Versatile Mage c1-2021, page 862
Mu Bai had to admit that Mu Xumian was extremely lucky. Not even one out of a hundred Light Mages would know how to use the Sacred Chant: Purify. Mu Bai happened to have read the dossiers on the members of the South Wing Platoon, and remembered someone was capable of using the spell. Otherwise, even if they had figured out the reason, there would have been nothing they could do, apart from watching Mu Xumian get tortured to death!
"Humph, I'll make you pay once she's awake!" Li Kai declared.
"She's fine now, I'll leave the rest to you." Mu Bai had never expected the people of the Dali Clan to be grateful to him.
Mu Xumian had always been Fanxue Mountain's enemy, not to mention what the woman had done to them personally. Mu Bai would not feel guilty at all if he simply left her for dead. He even wondered why he bothered saving her. Perhaps he might have had trouble proving that he was innocent if the woman died in his house, which might have ended up bringing a lot of trouble to Fanxue Mountain.
"Li Kai, don't say that, you clearly saw how terrible Madam Mu's condition was. If the chief hadn't figured out the reason, she might already be dead by now!" Captain Pan admonished him.
If Captain Pan had been handling the situation, he would most likely have assumed Mu Xumian was poisoned or placed under a Curse. There was no way he would have used the Sacred Chant on a living human. Little did they know, she was Possessed by a terrifying existence. They only had half an hour to save her life. It was already a miracle that they managed to bring Mu Xumian back from the Gates of Hell!
---
Mu Bai walked down the street thoughtfully after he left the headquarters of the South Wing Platoon. He knew the incident was not as simple as it seemed.
Mu Xumian was a Super Mage. It was very unlikely that someone could harm her with poison, Curse, or some strange magic so easily. Wouldn't the whole world be in disorder if an Intermediate or Advanced Mage with the Poison or Curse Elements could simply murder a Super Mage?
"It almost killed her in just half an hour! Just how is that possible?" Mu Bai murmured.
During the long time he had spent in the Ancient Capital, he had stumbled into corrupted existences that were able to Possess their victims, but there were usually bad omens beforehand. The torture would usually last for a few hours before killing even a Mage without impressive cultivation. It was terrifying to think that the thing was able to kill a Super Mage like Mu Xumian in just half an hour!
In other words, if he had not figured out it was Undead Magic, or if no one in the South Wing Platoon had been able to use the Sacred Chant, Mu Xumian would surely have died!
"These things usually take time to settle down. It must be somewhere Mu Xumian always went to...(sigh) Forget it, why should I worry so much about her?" Mu Bai shook his head, feeling that he had been caring too much.
Chapter 1868 - Who's The Target?
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
"Jiang Shaoxu, where are you?" Mu Bai called Jiang Shaoxu's number.
"Turn around," Jiang Shaoxu said.
Mu Bai turned around and saw Jiang Shaoxu carrying a few shopping bags. She was walking toward Mu Bai with a self-assured seductive smile.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #'s-the-target_52527892243995006 for visiting.
Jiang Shaoxu looked up and down at Mu Bai and teased, "You're quicker than I thought. I only visited two stores so far. Why didn't you spend more time with her?"
Mu Bai did not get what she meant at first. His face blushed after he thought about it for a while. He quickly explained, "It's not what you think. Something terrifying actually happened just then. I'm actually a little worried about you. Should we just call it a day and head back to Fanxue Mountain?"
"Oh? I think the weather is pretty nice today. It's good for shopping. I'll just shop on my own if you are busy. By the way, what do you think about my clothes?" Jiang Shaoxu had already changed into a new outfit. She even turned around in a circle to show it to Mu Bai.
Mu Bai scratched his head. He was wondering how he was going to explain the situation to Jiang Shaoxu.
He just had a strange feeling about it, mainly because a Super Mage like Mu Xumian had almost died in his house. Mu Bai was worried that Jiang Shaoxu would fall victim to the strange magic, too.
"I guess that's fine..." Mu Bai responded. He was thinking of how to express the uncomfortable feeling in his mind when Jiang Shaoxu patted him on the shoulder.
