Time passed by quietly, and after many twists and turns, Siewen, who had been working in a plantation in the territory of the Lietribe elves for many years, was diligently working in the garden as usual. Suddenly, an unprecedented army of zombies rushed into the area.

These zombie soldiers were exceptionally fierce. Wherever they went, whether it was the Darktribe elves or the Lietribe elves, they mercilessly killed any living beings they encountered. For a moment, the garden was covered with the low growls of the zombie soldiers and the screams of the elves. The tense atmosphere of labor in the garden had turned into a hellish existence in an instant.

The slaughter came quickly and ended quickly. At this moment, except for Siewen, everyone in the plantation and all the elves in the town where the plantation was located had fallen under the butcher's knife of the zombie soldiers. Siewen stood alone in the midst of scattered corpses and the group of terrifying zombie soldiers, naturally frightened half to death.

It wasn't until Elder Patrick arrived and told Siewen the purpose of their operation, which was to bring him back to Blackstone Castle on the orders of Archbishop Anselin. Siewen realized that the life-saving badge given to him by Archbishop Anselin back then was the key for these zombie soldiers to find him without harming him. With tears streaming down his face, Siewen naturally followed Elder Patrick back to Blackstone Castle and once again became the most loyal servant by Archbishop Anselin's side.

"But wait? Elder Patrick should have turned into a zombie by now, how could he still speak?" Hao Yun asked somewhat puzzled.

"Perhaps because he was transformed into a zombie by Archbishop Anselin herself, so he doesn't need to be controlled by others like ordinary zombies and still retains some intelligence," speculated Biscuit Tang.

"Another possibility is that zombies like Elder Patrick are directly controlled by Archbishop Anselin herself. So, when Elder Patrick spoke to Siewen at that time, it wasn't Elder Patrick, but Archbishop Anselin herself," continued Paladin.

Everyone thought their speculations were highly likely. However, since this was just an additional question raised by Hao Yun and not very important, they did not discuss it further and instead focused on Paladin's narration.

Under the leadership of Archbishop Anselin, the Dark Elf Tribe naturally became stronger. But Siewen gradually discovered that although Archbishop Anselin, after her return, could unleash extremely powerful black magic, the power she suddenly gained during her seclusion was pushing her body to its limits due to its overwhelming strength.

Anselin told Siewen that in order to find a stronger successor for the power within her and let that chosen one continue to lead the Dark Elf Tribe forward, they must quickly find an elf with greater talent in black magic. Under many years of searching and various coincidences, Elinna was fortunately discovered by Anselin.

Later, due to Anselin's negligence in supervision, Elinna accidentally died in a family conflict. This incident caused Anselin immense grief. However, for some reason, Anselin never gave up hope on Elinna. She always believed that Elinna would return.

So, as Anselin approached her end, she divided her subordinates into two teams. One team stayed in the territory of the Dark Elf Tribe, and the other team, led by Siewen, settled in the territory of the Lietribe elves. The task of these two teams was to continue searching in secret for the next elf talent with enough ability to inherit Anselin's power.

In addition, another task for Siewen was to maintain hope for the future and find Elinna as soon as she returned. In this way, Siewen returned to the territory of the Lietribe elves with the decree of Archbishop Anselin and once again led a life of wandering incognito.

Hearing this, Elinna pursed her lips in agreement with Siewen's words, "So according to what you're saying, I'm now the best candidate to inherit Anselin's legacy?"

"Yes, Your Grace," Siewen replied with great certainty.

But then, he changed his tone and said, "However—"

"However what?" Elinna asked anxiously, but she quickly realized her behavior and made an apologetic gesture before politely indicating Siewen to continue his explanation.

Seeing Elinna's somewhat anxious behavior, Siewen smiled slightly and continued, "However, Archbishop Anselin once instructed that although Your Grace is the best candidate to inherit her power, it doesn't mean you will immediately gain her power."

Seeing Elinna's disappointed and puzzled expression, Siewen hurriedly explained, "Your Grace, I won't hide it from you. In fact, to obtain the power left by Archbishop Anselin, you must have extraordinary proficiency in black magic. If the black magic power within you is not strong enough, like Archbishop Anselin, you will eventually collapse under the overwhelming power."

At this point, Siewen suddenly became very sad. He briefly recounted to Elinna how Archbishop Anselin had suddenly fallen and how the power within her had left and disappeared into the territory of the Lietribe elves. Over the years, countless elves had tried to find that power, but it had always remained elusive.

"So, what if someone finds this power before me? Wouldn't all our efforts be in vain?" Elinna asked somewhat worriedly.

Siewen shook his head and replied with great certainty, "No, because Archbishop Anselin personally felt the power's strength, she also placed a seal on it. Besides her, only those with extraordinary proficiency in black magic can gain recognition from that power and actively respond to its call. If one cannot gain recognition from that power, even if they find its whereabouts, it will be of no avail."

Time passed without notice, and Siewen, who had worked in a plantation in the territory of the Wright Elves for many years, was laboring diligently in the garden as usual. Suddenly, an unprecedented army of zombies stormed into the area.

