"Should we go up the stairs?" Alion wondered as there appeared no other way to move forward. All the other ways were blocked and almost impossible to pass through.

Gabriel thought for a short period of time, before nodding. Even though he hadn't seen these stairs the last time he came here, he still didn't hesitate.

He stepped on the stairs.

As soon as Gabriel stepped on the first staircase, he felt as if the entire space around him had changed. He looked back yet he couldn't see Alion and Jia anymore.

Alion watched Gabriel step on the stairs and disappear right before their eyes.

He also stepped up. However, he experienced the same thing as well. He couldn't see Gabriel or Jia anymore. He was the only person on the stairs.

Jia was the only person who still hadn't stepped up. However, even she didn't take long before taking her first step forward. After coming this far, she didn't want to go back.

****

Gabriel was already on the first step of these mysterious stairs that he hadn't seen before. There was no way back anymore. He couldn't even meet up with Alion and Jia. The path back had been blocked. He could only move forward.

He didn't know why, but as soon as he stepped on the stairs, he felt a strange connection between these stairs and his spirit patterns. Even though he couldn't control or see through these stairs, he felt that these stairs had something to do with his element.

He started going up the stairs. So far, the stairs looked quite ordinary. The only thing that appeared out of place was that some traces of blood could be seen on the initial steps.

The marks of blood looked as if they had been there for a really long time, possibly for more than thousands of years.

Even after such a long time, a trace of spirit aura could still be felt from the dried blood marks, which only showed just how strong the person must've been whose blood was spilled here.

Gabriel kept climbing higher, yet he wasn't able to see the end of these stairs.

He also felt that the stairs were dangerous yet he didn't experience any dangers so far.

After Gabriel took his hundredth step on the stairs, the blood marks weren't there anymore. It was as if there was a qualitative change in the stairs after he came so far. He also felt someone's presence.

He raised his head, looking above. Even though he still couldn't see the end of these stairs, but he did find something even more extraordinary.

There stood something not too far from him. It was a cloaked figure whose face was impossible to see. However, that thing had an aura of death all around it.

The aura was so strong that for a moment, even Gabriel was surprised. Fortunately, that thing didn't have any signs of life, or he would've thought that it was another person who was similar to him.

Instead, the being was more like an undead... An undead who could use the Element of Death!

"A Lich?" Gabriel frowned. He couldn't see the face of the thing ahead. However, from the body structure, and the aura, he already had a rough idea as to what he was facing.

The Liches were rare in this World. In fact, it was hard to find one even for him. It was even harder to kill one!

Many liches took precautions to hide or safeguard one or more soul-artifacts that anchored a part of their soul to the material world. If the corporeal body of a lich was killed, that portion of the lich's soul that had remained in the body did not pass on to the next world, but would rather exist in a non-corporeal form capable of being resurrected in the near future.

However, if all of the lich's soul-artifacts were destroyed, then the lich's only anchor in the material world was their corporal body, whereupon destruction could easily cause their permanent death.

That's why, Liches were often called one of the rare few overlords even in the realm of the undead!

Liches were beings that were quite different from him. While Gabriel still had his independence and his soul, Liches were the ones who gave up their souls to form soul-artifacts. The Liches were known to seal their souls in exchange for immortality and strength.

Unfortunately, that made them no different from a slightly intelligent beast. An ordinary Lich couldn't even speak.

So far, Gabriel only knew one Lich who could speak! It was the Lich King from the Undead Region where Raphael also resided. However, even if that Lich could speak, it was only basic, as if a child was speaking. He could only speak a few words with his limited intelligence.

Contrary to the Lich King, the Lich in front of him felt different. The Lich that stood before him felt not only stronger, but also more intelligent!

The Lich still hadn't tried to attack him, but it didn't leave either. It was as if it was judging him!

Gabriel frowned, observing the Lich in the distance. When he came here last, he hadn't seen one. He was clear that this thing was born in the last thousand years.

Unfortunately, a thousand year old lich, born in the Nether Realm was much more dangerous than even the Lich King since it could utilize the Strength of the Nether Realm which was hard for even Gabriel to control for the time being.

Gabriel had a good sense of his strength and weakness. If it was an ordinary Lich, he would've already tried to use the Army of Undead to turn this Lich into his own soldier but unfortunately, that was unlikely this time.

"Are you sure you want to block my path?" he asked.

With that kind of strength, Gabriel was sure that the Lich had a high level of intelligence... At least much closer to an ordinary human if not more.

"You are the thief..." Only four words came out of the Lich's mouth. However, those four words surprised Gabriel. The Lich was calling him a thief?

"What did I steal?" Gabriel frowned. He didn't remember stealing anything from this Lich as far as he remembered.

"Souls... Don't belong... You steal..." The Lich said, only speaking briefly. However, that was enough for Gabriel to realize what it was talking about!

"So the Nether Realm sent you to stop me from entering?" Gabriel asked, slightly interested. He understood that it was because last time he came in and stole a soul. He was clear that the Nether Realm already hated him the most so it wasn't surprising that it was trying everything to kill him this time!