Versatile Mage c1-2021, page 252
"Was that a bit too much?" asked Mu Bai.
"I don't think so; you shouldn't be too merciful against people like him." Mo Fan thought Zhao Kunsan and Wang Pangzi did a great job.
"My score is going to rise a lot after killing the Skeleton General, hehe!" Zhou Ming was in a great mood. Not only was she able to receive the same amount of resources for the month, she might be rewarded with more instead.
Mo Fan smiled, too. As he was about to speak, his side glance caught a glimpse of the walls being covered in a huge blood-colored glow.
The blood-colored glow was followed by a loud bell ringing, which echoed over the outer walls, startling everyone!
"What was that?" Mo Fan asked, confused.
"Something big has appeared, that was a warning!" explained the leader.
"Something big?" asked Mo Fan.
The ringing of the bell lasted for quite some time. It kept people alert, as if it contained some unique power.
"I don't know… mmm, that's the signal for us to gather together. It's asking all the Magicians that were not on duty to gather on the north wall!" The leader raised his eyes and watched a few white lights flickering in the sky.
Mo Fan had also seen the white lights, which were shining brightly, like fireworks. He was not from the Ancient Capital, so he had no idea what the signal meant.
"It feels like something is happening, they need support from Magicians," added Mu Bai, as he glanced at the long walls.
"Let's head over, I haven't done anything today!" Jiang Li was eager to show his capabilities.
"Four signals in a row, that means it's an emergency! The girl who's injured should stay here. Everyone else will head over at once. They must have trouble getting people over in time, hence they were forced to use the Brilliant Light to signal the others, hoping the Intermediate Magicians nearby could lend a hand," deduced the leader sternly.
"Mo Fan, should we go and take a look?" asked Zhou Ming.
The signal was similar to an SOS signal. Normally, it was up to the Magicians to decide if they were willing to help, but when the signal consisted of four consecutive flares, the Magicians from Institutes, Magic Associations, the Hunter Union, and the renowned families were obliged to lend a hand. Those who purposely decided not to help and left would be expelled from their respective factions.
"People won't use Assembly Signals in normal circ.u.mstances. Something big must have happened," said Mu Bai.
"Come, let's go."
"Mmm, to the tower on the northern walls!"
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The main tower of the walls in the north was located at the entrance of the northern walls. The tower was a lot bigger than the corner towers. It simply felt like a magnificent pagoda standing firmly atop the walls!
The Assembly Signal was fired from here. When Mo Fan and the others arrived, the place was already crowded with Magicians. Most of them were Basic Magicians, based on the badges they were wearing on their c.h.e.s.ts.
There were only a few Intermediate Magicians available at this time, as most of them were currently on duty. Students like Zhou Ming, Mu Bai, and the others were considered a special kind.
"All Magicians in the Intermediate Level and above should gather at the top of the walls. The other will remain here on standby," a loud voice rang out, echoing in the ears of the Magicians.
The few Intermediate Magicians immediately made their way up into a hall that was open on both ends, where they could see the darkness looming over the vast land in the distance.
"Are these all we have?" asked a deep voice.
A man with a beard and an extraordinary temperament walked down from the stairs leading to somewhere higher in the tower, followed by a Royal Guard and a Commander.
"Greetings, Councilman!"
"Greetings, Councilman!"
A few Intermediate Magicians who were fairly active around the area immediately greeted him respectfully.
Mo Fan glanced ahead. He immediately recognized the person just by the beard on the person's face. His eyes widened.
Councilman Zhu Meng was glancing at the group of Magicians too, and his eyes also widened as he just happened to exchange glances with Mo Fan.
"It's you again, the kid with bad luck!" Councilman Zhu Meng was stunned for a second.
"I did feel like it's quite bad luck to stumble into you!" replied Mo Fan.
"How bold!" The Commander glared at Mo Fan when he saw the young Magician being disrespectful.
Zhu Meng waved his hand. He had gotten used to being scolded by the daring kid back in Hangzhou. He never assumed the kid would respect him. He did not continue on the topic, as it seemed like he had something urgent to say.
