Versatile Mage : Reborn As Mo Fan

Mo Fan spent over six months stationed at the walls of the ancient capital, diligently fighting and gathering the spirit remnants. During this time, his pendant, the Little Loach, leveled up significantly, and it no longer needed to absorb spirits to recover.

Now, the collected remnants simply floated in the pendant's world, a testament to Mo Fan's efforts over the past months. Though his own progress was not exceptionally fast, both his fire and lightning elemental constellations had grown steadily. His shadow and summoning elements had also reached the third level of the Novice Tier.

The Little Loach pendant had now evolved, and Mo Fan could not wait to pour the Underground Holy Spring into it, eager to see what tremendous power would be returned to him.

That night, the guardians on the city walls, now familiar with Mo Fan, were puzzled to see that the strong, hardworking young man did not join them for their nightly patrols. Mo Fan had a different plan tonight. His plan was to drink the Underground Holy Spring. As midnight approached, his pendant surged with a rich, overwhelming energy that flowed into him. He could feel his shadow and summoning element constellations about to break through. The extra energy even greatly enhanced his fire and lightning elements!

At that moment, Mo Fan knew his patience had paid off.

Once he absorbed the energy sent by the pendant, both his shadow and summoning elements expanded, forming large constellations. His fire element advanced to the second level of the intermediate tier, while his lightning element, though not upgraded, expanded in power several times, now rivaling the strength of his fire element from before.

The surge of power was exhilarating, but Mo Fan quickly realized that the Underground Holy Spring hadn't fully pushed the Little Loach to the next level as he had hoped. His cultivation speed, while improved, felt no different from the usual gains he experienced after absorbing spirits.

This meant that even the Underground Holy Spring wasn't enough to trigger a major evolution in the pendant. However, being in the ancient capital provided him with another opportunity to level up. There were still dangerous regions nearby where battles were plentiful—ideal for his growth.

Mo Fan decided to venture into some of the ancient villages beyond the city's boundaries to explore their rich magical history.

The next morning, Mo Fan left the city. He abandoned his phone and clothes at the hotel, unconcerned about theft, as no one would dare cross a mage. He also stocked up on some gray garlic, a key tool for surviving in undead lands. Although it pained him to spend so much money on the expensive item, he knew it was necessary.

Mo Fan traveled to the Salted Pools, a barren land where vegetation was scarce, and the soil was soft, often covered in fine white sand. This "sand" was actually powdered bones from countless corpses exposed to wind and weather over the centuries. The area resembled a basin on the map, giving rise to its name.

The Salted Pools were located between the northern foothills of the Qinling Mountains and the ancient capital's northern district. Unlike other regions where the safe zones were fortified with checkpoints and watchtowers, the ancient capital's defenses consisted of long, shifting walls built by earth element mages. This shifting led to villages sometimes being left outside the safe zones.

While such isolated villages would have been decimated by demons in other regions, here they survived due to the unique powers of their residents. These people were descendants of the old Qin dynasty, protected by ancestral connections to the undead, who granted them safety even from the fierce monsters of the Qinling Mountains.

Despite their remote location, it would still take Mo Fan more than a day to reach the village. As night fell and he continued his journey, strange sounds emerged from the ground beneath him, a mixture of crunching and thudding.

Mo Fan had fought undead before, but this was his first time in a truly cursed land.

As soon as he heard the eerie sounds, he became fully alert. Suddenly, rotten, decaying hands burst from the ground, clawing their way to the surface less than five meters from where Mo Fan stood.

"Raaaah!"

"Grrrrraaah!"

Muffled groans escaped from beneath the soil as heads with hideous, glowing red eyes pushed through the dirt. The air was thick with the stench of death, making the undead even more frenzied, desperate to tear through the earth and reach their prey.

Mo Fan's heart pounded as he realized the true scale of the undead army beneath his feet. The ground here, saturated with centuries of death, was no longer natural soil but a breeding ground for countless undead souls, victims of past wars and fallen dynasties. As soon as sunlight vanished, these creatures rose from their graves, ready to tear apart anything in their path. Even if they were cut down, a new wave would emerge after the next deadly season.

But Mo Fan stood his ground. He had come here to fight, to grow stronger—and now he had the perfect opportunity.

(End of Chapter)