5: Chapter 5: The Bone Dragon Falls from the Sky, Morgana's Dark Forbidden Spell!

"All troops prepare for battle! arrow tower, fire!"

Lin Chen's roar fell, and the muzzles of the three Level 2 arrow towers turned simultaneously. The crossbow bolts, carrying a penetration effect, rained down on the Undead Legion like a torrential storm.

[System Prompt: arrow tower triggered penetration effect, double kill with one bolt!]

[-80] [-75] [-85]

Rows of Skeleton Soldiers fell, and a gap instantly appeared in the Undead Legion's formation.

Morgana sat on the Bone Dragon's back. With a wave of her Bone Staff, a black light screen enveloped the entire army.

[System Prompt: Morgana released "Undead Shield," increasing the defense of all undead units by 50% for 10 seconds.]

The crossbow bolts hit the light screen, and the damage was instantly halved.

[-40] [-38] [-42]

"This shield is too ridiculous! The damage is cut in half!" Brick Mover King shouted from the west wall, "The Skeleton Guards are about to break!"

Ten undead Skeleton Guards, holding bone shields, were struggling against the Undead Zombies charging at the front. Cracks had already appeared on their bone shields.

[Skeleton Guard HP: 350/500]

Lin Chen's eyes turned cold. He raised his hand to release Lords Deterrence, targeting Morgana directly.

[System Prompt: Lords Deterrence (Tier 3) in effect. Morgana is stunned for 3 seconds, and the Undead Shield's defense is reduced by 30%.]

"Little Dumpling, blast the shield with Fireball Spell!" Lin Chen roared.

Little Dumpling stood at the top of the Magic Tower. She raised her wooden staff, and a fireball condensed.

[System Prompt: Little Dumpling released Fireball Spell (Tier 1), dealing [-150] damage to the Undead Shield.]

"Ice Shield Spell!"

Little Dumpling released another Ice Shield Spell, blocking several Necromancers charging forward.

[System Prompt: Ice Shield Spell in effect, absorbing 200 damage.]

"Lord Big Shot, the pressure at the front gate is huge!" Iron Wang's voice came through. "The Iron Shield Guards are about to be pierced by the Bone Spearmen!"

At the front gate, dozens of Bone Spearmen fired in unison. bone spears rained down on the Iron Shield Guards like raindrops.

[-50] [-48] [-52]

The giant shields of the Iron Shield Guards shook continuously, and their HP dropped rapidly.

Lin Chen opened the territory panel, spent 1,000 copper coins, and activated "Territory Guardian."

[System Prompt: Territory Guardian activated. All defenders' damage increased by 30% and defense increased by 30% for 5 minutes.]

The morale of the Iron Shield Guards soared. Their giant shields shook, triggering Absolute Defense.

[System Prompt: Iron Shield Guard triggered Absolute Defense, immune to this damage.]

The bone spears hit the giant shields and snapped one after another.

"Good! Just like that!" Iron Wang shouted, "Shield Bash!"

The Iron Shield Guards raised their giant shields and smashed them into the charging Skeleton Soldiers.

[-120] [-115]

The Skeleton Soldiers were knocked back repeatedly.

Lin Chen looked at Morgana; her stun was about to end. He leaped from the wall onto the Bone Dragon's back, his knights sword stabbing straight at Morgana's throat.

"Human! You're looking for death!"

Morgana's stun ended. She waved her Bone Staff, and a black magic bolt shot toward Lin Chen.

Lin Chen dodged to the side, and his knights sword slashed Morgana's black robe.

[-200]

A gash was cut into Morgana's black robe, revealing her withered body inside.

"Bone Dragon, tear him apart!"

Morgana roared. The Bone Dragon raised its head, opened its mouth, and a blast of black Dragon Breath shot toward Lin Chen.

Lin Chen leaped down from the Bone Dragon's back and landed on the wall. The Dragon Breath grazed the edge of his clothes, burning a charred trail onto the ground.

