Versatile Mage c1-2021, page 285
Han Ji had been controlling the formation of the Imperial Magicians. When these Advanced Magicians whom he had fostered with utmost care were in the square formation, their combined strength even surpassed that of a Super Magician...
As the core of the army, the formation was not only responsible for protecting the people within it, it was also required to provide assistance to their comrades in the surroundings with spells!
Han Ji knew the Imperial Magicians were approaching their limit. He was already constructing his Star Constellation while commanding the wind raft!
It was a green Star Constellation. Mo Fan did not even detect the presence of magic until Han Ji finished channeling the Advanced Spell in the following second!
The glow was not as stunning as the brilliance of the Super Spells, yet Han Ji had simply flicked the glow between his fingers forward in an indifferent manner. Mo Fan saw the seed summoned from the Star Constellation floating off into the distance before landing among the army of undead ahead.
Around two seconds later, Mo Fan stared at the enormous black flower that had appeared on the battlefield all of a sudden!
The flower was as huge as a small hill, its petals forming a bloody mouth. The flower was beautiful as it blossomed, but when the petals unfolded, it immediately turned into a monster tearing at the zombies!
Chapter 656 - Vortex of Chill Wind
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
The flower had eaten at least three hundred undead. It had completely trapped the undead between its petals, which wriggled continuously as it digested them.
The position of the giant flower was exactly the place that was crawling with zombies that Zuo Feng had just mentioned. It was likely that there were quite a number of Warrior-level undead among the three hundred that were eaten.
One after another, Star Constellations were drawn. Han Ji did not use Super Spells, his speed at constructing Star Constellations was simply too quick. The eerily glowing green seeds continued to appear between his fingers, which he flicked at the wall of zombies ahead.
Not long afterwards, another giant flower blossomed among the stacks of zombies. Every time a flower sprouted, it would eat at least a few hundred zombies straightaway. Some even ate over three hundred zombies with a single bite. The flowers kept the zombies inside the petals regardless of their numbers...
"Forward!" Another giant flower blossomed as Han Ji flicked his finger.
Mo Fan and the others were already in an area filled with the giant flowers. He only realized how big the flowers were when he stood close to them. Their size was comparable to the Flesh Mound Corpse Officials. It was likely that the flower could even eat an entire Flesh Mound Corpse Official.
Once the flowers ate something, they would remain tightly closed. The flower would simply wilt away before the petals opened up again.
Meanwhile, everything that they had eaten would be turned into a pile of lifeless corpses, dead just like the wilted flower!
It was Mo Fan's first time seeing the Advanced Spell of the Plant Element. Even the thickest wall of zombies stood no chance when Han Ji could simply produce the flowers just by fl.i.c.k.i.n.g his fingers. His fire rate was the same as Mo Fan tossing his Basic Spells around. The ocean of zombies was clearly becoming less dense than it was before!
When the path was cleared, the Imperial Magicians in the square formation immediately pushed forward.
A chill wind as terrifying as the sharp claws of some devils swept at the Magicians. The wind grew icier as they advanced forward. It felt like their souls were going to be shred into pieces by the ghastly wind!
The howls of the wind sounded like devilish cries. They could tell that they were very close to the Dark Abyss.
Even the undead were too scared to come any closer to the area. There were actually fewer undead after they broke through the wall of zombies.
The wind raft drifted forward. They could finally see the horrifying Dark Abyss, a great chasm that suddenly sank along the ground. It was the source of the ghostly wind that was icy enough to shred human souls.
"We can't go any further. The vortex is going to drag us all into it!" reported Zuo Feng.
The closer they were to the Dark Abyss, the stronger the wind pulled them on. Their current distance was the limit of the Advanced Magicians. If they were to go any further, they would need a greater force to overcome the pulling force of the vortex!
Han Ji glanced at the Imperial Magicians around him and discovered that the wind raft had already deviated from its course.
It was clear that they could no longer maintain the formation.
