Volume 4: Super-Tier Awakening & The Ancient Capital Calamity
Chapter 346
Slain Undead Monarch, Absorption of the Second Soul Essence
The swirling dust and flying gravel across the Southern Gate battlefield of Ancient Capital finally began to settle alongside gusts of cold wind howling through the scarred, blood-stained watchtowers. The recent destructive magic tempest had swept across a vast expanse, leaving behind a colossal, fathomless crater thousands of meters wide. The hundred-meter-tall physique of the Mountain-Cleaving Corpse Monarch—the monster that had once made an entire region tremble, the leader of this wave of undead legions—had now completely transformed into a pitch-black heap of ashes, venting acrid, grey wisps of smoke that stung the eyes.
Amidst the bone-chilling stillness of a battlefield fresh from a life-and-death clash, an invisible surge of energy violently erupted from deep within the dense layers of ash.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...!
The surrounding space warped, generating visible shockwave ripples. From the epicenter of the ash heap, a purple-blue soul essence orb blazed brilliantly like a luminous pearl set against the endless night sky. It was an ultimate-grade Early-Stage Monarch Soul Essence! Housing the bloodline essence, soul, and all accumulated elemental magic power of an autocratic Undead Monarch over thousands of years, the light it emitted was so radiant it eclipsed the gloomy glow of Ancient Capital’s night, radiating a coercive pressure that made any Advanced-level expert’s legs turn to jelly and their minds quake.
Lin Feng stood towering atop the peak of a shattered war chariot, his military uniform stained with fresh blood and grime, his dark hair whipping in the fierce gale. His gaze was sharp as an unsheathed blade, locked onto the ascending soul essence orb.
Right at that moment, the Primordial Dragon Pendant hidden against Lin Feng’s chest emitted a deep, resonant dragon roar that echoed directly into his consciousness, stirring his blood to a boil. An invisible yet overwhelmingly tyrannical suction force burst from the jade pendant, transforming into an illusory stream of light that wrapped around the purple-blue soul essence orb, pulling it straight into the depths of the dark jade.
Swoosh...!
The moment the soul essence orb touched the jade surface, it instantly melted into an incomparably pure current of fluid energy. In the very next heartbeat, a warm, ocean-vast surge of energy poured relentlessly into Lin Feng’s limbs and bones. The sensation was akin to tens of thousands of cooling streams drenching a parched land after a prolonged drought.
Rumble...!
A muffled explosion echoed within Lin Feng’s body. It was the sound of boundaries shattering, the thunderous roar of realm ascension. The eight colossal Star Palaces reigning within his soul sea violently shook during that instant. The borders between the Star Palaces were reinforced, expanding by another large circle, blazing with an unprecedented, dazzling magical light. The boundless Star Sea below surged with towering waves, absorbing the entirety of the immense bloodline energy refined from the undead monarch.
His power skyrocketed! Within the span of a few short breaths, Lin Feng’s archmage realm solidified firmly, taking another massive stride forward on his path toward conquering the peak of world magic.
High above, the entire military and populace, the advanced mages, and tens of thousands of soldiers standing choked with emotion atop the Ancient Capital walls after a moment of breathless astonishment, suddenly erupted!
A heaven-shaking roar shattered the heavy atmosphere that had weighed down upon them for days and nights:
“We’ve won! The Undead Monarch has been executed! We’ve won!”
That sound rippled like an atomic bomb detonating in a sea of people, spreading at breakneck speed from the Southern Gate along the endless stretches of city walls encircling Ancient Capital. Tens of thousands of arms raised high toward the grey sky, cheers, choked-with-emotion cries, and resounding laughter blending together into a heroic sound that tore at the heartstrings.
“Sob, sob, sob... We survived! Mother, your son made it back alive!”
“My sect... though fallen, Ancient Capital has been preserved! We protected the fortress!”
“General Lin Feng wins ten thousand victories! Divine Continent wins ten thousand victories!”
Hot tears streamed down the mud-, blood-, and sweat-stained faces of the defending soldiers. They hugged one another, dancing wildly upon stone steps still stained with the black blood of the undead fiends. Confronting imminent death day and night, the extreme tension was finally thoroughly released, transforming into boundless pride and adoration directed toward the lone figure standing independently amidst the battlefield.
The senior generals of Ancient Capital, veteran commanders who had weathered the fiercest battles in human history, could no longer hold back their overflowing emotions. They slowly raised their hands to their helmet brims, bowing in the most rigorous, solemn military salute reserved for the young hero—the man who had single-handedly turned the tides of heaven and earth, bringing a beacon of hope amidst utter despair.
Amidst the roaring sea of people, Lin Feng withdrew his gaze from his internal state. He gently stepped forward, his figure gliding like an illusory bolt of silk, soaring across thousands of meters of open space and landing lightly atop the southern ramparts.
The cheers grew ever louder, tens of thousands of gazes locking onto him with absolute worship, akin to beholding a living deity walking the mortal realm.
Yet, contrasting sharply with the fanatical, jubilant atmosphere of the myriad troops, Lin Feng’s expression held not a trace of relaxation or joy. Instead, his handsome brows furrowed deeper into a profound crease.
He slowly raised his head, piercing through the dense shroud of mist and clouds, fixing his gaze straight up at the grey sky hovering over Ancient Capital.
The foul-smelling rain of blood showed no signs of stopping. On the contrary, the raindrops fell heavier and denser by the moment. Bizarrely, the pungent stench of blood in the air not only failed to dissipate after the fall of the Mountain-Cleaving Corpse Monarch, but seemed to surge even stronger, growing heavier and increasingly dark, tightening chests and unsettling minds with every breath.
An invisible chill from deep within the earth, from the bottomless abyss of the netherworld, was slowly creeping upward, enveloping the entirety of Ancient Capital...