However, the leader, Zhou Ming, Mu Bai, and even Jiang Li were looking at Mo Fan in bewilderment. They could not understand why Mo Fan, who was only an Intermediate Magician, would know someone like Councilman Zhu Meng!
Chapter 577 - The Dark Abyss Appears Again!
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
"I'm glad that you're all here, but I have something unfortunate to tell you," said Councilman Zhu Meng expressionlessly.
As he spoke, he walked toward the edge of the hall in his black boots, standing close to the barrier engraved with patterns of dragons and phoenixes.
He paused his speech, the group could only see his fairly depressed back.
"A Dark Abyss has appeared thirty kilometers to the north!" Councilman Zhu Meng finally finished.
As he mentioned the Dark Abyss, he was saying it with a sigh, as if he was not willing to say the term too loudly.
"Dark Abyss?"
"Why would something like that appear so close to the city? Is there a mistake?" yelled one of the Hunters.
"Heavens, only thirty kilometers away! Are we seriously going to be overrun by the undead!?" yelled a middle-aged Magician.
Mo Fan scanned his surroundings and discovered that everyone's expressions had changed. He was clueless what the term 'Dark Abyss' meant since he had come from a different place. He had no choice but to ask the leader of the team, Zhong Zishan.
"What's a Dark Abyss? Why did everyone panic after hearing it?" he asked quickly.
Zhong Zishan recovered from his astonishment. It seemed like he was also having a hard time believing the information.
"Do you know what I thought the most terrifying thing in this world was?" asked Zhong Zishan instead.
"What?" asked Mo Fan.
"It was a Commander-level undead that bit one of my arms off. That thing almost killed me..." said Zhong Zishan, who added after his face twisted badly, "But I no longer have the same thought after I saw a Dark Abyss."
Zhong Zishan recalled his past. He remembered the scene so clearly that his eyes were filled with wisps of blood from fear!
"The Dark Abyss can be described as a burning pot of Hell with its lid removed. You can clearly see the edge of Hell when you stand close to the edge. Hundreds of ghosts uttering cries of hatred, thousands of zombies munching at anything that is moving, including their own kind. Ten thousand demons, waving their claws waiting for fresh blood to be poured on them...I was unlucky enough to encounter the smallest Dark Abyss possible when I first became a Hunter. My friend, whom I grew up with since childhood, fell into it. I watched him fall, watched the countless hands drag him down as the undead crawled onto him, forming a giant ball of undead. At that time, I was sure that if anyone mentioned that going to Hell was the greatest curse and punishment ever, falling into a Dark Abyss was on a similar level. The only thought I had left back then was to pray that I wouldn't fall into it, too."
Mo Fan could feel goosebumps all over his body after hearing Zhong Zishan's description!
"The Dark Abyss is the entrance to Hell. Maybe it wouldn't be as terrifying if it simply remained in the same place, but it also has a shocking trait," added Mu Bai.
"What trait?" asked Mo Fan.
"Not only will it continue to expand after devouring lives, it's Space Unpredictability is the biggest problem too," said Mu Bai.
"What's Space Unpredictability?"
"It means you will never know where it will appear, and where it will move to in the next second!" said Zhong Zishan.
"How...how is that possible?" Mo Fan stammered.
Mo Fan understood that the Dark Abyss was a hole filled with countless undead, it was reasonable for it to be capable of devouring anything nearby. However, it was unbelievable that such a hole would also drift in space to elsewhere. That didn't make sense at all!
"When the hatred of the Dark Abyss reaches a certain level, the space will crumble and break down, which will allow the Dark Abyss to teleport elsewhere. As for how it does that, we are still totally clueless. Not many people have walked out from a Dark Abyss. Even a Forbidden Magician would die in the burning lava of hell," said a hoarse voice. The person speaking was none other than Councilman Zhu Meng who had a worried look.
"The energy is strong enough to affect space..." Mo Fan fell into deep thought.
