Driving Back Khufu, Master of the Abyssal Rift / The Twelve Golden Men

Kill! Nine Nether Queen's beautiful eyes narrowed, knowing that the opportunity was not to be missed. Her eyes unleashed a surge of powerful spiritual energy, forcefully invading the area.

With a buzzing sound, the two masters of spiritual cultivation joined forces, severely injuring the evil child.

Lu Jun raised his sword, and within his Spiritual World, a primal force of Death Element stardust descended, covering the Tai'a Sword. A wisp of gray tribulation light flowed out and struck the evil child.

With a bang, the evil child's ghostly body disintegrated and exploded in the void, unleashing a massive soul storm.

The two were forced back, their faces pale, their brains buzzing, and the backlash was severe.

But the battle was a great victory. The Sphinx Beast and the evil child fell, and the Egyptian Undead suffered a severe blow, never to recover for at least several decades.

This loss is equivalent to the Eight Directions Undead Monarchs of the Ancient King lineage losing their Corpse of the Mountain Peak and the Nine Nether Queen, leaving them with no henchmen or strategists, making them no different from a lone commander.

"How dare you!" From the chaotic passage at the edge of the sky, the furious roar of Pharaoh, the Nether God, echoed, "Lu Jun, I'll remember you!"

He was furious. He had suffered a loss at the hands of Lu Jun in the Northern Plains. Although Lu Jun was able to break through his defenses at that time, he was still a little short of the true strength of Supreme Monarch.

It's only been a few months, and he already has the combat power to kill Supreme Monarch.

Chapter 554 Defeating Pharaoh, Lord of Abyss of Calamity

Pharaoh, the Nether God, gazed deeply at Lu Jun from afar, deciding to settle accounts with him another day.

Rumble! The next moment, the Chaos Vortex was completely extinguished by the repulsion of the Abyss of Calamity, and the gray pillar of light that stretched to the sky collapsed.

The Nether Frog Monarch, blocking the passage, let out a bloodcurdling scream. Its massive, bloated body was torn in two with a tearing sound, and green and red blood splattered everywhere.

His front half of his body was submerged in the Chaos Vortex, while his back half fell into the Yellow Springs Kingdom. He barely managed to save his life.

Lu Jun took a deep breath, released his God Ascension State, and almost exhausted his eight magical powers. The vast Yellow Spring True Water in the world receded, and the phantom of the Forbidden Realm Yellow Springs Kingdom disappeared.

However, upon sensing the Undead Space, he nodded in satisfaction, having obtained the complete remains and essences of the Supreme Monarch Sphinx and the Great Monarch Ghost Soul Evil Child.

He did not intend to simply extract the vast essence of the two, but rather to treat them as a whole and re-refine them into an undead.

Undead Demon Beast are just that capricious; they die and come back to life, come back to life and die again, over and over again. Of course, whether they are still the same as their predecessors each time they are reassembled and returned is another matter.

Even Pharaoh, the Nether God, though furious, has pyramids in Egypt containing the Sphinx and the evil child, which are essentially anchors for resurrection. Infused with a massive amount of Nether Energy, they will eventually be revived.

However, without the original essence and remains, this process will be incredibly long, and the returning individual's memories will be fragmented.

This is the real reason why the ancient Egyptian pharaohs relentlessly built the pyramids. Was it really a lie to say that the pharaohs were pursuing immortality?

In fact, the undead on the Abyss of Calamity side are no exception. Their original imprint is within the Abyss of Calamity. In the Original Timeline, Skeleton Nether Lord Ancient Capital war, the Skeleton King and the Ghost King both died. However, Zhan Kong into the Ancient King and resurrected them.

In addition, Lu Jun 'Metal Element Natal Magic Tool, the [Tai'a Sword], slew the Supreme Monarch and the Great Monarch in succession, and also condensed two layers of the [Sword Sacrifice] effect.

Today there are five levels, arranged in order from the legitimate monarch, the Mid-level Monarch, the Great Monarch, the Supreme Monarch, and the Emperor.

The Sphinx is the Supreme Monarch, which already has an overlap, but it can also be downgraded to serve as the Sword Sacrifice effect of Mid-level Monarch.

This downgrade has many side effects, at least reducing the absorption of the Sphinx's primordial energy. If Lu Jun is reforged into an undead in the future, his strength will not degrade much.

"With five layers of Sword Sacrifice and a six-fold power boost, plus the totem artifact and the Divine Seal Praise adds up to 4.5 times the base power, wouldn't that be 27 times the power?"

Lu Jun was astonished. The Metal Element's bonus was gradually catching up with the Water Element, and in terms of pure Killing Power, it was even better.

