Necromancers are frantically stationing troops in the apocalypse.

Chapter 1049, All Progress

The sisters' pupils contracted simultaneously.

They knew that this technique could enhance their defense, but they never expected the effect to be so terrifying.

The full-force thrust of a high-level swordsman could not even penetrate the skin's surface; the sound of the blade colliding with flesh was like the clang of metal striking stone!

"Sylvain!" Eluria shouted softly, her figure retreating rapidly.

The younger sister understood immediately, and her twin swords, like venomous snakes spitting their tongues, aimed straight for his lower back, the spinning blades creating a spiraling wave of air.

The expected sound of flesh tearing did not occur; the two swords suddenly froze half an inch from the skin, as if they had pierced an invisible wall.

The translucent armor, condensed with malevolent energy, rippled like water, dissipating all the impact.

"Change formation!"

The two sisters moved in a blur, launching a full-scale attack on Wu Heng.

The longsword transformed into a sky full of silver light, enveloping Wu Heng's entire body from all directions.

The spectators stared wide-eyed at the various attacks unleashed by the wood elf sisters.

Ding ding ding ding~!

The dense clanging of metal was like a sudden downpour on banana leaves.

Ordinary slashes were deflected by the transparent armor, while the occasional sword energy that broke through the defense and struck the skin could only leave a fleeting white mark.

"It's my turn," said Wu Heng, who had been on defense.

With a swift movement of his right hand, he precisely caught the tip of Eluria's thrusting sword between his index and middle fingers, while with a flick of his left finger, Sylvain's short sword spun and fell to the ground.

The two sisters remained frozen in place, their eyes filled with shock, maintaining their offensive stance.

Their prized combined attack not only failed to harm the opponent, but was also easily neutralized.
Was the weapon flicked away by a finger?

Wu Heng did not move an inch throughout the entire process.

The two sisters stood frozen in the center of the training field, their hands trembling slightly as they gripped their swords.

As the most outstanding swordsmen of the younger generation of the Wood Elf clan, they dare not say they can rival hero-level powerhouses, but they have always had absolute confidence in close combat.

But right now... all their skills, speed, and strength are like child's play in front of this seemingly frail body.

What's even more ironic is that the other party is a mage!
"That's enough for now." Wu Heng released his grip on the longsword and rubbed his slightly reddened chest. "All that clanging and banging was making my bones numb."

The two sisters snapped out of their daze and quickly sheathed their swords.

Sylvie's younger sister trotted up to her, her eyes shining brightly. "Sir, this...this is all the effect of the body-tempering technique?"

"Of course!" Wu Heng nodded and walked off the field, the lines on his skin gradually disappearing.

"That's amazing." Sylvain suddenly grabbed his arm. "Will we be invulnerable like that after we master this technique?"

Wu Heng let the wood elf girl hug him, saying, "You melee classes would be even more effective with this ability."

"Sister, did you hear that?!" Sylvain turned and lunged at Eluria. "We've learned to be even stronger!"

Eluria tapped her on the head. "What are you yelling about? Watch your manners."

On the sidelines, onlookers came over and asked a few questions with concern.

The lady said, "Defense is only the foundation. The baleful energy forging of bones greatly improves your strength and bone density, which is also very important."

"I can sense it," Wu Heng continued, "The second stage is complete. When will the third stage begin?"

"Let's start tomorrow. Keep yourself in top condition," the Empress said.

"I'm going to take a shower first, we'll talk when I come out." Wu Heng nodded and walked upstairs.

Behind them, the women were still excitedly discussing the effects of the second phase.

This defensive effect is truly astonishing; once mastered, it's enough to change the course of a battle.

……

After a quick shower, Wu Heng returned to his study.

Granda was reading a book by the window, Benny was watching a soap opera at a side table, and the Empress was manipulating a puppet at the desk to look through her own book, "Body Refining Technique".

"Is the third stage easy to train?" Wu Heng asked as he sat down, wiping his hair.

The Empress replied, "It's easy to practice, but difficult to practice... it's also difficult to practice."

"Can you speak human language?" Wu Heng raised an eyebrow.

The goddess detached from the puppet, her soul flying over to look down at him. "It's difficult to cultivate because only one in ten cultivators survives at this stage. Some die from shattered bones, while others are consumed by flames and their bodies are never recovered..."

The spirit leaned forward again, "But you are a hero, you can be resurrected even if you die, it's just a waste of some materials."

Wu Heng raised an eyebrow, "So you're telling me to risk my life to speed up the progress?"

"You're a hero, you won't really die, what's there to be afraid of?" the empress said nonchalantly.

"How was the third phase?" Wu Heng continued to ask.

Wu Heng had also read the contents of the Body Refining Technique.

The third stage is called the Heavenly Mandate Body.

An indestructible physical body, impervious to evil spirits—that sounds pretty powerful.

