Versatile Mage c1-2021, page 152
His Magic, strengthened by the bracer he wore, burst out from Lu Nian's eyes in the direction he was looking. A grey-white energy spread rapidly in that direction.
Lu Nian was extremely furious. All he could think of was to turn the kid into a rock and smash him into pieces with a kick!
The demonized Mo Fan totally ignored the approaching threat. As he dashed toward Lu Nian, the grey-white substance covered his legs and rooted him to the rock under his feet.
Mo Fan smashed his fist at the ground, which instantly burst out with a flame pillar that devoured the petrifying energy crawling up his legs!
The grey-white substance had just spread across the area within a hundred meters of Mo Fan when the flames surging up from the ground cracked them open. The two forces collided with one another, the area petrifying and cracking open in an endless loop. It felt like a rose-red army and a grey-white army were having a stand-off with one another.
Commander Lu Nian's eyes widened. The energy had originated from his eyes. His trembling body clearly indicated the strain he was enduring.
His energy was usually strong enough to petrify the body of a Commander-level demon beast. How could Mo Fan possibly stand a chance against it?
Since Mo Fan had turned into a demon, why was it that he could still retain his thoughts, and still remember to get his revenge?
"You piece of sc.u.m! You...you should be thankful to me, as I... gave you such power!" Lu Nian blurted out resentfully.
Mo Fan had demonized on his own, thus Lu Nian did not even have the chance to place him under his control. Furthermore, Lu Nian had never thought Mo Fan would be able to demonize so perfectly, even retaining his human appearance. He was able to speak and retain memories of the past while also being granted overwhelming strength.
If this kid had such terrifying strength after demonizing while he was only an Intermediate Magician, if he could survive the aftereffects and further improve his cultivation, he could easily become a demon that would shock the entire world!
He could easily trample the Supreme Magicians, the Commander-level demon beasts, even the Ruler-level demon beasts under his feet!
"I should thank you, indeed..." The demonized Mo Fan displayed his anger and savagery as he laughed grimly and exposed his sharp fangs. "Which is why I'm sending you to Hell now!"
Chapter 326 - Tearing Lu Nian Apart
Violent lightning arcs revolved around Mo Fan. The writhing purple-black energy swiftly formed a long spear made of countless lightning arcs in front of him!
Mo Fan grabbed the lightning spear and drove forward with a burst of speed, as if he had merged with the lightning!
The spear thrust right at Lu Nian's c.h.e.s.t. The lightning had already displayed its overwhelming penetrating force when it punctured an Advanced-level Tyrant Lizard's brain!
The purple lightning twisted in the air. The tip of the lightning spear made contact with Lu Nian's c.h.e.s.t.
Lu Nian could feel the force of the lightning lunging at him.
The lightning did not have any paralyzing effect. It was purely destructive, and there was no need to mention how overwhelming it would be when so many lightning arcs were gathered together into a thick spear.
His golden armor was the first thing to meet the lightning spear. The advanced armor had no chance against the penetrating power. The spear instantly burned a black hole through it, piercing through the armor and striking Lu Nian's c.h.e.s.t, producing a wild, ear-piercing screech!
The lightning arcs did slow down by a very small margin as they touched Lu Nian's skin, rib cage and back, before punching through with brute force.
The lightning tore his back open, leaving a huge bloody hole. The lightning spear was stuck into his c.h.e.s.t, the tendrils continued to crackle in the air.
Lu Nian's body stiffened, his eyes widened. He tried to touch the hole in his c.h.e.s.t, but his hand was instantly scorched black by the lightning.
He could not feel any pain from his hand, as his life force was draining away at a lethal pace. Pain was not the scariest thing to humans, it was the moment when they could no longer feel pain, indicating that death was knocking on their door.
"How...how could...how could you..." Lu Nian stared at Mo Fan with a contorted expression.
The demonized Mo Fan was standing right in front of him, lightning flickering wildly around him. He was like a God of Lightning who had just descended to the mundane world.
Mo Fan grinned sinisterly, before bursting into great laughter.
