Versatile Mage c1-2021, page 584
Chapter 1267 - Light-Curtain Eagle
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
Shao Zheng sent the information about the Moon Moth Phoenix in no time. There was also information about other Totem Beasts. It all seemed rather complicated. It was going to take Mo Fan some time to understand everything.
Mo Fan went back to the Clearsky Hunter Agency. Lingling was already doing her homework, and it was obviously not the homework from school. She seemed quite interested in the Totem Beasts, too. After all, the Totem Beasts were legends that had been around for the longest time. They were a bunch of creatures born for fighting, but surprisingly were not hostile toward humans. They were too many mysteries around them.
"What did you find? Is the Moon Moth Phoenix as strong as the Black Totem Snake?" Mo Fan asked.
"Not really; the Black Totem Snake is clearly one of the strongest Totem Beasts out there. The Moon Moth Phoenix's strength should be on par with the Silver Skyruler instead, or perhaps slightly stronger. I can't really say for sure either, but there's one thing I know for sure; every Totem Beast has their own special abilities that make them unbeatable against the leaders of the demon creatures," Lingling informed him.
"I see. Speaking of which, have you heard anything about the threat along the shoreline?" Mo Fan said.
Lingling shook her head. She had not heard anything about it yet.
"By the way, Jiang Shaojun pretty much wrote every article here. It seems he was working with a colleague when he went looking for the Moon Moth Phoenix. His colleague might still be around, that might be the clue we are looking for," Lingling said.
Mo Fan nodded. He was about to ask Lingling for the name of Jiang Shaojun's colleague when his phone started ringing.
"Mo Fan, you better come right now, something's happening," Mu Ningxue said.
"What is it?" asked Mo Fan.
"The people of the Research Union might have found where the Moon Moth Phoenix is. Yu Shishi is already making her way there despite my advising against it. It's too dangerous to leave her alone, so I'm going with her. I wasn't able to bring Bola with us since he's still asleep," Mu Ningxue said.
"He doesn't have much time left, so he's asleep most of the time. We'll handle it ourselves. Where are you now? I'm on my way," Mo Fan said.
It was more suitable for Bola to guard a specific place due to his circ.u.mstances. It was not good to ask him to follow a person around. Besides, Mo Fan was not necessarily Bola's senior. He was just trying to live longer by taking in Mo Fan's demonic aura. Unlike Liu Ru, he did not have many years left. He spent most of his time sleeping in a coffin.
"I brought my national team badge with me. You can locate me with it," Mu Ningxue said.
She was not too sure about her whereabouts either. She only knew they had gone pretty deep into the woods.
"Alright, but why would the people of the Research Union know where the Moon Moth Phoenix's cocoon is?" Mo Fan asked.
"I have no idea."
---
It was difficult to figure what was going on through the phone. Mo Fan immediately gave his national team's badge to Lingling and asked her to track where Mu Ningxue was.
"Got it, she's in the forest in Nanling Mountains. It's quite a distance from where we are. I'm afraid we won't make it in time with your wolf," Lingling said.
"What should we do then? There isn't a Space Teleportation Formation around here," Mo Fan said.
"We can ask Nighthawk to give us a ride!"
---
Nighthawk happened to be in the Magic City, too. He was promoted to a Vice Elder of the Enforcement Union after what happened to the Beiyu Enforcement Union.
As a matter of fact, Nighthawk was long since qualified to be a Vice Elder of the Enforcement Union, since he was usually in charge of most operations related to the Black Vatican. Unfortunately, he never got along well with the man with the surname Lu, thus he was stuck as an Enforcer.
"It's midnight and you two have called me over to be your driver!" Nighthawk sighed helplessly. Only Lingling had the guts to order a Vice Elder of the Enforcement Union around.
"Enough talk, just hurry up, will you? It's something important that the Chairman has asked us to keep an eye on!" Lingling said proudly.
"Chairman? Chairman Shao Zheng!?" Nighthawk exclaimed. He immediately stopped grumbling when he learned they were receiving orders from Chairman Shao Zheng.
Nighthawk's Summoned Beast, a Light-Curtain Eagle, was one of the fastest flying creatures in the Enforcement Union. It was the main reason Lingling had asked him for help.
---
The three made their way up to the roof. Nighthawk chanted under his breath. Wisps of darkness soon appeared around him and consumed the light of the street lamps nearby. It was as like a black hole was appearing on the roof.
A pair of cold stunning wings spread apart from inside the black hole. Their black feathers had a metallic l.u.s.ter to them. The wings loomed over the entire building when they were fully spread!
The black wings beat softly, producing a strong gust of wind sweeping the street and the roof. Clothes that were being dried outside flapped wildly, while the window panels rattled.
The wind blew dried leaves and dust into the air. Nighthawk jumped onto the Light-Curtain Eagle's back and asked Mo Fan and Lingling to hop on, too.
The two followed him immediately. The Light-Curtain Eagle beat its wings and left the roof, rising quickly into the air. There was a tall building just ahead. The light that the Light-Curtain Eagle was reflecting shone upon the building's windows. The people on the street immediately screamed at the top of their lungs!
