Versatile Mage c1-2021, page 548
In Bo City, the night sky had always been filled with glowing stars, spread out like marbles. Some were crowded together, others were scattered across the place. Some felt like they were within the reach of your arms, while some were far apart, like the distance between two worlds...
Yu Ang's sudden appearance had reminded Mo Fan of his past in Bo City.
"Oh, you're back!?" a pleasant voice said. An alluring figure with elegant temperament approached under the dim light.
Mo Fan slowly lifted his gaze, and smiled when he saw Mu Nujiao in casual clothes.
Mo Fan enjoyed staying here, as he would occasionally see a pleasant sight like this whenever he was feeling down.
Mu Nujiao was wearing a singlet, since she was at home. She was most likely unaware that he was back, otherwise she would at least worn a thin cardigan instead.
Mo Fan squinted when he saw Mu Nujiao's tender shoulders. He shifted his gaze down. The pair of hills soon caught his attention. Mu Nujiao was pretty good at concealing them. If the girl was not wearing a singlet, or if he did not use his Shadow Element to take a peep on the girls when they were showering, he would never know she had such an impressive bust. He could easily grab her slim waist with a single hand, but it would take more than a hand to hold her bust. For a second, Mo Fan really wished he was a pervert, since there was no one around.
Mu Nujiao was feeling uncomfortable at how Mo Fan was staring at her. Her clothes were not that exposing. Many young women would wear the same thing when going to the gym. Besides, she was not so conservative that she was unwilling to show some of her skin.
She did not leave. She looked at Mo Fan and saw a dull look in his eyes.
After a moment of silence, Mu Nujiao asked, "Do you have any plans lately? My cultivation is currently in an awkward position. My family has given me lots of resources, but I just can't break through. I think I'm lacking practical experience..."
"Oh, right, I almost forgot about it. My mind is in a mess after those two assholes showed up out of nowhere." Mo Fan finally remembered he had something to discuss with Mu Nujiao. Somehow, she had mentioned it first instead. "I'm planning to go to the Taklamakan Desert. Something happened to the Little Flame Belle."
"Huh? What happened to her?" Mu Nujiao immediately panicked.
Little Flame Belle would refer to the girls around Mo Fan with numbers. Xinxia was the first mother, Mu Ningxue was the second mother, Mu Nujiao was the third mother, and Ai Tutu was the fourth mother.
Even though Little Flame Belle could not speak in the human tongue, Mo Fan knew the girls were ranked in this order in Little Flame Belle's heart.
Mu Nujiao was particularly fond of Little Flame Belle. Her expression shifted as soon as she heard that Little Flame Belle was in trouble.
"Nothing too serious, she just needs an Elemental Sacred Land so she can be reborn in its flames. I've done some research, and some burning mountains will occasionally show up in the Taklamakan Desert. I believe it's a suitable place for Little Flame Belle to be reborn," Mo Fan said.
"Are you sure that she's fine?" Mu Nujiao was still worried about Little Flame Belle.
"Don't worry, she's fine." Mo Fan was not planning to tell Mu Nujiao about the incident at the Parthenon Temple. It was better if fewer people knew the truth.
"Mmm, when are we setting out?" Mu Nujiao asked.
"It's very dangerous there. You don't have to choose a place like that for your training," Mo Fan was worried about putting Mu Nujiao in danger.
"Danger is necessary to trigger a breakthrough. Didn't you grow stronger in dangerous situations?" Mu Nujiao replied.
Mo Fan looked Mu Nujiao in the eyes. He could see a strong d.e.s.i.r.e to grow stronger in the woman. The World College Tournament had been a great opportunity for her, and now her clan had placed their hopes in her. She needed to grow stronger!
"We'll be going with the Golden Battle Hunters. They are still making preparations. The place is full of danger, it's more like an expedition. If we happen to take the wrong path, we might be in danger..." Mo Fan said.
"Even so, you are there to protect us, right?" Mu Nujiao smiled. She was totally unaware that she was subconsciously relying on Mo Fan a lot.
