Versatile Mage

Edited by Aelryinth

The Cold Prince had turned into a ghastly monster after losing his skin. His ugly, twisted face was distorted by pain. Anyone looking at it would assume it to be a filthy, petty, and evil existence produced after gathering hatred from people across the world!

Green blood was pouring out from the holes that the lightning had left on the Cold Prince’s chest. The monster could barely stand. The Underworld creatures in the surroundings had all perished, yet the Cold Prince was still standing. He was obviously enraged after suffering such great humiliation!

Any liar would be infuriated after their lies had been exposed. The Cold Prince was the same. The Red Cardinal was only applying Curse Magic to himself, and was not as powerful as people had imagined. The Black Vatican was like a fox exploiting a tiger’s might. They were traitors to mankind, and all they could do was something as despicable as opening up the gates to let the enemy in. They were not necessarily talented at doing other things.

The Demon-Horned Cold Prince was completely enraged. He had no intention of letting Mo Fan go, even though he had lost his outer skin!

He opened his mouth and spat out black smog at Mo Fan. The smog rolled forward like a cloud bank, instantly establishing the Demon-Horned God’s Domain!

The black smog was terrifyingly penetrating. It would drill into every opening it found to penetrate a living thing’s body and swiftly drain their life. Their fresh blood would turn into black filth, their organs would wilt into detritus, their bones would decay like wood…

“HAHAHA, didn’t you say you wanted to stop me? How are you going to stop me now!?” The Demon-Horned Cold Prince burst out laughing. Not only was his black smog covering Mo Fan, it was swiftly approaching the Great Wall!

The Cold Prince had realized he was no match for Demon Mo Fan. He had decided to massacre everyone instead, including his friendlies!

The outcome of the fight between Mo Fan and him did not even matter. The Cold Prince’s goal was to turn the North Valley into a land of the dead. He just needed to kill everyone on the Wall to allow the army of the Underworld to raze everything to the ground!

“Weren’t you acting tough just now? You are nothing but a foolish pest in front of the Great Pyramid of Giza!” the Cold Prince yelled wildly.

The Cold Prince continued to spit out black smog clouds in the direction of the Great Wall, as if the amount he had exhaled previously was nowhere enough.

—

The black mists rolled toward the Wall like stormy clouds. The defenders on the wall were gripped by great fear. Even the undead died rapidly when they were caught by the black smog, let alone humans like them!

“Master Cold Prince, our men are still on the wall!” Tall Sparrow yelled.

The troop of the Black Vatican led by Tall Sparrow and Green Ghost numbered about two thousand people. Most of them were elites too, and together with the Dark Beast Monsters, it was extremely powerful. Its objective was to destroy the Magic Fire Beacon on Northguard Fortress!

The battle had been going on for quite some time. Even though they had yet to make any progress, they were still the Black Vatican’s main troop. The black smog that the Cold Prince was releasing did not distinguish between friendlies and enemies!

The Demon Horn Black Smog soon reached the Great Wall. The Wall obviously could not stop it from entering the fortress. The members of the Black Vatican further away from the Magic Fire Beacon were swiftly turned into a pile of shattered, rotting tinder.

The speed they died at was extremely shocking. Just a little touch of the smog cost them their lives, bringing them to a horrible end!

Cries of agony kept coming from the members of the Black Vatican. The defenders had gathered at the Magic Fire Beacon where the Water Mages had set up Water Curtains along the perimeter to buy some time.

The members of the Black Vatican realized they had to work together to defend themselves from the black smog. They immediately gathered in one spot!

“Why? Why is Master Cold Prince doing this to us!?”

“He’s giving us a chance to be reborn!”

“Do you seriously believe that?”

The death count continued to rise. Not every defense was able to stop the deadly smog. The Cold Prince was no match for Demon Mo Fan, but the poisonous smog was just too deadly to the Mages under the Advanced and Super Levels. A single breath could easily kill them all!

—

Demon Mo Fan did not have any defensive abilities or protection, so he did not have any way to stop the smog.

He had to admit that the Cold Prince’s move was quite vicious. He did not have a chance against a stronger opponent, so he switched his attention to the weak ones instead…

“Blink!” Mo Fan could not afford to abandon the defenders.

The Demon Horned Cold Prince was not just spitting out smog from his mouth, he was releasing it from his body too! Even if Mo Fan managed to kill the Cold Prince, the deadly smog would still reach Northguard Fortress. The Cold Prince was ready to die, but before that, he would kill everyone other than Mo Fan!

He might not be able to kill Mo Fan, but he could kill everyone else!

Mo Fan traveled ten kilometers after a few Blinks. He rapidly approached the Magic Fire Beacon on Northguard Fortress.

