Versatile Mage c1-2021, page 874
The Viscera Hunters were only Warrior-level creatures in the end. The layer of water could not regenerate continuously if they were out of the sea. After losing the important protection, they were only as tough as Warrior-level creatures on the land!
They were not Commander-level creatures, which meant they would be killed instantly by Mo Fan's flames!
After Mo Fan and Little Flame Belle broke down the water membrane, the flames continued to melt through the Viscera Hunters' bones!
The Viscera Hunters cried out in agony. They had bravely stacked their bodies up to shield the Magical Sea Beast, but they now wished they had a few extra pairs of legs just so they could run away from the wrath of the Phoenix. Unfortunately, they no longer had the chance after they grew too full of themselves!
The Viscera Hunters had formed a mountain of bones without any visible gaps when they were stacked together. However, the Phoenix soon melted a huge hole right through the mountain, killing a third of the Viscera Hunters in seconds!
The last thing these creatures should have done was bundle up together against a destructive Mage like Mo Fan. If Mo Fan found a way to break through their defenses, he would reduce them to a pile of ashes!
"A chance!"
Zhang Xiaohou had finished luring another group of Viscera Hunters away. He was figuring out a way to make his way through the Viscera Hunters when Mo Fan simply tore a huge hole right through them with the Raging Phoenix!
Chapter 1899 - We have grown Stronger
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
The Feathers of the Wind Spirits gathered on Zhang Xiaohou's back after he Summoned them. They combined into a pair of mystical and stunningly beautiful wings. The Wind Wings did not beat the usual way, as the Wings of the Wind Spirits were rather tiny. As they turned into two larger wings, it was like a few hundred propellers had been installed on Zhang Xiaohou's back, launching him into the sky like a jet.
Mo Fan's flames were still around. Zhang Xiaohou quickly found the perfect spot to break through the Viscera Hunters' defense.
"I see it!"
Zhang Xiaohou found the Magical Sea Beast with the help of the light produced by Mo Fan's flames!
The Magical Sea Beast was being protected by the Viscera Hunters as carefully as if it was their child. Previously, they could not even see the mouth of the Magical Sea Beast that resembled a giant bell. Zhang Xiaohou finally saw what it looked like after breaking through the surrounding Viscera Hunters.
Mo Fan was moving rapidly amid the flames. He asked when he saw Zhang Xiaohou flying into the opening, "Houzi, can you take care of it?"
"Not a problem!"
Mo Fan had opened a huge hole, but there were still more than a hundred Viscera Hunters gathered around the Magical Sea Beast. The Viscera Hunters who were not injured by the flames were still protecting the Magical Sea Beasts with their lives. Mo Fan had used all his might to unleash the Raging Phoenix. He had no energy left to kill the rest of the Viscera Hunters, so Zhang Xiaohou was the perfect candidate to take over his role.
Zhang Xiaohou was extremely quick, and even the flames could not match the speed of his wind. The Viscera Hunters with rather slow reaction times did not even notice a human had woven through them, too busy focusing on Mo Fan's flames.
The Viscera Hunters who did notice Zhang Xiaohou could not do anything, unless they formed another wall with their bodies to stop Zhang Xiaohou from getting any closer, or he could easily sneak past them!
A dozen Viscera Hunters pounced at Zhang Xiaohou, and he quickly came to a stop. The smartass Viscera Hunters had predicted where Zhang Xiaohou was going to be based on his speed, yet they all ended up missing their attacks. They even fell into the water from their momentum.
Zhang Xiaohou picked up speed again after dodging those Viscera Hunters. Another group of Viscera Hunters made some moves on him, yet he was like a sparrow in a jungle, dodging every obstacle in his path.
"Die, monster!"
Zhang Xiaohou reached the Magical Sea Beast, and clenched his hands into claws. The intelligent Feathers of the Wind Spirits immediately settled around his hands and slashed at the target murderously as Zhang Xiaohou swung his fists!
The tiny feathers emitted a sharp gleam. The wind they produced slashed forward like a pair of ferocious claws!
