Cries of outrage fill the room.
Li Yujian is the first to rebuke him. "Who are you to accuse us? Reveal your identity at once!"
Chu Jia continues, "Any one of us has contributed far more to mankind than you; I'm beginning to suspect you!"
Ling Xi mildly chides, "You can't seriously expect us to believe you so easily. Provide some strong evidence or leave the room, any flimsy accusations will be met with ridicule."
Wang Kai defends him. "He clearly has some sort of plan. I'm willing to hear him out."
Fei Jiao follows suit. "Seconded. He already gave us critical information on how the Black Vatican started this whole mess, he's not one of them."
[So Li Yujian, Chu Jia, and Ling Xi are prime suspects, along with the others that didn't defend him. Wait, unless Wang Kai and Fei Jiao are just trying to appear innocent… ]
I don't have an adequate grasp of their personalities, so I can't analyze their behavior to single out anyone. Any Black Vatican members could chastise him, support him, or remain silent, and these three actions aren't indicative of anything, since they don't know whether the others will dogpile onto their questioning or do the exact opposite. The best they can do is pick one action, not go too hard, and hope the majority picks the same choice.
However, it seems the mess is about to be resolved. Han Ji stands up.
"He's trustworthy, one of my men. Let him speak."
"Thank you, President. As I was saying, at least one of you is a member of the Black Vatican. I did not go to that alley; I sent one of my men there dressed up identically to my current outfit. The undead did kill him, but it wasn't a coincidence. They were drawn to him via some substance the Black Vatican concocted, or some other similar explanation. He could have evaded even Great Commanders under normal circumstances, so there was foul play that lured a huge Bone Official right to him. This was done to cover the hand of the Black Vatican, but they've still revealed themselves.
"Now, to analyze the situation in the room. It is simply impossible for Yang Jianyu to be a member of the Black Vatican: his original parents died to them, he lost classmates and friends in Bo City to them, and he nearly lost a dear friend to them near this city. He has spent his entire life at odds with them, and they have demonstrated a willingness to kill him in Bo City. He is clear.
"That leaves the eleven authorities here, not including President Han. I'm in close communication with several people tracking Salan, the Red Cardinal responsible for the Bo City calamity, and they've all traced him to here. He's overseeing the downfall of the Ancient Capital. Because all of you are of high status and possess enormous strength at the Super level, none of you can be Gray Priests, Black Clergy, or even Blue Deacons. No, the Black Vatican member here must be a Red Cardinal, the only one involved in this crisis: Salan! One of you is Salan!"
An uproar occurs, and Li Yujian is yet again the first to criticize him.
"How do you know Han Ji isn't Salan? This lowly Advanced Mage can't possibly be Salan, but your President could be."
"Because I trust him completely, for reasons I won't reveal here. All you need to know is that I trust him, and anyone with logic who isn't a member of the Black Vatican can tell that I am also not one of them. I've provided too much information, too much analysis that harms the Black Vatican's agenda. I didn't even have to support the kid's accusation that the Black Vatican is involved, and if I hadn't, none of you would have believed him. Therefore, either you stop accusing me, Han Ji, and Yang Jianyu, or you give yourself away."
[Finally, he shuts his mouth.]
Several of them still don't look convinced, but they allow us to proceed.
[If I were Salan, would I remain here to see how things play out, or would I leave? I suppose trying to escape at this time would be highly suspicious, so I'm guessing he'll stay here.]
Wang Kai speaks up. "Then… what do we do now?"
"On the phone, I told my man to come here after waiting a while. He should be here any minute now."
Right on cue, a short, muscular, bald man in uniform enters the room, with a ghastly man in tow.
The bald man doesn't introduce himself, merely his compatriot. "This is Fang Gu. I believe he'll be extremely useful." He then leaves.
Fang Gu steps forward. "I've committed crimes. I took revenge on Hua Village for horrible grievances they inflicted upon me and my family. Although some of them escaped, I plead guilty as the murderer for the ones who died in the village. However, I ask that you all set this aside for now and punish me if we get through this crisis. Two things can be done. The first is taking away the source of energy that the undead use to remain active during the day, but it's not realistic to pause the rain. The second is removing their source of motivation, which is to greet the King. If they no longer sense his imminent arousal, they'll disappear back underground. We need to enter the Dark Abyss, find his tomb, and figure out a way to purify his corpse."
