Versatile Mage c1-2021, page 286
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After endless times of going through the process, going through thousands of years, Mo Fan had no idea how much of his own experience and memory over the past twenty years were left. The moment his eyes sprang open, he doubted it was real!
Gradually, the things that belonged to him slowly came back. However, he simply sat there for a very long time, as he was extremely worn out from the situation before.
A dream...
A lengthy dream...
To his relief, the things that did not belong to his memory slowly dissipated.
"Mo Fan?" asked a gentle voice beside him.
Mo Fan slowly recovered. He glanced at Liu Ru, whose clothes were in disarray. Her attractive face was worried, like a weeping beauty, except there were no tears.
"Liu Ru… you look fine?" Mo Fan was confused when he saw the clear look in Liu Ru's eyes.
"You were hugging me all along, it has only been seconds since we landed, but you acted strangely just now. You didn't even react when I called you a few times," said Liu Ru.
"A few seconds?" Mo Fan smiled wryly...
"The others were feeling dizzy too, but we actually made it to the bottom safely. I thought we were going to be torn into pieces by those creatures and devoured by the zombies. It turns out that there's a pit at the bottom of the abyss. The zombies did not attack us, so we ended up rolling into the pit, and wound up here..." Liu Ru told him in relief.
Mo Fan finally started checking his surroundings.
He could now tell that the Dark Abyss actually consisted of different layers.
The first layer was the Dark Abyss full of phantoms and mountains of zombies. Most of the time, any living creatures that fell into it would be torn into pieces and turned into one of them. It was a terrifying abyss that even the Nether Bone Ruler and Lu Huan had no chance of surviving...
Meanwhile, below the Dark Abyss, there was another space!
This place was fairly spacious, to the extent that it felt like they had arrived in another world.
Mo Fan was quite confused as he studied his surroundings, but after he calmed down, the place somehow resembled the Summoned Beast Plane, which he entered in the past after casting Dimensional Summoning.
That being said, the space he was in was not as vast as the Summoned Beast Plane. The gray land under his feet looked like a flat hilltop. Glancing into the distance, he saw the whole place was surrounded by a dim sky.
"There's a white imperial palace there, it must be the imperial tomb we're looking for," said Liu Ru as she pointed at something not far away.
Mo Fan immediately looked in that direction. The white palace was rather eye-catching. It was completely made of white jade stones. Its surface was so smooth that they could see the reflection of the sky on it.
Although the white of the palace should make it feel noble and sacred, it looked more like the white decorating a place for the deceased, resulting in an eerie atmosphere. The smooth structure was covered in the strong smell of death.
"Where...where am I?" asked Zhang Xiaohou.
Mo Fan's attention was so attracted by the white palace tomb that he did not even notice Zhang Xiaohou recovering from the same nightmare he'd had. Mo Fan could easily tell that Zhang Xiaohou had also gone through the same painful experience when he saw the empty look in his eyes.
As a matter of fact, if the memories they shared during the torturing repetition of deaths did not go away, the overwhelming hatred and memories would simply replace their own experience and beliefs, and they would most likely suffer from schizophrenia!
"The Ancient King is remarkably talented with the Space Element. I learned that a small place can actually conceal an enormous space inside it when I first visited the Three Step Tower. That's only achievable by compressing the space, yet to create a world like this in an abyss that continuously drifts to different places... this is nothing that the world has ever seen before!" While being utterly relieved to be alive, Mo Fan could not help but exclaim his astonishment at discovering the Ancient King's incredible capabilities at utilizing the Space Element!
The intelligence and capabilities that the Ancient King possessed to place his tomb here somehow made the Magic Civilization two thousand years later seemed petty.
Zhang Xiaohou gasped when he too saw the white palace tomb.
The tomb of the Ancient King!
The imperial tomb really was under the Dark Abyss!
And the person that was buried inside was regarded as the most ambitious emperor of the past five thousand years!
