Versatile Mage

Over a hundred and thirty kilometers away from the Ancient Capital, a steep mountain stood tall with a formidable aura. People could feel a great pressure standing at the foot of it!

The areas in the south were densely populated and had lots of mountains that were connected together by a relatively flat mountain range. In comparison, the mountains here were all towering and steep, resulting in a totally different atmosphere!

The calamity of the Ancient Capital did not spread to Mount Hua. The only unfortunate thing was the cable car had stopped operating. Mo Fan had wondered if the famous Five Sacred Mountains of Taoism were crawling with demon creatures in this world, but it turned out that they were still famous sight-seeing attractions!

Apart from a small number of workers, Mo Fan basically had all of Mount Hua to himself.

It did not matter if the cable car was not working. Mo Fan’s Swift Star Wolf was outstanding at climbing mountains and crossing ridges. The creature was able to sprint at its full speed even when both sides of the path consisted of steep cliffs… it was extremely thrilling!

The paths on the mountains were narrow, with limited footholds, and perfectly straight cliffs leading to bottomless abyss on both sides. Whenever the wind swept past, it felt like they could fall from the cliffs at any second.

The Swift Star Wolf seemed to be enjoying the thrill of sprinting on the steep cliffs. He leapt from the steps straight to the top of a ridge the size of a table. He stood above the clouds and scanned his surroundings. Green vines and pine trees were dangling fro, the mountain walls. As the Swift Star Wolf landed on the peak, pieces of rock dropped from the cliff into an endless fall…

“A perfect place to cultivate and become an immortal…” Mo Fan lifted his gaze and discovered a temple among the steep cliffs.

As he thought, his cultivation declined after using the power of Demon Element!

Almost every Element had dropped a level, leaving Mo Fan with tearless sobs. He had deranked twice in the Intermediate Level!

Luckily, he managed to collect an enormous supply of Soul Remnants and Soul Essences when he was annihilating the undead army. The demon that had granted him power had come to demand souls from him. These Soul Remnants and Soul Essences were all given to it as sacrifices. At least he did not end up a caveman like before, when he was still at Dongting Lake, killing mindlessly while living in the wild.

To explain it scientifically, it was simply returning what he had borrowed!

The enormous power that Mo Fan obtained after breaking through to the Advanced Level was similar to a huge loan he had borrowed from the bank. He was still obligated to pay the money back after he spent all of it!

Therefore, the Soul Remnants and Soul Essences that the Little Loach Pendant collected from the undead he slaughtered were all used to pay back the loan.

It was impossible to rely on the Demon Element to save up Soul Essences. Lucky for him, there were countless undead for him to kill. Otherwise, he would have had to live like a caveman for a while to pay back the loan, or the Demon Bank would take away his lifespan as the penalty!

Mo Fan was well-prepared this time, so the side-effects were not as troublesome, although he was about to go crazy after learning that his cultivation had deteriorated again.

Han Ji had granted Mo Fan some resources so he could recover his cultivation in the shortest time possible, hence why Mo Fan was sent here to Mount Hua, just so he could focus on his cultivation without being distracted by matters of the mundane world. It would not take him much time to get his cultivation back if he was diligent.

The only fortunate thing was, his Fire Galaxy was still there! It did not degrade back into the Fire Nebula because his rank dropped. However, the Fire Galaxy looked extremely dim, like a pool of dead water. Han Ji told Mo Fan that it was still possible to recover the Advanced Fire Galaxy if he cultivated in time. In order to prevent himself from falling back to the Intermediate Level, Mo Fan had decided to go all out to recover his cultivation!

“Ling!~”

Little Flame Belle lay on Mo Fan’s head. She seemed to be enjoying the spectacular scenery around her.

She did not forget the dreadful experience in the Space of Death. As such, she had expressed her determination to work harder and become a good daughter that could defeat all the bad guys for her daddy!

Mo Fan chuckled when he heard the solemn vow made by little Flame Belle. He suddenly recalled the Fiery Sorceress Soul Shadow he saw when he demonized and immediately had great anticipation. He could not wait to see little Flame Belle’s formidable power when she reached the adult phase!

“Mm, let’s work hard together!”

“Awoo~!” Swift Star Wolf cleared his throat and howled just to remind the two of his presence. The creature’s loud call echoed among the steep cliffs of Mount Hua.

—-

After Mo Fan went into seclusion, the Ancient Capital had finished reconstructing.

In the past thousands of years, there would be undead roaming outside the Ancient Capital at night. Only Magicians that were strong enough were capable of moving outside at night. But after the calamity, not a single undead was seen within a few hundred kilometers of the city!

It was not that the undead had completely disappeared, but they simply stayed in their catacombs and tombs obediently, and remained indoors!

Many factions were greatly astounded by the phenomenon. In the past, the undead of the Ancient Capital too had behaved well and remained in their own territory. However, after a certain dynasty, the undead started leaving their territory to infringe on human lands…

They were being restricted!

The resurrection of the Ancient King was supposed to be a disaster, yet to everyone’s surprise, it felt like the undead were now under his control, forced to abide by his rules!

It was definitely good news for the Ancient Capital. The place was famous because of the undead, but if the undead were completely wiped out, many businesses that relied on the undead would come to a halt and destroy the economy. However, if the undead went out of control, it would place the city in grave danger.

As long as the order was maintained, in which the undead and humans remained in their respective areas, it would bring perfect balance and real peace to the Ancient Capital!

After all, with the undead around, the demon creatures of the Qinling Mountains would not dare to infiltrate their lands…

—

The Ancient Capital returned to its old bustling life. Time flowed faster when life was busier…

Spring came after the snowy season.

The Ancient Capital was restored to its initial appearance before the New Year. The lives that were lost were remembered with an empty wine cup. The people moved forward to celebrate the hard-earned new year.

“Such a pity, Mo Fan is still training hard in the temple on Mount Hua in the snow. I bet he won’t leave until he recovers his cultivation. Let’s use this empty cup to represent him… everyone, cheers!” said Wang Sanpang with high spirits.

“HAHAHA, I never expected to spend my New Year’s here. Either way, it’s great to be alive,” said Zhang Xiaohou.

“Yeah, how lucky are we to survive two great calamities!” agreed Zhao Kunsan.

“Let’s give Mo Fan a toast, come. Hey, put Mo Fan’s picture on your iPad and set it straight. That’s right, let’s send him our regards.”

“Should we light up three incense sticks, too?”

“Put his photo on grayscale…”