[So Fang Gu was responsible for the undead surrounding Hua Village?]
"I doubt anyone other than a few select people from the villages know about the Dark Abyss like I do. Essentially, he created it to protect his corpse after failing to fully transform into an eternal undead, and came up with measures to ensure he'd awaken at some point. The villagers around the Ancient Capital are the only people that can enter the Dark Abyss without getting eaten; I believe he planned on them playing a role to wake him up, but it seems that didn't work out because most of the villagers have no idea he's sleeping in the Dark Abyss. That's to our advantage now. We need some knowledgeable people from the villages, preferably chiefs, to go in. Any strong Mages that want to try their luck at entering the Dark Abyss, maybe their combat power will come in handy if they indeed have a relatively pure villager bloodline. Or maybe not, if the trials in the Dark Abyss adjust themselves to one's power level, which is not unlikely."
I step in to simplify things. "So first, get the village chiefs. Next, ask them about the Dark Abyss and the Ancient King's tomb, and maybe they'll even know how to prevent his rise. After that, group all knowledgeable and willing villagers, Fang Gu, and Mages who want to test their luck. Send them to the Dark Abyss, and perhaps they'll stop the Ancient King from waking. That'll save the city. Otherwise, we all die. No matter what, the 11 authorities here must ensure they remain within sight of each other at all times, and if anyone leaves without 4 people going with them, assume they're Salan. Restroom privacy is a non-issue when millions of lives are on the line. I want to see how Salan will escape if all of you remain vigilant and watch each other for signs of possible communication with an outside force."
The mysterious man and Fang Gu both nod in approval. Han Ji begins ordering his underlings to find all the village chiefs and knowledgeable villagers to bring them here.
…
…
[Of course, Chief Xie Sang.]
Apparently, almost every village has been wiped out by the undead. Only Chief Xie Sang and the others that I escorted managed to live. Not admirable planning by the Ancient King: he didn't work some kind of safeguard into the undead to prevent them from harming the villagers.
Nevertheless, we inform Chief Xie Sang and his people of the current situation, and they nearly fall over from the dizzying news.
He musters the discipline to recover. "We are willing to enter the Dark Abyss, since we're as good as dead if we don't. However, there's the question of locating it. Its Spatial Unpredictability means it teleports to random places for brief periods of time, but we need to find it in order to eliminate the Ancient King."
I frown. "Is there any chance it'll show up here, given the fact that the undead are congregated in the area? If there is a connection, it doesn't really matter whether the Dark Abyss is attracting the undead or vice versa; they'll both be in the city eventually."
"From what I know, it's possible. The stories mention 'where hell goes, the undead follow.' So if the undead are here, they could be following the signs of the Dark Abyss appearing for the final time before the Ancient King awakens."
Suddenly, the door bursts open, revealing Mu Bai carrying an unconscious Zhang Xiaohou. An unsettling black silhouette is crawling around his cranium. It looks like… a centipede.
"An Amnesia Bug! Only powerful Psychic Magicians have a chance at killing it while keeping him alive." Han Ji exclaims.
He strides over to Zhang Xiaohou, using his Healing Element at the Super stage to eliminate the toxins released by the bug causing his current state. The black substance in his veins slowly dissipates, and his eyes flutter open.
"I- I know! They tried to silence me when I fell into the Dark Abyss because I heard the voice of Great Deacon Hu Jin- AARRGHH! It sounded like MMMAAHHH! MU HE! AAAAAAHHHHH!"
As he speaks, the Amnesia Bug grows restless and inflicts heavy spiritual damage on his soul, eliciting screams of agony. His final words provoke the bug to injure his soul so heavily that he falls into a coma again. Han Ji preserves his life yet again by removing the black poison, but even his Super Healing Element is hardly up to the task. What a vicious creature. Su Xiaoluo is crying, resting her head on his chest. I'm feeling hollow myself.
[So one of the Blue Deacons under Salan is Mu He? A Deacon of high enough status to be distinguished from others with the Great Deacon title?]
The authorities appear shocked, and Han Ji notifies a group of Imperial Magicians to find and subdue Mu He. Within 30 minutes, they bring his cuffed and restrained body here, though by the looks of it, not without a fight. I suppose this confirms his identity as a Blue Deacon; the Imperial Magicians have excellent reputations in the city, so any innocent wouldn't go so far as to attack them to escape arrest.
