Versatile Mage c1-2021, page 315
Nanyu remained calm as she was knocked into the air, landing nimbly on the ice. Her semi-long hair was a little disheveled.
There was a woosh of motion, and Nanyu saw a man appear beside her: it was Ai Jiangtu!
"Are you alright?" asked Ai Jiangtu.
"I'm fine, can you handle this creature?" asked Nanyu.
"I'll try," said Ai Jiangtu.
Nanyu did not push herself. She immediately backed off to the side. However, the Scarlet Soaring Demons had no intention of letting her go, and immediately surrounded her. There were around eight of them, each taller than four meters!
Luckily, Mo Fan came to the rescue in time. He demanded the attention of the creatures with his wild lightning and fierce flames. Each of his Spells was too deadly to ignore!
"Zhao Manyan, cast your defensive Spells on me!" Ai Jiangtu immediately called Zhao Manyan over when he arrived.
"Are you trying to take on the Scarlet Rending Demon?" Zhao Manyan was slightly hesitant. The Commander-level creature would easily break his Intermediate Spells. The Shield of L.u.s.trous Wood that Nanyu was using was considered powerful for Intermediate Magic Equipment, yet it was shattered into pieces by the Scarlet Rending Demon with a single attack!
Ai Jiangtu did not respond. He gathered his focus and used his mental energy to control the giant frozen boulder in front of him.
The boulder was lifted off the ground. The snow covering it fell off as it hovered above the ground.
As a silver glow burst out from Jiangtu's pupils, the hovering boulder immediately flew at the Scarlet Rending Demon at incredible speed!
The Scarlet Rending Demon did not dodge. It cut with its sharp claws, and swiftly slashed the boulder into pieces!
The Scarlet Rending Demon dashed forward and leapt into the air. It extended its muscular limbs in the air before driving out its arms with great force, aiming its claws at Ai Jiangtu's head!
Its speed was incredible. It simply turned into a scarlet blur which briefly appeared in the air before it immediately landed on the ground. Its terrifying claws produced a ten-meters-long afterglow that could rend everything they came into contact with.
Ai Jiangtu did not dodge preemptively. The moment the Scarlet Rending Demon landed on the ground, the space he was standing on became blurry. In the next second, he had vanished from the spot and relocated himself onto an ice boulder fifty meters away!
Chapter 731 - Blasting the Rending Demon Flying
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
However, before Mo Fan and Zhao Manyan could recover from the astonishment after witnessing Ai Jiangtu's Blink, the Scarlet Rending Demon turned into a scarlet gust of wind racing toward Ai Jiangtu's location!
As expected of a Commander-level creature, it was obvious that the creature could predict where Ai Jiangtu was moving to with his Blink. It never planned to land its previous attack, but it immediately kicked the ground and chased after him!
It all took place too quickly. Even Zhao Manyan, who was supposed to cast defensive Spells on Ai Jiangtu, failed to react in time.
When the Scarlet Rending Demon eerily appeared behind Ai Jiangtu, it was too late to cast a defensive Spell.
"Crap!" cursed Zhao Manyan anxiously.
Both Ai Jiangtu and Scarlet Rending Demon were too quick for him. They had already exchanged attacks in less than a second. If Zhao Manyan was unable to predict where Ai Jiangtu was moving to, there was no way he could apply a defensive Spell on him!
The Light Protection: Sacred Shield came late, yet Ai Jiangtu had obviously anticipated the Scarlet Rending Demon's attack. He did not move away, but waited for the creature to get closer.
"Sinister Spider Trap!"
Ai Jiangtu's hands were wrapped with a strange red spider web. If he had not lifted them on purpose, they could not possibly know that he had already cast a Curse Spell!
A crimson-red spider ghost appeared above Ai Jiangtu. The Scarlet Rending Demon was about to stab Ai Jiangtu's c.h.e.s.t with its claws, yet it felt its arms stuck in the air...
It raised its head and discovered the spider web produced by the crimson-web spider ghost looming over it. Many joints crucial to moving its body were tied up by the firm spider web!
The evil spider ghost began to siphon, drawing out the energy of the creature's soul through the spider web. It was an utterly terrifying Curse Spell!
Ai Jiangtu immediately backed off. The Scarlet Rending Demon had fallen into the Sinister Spider Trap. It glared at the man with bloodshot eyes and struggled fiercely.