The Light-Curtain Eagle reached the building's roof. It kicked its feet and thrust itself higher into the sky, where the light of the city could no longer reach. It glided silently into the sky, heading for the woods in the distance!
"Your eagle is pretty cool. Can I trade my Flying Creek Snow Wolf for him?" Mo Fan was thrilled as he felt the night breeze sweeping at him while sitting on the eagle's back.
Little Flame Belle cried out in disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e after hearing Mo Fan's words. -Uncle wolf is so naively adorable, how could you trade him away? Little Flame Belle enjoys bullying uncle wolf!-
"HAHA, I was just kidding. By the way, aren't you supposed to be sleeping? Don't you know it's important for a kid to get enough rest while you're still growing?" Mo Fan dragged Little Flame Belle down from his shoulder and flicked her on her forehead.
Little Flame Belle twisted her lips in disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e and went to Lingling to be comforted instead.
"I'll trade him for your adorable Little Flame Belle," Nighthawk said with a smile.
"No way, Little Flame Belle is my daughter," Mo Fan replied decisively.
"If the Flying Creek Snow Wolf knew the true face of his master, he would definitely break the contract with you, even if it meant damaging his soul!" Lingling sniffed.
Chapter 1268 - The Giant Cocoon in the Swamp
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
The Night-Curtain Eagle was shockingly fast. It did not take them too long to reach the Nanling Mountains.
"We are currently in the White Magic Falcons' territory. Luckily, my eagle shares the same lineage. We won't have much trouble flying across their territory," Nighthawk said while pointing at the mountains that were covered in dense trees below.
"We should be very close to them," Lingling said.
Mo Fan observed the pitch-black mountains. He was able to see clearer with his Shadow Element.
---
---
The canopy layer of the palm forest was a favorable habitat for flying creatures. Many demon creatures hid their nests in the thick canopy, allowing flocks of flying creatures to soar into the sky and form a huge net to defend their territory when necessary.
The middle of the palm forest was a swamp, and the trees had long been soaked in it. The water was not deep, barely reaching the ankles of a person. The clear water was flowing slowly. It looked like the forest was growing out of the surface of a lake under the moonlight. The surface of the water was glittering like crystals.
The forest was deadly silent. A hellish hound with a menacing aura walked past, and the little creatures in the area immediately fled for their lives in panic.
"Lian Xishan, are you sure this is the right place?" Houndman asked impatiently.
"Of course, we already discovered this place when we were searching for the Totem Beast. According to the man, this is where the Totem Beast lives, but for some reason, he suddenly decided to leave. He's always been a strange man," the man called Lian Xishan said confidently.
"I also think this is the place we have been looking for," Ke Lingxi of the Research Union said.
Many species had their own living habits. Ke Lingxi had only learned there was such a unique forest in Nanling Mountains a little while ago.
Moths preferred to live in woods with a readily-available source of water. Ke Lingxi believed the place was perfect for the Moon Moth Phoenix to fall into a deep slumber!
"This place isn't very big, we should be able to find it quite easily. You two, go up to the canopy and look around, the rest of us will be heading in this direction," Zeng Guanglie said.
The group began to split up. Some time later, the Dreadful Curse Hell Hound started sniffing, as if it had picked up a scent.
"This way," the Houndman told the others after receiving his Summoned Beast's hint.
The group immediately followed the Dreadful Curse Hell Hound. They soon discovered a spacious pond that did not have many trees in it. The water was still enough to reflect the starry night sky, unbelievably stunning.
An oval cocoon was hanging above the center of the spacious pond. They could see its shadow on the surface of the pond. Houndman, Ke Lingxi, Zeng Guanglie, and the others held their breaths upon seeing the cocoon. Their faces were soon brimming with joy!
They found it! They actually found it!
They had found an ancient Totem Beast. They would achieve great success once they handed it to Su Lu!
The discovery of a Totem Beast was extremely significant. The Black Totem Snake of Hangzhou was able to drive away the demon creatures of the Nanling Mountains that were invading the city all by himself. A Totem Beast was far stronger than an ordinary Ruler creature in the wild!
The giant blue cocoon was floating in the air between the sky and the spectacular painting across the surface of the pond. However, as they took a closer look, they realized the cocoon was being held by tiny strings of silk, their ends tied to the trees nearby. In other words, the giant cocoon was actually hanging in the air. It was a rare and spectacular sight.
They were quite confident that the Totem Beast, Moon Moth Phoenix that they had been looking for was inside the giant cocoon!
The light of the moon and the stars were watching over the giant blue cocoon. Meanwhile, the cocoon seemed to be absorbing the energy of nature, like a beating blue heart!
"Are we going to break the cocoon apart or bring the whole thing back?" Zeng Guanglie asked.
"Just bring the whole thing back. I doubt we can break through the cocoon that easily," Houndman said.
"You people, go and break the silk," Ke Lingxi ordered his men.
A few Mages jumped onto the trees that the strings of silk were tied to. However, they failed to break the silk despite trying everything they tried. Even burning them with fire did not seem to work.