They roughly shove him into a chair, and Han Ji dismisses the lot to continue fighting the undead and escorting civilians to the safe zone behind the inner walls barrier.
I hadn't expected him to be a Blue Deacon. On reflection, Yu Ang was a member, and perhaps Mu He was responsible for the egotistic little shit's introduction. I walk up to him.
"Mu He, fancy seeing you here. We have a decent guess, but we're still unsure how exactly to proceed with finding the Dark Abyss. Any ideas on locating it you'd like to offer?"
"Haha, like I'll tell a brat who still lacks hair anything! How amusing, hahahahahaaa!"
I exhale in consternation. "Those of you who dislike graphic scenes, I advise you to avert your eyes and close your ears." Predictably, none do.
His arms and legs are currently cuffed to his chair, and there's a Magic Tool in the form of a chain around his neck, presumably interrupting him from aligning his stars. He's already practically immobile, so I allow him the small window of space to writhe around rather than fire a shadow nail at him; it'll enhance the pain.
I walk around the chair to his back, where his hands are cuffed to the chair. I pull an arrow from my quiver.
"Can a Fire Mage help heat this up?" Commander Lu Xu rises up to oblige, conjuring a scorching ball of flame in his hand. I wrap my hand in cloth, even though the shaft of the arrow doesn't transmit heat, and hold the arrow's razor sharp tip to the flame: in seconds, it's white-hot.
I take a peek at Mu He's face, and indeed, he's trying to compose himself while nervous about the pain that's soon to come. I prolong the moment to heighten his anxiety, then shove the arrow's tip under the nail of his left pinky finger.
"MMRRHHHH!!"
He grits his teeth while holding back a scream as his nail falls off, revealing burnt flesh underneath. I scrape at it, eliciting more suppressed grunts, until I uncover a nerve. Pausing briefly, I then slowly slide the searing arrowhead along the nerve, and he finally can't restrain his cries of agony.
"AAAAAAARRGHHHHHHHHH! AAAAMMMMAAAAAHH!"
I glance around the room, seeing horrified expressions everywhere. I continue for over a minute, until the nerve is cut apart and burnt black. Mu He's face is covered in tears and snot as he sobs, recovering from the torture he just suffered. I wait another minute or so for him to compose himself, then proceed with my questioning.
"Are you ready to answer? You might be scared of Salan, but I promise you, every single nerve in your body will undergo the same fate, and only then will you die. I suspect you have no one you care about, so I doubt anything Salan can do will be much worse. Plus, we're the good guys. I don't enjoy this whatsoever; your screams annoy me. I'll be happy to stop once you give us the information, whereas Salan might just torture you on a whim. We'll offer you a swift death after you tell us everything you know."
"F-f-f-fine. W-w-what s-should I tell you?"
"Excellent, thank you for cooperating. Here, I'll cool down this arrowhead." A hiss of steam arises as I cast a Basic Water spell, enveloping the arrow.
"Start with the Dark Abyss. When and where will it appear?"
"From what we know, any time within the next day; it'll be somewhere in the city."
"Are you aware of any method to guarantee the Ancient King won't wake up?"
"No. All you can do is jump into the abyss, hope you don't get devoured by the deathly presence and undead, and look for his tomb."
[Well, shit.]
"Any way to make the undead leave?"
"No, they'll continue coming as long as they feel the Ancient King stirring. You don't have mages strong enough to counter the magic conjured by the people who are funneling the Dew of Nine Serenities into the clouds, and Salan hasn't told anyone where they are, even me."
"I don't think there's much else regarding the undead invasion. Note that I'll torture another 4 of your fingers if you lied about the Dark Abyss timing and we find out tomorrow. Want to correct your claim, or any other claims?"
He doesn't hesitate, and I don't see deceit in his eyes. "No."
"Alright. Do any of you authorities want to ask something about the Ancient King or Dark Abyss?"
Fei Jiao queries, "Which one of these people is-"
I cut him off by knocking Mu He out with the Chaotic Piercer. "Alright, I guess that's it. President Han, can you have him escorted to a secure place? He may be useful later."
[Please, higher-ups, be smarter than Fei Jiao.]
My worries are not unfounded. As usual, Li Yujian sticks his filthy tongue into this business.