These zombie soldiers were exceptionally fierce. Wherever they went, whether it was the Dark Elves or the Wright Elves, they mercilessly slaughtered any living beings they encountered. In an instant, the plantation, once enveloped in a tense atmosphere of labor, turned into something akin to hell.

The massacre was swift, and it ended just as quickly. At this moment, except for Siewen, everyone in the plantation and all the elves in the town where the plantation was located lay under the butcher's knife of the zombie soldiers. Siewen stood alone amidst the corpses, naturally terrified by the sight of the bodies and the terrifying zombie soldiers.

It was not until Elder Patrick arrived and informed Siewen that their purpose in this operation was to bring him back to the Black Stone Castle under the orders of Archbishop Anselin. Siewen realized that the key to why these zombie soldiers could find him without harming him lay in the protective talisman that Archbishop Anselin had bestowed upon him. With tears in his eyes, Siewen followed Elder Patrick back to Black Stone Castle and once again became Archbishop Anselin's most loyal servant.

"Wait, shouldn't Elder Patrick have turned into a zombie by now? How is he able to speak?" Haoyun asked, puzzled.

"Perhaps because he was transformed into a zombie by Archbishop Anselin herself, so he doesn't need to be controlled by others like ordinary zombies and still retains some intelligence," Biscuit Tang speculated.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"Another possibility is that zombies like Elder Patrick are directly controlled by Archbishop Anselin herself. So, when he was talking to Siewen earlier, it wasn't Elder Patrick but Archbishop Anselin herself," Paranol suggested.

The others thought their speculations were plausible. However, considering that this was just an additional question raised by Haoyun and not very important, they did not delve further into it. Instead, they focused their attention on Paranol's narrative.

Under the leadership of Archbishop Anselin, the Dark Elves naturally became stronger. However, Siewen gradually discovered that although Archbishop Anselin could unleash extremely powerful black magic, the power she had obtained during her seclusion was so overwhelming that it was pushing her body to its limits.

Archbishop Anselin told Siewen that in order to find a stronger successor to inherit the power within her and continue to lead the Dark Elves forward, they must quickly find an elf with greater talent in black magic. Under many years of searching and various coincidences, Elinna was fortunate enough to be discovered by Archbishop Anselin.

Later, due to Archbishop Anselin's negligence in supervision, Elinna accidentally died in a family conflict. This incident deeply grieved Archbishop Anselin. However, for some reason, Archbishop Anselin never gave up hope on Elinna. She always believed that Elinna would return.

Therefore, on her deathbed, Archbishop Anselin divided her subordinates into two teams. One team stayed in the territory of the Dark Elves, while the other team, led by Siewen, entered the territory of the Wright Elves. The task of these two teams was to continue searching in secret for the next elf with sufficient talent and ability to inherit Archbishop Anselin's power.

In addition, Siewen's other task was to maintain hope for the future and find Elinna at the first opportunity of her return. So Siewen, carrying out Archbishop Anselin's will, returned to the territory of the Wright Elves and once again lived a life of anonymity.

Upon hearing this, Elinna nodded in agreement with what Siewen said. "So according to you, I am now the best candidate to inherit Archbishop Anselin's power?"

"Yes, Your Grace," Siewen replied confidently.

However, he then changed his tone and said, "But..."

"But what?" Elinna interrupted anxiously, but she quickly realized her behavior and made an apologetic gesture before politely gesturing for Siewen to continue his explanation.

Seeing Elinna's somewhat anxious behavior, Siewen smiled slightly and continued, "However, Archbishop Anselin instructed that although you are the best candidate to inherit her power, it doesn't mean you will immediately obtain her power."

Seeing Elinna's disappointed and puzzled expression, Siewen hurriedly explained, "Let me be frank with you, Your Grace. In fact, to obtain Archbishop Anselin's power, you must have extraordinary proficiency in black magic. If the black magic power within you is not strong enough, like Archbishop Anselin, you will ultimately collapse under the overwhelming power."

At this point, Siewen suddenly became very sad. He briefly recounted to Elinna how Archbishop Anselin suddenly fell and how her power left and disappeared into the territory of the Wright Elves. Over the years, despite countless attempts by elves to find that power, it remained elusive.

"What if someone else finds this power before me? Wouldn't all our efforts be in vain?" Elinna asked, somewhat worried.

"It turns out they don't need to actively seek out that power, but rather, once Elinna's mastery of black magic reaches its peak, she naturally gains the recognition of that power! That cunning Elinna! We've indeed fallen for her scheme of diverting our attention! She only wanted to drive us away to give herself enough space and time to cultivate black magic," Haoyun exclaimed in sudden realization.

Unlike Haoyun's somewhat irritated response, Dao Lao remained calm and composed as he asked Paranol, "So, what was their plan after that?"

After indulging in a few more bites of preserved dried fish, Paranol resumed his narration.

