Versatile Mage: Lord of Space

"Is this place always so gloomy and desolate?" Asharia, the aloof and beautiful woman dressed in black stockings, frowned slightly and asked softly.

The short man standing to the side, who had been looking down at the land beneath his feet that was glowing with an eerie light, was startled when he heard Asariya's question. His face showed a look of being flattered.

He quickly looked up, a hint of tension and excitement flashing in his eyes, and hurriedly replied, "It wasn't like this before. Ever since that terrible riot in the Sand River, this place has become deathly still. People in the industry are saying that a new era of the undead is about to begin. Perhaps, if the supreme ruler of this undead kingdom really changes, it wouldn't be surprising to see this situation."

Lin Lan stood quietly to the side.

Isn't this the Abyss of Fiends... But even if we knew, what could we do? Did we really have to put on that ancient king's armor and instantly reach the level of a minor emperor?

Thinking of the ancient king's armor, a complex light flashed in Lin Lan's eyes. There were too many stories behind that armor; while it possessed immense power, it would inevitably attract Michael's pursuit. The position of the ancient king was not easy to hold; one could easily become no different from a half-dead being.

"The Supreme Ruler?" Asharia's voice rang out again, tinged with doubt and inquiry. Her bright eyes sparkled.

“Yes, Miss. Although no one has actually seen it, everyone knows it exists. Everyone calls it the Emperor of the Dead. It is said that it was transformed from a Tang Dynasty monarch after his death.” The short man perked up immediately when Asariya continued to ask questions, and began to show off his knowledge incessantly.

"How many years has your Tang Dynasty been around?" Asariya continued to ask, a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

"Us?" The short man was slightly taken aback, seemingly not expecting Asharia to ask such a question. He scratched his head, a hint of embarrassment on his face.

Mo Fan stood to the side, his eyes flashing slightly as he heard Asariya's words. He keenly gleaned a piece of information from her speech: this woman was not from this country. No wonder her Chinese always sounded somewhat off-key, carrying a hint of foreignness.

"It's been over a thousand years, but I'm not entirely sure of the exact year," the short man said somewhat embarrassedly.

"The monarch of a thousand years..." Asariya murmured to herself, a hint of contemplation in her eyes, as if she were imagining what changes that monarch from a thousand years ago had undergone after his death to become the mysterious and unpredictable deceased emperor he is today.

Asaria didn't ask any more questions, but the dwarf, like a scholar eager to show off his knowledge, continued, "That's right, Miss. These undead are very particular about age. The older they are, the more terrifying their power. Just think, nourished by a thousand years of death energy, who knows what kind of astonishing monsters would be born."

Mo Fan listened from the side, pondering to himself. The history of this world seemed to match what he knew; Xi'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty, had once been so prosperous and thriving.

But now, if this place truly nurtures undead creatures, then it is indeed possible that the ancient kings, after their deaths, could transform into powerful undead.

"These ancient monarchs are really something! They've been dead for so many years, yet they still rule the underworld and the night world!" Mo Fan couldn't help but curse, a hint of dissatisfaction and anger showing on his face.

"Most kings' tombs are located in auspicious feng shui locations, absorbing the energy of heaven and earth. Over time, they eventually transform into demons and monsters, which is quite normal. Everyone says that the ruler of the undead kingdom has changed, which is truly laughable. It's as if they actually know who the previous ruler was. Whether there has been a change of ruler or not, even the undead themselves don't know, yet we living people talk about it so confidently." The short man said with a smile, a hint of mockery on his face.

"The supreme ruler of the undead... has anyone actually seen him?" Mo Fan couldn't help but ask, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

The short man shook his head, his face showing no sign of lying, and said seriously, "No, even the strongest mages have never seen it. There were some foreigners who claimed to be from the Holy Tribunal who came here seeking answers. They were all top-notch mages, but what happened? None of them came back alive. I heard they ended up as undead... These foreigners are just causing us trouble."

After saying this, the short man suddenly realized that Asharia was not a native of this country either, and an awkward smile immediately appeared on his face. He chuckled and said, "I wasn't talking about you, Miss."

“It’s alright, I’m happy to hear the people of the Holy Tribunal do stupid things.” A hint of a smile flashed in Asaria’s bright eyes, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, revealing a mysterious and charming smile.

The Holy Tribunal? Mo Fan seemed to have some vague impressions of it. He remembered hearing that it was a magical organization in Europe, somewhat similar to the Chinese Inquisition, an arbitration body. The Inquisition's duty was to execute, arrest, and punish evil mages with tainted reputations, while the Holy Tribunal was said to have a mission similar to Ultraman's: to maintain peace on Earth.

"If I participate in the World University Competition, I'll most likely have to deal with these foreign magic organizations," Mo Fan muttered to himself, a hint of worry in his eyes.

"Of course," Lin Lan said with a cold laugh, her voice tinged with disdain and mockery.

This world appears calm on the surface, but undercurrents are surging beneath. The World University Competition is ostensibly an official platform for selecting geniuses, but in reality, true geniuses, such as the calamity victim Qin Yu'er, are frozen in the Tianshan Mountains.

Ding Yumin had been so low-key, and even had a powerful figure like Dean Xiao to look after her, yet she was still murdered. In this world, without talent and family background, it's impossible to succeed. But being too talented makes you a threat to those with ulterior motives, leading to your execution. If I didn't have some trump cards up my sleeve, I wouldn't have dared to participate in the World University Competition so easily.

Asariya noticed Lin Lan's cold smile; it seemed this person had some understanding of institutions in other countries.

The group continued onward, and nothing happened along the way. Thanks to the gray garlic, the undead almost mistook them for one of their own, ignoring them completely.

"Yangyang Village isn't far ahead. The night is still long, let's rest there for a while," the short man said, pointing to the bottom of a small hill ahead.

"There are rules in the village. If you want to go in, you'd better follow them," the burly man reminded everyone, a hint of seriousness in his eyes.

Everyone nodded, indicating that there was no problem.

Soon, they reached the hillside safely. Looking down the hillside, everyone was filled with anticipation, eager to see how a human village had managed to survive unscathed in this land of the dead.

However, when they saw the scene below the hillside, between the mountain streams, and beneath the Qinling Mountains, everyone was stunned. There was no village there at all; it was clearly just a pile of abandoned and messy logs, which looked particularly desolate in the dim moonlight.

"Are you playing us?" the bearded man said angrily, a hint of ferocity in his eyes.

"I...I don't know what happened either." The short man's face turned deathly pale instantly, his eyes filled with terror and confusion. He hurriedly turned to the strong man, hoping to get an explanation from him.

The burly man's eyes were filled with astonishment, his mouth slightly agape, as if he couldn't believe it at all. He didn't speak, but instead began to run frantically down the slope, as if he wanted to personally verify whether what he was seeing was real.

That patch of messy wood, not even a corner of thatched hut could be seen, let alone a complete village. But the burly man seemed to have gone mad, showing no regard for the few undead wandering around, as if they didn't exist at all.

"It's shown on the map that this is Yangyang Village, but it seems there are neither people nor sheep here now," Lin Lan said, frowning, a hint of doubt and wariness in her eyes.

"Yes, yes, the map is definitely right, I really didn't lie to you," the short man said hurriedly, a look of anxiety and helplessness on his face.

"What about the village?" the bearded man asked again, his tone tinged with impatience.

Judging from the burly man's distraught appearance, this was indeed the location of Yangyang Village. However, the entire village had vanished without a trace.

"Perhaps the new undead ruler won't give these native inhabitants much face..." Mo Fan murmured. (End of Chapter)