"What an arrogant kid, daring to interrupt his elders. I suggest we-"
"That's enough, Family Head Li. Just because you're too thick to understand doesn't mean… " Han Ji's defense of me trails off, since he doesn't want to explain himself. Doing so would be counterproductive.
[Asking who Salan is might seem like an innocuous question at first, but if Salan wasn't already prepared, it might compromise Salan. Therefore, if Mu He has an Amnesia Bug in his brain, Salan would activate it before the Great Deacon could reveal anything, meaning we'd lose a great deal of potential information. Han Ji recognized this and backed me up in quieting Fei Jiao and Li Yujian.]
Wait. Why hasn't Salan already activated the bug, if Mu He has one? Surely revealing any information about the plan is an action that warrants loss of memory, if not death. Salan has proven himself to be creative and capable of critical thinking with his two masterpieces of Bo City and Xi'an. He wouldn't miss the opportunity to shut up a subordinate with loose lips.
[Unless he can't.]
Do Black Vatican members not use the bug amongst themselves? Does Mu He's status as a Great Deacon grant him an exemption from the bug? Or does he simply not know Salan's true identity, and Salan is too arrogant to shut him up?
Thoughts whirl within my mind.
[This must be why Han Ji trailed off. Not because he didn't want to explain, but because he realized Salan won't kill Mu He. No matter the reason, if Salan wanted to and could, he would have already done so.]
Salan is cautious. He'd never wantonly reveal his identity, nor allow it to be revealed. Therefore, it's highly likely Mu He doesn't know Salan's true face. Maybe no one in the entire Black Vatican does, let alone Salan's subordinates. And I think it's more probable that Mu He doesn't have an Amnesia Bug rather than Salan being too arrogant to kill him before the torture forced him to confess.
I whisper my deductions to Han Ji, and he solemnly nods, having arrived at the same conclusions.
Mu He has already been dragged off to a prison cell for further interrogation.
The mysterious man speaks, "... Fantastic. We know what to do. Wait for the Dark Abyss. Send word to the Mages behind the golden barrier, tell them to jump into the abyss if they don't mind sacrificing themselves for a chance they'll live and make things easier on the villagers in the Dark Abyss. Find the tomb, and possibly stop the Ancient King. Authorities, all of you must stay here in the meantime. Keep an eye on each other and make sure no one leaves."
Everyone nods, and we somberly await the Dark Abyss.
…
…
An Imperial Magician rushes in at noon the next day.
"There's an enormous black hole a few kilometers away from the barrier in the north! Lu Huan and the Nether Bone Ruler were dragged into it. All the undead are congregating around it."
[Shit, I hadn't thought of this.]
Of course the undead would surround the Dark Abyss, wanting to see their King rise. I turn to the higher-ups.
Yao Ting hesitantly voices his concerns. "It's impossible for even all of us Super Mages combined to break a path through what seems to be hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of undead."
The Imperial Magician's face contorts. "The word of the plan spread to all the citizens. One of them came up with an idea to resolve this: a group of Mages and a lot of civilians will exit the barrier a bit left of the north, drawing the undead to them. After sufficient undead numbers have left the north, the Super Mages will charge through the path to the Dark Abyss. The proposer of this idea volunteered, and said that only those who want to volunteer should join, but thousands have already agreed to be bait. Lots of Mages are also willing to go out there to protect as many civilians as possible during the process."
Ugly expressions appear on everyone's countenances, but I can tell the authorities believe it's worth the cost.
Grimacing, Yao Ting announces, "We should hurry. All of us. Anyone who doesn't go is Salan. Villagers, Fang Gu, we'll meet up with Mages who want to test their luck in the Dark Abyss."
I remark, "There's a chance I'll survive there too. I drank the Underground Holy Spring, so maybe the Dark Abyss will leave me alone. Or maybe it will kill me even faster. Either way, I'm going to die in this sea of undead, so I may as well try. I'm coming."
Zhu Meng glowers at me. "Kid, you sit tight and shut up. It's not worth throwing away your life just for an obscure chance you might make a difference; I'll bring you out of the city if it truly falls."
I fixate a sincere, serious gaze upon him. "I can't just let millions of people die when I might have saved them. Trust me, I'm not playing with my life."
He relents, seeming to age by decades. "Fine."
[I guess Zhan Kong kept a tight lid on my Demon Element after all.]