But it's still a bit blurry.

The empress floated to one side and said, "The effects of the third stage are increased physical defense, regeneration of severed limbs, cessation of aging of the physical body, and increased resistance to various substances."

Wu Heng tossed the towel in his hand and hung it on a wooden frame in the distance. "Limb regeneration! Heroes can do that."

After a slight pause, he continued, "It sounds like the main increase is in physical defense, which is actually not bad."

Even in the second stage, one can feel the power of the Body Refining Technique.

The two wood elf sisters, though not heroes, are level 18 melee fighters.

They slashed at him for so long, but couldn't break through his skin's defenses; such defensive power was terrifying.

Putting aside other effects, the fact that this level of defense can continue to increase makes it worthwhile to continue cultivating it.

The lady rolled her eyes at him and said, "You need to understand that this skill was never intended for heroes. Moreover, you should know how important limb regeneration is for an ordinary professional."

Wu Heng nodded, agreeing with this point.

The world's medicines are incredibly effective, except for severed limbs, which cannot be restored.

The emergence of this skill means that ordinary professionals can also recover severed limbs, which is indeed very important.

"you're right."

The empress glanced at him and continued, "There's one more thing. Once you reach the third stage of cultivation, you can condense your life fire. If you've reached the end of your rope in the hero stage, it might give you a glimmer of hope outside the rules."

Wu Heng narrowed his eyes, and was reborn from the ashes!

"Can he really survive?"

The Empress nodded, "He can live."

“Alright, we’ll have to cultivate anyway, let’s see how it goes,” Wu Heng said.

The Empress continued, "Minnie had already prepared the materials. The third stage will begin tomorrow. You should rest well today and strive to be in the best possible condition."

"I'll listen to you," Wu Heng agreed.

Then, the human and the soul discussed cultivation methods in detail for a while before heading to the courtyard together to begin building a new cultivation site.

……

afternoon.

Sunlight streamed through the glass windows, illuminating the study.

Suddenly, the door slammed open, and Xiao Xiao, controlling the doll and wearing a new gothic dress, swaggered in.

She was also holding a carved wooden box in her arms.

"This is a gift from Sister Lilith!" As soon as she entered the room, Xiaoxiao eagerly held up the box in her hand.

Wu Heng, who was chatting, and the other three souls all looked over.

"What nice gift did you send?" Wu Heng asked, feigning curiosity.

Little Xiao mysteriously hid the box behind her back, saying, "Guess what? There's a prize if you guess right!"

"A strange object or a prop?" Wu Heng asked.

Benny glanced at Xiaoxiao's new clothes and said, "I guess it's some nice accessories or decorations."

"Wrong!" Xiao Xiao placed the wooden box on the table and opened it, "Ta-da!"

The moment the lid was lifted, the temperature in the entire study plummeted.

A dense aura of natural death permeated the entire study. The three souls of the man looked inside and saw a crescent-shaped, black and white jade pendant placed on a wooden box covered with velvet.

"So big?"

"Lilith, this is too good to you."

"This probably can't be exchanged even for a first-class merit!"

The three souls exclaimed in alarm.

Last time, Lilith gave Xiaoxiao a personal yin jade that was only half the size of a fist, which was still a rare large personal yin jade.

This time, the size was almost half a plate.

It's not even worth three or four Level 1 Merits; it's the kind of thing that money can't buy.

"Lilith is really generous!" Granda said in surprise.

"My sister also said~!" Xiaoxiao hung the crescent-shaped jade pendant back where it had been placed, and then said, "I can call her auntie, but I feel it's more intimate to call her sister."

Finished this sentence.

Granda and the Empress were both taken aback, and then they both looked at Wu Heng.

Wu Heng coughed lightly, tactically picked up his teacup and took a sip, avoiding the intense gaze of the Three Ghosts. "It's just a name, Xiao Xiao Ai can call me whatever she wants."

"Mmm!" Xiao Xiao nodded vigorously. "Uncle, I want to go riding a motorcycle with Sister Lilith and come back tonight."

"Be careful, don't fall."

"Okay~!" Xiao Xiao replied and disappeared.

It seems he came back just to show off the gifts he received.

The study fell silent once again.

Granda floated over and looked at Wu Heng, "What's wrong with Lilith?"

Wu Heng took another sip. "What's going on? It's not like it's the first time I've given this little thing to someone."

The Empress echoed, "Why are they suddenly giving such a valuable gift?"

Benny flew over too, asking, "Is there a problem here?"

The three ghosts stared at him from different angles, as if interrogating a criminal.

Wu Heng coughed lightly, "Give me some private space, okay?"

“What do you have to do that we don’t know? Tell us quickly…” Granda said.

Benny and the Empress were also looking forward to the answer with excitement.