It was Mo Fan's first time learning about something related to space. However, since the Space Element existed, it was possible for something to drift in space too!
Mo Fan did not expect that the Land of the Undead would have a Dark Abyss that even magic could not explain. However, in the world he came from, there were many things that Science could not explain, either...
"If the Dark Abyss is unpredictable, why are we worrying, then? Is it because the Dark Abyss will expand thirty kilometers and devour this whole place too? Is it really that crazy?!" asked Mo Fan.
"Expanding thirty kilometers isn't possible, otherwise, it wouldn't just be the entrance to Hell, it would simply be Hell on Earth...but the last time the Dark Abyss appeared..." Zhong Zishan trailed off.
"That's right, the last time the Dark Abyss appeared, it was more than a hundred kilometers away from the city," Councilman Zhu Meng took over when he heard the people mentioning it. "As a matter of fact, around half a year ago, the Dark Abyss also appeared in a valley around six hundred kilometers away. Not many people know about it since it was so far away, and quite close to the Drifting Sand River."
Mo Fan was startled. He immediately asked Councilman Zhu Meng about the exact time.
"It's the same day!" Mo Fan was shocked.
Around half a year ago, that was when Mo Fan was at the Burning Valley, northwest of the Drifting Sand River.
The Fire Calamity had cleansed the Burning Valley back then, but at the same time, another strange phenomenon occurred: the restlessness of the Drifting Sand River!
Everyone thought it was some side-effect of the Fire Calamity, yet Xinxia, who was a Psychic, was extremely confident that the creatures were not panicking because of the Fire Calamity!
It turned out that the reason was because of the Dark Abyss!
The day that the Dark Abyss had appeared to the west of the Drifting Sand River was the same day Mo Fan and the others were experiencing the strange behavior of the Drifting Sand River!
The Drifting Sand River was a terrifying place, as no one knew how many White Sand Demons were buried under the white sand. However, Mo Fan was astounded by the fact that a small Dark Abyss had made the whole population of the Drifting Sand River, which covered over half a province, restless!
"So the second time it appeared..." prodded Mo Fan.
"That was three months ago, around the Xianchi area, and my students just happened to be there!" spoke up a soldier wearing a black cape coming down the stairs, looking at Mo Fan.
"You are?" Mo Fan was confused when he saw the man looking at him.
"He's the Chief Military Instructor of the Ancient Capital military; you seriously don't know any of them?" asked Jiang Li, saluting Fei Jiao.
Chapter 578 - Disaster of the Undead Ruler
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
Fei Jiao ignored Jiang Li, who was trying to fawn upon him, and went up to Mo Fan.
"I was the one who contacted you, Zhang Xiaohou is my student," Fei Jiao wore a smile. It was obvious that he had received the latest news from Mo Fan.
"Oh, oh, sorry; I didn't recognize your voice," Mo Fan smiled awkwardly.
Mo Fan did contact him through the phone, yet to his surprise, the guy looked fairly young despite his aged voice. He was in his thirties, yet he was already the Chief Military Instructor of the Ancient Capital military. This Fei Jiao was definitely no ordinary person!
"It's fine. To be honest, I was quite impressed; no one would dare go there within a year knowing that a Dark Abyss has appeared, but you went, and you even brought my student back..." said Fei Jiao.
"Was? I bet you didn't know an outsider like me had no idea what a Dark Abyss was!" replied Mo Fan.
"HAHAHA! I didn't mean that, but my student didn't mention you only once. His admiration of you greatly surpassed that toward me and other instructors here. But, you're no ordinary person yourself either; I've heard many stories about you," Fei Jiao extended his hand and gave Mo Fan a friendly handshake.
There were at least forty Magicians in the room, with the majority of them being Intermediate Magicians. There were also a few Advanced Magicians, too. They could not help but wonder who the kid was. Not only did the Councilman know him, even the Chief Military Instructor of the Ancient Capital was complimenting him, yet it seemed like he was only an Intermediate Magician based on his badge!