The wind claws landed on the Magical Sea Beast. The rest of the Viscera Hunters naively thought they could take the blow on behalf of the Magical Sea Beast, yet their bones were soon torn into pieces by the imperious claws!
The Magical Sea Beast did not survive either. It was shredded into bloody pieces that scattered across the water, just like the remains of the Viscera Hunters. Its mouth, previously vibrating to produce the sonic wave, was still gaping as it fell to the bottom of the bay.
"Nicely done!" Mo Fan exclaimed when he saw the Magical Sea Beast was dead.
That sonic wave was manipulating the tide. The remaining two Magical Sea Beasts further away were still playing their symphony, but as the first two Magical Sea Beasts died, the strength of the sonic wave had weakened by two levels, so the incoming tide had fallen significantly.
Even though there was a certain delay needed for the height of the tide to change, the difference was quite obvious. The difference between the peak and the bottom of the waves was around twenty meters previously. They were literally like incoming beasts just then, but the difference was now around seven to eight meters.
Even though the waves were still huge, they would soon be weakened by the obstacles around the island, including the mountains and hills. The city would slowly be flooded instead of being devoured by a tsunami!
"Brother Fan, let's go!"
Zhang Xiaohou knew there was no reason to waste further time on the Viscera Hunters. He flew to Mo Fan's side and withdrew to the shore with the Feathers of the Wind Spirits.
It was a lot more convenient for Mo Fan to move around with Zhang Xiaohou's aid. They could just break out of an encirclement amid the Viscera Hunters as they pleased. They shook off the enraged sea monsters in the blink of an eye and made it back to the shore.
"Thank you, thank you so much!..." Shen Qing was so emotionally stirred that tears almost ran down her cheeks.
She had grown up in this city. She would feel like she had lost everything if the city was swept away by the tide!
"We came to help. Many cities across the country are suffering from different disasters. We must stick together and help one another to survive in these difficult times," Zhang Xiaohou replied calmly.
Shen Qing did not expect Mo Fan and Zhang Xiaohou to actually be able to kill the Magical Sea Beasts. Apart from being grateful to them, she was utterly impressed now. "If I was strong as you two, I'll be able to do a lot of things… but unfortunately, there's nothing I can do right now."
"Don't say that, you've saved a lot of people! Strength doesn't mean everything. Most importantly, we're all in this together. If you didn't warn me about the Magical Sea Beasts' power, terrible things would be happening right now," Mo Fan reassured her.
The device on Zhang Xiaohou's wrist suddenly blinked rapidly while Mo Fan was comforting Shen Qing, as if there was some emergency.
"Brother Fan, we have a mission with a higher danger level. They are requesting backup from Super Mages," Zhang Xiaohou said with a frown.
"Why can't they give me a chance to catch my breath?… Forget it, let's go," Mo Fan sighed.
"Mm, I'll give you the Wind Wheels!"
Zhang Xiaohou and Mo Fan did not stay around longer. The remaining two Magical Sea Beasts were no longer a threat!
---
Zhang Xiaohou looked back at Shen Qing, who watched them leave as they flew above the flooded city.
"What is it?" asked Mo Fan, looking confused.
"She reminds me a lot of things in the past. We were actually weaker than her before. We used everything we had to survive, and now, we can actually change a lot of things. We no longer feel helpless too… It's quite a relief for me," Zhang Xiaohou rubbed his nose. His eyes were glittering a little.
"Yeah, we have grown stronger!" Mo Fan agreed loudly.
"Mm, we did… but Bo City is no longer around..."
Chapter 1900 - At Least a Purple Alert!
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
The strange thing was, even after everything they had been through, especially those events that were even worse than the Calamity of Bo City, the words that Zhang Xiaohou uttered easily broke through the defenses in Mo Fan's heart and touched the deepest parts of it. His emotions were stirred uncontrollably, like ripples before spreading throughout his body.