His wild laughter and Lu Nian's distorted face formed a great contrast. Perhaps Lu Nian, who had just slaughtered innocent lives a short time ago, never thought he would fall into this kid's hands.
Such an outstanding force should be under his control instead. Why would...why would he treat him as his first target, instead?
The Demon Element, he had tried so hard just to find a suitable candidate for the experiment, but he had accidentally made someone who ended up as his nightmare, who just impaled him with lightning...
Not a single drop of blood was visible. The scorched hole on his c.h.e.s.t resulted in an extremely shocking view as his body slowly fell backward. In the final moment of his life, he realized just how beautiful the sky was, like a giant blue gem. However, he could see a face in the sky, a sinister-looking one covered in crimson lines. It belonged to a young man, the perfect test subject of the new Element.
He just couldn't accept it!
He was so close to having the perfect demon under his control, which he could abuse to finally do anything he d.e.s.i.r.ed...
"AHHHHH!"
As his life approached its final moment, the claws of countless Shadow Wolves lunged at his nearly dead body.
Lu Nian initially thought his life would simply end soon, but he still suffered unimaginable pain at the final second. The pain was inflicted right on his soul, after leaving its physical container!
The claws were able to attack his soul directly. Mo Fan had done it on purpose, using the claws to tear his soul into pieces, not giving the commander a chance to turn into a deceased spirit...
The soul of a human was utterly fragile. It would vanish from the world after receiving any direct attack, as if the soul were repeating its death countless times over. The reason why Hell was so terrifying was because it was said to be torturing the souls of those who were dead!
Lu Nian did not even have time to show remorse as he was torn into pieces by Mo Fan's shadow claws.
Mo Fan did not even allow the pieces to drift away with the wind. They were absorbed into a strange river.
It seemed like the Underworld River, with countless souls of demon beasts lingering on its surface. They were utterly terrifying to Lu Nian's fragmented soul.
Was this actually Hell? Did he really end up in Hell?
------
The pendant let out a soft buzz. Mo Fan could even hear Lu Nian's scream of agony from inside it.
Either way, the souls being drawn into the Little Loach Pendant would eventually be refined. It was impossible to tell if the pain from being refined was comparable to the inhumane experiments. At least, it definitely would not feel good, as anything related to the Soul Element was tightly related to pain, torture, and death.
---
After killing Lu Nian with his own hands, Mo Fan suddenly felt his mind going blank, as if he had lost purpose.
Zhan Kong looked at him from a safe distance away, not daring to get any closer.
From what Zhan Kong knew, the strength that the demonized Mo Fan had displayed was still not his full potential. He wanted to help Mo Fan recover from his current state, but he was clueless about how to approach him.
Not many test subjects were able to survive this long after the transformation. Zhan Kong was not involved in the inhumane experiment either, so he had no idea what to do.
He decided to try communicating with Mo Fan, since he appeared to still have a slight hint of his own personality compared to those who had demonized in the past.
"Mo Fan..." Zhan Kong fixed his eyes on Mo Fan.
The demonized Mo Fan turned his head around. His eyes were filled with rage that was on the verge of bursting out.
He did not attack Zhan Kong straight away, as he could still barely recognize the Chief Military Instructor from Bo City.
However, a tearing pain spread across his brain, so intense that he felt like tearing his head half with his b.a.r.e hands.
It was an overwhelming and wild spiritual impact, most likely the after-effects of using the Blood Sarira. It was strong enough to drive a person crazy, and even thoroughly shatter a person's soul!
Mo Fan let out a beastly scream. His Fire Element and Lightning Element spread out wildly into his surroundings after he lost control over them.
"Listen, listen to me, Mo Fan... The Demon Element has never been considered a real Magic Element due to its insane after-effects! It is the same as overdrawing the hidden potential of a human's soul in exchange for a temporary burst of extraordinary power. However, it's possible that your soul will be shattered during the process!" Zhan Kong blurted out when he saw Mo Fan trying to resist the spiritual breakdown.