"You all should retreat first, I'll escort them for a little longer!" said Han Ji to Zuo Feng.
Zuo Feng nodded and immediately gave the command, asking the scattered Advanced Magicians to withdraw from the place.
As soon as the order was given, more than half of the people left the troop. Only a few Super Magicians and the Imperial Magicians maintaining the square formation were left.
As they proceeded another four hundred meters forward, the strength of the wind totally surpassed their expectations. Not only was the wind whipping their souls, it was also pulling them in with a strong might. No wonder there was no sign of undead around, most of them were already dragged into the Dark Abyss by the vortex!
"This is the furthest I can escort you… shit, I can't pull back!"
"I'll lend you a hand!"
Du Xiao's Green Eye was also having trouble moving as it wished. It quickly grabbed the Super Magician who was being dragged toward the Dark Abyss.
Du Xiao was in a pinch too. He immediately backed off after securing the man.
"You all should leave too!" Han Ji said to the rest of the Super Magicians.
"President, how about you?"
"I'll stay a little longer!" Han Ji had already put on his armor. The dark, golden scales were fully wrapped around his figure. He looked remarkably mighty now, instead of his previous hoary appearance!
Han Ji looked at the group of four, who were perfectly fine and smiled in relief, "The wind isn't doing anything to you. It seems like the entrance to Hell does welcome the descendants of the Ancient King. I hope that you'll be safe after jumping into the abyss!"
Zhang Xiaohou, Fang Gu and Su Xiaoluo exchanged glances with one another. The wind that even Super Magicians had trouble dealing with had no effect on them at all.
Fang Gu and Su Xiaoluo were fine because they had come from the villages. Zhang Xiaohou had once stood on the edge of the Dark Abyss. If the wind did not pull him into the Dark Abyss before, he was surely going to be fine this time, too.
Meanwhile, Mo Fan could actually feel the threat the wind was posing to him. The others simply felt like a breeze was sweeping at them, but Mo Fan could actually sense the devilish wind swiping its claws at him...
If he was attacked by the wind when the others were perfectly fine, it was obvious that he was not a descendant of the village, nor was he a pure-blood from Bo City.
When Mo Fan was deciding to withdraw from the place, he suddenly felt a layer of vague light coming out from the Little Loach Pendant and wrapping around him.
It appeared that he was the only one that could see the light. It looked like a shrunken Nether River flowing around him in the same way as the Basic Spell Water Barrier. The energy nullified the force of the chill wind, guaranteeing his safety!
Either way, it was all thanks to Little Loach, who had managed to use the Nether River that had been refined from the Underground Holy Spring to protect him, the unauthentic descendant. Otherwise, the wind would have torn him to pieces by now!
"This is the farthest I can go..." Han Ji was the only left in the area. He was only willing to leave after making sure that Salan would no longer be able to do any harm to them.
"The fate of this half-ruined city is in your hands," Han Ji did not say anything else.
They all knew the situation that the city was in. No further words were needed to clarify.
The group nodded heavily.
Han Ji looked at Mo Fan for the last time and said with utmost sincerity, "Mo Fan, I've heard lots of stories about you, I'm only hoping that you can bring us more miracles, that's all I'm asking for!"
"Well, how should I put it… it all depends on fate!" replied Mo Fan in a helpless yet unconventional manner.
Chapter 657 - Jumping into the Dark Abyss!
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
Mo Fan's answer left Han Ji speechless.
Shouldn't he be swearing a vow to bring back the good news?
However, Han Ji simply let it go after a second thought. No one knew exactly what kind of danger would be awaiting them inside the Dark Abyss. They were even uncertain if a Super Magician like Lu Huan was still alive inside. It was impossible to tell if they would manage to even find the Ancient King...
Han Ji turned around and left.
His magnificent dark golden armor could not conceal how hoary and worn out he was from worrying about the city's safety.
