As Mo Fan continued forward, the pulling force became even more terrifying. Fortunately, the protection provided by the Little Loach Pendant began to take effect, slightly alleviating that dreadful sensation.
While walking, Mo Fan suddenly noticed that the ground in front of him was inexplicably starting to collapse. First, the soil loosened, then it caved in, as if there was nothing underneath. Due to some sort of tremor, the thin surface layer suddenly collapsed, revealing a pitch-black abyss with no warning at all!
The moonlight angled down, casting a dim glow on one side of the sinking abyss wall, leaving the other half in total darkness. Further below, nothing could be seen, only a deep, eerie blackness.
"Ugh, ah!"
"Ugh, ah!!!"
"Ugh, ah, ugh, ah!!! Waaa!!! Waaa!!!"
As Mo Fan peeked over the edge, he saw countless scarlet eyes staring up from the depths of the pit. They weren't beautiful like a sea of stars, but rather so densely packed that they made his skin crawl. It felt as if his heart was being pierced by the gaze of the most ravenous, vicious creatures in the world!
The pit was so dark that one could barely make out writhing bodies and limbs moving below. Layer upon layer of corpses stacked upon one another, crawling over each other, forming a mountain of decayed, grotesque remains.
There was no visible bottom to the abyss, and wherever Mo Fan looked, there was no soil—only corpses, piled up so grotesquely that the sight alone would make anyone's scalp tingle in horror.
Thousands, tens of thousands—so many undead gathered in this massive pit. It was like someone had lifted the lid off the boiling cauldron of the underworld, revealing the full extent of suffering and agony. The overwhelming aura of resentment threatened to surge skyward like a pillar, forming rolling black clouds in the sky.
"So, this is the Dark Abyss," Mo Fan murmured as he gazed down.
Even Mo Fan couldn't help but feel a shiver of fear. This place—any normal person would be utterly terrified.
Anyone with a fear of crowds or claustrophobia would likely have fainted at the sight of such horror. It truly felt like looking into a hellish furnace, filled with the most extreme evil spirits and monsters in existence, all piled together into a nightmarish sea of death.
The overwhelming chorus of screams, roars, and wails pierced through the soul. The sheer pain and despair of the place crawled over every inch of the body.
Truthfully, no sane person would willingly jump into such a place. It was terrifying to the extreme.
But then again, if he was sure he wouldn't die, why be afraid?
With a determined clench of his teeth, Mo Fan took a deep breath and leaped into the abyss below.
In the misty rain, the gray city walls stood tall along the lengthy barrier. Who knew how many years of storms had weathered their somber hue?
Along the city walls, many mages stood vigil, listening to the distant toll of the bells, praying for the arrival of daylight.
The rain seemed to delay the dawn, and perhaps some of the mages fighting outside had perished, never to return, due to this very weather.
Yet everyone knew this war was nearing its end.
The main forces began slowly returning to the city, and the sky began to lighten.
Clouds still gathered heavily in the east, but the first light of dawn finally broke through. Those standing on the northern wall cheered loudly, welcoming the new day and the return of their heroes.
Through the rain, a man with flaming wings streaked across the sky, leaving a long, fiery trail like a comet. His wings flapped swiftly, propelling him toward the city walls with incredible speed. Despite the numerous injuries covering his body, his majesty and pride remained undiminished.
This man was none other than Zhu Meng.
However, Zhu Meng's expression was grim. Upon his return, he immediately instructed Chief Zu to order the soldiers on the walls to retreat.
When Chief Zu heard Zhu Meng's command, he was stunned.
"The sky is almost bright—why retreat now?" he asked, confused.
Zhu Meng pointed downward. "See for yourself, and you'll understand."
Chief Zu looked out, and though the clouds and rain had darkened the day, he could still see that the long night had ended. It was now dawn, and the war should have been coming to an end.
But as he focused on the battlefield, his heart sank. The nightmare wasn't over—the undead horde had not diminished. In fact, they had grown even larger!
The undead—countless masses of them—were surging toward the already weakened city walls like a relentless black tide.
Not only had their numbers not decreased, but now there were even more of them!
A chilling wail echoed from the north, as a skeletal figure with enormous bone wings flew through the clouds. Its massive form was quickly approaching, its shadow darkening the ground below like a passing storm cloud.
The mages on the wall were completely dumbstruck.
"Retreat! Retreat immediately!" Zhu Meng shouted in a panic.
Mo Fan's warning had come true. Staying here any longer was a death sentence.
The Undead Lord was already a terrifying force, but now something even worse had appeared—an Undead Emperor, the master of all skeletons!
The massive creature let out another bone-chilling howl, hovering several kilometers from the wall. Its three enormous heads rose high, and as its central skull opened its mouth, black energy began gathering within its hollow throat.
A sharp, dark beam of energy suddenly condensed into a powerful shockwave, streaking through the sky like a deadly black rainbow. In an instant, the wave tore through the rain and hit the north wall a kilometer away with terrifying force.
The moment the black rainbow touched the wall, everything turned dull and gray, as though drained of life. Then, in the next second, the entire northern wall was consumed, crumbling into fine particles that floated into the air.
The once mighty wall was reduced to dust, as if it had evaporated.
At that moment, everyone finally understood why the city had begun evacuating its citizens days ago, and why Zhu Meng had ordered the retreat.
The wall had disintegrated into nothing but tiny granules, drifting away like ashes in the wind. Those who saw this horrific sight no longer hesitated. Everyone began retreating as fast as they could.
(End of Chapter)