out a secondary twenty-slot bag, and began rummaging through his collection of vials.

Finally, Liu Zhi found several bottles of poison, poured them all into a large golden vessel, and set it atop the green flames.

He watched as the liquid in the golden basin slowly changed color, carefully noting which poisons he had combined and what he had thrown into the fire.

After about ten minutes, the constantly shifting liquid finally stabilized, and a notification appeared: he had succeeded.

[Ding! You have discovered a formula for an extraordinary poison. Unnamed (crude, can be refined and upgraded): Main ingredients: Black Illusion Herb 10g, Laurel Twigs 50g, Formula Two Poison 5g… additives: Formula Five Poison 11g, Formula Three Poison… Method: Toxic Flame…]

[Poison Effect: Upon ingestion, those with Constitution below 5 die instantly; those between 5 and 10 fall immediately unconscious; those above 10 experience random poisoning effects.]