Dark Wizard: Rise! My undead army!

As Black Mountain pressed down with his five fingers, countless black mists surged from his body and merged into the shadowy monsters.

The shadow monsters seemed to have been injected with new power, their size increased, and their howls became even more piercing.

This time, Black Mountain infused them with shadow power, placing them in a semi-illusory, semi-solid state, giving them some offensive capabilities.

A gigantic demonic phantom rose from the black mist, standing three zhang tall with two horns reaching the sky and spewing black fire from its mouth.

It stretched out its huge claws and slammed them down towards Lin Chen's head.

Lin Chen raised his greatsword and held it horizontally above his head.

The claws slammed into the sword, sending numbness through his arms and shattering the stone slab beneath his feet into pieces.

His knees bent, and he became shorter.

The other monsters were not to be outdone, unleashing countless attacks on Lin Chen, trying to crush him completely.

"Chen'er!" Aria's voice came from behind, choked with sobs.

She frantically tried to use her familiar soul magic, but Black Mountain didn't even glance at her before a black cage imprisoned her.

A second-class apprentice is completely powerless against a second-circle wizard.

Seeing his mother trapped, Lin Chen knew he couldn't escape. He gritted his teeth and glared angrily at Heishan, tasting the metallic flavor of blood in his mouth.

His lip had been bitten and bled.

Lin Chen could feel his bones cracking and his muscles trembling, and his spine, formed from the power of the sun's corona, was being pressed down and creaking.

But many things flashed through his mind.

His parents' care and love for him from childhood to adulthood came to the fore.

No, I can't give up!

At the very least, we should show this old bastard what backbone he has!

"Old man, haven't you eaten? Is that all the strength you have?" Lin Chen squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth.

Black Mountain raised an eyebrow, then pressed his finger down again, intensifying the oppressive aura.

Lin Chen's knees finally gave way, and he knelt down on one knee, using his greatsword to support his body.

His golden battle aura was compressed to a thin layer, like a candle flame about to go out in the wind.

"Accept your fate," Heishan said confidently.

"You and Lynn are from completely different worlds. I'm giving you one last chance. Kneel down, acknowledge me as your master, and I might spare your life."

Lin Chen lowered his head, beads of sweat dripping from his forehead.

His shoulders were shaking, his arms were shaking, his whole body was shaking, but he gritted his teeth and persevered.

Montenegro thought he was going to collapse.

Then Lin Chen raised his head.

The stardust in those eyes stopped spinning and instead burst forth with a bright silver-blue light, as if it had been ignited.

The golden battle aura on his body suddenly contracted and was completely withdrawn into his body, causing his entire body to darken for a moment.

Immediately afterwards, a deep rumble came from deep within his body, like magma from underground finally finding an outlet.

"Old man—"

Lin Chen slowly stood up.

His knees were straight, his back was straight, and his whole body looked like a red-hot sword.

The solar aura exploded from his body, no longer a thin layer, but a raging fire that enveloped his entire body.

A golden beam of light shot into the sky, tearing apart all the surrounding shadow monsters.

The enormous demonic phantom screamed in agony within the pillar of light before turning to ashes.

"Take this!!!"

He drew his greatsword, pushed off with his feet, and shot towards Black Mountain like a meteor.

A blinding golden light condensed at the tip of the sword, and the surrounding air was burned and distorted.

Black Mountain's pupils contracted slightly.

He raised his hand and made a sweeping motion in front of him, and black mist surged out from the void, quickly condensing into a shield in front of him.

The shield was covered with dark purple patterns and was as thick as a wall.

Lin Chen's sword tip pierced the shield.

With a loud "boom," golden light and black mist exploded simultaneously.

The shockwave spread in all directions, blowing the pebbles on the roadside far away. Aria and Lin Chen's horses neighed in fright and were pushed back several steps by the shockwave.

Black Mountain stood still, a few fine cracks appearing on his shield, but it did not break.

His sleeves were blown backward by the blast of air, and a few strands of his hair fell down.

"Sky Knight?" Black Mountain looked at Lin Chen, his tone finally carrying a hint of seriousness. "Good lad, you've managed to break through at the last minute."

"However... ants are still ants, they can't change the overall situation..."

Even so, a hint of seriousness still flashed in Heishan's eyes.

Sky Knights are far inferior to formal wizards, let alone compared to a second-circle wizard like myself.

But Lin Chen's sword strike just now almost shattered the shield he had hastily conjured, making him no less formidable than a "Legendary Knight".

This made him value Lin Chen's potential even more.

What kind of bloodline does it possess to have such immense potential? Even the ability to fight opponents of higher levels?

If this were to break through to become a formal wizard, it would be incredible.

Lin Chen was panting heavily, and the veins on his arms were bulging.

That sword strike nearly drained most of his fighting spirit, yet Black Mountain only took one step back.

The strength of a second-ring wizard is far beyond what he could shake after just breaking through to Sky Knight.

"But that's all for now," Montenegro said.

With a flick of his wrist, the cracked black mist shield suddenly dispersed, transforming into more than a dozen black snakes that lunged at Lin Chen from all directions.

Lin Chen didn't have time to sheathe his sword and could only retreat.

Several black snakes slithered through his body, leaving several charred marks on his robe.

Countless alien magical powers invaded his body, constantly devouring the solar battle aura and magical power within him.

Lin Chen staggered two steps and knelt on one knee.

"Chen'er! You run first, don't worry about me!"

Arya could no longer hold back. She shouted loudly and attacked the black cage surrounding her with all her might, but to no avail.

She doesn't have the strength to fight beyond her level, and besides, soul magic is very ineffective against inanimate objects.

Aria looked up and glared hatefully at Black Mountain.

"Black Mountain! If you dare touch him, Lynn will never let you get away with it when he returns!"

Montenegro laughed.

"Lynn?" he said. "Where is he? If he really cared about you, he wouldn't have left a puppet at home and gone out on his own."

"Maybe he just wants to use you as cannon fodder to mislead me and run away first."

"Shut up!" Aria snapped.

Lin Chen staggered to his feet and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

His fighting spirit hadn't fully recovered, and his legs were still trembling, but he raised the greatsword again.

"Mother, I'm alright."

Arya looked at him, her lips trembling.

She knew she couldn't stop him, just like she couldn't stop Lynn back then.

Heishan looked at the mother and son, and the smile on his face slowly faded.

For a cold-blooded and ruthless dark wizard like him, the scene before him did not evoke feelings of "motherly love," but rather an indescribable sense of disgust.

He raised his hand, and a black magic orb quickly solidified in his palm.

"This is the last time," Montenegro said. "Kneel, or not?"

Lin Chen pointed the tip of his sword at him.

"You old fool, you want me to kneel? Wait until you're dead!"