Chapter 558: Elder Eagle’s Hidden Legacy
’Insane.’
The Corpse King Art had actually dropped.
Judging from its description alone, this was an ancient secret manual of extraordinary value. The Navy Captain had cultivated it for only a little over a hundred years, yet that alone had given him the strength to challenge the Ghost Race’ supreme naval commander by himself. That was enough to prove just how terrifying this technique really was.
Marcus immediately opened its attributes and showed them to the girls.
—
Corpse King Art: An ancient secret manual. Created twenty thousand years ago by a supremely powerful ten-thousand-year Corpse Ghost King, who recorded his cultivation insights and personal experiences within it.
Effect: Upon unlocking the manual, the user may comprehend certain skills based on their Luck and aptitude. The Corpse Ghost King who created this manual nearly ascended to the Ghost Race’s throne and possessed power comparable to a Divine Beast. As a result, the techniques contained within are both incredibly powerful and exceedingly rare.
Restrictions: Can only be comprehended once every thousand years. The user must either possess a zombie-class profession or be a player above level 60 with a zombie bloodline.
Remaining uses: 22.
—
Since the Navy Captain last comprehended the Corpse King Art, more than two thousand years had already passed.
There was no doubt about it: this was an incredibly powerful ancient cultivation manual.
Unfortunately, immense power came with equally harsh restrictions. Not only did it require level 60, but it also demanded that the user become a zombie-class.
Marcus couldn’t help picturing himself as a stiff, pale zombie shuffling around with a blank expression. He immediately grimaced. ’No thanks.’ Strength was important, but looking like the walking dead was where he drew the line.
Besides, there was no way he’d ever ask the women traveling with him to become zombies either. They had their own paths to follow, and he wasn’t about to push something like that onto them.
That left only one obvious candidate: Invincible Strong.
As a Necromancer, his profession already belonged to the zombie-class branch. Once he reached level 60, he would meet every requirement needed to study the Corpse King Art.
With that in mind, Marcus opened the mercenary chat.
"Strong, Drunkard, what are you two up to?"
Replies flooded in almost instantly.
"Stone! Did you make it to Twin Wing Island? Have you found the Sea Lion’s Tomb yet?"
"Stone, what’s Twin Wing Island like? Is the scenery really as amazing as everyone says?"
The two sounded excited enough that Marcus could almost picture them bouncing in anticipation on the other side of the chat.
If the journey hadn’t been so long, the route so uncertain, and their current leveling schedule so important, they probably would have insisted on tagging along. For now, though, Marcus and the girls were simply scouting ahead.
Truthfully, Marcus didn’t mind having a little breathing room. Traveling with just his current party made exploring much smoother.
Chuckling to himself, he briefly explained everything that had happened before reading out the Corpse King Art’s attributes.
"Stone..."
Invincible Strong sounded as though he was about to burst into tears.
"I want it! I want to learn it! I want to become a zombie! I want everyone to know my name!"
Marcus laughed despite himself. Good thing the guy wasn’t standing beside him; otherwise, he’d probably be hugging Marcus’s leg and refusing to let go.
"Hurry up and level. We’ll talk again once you hit sixty."
After chatting a little longer, Marcus closed the communication channel and used Advanced Gathering on the ashes left behind by the Navy Captain, carefully collecting the shimmering golden particles mixed within them.
Ding!
[Congratulations, player Stonehaven. You have obtained three portions of Millennium Golden Corpse Powder. Gathering proficiency increased.]
—
Millennium Golden Corpse Powder: High-grade material. Formed from the immense corpse energy accumulated during the cultivation of a Millennium Golden Corpse King.
When scattered, it increases the Attack and Defense of all mercenaries or party members by 15% for ten hours.
When consumed by zombie-type pets, it permanently increases their Attack and Defense and has a chance to trigger a mutation. It is also an essential material for forging Mythic-grade pills and Millennium Golden Corpse Blades.
—
The description made it clear that its greatest value lay in strengthening zombie-type pets.
Satisfied with yet another unexpected reward, Marcus carefully stored the powder away. After confirming there was nothing else left in the ashes, he led the girls toward the hidden mechanism Elder Eagle had mentioned.
Following the old man’s instructions, Marcus rotated the third glowing crystal.
A deep rumble echoed through the chamber, and moments later, a white eagle emblem about the size of a watermelon emerged from the stone wall.
"Eagle Strikes the Sky!"
Marcus called out exactly as Elder Eagle had instructed.
The emblem trembled before a series of heavy grinding noises echoed through the room. Slowly, a concealed compartment slid open inside the stone wall.
A gentle blue radiance poured from within, soft as moonlight yet bright enough to force everyone to squint.
When Marcus finally saw what was producing that glow, his eyes widened. "We’re rich!"
Inside the compartment lay Crescent Island’s famous treasure: Soft Moon Stones. The hidden cache was filled to the brim with them. Dozens upon dozens of pale blue crystals shimmered quietly, bathing the chamber in a dreamlike glow. There had to be well over a hundred of them, easily explaining the overwhelming brightness.
This was undoubtedly Elder Eagle’s personal collection, hidden away where even his treacherous disciple had never discovered it.
Now, every last one of them belonged to Marcus, and it was hard not to smile.
Elder Eagle hadn’t exaggerated in the slightest. His "generous reward" truly lived up to its name.
After carefully counting them, Marcus confirmed there were 158 Soft Moon Stones in total, enough to use freely all the way until level 100 without worrying about running out.
Once every Soft Moon Stone had been stored away, they noticed several more items resting at the bottom of the compartment. Judging from the energy radiating from them, these treasures were no less valuable.
The first was an ancient blue scroll, and when Marcus opened it, he discovered it was a map leading to Green Tide Immortal Pavilion, the secluded cultivation grounds where Lady Green Tide had once trained.
Another immortal’s sanctuary; everyone immediately leaned closer to study the map.
To their surprise, the marked starting point was practically right beneath their feet: the swirling whirlpool.
According to the map, if they entered the whirlpool and followed the underwater route, they could reach Green Tide Immortal Pavilion in just over a day’s travel.
"Marcus, after we’re finished exploring Dragon’s Roar Isle, let’s head there!" one of the girls said excitedly. "I want to see what an immortal’s paradise really looks like."
The others nodded eagerly.
Marcus’s stories about Harmony Peak had fascinated them from the very beginning, especially the breathtaking scenery and mysterious immortal ruins. Ever since then, they’d secretly hoped to visit a place like that themselves.
Now the opportunity had finally arrived, and there was no way they were going to miss it.
"Sounds good."
Marcus smiled at their excitement before reaching back into the hidden compartment and retrieving the last two items.
They were a pair of white, hexagonal crystals that glowed with a pure, gentle light. Whatever these were, they were clearly treasures as well.