Mo Fan wore a humble smile, yet he realized that the people nearby were looking at him with envy. He did not dare to chat with Fei Jiao any further and quickly switched the topic to the business at hand.
Fei Jiao took over Zhu Meng's role and explained, "The second Dark Abyss appeared around a hundred kilometers away from the city. My student was caught in it, and almost lost his life. As for the third time… it was only thirty kilometers away from the outer walls, a place that was still considered the city's outskirts just a little while time ago!"
"It's getting closer every time!" said a Hunter.
"Exactly, every time the Dark Abyss appears, it's closer to our city..."
"Didn't they say the Dark Abyss appears in random places? Could it be a coincidence?" said Zhong Zishan.
"We do hope that it's a coincidence, but considering that it has happened three times in a row, we have the urge to think otherwise," said the Commander beside Zhu Meng, who had been silent for a long time.
The Commander was mainly responsible for the defense of the outer walls. Every Battlemage on the ten-plus kilometer long northern walls was under his command.
"So you've gathered us here to deal with the Dark Abyss? There's no way we can do anything against it. We're only a bunch of Intermediate Magicians," said someone.
"The place where Dark Abyss once appeared will have a strong presence of death, so many Warrior-level or Commander-level undead will gather there fairly soon... I hope everyone here will guard the walls tonight. Once the higher-ranked undead show any signs of approaching the walls, you will eliminate them at once!" said Councilman Zhu Meng.
"I don't mind as long as you're not sending us to investigate the Dark Abyss," said a student.
"Don't worry Councilman, we might not be able to do anything to the Dark Abyss, but we'll surely eliminate the demon beasts trying to stir up chaos when the Dark Abyss appears. It's our job!"
"I'm fine with that, I will guard throughout the night!"
"Count me in!"
"Me too."
The Magicians were relieved when they learned that they were not messing with the Dark Abyss.
Everyone had come to here to contribute in the war against the undead. They would not mind guarding the walls for the night. Since there were around forty Intermediate Magicians and four or five Advanced Magicians, they could still hold a Ruler-level creature off.
As everyone expressed their willingness to lend a hand, a deep roar rocked the dim sky in the north, shaking the walls vigorously!
Everyone felt a sudden pain in their ears, as if a great shockwave coming from the horizon had just slammed into the walls.
Councilman Zhu Meng, Instructor Fei Jiao and the Commander of the North Walls were startled. They immediately glanced at a black figure in the distance...
Mo Fan followed their gaze and saw the same pitch-black figure that he had seen when he first went up to the walls. This time, he was able to get a clearer look as he was closer, with a greater visual impact!
"It's the creature again; it's trying to break through the walls since more undead have gathered due to the Dark Abyss!" exclaimed Zhu Meng furiously.
"This is bad! The Undead Ruler is already commanding an army of ten million undead. It's pretty much unstoppable with the Dark Abyss nearby. We have to request backup!" declared the military advisor.
"We are running out of men," replied Commander Lu Xu.
"It won't work, our force isn't strong enough. The undead never stop coming! If we can't hold the night, the northern walls will fall to the Undead Ruler, and the city's north will be covered in blood," stated Fei Jiao.
"It seems like we'll have to commence the plan we decided on earlier," Zhu Meng frowned.
"Councilman, that's too risky! We'll be trapped among the undead if anything goes wrong!" protested the advisor.
"Advisor Zhu, as long as I, Zhu Meng, am in this city, I will not allow a single undead to break through! We might not have enough men to defend against the invasion, but we have the chance to kill the Undead General!" promised Zhu Meng righteously.
The reason why Zhu Meng was sitting in the highest position in the country's Magic Association was not because he was in control of many renowned families or he was supported by many factions behind the scenes, but because he would always step forward during every disaster, leading the men. It was something that the authorities rotting in their chairs in the meetings between higher-ups as they talked about stratagems on paper could never do.
He had secured his current position with his boldness!
"No way, that won't work; if the plan fails, who's going to take command of the walls? Everything will fall into a mess!" Advisor Zhu was definitely against the idea of putting their lives at risk.