[System Prompt: Lin Chen took [-50] damage from the Dragon Breath's aftershock.]

"This Dragon Breath is too powerful! I almost got turned to ash!" Lin Chen wiped the black soot from his face.

[System Prompt: Congratulations to player Lin Chen for killing a total of 200 undead units. Achievement "Undead Hunter" obtained; damage against undead increased by 20%.]

Lin Chen's combat power surged again. He raised his knights sword and pointed at the Bone Dragon.

"Everyone, focus fire on the Bone Dragon! Take down this mount first!"

[System Prompt: Party Focus Fire feature enabled. Target locked on Bone Dragon; team damage increased by 20%.]

The players responded one after another. arrow tower fire, magic, and melee attacks all landed on the Bone Dragon.

Brick Mover King led several players, jumping down from the wall and charging at the Bone Dragon's legs.

"Watch me break your legs!"

Brick Mover King punched the Bone Dragon's leg bone.

[-180]

"These bones are harder than rebar!" Brick Mover King grimaced.

A-Jie held his sword and slashed at the Bone Dragon's wing.

[-200]

Little Dumpling's Fireball Spells continuously hit the Bone Dragon's head.

[-160] [-155]

The Bone Dragon's HP dropped rapidly.

[Bone Dragon (Level 7), HP: 8,000/10,000]

Seeing this, Morgana waved her Bone Staff and released a skill.

[System Prompt: Morgana released "Undead Sacrifice," sacrificing 100 Skeleton Soldiers to restore 3,000 HP to the Bone Dragon.]

The Bone Dragon's HP surged instantly.

[Bone Dragon (Level 7), HP: 11,000/10,000]

"Holy crap! It can even heal? This boss has no sportsmanship!" Player "Little Carpenter" shouted, "I just fought for so long, and it was all for nothing!"

"This sacrifice is too brutal. 100 Skeleton Soldiers for 3,000 HP? What a steal!" another player said.

Lin Chen's eyes turned cold. He took out the [Undead Conversion (Tier 2)] skill book he had obtained earlier and clicked to use it.

[System Prompt: Consumed Undead Core x2. Converting the corpses of the Skeleton Soldiers sacrificed by Morgana. Obtained Undead Skeleton Archer x20.]

Twenty Skeleton Archers holding bone bows appeared on the west wall, pale gold flames flickering in their eye sockets.

[System Prompt: Undead Skeleton Archer (Level 6), Attack +50, Range 500m, 10% damage bonus against undead.]

"Skeleton Archers, focus fire on Morgana!" Lin Chen ordered.

The twenty Skeleton Archers drew their bows simultaneously, and bone arrows shot toward Morgana.

[-120] [-115] [-125]

Morgana's black robe was pierced by several more arrows.

"Damned human! You actually control the undead!" Morgana roared.

She raised her Bone Staff and released her ultimate skill.

[System Prompt: Warning! Morgana is releasing the Dark Forbidden Curse "Undead Scourge," summoning an undead army x200 and entering an invincible state for 10 seconds.]

Two hundred undead units crawled out from the ground, charging toward the three gates of Ruststone Fortress.

Among them, ten Level 7 Undead Knights were particularly conspicuous.

"Invincible? And summoning reinforcements? This is trying to drive us to death!" Brick Mover King's face turned pale.

"I'm already tired of running back from respawning. Another 200? System, are you trying to make me move into the respawn point?" Little Dumpling held her wooden staff, looking desperate.

Lin Chen thought quickly. He opened the barracks panel and spent 5,000 copper coins to unlock a new unit type—[Crossbowman (Level 6)].

[System Prompt: Consumed 5,000 copper coins and 30 units of wood. Recruitment of Crossbowman x20 complete.]

Twenty crossbowmen holding powerful crossbows appeared on the wall. They bowed and said, "Lord, the crossbowmen await your orders!"