…
…
Around a hundred Mages volunteered to jump into the abyss with the villagers, Fang Gu, and me. A battalion of 500 Advanced Mages, led by the 11 authorities, surrounds us.
A group of thousands of civilians and dozens of Mages leaves the giant golden barrier to our left. Immediately, the nearby undead are drawn to the huge presence of life, and the path to the Dark Abyss clears significantly.
The cost, however, is not light. Young men and women with their lives ahead of them, elderly who can't defend themselves, all wear peaceful expressions that contrast their gruesome deaths. A petite young lady's legs spurt blood as a skeleton chomps on them, her arms and head following shortly. An aged man collapses, due to a zombie knocking aside his cane. It agonizingly tears apart his skull, eating the wrinkled brain within. A young couple hug each other while bones stab into their eye sockets, ear canals, necks. They too fall to the ground. A young bald man sits in a lotus position, a beacon of stoicism in the face of doom. He maintains it even when a Corpse General tears off his entire upper body, leaving a spine surrounded by blood connected to the legs. Dozens, hundreds keep dying. Human life appears worthless amidst the horizon filled with death.
A tear runs down my left cheek. All of them knew this would happen, yet they still volunteered for this suicidal mission with an obscure hope that I and the others might save the city.
[I'm sorry.]
Everyone around me is affected by the sight, their faces twisting in helplessness. Many are crying. But we've got a duty to carry out.
Gargantuan gusts of wind surround us, and they thrust us into the sky. The surroundings are nothing but blurs; I can hardly make out Ling Xi casting a Super Wind spell that slices thousands of undead into pieces, or Lu Xu conjuring a firestorm so large that I can feel its heat from hundreds of meters away, or Zhu Meng, clad in lightning armor, directing purple streaks of electricity the size of skyscrapers into a colossal pile of flesh that might be the ruler of the Corpse Officials. The undead in front of us are cut, burnt, electrocuted, poisoned, frozen to pieces by the Advanced and Super Mages facilitating our charge. Twisting my neck, I gaze at the group of people who volunteered as bait. None managed to make it back to the barrier; all that remains of them is bits of their skin, organs, and flesh strewn everywhere. Thousands of people, leading peaceful lives, are now gone from this world. Tens or hundreds of thousands already suffered the same fate in the city during the undead invasion.
[I can't look back. I need to focus on what's to come.]
The Mountain Zombie is the final obstacle, though that hardly matters because it seems insurmountable. It's over 2000 meters tall and appears robust: fit for battle. Its graying skin and rotting flesh only contribute to its imposing, deathly figure.
Yao Ting shouts, "I'll distract it! GO!"
Silver waves of energy undulate from his body as he teleports to the Mountain Zombie's neck hundreds of meters away. The Space Element.
"Your existence has reached its end!" the voice of Commander Yao Ting slices the air, cold and commanding. Swiftly, the brilliance of his Stars manifests, encircling him as intricate Star Patterns unite seamlessly. Star Constellations unfurl. A grand Star Palace materializes.
Commander Yao Ting's form twists and vanishes in the blink of an eye.
The Mountain Zombie is befuddled, confused that a human dares appear before it. Its malevolent eyes momentarily glimmer black, then blaze with twin rays of death aimed at the man in blue.
Yet the man's form twists once more, evaporating into the aether before the rays can find their mark. Rage courses through the Mountain Zombie's being. It hoists a colossal palm, a retaliatory swipe directed at its own shoulder, but the man in blue has already maneuvered behind the monster.
Yao Ting continues apparating around the monstrosity. At last, he reappears suspended in the heavens before the Mountain Zombie, arms extended as if to harness an unseen forc.
"Space Compass: Axis of Death!" He intones.
When he utters the words, a silver light suddenly erupts at the locations he had appeared at before. The silver light merges into a silver compass hanging in the air, extending from the Mountain Zombie's forehead to its chest!
Commander Yao Ting performs one last teleportation, but this time I see a black trail running through the center of the compass, passing through the Mountain Zombie's body.
The sound of a string snapping echoes in the air. The death axis freezes the Mountain Zombie completely for a few seconds, before blood jets out from both sides of its neck, pouring down like a stream from the sky, dying the whole area red.
