Phosphor City, Water Color Federation.
Within the city flowed three main rivers: the Phosphor River, the White River, and the Cangluo River. These three great rivers originated from the core area of the Phosphor Oasis and ended at its periphery.
This was the oasis’s ecosystem.
The Phosphor River was the city’s largest waterway and, as usual, the primary source of water for Phosphor City.
A magnificent stone bridge, wide enough for eight chariots to cross abreast, spanned the Phosphor River in an arch. It lay like a colossal blue dragon, lazily coiled. For some time now, water from the Phosphor River had been prohibited for use, but the Phosphor River Bridge, as the city’s main thoroughfare, still bustled with pedestrians.
This was not a major concern. As long as one did not drink the tainted river water, they would not unknowingly become a living dead.
Under the sunlight, the vast Phosphor River rippled with golden waves, like the shining scales of a divine dragon, sacred and majestic. There was not the slightest hint of the filth lurking within this sacred river.
“I heard that only Mythic Sovereigns with specific abilities can remove this kind of filth.”
“Indeed, but our Water Color Federation’s Sovereigns probably wouldn't act for such a minor matter.”
“These aren’t exactly minor matters. It’s just that our Water Color Federation’s Mythic Sovereigns can’t possibly attend to everything. Not just Phosphor City, but dozens of cities, large and small, require purification. And this purification is only temporary. It consumes a great deal of the Mythic Sovereigns’ power, yet the effect isn’t significant enough. If I were a Mythic Sovereign, I wouldn’t waste too much on this.”
“However, I heard that at the Cinder Academy, there are Mythics who have purified filth for many great oases. It’s just that our Water Color Federation doesn’t want external Mythics to enter. Otherwise, Mythics from the Cinder Academy would have already descended upon our Phosphor City.”
Several residents of Phosphor City fell silent.
They naturally wished for the Phosphor River to be purified so they could have ample water resources.
“After all, we are residents of the inner city. Even if the rivers are polluted, at least we can still get drinkable water. But many commoners in the outer city are suffering terribly.”
“Yes, a while ago, there were still commoners from the outer city secretly drawing river water, and several living dead incidents occurred. The noble lords above were furious… but the noble lords don’t consider that when people are on the verge of dying of thirst, who would still care about Phosphor City’s prohibitions.”
“Fortunately, the Cinder Academy developed that purification plant, which can purify the extracted river water. Otherwise, Phosphor City would probably be in complete chaos right now.”
Several individuals, not nobles but nonetheless elites of the inner city, sighed.
Under disaster, all were like ants.
Fortunately, they were born in the inner city of Phosphor City, making them luckier than 99.9% of people. The disaster had now passed its most arduous period, and soon, they would welcome the dawn.
As they thought this, their eyes, which had been gazing at the river water, suddenly contracted.
Reflected in the sunlight, the shimmering, glittering Phosphor River water, inch by inch, darkened. It turned black, chillingly black, profoundly black, as if it had even obscured the sunlight.
In the blink of an eye, the magnificent Phosphor River vanished, leaving only a black river, as if stained with countless impurities, blackened to its depths!
The black river churned with surging waves, and monstrous figures seemed to lurk within, eager to leap out with gaping, terrifying maws.
“Wh-what happened!”
The pedestrians on the bridge were terrified and bewildered.
Just as they were cautiously observing the strange figures faintly appearing in the black river water, hoarse, low growls suddenly erupted beside them.
The eyes of the passersby, who had been fearfully watching the black river, gradually became dull and lifeless, covered by a darkness like stagnant water.
Their mouths gaped open, their blackened tongues gradually elongated, and their bodies bent slightly, as if suppressing some change.
Their skin turned grayish-black. Beneath their coarse cloth garments, their arms bulged, outlining strong muscle lines. With tearing sounds, their knotty, protruding muscles ripped through the fabric, scattering in pieces.
Soon,
The bridge was filled with men and women whose skin had completely turned grayish-black, dotted with blemishes, their upper bodies bare and muscular.
No, they were the living dead!
They lunged at the surrounding living people.
Instantly, screams echoed across the grand bridge, piercing the heavens.
However, the anomaly was not confined to the Phosphor River Bridge. It also appeared in multiple areas along the banks of the Phosphor River, spreading rapidly like a virus.
Awakened individuals not yet affected roared and drew their blades.
Some fled in panic, desperate to escape the disaster before them.
The City Lord’s Mansion, in the core area of Phosphor City.
