Chapter 307: Shadow Clone + Soul of Heroic Spirits: Combat Meeting
"Compatibility..."
Tang Zheng's gaze flickered as he looked at the translucent, light-blue Blend Potion in his hand. "Ninjutsu: Shadow Clone Technique!"
Under the illumination of the Enduring Light overhead, the surface of Tang Zheng's shadow began to writhe. A mass of black liquid seemed to rise up from it, coalescing into a form in the blink of an eye.
A Shadow Clone, identical in appearance to Tang Zheng, emerged from the shadow and stood before him.
"The strength of this aura doesn't need any further adjustment."
Tang Zheng sized up the summoned Shadow Clone, a look of satisfaction in his eyes.
Aside from its short duration, using the Shadow Clone as a magic caster indeed allowed it to be counted as a separate combat unit.
After summoning the Shadow Clone, Tang Zheng didn't stop. His body trembled as a divine power converged within him, and he then stated faintly, "Soul of Heroic Spirits!"
*Shua!*
The air seemed to contract.
A pure white figure appeared in an instant, as if it had long been present, standing out of thin air within the room. A powerful pressure spread out, and a vortex of air instantly formed with the pure white figure at its center, expanding outward.
*Whoosh~*
The items in the room were blown about by this vortex, causing a slight tremor.
The Soul of Heroic Spirits stood quietly to the side. While exuding a sense of divinity, it also radiated a powerful and sharp aura.
One didn't need to rely on perception; a single glance was enough to clearly tell that the Soul of Heroic Spirits was much stronger than the Shadow Clone.
After all, what the Shadow Clone truly inherited was only Tang Zheng's "Magic Power" and "Agility," and neither of these were his highest stats.
The Soul of Heroic Spirits, on the other hand, completely inherited all of Tang Zheng's attributes. In terms of stats alone, it was on an overwhelmingly dominant level.
Although Tang Zheng had always publicly used magic, his abilities as a warrior were in no way weaker.
"To use a trump card skill for this incident is truly a waste."
Tang Zheng lamented with a sigh, twisting the stopper off the Blend Potion in his hand. He opened the potion bottle and sprinkled its contents onto the Soul of Heroic Spirits.
The translucent, light-blue liquid landed on the Soul of Heroic Spirits and immediately glowed with a faint blue light, enveloping its entire body.
The next moment, ripples spread across the entire body of the Soul of Heroic Spirits, and light-blue, wave-like patterns appeared, emitting a faint glow.
Under Tang Zheng's control, the Soul of Heroic Spirits approached the Shadow Clone and directly collided with it. The expected scenario of the Shadow Clone being knocked away didn't happen; instead, the entire Soul of Heroic Spirits completely merged into the Shadow Clone.
As the faint blue light flashed once more, the two clones became one!
*This way, the problem of its short existence is solved,* Tang Zheng thought to himself, looking at the completely fused Soul of Heroic Spirits and Shadow Clone.
The Shadow Clone had a short duration, but the Soul of Heroic Spirits could exist for an extremely long time. This was the same principle as the White Mist Witch merging with her summoned angel to extend the angel's existence.
The Soul of Heroic Spirits and the Shadow Clone were both Tang Zheng's own powers, so their compatibility was extremely high. There was no need to worry about a failure to merge.
*The controllability has also become stronger and easier.*
With a single thought from Tang Zheng, the Shadow Clone immediately began to perform all sorts of strange movements. It was breakdancing from his previous life. Tang Zheng had only been a half-baked learner, but now, relying on his powerful and agile physique, he could easily replicate all kinds of complex moves.
"Go to the Hills Region."
Tang Zheng took out the set of clothes he had worn before from his item box and tossed them to the Shadow Clone.
After donning the disguise to appear as the mysterious, red-robed spellcaster, the Shadow Clone activated "Teleport" magic and vanished from the living room.
Tang Zheng closed his eyes and could clearly sense the Shadow Clone that had already appeared in the Hills Region. There were no obstacles in controlling it.
It was somewhat similar to a summoned creature. After giving it a basic command, it could act freely based on that instruction, but some details still required Tang Zheng to control it personally.
*The Alliance Leader's identity is currently unknown, so it's uncertain if he is a member of the Slane Theocracy.*
*To be on the safe side, when I next interact with the Slane Theocracy, I'll have the Shadow Clone make an appearance in front of the Alliance Leader as well. That should completely eliminate any suspicion.*
Tang Zheng made this arrangement to guard against any possibility.
The situation in the Otherworld was very complex, and there was no telling how many old schemers there were, especially those who had lived for a long time.
The Shadow Clone wouldn't need to communicate with the Alliance Leader; it just needed to show up from time to time to be seen.