Mo Fan's heart shuddered. His mind kept telling him that he was a pervert. If he pounced on the girl now, she would only resist slightly!
Mo Fan struggled mentally for some time before letting out a sigh.
It turned out that he was still a good man after all. He managed to be a hero that had risked his life to save the country, so why was he struggling so much to be a pervert?
It was most likely because he was lacking friends like Zhao Manyan. He was surrounded by Zhang Xiaohou, Xinxia, Zhan Kong, Tangyue, Mu Ningxue, Zhu Meng, and others with strong moral principles. It was the reason why he felt so much pressure when trying to cross the lines!
He was rather annoyed!
Spreading their seeds across the world? He couldn't even spread his seeds in his house!
---
Speaking of which, Mo Fan was missing Zhao Manyan a little. He wondered if the man was still alive. He needed to know if the man was already dead, as he would constantly recall him...
Chapter 1202 - Vacation with Three Girls
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
The day the group set out for Taklamakan Desert was surprisingly sunny, even though it was autumn. The warm sunlight felt rather soothing.
Mo Fan arrived at the airport to meet up with the others, following Ge Ming's instructions.
Mo Fan was only bringing a few people with him. Zhang Xiaohou would be waiting for him at Xinjiang. Since they were taking a plane from Shanghai, they were basically flying across the whole country from east to west.
Those that took the flight would experience the vastness of their country. If it was Europe, they would be traveling across more than ten countries to cross the same distance!
Mo Fan saw someone approaching him when he arrived at the airport. He was actually quite surprised to see the person.
"HAHA, I heard Mu Ningxue mentioned that you guys are paying a visit to Taklamakan Desert. I have to say, Mo Fan, we're quite fateful with one another. I was planning to go there to look for something too..." Jiang Shaoxu, who always sounded like she was teasing every man she was talking to, smiled at him.
"Why do you want to go there?" Mo Fan asked, confused.
"Something very important; don't you worry, I won't be a burden to the group. Besides, won't you need a Psychic Mage for such a dangerous place?" Jiang Shaoxu did not reveal why she wanted to tag along.
Mo Fan was left with no choice. Jiang Shaoxu had come to the airport to intercept him. It seemed like he had to bring her along.
"Alright, fine, but I have to let Ge Ming know first," Mo Fan agreed.
He totally didn't mind Jiang Shaoxu tagging along. A Psychic Mage was useful at all times, be it a battle against Mages or when they were in the demon creatures' territory. A single Pacify might even avoid a bloodbath at times...
Mo Fan told Ge Ming about it. The man did not seem to be bothered at all.
However, when they boarded the plane, Ge Ming's men did double takes when they saw Mo Fan bringing three girls along, even though their destination was Taklamakan Desert. It was a great feast for their eyes, yet some among them sneered and mocked him instead.
Mo Fan had brought Lingling, Mu Nujiao, and Jiang Shaoxu with him.
Lingling was an adorable little loli, so adorable that anyone could feel their nose running. Both men and women would find her too cute, and would have the urge to hug her in their arms. She was conspicuous.
Mu Nujiao was the same; the goddess of the Pearl Institute possessed outstanding temperament and gracefulness. She was delicate, pretty, came from a well-respected family, but was natural and unrestrained. Lots of people would turn around to look at her whenever she walked by!
Jiang Shaoxu was a natural beauty. Her glittering eyes and the seductive look on her face never failed to hook the souls of men who lacked self-control...
Any of the three girls that Mo Fan had brought along could easily weaken the knees of a man. Even though Mo Fan was dressed casually, they set off his incomparable charm. However, the people of the Golden Battle Hunters did not seem too happy about it...
Their destination was a desert that could be considered the gates of Hell. Their leader, Ge Ming, insisted on choosing the elites of their Hunter Group. Not only were they extremely experienced, they had spent years walking a knife's edge.
Even so, they were already feeling nervous while waiting for the plane. They had yet to set foot in the Taklamakan Desert, yet they felt like it was going to be a one-way journey.