The Mountain Zombie roars in pain, but the action only increases the blood flowing from its neck. It had been perfectly unharmed even after it was struck by countless Advanced spells, but now, the dispirited Magicians immediately regain their morale when they witness Commander Yao Ting's attack finally inflicting damage on the enormous creature.
Trembles of space ring through the atmosphere as he continues engaging the Mountain Zombie, but the battle is already behind us. In front of us is a dark hole, but a red glow of light emanating from within reveals the countless undead waiting to devour us. I can imagine this is what religious people picture when they think of hell. But this is hell on Earth.
There isn't any time for sorrowful goodbyes. The winds unceremoniously toss us into the abyss. I hear Han Ji's last words: "Yang Jianyu, the fate of this city is in your hands!"
…
…
As I'm falling, Nyx vibrates, enveloping me in a strange aura. The Underground Holy Spring! Not the actual water, which Nyx has long since refined, but some of its radiance or essence remains. Luckily, my guess was correct: the endless undead around me leave me alone.
At least in the physical sense.
My mind becomes a vessel of loathing. It's as though a multitude of specters tenderly pour their whispered grievances, lamentations, and stories into my ears, as if seeking my willingness to listen.
The first time you hear it, a pang of pity surges for the 'girl' who plunged into the abyss of darkness. The second time, you're filled with an indignant thought that she shouldn't bear such torment. But as the whispers drone on, the third, fourth, and fifth times...
The relentless barrage continues. The sorrowful memories are forced into my consciousness, thrusting me into the pain and agony they endured. Show the slightest hint of impatience, and the ghost transforms instantly, no longer a pitiable figure, but a furious wraith!
"Feel my anguish!"
"Come, share in my suffering!"
"Time keeps passing here. I have much to tell, but are you willing to hear? No, you're not willing? How dare you! Can you understand what I've gone through?"
In my descent into the Dark Abyss, reality blurs into a chaotic dream. The ghosts' pasts relentlessly assail me, each experience inflicting intense agony.
The procession is unending. Countless spirits encircle me, each pouring out their agony, even ensnaring me within their own nightmares. I'm subjected to a ceaseless loop of hanging, drowning, brutal beatings, and the suffocating embrace of a coffin...
[As if this could possibly affect me. Have I not experienced my own share of destruction, loss, pain, anguish? Which of these ghosts dares to claim they've suffered more?]
My thoughts repel the phantoms; they recoil from the novel feeling of memories as horrifying as theirs.
…
…
My eyelids flutter open. I'm sitting on rough dirt, and I glance around. Evidently, I'm the first to wake.
My surroundings are grim. The gray ground, a dim reddish sky, void encircling the huge region. The Ancient King achieved absurd heights in the Space Element, allowing him to compress such an enormous area and connect it to the Dark Abyss's tiny entrance. At least, tiny in comparison.
In the distance, there's a white palace. White stone steps 200 meters wide form a staircase up to the entrance, and gray gargoyles line the sides of the staircase.
Not a single one of the Mages made it through. There's just Chief Xie Sang, Fang Gu, Su Xiaoluo, and the other Hua Village peoples. Zhang Xiaohou is also present; his mother left an ancestral plum in his house at Bo City that Fang Gu confirmed was of villager origin. This explains why he survived the first time he fell in: his mom is a villager descendant.
I rouse them from slumber by shaking each of their shoulders, and they come to. The horrific memories imprinted onto their souls cause them to cry for a few minutes, until their souls purge the foreign matter and they recover their sense of identity.
Su Xiaoluo is the first to recognize the landscape. "I've seen this! A picture of white stone steps in the well in our village."
"I take it that means we should be entering the palace. Let's go."
I warily scan the gargoyles adjacent to us on our climb. They're currently immobile, but I set aside some of my attention to keep an eye on them.
Once we reach the top, we're faced with a door large enough to fit Commanders, with a huge copper mirror fixed above it.
"A Wicked Eye Copper Mirror? I don't know if this works, but let's try," Fang Gu murmurs to himself as he takes out an old copper mirror out of nowhere. Chief Xie Sang extracts a similar one from his backpack, then decides to put it back after seeing Fang Gu's.
The copper mirror is only around the size of a palm, though its elliptical shape is similar to the Wicked Eye Copper Mirror hanging on the entrance. Fang Gu raises the mirror in his hand and directs it at the Wicked Eye Copper Mirror. Giving us all a jumpscare, the colossal mirror blinks like a giant eye, and the door opens shortly after.