Chapter 659 - Wicked Eye Copper Mirror
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
A gray-white outfit, and hair drenched from the raindrops falling from above.
The mysterious man stood on the walls. His eyes watched the Magicians retreating to the city in the distance. He was well aware that it was actually easier to charge out of the city than come back. There were too few that would make it back safely. Even the Super Magicians would fall in the ocean of zombies...
Against the black ocean, the light produced by magic was extremely faint. It would simply be devoured by the thick mist rising from the undead. He could already see troops of Battlemages being overrun in the ocean of undead. The brilliance of their spells grew dimmer.
The lights that suddenly went dark basically implied that the whole troop was wiped out.
On the other side of the battlefield where the Magicians were fighting the Mountain Zombie. He could barely see the clear silhouette of the enormous creature when bright lights shone in the sky. However, even under the dim sky, the mysterious man witnessed the Mountain Zombie killing a Super Magician. He was unable to tell who the person was.
The Mountain Zombie's strength had surpassed everyone's expectations. They had no hope of retreating, even if they wanted to. More than half of the troop was dead!
"Should we go and provide support?" asked a Magician who was appointed to defend the city.
The mysterious man shook his head. If they sent more men out there, it was unlikely that the city would stand until dawn.
The sky was completely dark. The brilliance produced by the spells were gradually growing weaker. They had totally lost contact with the army out there. They could only look into the darkness and count the time left until death arrived.
"I think it's Zuo Feng!" someone yelled.
The mysterious man looked down the walls and saw two Advanced Magicians trapped among the skeletons. They were extremely close to the barrier of the inner walls...
Zuo Feng was accompanied by another man in a coat. They freed themselves from the skeletons and quickly leapt into the inner city.
"How's the situation?" asked the mysterious man at once.
"We've successfully escorted them to the Dark Abyss. We can't go any further, as the wind is too strong, but I believe they have already jumped into the Dark Abyss," said Zuo Feng.
"So that means you have no idea if they are still alive or not?" the mysterious man frowned.
"Mmm," Zuo Feng nodded. The lack of information was the biggest reason to feel worried.
"Senior, someone who referred to himself as the chief of one of the villages is asking to see you. He mentioned something about seeing the imperial tomb," an Imperial Magician came up in a hurry and reported.
"The imperial tomb? What does that mean? Where is he?"
"In the clock tower!"
The mysterious man glanced at Zuo Feng and Yao Nan. The three were about to make their way to the clock tower when they saw a Super Magician making his way back to the inner city.
Yao Nan was overjoyed when he saw the man. He immediately went up to him.
"Boss, where's the big guy?" Yao Nan glanced at the pale-faced Du Xiao and asked in confusion.
Du Xiao did not respond. He was wearing a grim expression.
Yao Nan knew the answer from observing Du Xiao's expression. His words simply stuck in his throat.
The enormous green beast was dead. It was the Summoned Beast that had kept Du Xiao company for many years...
"How are your injuries?" Yao Nan switched the topic.
"Not too bad, it's just that my soul is greatly affected," responded Senior Hunter Du Xiao.
A Contracted Beast's soul was linked to their Summoner's soul. The death of a Contracted Beast was the same as slashing the Summoner's soul with a sword. It explained why Du Xiao had an extremely pale face.
"Senior Hunter, come with us to the clock tower. The chief of Hua Village, Xie Sang seems to have learned something about the imperial tomb. He's waiting for us there..." said the mysterious man.
"I'll wait here for the president and others, you all should go ahead," said Du Xiao.
"Alright."
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Initially, Mo Fan thought the things above his head were gray clouds, as it basically looked like a layer of clouds. However, when he discovered something wriggling above him, he was dismayed to discover that those things were not clouds at all. They were the heads and bodies of the ghastly zombies and phantoms!
"The monsters and demons in the furnace of Hell are right above us," Fang Gu stated for everyone.