Mo Fan could not tell if his response had hurt him. Anyway, the Dark Abyss was just in front of him. The path ahead was full of unknowns. From the outside, it was simply a path leading to death. Besides, he was a fake descendant of the Ancient King. He would have been torn into pieces if it weren't for the Underground Holy Spring!
"Let's go, we don't have much time!" said Fang Gu.
Mo Fan nodded. He was about to respond when he caught a glimpse of a skinny figure in the wind.
The figure seemed to be trapped inside the chill wind, swaying like a stalk of grass that was going to be snapped in half in any second...
Mo Fan took a closer look and was dumbfounded.
"It's Liu Ru!"
"It seems like she could no longer hold on against the wind."
"That idiot!" cursed Mo Fan. His voice was still drifting in the wind when he already headed toward the girl's direction in the form of a rapid shadow.
Luckily, Liu Ru was not too far away. Otherwise, the wind would have dragged her into the Dark Abyss. There was simply no way Mo Fan could save her from the vortex once she was dragged away, regardless of how capable he was.
Mo Fan grabbed Liu Ru. He clearly sensed a strong force pulling Liu Ru toward the Dark Abyss.
Mo Fan was sliding across the ground with her because of the force. Fang Gu, Su Xiaoluo, Zhang Xiaohou immediately went forward and lent a hand. The four of them grabbed Liu Ru simultaneously, yet they too were being dragged toward the Dark Abyss.
"Little Loach, some light please!"
Mo Fan simply hugged Liu Ru tighter just so the energy from the Underground Holy Spring could encapsulate her figure too.
Fortunately, Liu Ru was fairly skinny. The glow emitted by Little Loach was meant to only protect a single person. It barely surrounded Liu Ru and placed her under its protection too.
The absorbing force finally disappeared. The group of four let out a relieved sigh.
"Miss, are you trying to get yourself killed?" Mo Fan glared at the woman.
"I...I was just going to see you off...I didn't expect to get dragged away by the wind..." Liu Ru blushed. Apart from the reason that she was telling a lie, it was also because Mo Fan was hugging her too tightly, she could barely breathe!
"It's lucky that I'm not a descendant of the Ancient King either! I'm also relying on the Underground Holy Spring. Otherwise, the wind would have torn you apart. President, will you… crap, where did he go?" Mo Fan was about to ask Han Ji to bring Liu Ru back when he realized that the man was already gone.
"It's impossible to send her back now. Let's go down together, if your Underground Holy Spring can protect her from the wind, I believe she won't have any problem jumping into the Dark Abys," said Fang Gu.
"Mm, let's go," said Su Xiaoluo.
Mo Fan was left with no choice, although he was quite touched by Liu Ru's intention. However, their first priority now was to survive this messy situation before he had time to think about other stuff...
---
As they ventured deeper, the chill wind was now an enormous tornado, shrouding the place in chaos. There was no sign of undead nearby, as if they had entered a different world.
The Dark Abyss would shift again before dawn, thus they had less than a night's time to resolve the danger. They did not dare to waste any more time.
They initially thought they would not blink twice, as they were carrying a great burden on their shoulders. However, when they actually arrived at the edge of the Dark Abyss and glanced down into it, it felt like their hearts were about to jump out from their bodies. They were feeling extremely unpleasant as if their organs were twisted together, their whole bodies twitching.
Anyone with trypophobia would most likely faint when they saw the scene in the abyss... It was absolutely perfect to describe it as the furnace of Hell. The ghastliest demons, devils, and monsters were stacked in piles, just like a landfill!
Millions of cries, groans and shrieks mixed together. The sound penetrated their souls, their bodies were crawling with pain!
Su Xiaoluo and Fang Gu were from the villages, but even they had extremely pale faces despite being used to seeing undead every day.
If the imperial tomb of their ancestors was actually located under the Dark Abyss, what kind of sins did he commit to be able to produce such a ghastly abyss?!
"Fang Gu, you're the eldest here, you go..." said Mo Fan.
