Aiden looked at the old man with broken teeth and said, "Your goal is the Demonic Blood Dragon, right?"

    Gudolf was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Hahaha, yes, yes, that''s my goal."

    He waved his hand, and from the shadows at his feet emerged a disgustingly large housefly. It flitted up and perched on his shoulder, its red eyes glinting malevolently. The creature looked like something straight out of a nightmare—a demonic fly from the depths of hell.

    "Meet my cute brain eater," Gudolf said, stroking the fly with a twisted affection. "With her help, I learned the secret of the Blood Demonic Dragon. After I killed an Alchemist here just because she was hungry, I was able to uncover its secrets." He grinned wickedly as he kissed the fly, which buzzed ominously in response.

    ''Who is he?'' Aiden telepathically asked Ancestor, whose face was set in a solemn expression as he stared at Gudolf.

    ''He is Gudolf, a demonic cultivator with a Martial Spirit called Tainted Net,'' Ancestor replied. ''His Martial Spirit corrupts any Spirit Beast it ensnares, twisting them into monstrous versions of their former selves. For instance, that fly on his shoulder—it used to be a peace-loving butterfly that fed on the nightmares of others, bringing peace and calm.

    Under his influence, it has become a brain eater, feeding on the very essence of thought and sanity.''

    Ancestor continued, ''Gudolf has corrupted many Spirit Beasts, each more horrifying than the last. He has a phoenix-like creature called the Fallen Flame, once a symbol of rebirth and hope. Now, under Gudolf''s control, it spreads a deathly fire that consumes life and leaves only ash. There''s also the Silver Fang, a once-noble wolf that protected the weak.

    Now, it''s a rabid beast, driven mad and forced to hunt the innocent. He has even twisted a Sky Serpent, a majestic dragon that once roamed the skies, into a Venom Serpent, its scales dripping with toxic poisons.''

    Aiden glanced around at his companions, noting the unease in their expressions. "Still, he''s alone, and we are many. So, why are you afraid of him?" he asked, puzzled by their cautious stance.

    Ancestor shook his head, his eyes never leaving Gudolf. "He is not alone," Ancestor said gravely. "He is a one-man army. Gudolf controls a myriad of corrupted Spirit Beasts, each a formidable adversary in its own right. I''m talking about over a hundred of them. These creatures were once beings of light and protection, but under his dominion, they have become dark and dangerous."

    "Hmm, a one-man army, huh?" Aiden thought, smirking as he pushed his hand forward, revealing a glowing dark glass ball in his palm. The ball emitted an overwhelming aura of death energy, instantly drawing everyone''s attention.

    From afar, Ancestor watched the scene unfold with a sense of de?ja? vu. He had been defeated by Aiden in a similarly mysterious manner, but Gudolf seemed to have it worse. At least Ancestor had been able to move and fight, but Gudolf couldn''t even manage that.

    After some time, the sound of chanting ceased, and Aiden dropped the dark ball. It fell to the ground and seeped into the earth. A tense silence fell over the surroundings as everyone looked around, expecting something to happen. But nothing did, at least not immediately. Unbeknownst to them, across the entire Death Valley, corpses were being swallowed by the ground.

    The spectators quickly fled the valley, leaving only Aiden''s group, the Heavenly Serpent Sect members, and Gudolf behind.

    "Hahaha, it seems whatever you were doing, you failed," Gudolf''s mocking laughter shattered the silence as he stood up, brushing the dirt from his clothes. He sneered at Aiden, "You killed a lot of my cute babies. Tell me, how should I ki—" His words were cut off abruptly as a skeletal hand emerged from the ground, startling him.

    Gudolf jumped back, eyes wide with shock at the sight of the black skeletal hand. He realized that whatever Aiden had done, it hadn''t failed. The hand had emerged precisely from where Aiden had dropped the glass bead.

    Aiden, too, looked at the hand with surprise, then sighed in relief. ''Black Gold Hand,'' he thought, recognizing the powerful aura emanating from it. ''It means I''ve summoned a powerful one.''

    Slowly, the rest of the skeletal figure began to rise from the ground. Enjoy more content from My Virtual Library Empire

    The Lifeless Emperor emerged from the ground, a towering figure draped in the remnants of regal attire that hinted at a once-majestic status. His form was skeletal, with ancient bones that seemed to glow with an eerie, otherworldly light. Despite his lack of flesh, an aura of undeniable power radiated from him, as if the very air around him bent to his will.

    The Emperor''s skull was adorned with a tarnished crown, encrusted with darkened jewels that flickered ominously in the dim light. His eye sockets glowed with a cold, bluish flame that seemed to pierce through the souls of those who dared to meet his gaze. His jaw, perpetually agape, emitted a faint, hollow sound that echoed the whispers of countless lost souls.

    Clad in tattered robes, once opulent but now decayed, the Lifeless Emperor exuded an aura of ancient authority and dread. His skeletal fingers, long and bony, were adorned with rings of various metals, each inscribed with arcane symbols. A dark staff, seemingly carved from a twisted piece of ebony wood, was held in one hand, topped with a large, cracked gem that pulsed with a dark energy.

    Despite his undead appearance, there was an unmistakable elegance in his movements. He moved with the grace of a ruler who had once commanded legions, his steps silent but heavy with the weight of countless centuries. Around him, the air felt colder, and the very ground seemed to wilt under his presence.

    The Lifeless Emperor was not merely a lich; he was an undead emperor, a being who had transcended death and retained his regal bearing and power. His aura was a mixture of necromantic energy and the residual essence of the divine right he once held.

    The sight sent shivers down the spines of everyone present, the atmosphere charged with the ominous energy of the ancient being''s arrival. The valley, once a place of death and decay, now felt like the stage for an impending calamity.