The Mountain Corpse retreated, and so did the Undead Emperor. At the same time, the army of undead that had been surging toward the protective barrier like a tide also began to withdraw.
What had seemed like certain annihilation—a destruction they couldn't possibly resist—had somehow been avoided. No one could have predicted that they would survive.
Suddenly, a wave of cheers erupted inside the city. The light of dawn was now brilliantly bright. The clouds were still there, and the rain continued to fall, but none of it mattered anymore. As long as the undead army was gone, the city was saved, and they had survived.
It was hard to believe; even they found it difficult to comprehend.
The feeling was akin to a rising tide threatening to drown them, with the rain causing the water levels to surge, only for the black tide to suddenly retreat, leaving them standing on solid ground once more.
Countless people lay down on the ground, letting the rain beat down on their faces. The cold rain felt burning hot, unable to extinguish the excitement and joy that surged in their hearts.
The people inside the city didn't know exactly what had happened, but when they heard the cheers from the city walls, they joined in.
However, Han Ji and the others were still filled with doubt. After all, the night had just begun.
They weren't sure this was the end.
After a long while, the mysterious gray-robed elder suddenly said, "Could it be that Mo Fan succeeded?"
As soon as the gray-robed man's words were spoken, everyone immediately thought of Mo Fan, who had leaped into the Dark Abyss.
If they had to explain the situation, it seemed the only reasonable explanation was that Mo Fan had succeeded.
If it were any other high-level mage, they might have doubted it. But Mo Fan's battle on the Nine Bridges to Death, and One to Life was something they had witnessed with their own eyes.
Single-handedly, he had wiped out an entire skeleton horde. While it was undeniable that his light element had a special restraining effect, to achieve such a feat alone—there was no one else in the world who could do that.
With the retreat of the undead tide, reinforcements could finally be dispatched.
Helicopters swarmed the skies above the inner city, frequently delivering supplies to the city. Teams of builders were working on the reconstruction, though for safety, they only expanded three kilometers beyond the inner city to set up temporary shelters.
The rain finally stopped on the third day, and the survivors were placed in temporary housing. High walls surrounded everyone, giving them at least some sense of security.
This place was different from Bo City. Even with the constant threat of the undead, it was still a prosperous land. Most importantly, the city had a history spanning thousands of years. No matter how fierce the winds or rains were, the city had never been completely destroyed. After countless holes had been patched up, the city would be rebuilt, and its people would not abandon this land.
The speed of the city's reconstruction was faster than expected. Half of the work was done by machines, and the other half by earth mages who also acted as builders. Bridges, roads, neighborhoods, and houses—everything could be completed quickly with a few skilled earth mages.
They first focused on an area three kilometers around the inner city, gradually expanding to the original city limits. As long as the heart of the city remained, the ancient capital would slowly recover.
However, the young man who had leaped into the Dark Abyss, the one who had shattered the plans of the Black Vatican, had seemingly vanished. There was no news of him, no trace to be found.
Mo Fan hadn't left the tomb palace because it now belonged to him.
Inside the palace, Mo Fan found countless treasures left behind by the Ancient King. His Winged Azure Wolf had found the resources it needed to evolve, and the Little Flame Belle had also found suitable materials to enhance itself.
Mo Fan had also benefited.
The Ancient King's armor had fused with his body, and now Mo Fan possessed the undead element. However, this undead power wasn't about summoning the undead—it was the raw strength of the Ancient King himself.
In addition, Mo Fan had acquired the flames of the Azure Phoenix. His own fire element had transformed into a deep, blue-black color, with its power multiplied by six!
Now, his fire was the purest soul-level fire!
His shadow element had also been nurtured by dark energy here. Though the shadow element didn't have specific soul or spirit types, Mo Fan was sure that it had greatly increased in strength over these past days.
As for his space element, Mo Fan's spiritual level had reached the fifth tier, and since the power of space magic depends on spiritual strength, his space magic was now on par with having a powerful spiritual seed.
The only elements that hadn't received a boost were his lightning and light elements.
His light element was special, especially after advancing to a higher level. Its brilliance was even more dazzling, and it had a strong restraining effect on dark creatures or dark magic. Once his light element had fully materialized, it would be as solid as diamond!
Although his lightning element hadn't been enhanced, he had gained a "devouring seed" ability in the Dark Abyss. This meant that he could absorb soul seeds and spirit seeds to increase his power. With the right resources, even a heavenly seed would not be out of reach.
Of course, finding the right materials would require some luck, or simply buying them.
Mo Fan wasn't going to miss out on the Lightning Tyrant, and beyond that, he'd either have to try his luck or purchase what he needed.
Now, Mo Fan's power and abilities had reached a nearly perfect state.
Because of the needs of his Winged Azure Wolf and Little Flame Belle, Mo Fan had stayed in the tomb for half a month.
[Fire Element: Advanced level two (Green Lotus Core Flame, 6x strength, Nihility Devouring Flame in growth)]
[Lightning Element: Advanced level one (Thousand Strikes Spirit Seed, 3x strength, Devouring Seed ability—can absorb spirit seeds and soul seeds for enhancement)]
[Summoning Element: Advanced level one (Winged Azure Wolf, mid-tier commander. Little Flame Belle, pure commander)]
[Light Element: Advanced level one]
[Shadow Element: Advanced level one]
[Space Element: Advanced level one]
[Undead Element: (Ancient King's power)]
[Demon Element]
[Spiritual Level: Fifth-tier perfect]
After half a month of seclusion, Mo Fan reappeared on the northern plains.
Now that the Dark Abyss was under his control, the only limitation was that he couldn't yet take it abroad. However, as the ruler of the Abyss, Mo Fan effectively commanded the eight undead kings. With their restrictions, no undead would appear within a hundred kilometers of the ancient capital.
For thousands of years, undead had roamed outside the ancient capital every night. Only highly skilled mages could venture out after dark. But since the disaster, there hadn't been a single undead in sight within a hundred kilometers of the city.
It wasn't that the undead had disappeared entirely. They were still there, but they now stayed quietly in their tombs, palaces, and ancient burial grounds, never setting foot outside.
This phenomenon shocked all the major factions. They remembered how, centuries ago, the undead had once been this docile, until something changed in one of the later dynasties, causing the undead to begin rampaging through human lands at night.
Now, it seemed they were once again under control!
Of course, the undead were still a threat. If any mage dared to enter their territory, they would attack.
But Mo Fan had no intention of weakening them, because now, these once-despised undead were part of his power!
(End of Chapter)