They were treating it with utter seriousness, while Mo Fan was bringing three pretty ladies along, like he was going on a vacation!
The elites of the Golden Battle Hunters felt like it was humiliating their determination to put their lives at risk!
Lu Fang, a Hunter Master who was in charge of navigation, sneered, "Kid, do you think you are bringing them on a vacation?"
"I hope you understand what our goal is. If you are treating this trip as a summer holiday homework or using us to earn contribution points, you better find another team! We are all ready to die on this expedition!" a Hunter who was close to Mo Fan's age exclaimed.
The man's eyes were saying otherwise while he was speaking. Jiang Shaoxu easily read his emotions.
"Don't worry, I'm prepared just like you are," Mo Fan replied calmly.
Ge Ming stepped forward to mediate between the two sides. Ge Ming knew who Mo Fan was, and he also knew both Jiang Shaoxu and Mu Nujiao were members of the national team, so they would not have any problem taking care of themselves. Unfortunately, not every person had watched the World College Tournament. It was obvious that Lu Fang and Zheng Tong did not treat the World College Tournament too seriously. They had placed all their attention on the Hunter Competition.
It was the same for many arrogant Hunters. They always looked down on the Mages that had never experienced the cruelty of the outside world and were only putting up a show in tournaments held inside the cities. Even though they were told that Mo Fan and the others were strong Mages from their institutes, they still treated them like inexperienced kids.
It was not the Hunters being biased. As a matter of fact, many Mages with high positions in cities were extremely weak when they went up against real demon creatures. It was reasonable for the Hunters to despise prestigious Mages who only knew to hide in a city.
Most students ended up working for the government or the Magic Association. As such, the Hunters were looking down on students too, especially someone like Mo Fan, who was bringing three girls along. No matter how they looked at him, they still thought he was just here for show!
"That Zheng Tong is jealous of you," Jiang Shaoxu whispered.
Mo Fan smiled.
Zheng Tong was the Hunter close to his age. He was a fighter, and kept looking at Mu Nujiao. Even though he was uttering disdainful comments at the girls, Mo Fan knew the man was setting his eyes on Mu Nujiao.
Mo Fan couldn't have cared less about their questions. They were totally clueless about what he had done and what he was capable of. It was meaningless to boast about his achievements, yet Mo Fan enjoyed the fact that someone was jealous of him!
Mo Fan had gotten used to being ganged up on by the eyes of the crowd when he was with Mu Ningxue. However, he had brought three girls along this time, and the effects were clearly even more effective than bringing just Mu Ningxue along!
------
The group was not taking a civil flight. It was a military jet.
The military jet was guarded by Patrol Mages. They would be traversing unoccupied lands on the flight path the military jet was taking, meaning they would be flying across demon creatures' territories. Even flying at a great height would not guarantee their safety...
A military jet was necessary for its speed. They had to move fast. If they flew slowly across the territory of a Ruler-level creature, they would be dragged from the sky to the ground within seconds. As such, it was important to move quickly!
------
In less than three hours, the plane landed at the military base that was the closest to Taklamakan Desert.
Zhang Xiaohou was already waiting at the base. He quickly went up to Mo Fan in joy as soon as he saw them arrive.
"He's going with us too?" Zheng Tong harrumphed coldly.
Zhang Xiaohou was not too tall, and he was quite skinny too. There was a reason why Mo Fan kept calling him Houzi (Monkey). Besides, he had a naive look to his face, giving people a first impression that he was unreliable.
Zhang Xiaohou could not help with his appearance. He was not that young anymore, yet he had looked the same since high school. It did not change much despite his hardsh.i.p.s in the military. He normally had the look of a soldier that had spent lots of time at war, but he immediately revealed his true colors as soon as he saw Mo Fan.
Lu Fang could not stand it anymore. He was not particularly happy when their leader mentioned some outsiders would be joining them. The scariest thing when going to a dangerous place was not the powerful demon creatures, but useless and unreliable teammates!