Tang Zheng's current cooperative relationship with the Alliance Leader was already nearing the brink of collapse; it was just that neither side had completely torn down the pretense.
*It's still a problem of 'compatibility'... If that could be solved, the Blend Potion could truly become a game-changing possibility.*
Tang Zheng's gaze fell upon the now-empty, transparent potion bottle in his hand, a sharp glint in his eyes.
The angels and other creatures he summoned himself naturally had the highest compatibility. But when it came to merging with other demi-humans or humans, the current experimental results showed no successful cases.
Tang Zheng had considered it.
*Could the so-called 'compatibility' for merging with an angel be related to one's justice value, or perhaps one's class...?*
*Or maybe it's some other factor.*
The Bone King possessed the ultimate necromancy build, allowing him to use a special skill to create permanently existing low-, mid-, and high-tier undead.
His own attempt to achieve this through a shortcut was clearly not as simple as he had imagined.
The night grew deeper.
Undercurrent Moon.
March 28th, 3:37 AM.
In the hallway outside the room, the creaking of iron boots on the wooden floorboards reached Tang Zheng's ears.
"Looks like we have to leave early."
Tang Zheng turned his head to look at the night outside the window and whispered softly.
A moment later.
*Knock, knock.*
A light knocking sounded on the door.
Tang Zheng walked to the door and opened it. Standing at the entrance was a Paladin.
"Leader Tang, my apologies for disturbing you so late at night."
This member of the Holy Knight Order first looked at Tang Zheng with curiosity through the slit of his helmet, then quickly spoke with respect.
The man was in full armament, his face obscured by a helmet, making it impossible to see his features. Only by his build and the tone of his voice could one deduce that he was likely a young man.
"It's all right," Tang Zheng said.
"Our captain invites the Free Will adventurer team to a combat meeting."
The member of the Holy Knight Order stated the purpose of his visit.
*Click!*
*Click!*
The guest rooms opposite and to the right of Tang Zheng's opened one after another, and the Green Leaf Witch and Enri walked out.
"Since you're both awake, let's get ready to go," Tang Zheng said. He knew neither of them had been asleep, especially Enri.
One could see faint dark circles around Enri's eyes. Her mental state was rather keyed up and overly tense.
It would be strange if she could fall asleep in this state.
The location of the combat meeting was in a fortress near the city walls of Kalinxia.
There were actually more suitable locations, but to avoid causing too much of a commotion, it was not held in the city center.
When Tang Zheng and his party arrived, they found that a large number of elites had already gathered here. A quick glance was all it took to distinguish three factions.
The Holy Knight Order, the Cleric Corps, and the Sunlight Scripture!
The three groups were dressed differently, making them easy to identify. The Holy Knight Order wore full-body armor with the blue national emblem of the Holy Kingdom on their chests.
The Cleric Corps wore white priest robes with blue markings on the hems and cuffs, and were also equipped with light armor on their upper bodies and arms.
Although their attire was different, one could still see a shared heritage in their overall style.
The attire of the other group, the Sunlight Scripture, was even stranger. Their entire outfit was predominantly black. Upon closer inspection, one could notice that the black outer coat was made entirely of special metallic thread.
Under the moonlight, it reflected a cold, clear metallic luster.
On their heads, they wore bottle-cap-shaped silver helmets, with only a fist-sized, circular hole for breathing and vision.
These three units each stood in their own designated areas, their numerous gazes turning toward Tang Zheng and his party.
"Ninjutsu: Detect."
Tang Zheng quietly activated the detection magic, a slight arch in his brow. *The Holy Kingdom couldn't have brought all their elites, could they?*
The Sunlight Scripture was one thing; as one of the Slane Theocracy's ace units, the minimum requirement for entry was to be a third-tier, faith-based magic caster.
The Holy Knight Order was more normal, but even so, the lowest level among them was above 7.
And the average level of the Cleric Corps was as high as 10 or higher.
"So strong."
Enri pressed her body against the evil spirit hound, her gaze cautiously observing the three elite units. It made her heart skip a beat.
Even though the three units were currently at rest, the imposing aura of true elites still radiated a powerful sense of oppression, along with a conviction that no enemy could withstand.
This "sense of conviction" in particular was something only a unit with a deeply religious atmosphere could possess!
*Bang!*
*Bang!*
The Paladin led Tang Zheng and his group to the combat meeting room and knocked lightly on the large door with an armored arm.
"Please enter."
A calm voice came from within the room.
The Paladin pushed the door open, took a step to the left to clear the way, and gestured for Tang Zheng and his party to enter.