"Not bad, the Abyss of Calamity has been pacified for now. With a year or two of arduous cultivation, we can strive to achieve several more Super Rank, have a chance to perfect the Golden Water Curse, Mind, and upgrade our Stars. We can aim for all elements to reach the High-level Four, the fifth level of the Intermediate Level -level, and the fifth Primary level five."

He pondered to himself, "As for the Super Rank -tier magic, it depends on the situation..."

There's really no need to upgrade anymore. It consumes too much essence. Even if you upgrade to the fourth level of the Super Rank, you might not be a match for Half Forbidden Curse that has condensed Divine Talent, let alone the power of forbidden spells.

With this money, it's more convenient to seek a breakthrough in forbidden spells. Generally speaking, the higher the cultivation level, the lower the cost-effectiveness of upgrading star points.

He once regarded the talent of +1 level in Eastern Fire Magic as a celestial being, thinking that upgrading to the Super Rank would make him invincible. Now he realizes that his vision was too narrow. Actual combat power is influenced by factors such as transcendent power, celestial seed techniques, and self-created magic.

Of course, the reason why Lu Jun dared to make such a boast was that this war brought the White Tiger Pendant a massive number of servants, generals, and Commander Essence Soul, enough to upgrade all the star elements to their ideal state.

Moreover, the White Tiger Pendant seems to have recently finished digesting the Monarch Essence Soul and the essence of the Vicious Dragon Emperor, and is about to upgrade to the peak of the Star Sea Magic Artifact. The enormous energy dormant within it is eager to be injected into the Spiritual World.

Lu Jun understood this; it was feedback from the White Tiger Pendant that he was finally receiving the same treatment as Mo Fan, which would probably be enough for him to advance to the Super Rank in two different elements.

"Let's talk about the Totem Power once things have settled down."

Lu Jun seemed to be deep in thought. Nine Nether Queen had mentioned the White Tiger Totem before, and now that the war was over, he should find time to ask about it.

A moment later, his figure slowly descended from the void, standing atop the White Tomb Palace. He surveyed the Eight Directions Undead Monarchs, and said calmly, "Are you all convinced now?!"

After the words were spoken, the Undead Monarch exchanged glances, bowed their heads respectfully, and their booming voices echoed throughout the surrounding area, "Your humble servant obeys the order!"

"Very well!" Lu Jun nodded and gave the order without any hesitation. His gaze fell on the humanoid White Corpse King, and he said carefully, "There are some new forces Undead Monarch trouble in the Forbidden Zone of the Ancient Capital. You will lead the troops to wipe them out."

The White Corpse King remained silent, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "Yes!"

Now that Lu Jun had people under his command, he was too lazy to personally deal with these minor figures and simply sent locals to handle them.

But he also knew the nature of the dead, and that it was better to guide than to suppress. So he added, "You need not worry. You will return to the Ancient Capital during the day and to the dead at night. In addition, there are three rules: ordinary people must not be killed, official sorcerers must not be killed, and you must not gather to attack the city!"

Upon hearing this, the Eight Directions Undead Monarchs exchanged bewildered glances, but could accept it; at least it was better than before when they couldn't even venture out at night.

But that wasn't all. Lu Jun's tone shifted, becoming grim and heavy as he said, "I will avenge Pharaoh in the future. How can we not punish Egypt when he invades the Nine Provinces!"

"I know your nature of seeking the essence of the Nether Energy. When I become Emperor, I will lead you on a campaign to Egypt and unify the underworld!"

Lu Jun's words were forceful and resounding. The eyes of the Eight Directions Undead Monarchs gleamed with Blood Qi, and they all shouted in unison, "Your humble general obeys the king's command!"

This unanimous agreement carries a greater degree of sincerity.

To be honest, Lu Jun had met the pyramids twice and knew all too well the 'wealth' of the Egyptian Undead, a factory for processing the Nether Energy, plundering the life essence of countless living people, layer upon layer.

He also knew that leading the undead to invade the Egyptian pyramids and plunder their materials was merely a stopgap measure.

According to the law of conservation of energy, the spirits of the Egyptian Undead originated from the people of Egypt.

Lu Jun couldn't worry about that now; he'd deal with it later. But when it came to the Demonic Beast Empire, the Blood Qi contained within the Demon Beast's body was far stronger than that of a human.

After making the agreement with the Eight Directions Undead Monarchs, the rulers dispersed to clean up the battlefield and eliminate the new undead forces.

At this moment, only Nine Nether Queen remained in place, her beautiful eyes sparkling with a strange light, and she said with a smile, "The King is indeed domineering."