The group was quite infuriated when they saw Mo Fan bringing three girls along, like he was going on a vacation, and now, a naive-looking man was joining the team too! How were they supposed to go on the expedition? How much money did their leader get from bringing them along!?
"Why? I can't go with you?" Zhang Xiaohou was totally unaware of the conflict between the members of the group. He thought there was something wrong about him.
Zheng Tong grinned with a strong disdainful look in his eyes. "You must be at least a Hunter Master to come with us. Even if you're not a Hunter, you need to have an equivalent identity still. An intern in the army like you is thinking of going with us? In your dreams. We are going on an expedition, not an excursion that you can write on your resume!"
Zhang Xiaohou was not wearing a uniform. He was short and skinny, and he looked inexperienced, too. He did look like an intern compared to the tall, bulky soldiers.
Ge Ming only told them there were four outsiders. Mo Fan had already brought three girls along. The others decided to let it be as their way of respecting their leader, but now another person had shown up to join the group. Zheng Tong had more than enough reason to stop the man from joining the group, and teach Mo Fan that he should treat the expedition more seriously.
"I..." Zhang Xiaohou was left speechless after receiving the disdainful comments.
A few soldiers that were delivering supplies happened to pass by. They immediately halted in their tracks when they saw Zhang Xiaohou and saluted, "Commander Zhang!"
"Commander Zhang, we are grateful that you and your men got rid of the flying demon creatures at Qinling Mountains. Otherwise, the flight path connecting this place and the coastline would not have been possible!" a soldier said with a hint of admiration.
"Oh, it's just part of my duty, proceed with your work." Zhang Xiaohou returned the salute.
Zheng Tong's face was immediately rich with embarrassment upon seeing this!
-What's going on here? This naive-looking kid is a Commander?-
The ranks in the army were a lot stricter than the Hunters. Even though a Commander was considered the same rank as a Hunter Master, a Commander in charge of a troop had to be a lot more capable than a Hunter Master, be it in strength, experience, or the ability to command their men...
An Advanced Mage did not necessarily qualify to be a Commander, but a Commander was surely one of the most talented Advanced Mages out there!
Most importantly, this kid was the one that wiped out the flying demon creatures from the Qinling Mountains?
Qinling Mountains was an infamous territory full of demon creatures. If he managed to wipe out an entire nest, he had to be extremely strong!
Zheng Tong had a very awkward face. He was the one more like an intern here, if he was to compare himself to the man. Hunters usually traveled alone in the wild, thus the danger they faced was nothing like a battle against the demon creatures!
Zhang Xiaohou had spent most of his time fighting battles!
"Brother Fan, why do I feel like I'm not welcome to join the group?" Zhang Xiaohou asked.
"There's no such thing like that. We just didn't think you are a Commander, considering how young you are. It's just a misunderstanding. The place we are heading to is very dangerous, so we needed to make sure that everyone in the group is strong enough to take care of themselves!" Ge Ming quickly stepped forward to mediate.
Ge Ming's eyes glittered when he learned Zhang Xiaohou was a Commander. This young man would surely be a great help to their expedition!
