Volume 4: Super-Tier Awakening & The Ancient Capital Calamity
Chapter 356
Crossing the Black Water River: The Soul-Devouring Torrent
A heavy, suffocating silence gripped the ancient terracotta warrior plaza. After bypassing rows of cold, gray stone statues radiating bloodlust from a millennia past, Lin Feng’s vanguard pressed deeper into the inner sanctum of the Ancient Capital’s imperial mausoleum. Yet, their path was abruptly blocked by a terrifying obstacle, revealed under the eerie, dim illumination of luminous pearls embedded high along the vaulted ceiling.
A colossal subterranean river, stretching over three hundred meters wide, cut directly across their sole path into the inner sanctum.
This was no ordinary river. Its water was as pitch-black as thick China ink, churning and roaring with muffled echoes from the depths of the earth, akin to the wails of millions of tortured souls imprisoned for eternity without hope of reincarnation. Thick, purplish-black mist billowed from the surface, reeking of fresh blood, absolute death, and profound decay. Anyone who inhaled even a wisp of that vapor felt their chest constrict as if gripped by an invisible claw, their mind spinning and their soul trembling with unease.
Professor Zhang Yuanming turned pale, stepping slowly to the absolute brink of the riverbank. He crouched down, retrieving a pristine white magic feather from his spatial storage—a high-grade defensive artifact with exceptional resistance against poison and corrosion, frequently used by veteran mages exploring hazardous dungeons.
He gently released the feather, letting it flutter downward toward the dark waters of the Black Water River.
Sizzle... Sizzle... Sizzle...!
The exact microsecond it touched the pitch-black liquid, the high-end magic feather didn’t sink at all. Instead, it instantly erupted into a violent, bizarre greenish flame. In less than two seconds, it vanished entirely into a cloud of acrid gray smoke, leaving behind a dry, bone-chilling hiss.
“This is bad...” Professor Zhang Yuanming took a sharp breath, his voice trembling with horror, his eyes widening as he stared into the river before them. “This is the legendary Black Water River! Ancient records state this river draws its waters directly from the nether springs of the Nine Underworlds, where yin energy gathers most densely in all creation. Not only does its water corrode physical flesh and shatter all layers of elemental and physical protective magic barriers, but its most terrifying trait is... it can dissolve souls!”
Xie Zhaoyuan’s expression turned utterly grim upon hearing this. He raised his head toward the artificial vault of the subterranean cavern, attempting to channel wind magic to execute a flight spell across. But the moment he did, a pressure as heavy as Mount Tai slammed down from above, buckling his knees and nearly forcing him to his knees.
“It’s no good!” Xie Zhaoyuan gritted his teeth, cold sweat pouring down his forehead as he rasped, “The airspace above is sealed by an ancient restriction! The anti-flight gravity pressure here is at absolute threshold. Anyone who dares unleash flight magic higher than three meters will be ripped to shreds by spatial gravity instantly!”
The entire team plunged into an oppressive, suffocating silence.
The opposite bank of the Black Water River lay fully three hundred meters away. In the distance, through the hazy purplish-black mist, majestic pillars of black jade supporting the inner sanctum’s dome loomed vaguely. Yet, an invisible countdown clock ticked urgently in the back of everyone’s minds. The barrier protecting the Ancient Capital on the surface was weakening with every passing second. If they failed to rapidly cross this river and breach the core of the ruins to find the supreme artifact or the method to lift the grand barrier, the entire Ancient Capital would face genocide when the Undead Tide fully awakened!
“Are we just going to sit here and resign ourselves to defeat? Three hundred meters of toxic water, you can’t swim, you can’t fly, and ordinary magic defenses dissolve upon contact in the blink of an eye...” murmured a high-level mage in the party, his eyes filled with despair.
Right at that moment, a slender yet resolute figure stepped forward.
It was none other than Mu Ningxue. The freezing wind blowing from the river whipped through her long, silver-white hair, causing her strands to flutter wildly in the dim gloom. She raised her slender, graceful hand, smoothly removing the thin silk glove she wore to reveal skin as flawless as white jade, yet cold as millennia of glacial frost.
“Let me try.” Mu Ningxue’s voice rang out—soft, yet carrying a chilling, absolute majesty that brooks no refusal.
She walked to the very edge of the water, where bubbling black waves awaited to devour any living thing. Mu Ningxue closed her eyes. When they opened once more, her irises flashed with an exquisite, frigid galactic vortex.
O o o o...!
The Ice Crystal Asura Bow within her physique vibrated frantically. An endless surge of glacial cold erupted from Mu Ningxue’s body, transforming the surrounding space into a miniature world of ice and snow. Waving her hand, she unleashed a palm strike carrying absolute, pure frost energy directly down onto the surface of the Black Water River.
Boom boom...!
The moment the chill touched the pitch-black water, sharp explosions echoed. However, the soul-corroding toxic water of the Nine Underworlds proved far more stubborn and formidable than imagined. The instant a thin sheet of ice formed on the water’s surface, the churning black water beneath surged upward, corroding, eroding, and dissolving that layer of ice in the blink of an eye amidst billowing gray smoke.
Mu Ningxue frowned slightly, her face turning somewhat pale from magical backlash. She bit her lip, continuing to drive the Ice Crystal Asura Bow with all her might, but three hundred meters of toxic water was simply too vast. Her solo strength could fundamentally not maintain a freezing speed faster than the corrosion rate of this wicked river.
Just as she felt an overwhelmingly heavy feedback pressure, a warm hand suddenly pressed gently onto her slender shoulder, then slid down to interlace firmly with her cold fingers.
