Mo Fan at his best – Versatile Mage

The rain lasted for three days. They stayed in that cave for a full three days. Naturally Mo Fan new what was up it was the Black Vatican and those idiots were trying to perge the ancient king

Upon hearing this, Mo Fan had already anticipated it and let out a quiet sigh. Zhang Xiaohou had still gone to scout the Ancient Capital’s forbidden zone. There was no helping it—it was an assigned mission. Once a military order was issued, it could not be disobeyed. This was exactly why Mo Fan had never liked being tied down by any major faction. Even if they could provide abundant resources like the Star River Vein, it came at the cost of freedom. And for someone like Zhang Xiaohou, who took orders seriously, that kind of life was inevitable.

Even so, Mo Fan wasn’t overly worried about him. With Zhang Xiaohou’s Wind and Earth dual-element magic, combined with the gray garlic of the Ancient Capital that could mask undead aura, escaping the range of the Dark Abyss should not have been difficult. After all, the Dark Abyss itself was nothing more than accumulated death matter. The fact that Zhang Xiaohou still hadn’t returned most likely meant one thing—he had encountered the Black Vatican.

Fortunately, Mo Fan had already prepared for this. The last time they met, he had planted a Psychic imprint on Zhang Xiaohou, reinforced with cursed material. Although the distance blurred the connection, once Mo Fan arrived at the Ancient Capital, he would be able to determine whether Zhang Xiaohou was still alive.

“Alive, I’ll find him. Dead… I’ll still bring him back,” Mo Fan muttered to himself, his voice steady, almost cold.

Unlike before, Mo Fan was no longer walking into the Ancient Capital blindly. He was already a High-tier Fire Mage, and more importantly, he understood the nature of the Dark Abyss far better than others. It was not simply a forbidden land—it was a creation of the Ancient King. A domain where even Forbidden Spells would be suppressed. A place where ordinary logic no longer applied.

Even so, he had no intention of backing down.

Because this time—

he wasn’t just going to save Zhang Xiaohou.

He was going to reshape his future.

The world only knew that the Dark Abyss was the Ancient King’s creation, but very few understood that the Ancient King’s tomb lay buried deep within it. And within that tomb… rested the Ancient King’s Armor Robe.

A supreme treasure of the Undead Element.

A vessel that sealed the complete essence of an Emperor-level being.

If refined and absorbed—

it could elevate someone to the level of an Undead Monarch.

Mo Fan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

That was the key.

He had already thought this through countless times.

The Ancient King, even in life, had only mastered five elements at the Forbidden level. After death, as an Undead Monarch, he had merely reached the level of a Low-tier Emperor. Yet even that level of power was enough to run rampant across the world. Even a dozen Forbidden Mages working together could not match it. That was the ceiling of human strength.

And yet—

that same power now lay dormant.

Waiting.

“If someone like Xiaohou gets it…” Mo Fan muttered.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

Zhang Xiaohou’s foundation was solid. His loyalty, his discipline, his willpower—far stronger than most. He was not reckless like Mo Fan, nor unstable like others. If anyone could withstand the will of the Ancient King…

It would be him.

Mo Fan had no intention of taking the Armor Robe for himself.

Not this time.

"Your path… shouldn’t stop at Intermediate,” Mo Fan said quietly, as if speaking directly to Zhang Xiaohou across the distance.

“With that thing…”

“You’ll break into Advanced.”

“And not just that…”

Mo Fan’s thoughts deepened.

The Armor Robe wasn’t simply power.

It was compatibility.

A vessel.

The first person to obtain it in the past had been devoured—his will too weak to resist. But Zhan Kong had succeeded. Not because the artifact was gentle, but because his will was strong enough to dominate it.

That was the difference.

“The robe doesn’t corrupt you…”

“You either control it…”

“Or it controls you.”

Mo Fan had already reviewed this countless times in his mind.

The Ancient King’s Armor Robe was not inherently aggressive. It was simply a container—holding the vast, overwhelming essence of the Ancient King. The so-called “residual soul” was nothing more than instinct. Like a beast. Like corruption born from power itself.

Which meant—

it could be resisted.

And Zhang Xiaohou…

had the discipline to do exactly that.

Of course, Mo Fan wouldn’t leave it to chance.

He had already prepared one safeguard.

Ding Yumian.

Ding Yumian’s Psychic ability could stabilize the mind, anchor the will, and suppress emotional collapse. The Soul Calamity, if used properly, wasn’t just destructive—it could become a stabilizing force. A way to reinforce humanity itself.

“Xiaohou…”

Mo Fan’s gaze turned distant.

Low.

But unwavering.

“This time…”

“I’m not just bringing you back.”

“I’m making sure you come out stronger than everyone else.”