"Crossbowmen, coordinate with the arrow towers and focus fire on the newly summoned Undead Knights!" Lin Chen ordered.

"Understood!" the Crossbowman Captain replied.

Three arrow towers and twenty crossbowmen fired simultaneously. crossbow bolts rained down on the Undead Knights.

[-200] [-195] [-205]

The Undead Knights' Battle Qi Shields dropped rapidly.

Lin Chen looked toward the Magic Tower and said to Little Dumpling, "Little Dumpling, use Ice Shield Spell to protect the arrow towers! Don't let the Necromancers destroy them!"

"Okay!" Little Dumpling immediately released Ice Shield Spell, protecting the three arrow towers within it.

The Necromancers' magic bolts hit the ice shields, causing cracks to appear.

[Ice Shield HP: 100/200]

"Healers! Heal Little Dumpling!" Lin Chen shouted.

The Healers on the wall immediately raised their hands, and a faint light fell on Little Dumpling.

[+50]

Little Dumpling's stamina recovered, and she released Ice Shield Spell again.

[System Prompt: Ice Shield Spell in effect, absorbing 200 damage.]

Lin Chen leaped up and charged at an Undead Knight that had broken through the defense line. His knights sword stabbed straight at its heart.

[Critical Hit! -350]

The Undead Knight's Battle Qi Shield shattered instantly.

"Whirlwind Slash!"

Lin Chen released Tier 3 Whirlwind Slash. The Undead Knights and Skeleton Soldiers within a seven-meter radius were instantly caught in the attack range.

[-250] [-260] [-255]

An Undead Knight fell on the spot, turning into white light and disappearing.

[System Prompt: Lin Chen killed Undead Knight x1, obtaining 1,000 experience points and 200 copper coins.]

[System Prompt: Congratulations to player Lin Chen. Accumulated 3,500 experience points; level increased to 7. Obtained 5 attribute points and 1 skill point.]

Lin Chen put all 5 attribute points into Strength, and his combat power soared to 45. He put the skill point into Whirlwind Slash, and the skill leveled up again.

[System Prompt: Whirlwind Slash upgraded to Tier 4. Consumes 5 stamina, deals 3x damage, knockback probability increased to 20%, and range expanded to 8 meters.]

"Whirlwind Slash!"

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

Lin Chen unleashed his skill again, and the Undead units within an eight-meter radius instantly fell in droves.

[-300] [-310] [-305]

[System Prompt: Lin Chen killed 10 Undead units, gaining 500 EXP and 100 copper coins.]

Morgana's invincibility duration was about to end.

Lin Chen looked at the Bone Dragon; its HP had already dropped to 5000 points.

"Everyone, focus fire on the Bone Dragon! The moment the invincibility ends, burst down Morgana!" Lin Chen roared.

The players responded one after another; Brick Mover King, Ah Jie, Iron Shield Guard, and the Skeleton Guards all charged toward the Bone Dragon.

The Bone Dragon's Dragon Breath continuously spewed toward the crowd, but it was blocked by Iron Shield Guard's Absolute Defense.

[System Prompt: Iron Shield Guard triggered Absolute Defense, negating this damage.]

Lin Chen charged to the front, slashing continuously with his knight sword, causing cracks to appear on the Bone Dragon's leg bones.

[-280] [-290] [-285]

The Bone Dragon's HP dropped rapidly.

[Bone Dragon (Level 7), HP: 1000/10000]

"Morgana, your mount is about to be gone!" Lin Chen shouted.

Morgana's invincibility duration ended.

Her expression changed drastically, and she waved her Bone Staff, attempting to unleash Undead Sacrifice once more.

"Too late!"

Lin Chen leaped into the air, his knight sword whistling with force as he slashed toward Morgana's Bone Staff.

"Clang!"

The Bone Staff was split in two, and Morgana let out a shrill scream.