"Tell...tell me...what I...should do!..." Mo Fan, who had managed to retain his final hint of rational thinking, responded to him!
Chapter 327 - Soul Breakdown
"Soul Essence, you need a large amount of it. You should try your best to control the power, so I can bring you back to the military. They have enough Soul Essence to prevent your soul from breaking down due to the aftereffects. The Demon Element is indeed a demon. It's like signing a contract with a demon, which can grant you its power, before coming back to claim your soul," Zhan Kong said to Mo Fan.
Although Mo Fan possessed four Elements, the more power he used, the stronger the aftereffects he would have to bear.
The only way to protect his soul was by using a large amount of Soul Essence!
Soul Essence was useful in strengthening a Magician's soul. If the demon that had granted Mo Fan the power was drawing his soul away, he could neutralize it by using a sufficient amount of Soul Essence.
As such, the amount of Soul Essence required was huge. Zhan Kong had no idea if the military was willing to let Mo Fan take all he needed, since there was no way to tell just how much he needed to overcome the situation. However, Zhan Kong wanted to save Mo Fan's life at all costs!
"Control yourself, I'll bring you to the military now..." Zhan Kong said.
"ROAR~!" Mo Fan uttered a savage roar into the sky as if he had totally lost his last remaining shred of reason.
Suddenly, he leapt to his feet and sprang into the distance like an arrow, rapidly disappearing from Zhan Kong's sight.
Zhan Kong was taken by surprise. He tried to activate his Wind Wings to chase after Mo fan, but the airflow quickly dissipated just as it appeared. Zhan Kong realized that he was in quite injured himself too, and there was no way he could use the Wind Wings, which required a significant amount of energy.
"Mo Fan!" Zhan Kong screamed at the ghostly figure sprinting across Jinlin City.
The figure did not stop. He ran wwildly in a certain direction and soon left the boundary of Jinlin City.
The problem was, if he continued to run aimlessly in the wild, his soul would end up being s.u.c.k.e.d dry.
Zhan Kong stared at the disappearing figure with an indescribable pain in his heart.
As a matter of fact, since the calamity of Bo City, Zhan Kong had always kept an eye on Mo Fan. He had even asked Dean Xiao to specifically look after him.
Zhan Kong knew it was only a matter of time until Mo Fan's Double Innate Elements was made known to the public. After learning about the shocking experiment on the Demon Element that the military was performing behind the scenes, he had been keeping an eye on Lu Nian for quite some time. As he expected, he did make his move.
However, Zhan Kong had underestimated the devil's madness. He had surprisingly asked his loyal subordinates to forfeit their positions in order to carry out his demented operation.
More than half of the students were killed. Even Mo Fan had disappeared due to the aftereffects, with no way of telling if he would survive in the end. Zhan Kong was so mad that he kept punching the ground with his fists. Why didn't he act earlier to prevent this from happening!?
It was no longer possible to chase after Mo Fan. Zhan Kong had run out of the energy to do so. He had just flown all the way here without stopping, using up quite a huge chunk of his Wind Energy. Even with the Wind Wings, it would be rather difficult for him to catch up with the demonized Mo Fan's ridiculous speed in the wild.
Rising to his feet, Zhan Kong headed back to the center of the city.
He soon found the four students and the rest of Lu Nian's subordinates.
"If you were planning to resist, I don't mind executing you on the spot." Zhan Kong cast a cold glance at Jiang Yi and her crew.
Jiang Yi shook her head in surrender. "We won't be doing that, but could you please tell us what happened to the commander?"
"He's dead, torn apart by the demon you all made," Zhan Kong replied.
Jiang Yi and the soldiers were stunned. They were unwilling to believe it before seeing the corpse in person.
They did manage to find the corpse, whose c.h.e.s.t was punched clean through and blackened.
His face was greatly contorted, as if he had suffered incredible pain right up until the very last moment of his life. According to Zhan Kong, Mo Fan had torn his soul apart.