The Scarlet Rending Demon emitted a bloody glow, which immediately transformed into countless crescent-shaped knives flying in all directions.
The blood-colored knives cut the spider web entangling it and shattered the spider ghost above it.
The Scarlet Rending Demon stomped the ground after regaining its freedom. The scarlet scales on its c.h.e.s.t pulsated vigorously.
Even though the Sinister Spider Trap did not fully drain away its life force, it had s.u.c.k.e.d the energy of its soul dry, greatly affecting its lifespan and cultivation. It would have to eat lots of human children just to recover the loss!
The Scarlet Rending Demon uttered a screech. The ice nearby was simply shattered into pieces by the scream!
The ocean was around three hundred meters away. However, the ice at the edge had cracked, and from the crack cold seawater rose at the creature's scream, combining into a giant droplet!
The Scarlet Rending Demon stomped the ground again, smashing the ice under its feet into pieces. Seawater rose from the crack and jetted into the sky violently, forming a giant water pillar over sixty meters tall!
The ice under Ai Jiangtu's feet began to crack as a fierce water pillar rose under the crack!
The pressure of the water pillar was absolutely terrifying. It was strong enough to break the rocks and ice into pieces. It could easily break a person's bones!
Ai Jiangtu quickly backed off, yet the terrifying water pillars kept appearing under his feet. He was forced to Blink a great distance away.
The Scarlet Rending Demon's eyes glittered. The giant water pillars were twisted into a fierce tide hovering in mid-air!
The powerful tide landed on the ice under the Scarlet Rending Demon's control and charged in Ai Jiangtu's direction like a pack of sprinting water beasts.
Ai Jiangtu had a grim look when he saw the water beasts approaching. His eyes emitted a silver flicker.
He was focusing his mind to construct a wall with his mental energy!
The water beasts charged forward but they suddenly splashed aside when they were still ten meters away from Ai Jiangtu. It looked like the tide had hit a cliff, even though there was nothing between Ai Jiangtu and the tide. The wave splashed high into the sky and dispersed into the surroundings.
Not a single drop of water managed to reach Ai Jiangtu's vicinity despite the incredible momentum of the tide. It felt like there was a thick wall between the fierce water beasts and the man.
However, more water beasts continued to ram into the invisible wall. Ai Jiangtu's body slowly slid backward. He was extremely tense, not daring to loosen his focus!
The eyes of the Scarlet Rending Demon glittered once again, summoning more water pillars to jet out from the ice and turn into water beasts rolling in Ai Jiangtu's direction.
Mo Fan's fists burst into flames when he saw Ai Jiangtu in a pinch!
"Little Flame Belle, possess!" Mo Fan yelled into his Contracted Space.
Little Flame Belle was still enjoying her nap, and rubbed her eyes. She was too lazy to even fly out of her cozy bed and possess Mo Fan. She simply directed her Calamity Fire into Mo Fan's soul, giving Mo Fan the ability to control her fire.
"Meteorite Fist!"
"Nine Dragons!"
Mo Fan was engulfed in blazing flames which spread rapidly around him. Even his hair looked like tongues of fire.
He threw a punch in the direction of the Scarlet Rending Demon. Nine fiery dragons sprang forward like a meteorite, burning in a mix of brown-red and bright red. The fiery dragons rapidly combined into a burning beam in flight!
The Scarlet Rending Demon did not place too much attention on Mo Fan, it was entirely focused on Ai Jiangtu. Therefore, it was too late for it to control the seawater to protect itself when the fierce Meteorite Fist was right in its face!
The thin water curtain was nowhere enough to block Mo Fan's overwhelming Meteorite Fist. The explosion engulfed the Scarlet Rending Demon in flames and sent it flying into the distance.
The Scarlet Rending Demon continued to slide a great distance away as it landed on the ground, leaving a long scorched trail through the burning thickets.
Zhao Manyan almost dropped his jaw after witnessing the scene.
The Scarlet Rending Demon was a Commander-level creature. Ordinary Intermediate Spells were useless against it!
However, Mo Fan's punch had blasted the creature so far away. The scarlet scales from its c.h.e.s.t scattered across the ground. The damage of Mo Fan's attack was way too insane!