"Let's go back, I can see you're very worried." Jiang Shaoxu was quite understanding. She decided to go back to Fanxue Mountain with Mu Bai first.
Mu Bai nodded. He hailed a cab and brought Jiang Shaoxu to Fanxue Mountain.
Mu Bai was still preoccupied with the incident when Jiang Shaoxu let out a sigh like she knew exactly what was going on in his mind. "Actually, you shouldn't feel so down because of it. I heard that many men had the same problem too. You just need to relax and remain calm, and everything will be fine."
Mu Bai was confused at first, but he immediately realized something when Jiang Shaoxu naughtily winked at him, as if she was telling him she was not going to look down at him because of it!
"No, that's not it, the woman you saw in my house was Mu Xumian, she was a colleague of mine in the South Wing Platoon..." Mu Bai seriously had an urge to kill himself by knocking his head into the window.
How the heck did Jiang Shaoxu even arrive at that conclusion? It was worse than being busted for hooking up with strangers!
---
Mu Bai finally explained to Jiang Shaoxu that Mu Xumian was Fanxue Mountain's enemy and how she was Possessed by some corrupted existence.
Jiang Shaoxu's mouth hung open for some time.
Anyone who visited someone's house and saw a woman in her sleepwear would naturally assume the woman was extremely close to the owner, but not only did Mu Bai claim the woman was his enemy, he even told her that she was Possessed by some unknown existence. Most importantly, he actually saved his enemy's life… Jiang Shaoxu was more willing to believe that Mu Bai was suffering from prem.a.t.u.r.e ejaculation.
Mu Bai let out a sigh when Jiang Shaoxu still looked at him suspiciously, even after he assigned her a room. He was completely worn out.
He went back to his place and was about to take a shower to get rid of the stench of blood on him when he saw a man in a dark red coat standing in the garden. The man had white hair and a pale face. His collars were slightly covering his face, and made his chin look pointier.
"Are you looking for me?" Mu Bai glanced at the European man with a puzzled face.
"There was an unclean presence in your house. I came to check it out," the man replied.
"Unclean presence?" Mu Bai repeated.
"I can't tell exactly what it is. Anyway, just be careful." Bola did not stay for long. He brushed past Mu Bai.
Mu Bai frowned while staring at Bola's back.
Mu Bai knew who Bola was. The vampire was like a secret guardian of Fanxue Mountain. He could usually see through any evil magic that was cast on Mu Ningxue or Fanxue Mountain.
Bola rarely showed himself, spending most of the time in deep slumber inside a hidden chamber to extend his lifespan. The fact that he had shown up in person meant something was serious enough to get his attention.
"Bola, was it some kind of Undead Magic?" Mu Bai stopped Bola and asked in a stern voice.
Bola halted in his tracks. He turned and glanced at Mu Bai's house, "It's like a phantom. It tried to enter Fanxue Mountain, but it fled in fear when it noticed the presence of Liu Ru and myself. Your house is fine. There's nothing to worry about, but I have a feeling that thing is after you."
"Bola, I did encounter something not long ago," Mu Bai began.
"Tell Liu Ru about it, I've been out for too long. This place is perfect in every way, except for the fact that it's too exposed to the sun. I can still smell sunlight at night..." Bola sighed.
Mo Fan had sent Bola to escort Lingling and the others back from Wanggui Town. Bola had trouble staying out for too long, especially during the season when the days were longer. He was only doing a routine checkup on Fanxue Mountain. The rest was no longer his concern. He was already being kind by warning Mu Bai about the potential danger.
"Alright, thank you," Mu Bai conceded.
Bola waved his hand and straightened his collar before leaving in a hurry, as if he did not want anyone to see his face.
---
Mu Bai quickly sought out Liu Ru. She also had a sharp sense of smell. She walked around Mu Bai in a circle, as if she was sensing that Mu Bai had encountered something unclean.
Mu Bai explained the incident that befell Mu Xumian to Liu Ru. She replied after giving it some thought, "I think the thing is most likely after you, but Mu Xumian happened to be staying at your place, so she became the target instead. If you were the one who was Possessed, I don't think it would have ended well."