Marvelous timing: the door closes behind us right as the gargoyles start shifting around. Fang Gu leads the way forward into a long hallway with paintings hung on the sides.
He reminds us, "Don't look at the art. It's infused with the Psychic Element to draw you into a world that'll drive you mad."
…
…
We've walked for a few minutes, when I pick up on something bizarre.
"I've… seen this canvas already. A monstrosity of a goat with horns and rows of sharp teeth. We're in a loop. A spatial loop. How can we break free?"
Su Xiaoluo chimes in, "Of course! The second carving in the well referred to this art here." She walks up to a painting and focuses her gaze on a pattern resembling a woman from the ancient era, reaching out her hand to touch that facsimile…
Slowly, Su Xiaoluo's eyes begin to show different kinds of emotion, as if her soul is hooked into the artwork. Her expression changes continuously, from happy to sad, calm to anger, virtuous to sinister.
"She is interpreting the illusion. This corridor must be a combination of the Psychic and Space Elements. If we can't find the key to the illusions inside the artworks, we will be trapped here forever…" Fang Gu explains.
Sometime later, a wisp of light appears ahead of the corridor, and the haze surrounding the end is gone, rendering it visible. Su Xiaoluo's eyes return to normal, although her thoughts are still lost as she's recovering from the illusions.
"Are you alright?" Zhang Xiaohou expresses concern.
She nods, absently replying, "It turns out that the people from the villages are the only ones allowed to enter. Anyone else would easily be trapped in the illusions, leading to their deaths. Instead, it set me free after I experienced each of around 10 lifetimes. Thankfully, those memories are starting to fade, so I regained my true self."
With that, we exit the corridor, finding ourselves in a spacious hall constructed with white jade so smooth that our reflections are visible. Pillars stand firmly around the place, each one so thick that it'd need four or five people to surround it. Their surfaces are full of runes that I can't comprehend.
[Perhaps I've obtained enough general knowledge about the demon creatures, their habitats, dangerous places, etc. If I survive this, I'll begin building up my knowledge on runes and formations.]
The hall seems rather empty: the only sound is the footsteps echoing in the spacious expanse. As we proceed forward, Nyx suddenly vibrates, indicating it's found a delectable source of energy.
[The last time this happened, it absorbed the Underground Holy Spring and evolved. What now?]
Nyx leads me to a stone table in the center of the hall with a crystal-like lotus on it exuding an appealing scent of petrichor. Fang Gu's face sinks after finding the object holding my attention.
"I'm afraid we won't be able to go any deeper. I think this lotus is called the Eternal Lotus. The teachings mentioned that the bridge to the altar will only appear after the Eternal Lotus dies."
"Eternal Lotus, does something like that exist in this world? Wouldn't it die if I tear it into pieces?" Zhang Xiaohou objects.
"You can try."
Zhang Xiaohou simply tears the strange lotus, colored pink and green, into pieces in just a few seconds; the petals scatter across the ground. However, in just a few moments, the petals and other shreds of the flower rise and reassemble back on the table: the flower is as good as new.
"Back off… Wind Disc: Sky Snare!"
Zhang Xiaohou casts the Intermediate Wind Spell, shredding the lotus into dust. However, even as the wind dissipates, the particles gather back on the table and combine into the same innocent-looking lotus, leaving us all bewildered.
"What shall we do now? We don't have much time to waste here?" Su Xiaoluo starts to panic, understandably. Millions of people are waiting to be saved, and the golden barrier surrounding the inner city walls can only last for so long against the undead's onslaught.
"It's no use, it will still recover even if you blast it with a Super Spell," Fang Gu deplorably states.
"Allow me to try."
I stride up to the lotus, seizing it in my hand. Feeling everyone's eyes on me, I walk to a corner and allow Nyx to suck it into its space. Sending a strand of Intent inside, the familiar sight of the Nether River with lights above the water greets me, but there's a newcomer: a pink and green crystalline flower. One by one, its petals wilt, and the flower slowly vanishes, allowing Nyx to devour the surging energy contained within it. The space grows, and the Nether River expands in width and length, with more violent currents flowing through it.