Tang Zheng looked into the room. The first thing that met his eyes was a large, rectangular table in the center, with several figures seated around it.
The room's interior was rather sparse, without much else in the way of furniture. Several Paladins stood ramrod straight in the various corners of the room.
As the door opened, all eyes, filled with curiosity, probing, and mostly suspicion, turned toward them.
"I'm not late, am I, everyone?"
Tang Zheng showed no signs of being flustered. He spoke in his usual calm and quiet voice, took a step forward, and walked steadily into this makeshift meeting room.
The Green Leaf Witch tensed slightly; she could clearly feel that the auras of several people in the room were no weaker than her own.
Interestingly, compared to the usually impassive Green Leaf Witch, Enri was not as nervous this time, her expression relatively composed.
*I can't bring shame to Lord Captain,* Enri took a shallow breath, silently repeating to herself. *No matter how strong these people are, their position isn't as high as His Majesty the King of the Kingdom.*
Back in the Kingdom, she had already met His Majesty the King, the princess, and the princes. The thought of this actually made her feel more relaxed.
As a normal person, Enri wasn't very sensitive to the auras of the powerful individuals in the meeting room, as long as they weren't deliberately directed at her.
Deputy Commander Gustav turned sideways and raised his arm in greeting. "We also just arrived a moment ago, Leader Tang."
"The matter is urgent. Sorry to trouble you to make a trip this late."
Among all the people from the Holy Kingdom present, as the official representative, he was the only one who had met Tang Zheng, making him the most suitable person to offer greetings and explanations.
This young man before them not only possessed the strength of an adamantite-rank adventurer but was also a representative of the Adventurer's Guild assisting their Holy Kingdom.
In terms of attitude, caution and seriousness were a must.
"The undead are the enemies of all living beings. There's no need for pleasantries over such a small matter."
Tang Zheng gave a simple reply to Deputy Commander Gustav, stating his position.
The statement, "The undead are the enemies of all living beings," caused the subtly confrontational atmosphere in the meeting room to pause. The way everyone looked at Tang Zheng changed.
The Holy Kingdom and the Slane Theocracy were already at odds. Now, not only had the Slane Theocracy discovered the problem in the Hills Region first, but they had also entered the Holy Kingdom's territory in a rather high-profile manner.
They claimed to be assisting, but their attitude felt more like a form of urging.
Tang Zheng's sentence set the tone at a relatively high level. Both sides were composed of Paladins and priests, all staunch believers.
This sentence was perfectly suited for the current situation.
In the combat meeting room, some of the Paladin guards standing around the perimeter looked at Tang Zheng with a newfound sense of approval.
At the same time, the few clever people at the meeting table quickly perceived another layer of meaning, or a subtle thought, in Tang Zheng's words.
Seated in the main position at the head of the long table was a girl with tea-colored, waist-length hair. She propped her chin on one hand, her face wearing a benevolent expression.
After hearing Tang Zheng's statement, her light-brown pupils immediately fell upon the tall and conspicuous Gagaran, who was in a corner of the long table.
*'Heh, the enemy of all *living beings*, not just the enemy of *humans*, is it?'* the corners of the tea-haired girl's long, narrow eyes twitched as she thought to herself.
There were only eight people at the conference table.
Aside from one person he didn't recognize, Tang Zheng knew who the rest were.
Sitting at the head of the long table was a young, tea-haired girl. Judging by her attire, she was likely a priest, and she looked very much like the woman in full armor to her left.
Like twins.
If it were just one of them alone, Tang Zheng might not have been certain, but given their appearances and attire, it wasn't difficult to guess.
Kelart, the captain of the Cleric Corps!
Remedios, the captain of the Holy Knight Order!
*Kelart actually came too?* Tang Zheng was somewhat surprised internally.
Holy Princess Calca had dispatched both her left and right hands. This showed the gravity of the situation and her attitude towards it!
However, Kelart agreed to this?
Holy Princess Calca had just completed a purge of the nobles within the Holy Kingdom. Leaving at a time like this might not be a good choice.
Beside Remedios sat two middle-aged men also clad in Paladin armor. One was Deputy Commander Gustav.
The other, Tang Zheng did not recognize and had no impression of. Next were "Crimson" Orland and "Black" Pavel.
Opposite the contingent from the Holy Kingdom sat a man with short blond hair and a plain face marked by a scar, who looked serious and unapproachable.
Nigun, the captain of the Sunlight Scripture!
Although he was just one person, his aura was in no way inferior to the group from the Holy Kingdom.
Finally, in the corner, was Gagaran.
(end of chapter)I think people don't understand it. I have a personal website where I post advanced free chapters — there are 10 new chapters per day, so you can check it out here: soollhooaf.com