Perhaps it had something to do with how the space was constructed, but the clouds in the space they were currently in consisted of the phantoms and zombies in the Dark Abyss. Similarly, the sky beyond the clouds was actually the entrance of the furnace!
More shockingly, a huge chunk of the clouds above would fall from the sky at times, pouring down like rain...
That was the true definition of raining zombies!
"The palace tomb is just ahead. Shall we?" asked Liu Ru.
The ground ahead was rising slightly, forming a path similar to one leading to a villa located in the mountains. As the group walked further ahead, they discovered huge white stairs!
The stairs were extremely wide, about two hundred meters across. It was clear that the stairs were constructed for humans, yet they still required some time just to make their way to the top where the palace tomb was. The stairs lead a long way to the top, like a cliff rising into the sky as they looked up...
The group of five started to climb the stairs. They were relieved when they realized that the zombies pouring down like rain did not land anywhere close to the white palace tomb.
The white of the palace tomb did not fit well into the nasty world of foul rot, deathly stench, and skeletons. If the group didn't know about the scarier things awaiting them inside, the structure simply looked like a sacred hall built to cleanse the surrounding atmosphere.
The group of five were like ants lost on a white sheet as they continued climbing the stairs. Figures made of stone gradually appeared on both sides as they advanced further. Their appearance somehow reminded Mo Fan of some creatures he had seen before.
Two stone figures were placed on both sides every ten stairs, like guards defending the entrance of the palace, adding a hint of nobility to the lifeless atmosphere.
"Say, do you think they can move?" asked Liu Ru cautiously.
"I think so, I believe they are not just decorations," said Mo Fan honestly.
Those who had not eaten pork could still identify a running pig. Whenever statues that were life-like were found in some eerie palaces or mysterious tombs, they would come alive in the end. Mo Fan was definitely not fooling around!
{TL Note: A common saying taken from the classic "A Dream of Red Mansions". It means that even though someone has not experienced something firsthand, they still have some knowledge of it.}
"Brother Fan, don't you think they look similar to the White Sand Demons?" asked Zhang Xiaohou.
"You think so too? It seems like the history of the Drifting Sand River dates back to that time two thousand years ago," said Mo Fan.
"They do look scary..." Fang Gu led the way at a faster pace, "But I do want to see this old ancestor that has asked us to protect the Kun Wells for generations."
"Let's hope that your old ancestor is a friendly person," said Mo Fan.
Too many people had died in this calamity; that they had already become numb toward death.
The numbness was quite disheartening, too. Mo Fan only hoped it would come to an end as soon as possible.
"Why is there a copper mirror here?" Zhang Xiaohou raised his head and saw a huge, eerie copper mirror standing apart from the entrance of the palatial tomb!
Chapter 660 - The Spiritual Art Corridor
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
The group continued to ascend the stairs. To their surprise, they managed to reach the entrance before the stone figures came alive.
The unexpected outcome simply gave Mo Fan a loud slap to the face. The man could not help but explain himself, "It's most likely that the bloodline of the villages has stopped them from coming alive...I'm guessing that some monster is going to jump out from the mirror," said Mo Fan.
The mirror that Mo Fan was referring to was hanging right on the entrance of the palace tomb. The doors were tightly shut. The architecture consisted of perfect squares and rectangles, with some white cauldrons on the sides.
"I was given a fright as soon as I reached the top of the stairs. I thought the mirror was watching us, as if it were the palace's eye," Su Xiaoluo blurted out.
Mo Fan took a closer look and immediately sensed the feeling of being watched as Su Xiaoluo had mentioned, goosebumps rising all over him.
"It does feel like an eye...by the way, Su Xiaoluo, do you think the stairs look familiar to the drawings in the well when we are looking down from here?" Fang Gu asked Su Xiaoluo grimly as a thought crossed his mind.
"The drawing in the well?" Su Xiaoluo was stunned. She immediately turned around and glanced down at the long stairs. Her confused look was gradually replaced with astonishment, "You're right, it's the drawing in the well. No wonder I was feeling the stairs were familiar!"
