Versatile Mage c1-2021, page 619
"The man carrying the information that Leng Qing mentioned is called Mo Fan. He was the one that managed to get the better of Salan a few times. If you can kill him, the Cold Prince will be impressed..." the woman said.
"I've fought against him, there wasn't anything special about him."
Chapter 1333 - Face of Darkness
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
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"Are you sure about this, letting Mo Fan take on Bei Jiang alone?" Feng Zhoulong said.
"The guy is in the dark. If Super Mages like you are around, he won't show himself. He can easily tell it's a trap, and so all our efforts will be in vain," Lingling said.
Lingling was sitting beside Leng Qing's bed. Her face was expressionless, yet she was more worried than anyone else!
The two lives dearest to her were at stake. If Mo Fan lost to Bei Jiang, he would be in trouble, and Leng Qing was most likely going to die too.
To make things worse, there was nothing else she could do apart from waiting here. Waiting was more of a torture than fighting!
---
---
It was night again. Normally, Mo Fan preferred fighting at night since it allowed him to utilize his Shadow Element.
However, this time Mo Fan did not feel relieved. His petty Shadow Element was as unthreatening as a crying little baby to his opponent.
It was Mo Fan's first time feeling a strong pressure from Dark Magic, it was clenching his throat in a suffocating grip. It had completely changed his view of Dark Magic.
Mo Fan arrived on the outskirts and found himself in a spacious area. The straight road only had a few lights from the houses scattered in the distance.
Behind him was the bustling city, shining with great brilliance, while the path ahead was completely dark. The further he went, the tenser he was. He had never expected that a Shadow Mage like him would be afraid of walking in the dark!
He took a quick glance at the black flower with only two petals left. His uneasiness gradually dissipated, replaced by a hint of panic.
If the assassin decided not to show up, Leng Qing would die for sure. There was not much time left. Judging from the previous fight against the assassin, even if the guy showed up eventually, it was unlikely he could kill the assassin in the time that was left.
Even a Super Mage like Feng Zhoulong had failed to restrain him!
Time gradually passed. The panic grew in Mo Fan. After all, Leng Qing's life was at stake. Mo Fan was unable to accept it like the others.
"You can't save anyone." A black figure appeared out of nowhere, standing in the middle of the road. He was staring right at Mo Fan.
Mo Fan did not speak. He halted in his tracks and looked at his formidable opponent.
"Remember the chubby kid from before? The color of his brain was brighter than I imagined, tsk tsk..." Bei Jiang grinned. The shadows set off his intimidating face.
"You killed him?" Mo Fan blurted out in astonishment.
"I'm troubled by a certain disease. I wonder if the Healer that managed to sustain Leng Qing's life could heal me?" Bei Jiang said.
"You should visit a vet," Mo Fan replied.
"I know you are trying to lure me out of hiding. I also know Leng Qing has no chance of surviving. Unfortunately, my superior seems quite interested in you, and considering that you've sincerely invited me here, here I am," Bei Jiang raised his pale right hand and looked at his watch. He said, "Fifteen minutes, that's how much time Leng Qing has left. You know, I could have easily shown up after fifteen minutes when she was dead and killed you… but, that's just too boring. I decide to give your petty plan a little glimpse of hope."
Mo Fan glared at the assassin. His heart was rolling with rage, but he maintained a calm face. He could not afford to show any hint of panic against a formidable opponent. His enemy would easily abuse it!
However, Mo Fan did not expect Bei Jiang to see through their plan. He had not shown up because he was tricked by Lingling's plan. He was just playing them and everyone else like a fiddle, as he firmly believed no one could possibly live if he assumed them to be dead!
"That being said, this game won't last for fifteen minutes. I can easily kill you in just five minutes!" Bei Jiang added.
Bei Jiang slowly faded into the darkness behind him. A face with an eerie grin slowly appeared in the darkness. Its outline turned from blurry to solid. It was impossible to tell if it was real. It was staring down at the minuscule Mo Fan!
