Dark Wizard: Rise! My undead army!

Lin Chen lowered the tip of his sword by half an inch, his gaze towards Heishan filled with doubt.

What's this old man up to? What nonsense is he spouting? Why is he suddenly interested in his own background?

"Have you never doubted your identity since you were a child?" Black Mountain took half a step forward, his voice guiding.

"Normal humans don't have horns, and normal human eyes don't have star-like pupils. Have you ever considered that Lynn isn't your biological father?"

"If he's not your father, why did he adopt you?"

"He is my father," Lin Chen said with absolute certainty.

"Is he?" Black Mountain chuckled. "With such a strong bloodline, your father must have been a powerful alien."

"Lynn adopted you only because he saw your potential. He raised you so that you would work for him."

"You're talking nonsense!" Aria rushed forward and pointed at Black Mountain.

"Chen'er is my child with Lynn, stop trying to sow discord!"

Heishan didn't even look at her, only staring at Lin Chen: "I understand that your mother doesn't want to talk about it, but the more she doesn't talk about it, the more it shows that there's a story behind it."

"Only she knows who your father is. Maybe Lynn killed your biological father and kidnapped your mother."

"Hmm...that makes sense now. Your mother was captured by a foreign race and then suffered humiliation before giving birth to you."

"Later, by chance, Lynn killed your father and then saved your mother. He saw your potential and that's why he kept you."

"So, Lynn isn't just not your biological father, but rather your father's killer!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Chen's expression immediately changed, and his hand holding the sword trembled uncontrollably.

His knuckles were white as he gripped the sword, and golden flames danced on the blade, flickering on and off.

Half of it was anger at Montenegro's nonsense, and the other half was a hint of doubt.

He was indeed different from other children from a young age.

He could feel that horn, those eyes, and the power hidden in his blood.

Sometimes, when the night is quiet, he would wonder why he was different from others and why he possessed this mysterious power.

But every time I think about this question, another image always comes to mind.

When I was a child, my father always liked to lift me up high so that I could see a wider world.

When he began to follow Iron Fang in his training as a knight, his father would sometimes squat by the training ground watching him practice swordsmanship, holding a bowl of cool tea in his hand.

When he got tired from practicing, he ran over, and his father handed him tea and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

"Practice slowly; haste makes waste."

There was also his first meditation when he was five years old. That night, the two of them were squatting in the yard looking at the stars, and he asked his father, "Can I become a powerful wizard like you someday?"

Lynn laughed and said, "Yes, you will definitely become a wizard even more powerful than your father!"

And on the day his younger sister was born, his father held Lin Yao in his arms and sat next to him, placing his sister's little feet in his hands.

The father said, "You are the older brother, so you must protect your younger sister from now on."

He nodded, and his father patted his head; his palm was warm.

He remembers all those moments, each and every one of them.

That kind of family affection can't be faked!

Lin Chen raised his head, his eyes becoming exceptionally firm.

"Old man, don't you dare spout nonsense. You just open your mouth and start rambling on and on."

"I don't care who my biological father is." His voice was steady, like a piece of iron that had been repeatedly forged.

"I only recognize Lynn as my father; he is my biological father!"

The smile on Heishan's face faded.

"My father is Lynn." Lin Chen raised his greatsword, the golden flames burning brightly again. "If you utter another word, take this sword strike."

Aria stood behind him, her eyes slightly red.

She didn't want Lin Chen to develop a rift with Lin En because of a few words from the enemy, let alone because of something so baseless.

Heishan was silent for two seconds, then suddenly burst out laughing.

He shook his head, a hint of regret in his voice: "Good, very good indeed, what a deep father-son bond."

"Lynn has raised a good son, who is willing to recognize a thief as his father."

He took a step back, and the two black dogs stood up again, baring their fangs.

"Fine, since you insist on being Lynn's son, then don't blame me for being impolite."

Black Mountain raised his hand, and a ball of pitch-black sorcery energy condensed at his fingertips.

The moment that force appeared, the surrounding air seemed to cool down.

The golden flames on Lin Chen's body were forced to shrink back, but they quickly reignited.

"Chen'er," Ailiya called softly from behind him.

"Mom, stand further away," Lin Chen said.

He gripped his greatsword tightly, faced Black Mountain, and took a step forward.

Golden battle aura burned fiercely on his body, and the power of the sun was running at full speed, like a sun that refused to go out.

Black Mountain stared at the ball of golden flame, and his lips twitched.

This kid is definitely something else.

When he unleashed his second-circle wizard's aura, any other apprentice would have already knelt down.

Lin Chen only took half a step back, bent his knees, and stubbornly held on.

"Interesting," Montenegro said. "I'll see how long you can hold out."

With a flick of his finger, Black Mountain caused the dark sorcery to explode and transform into countless streams of black energy that swept towards Lin Chen.

The black mist twisted and deformed in mid-air, turning into hideous shapes.

There were shadowy jackals with fangs, vengeful spirits dragging chains, and demonic phantoms engulfed in black flames.

They circled around Lin Chen, emitting sharp howls that sounded like fingernails scraping against an iron plate, drilling straight into the bones of a person.

"Chen'er!" Ailiya called out from behind, trying to rush up.

"Don't come any closer!" Lin Chen said without turning his head.

The shadow monsters gathered in greater numbers, almost completely surrounding him.

A huge, vengeful spirit's face pressed against his, black blood streaming from its eye sockets, its mouth opening and closing silently.

A shadowy jackal circled around his legs, its fangs almost touching his calves.

Lin Chen didn't look at them.

He stared at Black Mountain, his feet firmly planted on the ground, golden battle qi surging from his body, forming a thin layer of light around him.

The shadow monsters pounced on the light shield, hissing as they were scalded, turning into black smoke that dispersed, but quickly coalesced again and continued to attack.

Black Mountain stood ten paces away, hands behind his back, watching this scene unfold.

He frowned almost imperceptibly.

These monsters have no physical form; they are merely illusions that can corrupt one's mind.

Even so, it's not easy to handle.

With the combined pressure of his own second-ring wizardhood and the Shadow Illusion spell, even an ordinary first-ring wizard would have been kneeling by now.

Lin Chen's knees only bent slightly before slowly straightening up again.

"He does have some backbone," Heishan said.

He raised his right hand, spread his five fingers, and then pressed down sharply.

The second wave of pressure descended, twice as heavy as the first!