Chapter 1203 - Setting Foot on the Yellow Sand
Translated by XephiZ Edited by Aelryinth Only those that came to the west would experience the marvels of nature here. Mo Fan was born in the south., which mainly consisted of mountains with smooth crests. Even after he had traveled around the world, he was still impressed by the spectacular sights before him when he came to the west of his country. He could not help but feel minuscule. Becoming a Forbidden Mage was the limit for a human, and currently, the strongest power that Mo Fan held was the Demon Element. However, even if he was to demonize, he still felt extremely tiny in this boundless basin in the west. A force that could destroy mountains was nothing but a tiny little scratch, barely visible in this vast basin. It was not even enough to scratch the itch of the land. The Taklamakan Desert was located in the middle of the basin. Although the desert was incomparable to the Sahara Desert, to humans, this sand-covered land was a new world full of unfamiliarities, unknowns, and dangers. The demon creatures residing in the desert were the only ones that could survive in the desert for long periods. "The Taklamakan Desert has a powerful horde of demon creatures. Its population is most likely over a million. In addition to that, there are also seven medium-sized hordes and over thirty small hordes. The total number of demon creatures is immeasurable. The whole desert is densely populated by demon creatures. Our mission is to clear a path to the lake of the desert. According to our information, the lake is a part of an oasis. The military once built a relay station there, but after the terrain of the desert shifted and the whole place was crawling with demon creatures, the original path is now occupied by demon creatures, and it's not just one or two hordes we are talking about..." Ge Ming reminded the group. "The relay station and the path leading to it have been buried for eleven years. Apart from the starting point, we will have to explore the area again. We have already come up with a path through simulations developed according to the information gathered by older Hunters," Lu Fang, who was in charge of navigation, finished in a serious voice. When the group was discussing the ideal path to take, the middle-aged man who seemed a little sloppy sounded surprisingly serious. His eyes were glittering, showing his confidence in his expertise! "This device will detect the presence of demon creatures within five kilometers of us. We have to bury it into the ground when we reach that huge yellow mountain, and make sure we aren't surrounded by demon creatures for the next five kilometers," Wang Jiuming, the technical specialist, told everyone. "Alright, let's make our way to the mountain. One step at a time," Mo Fan agreed. Mo Fan did not have much experience with deserts. The only experience he had was the time he almost got lost in the Sahara Desert. As such, Mo Fan and Jiang Shaoxu were still a little intimidated by the thought of traversing a desert. Unfortunately, Mo Fan had a reason to be here, as did Jiang Shaoxu. The group was walking on foot. They did not have another Summoner among them. The Summoners that Ge Ming knew were all Basic or Intermediate Mages. They could not let a Summoner come along to die just because they did not have a Summoned Beast to carry their belongings! An Earth Mage was in charge of their belongings. In a place covered in sand like this, the man just needed to keep casting Earth Wave to move their supplies. He did not even need to walk. Since they were in a desert, the biggest risk was getting lost. As such, they had brought a lot of supplies with them, especially food, medicine, and water. --- Lingling's stamina was not as good. Mo Fan had no choice but to carry her on his back. Luckily, she was not heavy at all. She was almost weightless when he was carrying her. Lingling's eyes would occasionally flicker with excitement whenever they arrived at a new location. It seemed like there were many places she wanted to go, but the loss of her father had sealed her curiosity of the world away. "Is their path reliable?" Mo Fan asked Lingling softly. "So far so good," Lingling replied. "What happened to the relay station?" Mo Fan asked. "I don't really know. How old do you think I was eleven years ago?" Lingling answered. "..." Mo Fan rolled his eyes. The knowledge inside Lingling's little head could easily drown most old professors... --- The sand started to get thicker as the group ventured further into the desert. The sand was soft at the start, but it started to feel like a strong force was dragging at their legs as their feet sank into the sand. It was extremely difficult to walk on the sand, as it would just wear them out quicker. Together with the heat and the dryness, an ordinary human would be overwhelmed by fatigue in just half an hour. "Old Tong, it's fine escorting us here, we'll continue on ourselves!" Zhang Xiaohou patted the shoulder of the Officer that was escorting them. "Can...can I go with you all too?" Tong Li said with a troubled face. "You want to go too?" Zhang Xiaohou was quite surprised. Tong Li was an Advanced Mage, but his rank was not that high. He was only a Lieutenant, much lower than Zhang Xiaohou. He had