If the guy had not been his enemy, if his personality was not so twisted and enraging, Mo Fan would be impressed by the man's control of the Shadow Element after he saw the eerie face in the darkness. It was like the man was giving Mo Fan an exciting lecture on how powerful the Shadow Element could be!
Mo Fan didn't want to display his petty skill before an expert. He knew what his advantages were, and he knew it was a fight he could not afford to lose.
He only had fifteen minutes. Life was always so fragile, yet he had no choice but to give all he had to protect it!
"The Face of Darkness!"
The enormous grinning face solidified and lunged at Mo Fan. Its laughter penetrated Mo Fan's mind and interfered with his thoughts. It greatly slowed down Mo Fan's channeling and reaction time as it filled him with terror!
Mo Fan was not worried about himself. He was worried that Lingling would be overwhelmed with the grief of losing her sister. He was worried about seeing Lingling in tears. The darkness magnified those worries to overwhelm him!
The Face of Darkness was already within inches of him. Mo Fan kept moving backward. The spell was unable to inflict any damage on its target. It was only trying to break down the psychological defenses of the target, and take away the will to fight. The target might even lose its will to live after suffering the overwhelming fear and sorrow the spell had brought...
Mo Fan continued to back away. He suddenly heard a burst of laughter behind him. He turned around and saw another huge Face of Darkness charging at him!
The Focus Necklace around his neck shuddered slightly, unleashing ripples of blue energy. Each ripple helped erase the fear being implanted in his mind.
Mo Fan's thoughts cleared up. When he opened his eyes, the Faces of Darkness had both disappeared.
Mo Fan looked at the necklace. He still had a grim face, even though the spell had been nullified.
The battle had just begun, but he had already used a strong piece of his Equipment. How could he possibly defend himself from the upcoming attacks?
If he continued to be this passive, how could he possibly defeat the assassin in fifteen minutes?
Chapter 1334 - Own Demonic Shadows
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
"There!" Mo Fan immediately unleashed lightning from his hand after he recovered from the spell. The lightning arcs surged across the road and drove the darkness away, revealing a tall figure hiding there.
Mo Fan saw the figure smiling as the lightning flickered, but it suddenly disappeared from Mo Fan's sight as the lightning was about to reach it. A twisted laugh echoed in the air. The great disdain the assassin displayed was truly infuriating!
"Time is running out!" Bei Jiang said. There was no trace of him whatsoever.
Mo Fan searched for the assassin calmly. He thought of every possibility of where the man might be hiding, but as he was preoccupied, he failed to notice that the road below him was gradually being devoured by a dark swamp. It slowly expanded from a black pool into a huge swamp!
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There were not many cars on the road. The highway had been replaced by another tunnel nearby. It led to the Pearl River on the outskirts of the city. Occasionally, a few street racers would have some fun here, but the road had surprisingly disappeared tonight, as if it had been consumed by the darkness. A few luxurious cars had stopped at the entrance. Several well-dressed fuerdais were staring at the darkness in fear. None of them dared to drive into it.
"Why are we all so scared? It's more thrilling the darker it is. Imagine you are driving at one-eighty when you can only see two hundred meters away. You will constantly be on your toes, as you never know when the next corner is coming up. I bet none of you have tried anything like it before!" a handsome man with braids challenged the others recklessly.
He slammed on the gas. The car soon reached a hundred kph!
The car continued to speed up. The man grinned when he heard the girls cheering for him. It was likely that he would be having some fun with at least two of them tonight. Girls always found dangerous men attractive, as if the thrill was able to help them reach the climax easier!
The whole place was covered in pitch-black darkness. To the man's disbelief, he noticed some lightning flickering in the darkness!
The lightning arcs were surprisingly thick. The lightning forks they produced scattered in the air above like a giant web of lightning within a hand's reach of his car...
"F**k me, what the hell is this place!?" the man screamed at the top of his lungs.
It felt like there was no end to the road. The terrified man sped up to two hundred kph, yet it felt like he was still in the same spot.