Seizing the opportunity, Lin Chen thrust his knight sword toward Morgana's throat.

[Critical Hit! -500]

Morgana's HP instantly dropped to 0.

[System Prompt: Lin Chen killed Undead Witch Morgana (Level 7), gaining 5000 EXP, 5000 copper coins, Undead Staff (Tier 6 · Lord Exclusive), and Dark Core (Tier 1) x1.]

Losing its master, the Bone Dragon let out a mournful cry, fell from the sky, crashed to the ground, and turned into a pile of bones.

[System Prompt: Bone Dragon died, dropped Bone Dragon Core (Tier 1) x1, Bone Dragon Armor (Tier 6 · Fine).]

The players instantly went wild.

"The BOSS is dead! The Undead Legion has been routed!"

"Lord Big Shot is the GOAT! This cross-level kill was so cool!"

Morgana's corpse turned into a golden light, and a golden chest dropped to the ground.

Lin Chen walked over and opened the chest.

[System Prompt: Opened Undead Witch's Chest, obtained: Morgana's Undead Codex (Tier 7 · Exclusive), Dark Cloak (Tier 6 · Fine), Territory Upgrade Card x1, 10000 copper coins.]

[Morgana's Undead Codex (Tier 7 · Exclusive): Magic Attack +100, Spirit +20, Unlocks Undead Magic: Undead Summoning (Tier 2), Dark Curse (Tier 1).]

[Dark Cloak (Tier 6 · Fine): Defense +60, Stamina +30, Immune to Intermediate Undead Magic, 20% resistance to Dark Magic.]

"Holy crap! Magic Attack +100! This codex is too OP!" Little Dumpling ran over, her eyes fixed on the Undead Codex.

"This cloak gives immunity to Intermediate Undead Magic; fighting Undead will be much easier from now on!" Ah Jie said.

Lin Chen handed the Undead Codex to Little Dumpling: "You're a Magic Tower apprentice, this is for you."

"Thank you, Lord Big Shot!" Little Dumpling jumped up with excitement and immediately took the Undead Codex.

[System Prompt: Little Dumpling equipped Undead Codex, level increased to 6, unlocked Undead Magic: Undead Summoning (Tier 2).]

Lin Chen picked up the Undead Staff and Dark Cloak; the equipment bound automatically. He put on the Dark Cloak, gripped the Undead Staff, and tested the feel; a powerful magical force surged into his body.

A terrifying pressure washed over him.

Lin Chen said calmly: "Morgana is dead, the Undead Legion has been routed. Everyone, clean up the remaining Undead and tally the spoils of war!"

"Understood!" everyone responded in unison.

The players' morale skyrocketed, and they charged toward the remaining Undead units.

The arrow towers, crossbowmen, and Skeleton Archers opened fire continuously, and the Undead units fell in droves.

Iron Shield Guard and the Skeleton Guards worked in perfect coordination, slaughtering all the Undead units that rushed up.

After about half an hour, the battlefield was finally cleared.

Iron Wang came running over holding a ledger to report: "Lord, this defense was a great victory! Casualties: 5 Militia lightly injured, 30 player deaths, no permanent losses. Spoils: 21500 copper coins, various cores x3, three sets of Tier 6 equipment, one set of Tier 7 equipment, and a large amount of miscellaneous items."

[System Prompt: Congratulations to Ruststone Fortress for successfully defending against the main Undead Legion siege. Rewards: 20000 copper coins, Territory Reputation +500, unlocked new feature: Cross-Server Recruitment (can recruit players from other servers).]

[System Prompt: Territory level increased to 3, unlocked new buildings: Tavern (Level 1), Market (Level 1).]

The players instantly went wild.

"The territory reached level 3! And there's a Tavern and a Market!"

"Cross-server recruitment! Now more brothers can come to help!"

Lin Chen looked at the territory panel; the territory had expanded, the walls were higher and thicker, all three city gates were heavily guarded, and the barracks, Magic Tower, workshop, tavern, and market were all fully equipped.