grown up in the west, so he was quite familiar with the Tarim Basin and the Taklamakan Desert. When Zhang Xiaohou mentioned he was going to the Taklamakan Desert, Tong Li took the initiative to escort them to the entrance area. The terrain of a desert would shift gradually. There was a chance that the standard entrance of the desert might have been covered in sand a few months ago. It was one of the reasons why it was extremely difficult to make a safe path across the desert. "It's awesome if Lieutenant Tong is willing to come with us!" Ge Ming blurted out, his arms wide open. The others in the group were not fussy about it, either. Tong Li was a local, and no one was more familiar with the desert than him. They had come well-prepared, but having Tong Li in the group would still save them some trouble. Mo Fan looked at Tong Li carefully. He could tell that something was bothering Tong Li, yet he did not ask, since the man had no intention of saying anything. --- When they arrived at the entrance, it was filled up with sand, unlike they were expecting. If the start of the path already had discrepancies, how could they possibly rely on the information they had? Everyone was grim when they did not find the oasis that was meant to be there! Not a great start! "The sand is thinner here, but thicker there. It means there was once an oasis here. Judging from the wind and the rate the sand is stacking up, the entrance is roughly a kilometer ahead," Tong Li said confidently. "I'll go take a look!" Zhang Xiaohou immediately summoned a faint, blue wind and shot into the distance. Not long afterwards, he reached the place that Tong Li mentioned. He placed his hand on the sand and used his Earth Element to explore the ground beneath. "Tong Li is right! There are plants under the sand, but they have started to rot," Zhang Xiaohou said to the group as they caught up with him. "Being able to tell where the oasis was from the thickness of the sand and the wind... Tong Li, you're a professional. It's like we are teaching our grandmother to suck eggs!" Ge Ming complimented him. The others were impressed too. Tong Li was surely going to save them a lot of trouble!. "Come, it isn't safe here. We should be able to see the Big Yellow Mountain if we head this way," Tong Li said. --- The Big Yellow Mountain was once a grand and hilly mountain. Sand eventually stacked up around it. Once, someone tried digging through the sand to see the mountain's true appearance. In the end, they discovered that the sand covering the mountain was at least fifty meters thick. It was shocking, as they could not tell what terrifying creatures would be hiding in sand that was fifty meters thick! The group arrived successfully at the Big Yellow Mountain. They could not help but feel extremely tiny after seeing the huge mound lying right before them. The mountain served as the boundary of the Taklamakan Desert. Once they crossed the mountain, they would find themselves in the realm of demon creatures. It had been years since anyone last saw what was behind the Big Yellow Mountain. The Big Yellow Mountain was occupied by a pack of Sandrock Golems. The group was expecting a battle when they arrived and planned to cross the mountain, but not a single Sandrock Golem had shown up even after they reached the mountain's waist. "I didn't know she was a Psychic Mage. Mo Fan, your friend is pretty impressive," Ge Ming remarked, looking at Jiang Shaoxu. "I told you I wasn't here for a vacation," Mo Fan shrugged. Jiang Shaoxu was a professional Psychic Mage. With just a single Spirit Ripple, the Elemental Creatures within a kilometer of the group didn't bother them. It was necessary to avoid as many battles as they could when they were wandering in the wild. Unfortunately, Psychic Mages were mostly on two extremes; either they were so weak that the teams would refer to them as psychologists instead of Psychic Mages, or they were so powerful that they would cost more to hire than a Healer, since if there was no fighting, no one would be injured! Jiang Shaoxu's Psychic Element was astonishingly powerful. It allowed the team to cross the Big Yellow Mountain and enter the Taklamakan Desert without a single demon creature harassing them. ------ After going down the Big Yellow Mountain, the golden-yellow sand of the desert completely filled their view. Its uniformity was a great contrast to the beautiful blue sky, but it was still a spectacular sight to the group! The endless sand, the vast sky; they would be stuck in this world for the next fifteen days... The place was separated from the rest of the world. It was mysterious and terrifying! "We have to be extremely careful with every step we take from here on. Wang Jiuming, go find a suitable spot to set up the detector," Ge Ming said. "Got it!" Wang Jiuming answered. "Wait, how long will it take for the detector to scan the area?" Lingling asked. "Around an hour," Wang Jiuming said. "Can you give me a more specific time?" "An hour and ten minutes," Wang Jiuming was startled. He did not think the little girl would be so serious with the question. "Help me connect this; I will do a scatter plot," Lingling handed Wang Jiuming a tablet computer. "Alright, pull yourself together, and prepare for a possible fight!" Ge Ming said.