Wu Heng put down his teacup and said, "Nothing's wrong, it's just normal!"

"Are you really alright?" Granda asked, her eyes filled with doubt.

"It's not entirely without problems," Wu Heng said in a low voice. "There's been some progress!"

Granda then asked, "Where's the progress?"

“It’s all progressed!” Wu Heng scratched his cheek.

The three ghosts fell silent instantly.

After a while, Benny gave a thumbs up, "You really have a talent for this, you can even handle someone like Lilith!"

Granda circled halfway in mid-air, frowned in thought, and then analyzed, "Developing to this point with Lilith has great benefits for us. First, headquarters now has a true ally. We can obtain intelligence and stand firmly on their side in major decisions."

"Secondly, Lilith's strength is greater than that of the newly promoted heroes, and her foundation is also richer."

"Third, if we can connect with the intelligence system she controls, it will also benefit the development of the Spirit Revelation Cult. And lastly, you can talk to Lilith about missionary work within the vampire territory."

The Empress added, "Alliance is indeed one of the important ways to enhance strength and consolidate one's position."

Wu Heng frowned as he listened to the two souls' analysis.

For such a simple matter, they've even ranked it into three points.

"It sounds like you're approaching them with an ulterior motive," Wu Heng said, scratching his head.

Granda raised an eyebrow and continued, "Now that you're together, do you think she'll watch you get into trouble? You should talk to her about vampire missionary work sometime."

“I don’t think we need to. With the efficiency of the zombie world, it seems sufficient,” Wu Heng said.

“It’s not a bad thing to spread the word in more places,” Granda said earnestly.

“Alright, I’ll ask Lilith for her opinion later, but I can’t say anything now. How can you make such a request right after you’ve started dating?” Wu Heng nodded.

But now is definitely not the time to bring this up. Who makes demands right after establishing a relationship?

Granda nodded in agreement.

Then, the three souls, being very gossipy, surrounded him and asked the two of them about various details of yesterday.

When Wu Heng had nothing more to say, they returned to their respective seats, some reading books, others watching TV dramas.

Soon, Minnie called Wu Heng downstairs for dinner.

After dinner, Xiaoxiao came back from outside, skipping and hopping.

It's confirmed that Lilith has returned home.

After saying goodbye to his family and sending a text message to Lilith, Wu Heng used the Teleportation spell to leave.

……

The figure reappeared, Wu Heng's boots already touching the soft carpet.

This is a bedroom with a distinctly vampire aristocratic style, where the air is filled with the subtle fragrance of ancient wood mixed with roses.

Wow~!

The sound of water could be heard coming from the bathroom.

As soon as Wu Heng stepped forward, a thick mist of blood instantly rose from the entire bathroom, obscuring the view into the bathroom.

"You're getting more and more outrageous," Lilith's voice came through the mist. "Have you forgotten even basic manners?"

Wu Heng leaned against the door frame. "I have to come and thank you for preparing such an expensive gift for Xiao Xiao."

Lilith snorted, "I have no use for it. If Xiaoxiao likes it, I'll just give it to her."

Wu Heng coughed lightly, then said, "I want to stay here tonight."

The sound of splashing water came from the mist. "Is there anything else in your mind besides that?"

That being said, the blood mist suddenly dissipated.

Inside the bathtub, Lilith had her back to this side, her long, wet hair clinging to her smooth back, while rose petals floating on the water barely concealed her alluring curves.

Lilith glanced at her sideways. "What are you standing there for?"

Wu Heng removed his clothes, stepped into the bath, picked up the soft body, and sat it against his chest.

Lilith joked, "I usually sleep in a wooden coffin, can you get used to it?"

"That's too unlucky." Wu Heng bit her earlobe, feeling the body trembling slightly in his arms. "Let's sleep in the bed tonight."

Lilith's ears instantly turned red, and she pinched the soft flesh of his waist with her other hand, "You're pushing your luck!"

……

The main entrance to the sanctuary.

The carriage bearing the emblem of the association's leader gleamed in the sunlight.

Claudio, the leader of the Hongwen Society, looked out the car window at the crowd seeing him off.

The Pope's scepter was planted on the ground, with a group of archbishops and knights-in-arms behind him.

"The association has always advocated for a peaceful resolution," Claudio said solemnly. "No more people should lose their lives because of this."

The Pope's knuckles were white, and the muscles beneath his robes were taut like a bowstring.

The fall of the three Holy Sees has put the Holy See on high alert these past few days, fearing that the other side might find a way to kill him here as well.

"The Papacy will make its own decision," the Pope said, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth.

Claudio said no more, gently knocked on the carriage, and the carriage slowly started moving.

Wait until the carriage is far away.

"Elect a new Holy See immediately!" The Pope turned and boarded his carriage.

"Yes!" Everyone bowed their heads.

(End of this chapter)