In the boundless darkness, at the edge of the grand altar, two figures were struggling to climb.
Suddenly, the dark space shook violently. Zhang Xiaohou and Su Xiaoluo were startled, hastening their pace, and finally reached the top.
Then, they witnessed a scene they would never forget for the rest of their lives.
Upon the supreme Blood Throne sat a majestic emperor. Various traits of the White Tiger were apparent on his body, and he was clad in a heavy and imposing black-gold armor, a crimson cape billowing behind him, a golden saber resting at his side, radiating dominance over all beings.
Endless Nether Radiance poured from his body, illuminating half the sky. A colossal black pillar of light pierced through the ceiling of the Dark Abyss space.
"This… is this the Ancient King? He's been resurrected!"
Zhang Xiaohou was utterly shocked and spoke with a trembling voice.
Beside him, Su Xiaoluo's face turned pale, feeling that there was no chance of survival.
Moments later, the supreme being slowly stood up and glanced at the two of them. That single glance instantly froze them to the bone, plunging their spirits into a nightmare-like haze from which they could not escape.
It was terrifying beyond measure. If this so-called 'Ancient King' bore killing intent, a mere glance might be enough to annihilate even a Commander-level being.
Seeing this from behind, Zhan Kong could no longer sit still. He hurriedly spread his pure white wings and flew to stand in front of his student, Zhang Xiaohou.
"Chief Instructor?!"
Zhang Xiaohou was shocked to see the familiar figure standing before him and exclaimed, "Why are you here?"
Zhan Kong didn't answer. He stared nervously at the 'Ancestor' on the throne, unsure what exactly this being was.
At that moment, Lu Jun did not pay attention to the others. What he was feeling was bizarre—unlike Zhan Kong in the original storyline, who had been eroded into a living corpse.
That situation was less like becoming the Nether King and more like becoming a puppet of the Ancient King's armor and robe.
But Lu Jun was in complete control. The armor and robe were merely tools and amplifiers for him. His body and spirit were brimming with vitality and teeming with the aura of life. He was perfectly fine—only mistaken for a living human by the three.
He closed his eyes to sense the spiritual world. Under the surging Nether Radiance, his six magic elements expanded rapidly.
Temporarily transformed into dark blue, black-red, dark silver—each forming a vast and majestic death star universe, endless and infinite.
The Water Element, Metal Element, Curse Element, Psychic Element, Space Element, and Summoning Element were all enhanced by the Nether Radiance. The Water was now Netherwater, the Metal was Dark Nethermetal, all of them linked to negative energies.
In the original, after Zhan Kong became the Ancient King, his Wind Element, Curse Element, and other magics also mutated under the influence of the Nether Radiance.
Among the First Emperor's five elements, Wind was not included. The Ancient King's armor and robe were pure Death Treasures. Once worn, no matter if it was Water, Wind, or Metal, their essence was death.
Of course, Lu Jun's current state couldn't last long. If used repeatedly, the side effects would be even more severe than those faced by Demon Mo Fan—he would directly become a living corpse like Zhan Kong.
But not using it didn't mean safety either. Housing the Ancient King's armor and robe within his body was akin to carrying a ticking time bomb.
The immense Nether Radiance would constantly leak some of its energy, corroding his body.
If he failed to reach Forbidden Curse level and fully refine this vast death energy before the seal on the Ancient King's armor was exhausted, he would meet the same fate as Zhan Kong.
It must be known, after Zhan Kong became a living corpse, he only lasted a few years before being forced to journey to the Sacred City and end his own life.
Lu Jun estimated that his deadline was age twenty-five. Before then, he had to completely digest the Ancient King's armor.
And with every additional use, the time limit shortened.
It was like a demon relentlessly chasing from behind, whipping him into becoming stronger.
"These costs are worth it. In the future, my minimum baseline is Emperor-level combat power. Beating seven or eight regular Forbidden Curse mages won't be a problem."
Lu Jun was full of confidence and didn't believe he would stop at the peak of Super Tier.
Moreover, his ambitions were not so simple. The Nether King's power from the Ancient King's armor had a limit—low-tier Emperor level, merely one-third of the Nether King's full status, incomplete.