A figure suddenly appeared in front of the car. The man screamed, but it was too late to slam on the brakes. His car went right through it!
There was no collision, nor did he hear any noise. The figure dissipated like a cloud of black smoke when the car drew past it and dissipated with the wind behind the car.
The man turned around and almost peed himself. The black smoke came together again behind the car, reassuming the appearance of a human. The momentum of the car at such an insane speed could easily smash every bone inside a Mage, yet the figure was perfectly fine. It even turned around and grinned at the man, who immediately felt his skin crawl...
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"Five minutes have passed. You're doing better than I expected," Bei Jiang said.
Mo Fan stood on the road that had been completely turned into a black swamp with a straight face.
Lots of figures had appeared around him. They did not look terrifying and scary, like deadly assassins, nor did they resemble Bei Jiang. They were all shadows of Mo Fan!
Each shadow had the same physique and height as Mo Fan. They even had a blurry face that looked like his. Mo Fan suddenly felt like he was surrounded by magic mirrors; his reflections in them had their own expressions, the same grin and glare!
"Lightning Whip!" Mo Fan gathered his lightning and swung it at the shadows like a whip.
A piercing burst of laughter broke out. The figures remained unmoving, mocking Mo Fan's meaningless attack. The lightning whip shattered the shadows into black mist, but they regained the same appearance within seconds!
As soon as Mo Fan was done with his attacks, the shadows moved closer. Some were holding daggers, some were clutching their hands like claws, some were holding their b.a.r.e fists. Mo Fan's attacks were completely useless against them, yet their powerful attacks had left many bruises and wounds on him.
The wounds kept bleeding as the dark energy penetrated his body, slowing his blood flow and corrupting his cells and flesh. His organs were slowly wilting, too. The more wounds, the deeper the dark energy was penetrating into his body, and the faster his organs were wilting!
Mo Fan's destructive spells were utterly useless. He initially thought only a Super Mage would be able to pose a threat to him. He never thought a man who had mastered the Shadow Element would leave him in such a pinch...
Time continued to pass, yet Mo Fan had not beaten a single one of the shadows...
A dagger stabbed at his throat. Mo Fan dodged aside and acc.u.mulated flames in his right fist. He threw the burning fist at the shadow whose dagger was still hanging in the air.
Fiery dragons sprang forward and shattered the shadow into black mist...
However, before Mo Fan could withdraw his hand, the eerie black mist gathered above Mo Fan. A shadow that looked exactly like him poked out of it and stabbed at his head with a dagger!
"Piss off!" Mo Fan reacted swiftly. A silver light burst out of his body, followed by a repelling force. The shadow holding a dagger realized that its attack was in vain again. It took the initiative to turn into a cloud of black smoke and drifted into the distance to dodge Mo Fan's Space Magic.
Mo Fan took a deep breath. He did not have any time to catch his breath. A shadow with sharp claws rose from the swamp below and stabbed at his legs!
"AH!" Its claws tore the flesh on Mo Fan's legs. The pain struck deep into Mo Fan's soul.
Flame Belle quickly returned to Mo Fan's side after seeing him injured. She recklessly unleashed her flames at the black swamp.
The swamp absorbed the energy like a bottomless hole. No matter how powerful Flame Belle's flames were, they could not destroy the swamp, nor could they inflict any damage on the shadows.
The shadow with sharp claws did not dissipate into a cloud of smoke. It had the ability to move freely in the swamp, like a fierce demon fish waiting to ambush its target at the perfect timing after its prey had lowered its guard!
Blood poured out from the wounds. Mo Fan could even see his bones from the wounds. He forced himself to stand straight despite the incredible pain.
If he swayed even a little, it would give his opponent more opportunities to strike. At that time, it was not just the flesh of his legs, he would even lose his heart!
"Actually, you can just lie on the ground and cry in agony. No one will think you're disgracing yourself. If they know you've died to I, Bei Jiang, they are only going to say, 'That made sense,'" Bei Jiang's voice echoed from nowhere.