"I'm going to be honest. I would rather snap my neck in half than jump in there. I'm pretty sure the souls of anyone who dies here will be trapped here forever. The hatred acc.u.mulated here over thousands of years is torturing souls who have already died a horrible death. I wonder how scary and twisted the demons are down there," said Fang Gu.
Jumping down with your eyes closed simply would not work. Their souls were under a strong urge to escape their flesh and flee for their lives!
"I'll go," Zhang Xiaohou volunteered when he saw both Fang Gu and Mo Fan being hesitant.
After all, it was not his first time witnessing the scene in the Dark Abyss. Zhang Xiaohou felt a lot better when he stood on the edge of the furnace of Hell for the second time.
That being said, it was only better compared to how he felt last time. The truth was, Zhang Xiaohou could feel the monsters and zombies below him scratching his scalp. If there were a few hundred thousand fewer civilians in the city, Zhang Xiaohou would even consider calling it a day and go home. He even wished that he was the civilians that were used as bait. The way they died was like enjoying a vacation in a hot spring compared to this...
"How about we jump together?"
"Alright."
Mo Fan was still hugging Liu Ru rightly. Even after taking a deep breath and jumping from the edge, he did not dare loosen his grip.
Liu Ru was not a descendant of the Ancient King, either. She had to rely on the protection of the faint light of the Underground Holy Spring. As Zhang Xiaohou, Fang Gu, and Su Xiaoluo dove into the Dark Abyss, he had no choice but to jump down, carrying Liu Ru in his arms.
Mo Fan did not have time to have any l.e.w.d thoughts. It did not matter how closely he was hugging her. Meanwhile, Liu Ru was so scared that she had pretty much fainted.
Countless demons were flying around in the Dark Abyss. They were the source of the wind surrounding the place. Each demon was unleashing a gust of wind as strong as a storm, so when the winds unleashed by over ten thousand demons combined together, one could easily imagine the fate awaiting any living creature that was caught in it.
Mo Fan could no longer see anything around him. Even his thoughts had come to a pause. The chill wind was unable to tear Little Loach's light barrier apart, yet the hatred it contained simply penetrated everything, bursting into his thoughts and memories...
Chapter 658 - White Palace Tomb
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
Mo Fan's mind was inundated with hatred. It felt like thousands of ghosts were whispering, crying and murmuring into his ears gently, asking if he was interested in listening to their stories.
When you heard it the first time, you might feel pitiful toward the 'girl' who had fallen into the Dark Abyss. The second time, you might feel she did not deserve to bear the pain, but after hearing it for the third, fourth and fifth times...
She never stopped talking. She would even f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y insert the sorrowful memory into your mind, just so you could experience the pain and torture, too. However, if you showed any hint of impatience, the ghost would instantly turn into a roaring black figure, completely destroying its previous appearance of a pitiful woman!
"Feel my pain!"
"Come and feel my pain!"
"I've spent a long time here. I have many things to say, are you willing to hear them… oh, no, you're not willing, you're not willing! How dare you! Do you have any idea how torturing it is!?"
Mo Fan felt like he had entered a messy dream as he was falling into the Dark Abyss. He continuously experienced the past of these ghosts, each so torturing that he simply had the urge to bite his tongue and end his life!
It was a very lengthy process. More than ten thousand ghosts were surrounding him. Each was expressing their pain to him, and even placing him into their nightmares. Endless repetitions of being hung and dying, drowning, beaten to death, or buried alive in their coffins...
Mo Fan felt like he was no longer himself. His past was being overwritten by the ghosts. His memories were being devoured by them, as if he was involved in an endless repetition of some scenes from various horror movies. Even though there were different kinds of experience, he somehow felt each of them to be quite familiar!
The light had protected him from the chill wind, yet his mind was on the verge of crumbling. The faint glow emitted by the Focus necklace was completely useless. The hatred from the ghosts was strong enough to overwhelm everything!
The Dark Abyss was not deep, but its hatred was. It simply felt like a bottomless hole of pain!