Mu Ningxue started, lifting her gaze slightly.
Standing beside her was Lin Feng. On his handsome face, there was not a trace of worry or tension; instead, a confident, calm, and deeply warm smile rested there amid this earthly purgatory. His gaze toward her overflowed with deep affection and understanding.
“Since when did you start carrying heavy burdens alone without calling me, silly girl?” Lin Feng chuckled softly, his deep voice carrying warmly across the roaring river.
“I... I could have done it...” Mu Ningxue bit her lip, a rare flush tinging her alabaster cheeks amidst the deadly scenery, but her fingers gripping Lin Feng’s hand instinctively relaxed slightly. The familiar sense of safety radiating from his chest completely calmed her mind.
“I know you’re very strong, but we’re a team—or rather, one entity.” Lin Feng laughed heartily, a sharp, peerless glint flashing in his eyes as he stared fixedly down at the Black Water River ahead. “Besides, does this little river think it can block our path? Let it try!”
With that, Lin Feng stepped up alongside Mu Ningxue, their hands locked tightly together. In that exact moment, two supreme magics began to resonate with one another frantically, generating an energy storm that twisted the surrounding space.
From Lin Feng’s body, an endless primordial energy erupted—Primordial Extreme Ice! A frost power carrying pristine, supreme primordial chill from the dawn of creation, radiating a majesty that forced all things to bow. From Mu Ningxue’s body came the pure Ice Crystal Asura Bow, crystal-clear as glazed glass, sharp as a millennia-old celestial sword.
These two pinnacle ice-attribute magics of the world—one carrying ferocious primordial might, the other immaculate aesthetic purity—completely merged through their shared intent and interlaced hands.
“Twin Frosts United: Freeze the Nine Underworlds!” Lin Feng and Mu Ningxue shouted in unison, a roar that shook the soul.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM——!
A blinding sapphire light exploded from the intersection between them, illuminating the entire dark subterranean hall as bright as day. That light was not only brilliant but carried a heaven-shattering destructive might, completely crushing the murky death aura rising from the Black Water River.
CRACK CRACK CRACK... CRASH CRASH CRASH...!
The churning, raging black river was suddenly frozen by a supreme force at a visible speed. Thick, crystal-clear layers of ice, sturdy as diamond, surged upward from the deep bottom, expanding toward both banks with unstoppable momentum.
In less than three breaths, the three-hundred-meter subterranean river had completely vanished from sight. In its place stood a colossal sapphire ice bridge sparkling with crystalline light, over ten meters thick, its surface smooth yet anchored with absolute firmness, spanning magnificently across to the opposite shore like a miracle forged by deities amid the underworld!
The entire space fell into absolute silence.
Professor Zhang Yuanming dropped his jaw, his elderly eyes widening as he stared at the magnificent ice bridge before him, his throat stuck with no words. Xie Zhaoyuan and all members of the team stood frozen like statues, a sense of ultimate awe and reverence surging in their hearts. What kind of sheer power was this? A single combined technique that froze an entire primeval river drawn from the nether springs of the Nine Underworlds! Even the soul-corroding restriction of the river was completely suppressed by that supreme frost energy, unable to rise even as a wisp of vapor.
“The bridge is done. What are you all standing around for? Let’s go.” Lin Feng reined in the surging aura around him, turning back to give a faint smile while still holding Mu Ningxue’s soft hand as he stepped onto the sparkling ice bridge.
Professor Zhang Yuanming swallowed hard, calling out hurriedly, “Let’s go! Follow closely behind Young Master Lin and Miss Mu!”
The entire team hurried safely across the colossal ice bridge. The feeling of walking atop the solid crystalline ice, with the toxic water completely sealed beneath in frost, made everyone exhale in profound relief, secretly thanking their lucky stars for the presence of these two magical monsters in the expedition.
Moments later, the entire team successfully set foot on the opposite bank of the Black Water River. The air here was entirely different—drier, yet carrying an ancient, bone-chilling bloodlust from the endless corridors stretching ahead, waiting for them to explore.
Lin Feng released Mu Ningxue’s hand, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings, vigilantly observing every nook of the surrounding black jade architecture.
Right at this moment...
Kee... eh... eh... !
A shrieking, piercing, and utterly horrifying laugh suddenly echoed from the deep darkness of the black jade corridor ahead. That laughter sounded like fingernails dragging across glass, echoing deep into the mind, causing splitting headaches and uncontrollable soul-trembling.
“Impressive...” A hoarse voice carrying cruelty and bizarre amusement slowly drifted out from the dark mist ahead. “To think a bunch of lowly pests actually managed to cross this deity’s Black Water River... Truly an eye-opener!”
Everyone instantly raised their guard to the absolute maximum, magic radiance bursting from their hands in unison, pointing straight toward the source of the sound.
Out from the darkness of the black jade corridor, a towering figure draped in tattered imperial robes faded by time stepped out slowly. His face was as pale as a millennia-old corpse, his irises completely stark white without pupils, the corners of his mouth curving into a terrifyingly bizarre grin.
He stared fixedly at Lin Feng and Mu Ningxue, slowly raising a hand as withered as dead branches, his hoarse voice carrying a terrifying pressure that blanketed the entire space:
“It has been a very long time... since anyone dared set foot in this Great General’s domain. Did you think... crossing that river means you can leave here alive? Hmph, sheer delusion! Today, all of you shall leave your souls behind here as sacrifices for our immortal dynasty!”