“It’s blackened, the entire riverbed is black!”
“Didn’t they say that as long as we don’t drink water containing filth, there won’t be any problems!”
“Clearly, the disaster has escalated!”
“Now is not the time to discuss this, but rather, what should we do! If we can’t come up with a solution, our Phosphor City will fall to the living dead catastrophe.”
Panic also gripped the City Lord’s Mansion. The lords lacked the ability and experience to deal with such a disaster.
Someone immediately said:
“Send a plea for help to the Federation, quickly! Our Phosphor City is a renowned Level Six Oasis in the Federation, its importance is high, the Sovereigns cannot stand idly by.”
“No, we just received news that similar situations have occurred in many parts of the Federation. Everywhere needs manpower. We’ve been instructed to suppress the disaster ourselves.”
“Suppress it ourselves? How can we suppress it! Moreover, we have no idea what causes the zombification. What if we mutate ourselves?”
This was the greatest fear of the noble lords.
They were not afraid of the living dead. They had the ability to resist visible enemies. At worst, they could hold out behind the noble district as a barrier.
What they feared was the impact of invisible disasters.
However, once the outer and inner cities fell, their losses would be immeasurable. They could not accept that either.
“We can seek help from the Burning Fire Academy!” a powerful individual said.
“But the Burning Fire Academy is an external force, and the Federation does not wish for the Mythics of Burning Fire to enter our territory,” someone hesitated.
“At a time like this!” someone retorted.
The City Lord of Phosphor City stood up and said:
“Gentlemen, let’s vote.”
…
If the previous disaster was merely like boiling a frog in warm water, then at this very moment, the disaster was unleashed with tenfold or a hundredfold intensity within a short period.
Luofeng Great Domain, Tongtai Great Domain, Anlan Great Domain… one Great Domain after another was affected.
The situation in the seven nations of Yunhui was also not optimistic.
They had already made some predictions about the disaster’s progression, but the current changes completely exceeded their expectations. They were caught off guard.
“This does not make logical sense!”
“We need a strategy! A strategy!”
“The immediate priority is to understand the reason for the sudden escalation of the disaster and the pathway to zombification.”
“Our time is running out. Contact the other six nations! We need to consolidate intelligence. We can no longer fight alone at this point.”
“I think we should also invite the Cinder Academy. The Cinder Academy has been investigating the disaster for a long time; they might have more information.”
“That makes sense.”
“Contact them quickly.”
Not long after,
*Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz—*
In a mysterious space, projection after projection appeared.
This was a projection space created using a secret treasure from the Yanlei Kingdom. Even across countless Great Domains and through secret realm spaces, by holding a sub-component of the secret treasure, one could project their divine consciousness into this special space without delay for a meeting.
During this process, the consumption of divine consciousness projections was extremely low, almost negligible.
The Yanlei Kingdom, being well-prepared, had an exchange student carry a sub-component of this secret treasure.
At this moment, Liu Feng, acting as the academy’s representative, used this component as a base, projecting his divine consciousness across vast distances, appearing in the projection space designed like a domed hall.
“Dean Liu Feng.”
“Dean Liu Feng.” x6
The representatives of the seven nations bowed slightly in respect.
This was the basic respect due to a Demigod.
Liu Feng returned the courtesy, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings without any discernible expression.
The seven great nations each sent several Mythics. Among them, Chishang, Yuntu, Yanlei, and Shanyan all had Demigods present, indicating their high level of seriousness regarding this matter.
Indeed, without such seriousness, the seven nations would not have invited their Cinder Academy to this meeting.
This was clearly an internal meeting of the seven nations, representing the top tier of the Yunhui Seven Great Nations.
His presence as the Cinder Academy’s representative signaled that the Cinder Academy was stepping into the power games of the top tier… or so others might think.
Cinder Academy never cared about such things.
However, facing this disaster, the active invitation from the seven nations would save them a lot of trouble and allow their teachers’ strategies to advance more smoothly.
Liu Feng mused inwardly.
Before the representatives of the nations could speak, he spoke first, “As everyone can see, this disaster is ‘man-made’ and related to the servants of evil gods.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he keenly noticed that some Mythics and Demigods’ expressions shifted slightly.
As expected, the seven great nations had similar suspicions.
This meant he wouldn’t have to labor the point too much.
He continued, “The initial disaster may have simply been the unconscious spreading of an unspeakable evil god. Just as a dragon turning over can cause earthquakes and landslides, the unconscious ‘turning’ of an evil god can cause the sky and earth to change color and disasters to arise. This indicates that the evil god is about to awaken.”
