The Undead Emperor roared in the air, and all the undead followed its command, crawling out from their graves, a vast sea of bones, endless and terrifying!
At the far end of the ocean of undead, a massive corpse, towering like a mountain, appeared without warning. Every step it took sent tremors through the ground that reverberated all the way to the city. The sturdy walls of the city shook under its immense weight!
Responding to the call of the Undead Emperor in the sky, the mountain-like corpse acted as a flag of death, summoning hordes of undead. These corpses assembled from all directions, either crawling out of the ground or surging from the distant north, so numerous that they covered the horizon as far as the eye could see.
The drizzle turned into a downpour, the rain forming gray curtains that stretched across the sky, merging with the endless undead army. Together, they wove a massive web of death that slowly closed in on the city, tightening its grip.
At that moment, many mages felt relieved that the civilians from the outer city had been evacuated in advance. Otherwise, this time the ancient capital might truly run red with blood.
Meanwhile, in the Dark Abyss:
Mo Fan had no idea how many cycles of reincarnation he had experienced, nor how many thousands of years had passed. He wasn't even sure how much of his 20-something years of memories were still intact. When he finally opened his eyes, he found himself doubting whether this time he had truly awakened.
Gradually, his memories came flooding back. Yet, the weariness of countless years still weighed on him, making him sit dazedly in place for a long time.
It seemed like only a brief moment, but that feeling left Mo Fan unsure of how much time had passed.
The Dark Abyss—a strange and otherworldly space. The world of magic was even more bizarre!
After about ten minutes, Mo Fan's gaze landed on a massive white tomb palace not far ahead.
The white palace was striking, built entirely from smooth, white jade that reflected the sky above. Normally, such a palace would exude an air of grandeur, nobility, and solemnity. But this particular shade of white seemed eerie, reminiscent of funeral decorations. The smooth surface failed to mask the overwhelming presence of death emanating from it.
Mo Fan composed himself and started walking toward the palace, guided by an unseen force.
The ground ahead rose, forming a stone path similar to a mountain trail leading to a castle. As he walked further, a grand staircase appeared, stretching wide across 200 meters. The steps were designed for human strides, but the sheer height of the staircase meant it would take quite some time to reach the top. Gazing upward, it felt like a staircase leading to the sky's edge.
The pristine white of the palace contrasted sharply with the surrounding world of decay, death, and bones. If it weren't for the sinister aura clinging to the palace, one might mistake it for a pure sanctuary standing alone in this filthy space.
On either side of the endless staircase, stone statues began to appear, similar to the white sand demon soldiers Mo Fan had encountered earlier in the Scorching Plains. Every ten steps, two statues stood guard, resembling ancient soldiers frozen in time. Their stillness conveyed both deathly silence and an aura of solemn authority.
They were like eternal sentinels, standing guard as unchanging as the Terracotta Warriors.
Thankfully, they showed no signs of coming to life.
Reaching the palace gates, Mo Fan noticed a bronze mirror hanging over the entrance. The massive doors were tightly shut, perfectly square, flanked by white ancient cauldrons.
At that moment, the small loach around Mo Fan's neck began to pulse with energy, and sure enough, the massive doors slowly creaked open.
It was clear the doors hadn't been opened in ages, the pressure inside was entirely different from the outside world.
Perhaps thanks to the loach, Mo Fan was able to pass through without triggering any disturbances from the stone statues.
Passing through a long gallery, Mo Fan noticed that the walls were decorated with ancient stone carvings, seemingly part of the private collection of an ancient king.
But Mo Fan didn't pay much attention. He knew very well that the belongings of an ancient king were not something to casually examine.
After passing through the gallery, Mo Fan arrived at a vast front hall. The entire hall was constructed from the same eerie white jade. The floor was so polished that Mo Fan could see his reflection in it.
Massive stone pillars lined the hall, each one so thick it would take four or five people to fully encircle it. The pillars were covered in intricate runes that Mo Fan couldn't decipher.
The hall itself was completely empty, save for the echo of Mo Fan's footsteps.
Mo Fan continued forward, guided by the loach's energy. In the center of the hall stood a stone platform, upon which rested a crystal-clear, demonic lotus flower. As he approached, it emitted an alluring fragrance.
The hall was sealed off, with no apparent exit. Aside from the runes on the pillars, the only notable object in the room was the lotus.
This lotus seemed to be the Immortal Lotus artifact mentioned in the fragmented ancient teachings left behind by the old king. According to legend, the path to the altar would only appear when the Immortal Lotus perished.
In other words, the person the ancient king had been waiting for had likely been passed over long ago.
The demonic lotus continued to bloom silently, having existed for countless ages. No matter how much time passed, no matter how the world changed, it remained eternally in bloom, exuding its fragrance, seemingly immortal.
There were no bronze mirrors or other distractions in the hall, so Mo Fan walked directly to the Immortal Lotus.
He then took out the loach.
Since acquiring some spring water from a few perilous villages, the loach had been steadily growing in power, maintaining the speed needed to sustain three star constellations. Recently, there hadn't been any major breakthroughs, but today seemed to be the day for its next advancement.
The loach was trembling violently, as if it was about to shed its outer shell of black rust and emerge as a new creature.
As soon as Mo Fan placed the loach down near the lotus, it began to absorb the lotus's energy. The lotus shrank into a dazzling soul-like light, which was gradually absorbed into the loach.
After devouring the lotus, the loach finally stopped trembling. The pendant began to glow with an incredible brilliance, even Mo Fan was astonished.
The light illuminated the once-dull hall, filling it with a sense of life.
It was clear that the loach had undergone another successful evolution!
With the loach now enhanced, Mo Fan immediately sat down to meditate. Before facing the final test, he needed to be in his best condition.
Even though he still wasn't sure if he was the one the ancient king had been waiting for, Mo Fan had come this far. He was determined to find out the answer for himself.
(End of Chapter)