Mo Fan, Zhang Xiaohou, and Liu Ru had no clue what the drawing in the well that Fang Gu and Su Xiaoluo were discussing meant. Did that mean the villages were already in possession of the drawings of the imperial tomb?
"The Kun Well in our village is rather special. During a specific time every night, if you look into the well, you'll see a life-like drawing at its bottom. No, it feels more like the bottom is connected to somewhere else. It's like seeing a different world through the well. I can only remember seeing white jade stones in the shape of stairs. Aren't they the stairs we just climbed?" said Su Xiaoluo.
Mo Fan fell speechless for a while. Didn't that mean the Kun Wells that the villages had protected for generations were the white palace tomb entrances?
The strange drawing they saw at the bottom of the well was the imperial tomb!
"It's that Wicked Eye Copper Mirror. I believe the image it's reflecting is actually what we saw at the bottom of the well. You mentioned that it felt like an eye; it is an eye!" Fang Gu pointing at the mirror.
Su Xiaoluo came to a realization too, and her eyes glittered. "That means the drawing we saw at the bottom of the well is real. It's the scene of our old ancestor's tomb!"
Mo Fan and Zhang Xiaohou exchanged glances with one another as the other two in their group learned the meaning behind the teachings of their ancestors. They could see the disbelief in one another's eyes!
A long-distance surveillance camera from two thousand years ago!
The villagers were entrusted to protect the Ancient King's tomb.
It was likely that the emperor had spent more time and effort on constructing his tomb than he had invested in conquering the six nations. Otherwise, how did he manage to construct such a remarkable kingdom of death in the old times, one that had not been disturbed for over two thousand years?
"I don't know if this works, but let's try," Fang Gu murmured to himself as he took out an old copper mirror out of nowhere.
The copper mirror was only around the size of a palm. Its shape was similar to the Wicked Eye Copper Mirror hanging on the entrance. Fang Gu raised the mirror in his hand and directed it at the Wicked Eye Copper Mirror...
The Wicked Eye Copper Mirror blinked like a huge eye. Its gaze locked onto Fang Gu, Mo Fan, Zhang Xiaohou, Liu Ru and Su Xiaolu!
The white doors started opening slowly all of a sudden, like something was pulling the heavy doors apart. The moment the entrance opened, a strong gust of wind burst out with a howl, almost sending the group flying down the stairs.
It was obvious that the entrance had never been opened since it was shut. The difference in air pressure on both sides was immense!
"Let's go, the stone figures we saw are moving," said Fang Gu.
After learning the truth of the drawing in the well, Fang Gu seemed to recall more information about the place.
Mo Fan reflexively turned around as he heard noises coming from the stairs. He glanced back and down, and saw the stone figures coming to life. It was hard to tell how many years they had been asleep for, as they even forgot how to walk properly, and were staggering around like infants.
However, it was not a funny scene at all. Mo Fan could sense the overwhelming auras from the stone figures that were now moving. Each was stronger than the White Sand Giants they had encountered at the Drifting Sand River!
"They are very strong. If we couldn't open the door, it's likely that we'd all die to them," said Fang Gu.
Mo Fan nodded. He could at most handle two or three of the stone figures, but there was a whole bunch of them coming toward the group. They were as many as a pack of zombies!
The group of five did not dare waste any more time. They quickly entered the white palace tomb.
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The group followed as Fang Gu led the way. He would come to a stop, trying to recall information about the place now and then. It was obvious that the information that their ancestors had passed down was related to the white palace tomb. With the clues, it would be easier for them to locate the Ancient King.
They found themselves in a long corridor filled with art. The carvings hanging on the walls on both sides seemed to be the Ancient King's personal collection.
"Remember, try not to look at the art. They might be traps set up with the Psychic Element. If you somehow trigger the traps, you will fall into an illusion, a dream, and find yourself trapped within it," Fang Gu reminded the others, as if he had been here before.