Lu Jun's gaze fell on the other person, and he withdrew his hand, saying, "Never mind, what was that clue about the White Tiger Totem you mentioned back then?"

"White Tiger Totem..."

Nine Nether Queen gazed into the distance and said in a low voice, "I don't know much either. You know about the Ancient King's experiences, right?"

"Standardize the gauge of carts, unify the written language, forge the Great Wall, and collect all weapons from across the land to cast Twelve Golden Figures!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Jun's brow twitched, especially the last sentence, "to gather all the weapons of the world to forge the Twelve Golden Figures," which gave him a sudden realization.

Chapter 555 The Twelve Golden Figures

Knowing the 'original work' and foreseeing the future, Lu Jun naturally knew where the Azure Dragon, one of the Four Great Sacred Beasts of the Totem Empire thousands of years ago, was.

Two thousand years ago, Qin Shi Huang used it to build the Great Wall, and he used the Totem Power to transform it into the Earth Sacred Spring, which was spread throughout the world to consolidate his rule and resist the Demonic Beast Empire.

Unexpectedly, the story of collecting weapons from across the land to cast Twelve Golden Figures is also related to totems.

He thought about it and realized that the logic made sense. The White Tiger Totem was associated with killing and the Gold Qi, and the Twelve Golden Figures forged from weapons were the most representative examples.

Furthermore, the King Qin's smelting technology was unparalleled in the world. The Dragon Pattern Nether Iron, inherited by the Zu Family, had a subtle relationship with the Metal Element. It was used to forge a natal weapon in the past, and spontaneously manifested its power, naming it 'Tai'a'.

Wait a minute, could it be that the First Emperor Qin created Metal Element magic?!

Suddenly, Lu Jun had a bold idea. After careful consideration, the clues connected. After obtaining the White Tiger Pendant, it occasionally transmitted knowledge of the Metal Element. Although it stopped at the Super Rank and the forbidden spells were yet to be developed, it was already quite complete.

At least Mo Fan's Azure Dragon Pendant did not possess such a legacy; it only had the soul of the Azure Dragon attached to the Great Wall, thus recreating the functions of the Azure Dragon sacred beast.

"Hiss hiss hiss!"

Lu Jun gasped, realizing that his own and Mo Fan's 'time travel' might also be related to the First Emperor.

"That's right. Of the Four Great Sacred Beasts, the Black Tortoise in the original story died in the Pacific Ocean. The corpse of Aofu on the coast, Baxia swimming Baxia the vast ocean, and the Xuan Snake that took root in Hangzhou all prove this point."

"As for the remaining Vermilion Bird totem, I know its place of rebirth is underground in Lanyang City on the coast. Mo Fan Flame Princess obtained it and later it became half of the Vermilion Bird totem."

"The only one is the White Tiger. There's absolutely no mention of it in the original text, but judging from the traces of the Kunlun Ancestral Tiger and the Heavenly Mountain White Tiger, it should be in the west, around the Ancient Capital."

He pondered deeply and couldn't help but feel admiration for the First Emperor of All Ages thousands of years ago. What an incredible opportunity and fortune he had, possessing both the White Tiger and the Azure Dragon as one.

Such a figure, the founder of both the Earth Element and Undead Element, and a suspected forerunner of the Metal Element, who created the Great Wall, the Abyss of Calamity, the Twelve Golden Figures, and other wonders, could he really only transform into Ancient King of Emperor-level after his death?

Lu Jun recalled the Remnant Soul clinging to the Ancient King Armor Robe, which lacked the Ten Thousand Miles Like a Tiger.

Perhaps the Ancient King Armor Robe was truly just a weapon of the First Emperor, left behind to be passed down to future generations, serving as a part of the cultural heritage of the Nine Provinces, as were the Great Wall and the Twelve Golden Figures.

As for the corruption of Zhan Kong, it was simply because the armor was worn close to the First Emperor day and night, mimicking his figure, which a mere High-Order Mage would naturally find difficult to resist.

Why did he die? It's probably related to lifespan. He was just an ordinary human with five forbidden spells, and he didn't possess both Undead Element and Life Element at the same time.

Lu Jun speculated that the First Emperor had achieved great success in his cultivation and was a genius, but unfortunately, his soul had its limits. Although he had already mastered all five elements and had clearly researched the Undead Element and Metal Element Magic System, which offered a glimmer of hope for immortality, he was unable to cultivate them and died with regret.

His backup plan was to focus on himself and Mo Fan, using the fusion of parallel universe counterparts to create two sources and attempt to see if Innate Dual Elements could break through the barriers of humanity.