He opened the Territory Upgrade Card and clicked to use it.

[System Prompt: Consumed Territory Upgrade Card x1, 10000 copper coins, Ruststone Fortress territory level increased to 4, unlocked new buildings: Fortress (Level 1), Research Institute (Level 1).]

[System Prompt: Fortress unlocked features: Advanced Fortifications, Territory Teleportation, Legion Assembly.]

[System Prompt: Research Institute unlocked features: Tech R&D, Attribute Enhancement, Skill Upgrade.]

Lin Chen walked into the Research Institute; inside, there was a huge crystal ball, several research tables, and a few bookshelves.

[System Prompt: Detected Bone Dragon Core (Tier 1) and Dark Core (Tier 1), research "Bone Dragon Cavalry" troop type?]

"Research!"

[System Prompt: Consumed Bone Dragon Core x1, Dark Core x1, 5000 copper coins, 50 units of iron ore, Bone Dragon Cavalry troop type research complete, unlocked Bone Dragon Cavalry (Level 8).]

[Bone Dragon Cavalry (Level 8): Attack +120, Defense +80, Stamina +60, rides a Bone Dragon, excels in aerial combat and ground shock attacks, has a 15% chance to trigger "Dragon Breath" effect.]

"Recruit ten Bone Dragon Cavalry!"

[System Prompt: Consumed 10000 copper coins, Bone Dragon Core x1, Undead Core x5, recruited Bone Dragon Cavalry x10.]

Ten cavalrymen clad in Bone Dragon Armor, riding Bone Dragons, appeared outside the fortress and bowed: "Lord, Bone Dragon Cavalry awaiting your orders!"

"Good!" Lin Chen nodded with satisfaction. "You are responsible for the territory's aerial defense!"

"Understood, Lord!" The Bone Dragon Cavalry responded in unison, mounted their Bone Dragons, and flew into the sky.

Lin Chen returned to the hall, sat in the main seat, and looked at everyone.

"Everyone worked hard during this defense!" Lin Chen said. "Spoils of war will be distributed according to contribution, and player rewards will be doubled!"

"Long live Lord Big Shot!" The players cheered.

Just then, a server-wide announcement popped up on the system panel.

[Server Announcement: Congratulations to player Lin Chen for leading Ruststone Fortress to successfully defend against the Level 7 Undead Legion siege, becoming the first territory on the server to upgrade to Level 4! Rewards: 1000 copper coins for all players on the server, exclusive title for Lin Chen "Pioneer of the Heavens", random Legendary equipment x1!]

The players across the server instantly went wild.

"Holy crap! Lord Big Shot Lin Chen is too fierce! The first Level 4 territory on the server!"

"The Pioneer of the Heavens title! And Legendary equipment! I'm crying with envy!"

Lin Chen opened his inventory and took out the random Legendary equipment; it was a sword — [sword of the heavens pioneer (Tier 8 · Legendary)].

[sword of the heavens pioneer (Tier 8 · Legendary): Attack +200, All Attributes +30, damage against all hostile units increased by 50%, can release "Pioneer Strike" once daily, dealing 10x damage.]

Lin Chen gripped the sword of the heavens pioneer, and a world-destroying power surged into his body.

He looked out the window; at the end of the Gobi Desert, a portal slowly opened.

[System Prompt: Congratulations to Ruststone Fortress for unlocking the cross-server portal; you can now travel to other worlds of the heavens and begin a new journey of pioneering!]

Lin Chen raised the sword of the heavens pioneer, pointing it at the portal with a firm gaze.

"We must gain a foothold in the heavens; Ruststone Fortress's journey will not stop here!"

"In the next world, we will continue to smash everything!"

As his voice fell, Lin Chen led Brick Mover King, Ah Jie, and Little Dumpling toward the cross-server portal.

A new adventure is about to begin!