The ancestor of the undead, Ying Zheng, was the emperor with the greatest ambition in the thousands of years of Magic Civilization. His talent in the Earth Element was nothing short of shocking. The Great Wall of China, still standing in perfect condition and holding back the demon creatures of the north, was one of his greatest achievements.
A great talent when alive, but a terrifying ghost in death—this was the perfect description of the Emperor of the Qin Dynasty, Ying Zheng.
The creator of the Undead Element and one of the strongest human mages to ever walk the earth. That was the ancient emperor.
Two thousand years ago, he created the pit and descended into it, constructing his own tomb beneath the Dark Abyss itself so that no one would ever disturb his eternal slumber.
The tomb was meant to be inaccessible to all except his own descendants. The descendants of the ancient emperor—the people of Bo City and the villages surrounding Xi'an—were the only ones capable of entering the Dark Abyss without harm.
Damon listened to the mysterious man's explanation. He already knew the plot. He knew the future. None of this surprised him, yet he still wore the same expression of shock as everyone else.
'Now what should I do?' Damon thought.
He did not interfere with the decision-making for the upcoming mission. It was neither his place nor his authority at this moment.
Instead, he stepped away and gazed toward the place where the Dark Abyss now stood.
It was advancing closer to the city. In a day or two, it would reach the inner city, killing everything in its path.
"Huff…"
Taking a deep breath, Damon calmly began planning his next course of action. He was not a descendant of the ancient emperor. He could not enter the Dark Abyss like the others.
Joining Mo Fan's group was out of the question.
What he could do was fight from above—slaughtering the undead as they marched toward the city.
"What are you thinking, young man?"
An elderly voice sounded behind him.
"Senator Zhu Meng," Damon greeted, turning toward the man who had stepped beside him, both of them looking out over the city.
Zhu Meng looked exhausted. His heart was heavy, and he seemed to have aged several decades in a single night. This was nothing like the imposing mage Damon had first met.
"What are you thinking, young man?" Zhu Meng repeated, his gaze fixed on the chaos below.
"Nothing," Damon replied. "Just thinking about this undead mess… wondering how many I could kill today."
"Hm." Zhu Meng did not immediately respond.
"If you don't mind," he said at last, "please don't participate in this quest."
"What?"
"Don't participate in this quest. Leave the city on your own," Zhu Meng continued. "This isn't a battle youngsters like you should be involved in."
"This… this isn't a place you should be."
"You are a great talent—the future of humanity. Instead of fighting on the front lines, if possible, just flee and let us old ones handle this ourselves… one last time."
With that, Zhu Meng turned around without waiting for Damon's reply and disappeared into the building.
Damon stood there in silence, watching him leave.
He looked up at the night sky, where no moon shone, unfamiliar thoughts clouding his mind.
---
"President, what about that Hu Jin? He's still kneeling there," the mysterious man said.
"That guy must be ready to die for Salan if he dared to show himself," the president replied. "Tie him to the clock. Let the whole city see his face."
Mu He had indeed prepared himself for death in Salan's name. He knelt on the ground as if worshiping a god, completely insane.
Magicians moved forward, sealing Mu He's mind and chaining him to the clock.
Yet Mu He was ready to sacrifice everything. He continued grinning madly, muttering about the festival, apotheosis, Salan, the God of Death, and other delusions like a lunatic.
The people ignored him.
Everyone shared the same goal now, and he no longer mattered.
"Tsk… killing him would be better, but whatever," Damon clicked his tongue as he replayed the plan in his mind.
Volunteered civilians would exit the golden barrier, gathering on one side to create a massive concentration of living beings and divert the undead's attention.
Super mages and Han Ji would escort the four descendants to the Abyss, then retreat back to the barrier.
It sounded simple.
In reality, it was a path paved with blood and death. Thousands of civilians and magicians would die during this phase alone.
Damon frowned. He didn't want this path, but it was the only one left if they were to save the millions within the city.
Taking a deep breath, Damon steadied himself as everyone prepared to depart.
"So, any change of mind?" Damon asked, looking at Mo Fan, knowing his temperament well.
"Thousands of times," Mo Fan spat. "Fuck those Black Vatican bitches."
"Dying by jumping into hell or waiting for hell to come to me," he continued bitterly.
"There's not much choice left now, is there?" Mo Fan laughed darkly, handing Damon a bottle of water. Damon accepted it and took a drink.
"Hahaha! You idiots… foolish humans! There is nothing you can do before our God!"
"HAHAHA! Die, all of you!"
"This motherfucker…" Damon muttered, irritated by Mu He's shrill fanaticism. He wanted to kill the bastard on the spot, but orders were orders.
"Well, they said no killing…" Damon thought. "But they didn't say anything about torture, did they?"
He set the bottle down, a cold smile forming on his face. Mo Fan and Zhang Xiaohou, standing nearby, felt an inexplicable chill crawl down their spines.
A silver radiance gathered around Damon's arm as he raised it, pointing directly at Mu He.
"W-wait—what are you doing?" Zhang Xiaohou reacted first, but before he could stop him, Damon clenched his fist.
Crack—
"HaAAAAAAA!"
Mu He's mad laughter turned into a primal scream. A red stain bloomed between his legs as blood streamed down.
Zhang Xiaohou, Mo Fan, and every man present felt their legs weaken, instinctively clenching their thighs. Yet no one pitied Mu He.
"Fuck yeah!" "Torture the bastard more!"
Instead of condemning Damon, the crowd erupted in cheers. Mu He's screams sounded like music to the ears of Xi'an's residents.
"You hear that?" Damon grinned at Mo Fan. "Torture him more."