“The recent escalation of the disaster is also related to the awakening of the evil god. Spreading disasters, in accordance with certain laws and authorities, can greatly accelerate the evil god’s awakening.”
“Do you have proof?” a Demigod asked.
Liu Feng shook his head slightly. “Proof, does that matter?”
He merely wanted to plant a seed of ‘urgency’ in the hearts of these old fellows, making them exert more effort before the true great catastrophe arrived.
He paused, his sharp gaze sweeping over the representatives of each nation, piercing their timid exteriors. “What matters is that the situation is now precarious. If we don’t act soon, all nations will suffer irreparable damage, or even collapse immediately.”
“None of you wish for your own nation to be overthrown by the disaster, do you?”
“Conversely, our Cinder Academy, without any basis, is completely unaffected by the disaster. However, if we wait until the great catastrophe truly arrives, it will be too late. My teacher, our Dean, began planning and preparing countless years ago, all for the sake of giving humanity a sliver of hope, rather than continuously wasting time like you!”
“You!” a Mythic angrily said.
Liu Feng paid no heed, his eyes fixed on those who truly represented their respective nations – the Mythics and Demigods.
After a long pause,
The old Lord of Chishang asked, “Does your Cinder Academy have a countermeasure?”
Liu Feng nodded proudly. “Of course. My teacher has been investigating the power of evil gods for a long time, and we have fought against disasters countless times, though most of the time, it was unknown to others.”
“Based on our experience and investigation results, there are servants of evil gods who have manipulated the power of the disaster, tipping its focus towards various oases… This means that in certain regions outside the oases, in the strange realms, there are sources concentrating the power of the disaster.”
“The birth of these disaster sources has greatly amplified the disaster and made it more targeted. But in contrast, the disaster now has a weakness. As long as we destroy the vast majority of these disaster sources, we can eradicate this disaster.”
Simultaneously, this would greatly delay the awakening of the evil god ‘Twisted Black River’.
Liu Feng added inwardly.
After speaking, he continued to watch, seeing the solemnity and fear in the eyes of the Mythics from various nations.
“Proactively attack the evil god faction, this…”
“We have no choice! In the past, we wouldn’t actively provoke the pawns of evil gods, but that doesn’t mean we’re truly afraid. The pawns of evil gods are not equivalent to the evil gods themselves.”
“But the power of the servants of evil gods is also… even if we can repel them, we might provoke even more terrifying existences.”
A Mythic said.
His words caused the others to fall silent.
They were not cowardly, but the absolute disparity in power could not be ignored.
“If the Holy Court could intervene…”
“Heh, let alone intervene, they haven’t stepped out of the Holy Court for several hundred years,” the representative from Yanlei Kingdom scoffed.
More eyes fell on Liu Feng.
He felt no pressure.
Because they at Cinder were already bearing the pressure.
“At that time, we will act.”
…
The seven great nations finally took action.
It wasn’t because of the Cinder Academy’s promise; they wouldn’t place their hopes on outsiders. It was simply because they had to act, and they had their own trump cards.
The seven great nations had survived for tens of thousands of years, relying not just on shouting slogans behind the central Holy Court.
They relied on their own strength and the formidable foundations accumulated over countless years.
Even the Mythics did not know the true extent of their nation’s power!
Within the Cinder Academy,
Fang You, Liu Feng, Hei Dao, and An Jianyou held a small meeting.
Although Zhou Bao was a Demigod, after careful consideration, Dean Fang excluded him from the meeting. The reason was simply to allow Zhou Bao to retain some of his Demigod dignity.
He presided over the meeting.
Liu Feng was the public face of the academy.
Brother Hei Dao was responsible for tactics.
An Jianyou was responsible for appearance and luck.
Little Huan served as the mascot, record keeper, and messenger.
“Notify all Mythics who are currently outside, or in secluded cultivation, to prepare and enter a state of readiness!”
“Notify the logistics department to check and fully charge the energy of the White Shark-class airships.”
“Notify…”
“Understood! Xiao Huan has received it~!”
In fact, Fang You was not surprised by the outbreak of the disaster.
He had issued similar orders two days prior. Mythics without important missions were returning, and the White Shark-class airships had stopped sailing, instead docking at the secret realm port.
Furthermore, investigation teams had already departed to scout the general locations of the disaster sources, so that the Mythics could accurately eradicate them.
