During his Apprentice Tier, Fang Zhou had purified the Desecration Torch, the Ant Queen’s Magic Crystal, and the Soul-Vibrating Poison Arrow on Ning Feihu’s remains during the hunt in Cave No. 1. This had also earned him the World Runes, Night Watcher and Heart Steel.

Unexpectedly, after killing the Six-armed Snake Demon today, he gained another opportunity to purify a desecrated aura. Fang Zhou didn’t hesitate and chose to purify it immediately.

After consuming a large amount of Soul Power, Fang Zhou felt a long-lost warm fluctuation descend from the sky, enveloping his entire body and mind.

A new prompt appeared on his attribute panel:

"Successfully purified the desecrated aura, gaining the World Will’s Attention."

"World Rune [Gallows I], upgraded to [Gallows II]."

"[Gallows II]: A reward from the World Will. This Mid-Level World Rune can be bound to a direct damage skill. Each time the bound skill is used to kill an enemy, a certain amount of its Mana cost can be recovered. It can be unbound at any time, with a 1-day cooldown after unbinding."

As the World Will’s Attention grew stronger, Fang Zhou’s Death Mana, which had been depleted from several battles, slowly returned to its peak state. His body, originally fatigued from marching and fighting, was once again refreshed and full of energy.

A few minutes later, the mysterious warm fluctuation slowly dissipated, and Fang Zhou opened his eyes. He smiled slightly as he looked at his revitalized attribute panel.

This was a wish come true.

With the upgrade of the Gallows Rune, the [Harvest Festival] Rune Resonance effectively supplied the final piece of the puzzle. It would be more than sufficient for his use at the Bronze Tier. He could even continue to use it for a long time after breaking through his bottlenecks and advancing to the Silver Tier.

Looking back at the devastated battlefield, Fang Zhou couldn’t wait to salvage the remains of the Six-armed Snake Demon, Azklos.

The strength of this Abyssal Demon Lord was indeed formidable. After fully unleashing its Abyssal Demon Energy and activating its Snake Demon Battle Body, its power had neared the Silver Tier. It was important to remember that it was still injured and its Tier was suppressed by the World Barrier. At full strength, ordinary Bronze Tier Professionals would have been completely helpless against it. No wonder it was so arrogant.

Under such circumstances, even Fang Zhou had needed to exert his full strength. After battling Bronze Tier Fierce Beasts, Demon Worshipers, and now this Demon Lord, he had a clear understanding of his own combat power.

He was at the Bronze Lower Tier, but due to his powerful Undead Mage skills and the assistance of his vast Undead Army, his normal combat power was at the Bronze Middle Rank, and he was considered relatively strong within that rank. With the activation of the [Harvest Festival] Rune Resonance, his power hovered between the Bronze Upper Rank and its peak. With multiple means of extreme enhancement, his strongest burst could instantly kill those at the Bronze Upper Rank.

Of course, combat power is only a relative measure. Between opponents of the same rank, the outcome of a battle is never certain until it’s fought.

Now that the enemy was dead, it was time to harvest the spoils.

Azklos’s Demon Blade and Battle Armor had been destroyed by Death Mana and could only be used as materials. Even so, with his Mid-Level Blacksmith and Mid-Level Alchemist perspective, Fang Zhou could recognize the value of these Abyssal materials. More importantly, since his attribute panel had the ability to purify desecrated auras by consuming Soul Power, the Abyssal desecration energy within these metal scraps from the Six-armed Snake Demon clan had already been cleansed. As rare materials possessing Negative Energy Attributes, they were perfect for smelting and enhancing his entire set of equipment and Marvels.

This was especially true for the six-piece Radiant Mage set. It was the standard-issue green set of excellent quality provided by the Sea City Military Academy. While its effects were considered mid-to-high quality, the set was too generic. It couldn’t fully leverage Fang Zhou’s advantages as an Undead Mage who mastered Death Power.

Later, when he returned to Beast Fighting City or the Sea City Military Academy, he could use these materials left behind by Azklos to smelt and modify the Radiant Mage set. This would surely elevate his strength to the next level. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Among these Abyssal Demon Irons, the most valuable was Azklos’s seventh Demon Blade, the [Spirit Slayer Blade].

A rough appraisal revealed that the blade’s remnants contained a special kind of Magic Energy. If smelted into his equipment, it could significantly increase his Magic Penetration. He could use it to repair the nearly-broken [Soul Shattering Magic Ball], greatly enhancing the Magic Penetration of his Damaging Magic Skills.

After storing away the Abyssal Demon Irons, Fang Zhou’s gaze landed on Azklos’s waist, where a purple pouch was hanging. The pouch had remained undamaged despite the intense Energy Fluctuations earlier.

Fang Zhou suddenly became excited.

What is this pouch? The Snake Demon didn’t seem to use it earlier...

He forcefully tugged at the pouch’s opening but found it wouldn’t budge. A powerful force was sealing it shut, and he instantly understood.

This pouch was likely a piece of Space Equipment capable of traversing Temporary Spatial Rifts. Its material and technology alone were worth his research. He was now also a Mid-Level Array Master. He thought he might be able to use the pouch as enhancement material to expand his [Small Space Storage Capsule].

With this thought in mind, black Death Mana flowed from his hand as he stored away the purple pouch. Erasing the imprint on a piece of Space Equipment required patient, gradual effort. With its former owner now dead, there was no rush.

Aside from this purple pouch, Fang Zhou made no other discoveries.