Paranol explained that when Elinna heard that once her mastery of black magic reached its peak, she could naturally gain Archbishop Anselin's power, she immediately became confident. Elinna expressed that with her current strength, coupled with her innate talent to practice both light and dark magic, she was confident enough to ensure she became the best vessel for that power.

However, Elinna also mentioned that due to certain special reasons, she couldn't use her current power to cultivate black magic to avoid trouble. Therefore, if she wanted to quickly cultivate black magic, she still needed the assistance of dhum energy.

Haoyun and Dao Lao naturally understood that when Elinna mentioned "unnecessary trouble," she referred to the enormous risk of destabilizing the timeline by excessively using divine power to cultivate black magic in the mortal realm without approval from the divine realm, which was a serious violation of divine laws. So, even though Elinna essentially committed an act of treason against the divine realm by her current actions, she still remained rational and aware of certain red lines that should not be crossed easily. Because once those lines were crossed, the consequences would be unbearable for her.

Since Elinna needed the assistance of dhum energy, she naturally had to obtain it by consuming a large amount of elf biscuits. However, Elinna evidently couldn't accumulate dhum energy through prolonged consumption of elf biscuits. She needed to obtain a sufficient amount of dhum energy in a short time to ensure she could quickly advance her proficiency in black magic and obtain Archbishop Anselin's power as soon as possible. Because for her, whether she could obtain Archbishop Anselin's power quickly determined whether she had a chance to escape the capture of the Thirteenth Realm of the Shadowland more effectively.

Seeing Elinna's anxious expression, Siewen pointed at the bodies on the ground and said, "Don't worry, Your Grace. Siewen doesn't know why you chose to consume their bodies just now, but it's obvious that consuming their bodies has quickly provided you with more dhum energy and has allowed your black magic proficiency to grow. This is the ability bestowed upon you by the power that helped you return here. Because Archbishop Anselin once possessed the same ability."

Elinna suddenly realized, "Oh? So that's how it is! I could only sense the energy contained in these bodies because I was too exhausted, so I involuntarily started consuming them."

Siewen explained further, "According to Archbishop Anselin's description, this is a kind of black magic energy conversion spell, a unique spell she obtained inadvertently from her own power during her practice of black magic. However, only elves with top-tier talent in black magic qualify to receive this spell from that power."

"With the help of this energy conversion spell, Your Grace, you now have the ability to quickly obtain dhum energy and black magic power from the bodies of Dark Elves and zombie soldiers. In this way, coupled with the secret technique Archbishop Anselin deliberately left behind, we can ensure that Your Grace's black magic quickly reaches the level where you can dominate Archbishop Anselin's power!"

"Oh? Did Archbishop Anselin leave behind another secret technique?" Elinna asked with great interest.

"Yes, Your Grace," Siewen said, taking out a scroll from his sleeve and respectfully presenting it to Elinna.

Elinna took the scroll and quickly scanned it. "Ah, so that's how it is. This spell shouldn't be difficult to practice, but my body is still relatively weak at the moment, so it's not convenient to practice magic immediately."

"No rush, Your Grace. You can continue to absorb more energy and wait for your body to recover before practicing this secret technique!" Siewen said, showing great concern.

"Alright. But after I recover, I may still need to spend some time absorbing energy to better enhance my proficiency in black magic!" Elinna looked at the countless bodies around her and remarked. Clearly, Elinna wanted to consume all the energy from these bodies before it dissipated completely.

"Don't worry, Your Grace. I've arranged for soldiers to restrict other Wright Elves from entering this battlefield. Intentionally, at least in the short term, no one else will disturb you here. Moreover, it will take at least three days for the energy in these Dark Elf and zombie soldier bodies to completely dissipate. So, you can rest assuredly and absorb energy here to slowly regain your strength," Siewen immediately reassured her.

Over the next three days, Elinna continuously absorbed energy from the corpses and then restored her energy through meditation. In the meantime, once her strength had almost recovered, she quickly mastered the cultivation secret technique left behind by Archbishop Anselin. This led Siewen to repeatedly admire Elinna's prowess, confirming that she was indeed the magical prodigy chosen by Archbishop Anselin.

Siewen informed the other Wright Elves that the three-day dispersion period of the magic energy curse was quickly coming to an end. This meant that the Wright Elf reinforcements who had been waiting outside the battlefield perimeter would soon be able to re-enter the area. At the same time, the redeployed defenders would also gradually arrive in the Misty Forest shortly. Therefore, Elinna and her group could only conclude their operations here and leave as soon as possible before their identities were exposed.

"Sigh! It's the only way. There are still so many bodies left unused; it's really a pity!" Elinna sighed with regret as she looked at the untouched corpses.

"There's no other choice, Your Grace. After all, our mission is to ensure that you quickly advance in the realm of black magic. Therefore, we must maintain a low profile to avoid disrupting our operations if we are discovered by others. So, we need to stay discreet for now," Siewen said.

Reluctantly gazing at the bodies on the ground, Elinna suddenly asked, "Siewen, do you have a way to contact the Dark Magic Association?"

Serwinf responded promptly, "Yes, Your Grace."