Ideally, they would be eradicated simultaneously within a short period.
Otherwise, he worried about unforeseen complications.
He wanted to leverage the channels of the seven great nations to locate each disaster source. Moreover, the strength controlled by the seven great nations was also formidable. To fight against the disaster and the evil god faction, he needed these powerful allies from the seven great nations.
The above situation was within his expectations. What truly surprised him was…
*Ding!*
*Notification: The Evil God Disaster has erupted. You have triggered a Fate Mission.*
——
*Fate Mission: Disaster Interception!*
*Description: Unspeakable tendrils are spreading, and the death knell of fate is flickering. There is no time to spare!*
*Requirements: You must stop the spread of the disaster and eradicate it. Based on the impact of the disaster and the time taken to eradicate it, the world and fate will generate corresponding rewards.*
After several years, he had finally received another special mission!
Mentor Fang felt a flicker of excitement.
However, regardless of whether this mission existed or not, his plan had already been finalized.
Now, he only needed the east wind!
…
The actions of the seven great nations, which had seemed hesitant and weak before, became swift and decisive once they truly made up their minds.
The accumulation of tens of thousands of years and their immense influence were fully displayed at this moment.
“By tracking the traces along the riverbeds of each oasis, we have roughly pinpointed the locations of some disaster sources. For more specific positional anchors, we still need time.”
“Cloud Diagram Transformation, Divine Measurement Scrutiny… we have pinpointed one, two, three, and four disaster source locations.”
“Found them! Traces of evil god servants!”
The seven great nations, each employing their unique abilities, soon made gratifying discoveries.
Regarding how to manifest and destroy the disaster sources, the seven great nations might not be familiar with the process, but they were certainly not incapable.
After pinpointing several disaster sources, the seven great nations immediately dispatched Mythics.
They were eager to achieve results.
And they soon achieved results!
In less than a moment, a Mythic from Shuiman Nation killed one evil god servant and two seven-star strange evils, and destroyed one disaster source.
Indeed, the Black River disaster in that area visibly receded.
Shuiman Nation took the lead.
The news spread, and the other nations took notice.
But they were soon dumbfounded to discover that while the disaster in that area subsided, the disaster in the surrounding areas intensified!
“No! It’s not that simple. If we cannot destroy the disaster sources in an entire region within a short period, the dispersed disaster sources will become nourishment for other disaster sources!”
“However, there are evil god servants and seven-star strange evils guarding the vicinity of the disaster sources.”
Concentrating forces would only lead to slow death.
Dispersing forces led to the fall of Mythics.
For a time, the Mythics of the seven great nations were at a loss. They could neither advance nor retreat.
They attempted to concentrate their forces to eliminate the evil god servants, then disperse to destroy the disaster sources. But how could evil god servants be foolish? And the seven great nations did not have enough weapons capable of manifesting and destroying disaster sources.
They were powerless!
They were helpless!
They continued to search for and locate disaster sources, but they seemed to have lost sight of the light.
Within the Cinder Academy,
“The assault team will consist of Xiao Huan, An Jianyou, and Qian Hong, with An Jianyou as the captain. I will provide remote support.”
Dean Fang said to the one person, one spirit, and one puppet before him.
Before them, a three-dimensional map materialized, showing the Luofeng Great Domain and two surrounding domains. On it, conspicuous red markers appeared.
Representing the locations of the disaster sources.
Not precise enough, but close enough to be almost exact.
An Jianyou and the others were not responsible for finding them, only for destroying them.
Within the academy, students below the Mythic level were also preparing, their hearts pounding like drums.
They moved with haste, receiving their missions and departing immediately.
Outside the academy,
“Holy crap, look!”
The Awakened individuals in the marketplace suddenly felt a tremor. They looked up.
In the distance, the gate of the secret realm rippled violently like a tide. Figure after figure emerged from within, golden divine radiance swirling around them, and they shot into the sky.
Golden meteors streaked across the firmament.
Ten! Twenty! Thirty! Seventy or eighty!
Those who witnessed it would never forget this day. Revered Mythics emerged from the Cinder Academy, transforming into golden meteors, rushing to all corners of the Great Domains.
A sky full of meteor showers soared, like small suns, dazzling and brilliant, dispelling the gray mist.
On this day, Cinder attacked, and Mythics appeared in the sky.
On this day, dozens of Mythics revealed themselves, heralding the imminent arrival of Cinder’s era of great Mythics.
On this day,
“Holy mother of…!”