"Dark Abyss ?"
The moment Zhou Haoyu said it, Han Ji and the others looked stunned.
Even Forbidden Curse mages struggled to come out of that place alive!
"If we want the undead to retreat, we must find the Ancient King. His tomb lies deep within the Dark Abyss," Zhou Haoyu continued.
Ancient King…
Everyone's hearts sank. They had all heard that title before—
A true Undead Emperor.
The Eight Undead Monarchs were still Monarchs. But the Ancient King… was on an entirely different level.
If he awakened, the Ancient Capital would have zero chance of survival.
"Kid, where did you hear this from?" Zhu Meng asked with furrowed brows.
"From an ancient volume. The Dark Abyss was created by the Ancient King by fusing multiple elements. His mausoleum must lie within." Zhou Haoyu said calmly.
"I've heard rumors as well," the mysterious gray-robed mage said, "but entering the Abyss itself is already almost impossible, let alone finding the Ancient King."
"I know the villagers of Weiju Village are his descendants," Zhou Haoyu replied. "That's why the undead never attacked them. The Abyss doesn't reject their presence."
"Weiju Village? But weren't those villages destroyed?" Instructor Fei Jiao asked.
"No. Some villagers survived," the gray-robed mage said.
Thanks to Zhou's reminder, everyone finally realized why the Black Vatican had tried to wipe those villages out. It wasn't just for the Kun Well—it was to ensure Salan's plan had no loose ends.
But fortunately, it had not gone as the Vatican desired.
Soon, Han Ji had Fang Gu, Mo Fan, Zhang Xiaohou, and Su Xiaoluo brought forward by the Palace Guard.
As Zhou expected—the parasite within Zhang Xiaohou began to flare, and he involuntarily revealed evidence that led to Mu He's capture, thanks to Mu Bai's plan.
"If I can give the city even a sliver of chance," Fang Gu said, stepping forward, "I'm willing to enter the Abyss."
Mo Fan, Zhang Xiaohou, and Su Xiaoluo all volunteered as well.
"Count me in too," Zhou Haoyu added.
"You brat, what are you messing around for? You aren't from Weiju, and you haven't absorbed Earth Holy Spring! Going in is suicide!" Zhu Meng roared, pulling him back by the collar.
Zhou Haoyu wasn't just Pang Lai's prized disciple—he was a future hope of China's National Team.
"You've already done more than enough," Han Ji urged softly. He couldn't watch this young man walk into death.
"I can handle it." Zhou Haoyu said firmly.
Without Mo Fan's demonization, they could never cross the Bridge of the Dead. If he didn't go, the city was doomed anyway.
And he had already fused Candle Dragon's vessel with a portion of Earth Holy Spring—to keep him alive inside the Abyss.
Seeing his resolve, Zhu Meng couldn't persuade him any longer.
If this plan failed… staying behind was just another way to die.
Northern Gate.
Before entering the Abyss, they had one more obstacle:
The sea of undead outside the walls.
Fortunately, Zhou Haoyu's summon—the Flame Scorpion Tiger—was powerful enough to carry four people at high speed. With Jiang Feng providing cover fire from above, they had a real chance of breaking through.
Meanwhile, Han Ji, Zhu Meng, and the guards would hold off the Mountain Zombie, otherwise it would all be pointless.
"Abyss Team, ready yourselves!!"
Han Ji nodded at Zhou Haoyu. His voice rang out high from the rain-drenched city wall.
Every High-Tier and Super-Tier Mage around glanced to one another and each saw that same look of unwavering determination in the other's eyes.
"Vanguard—CHARGE!!" Han Ji shouted once more.
As soon as the words left his mouth, every Super-Tier Mage unfurled radiant wings of magical brilliance from their backs and dove headfirst into the ocean of undead!
The rest of the mages followed close behind them all giving everything they had in exchange for even the slightest chance of survival.
In that endless black tide of undead, High- Tier and Super-Tier magic detonated one after another as if mana were infinite.
Everyone understood — this was the decisive battle. A fight to see whether they would live to witness tomorrow's sunrise.
"Little Yan, I'm counting on you." Zhou Haoyu patted the Flame Scorpion Tiger's head.
The creature let out a fierce roar and leapt forward—covering dozens of meters in one bound!
Just as they were about to land, Jiang Feng made her move — torrents of flames blasted down ahead, enveloping the undead that blocked their path.
Han Ji and his men had already drawn away the Mountain Zombie(Supreme Monarch). Thanks to that, Zhou Haoyu's group could advance uninterrupted.
"Zhou Haoyu… thank you for saving Monkey," Mo Fan said suddenly — perhaps just to calm his nerves.
"Brother Yu, I don't know how to repay you—if you ever need me, say the word," Zhang Xiaohou added earnestly.
"Let's get through this first," Zhou Haoyu said flatly.
Once they reached the area of ferocious winds and shadow vortexes, he immediately activated a defensive artifact — shielding everyone, including Fang Gu. He didn't want Fang Gu dying here.
After passing through the vortexes, the group arrived before the Dark Abyss. Zhou Haoyu quickly dismissed the Flame Scorpion Tiger.
The tiger's massive body would be torn apart by the Abyss's suction force if he left it out.
Just before stepping in, Zhou Haoyu grabbed Mo Fan's arm,if the Candle Dragon Vessel failed, Mo Fan's little Mud Fish might be his last insurance.
Such violent tearing force…
The moment they entered, Zhou Haoyu felt his entire body being ripped apart and countless resentful thoughts rushed into his mind.
A dizzying spiritual pressure flooded his skull. The stronger his spiritual force, the more of the hatred he was forced to endure — within seconds, his head throbbed to the point of near consciousness blackout.
When Zhou Haoyu managed to open his eyes again, he found himself in a dim, ashen world — completely different from the outside.
"Brother Yu — you're finally up. You scared us half to death!" Zhang Xiaohou said, visibly relieved.
Mo Fan looked just as worried. Zhou Haoyu had the highest cultivation of any of them,if he had fallen unconscious right after entering, the rest of them could only imagine what awaited.
Zhou Haoyu rubbed his forehead. If not for the Candle Dragon Vessel activating in time, he really might have died.
"What's the situation now?" he asked.
"We thought we'd head toward that palace—might be clues there." Mo Fan pointed ahead.
Zhou Haoyu followed his finger and saw it — a massive white palace, its entire structure fashioned from ivory-colored jade that was so polished it mirrored the sky above.