"The flame...Mo Fan, isn't it your daughter's?" Zhao Manyan immediately recalled the Calamity Fire when he saw the brown flame burning on Mo Fan's figure.
Didn't the little Flame Belle have the same kind of flame?
Zhao Manyan never thought the little Flame Belle that Mo Fan had invested all his possessions to raise would grant him such remarkable strength!
Chapter 732 - Her First Kiss is Mine
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
The Scarlet Rending Demon rose to its feet unsteadily. It quickly grabbed some snow to rub on itself and put out the fire.
It lowered its head and saw an obvious crack in the thick carapace on its c.h.e.s.t. Its crimson eyes looked blank, then flickered with rage as it cast a glance at Mo Fan!
The Scarlet Rending Demon lunged forward like a crimson ray of light. It had dashed out of the frozen thickets in the blink of an eye. It clenched its hand into a fist and threw a punch at Mo Fan's head!
The creature was trying to return the favor. With the strength of a Commander-level creature, the force of the punch was enough to shatter a huge rock into pieces!
The destructive scarlet gust of wind locked onto Mo Fan's figure. Mo Fan tried to dodge the attack with Fleeing Shadow, yet somehow the attack was still able to lock onto him. The fierce gust of wind came right into his face. All his vision was filled by the gust of wind, bringing a strong pressure of death with it!
"Black Snake Armor!" Mo Fan did not dare to hesitate further. He quickly summoned his life-saving Equipment.
The blue-black snake shadow split into ten shadows wrapping around Mo Fan's arms, neck, head, body, legs. Almost instantly, snake scales covered his entire body, from his teeth to his ankles!
The gust of wind produced by the Scarlet Rending Demon's fist struck Mo Fan. Even though he tried to dodge aside, he was still caught by the terrifying blast of wind. It tried to rend him to shreds!
Luckily, Mo Fan had donned the Black Snake Armor in time. Otherwise, the attack would have killed him!
The creature was Commander-level, after all. Its strength far surpassed that of a Warrior-level creature. The ordinary defense Spells of Magicians were a mere decoration to it!
"Mo...Mo Fan!"
Nanyu was completely stunned. She quickly chased after Mo Fan when the howling wind blew him away.
Mo Fan was hurled quite a far distance away. The scarlet wind continued to inflict damage to him.
Nanyu began to panic when she failed to find Mo Fan's corpse in the area. Did the gust of wind tear him into pieces?
"I'm...I'm here..." Mo Fan raised his hand from inside a crack.
He was climbing up to the edge laboriously, flipping over after making his way back to the surface. He laid flat on the ground, his face towards the sky.
"That son of a bitch, such a remarkable hit!" Mo Fan panted heavily. It felt like his sternum had been smashed flat by the impact. Every breath he took was hurting him.
"How are you still alive?" Nanyu was dumbfounded. She immediately inspected the Black Snake Armor.
The Black Snake Armor looked slightly sunken, but it did not break into pieces like Nanyu's Shield of L.u.s.trous Wood had, even though most Shield Equipment had a higher resistance than Armor Equipment. Nanyu began to wonder what Mo Fan's armor was made of. It looked like it could still endure a few more attacks!
"How could I die so easily? I've killed more than a handful of Commander-level creatures in the past. Do you really think that thing with a fish head can kill me?" Mo Fan responded after catching his breath.
Nanyu mouth fell open. She proceeded to ignore him, knowing that he was fine.
-A handful of Commander-level creatures? Couldn't he be more logical when he was trying to bluff!?-
"Look, I told you he wouldn't die like that," Zhao Manyan told Ai Jiangtu as they belatedly arrived.
Ai Jiangtu let out a relieved sigh when he learned that Mo Fan was fine. He turned around, glancing at the screaming Scarlet Rending Demon and said, "That creature isn't an easy target. I'll lure him away while you go and help the others. Kill all the Scarlet Soaring Demons as quickly as possible, and we'll eliminate this Commander-level creature together!"
Mo Fan, Nanyu, and Zhao Manyan nodded.
Ai Jiangtu had Blink, so the Scarlet Rending Demon would have trouble catching him despite its outstanding speed. Soon, Ai Jiangtu found himself in a chase with the Scarlet Rending Demon.