“Holy crap… this…” The Dwarf Man was too stunned to speak. To be honest, when Mo Fan brought the twin sisters along, he had thought the kid was just showing off. But now, he suddenly realized that wasn’t the case at all. These two seemingly delicate girls were unbelievably fierce—there was nothing delicate about them! The Dwarf Man had lived in the Ancient Capital for years, and he knew exactly how terrifying Corpse Generals were. Most undead were Servant-level, but once Rotten Corpses gathered in numbers, even a team of Intermediate Mages could be wiped out completely. And disturbing a Corpse General was even worse—it could summon all undead within a kilometer. Even if you could kill hundreds, you could never withstand thousands converging like a tide. Corpse Generals were already a nightmare for Intermediate Mages, not to mention those Great Corpse Generals nurtured for decades in the land of the undead. Yet just now, a Great Corpse General had been annihilated in a single blow? Was it weak? No… it was clearly this woman who was terrifyingly strong!

However, although one Great Corpse General had been eliminated, there were still many undead remaining. “Not good! A large group of Rotten Corpses is converging on us! They’re obeying that Corpse General’s command!” follower Ah Li shouted. Hearing this, the others turned and looked. Indeed, in the distance, dense masses of undead were approaching—nearly a thousand of them!

“We can hold on for a while. As long as it gets light, we’ll be fine,” Asha Ruiya said calmly. As she spoke, she glanced at Mo Fan. Her hair had already been soaked by the rain, and even the black veil on her face was on the verge of slipping. Normally, she kept herself concealed, but at this moment, she made no effort to hide. With a casual motion, she removed the veil and let it fall to the ground, revealing a flawless, jade-like face.

It wasn’t entirely Western—at a glance, there wasn’t much difference from an Eastern face. Yet her eyes shone like stars, and her long, rain-soaked lashes gave her a delicate, almost ethereal beauty, like pear blossoms touched by rain. Even though many had guessed she wouldn’t be ordinary, seeing her clearly at this moment still stirred something in their hearts.

“Since we’re fighting side by side, I should at least know your name, right?” Mo Fan said.

“Aren’t you worried about the two young ladies beside you getting angry?” Asha Ruiya replied.

“So you’re unwilling to say it?” Mo Fan pressed.

“Ye—”

“I mean your name,” Mo Fan interrupted directly.

Asha Ruiya paused, then glanced at the approaching undead before answering, “Asha Ruiya.”

“A good name,” Mo Fan said simply.

The next moment, his figure vanished like a ghost. Relying on the power of darkness, he appeared directly among the undead. “Boom! Boom! Boom!!!” Green flames erupted violently, instantly wiping out nearly a fifth of the undead.

Without stopping, Mo Fan absorbed lightning energy. As it gathered, he unleashed a wide-range bombardment. Lightning rained down, and under its destruction, the undead shattered into broken bones scattered across the ground. These creatures had no resistance at all before his firepower. In the blink of an eye, seven or eight out of ten were dead or crippled.

Asha Ruiya stared at him, momentarily stunned.

Strong.

Mo Fan was unquestionably strong. Among people of his age, how many could reach High Level cultivation? Even with her own exceptional talent, she had only just stepped into the High Level, and she had yet to fully master it. Although Mo Fan hadn’t used High Level magic, it was obvious he had already mastered the constellations. More importantly, his close-combat ability was completely on par with hers.

As the undead were cleared, the sky slowly brightened. Faint light spread across the land, and the death aura quickly dissipated. Without it, the undead became like fish stranded on land, panicking and thrashing. They covered their heads, terrified of the light, and even began digging into the muddy ground in desperation.

This was only ordinary rain. Once daylight came, they had to return to their tombs. Without the death aura sustaining them, they would quickly perish under the growing light.

After the battle, everyone was somewhat exhausted. “Thank goodness…” the Dwarf Man muttered, his face covered in muddy water, too tired to wipe it away. A Great Corpse General and thousands of undead—this was something even an elite Army soldier squad would struggle against. Yet they had endured it. That alone was enough.

“Let’s find somewhere to shelter from the rain. It’s freezing, we’ll get sick if we stay out here,” Liu Ru said.

“This is an endless plain. The only place to go is Qinling,” Liu Xian added.

Without Wei Ju Village, Qinling was their only option. The Dwarf Man understood that even mages were still human. Staying here any longer would be a dead end. Fortunately, he knew of a place. He gestured for everyone to follow.

They headed toward Qinling. The mountains rose like a natural barrier, towering into the sky. Finding caves here was difficult, as most surfaces were sheer cliffs. Not every creature could move freely in such terrain.

However, the Dwarf Man led them to a cave halfway up a cliff, requiring them to climb using vines and layered rocks.

“This is a Blood Beast cave. We killed it about a year ago. No other creatures should have taken it yet,” the Dwarf Man said, pushing aside the weeds at the entrance.

Mo Fan had stayed in Qinling before, but that previous cave was long gone. He had no idea where it was now.

Clearly, every field had its experts.

Although the Dwarf Man’s strength wasn’t impressive, and his personality wasn’t great, his experience in the wilderness was undeniably rich.