The moment Damon saw the reappearance of the silver vortex, he dashed forward at full speed. Luckily, this time it was larger—and thankfully closer to his location—allowing Damon to make it just in time. He leapt into the vortex of death along with tens of thousands of skeletons.
Inside the rift, Damon felt the laws of reality shift. Space itself twisted, opening a path to another dimension. An eerie sensation crept over his body.
"Chaos…" Damon thought as he bathed in the energy of an unfamiliar element.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself falling through black space.
As far as the eye could see, there was only darkness. In the distance, Damon's perception caught the spatial exit—the marker that served as both the entrance and exit of this dimensional pouch.
Turning into black mist, he stabilized himself mid-fall and looked downward toward the squad below. Mo Fan stared in shock at the forest of bones. Zhang Xiaohou was barely holding himself together, his body riddled with injuries. Su Xiaoluo and Liu Ru were in similar states.
***
A smaller space was usually less stable. When strong sonic waves, stomps, and energy ripples traveled across it, the entire space would shake violently and begin to collapse, like a structure unable to bear its own weight.
Mo Fan had no idea what the pillars supporting the space were, but he could clearly sense that the space was on the verge of destruction due to the overwhelming number of skeletons!
White skeletons. Red eyes.
They joined together into a massive forest of bones. Their red eyes flickered coldly, like stars scattered across the night sky.
Mo Fan's heart pounded heavily. He had never trembled like this before—not even after countless life-and-death situations. His blood nearly froze from the terrifying chill. Every cell in his body shrank in fear.
Zhang Xiaohou, Liu Ru, and Su Xiaoluo stood behind Mo Fan. Their hearts felt like they were about to burst from their chests. Their breathing stopped as they stared at the astonishing sight before them.
Only Liu Ru and Mo Fan were still capable of fighting, and even they were at their limits.
Normally, they would instinctively search for a way to survive. However, after seeing the skeleton army, their minds went completely blank.
"Run! Run! Run to the back!" Mo Fan shouted, snapping the others out of their daze.
Zhang Xiaohou, Liu Ru, and Su Xiaoluo did not hesitate. They immediately turned around and fled.
The undead army was ahead of them. Behind them, there was still space—at least enough to buy them a little more time before being devoured.
The Swift Star Wolf carried Su Xiaoluo and Liu Ru. Zhang Xiaohou used Wind Track and Earth Wave as they sprinted several hundred meters away.
However, Zhang Xiaohou soon sensed something wrong. He turned around and saw Mo Fan still standing in the same place.
"Brother Fan!"
"Mo Fan!" Liu Ru and Zhang Xiaohou shouted simultaneously.
"I don't know how long I can last, but you try your best to find the exit! Don't say anything—if you're quick enough, I might be able to survive!" Mo Fan said without turning around, his voice barely audible over the deafening roars of the undead.
In truth, Mo Fan knew he was only deceiving himself and the others. They had already checked the direction they came from. There was no exit there, and the space was limited. They would hit a wall within a few kilometers. Even though the scenery beyond looked identical, attempting to break through it by force would only trigger a storm of reality capable of tearing Super Creatures apart.
There was no escape.
Mo Fan understood that clearly.
But he refused to sit down and wait for death.
No way!
If God wanted him dead, he would throw his fist at Him—let alone these undead!
"My, my…"
Just as Mo Fan prepared to fight back against the tens of thousands of skeleton soldiers, a familiar voice rang out behind him.
"What an honorable young man, sacrificing his life for others."
"Ye Xinxia would be proud of you…"
Mo Fan turned around at full force, only to freeze in shock at the sight of the blue-eyed man standing behind him.
"Damon…" Mo Fan whispered, unable to believe his eyes, as Damon placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry. I'll take care of Ye Xinxia and Mu Ningxue for you," Damon said softly, his eyes gentler than ever. "I'll make sure they won't remember you at all."
Mo Fan's face twitched violently. He tried to punch Damon in the face—but failed miserably.
"You—motherfucker!"
***
The reunion did not go unnoticed by the authorities monitoring the squad that had entered the tomb.
Everyone had lost hope the moment they saw the silver vortex bring even more undead into the abyss.
But they were stunned when they saw the familiar figure of Damon standing behind Mo Fan.
"W-what? How is this possible?!" Commander Lu Xu exclaimed. "How did he enter the tomb?"
"Damon was fighting the undead just now… could it be—?"
"He jumped into the silver vortex," the mysterious man replied, his shoulders finally relaxing.
"This… this is great!" Fei Jiao exclaimed. "A Super Mage inside should be enough to wipe these monsters out. There's a chance! Good heavens!"
With a Super Mage inside, their chances of clearing the tomb and stopping the awakening of the Ancient Emperor increased dramatically.
Not to mention, they had personally witnessed Damon's prowess against the Mountain Zombie. Seeing him inside the Dark Abyss brought immense relief.
"…No, he can't clear the skeletons just yet," an elderly scholar said gravely. "This space is designed to summon more undead based on the strength of the individuals inside."
"For now, they are safe. But if they clear this level…"
"The difficulty matching Damon's strength will be initiated," Han Ji finished, his expression darker than ever.
Inside the copper mirror, the scene was being broadcast live.
"We can't kill the skeletons now," Damon said. "If we wipe them out, the difficulty will only increase."
"Then what should we do?" Mo Fan asked. Fatigue had completely overtaken him. Fighting two thousand zombies at the intermediate level—even with four elements—was no small feat, especially since he was weaker than he should have been.
"Escape. What else?" Damon replied with a grin as he hurled a fireball forward, blasting nearby skeletons apart.
"I can sense the exit of this dimensional pouch. Follow me—it should lead to the Emperor's altar."
Damon wasted no time dealing with the bony monsters. He grabbed Mo Fan and flew toward the escaping group, ignoring the undead entirely.
Using telekinesis, he pulled the other three along as Mo Fan unsummoned the Swift Star Wolf. Together, they flew toward the dimensional exit while undead under the command of the Blood Skeleton Official chased after them.
But things never went exactly as planned.
Boom!
A space-shattering sound echoed throughout the realm of death as an even larger silver vortex formed, raining down more undead.
"Fuck!" Damon cursed as he carried the group forward. The space of death had never been meant to be easy—it was designed to kill anyone who entered.
Escaping like this was not the solution, yet Damon refused to give up.
In the distance, the silver gateway out of the dimension was clearly visible. Before it, the silver vortex continued to pour undead into their path.
"Go!" Damon shouted as he dropped the group to the ground. "Escape first!"
"No! What about you?!" Mo Fan and Zhang Xiaohou protested, but Damon did not even look back.
"Go first! I'll come after you!"
Knowing that staying would only slow him down, Mo Fan and the others clenched their teeth and ran toward the silver gateway with everything they had.
"Fucking hell… nothing ever goes according to plan, huh?" Damon sighed as he looked up at the raining undead blocking the path.
"Whatever…"
Imperial flames erupted at full power, forming a roaring vortex of fire around him.
"Domain…"