Mu Bai nodded. If he was the victim, it meant no one could possibly have figured out it was Undead Magic, nor would anyone have cast the Sacred Chant on him in time. He would have died in front of the panicking young graduate. Even the old Healer would not have been able to save his life.
Mu Bai was extremely worried on his way back, because he was suspicious that Mu Xumian had fallen victim to the Curse because she was staying at his place. If it wasn't Mu Xumian's enemy, it meant the corrupted existence was supposed to come after him!
"Did you tell Mo Fan about it?" Liu Ru asked.
Mu Bai shook his head. He was unsure what was going on. He knew both Mo Fan and Zhao Manyan were focusing on their cultivation, so he did not want to disturb them.
Besides, he could not think of anyone who would want him dead. When did he ever offend such a powerful Undead Mage?
Chapter 1869 - The Real Storm
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
Liu Ru suggested Mu Bai inform Mo Fan about the incident. Mu Bai decided to give Mo Fan a call.
"Did something happen over there too?" Mo Fan asked as soon as the call connected.
Mu Bai was startled. He looked at Liu Ru, who was also wearing a puzzled expression now.
"Something happened?" Mu Bai asked.
"Someone has been impersonating me at the school recently, but that person is now dead. Dean Xiao told me something tried to invade the Pearl Institute and my apartment, but a professor with the Light Element noticed it," Mo Fan informed him.
"It's similar to what happened on my end. Mu Xumian almost died because of it," Mu Bai confirmed.
As soon as Mu Bai finished the sentence, Zhao Manyan's loud voice came from the other end, "Damn, you actually slept with her and let her take a bullet for you! Mu Bai, you've indeed learned all my skills. I'm proud of you!"
"Proud my a.s.s, there's nothing between us! She just took over my house!" Mu Bai was enraged by Zhao Manyan's words.
"So you took over her body?"
"It's really impossible to communicate with you in a human way. Can you please keep your mouth shut and focus on the matter on hand? Mu Xumian is in a pretty bad spot. She almost died. If I was the victim, you wouldn't have seen me again!" Mu Bai snarled.
Zhao Manyan deserved a scolding more than Mo Fan!
"They might be coming after me, but they have turned to those around me because they couldn't harm me… Old Zhao, you should be extra careful too. I'll tell the others to stay on alert," Mo Fan said.
"It's fine, I'm about to cultivate in seclusion anyway," Zhao Manyan said.
"We'll have to find the culprit behind it. We have no clue what triggers the spell and how the victims were Possessed by the evil spirit. We can't be on alert all the time. If any of us falls victim to it, we won't have a chance to live. Mo Fan, the spell is the hardest to defend against of the Curses I've encountered so far. The person after you is obviously not just a nobody. You have to be careful," Mu Bai warned him sternly.
"I understand, I won't forgive anyone who tries to harm the people around me either!" Mo Fan promised him.
---
After what happened, Mo Fan could no longer cultivate in peace at the Magic City. He left Zhao Manyan behind and headed for Fanxue Mountain with Lingling.
The airport at Feiniao City was now finished. It would only take fourteen minutes by plane to reach from Magic City to Fanxue Mountain. To Mo Fan's surprise, a huge storm occurred on his way to the airport!
The storm came very suddenly. Mo Fan still remembered the day was sunny and bright when he left for the airport, yet the sky was covered by stormy clouds with a huge downpour less than ten minutes after he hailed a ride. The vehicles on the highway had turned on their headlamps. The visibility on the road had dropped significantly.
"(Sigh), why is it raining again? I always feel uncomfortable in rain," the driver grumbled.
"Why would you feel uncomfortable? Won't you have more customers when it's raining? I'm more worried that my flight will be canceled. I'll have to ride my mount in the rain. The Magic Association has restricted us from riding our Summoned Beasts on the highway. It's not like I didn't pay the f**king toll fee," Mo Fan grumbled along.