Jiang Yi and the soldiers burst out crying. On the other hand, Zhao Manyan, Bai Tingting and Mu Nujiao were pleased, knowing that they were avenged. Their hatred toward the devil who had killed their friends so inhumanely despite calling himself a Battlemage was indescribable. What wrong had the students who were here for training done? Why did they have to suffer just because of his wild ambition?
"Where… where's Mo Fan? Is he hurt? I'll treat his wounds." Bai Tingting blurted out.
"We'll talk about it later." Zhan Kong was unwilling to talk about it.
"Please tell us." Mu Nujiao said firmly.
"I'll notify his family." Zhan Kong said in a soft tone. He was glaring at Jiang Yi and her crew with bloodshot eyes.
Zhan Kong was furious. He was angry at these cold-blooded killers who were as mad as Lu Nian. They had turned a rising talent who could possibly be the greatest Magician of all time into a demon!
Just like what he had said before...
Even without the Demon Element, his Double Innate Elements could easily have let the whole world know his name. It was totally unnecessary!
No one had higher hopes for Mo Fan than him!
------
Lu Nian's corpse was brought back to the safe zone.
The students who had initially gone to investigate Jinlin City for their training had returned to Imperial College with the lowest survival rate in history. No one had expected this to happen.
The military had sent someone over to collect Lu Nian's corpse and Jiang Yi, who was willing to testify at the court-martial.
The army headquarters which Lu Nian belonged to tried to keep the news down to avoid unnecessary consequences, but the schools demanded otherwise.
At Zhan Kong's request, the information about the Demon Element was not made public by the military and the schools. They were only describing it as some evil experiment. No one knew that Mo Fan had been demonized too. The only people who were aware of it were Zhan Kong, Dean Song He, Dean Xiao, Qiu Yuhua, and the four friends who Mo Fan had rescued.
Jiang Yi and the soldiers who knew the truth were all sentenced to death. Out of Jiang Yi's final hint of kindness, she told everyone that Mo Fan was a hero who had sacrificed himself to save his classmates, instead of a demonized human who was lost somewhere in the wild.
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The familiar chirps of birds were heard. It seemed like the little creatures living on the trees in the garden had grown up. Their voices sounded more m.a.t.u.r.e.
Opening her eyes, the first thing that came into her vision was the potted plant by the window, which provided a delicate fragrance throughout the night. It appeared that some maids had remembered to keep it watered while she was away, allowing it to grow healthily.
The room was filled with a familiar scent, the scent of the blanket from the perfume satchel placed beside the pillows...
"She's awake, Young Mistress is awake!"
As soon as Mu Ningxue regained consciousness, she could hear the maid screaming at the top of her lungs.
It was followed by the sound of someone rushing down the stairs. Mu Zhuoyun, who looked slightly haggard, dashed into the room excitedly.
"She's awake, my good daughter, you're finally awake." Mu Zhuoyun said in a deeply concerned manner.
"Father..." Mu Ningxue's lips curled slightly.
"I'll never let you go on a training mission again, never!" Mu Zhuoyun snapped.
Mu Ningxue slowly recalled the events before she passed out. She could remember the evil faces of the Battlemages, and her freezing them using all her energy.
Did she manage to escape?
But, it wouldn't be that simple. While she was half-awake, she heard people crying beside her, someone trying to tell her something, and it seemed to be related to Mo Fan...
Chapter 328 - Forcing into Marriage
Mu Zhuoyun knew her daughter was unaware of the things that had taken place after she fell unconscious. He immediately told her what he knew.
"Sigh, who would have thought that the kid would sacrifice himself as a bait to lure the Razortail Drake out. In the end, the Razortail Drake and Lu Nian ended up killing one another, while you guys were saved. Mo Jiaxin did come to visit you a few days ago. I've comforted him, and offered him a job with high pay. Unfortunately, he declined the offer," Mu Zhuoyun said with a hint of sadness.
Mu Zhuoyun was never too fond of the little jerk Mo Fan, but who knew he would sacrifice himself for his daughter. It totally revised his point of view on him. He had asked his people to take extra care of his family, as a way to express his gratitude.