“Mo Fan!” Lingling was overjoyed to see Mo Fan. However, she was stunned when she took a closer look at the Demon Runes all over his face and body.

It was Zhao Manyan’s first time seeing Mo Fan close up when he was in Demon form, too. He immediately had complicated feelings rising when he recalled the decision that Mo Fan had made back in Jinlin City.

Zhang Xiaohou had just arrived, and was relieved to see that everyone was fine.

“You guys should leave now, I’ll hold them off!” Mo Fan said.

“But…”

“Blink!” Mo Fan did not give them any chance to speak.

A dazzling silver light burst out of Mo Fan’s blood-red pupils. Countless Star Orbits, Star Patterns, and Star Constellations combined into a spectacular silver Star Palace!

When the light reached its limit, thousands of stars flickered and shattered into tiny pieces, like diamonds turning into dust.

The dust drifted in the wind and sprinkled across the place. The people gathered at Northguard Fortress’s Magic Fire Beacon had all disappeared.

—

The few hundred defenders were fighting amid the bloodbath just a moment ago, but they were moved to the other end of the fortress in the next moment. The area was completely empty. The Great Wall remained standing in the distance like a range of mountains, blocking the army of undead on the other side.

“Did…did we just…” Commander Ye Hong was left speechless. The Blink had teleported the hundreds of them in an instant, something that only the best Space Mages in the world could do!

The silver dust was still sprinkling down. The Prophet stared at Mo Fan’s back. He hesitated for a moment before he said, “That’s enough.”

Mo Fan turned around and saw the complicated look on the Prophet’s face.

Mo Fan knew what the Prophet was saying. He was planning to give up on the resistance…

The Sphinx had not stopped attacking the Great Wall. Northguard Fortress would collapse very soon.

General Bin Wei knew that better than anyone else. Besides, they had already run out of the Earth Fountain Spring Water.

They did not have an unlimited supply of the Earth Fountain Spring Water. Every time they manipulated the wall segments, every attempt to repair the Great Wall would cost a huge amount of the Water. Even if Mo Fan had not helped everyone escape from the deadly smog with Blink, the Great Wall would only have stood for a few more minutes.

——

As expected, the Great Wall began to shake as soon as the defenders left. The first huge crack appeared on the abandoned Wall. It was not just on the side of the wall that the Sphinx was attacking, but on the back of the Wall, too. More cracks began to surface, extending for a few hundred meters, to thousands of meters, and to a few kilometers!

“Damn it, if we could hold on for half a day more, they would have enough time to evacuate everyone!” Zhang Xiaohou grumbled.

Zhang Xiaohou had just come back from Shenmu Keep. The Earth Fountain Spring Water would be depleted very soon. He had thought to get some more from Northguard Fortress, but to his surprise, the rate of consumption was even higher at Northguard Fortress…

The Great Wall had only stood for a day and a half. It was unlikely that everyone in the North Valley had enough time to be evacuated to Feihuang City. Judging from the pace of the army of the Underworld, thousands, or even tens of thousands of people, were still going to die!

Furthermore, Feihuang City was not necessarily unbreakable. If the Great Pyramid of Giza was able to last for a long time, there was a chance that Feihuang City would fall, too!

“We’ve saved a lot of lives by holding on for a day and a half. Enough talk, the line of defense at Feihuang City needs our help, too. Let’s go!” the Prophet said firmly.

They might have decided to sacrifice their lives, but it was a relief they were still alive for now. If the Sphinx had not shown up, the Great Wall could easily have held the undead army back for two days. However, the Earth Fountain Spring Water was already depleted. Their sacrifices would only be meaningless if they stayed any further.

The battle was clearly not going to end any time soon. Feihuang City was going to be in danger, too. They were more familiar with the Great Pyramid of Giza than the others standing by in Feihuang City, so it was better for them to stay alive!

“How many people are going to die in half a day?” Mo Fan asked the Prophet.

“I’m not sure,” the Prophet replied.

According to the latest report, at least four or five cities further away from Feihuang City were still being evacuated. They had no idea how many people there were, since they had been busy fighting in the front line all along…

“The people of Lucheng, which is the furthest away, haven’t arrived in Feihuang City yet. There are also a few other remote towns and villages,” Zhang Xiaohou said.

Lucheng was a small city constructed along the Luhe river. Behind the city were loess mountains scattered across the Shenmu region where Zhang Xiaohou had been defending previously. The area was the furthest away from Feihuang City, so they would need quite some time to evacuate the people there.

Mo Fan had visited the small city when he was disguised as Northdeer. The place felt somewhat familiar to him.

“Go ahead, I’ll hold them off,” Mo Fan repeated the same words he said at the Magic Fire Beacon.