Mo Fan still had no clue where the assassin was. If he could only find the assassin, he could beat the man into a crippled dog with a single punch!
"I've fought against people that are stronger than you. If you can't kill me in the first five minutes, you'll never be able to kill me. Keep trying your best to dodge my attacks. I once lived in poverty. There were always some rats hiding in the storage, the wooden racks, and in the pipes in my house. They would come and eat my biscuits, and bite my chairs whenever I was asleep. They thought they were good, being able to play me like a fiddle even though we are a lot bigger than them. They would squeak to provoke us… do you know what happened to them in the end?"
Mo Fan remained standing. His legs were trembling as his blood dripped onto the ground. He had imagined all kinds of horrible deaths he might die the moment he had decided to take on the Black Vatican. He was prepared to be covered in bruises and wounds, but as long as he was still able to get back on his feet, he would send every single one of these sc.u.m to Hell!
"You're pretty optimistic; don't you feel like a rat whose legs have been cut off, trapped inside a cage?" Bei Jiang's voice was moving closer to Mo Fan.
Bei Jiang slowly approached Mo Fan with a smile; he was now less than twenty meters away from him. His steps were not making any noise, yet it felt like a huge mountain was crumbling onto him.
Mo Fan took a deep breath and calmed his thoughts. He could not understand why Bei Jiang was able to manipulate his Shadow Magic so perfectly. He was clueless about why Bei Jiang was able to disappear without a trace. Wouldn't Super Mages struggle against him too?...
Was it because of the Source of Darkness?
What exactly was the Source of Darkness?
Or perhaps it was his...
Innate Talent!
Mo Fan immediately thought of something. He had completely forgotten about the possibility that the man's capabilities might be part of his Innate Talent!
He was not the only person with an outstanding Innate Talent in the world. There were others with extraordinary talents who were almost unbeatable against opponents of the same level, too!
It was likely that Bei Jiang had some kind of Innate Talent related to the Shadow Element, and together with the Source of Darkness, it had made him a perfect Dominator of Darkness!
Chapter 1335 - See Through the Order of Darkness
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
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Xinxia sat beside Leng Qing with her eyes closed. She was trying to feel the battle with her heartbeat.
Little Flame Belle was furious, sensing that Mo Fan was seriously injured. It was likely that the battle did not go according to plan.
"How much time do we have left?" Feng Zhoulong asked.
"Less than five minutes," Lingling said expressionlessly.
Five minutes. Normally, it would be gone very quickly with a little daydreaming, but Lingling had the urge to make it last for the whole day, or even for the whole year!
"We're asking too much from him. Bei Jiang is extremely talented. The fact that he earned his reputation before he even reached the Super Level indicates that he's even scarier than some of the Super Mages… we should just call it off if it won't work out. If we know we can't save her, we should avoid more unnecessary casualties," Tata spoke up.
"Damn it, the Nanguo Magic Association can't even do anything to the assassin. Such a disgrace!" Feng Zhoulong blurted out furiously.
They had a lot of powerful Mages, yet none of them was of any use in this situation. If any of them drew closer to the highway, Bei Jiang would surely flee, and Leng Qing would have no chance of survival!
Mo Fan was their only hope, but they were worried that Mo Fan would die to the assassin too!
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The sound of the cars faded into the distance. Mo Fan was surprised by their sudden intrusion. He had chosen this desolated place to avoid unnecessary casualties.
Bei Jiang was not interested in the man driving the sports car, being focused on the battle against Mo Fan. If he could take Mo Fan down, his reputation among the assassins would rise dramatically. After all, even Salan could not do anything about him!
"It doesn't feel good, right? Dying isn't a hassle, but you're still carrying the burden of trying to save a woman's life on your shoulders … say, why don't we make a little deal? I'm not a greedy man. Killing Leng Qing is just business. I'm not really fond of the Cold Prince of the Black Vatican. His arrogance annoys me. I'll withdraw my Dark energy so Leng Qing can slowly recover, and you will stop struggling and extend your neck, so I can sever your head with a clean cut..." Bei Jiang offered.
