"Release them!"
Han Ji's voice rang out coldly. At his command, the imperial mages moved in unison, undoing the seals one by one. The imprisoned super mages felt their magic surge back into their bodies—along with their freedom. Yet none of them looked relieved. Pain and disbelief clouded their expressions as they realized the authorities still regarded them as suspects, ready to execute them at any moment under the suspicion of being Salan.
The ten were released.
Now, it was Mu He's turn to fulfill his part of the deal.
"You can speak now," Han Ji said, his voice steeped in murderous intent. As the president of the Magic Association, every choice he made carried the weight of countless lives. If the location of the imperial tomb did not truly hold the key to saving millions, Mu He would have been torn apart long ago.
Mu He showed no fear.
He walked calmly to the edge of the balcony, resting his hands against the cold cement railing. His gaze briefly swept over Zhang Xiaohou, and a hint of satisfaction crossed his face when he noticed the black gas around him had weakened. He then turned his eyes northward, staring far beyond the An Yuan Gate.
Time passed.
Great Deacon Hu Jin remained silent.
Han Ji's killing intent intensified with every heartbeat.
"Be patient," Hu Jin finally said, his voice eerily calm. "You will see it very soon… before night falls."
His gaze was not fixed on the Northern Gate, but on the land beyond An Yuan Gate—an area already swallowed by the black ocean.
Suddenly, three kilometers away, a dark blue tide emerged between the ruined land and the low-hanging clouds. White waves roared through the air, their howls echoing so violently that the entire inner city trembled.
It was as if a furious ocean had materialized between heaven and earth—a tsunami spanning kilometers, surging forward with overwhelming majesty.
Fortunately, it was not heading toward the inner city.
The sky-born ocean crashed down toward the undead. Moments earlier, the area near An Yuan Gate had been completely packed with undead. Now, as the waves advanced, thousands were instantly swallowed and erased.
Though the tsunami was some distance from the clock tower, it descended like dozens of massive waterfalls, shaking the world itself.
"It's Lu Huan!" the imperial mages cried out in shock.
All eyes widened in awe as they recognized the spell—a third-level Super Tier water magic, Water Holocaust, the strongest magic beneath Forbidden spells.
"To have such a courageous Imperial Magician in these desperate times is truly a blessing," Great Deacon Hu Jin sneered. "A pity… there is only one Lu Huan."
"You're merely stalling," Elder Shi Zheng said coldly. "It's time for you to die."
"My death is inevitable," Hu Jin replied calmly. "But are you certain you don't wish to wait a little longer? The king's tomb is emerging."
The moment the words left his mouth, his body began to tremble. His deep chuckle echoed across the clock tower, twisting into manic laughter.
"It's here… it's here! HAHAHAHA!"
Under Damon's watchful eyes, Lu Huan clashed with the Nether Bone Ruler high in the sky. Waves of violent energy rippled outward, and the very space they fought within began to peel apart.
Damon's grip tightened around his claymore. His heart pounded violently as sweat beaded across his forehead.
It's coming…
His fingers dug into the hilt until cracks formed beneath his grip.
The fractures in space plunged into chaos, like a black hole forming out of nothingness. Yet there was something within—something beyond mere darkness.
The sky twisted.
Space collapsed inward.
What began as a tiny black point expanded rapidly, tearing open into a massive rift beneath the heavens.
From afar it looked like a crack, but in truth it was a colossal chasm in the air itself.
The distortion reached the clouds, ripping them apart and leaving a gaping hole in the sky—as if a piece of the heavens had been torn away.
"Is that…?" Han Ji whispered, his eyes bulging in disbelief.
Zhu Meng and Du Xiao stood beside Mo Fan, frozen in shock, unable to comprehend what they were witnessing.
The twisted space descended further, expanding into a spinning vortex of absolute blackness.
The ground beneath it suddenly collapsed.
Undead filled the land, yet as the earth sank, tens of thousands were dragged down instantly. From above, they looked like black raindrops pouring endlessly into the abyss.
No one could tell how deep it went.
It resembled the mouth of Hell opening wide—or the throat of some incomprehensibly vast creature.
Shrill cries echoed endlessly, mixed with the furious roars of undead.
Then came the sound.
The most horrifying sound imaginable—a chorus formed by tens of thousands of phantoms screaming in unison. Cries filled with despair, hatred, and unimaginable agony.
Even without seeing inside the pit, everyone could envision the nightmare within.
"It's the Dark Abyss!" someone screamed.
A shudder ran through the crowd. Limbs trembled. Scalps went numb.
The Furnace of Hell.
The legendary black zone—the Dark Abyss.
Death and hatred were so dense they twisted space itself. To most magicians, it was nothing less than the entrance to Hell.
Eyes were drawn toward the abyss against their will, spirits draining away.
Hu Jin's shrill laughter continued to echo, crushing what little resolve remained.
"HAHAHA! That is your answer!" Mu He roared. "The greatest Necromancer in history placed his imperial tomb there—within a place more terrifying than Hell itself! Go ahead, try negotiating with him! HAHAHAHA!"
"N-no… that has to be a joke," someone muttered, their legs giving out. "The tomb… inside that place?"
"God…" despair spread like wildfire.
Even Han Ji, the strongest mage present, felt his knees weaken.
Boom!
A thunderous explosion shattered the despair.
A figure clad in black, silver wings unfurling, shot into the sky with unmatched speed and power.
Damon launched himself toward the abyss.
For a moment, it seemed as if he intended to dive straight into it. But just before entering its range, he halted.
The rift had expanded into a true black hole. The air spiraled violently, tearing space apart. Both Lu Huan and the Nether Bone Ruler were being dragged toward it.
Silver light erupted from Damon's body.
He reached out, twisting space itself, forcefully pulling Lu Huan free from the spatial swamp. With immense strain, he retreated, dragging the super mage back to safety.
Damon had sensed the spatial collapse in advance.
He saved Lu Huan from certain death.
Yet what followed burned into his soul.
The proud super-tier mage—the pillar of Xi'an, a man who commanded reverence by his mere presence—collapsed to his knees, bowing his head and begging the Black Vatican for mercy.
The strongest of humanity present, Han Ji reduced to a broken old man pleading before monsters.
Damon's blood boiled.
So did the blood of every young mage present.
In the face of inevitable destruction, with millions of lives hanging in the balance, no one knew what to do.
Until the masked man finally spoke.
"There is a way."