“How are you going to hold them off? The wall is already collapsing!” Zhao Manyan blurted out.

“I can’t leave yet,” Mo Fan said.

Mo Fan could not afford to leave. He needed to pay the debt of using the Demon Element. He had not filled up the Essence Orb before using the Demon Element. As such, he would pay a huge price for using it. If he did not kill enough undead, his soul would be in great torment for several months. Mo Fan had already experienced it at Dongting Lake. Zhang Xiaohou had personally witnessed what he had been through, too.

He had to keep fighting!

Besides, Mo Fan had always had a knot in his heart. It was Bo City.

Mo Fan was unfamiliar with Lucheng. He only passed by its empty streets once in a hurry.

Some people might think that the destruction of a small city was acceptable, considering the scale of the calamity that was taking place. However, Mo Fan who was a survivor of the Calamity of Bo City; to someone like him, the significance of a small city greatly surpassed the most luxurious city in the world.

The streets that had been crawling with One-eyed Magic Wolves. The people desperately searching for a place to hide, despite being soaked in blood…

Even the weak possessed the will to live.

The strong also had the right to stick to the decisions they had made!

They could no longer return to the past, nor could they go back in time and handle the situation again with their current strength. They could only vent out the grudges and the will to fight that they had buried deep within their frail bodies back then right now!

They did not want to tremble in fear or hide in a corner again!

Demon Mo Fan never existed. He was Mo Fan all along, the same Mo Fan that wanted to fight until the end of the world, until the boiling blood in his body ran dry!

Lucheng was no Bo City, but he would not mind treating it as Bo City for now. He would not mind standing in front of the vulnerable city…

He did not want to have any remorse or guilt. It was time for him to finally fight for the survival of the city like a man!

——

The ten-kilometer Wall in front of Northguard Fortress finally collapsed. The huge crack that had opened previously was the main culprit, bringing down the main section of the huge line of defense!

The ground shook as the wall collapsed like a mountain, resulting in a huge avalanche. The dust scattered in the air, forming a dust curtain billowing along the horizon. It was the last thing concealing the sight of Hell from the people of the North Valley!

The dust dissipated very soon. The sea of undead surged fiercer and quicker than anyone had imagined. It was unstoppable and utterly terrifying!

The Squaretrek Plain trembled as the army of undead resumed marching. The spacious North Valley was soon devoured.

“It’s… gone…”

“It collapsed, it really did…”

The ancient shield of China was trampled into pieces by the surge of undead. Everyone’s will was crushed at the same moment.

They felt extremely tiny without the Great Wall. Their oath to fight to their death and their unyielding spirit were trampled under the merciless hooves of the Underworld creatures. The only thought in their mind was to run!

Everyone was backing away. The terrifying sight of the undead charging at them made them feel suffocated. Their bodies were running involuntarily!

——

Demon Mo Fan remained where he was. He was the only person that took a step forward.

The step showed that his heart was still burning passionately. His will did not sway when facing the massive army of undead!

The shadow of Flame Belle Empress attached to Mo Fan’s back, granting him a bright, scorching radiance. He stomped the trembling ground, releasing waves of fire ripples in all directions…

Lightning was soaring in the sky like dragons, the flashes of their barely-seen tails like the tip of an ominous iceberg staying right above Mo Fan!

Between the fire ripples and the wild lightning was an enormous outline drawn by the vague Fiendish Night. It resembled the shadow of Flame Belle Empress behind Mo Fan, but at the same time, it was completely concealed.

Faint silver dust was still lingering in the air. The particles were barely visible due to how tiny they were, but the silver light they were emitting revolved around Mo Fan. His blood-red pupils had a mysterious flicker within them!

“Brother Fan…” Zhang Xiaohou clenched his fists after seeing how Mo Fan insisted on staying behind to fight.

Zhang Xiaohou was well aware of what Mo Fan was thinking. They had both gone through the same experience in the past. Whenever something like this happened, a pale yet beautiful face would surface in Zhang Xiaohou’s mind. He wanted to fight just like Mo Fan. He promised her that he would become stronger, just so he could protect stupid women like her!

“Blink,” Mo Fan did not turn around. He pointed his finger at the people behind him.

The silver particles fell from the air and swiftly drew a brilliant Star Constellation encapsulating Zhang Xiaohou, Lingling, the Prophet, General Bin Wei, Commander Ye Hong, Zhang Xiaohou, and the defenders who were still alive.

They could not even survive for more than a few seconds against the army of undead. Mo Fan had no intention of letting them stay around, regardless of what they were thinking.

“Assh***, don’t send me away, I’ll Summon that son of a b**ch here even if I have to risk my life!” The silver Star Orbits appeared so rapidly; Zhao Manyan was planning to jump out of the magic formation, yet it was drawn faster than he had expected.

