Chapter 547: The Mask of Fear
Marcus’s eyes lingered on the black mask for a moment longer. Without warning, the towering figure before him seemed to grow even larger, and a suffocating wave of deathly energy crashed against his mind, making his heart skip a beat as an instinctive sense of danger crept over him.
’That mask... it’s dangerous.’
Marcus narrowed his eyes. The pressure wasn’t coming from the boss himself; it was coming from the mask. ’What kind of artifact is that? Red? Mythic? Or... Divine?’ he couldn’t help wondering.
And if he was being honest, the mask looked incredible. Its savage fangs, oppressive aura, and sinister design would match his Corpse Demon armor perfectly, and with the dark wraiths swirling around the armor and his hellfire-stepping mount beneath him... Marcus couldn’t help grinning. He’d look like a true Death Knight, riding straight out of the underworld.
Forget the stats for a second; he wanted the mask for the style alone.
Of course, appearances meant nothing if he couldn’t win. This humanoid undead was obviously the leader of the entire force, and if Elder Eagle Morta couldn’t be defeated, then the crystal coffin, the treasure, and everything else inside the Whirlpool Hall would remain forever out of reach.
’One thing at a time.’
Marcus quietly advanced a few more steps before stopping roughly fifty yards away. The boss remained completely motionless, showing no sign that he’d noticed him. Perfect. Marcus immediately cast Insight.
—
Elder Eagle Morta
Level 70 Gold Boss
HP: 350,000
Class: Water Swordmaster
Two thousand years ago, Morta was a renowned cultivator whose strength earned him widespread respect. His greatest ambition was to ascend the Divine Path and attain true immortality. Because he spent most of his years cultivating on Twin-Headed Eagle Island in the Eastern Sea, the world came to know him as Elder Eagle.
Roughly two thousand years ago, Elder Eagle Morta accidentally discovered Crescent Island. It took him five years to decipher the secrets of the Gate of Crescent Moon, eventually allowing him to freely travel through the Illusion Mist Palace.
Although he lacked the strength to enter the Crescent Moon Immortal Palace itself, he eventually discovered the nearby Whirlpool Hall, a rare cultivation ground capable of gathering immense amounts of spiritual energy.
Ecstatic, Elder Eagle believed he had finally found the opportunity he had spent his entire life searching for.
With enough time cultivating inside the Whirlpool Hall, he was certain he would eventually step onto the Divine Path.
Everything changed because of his disciple.
—
Marcus glanced toward the crystal coffin suspended above the Azure Vortex. There was no doubt about it; that disciple was the navy captain resting inside.
—
After obtaining an ancient forbidden manual known as the Corpse King Art, the captain became increasingly dissatisfied with his slow cultivation progress. Greed gradually consumed him until he set his sights on both the Whirlpool Hall and his own master.
Using the Corpse King Art, he spent an entire century gathering rare materials before finally brewing a Mythic-grade poisoned wine known as Corpse Dream.
He secretly served it to Elder Eagle. The poison didn’t kill him; instead, it stripped away his free will, turning the once-proud cultivator into an obedient puppet.
With his master under complete control, the captain seized the Whirlpool Hall for himself.
Drawing upon the Azure Vortex’s endless spiritual energy, he cultivated the Corpse King Art at an astonishing pace. In less than thirty years, he had already gained the ability to command three hundred Level 80 Undead Legionnaires.
With Elder Eagle standing guard over him like an unstoppable bodyguard, the captain’s confidence swelled into arrogance.
Eventually, he challenged the supreme commander of the Ghost Race’s navy. Unfortunately for him, raw ambition couldn’t make up for a lack of strength, and without a truly powerful weapon, he lost by a single move.
Barely escaping with his life, he fled back to the Whirlpool Hall, his injuries so severe that even a hundred years of recovery might not have been enough.
Unable to accept such a humiliating defeat, he made a desperate decision. He shattered his own heart with his own hands before swallowing another treasure he had discovered alongside the Corpse King Art: the Millennium Golden Corpse Pill.
From that moment onward, he abandoned life itself, transforming his own body into a corpse so he could cultivate the Corpse King Art’s ultimate form: the Millennium Golden Corpse King.
As he slumbered inside the crystal coffin, nourished by the endless spiritual energy flowing from the Azure Vortex, Elder Eagle Morta remained outside as his eternal guardian.
Yet the captain never fully trusted his own masterpiece, fearing that one day the effects of Corpse Dream would weaken and allow Elder Eagle to regain his consciousness. To ensure that could never happen, he forced his master to wear his greatest treasure: the Artifact, Mask of Fear.
The mask radiated overwhelming death energy that constantly clashed with Elder Eagle’s original cultivation, an endless conflict that permanently suppressed his power, reducing someone who had once stood at the Mythic Beast level to nothing more than a Level 70 Gold Boss.
As long as the mask remained on his face, Elder Eagle would never escape the poison’s control.
—
Marcus slowly exhaled. So that was the truth. The sinister black mask really was an Artifact, and its name alone was enough to send a chill down anyone’s spine: Mask of Fear. No wonder it had drawn his attention the instant he walked into the hall.
He wanted it even more now.
Still, another detail in the description interested him just as much: the Corpse King Art.
According to the records, the navy captain had only cultivated it for around one hundred and thirty years. Of those, merely thirty years had been spent benefiting from the Azure Vortex’s spiritual energy, yet that had already been enough to create three hundred Level 80 Undead Legionnaires.
Marcus couldn’t help clicking his tongue; that cultivation art was terrifying. Even if those undead were nothing but ordinary zombies, unleashing three hundred of them at once would bury almost any opponent beneath an endless tide of corpses; the sheer numbers alone would be enough to overwhelm most enemies.
’So... where is the Corpse King Art now?’
His eyes naturally drifted toward the crystal coffin floating above the Azure Vortex, and a flicker of anticipation rose in his chest. If the manual had survived, there was a good chance it was still inside that coffin.
But before he could even think about claiming it, one obstacle stood in his way: Elder Eagle Morta.
Marcus shifted his attention back to the boss and continued reading.
—
Passive: Eagle Flight Dance
Elder Eagle moves and fights through the air with the grace and agility of a soaring hawk.
Passive: Eagle Cloud Body
His body possesses the lightness and speed of an eagle, greatly increasing both movement speed and evasion.
Passive: Water Sword Dance
His swordsmanship is perfectly fused with water-element energy. Every attack deals additional water damage, frequently slows enemies, and has a chance to freeze them.
Eagle Feathers
Single-target skill. Swings his sword to release a feather-shaped blade of sword energy at a target within 30 yards. Damage is doubled.
Eagle’s Peck
Single-target skill. When an enemy is within 5 yards, Elder Eagle unleashes three lightning-fast thrusts resembling an eagle’s peck. Damage is doubled. 10% chance to stun. 10% critical hit chance. Cooldown: 5 seconds.
Flying Eagle Sword
Area-of-effect skill. With a thunderous roar, Elder Eagle unleashes a sweeping sword technique as brilliant as an eagle spreading its wings, sending countless feather-like blades crashing into all enemies in front of him. Damage increased by 80%. Range: 20 yards.
Nameless Fear
Passive skill granted by the Artifact Mask of Fear. All enemies within 30 yards of Elder Eagle have every attribute reduced by 10%.
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