"I'm from Shanghai, how could I not be worried now that Pudong is drowned? The water will continue to rise if it keeps raining… Those sea monsters might even invade the city and feast on us! Speaking of which, what the heck are you Mages doing? Why didn't you do something to the glaciers melting in Antarctica? I just bought a house in Pudong, but the country didn't even compensate me for my loss!" the driver exclaimed.
"..." Mo Fan was left speechless by the driver.
The driver dared to say anything he pleased. Shouldn't Buddha or God be responsible for the rise of sea level from the melting glaciers in Antarctica? What were Mages supposed to do to stop it? The driver sounded like the glaciers were not going to melt if the Mages worked harder. Were the Arctic and the Antarctic even some places where Mages could visit as they pleased? Even a Forbidden Mage might die there!
"It's now summer, the monsoon season for the tropics. Shanghai will have a lot more storms because of tropical cyclones. If the storms last for a long time, the sea level in Pudong might rise even further," Lingling piped up.
"Exactly, that's what I'm worried about! If the situation along the coastline keeps worsening, I think it's better for me to move back to my hometown in Sichuan," the driver said.
"Brother, didn't you just say you are from Shanghai?" Mo Fan said.
"I meant my wife's parents!"
"Ugh, does that even matter..."
"It's my wife's family! Do you still want to go to the airport or not?"
"Yes, of course, please focus on the road. The rain is huge. You may throw a tantrum, but please don't turn your head around. I will be fine if we end up in a crash. I'm just worried about your safety," Mo Fan said.
"Look at you speak!"
"..."
The storm was so huge that most flights had been canceled. Mo Fan waited at the airport for three hours before he heard the announcement calling the passengers to board the plane.
Mo Fan was bewildered. If he knew it was going to waste so much of his time, he would have called Li Dong, the opportunist who also worked as an air taxi driver, to give him a ride. It would have saved him a lot of time.
The plane took off amid the downpour. Mo Fan could feel how fierce the storm was as the plane soared through the thick stormy clouds. It was shaking as vigorously as a roller coaster. Even he was feeling anxious, let alone the ordinary passengers who were screaming.
As the plane reached a higher altitude, the stormy clouds were slowly left behind. Mo Fan looked down and noticed the black clouds were like mountains on the ground. It was hard to imagine the place below was the mundane world. It felt more like the underworld instead.
"Such a terrifying storm!" Mo Fan exclaimed.
The plane had already reached a high altitude. Mo Fan was supposed to be able to see over a hundred kilometers around, yet it was completely covered by the storm from the Pacific Ocean. Even the mountains, rivers, basins, and valleys were trembling in the storm, not to mention how minuscule humans were in a natural disaster!
"The monsoon season of the tropics is also the season of sea monsters..." Lingling said softly.
"Is it going to be serious?" Mo Fan asked.
"It's hard to say. Japan is a country that is constantly ravaged by tsunamis and tropical storms, which is why they are the best in naval fighting. Our eastern coastline has been peaceful for a long time, so our defense is lacking there. We even had to assign soldiers from inland to the coastline, which means they seriously lack experience fighting naval battles... Councilman Shao Zheng has made a lot of preventive measures, but the monsoon season is when the real invasion of sea monsters begins. We'll have to see how long the storm lasts for. If it's more than three days, it will definitely trigger a huge battle!" Lingling stared at the gray clouds with a worried face.
It was only a matter of time for the inevitable to happen. The coastline had long been preparing to face the real storm that was approaching!
Chapter 1870 - The First Danger Zone
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
---
Everything was still normal after they arrived at Fanxue Mountain. The guy with the strange Undead Magic did not show up again, but everyone was tense and under a lot of pressure since they had to stay alert at all times.
Mo Fan sat in the garden. The roof extended out just enough to block the fierce rain. Cold breezes swept past continuously. As Mo Fan lifted his gaze, all he could see was the curtain of rain blocking the mountains in the west and the sea in the east. Everything was dark and gloomy.
Huge raindrops were falling like bullets, splashing as they reached the ground. Mo Fan had initially planned to go for a stroll, but was instead trapped at home for two days because of the rain. Mu Ningxue happened to be away too, so Mo Fan ended up extremely bored since he could only cultivate quietly in the garden.