Nyx's evolution is accompanied by a glow, and subsequently a burst of energy rushes into my Spiritual World. Taken aback, I quickly direct it into my Water Nebula, whose stars have been churning restlessly for weeks. They finally circulate in excitement when offered the energy to expand into a larger space, crashing against the blue barrier surrounding the Nebula. The 4th tier stars facilitate its rupture, parallel to the case of the Light Nebula's expansion. The fact that I already have a Galaxy toughens my spiritual strength, allowing me to easily resist the mental blows associated with the cracks on the barrier. The endless energy supplied by Nyx completes the necessary preparations: the obstruction shattering apart is an outcome set in stone.
I watch in satisfaction as the Water stars whizz happily around in their spiral Galaxy, accompanied by 294 new buddies. I chose Water and not Shadow because the Shadow Nebula's stars weren't quite as energetic, and I'd rather guarantee an upgrade with Water than risk it with Shadow.
Walking back, I allow the others to inspect my newly advanced Water Galaxy.
Fang Gu's head is spinning. "You… actually managed to refine the Eternal Lotus and used its energy to fuel the expansion of one of your Nebulas? Even Forbidden Mages must exert serious effort to eradicate them."
"Let's not discuss how I did it. The fact is, I did it. And now the next section of the palace is unlocked. We should keep moving."
…
…
Exiting the hall, the path narrows, leading us to a jade platform surrounded by a sheer edge with no ground visible beneath. A churning black wind surges everywhere except over the platform and the 10 bridges leading away from it.
Zhang Xiaohou exclaims, "That wind is lethal! Even Rulers would be shredded into pieces within seconds of exposure. We should stick to the bridges while going forward."
Su Xiaoluo pulls him back as he tries to advance. "Wait!"
Chief Xie Sang solemnly states, "The Nine Bridges of Death and One Bridge of Life."
"Nine bridges of death, and one bridge of life. Nine lead to a death zone constructed by the Ancient King, and one leads to his tomb. Our ancient teachings mentioned this, but it did not tell us which one is the right one," Fang Gu expounds.
"Luckily, with you, Yang Jianyu, and Zhang Xiaohou in addition to our 13 Hua villagers brave enough to volunteer, we can send one along three bridges and two along the other seven," Chief Xie Sang replies.
"We only require one person to enter each bridge, so it's fine if we send more than 2 for some of them if people related to each other want to stick together. I want Zhang Xiaohou and Su Xiaoluo with me," I announce.
"Reasonable. As Chief, I'll go alone."
"I've committed too many crimes. I won't drag anyone else with me; I'll choose a bridge on my own," Fang Gu follows suit.
Two more people are fine with being by themselves, and the rest pair up.
"Good luck, all of you." I wave the others off, and start heading down the second bridge from the right with Zhang Xiaohou and Su Xiaoluo.
A sickening sensation germinates in my abdomen as we walk along the bridge. There's a silver circle in the distance. Approaching it, we're alarmed to see the bridge vanishing behind us, devoured by the sickles of black wind. We run into the silver mirror, which turns out to be the entrance to a space tunnel. Our stomachs churn as the tunnel guides us down its endlessly spiraling path, and I almost feel like I'm on a dizzyingly long slide.
After a minute or so, it spits us onto dry, gray, rocky ground, devoid of any life. We're in yet another unique space.
[No coffin, altar, or anything of the sort.]
Su Xiaoluo arrives at the same conclusion, wailing, "We took the Bridge of Death!"
Zhang Xiaohou reassures her, "Don't panic; the Ancient King might not necessarily sentence us to death. Stay calm and prepare for what's to come."
"Xiaohou, focus on guarding her and yourself. I'll handle the rest."
"Jianyu, I can-"
"No, you can't. Work harder, become an Advanced Mage. But right now, you'll be helping the entire group by ensuring I don't have to spare you any of my attention. What if a Commander shows up? Will you fight alongside me and get torn to shreds? The optimal course of action is for the both of you to run to the edge of this space and defend yourselves. I'll face any threats for the time being, and of course you may rush to save me if I'm in danger."
He grudgingly obeys, lacking the rhetoric to refute me. I breathe a sigh of relief.
[That's one problem sorted. Now, will we die of thirst or hunger? Or will something show up?]
It's the latter. A silver vortex appears in the sky, and zombies, skeletons, and phantoms rain down. They sparsely cover a circle about a kilometer across, and smelling my blood or life energy, they start dragging themselves to my position.
Two thousand undead.
[Is that all you've got?]