It was obvious that only he could keep the Scarlet Rending Demon busy. As he mentioned, their priority was to get rid of all the Scarlet Soaring Demons. They needed everyone's help to kill the Commander-level Scarlet Rending Demon!
---
The three quickly left and headed toward Mu Ningxue.
The battlefield had moved to the edge of the islands. A few were already fighting the Scarlet Soaring Demons on the ice above the ocean!
The team stayed close to Mu Ningxue. Gong Yu was the closest to her. He was incredibly quick as he moved rapidly from Mu Ningxue's left to right, and her back at times. Not just the Scarlet Soaring Demons, but the Sea Monkeys had joined the fight, too. These cunning creatures tried to seize the opportunity while the other Magicians were kept busy by the Scarlet Soaring Demons to kill Mu Ningxue, who was channeling the Ice Curse!
A ring of corpses was lying close to Mu Ningxue, mostly Gong Yu's work.
Mo Fan was not happy. He was supposed to be the one looking after Mu Ningxue. This Gong Yu was utterly shameless to keep moving left and right in front of his big wife!
"I should go and get rid of that Gong Yu… oh, I mean I should go and protect Mu Ningxue. I'll leave the rest to you two," Mo Fan said to Nanyu and Zhao Manyan.
"Are you seriously fussing about that considering the nature of the situation!?" yelled Nanyu.
"Are you jealous?" teased Mo Fan.
Nanyu gave him an icy gaze. Her lips curled up as she shot back, "Piss off!"
----
Gong Yu had appeared in three different spots in less than two seconds, stopping the Scarlet Soaring Demons that had tried to ambush Mu Ningxue.
"Don't worry, with I, Gong Yu here, they won't get any closer to you!" Gong Yu returned to Mu Ningxue's side with a confident smile.
Mu Ningxue had her eyes closed. She was entirely focused on channeling the Spell.
She was aware of their distance to the ocean. Once the ice was broken, the seawater underneath would be accessible. It was necessary to make the ice thicker, as the Scarlet Soaring Demons would be a pain to deal with if they gained access to water!
"Xuexue, don't worry, with I Mo Fan here, such an annoying pest will no longer bother you," Mo Fan appeared with the same confident smile.
Unlike Gong Yu's cautious approach, Mo Fan boldly walked up to Mu Ningxue and put his hand around her slim waist when she was entirely focused on channeling the Spell, declaring his ownership to Gong Yu!
"Put your filthy hand away!" Gong Yu was infuriated.
Mo Fan simply ignored him.
"Do you want to die?" a pleasant yet coldly murderous voice echoed around him.
Mo Fan awkwardly withdrew his hand and coughed, "You should focus more on channeling the Spell..."
Chapter 733 - Fire Star Constellation
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
"The ice is breaking, watch out!"
"The seawater is no longer frozen. Damn it, these Scarlet Soaring Demons' ability to control water is absolutely terrifying. Let's back off a little!"
"To the island!"
The others not far away began to scream. Knowing that the situation was unfavorable to the team, Mu Ningxue glared at the shameless Mo Fan. She did not have time to punish the rascal for his mischievous act. She immediately closed her eyes to focus on the Spell.
Mu Ningxue was utterly furious. If she wasn't busy spreading the energy of her domain to the islands, she would immediately focus it on Mo Fan instead. Last time, he had touched her hand, and now, he even touched her waist!
Was a woman's waist something a man could simply touch?
---
"That son of a bitch, that jerk who took advantage of another's precarious position!" Gong Yu was totally infuriated.
Mu Ningxue was his favorite sacred goddess. How could he allow anyone to touch her? In his eyes, this Mo Fan was even more abominable than the Scarlet Soaring Demons!
"If you dare take advantage of her again, I swear I'll chop your hands off!" snapped Gong Yu.
"The truth is, I've also taken her first kiss. Do you want to chop my mouth off, too?" Mo Fan shot back.
Before Gong Yu could explode in rage, Mu Ningxue stumbled slightly. The icy frost that took her a strenuous effort to summon simply dissipated when she lost her focus.
The frost scattered across the sky and melted in the air. The ice on the surface of the ocean continued to break into pieces.
"Stay away from me!" said Mu Ningxue, who was already at her limit.
"See, you've triggered my Xuexue, can you please stay ten meters away from her from now onward?" said Mo Fan, pointing at Gong Yu.