"Humph, move aside, a bunch of useless pricks!" Zeng Guanglie mocked them. He quickly summoned his golden flames.
The golden flames sprang at the strings of silk. The silk finally started to melt away slowly after burning for some time.
"As expected of a Totem Beast! Only a Soul-grade Fire can burn through the silk," Ke Lingxi exclaimed.
His flames finally ate through a section of the strings holding the giant cocoon up after some time. The giant cocoon slanted sideways after the silk broke. The remaining strings of silk continued to hold it in place, preventing it from falling to the water below.
"Say, is the thing inside still alive?" Houndman asked curiously, studying the cocoon. He had already ordered the Dreadful Curse Hell Hound to take a closer look as he spoke.
The Dreadful Curse Hell Hound stood below the cocoon and started sniffing. It suddenly lifted its gaze and grinned, revealing its fangs while uttering a deep growl.
Houndman followed its gaze, and saw a woman with the wings of a moth on her back walking out from the woods. She was glaring at them with eerie eyes. Her face had turned a strange blue too. She seemed pretty angry!
"It's you. I'm sorry, we are no longer interested in you. You better leave now if you don't want to die," Houndman grinned mockingly when he saw it was the moth woman, Yu Shishi!
They obviously knew Yu Shishi had been turned into a moth woman by the Moon Moth Phoenix. The Moon Moth Phoenix was much more valuable than she was!
"What are you trying to do!?" Yu Shishi snapped furiously.
"Nothing really, it's just that our master has a hobby of collecting antiques. We believe the Moon Moth Phoenix is the perfect present for his fiftieth birthday. We also believe that only a special creature like a Totem Beast is worthy to be our master's mount and Contracted Beast!" Houndman smiled.
"A Totem Beast will never sign a contract with a human, nor will it submit to a human to be his mount!" Yu Shishi snapped.
"Don't you worry about that, our master has his ways!" Houndman rebutted.
Chapter 1269 - The Power to Decide One's Fate
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
"I won't let you take her!" Yu Shishi declared firmly.
Lots of blue moths flew out of the canopy as she was speaking. The moths were just as numerous as the leaves on the trees. They quickly surrounded the people that were trying to snatch the giant cocoon.
Zeng Guanglie was utterly annoyed by the noise of their beating wings.
He smirked as he saw the number of moths continued to increase, "You were desperately trying to save them before, why would you bother summoning them out to die now?"
Yu Shishi bit her lips. There were not many moths left after the recent massacre. Some of them were not even a.d.u.l.ts yet. The lifespan of these moths was already very short, yet they could not even live until their final moments. It was a great torture to Yu Shishi to send these moths to their deaths.
However, she could not afford to let this group of people take the giant cocoon away, either. The creature that was asleep in the cocoon was the queen of these fragile little creatures who had no chance of surviving on their own. She was their only hope!
These moths were not as strong as other demon creatures. They normally ended up as food to other creatures while wandering around aimlessly. They were like a bunch of tiny insects living in the little gaps of the world. Their life and death was never nature's concern.
The situation improved slightly after the Moon Moth Phoenix was awakened. They could finally live a peaceful life after claiming their own territory. Their numbers slowly grew into a pack and soon a horde. They were finally able to protect themselves...
As such, even if it meant sacrificing every moth in the a.d.u.l.t phase or the youth phase, they had to stop the humans from taking the Moon Moth Phoenix! These blue moths were left with no other choice. If they could not survive until the Moon Moth Phoenix was born again, they would surely be eliminated by nature's ruthless law of jungle!
Yu Shishi had been abandoned by her family. She was only well and alive because of the Moon Moth Phoenix and the moths. The moment she was born again, she swore an oath to protect the moths until her death!
"You can only bring the Moon Moth Phoenix away over our dead bodies!" Yu Shishi swore.
The blue moths flew toward the giant cocoon swiftly and formed a barrier to prevent the people of the Research Union from moving any closer.
"What a joke, it's too easy killing these little creatures!" Zeng Guanglie said disdainfully.
The golden flames rose once again and swept at the barrier that the moths had formed like a wild golden-red tide.
The blue moths had connected their bodies and wings together to form the barrier. The tide of flames soon ignited them. However, the moths that were set on fire quickly separated themselves from the barrier to prevent the flames from spreading to their friends. They soon burned into ashes, scattered across the surface of the pond.
The pond received the remains of the burned moths. At the start, only the remains of several moths were floating on the water like wilted petals of a flower, but the whole surface of the pond was soon covered by their remains.
As the flames continued to grow stronger, the moths were dying quicker. Yu Shishi's eyes were rolling with tears. She could not bear to watch the deaths of the moths any longer.
It was true that these moths only had a short lifespan, but each of them still lived a magnificent life. Yu Shishi could sense their curiosity, passion, and joy toward nature. To some extent, Yu Shishi believed they were richer in emotions and more sincere than cold-blooded humans. Yu Shishi had met many people that had let her down. She was definitely not feeling great after witnessing the continuous deaths of the remaining moths as they were protecting the Moon Moth Phoenix.