Mo Fan's success in the Original Timeline demonstrated that the Omnipotent Mage God realm offered a chance for immortality, albeit an imperfect one, hence the emergence of his own...?

The First Emperor happened to be skilled in the systems of Chaos Element and Space Element, directly pointing to the essence of spacetime, which is another factor proving this.

"Forget it, it's all in the past."

Lu Jun shook his head. In the end, it was just his guess, but he felt inexplicably that it was the truth, and he wasn't too afraid.

In the ancient West, Athena and the Heavenly Father were so powerful, leaving behind a legacy that created the Parthenon and the Holy City, yet they too have vanished. This is a limitation of the times. The same applies to the First Emperor.

They were exceptionally talented, but magic was still relatively new and not yet fully developed.

Lu Jun and his descendants stood on the shoulders of giants to pave the way forward. We must thank these great people, but we should not be biased towards the past and belittle the present. Times are constantly evolving, just like the Fusion Magic.

Lu Jun has experienced the mysteries of time and space before, dreaming of returning to Peru Inca Empire. He himself also possesses the power of time and space, and sooner or later he will gradually penetrate it, reaching a level even more outstanding than the First Emperor. Therefore, he will not give up because of a minor setback.

He pondered for a long time before coming to his senses and asking Nine Nether Queen about the Twelve Golden Figures.

The Qin Dynasty collapsed, but the Great Wall still stands, while the Twelve Golden Figures have mysteriously disappeared.

Lu Jun felt a surge of warmth in his heart. If he could find the full power of the White Tiger Totem, the forbidden spell of the Metal Element would be within reach, and it wouldn't be far from being comparable to that of Dominator Emperor.

But Nine Nether Queen's words greatly disappointed him.

"If Your Majesty desires the Twelve Golden Figures, it may not be so easy."

She said softly, "When the Qin Dynasty collapsed, the Kunlun Empire took the opportunity to leave the Qinling Mountains and seize the Twelve Golden Figures."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jun's eyes gleamed, and he snorted coldly, "Kunlun?! Kunlun isn't this honest either!"

The White Tiger Totem was stolen—this was my legacy!! Naturally, he was displeased.

Seeing this, Nine Nether Queen quickly advised tactfully, "The Kunlun Empire is not simple. Your Majesty should first unify the Underworld, and then deal with them slowly."

"Moreover..." Nine Nether Queen said in a low voice, "The Great Demon of Kunlun are scattered and not united. The raid on the Twelve Golden Figures was only carried out by a part of their tribes."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jun calmed down slightly. Now that the Nine Provinces were facing the threat of the Pacific Empire, they could no longer provoke Kunlun, otherwise they would be attacked from both sides and risk annihilation.

However, according to Nine Nether Queen, the Kunlun faction is numerous and complex, far less unified than the Pacific Empire. Is this why they haven't shown their true colors towards the Nine Provinces? Is it due to excessive internal strife?

Regardless, Lu Jun was still extremely unwilling. The opportunity to rise to the top in one step was so close, it was truly a pity.

He made up his mind that he would definitely make a trip to the Kunlun Empire someday.

After obtaining the clue about the White Tiger Totem, Lu Jun dismissed the Nine Nether Queen, stood in the White Tomb Palace for a moment to ponder, and then turned to cross the Life and Death Bridge.

Waaaaah!

He stood atop the pitch-black abyss, sensing wave after wave of raging black wind blades sweeping through him. He nodded, Wind Element Heavenly Seed [Death Scythe Blade].

This was the item personally chosen by his sister, Lu Mei. When he refines and absorbs it, combined with the Wind Element Divine Seal Praise and Supernatural Power, his combat strength will greatly increase.

Then Lu Jun took another step, his figure flashing, and looked towards the blood-red altar, where a vast dark energy lay dormant.

"The Rebirth Ground of the Night Thunder Dream Beast".

Lu Jun muttered to himself, this power was originally intended for the resurrection of the dead, but now it belonged to him, and his own Summoned Beast were just missing a little bit of propulsion.

After taking stock of the supplies, he left the Abyss of Calamity and returned to the outside world. He then summoned Han Ji and asked him to cooperate with the Undead Monarch in wiping out the newly emerged undead forces.

Han Ji somewhat surprised, but readily agreed. He never expected Lu Jun to be so capable. Upon arriving in the Ancient Capital Undead, he had already suppressed this forbidden zone of the empire, and even the Eight Directions Undead Monarchs were under his command.

The old mage was puzzled. Where had that Undead Emperor gone? Had Lu Jun personally descended to the Abyss of Calamity to negotiate with him?