If he successively devoured the similarly-sourced Egyptian Hufu Emperor and the Sea's Queen of the Royal Shroud Skeletons, he could at least reach the peak of mid-tier Emperor level—a true Dominator class.
Once he unified the Netherworld and achieved the sole title of [Nether King], grasping the source of death, he would use it as a springboard to explore the Dark Plane—ultimately attaining the final form of high-tier Emperor (Ridge of the Roof), and perhaps even deification!!
That was the route Lu Jun had painstakingly planned. In a way, he was quite similar to Wen Tai.
"A human's hundred-year lifespan eventually comes to an end—nothing but a handful of dust, pitiful, so pitiful."
Lu Jun sighed and in that moment, clearly comprehended his advanced magic system selection—one of them could only be Undead.
Below the throne, Zhan Kong and the others heard the murmurs of the supreme Archmage in history, the "Ancient King", their expressions shifted subtly, and they hurriedly took mental notes—this was likely the true essence of magic.
Zhan Kong gritted his teeth, just about to step forward to negotiate.
Suddenly, Lu Jun stood up abruptly, an ominous radiance soaring from his body. At the summit of the Dark Abyss, a spatial hole slowly opened, revealing the outside world.
He stepped into the sky one foot at a time, as though ascending to immortality. With a casual wave of his wide sleeve, spatial ripples spread out, and Zhan Kong, Zhang Xiaohou, and the others on the altar were swept up and expelled from the Dark Abyss.
RUMBLE!!
Meanwhile, a hundred kilometers outside the ancient capital, a war raged across the sky, shaking the earth's crust.
The seven Undead Lords, the Advanced Mage Corps, the Totem Black Serpent, and Demon Mo Fan were all locked in a chaotic battle…
After the world spun around, Zhan Kong realized he had arrived outside. The sky was faintly brightening—they were at the edge of the battlefield.
"Mo Fan… the Demon Relic!"
Zhan Kong looked toward the horizon at that figure wreathed in supreme flames and fury. His expression turned mournful.
His student had escaped Lu Nian's persecution, yet still could not avoid triggering Demonization. Whether he would survive this battle was an unknown.
He felt powerless—completely useless. He couldn't save Zhang Xiaohou, couldn't save Mo Fan, and couldn't save the ancient capital.
After this, he was determined to resume his cultivation and break through to Forbidden Curse. Otherwise, how could he protect the people? How could he bring her back?
"Xiaohou! How did you get out?"
Suddenly, amid the chaotic battlefield, He Yu, fighting near an ancient tomb, sensed a spatial fluctuation and saw Zhang Xiaohou's figure. She joyfully rushed over.
"He Yu…"
Zhang Xiaohou hadn't expected to run into his wife by coincidence. He hurriedly embraced her, breathing a great sigh of relief, though guilt surfaced on his face.
They had survived and walked out alive, but it seemed the resurrection of the First Emperor could no longer be stopped.
RUMBLE!!
At the center of the battlefield, the Totem Black Serpent was in a sorry state, its scales shattered and blood oozing. It swung its tail fiercely—
A massive green-black tail like a mountain descended from the heavens, whipping down like a giant lash, or perhaps more like a collapsing green pillar from the sky, tearing open the firmament.
The mountain Cropse beast took the heavy blow directly and staggered back several steps.
On the other side, over a dozen Super Mages joined forces, unleashing a dense baptism of magic onto the six Undead Lords. Demon Mo Fan flitted like lightning, continuously injuring monarch-level creatures, clearly gaining the upper hand.
Just as the group effort was about to annihilate all seven Undead Lords—
In the heavens above, Lu Jun's figure appeared, high above, overlooking the mortal realm. With a single thought, silver-dark spatial ripples spread like a tidal wave.
BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ!!
In an instant, the Totem Black Serpent was frozen in place, the brilliant, multicolored magical torrent created by over a dozen Super Mages was erased on the spot, and the sea of fire that Demon Mo Fan had unleashed across half the sky was instantly compressed back around his own body.
For additional chapters
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