Zhao Manyan was holding the wooden clapper as he was running away from the Star Constellation. However, everyone standing inside it vanished once again when its brilliance reached its limit. All that was left was silver dust sprinkling in the air.

The place fell silent, apart from the deafening noise from the marching undead army was making…

—

The defenders traveled through a rift. This time, Mo Fan had teleported them a few kilometers away, giving them plenty of time to run away from the army of undead.

“Son of a b**ch, I’m your f**king master, you better come to me, right now!” Zhao Manyan yelled furiously. It was difficult to tell who he was angry at.

Meanwhile, Zhang Xiaohou was staring into the distance.

Was the Demon Element really strong enough to take on the Great Pyramid of Giza?

Obviously not; the Great Pyramid of Giza was the ruling kingdom of the Underworld. There was no way Demon Mo Fan could kill every single one of the Underworld creatures, not to mention that the Sphinx was not any weaker than Demon Mo Fan at all!

“Stop yelling, Old Zhao! Please do me a favor!” Zhang Xiaohou turned to another direction, as if he had made up his mind.

“What favor? I’m calling Baxia over. He should be able to buy us some time,” Zhao Manyan said.

Baxia was not planning to show up. It was obvious that he had yet to acknowledge Zhao Manyan as his master and guardian, as he was still too weak. Even if Baxia did show up, he still could not stop the Great Pyramid of Giza. Baxia would not bother sacrificing his life for nothing!

“Nothing will stand a chance against the army of undead. We can’t even stop the Sphinx, and Osiris hasn’t even shown himself… if Osiris shows up, even Feihuang City won’t be able to stop them!” Zhang Xiaohou said.

Osiris really existed. Otherwise, who had the voice that echoed across the sky of the North Valley belonged to?

“I know, but we can’t just let Mo Fan face them alone!” Zhao Manyan said.

“Stop talking, just give me a ride with your Wing Magical Equipment. Fly at your full speed, and I’ll travel the rest of the way myself…” Zhang Xiaohou said.

Zhao Manyan finally agreed when he saw how determined Zhang Xiaohou was.

Zhao Manyan soared into the sky with his Magic Wings and headed west. Zhang Xiaohou had asked him to travel at full speed, so he did as he was told and poured his remaining energy into his Magic Wings.

The Magic Wings he owned were clearly not the best; their speed was actually not as fast as they seemed. Zhao Manyan had no idea what Zhang Xiaohou was up to. They reached an unfamiliar place before Zhao Manyan’s energy was finally depleted.

“Don’t tell me you’re finding an excuse to run away? What the hell is place?” Zhao Manyan asked, panting heavily.

There were many powerful Underworld creatures under the Great Pyramid of Giza. How long could the North Valley last if they all appeared?

The strongest force that Zhao Manyan knew of was Baxia. He believed the only thing he could do was Summon Baxia over. If Zhang Xiaohou had not insisted on it, Zhao Manyan would not believe there was something that could actually fend off the Great Pyramid of Giza!

“I’m heading to the Dark Abyss,” Zhang Xiaohou said.

“The Dark Abyss? You mean the Qin Emperor’s Mausoleum?” Zhao Manyan blurted out in surprise.

“Yeah,” Zhang Xiaohou nodded.

Zhang Xiaohou knew the location of the Dark Abyss. It was the only thing he could think of.

“My Heavens, don’t tell me you are thinking of convincing that Ancient King to fend off the Great Pyramid of Giza?” Zhao Manyan exclaimed.

“Yes!” Zhang Xiaohou said firmly.

“How are you supposed to convince him? You will be torn into pieces before you can even reach him? Will he even listen to you? You are no different than an ant to him!” Zhao Manyan protested.

“I don’t know either… but it’s better than doing nothing,” Zhang Xiaohou said.

The Ancient King was the only hope Zhang Xiaohou had. The emperor that had ruled over the undead in China for thousands of years could easily destroy the Ancient Capital, or give the millions of people in the inner city of the Ancient Capital a glimpse of hope with a single thought.

If there was anything in this country that could stand a chance against the Great Pyramid of Giza, it was none other than the emperor of the undead in the Ancient Capital and his strongest kingdom!

Zhang Xiaohou did not know if the person was still their Chief Military Instructor, but if Mo Fan could enter the Dark Abyss again and leave in one piece, it meant the person would still have some memories of their Chief Military Instructor, or he even might still be their Chief Military Instructor…

Otherwise, why would the Ancient King turn around when he was clearly able to reclaim the Ancient Capital? Why would he command the army of undead to retreat, and forbid them from trespassing into human territories?