It sounded like there had been a hole in Zhang Xiaohou's heart ever since the Calamity of Bo City. The hole had not closed up, despite the amount of time that had passed. As a matter of fact, no wounds or holes in a person's heart could ever be fixed with time. Time would only make people forget, run away, or give up. The only way to fix these holes was to gather their courage to face their problems.
The sense of helplessness in the past was their motivation to work harder now and in the future.
The same situation or same calamity might happen again. Even though Bo City was not the victim, the fact that they were able to bring hope to people like Shen Qing who truly loved their homes was a way to slowly mend the hole in their hearts. The sense of relief was slowly healing their wounds.
They could not get back what they had lost, nor would the wounds heal over time. The time that passed would numb their emotions, but when the same thing happened again, it would easily blow away the dust that had precipitated in their hearts.
No one could possibly go back in time or stop time. The only thing they could do was to work harder and stop the same incident from happening again!
Therefore, when Shen Qing was in tears expressing her sincere gratitude, Zhang Xiaohou immediately remembered Bo City that he could no longer go back to. He also remembered how hard Mo Fan fought just to protect whatever city he was in, from Beijiang all the way to the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Zhang Xiaohou could not forget the girl lying in the pool of her own blood, while Mo Fan could not forget Bo City soaking in the crimson rain of blood. He loved Bo City more than anyone else. The hole in his heart had motivated him to contribute to the Ancient Capital and Beijiang, but the things he had done would never fill up the hole in his heart.
Zhang Xiaohou did not express his thoughts well, and was rather confused at times. His Brother Fan might seem like a carefree and selfish person, yet he still saw Mo Fan as the most impressive person he knew and enjoyed hanging around him. He finally knew the reason behind it!
"Brother Fan, this might sound a little lame, but I really think you are actually like a hero now," Zhang Xiaohou suddenly piped.
A real hero truly would save others instead of themselves.
"Really? Heroes normally have a devastating past, which gives them a great sense of justice and formidable strength. They are always surrounded by beauties, too. The first criterion doesn't really fit me, the second is alright, but I will have to work harder to achieve the third one..." Mo Fan was amused by Zhang Xiaohou's comment, and soon burst out laughing.
"So according to your logic, the combination of you and Brother Zhao is a hero then?" Zhang Xiaohou smiled.
"Old Zhao?" Mo Fan rubbed his jaw. He immediately corrected Zhang Xiaohou's statement, "None of us three is a hero. There are certain things we lack, but if you, me, and Old Zhao are combined together, we do tick all the boxes!"
Zhang Xiaohou was startled, and subconsciously scratched his head.
It was indeed the case!
"Don't always think so highly of me. I'm a selfish person most of the time, but I just can't help it. I've been around you two for a long time. Every time I have the urge to just turn around and leave, I will remember you two and wonder what you would do if you were in my shoes. You will definitely try your best to do something instead of running away!" Mo Fan patted Zhang Xiaohou on the back of his head and added, "I'm limited on my own, too. If you hadn't saved me from the Viscera Hunters just now, I would be dead by now instead of looking like a hero in your eyes. You are pretty strong now too! You always surprise me!"
"The military has been helping me a lot. I'm basically relying on them, but Brother Fan, you have been doing everything yourself..." Zhang Xiaohou said ashamedly.
"Yu Ang once said that background is considered one's strength too! Now that I think about it, there's nothing wrong with his saying."
"Yu Ang? I heard that you tore him to pieces at Beiyu Mountain!"
"Mm, you should really have seen his eyes popping out. I managed to eat an extra bowl of rice for dinner that night," Mo Fan confirmed.
"HAHA, you should turn his corpse into a sample and put it in Bo City's museum. We'll see if the Black Vatican dares to stir any trouble again!" Zhang Xiaohou laughed.
"You're right, I will ask the people at Beiyu Mountain if they still have his corpse!" Mo Fan agreed with Zhang Xiaohou's suggestion.
"Ugh.. .Brother Fan, I was just joking. That's going to be disgusting."
"Not at all, it might actually increase my appetite if I look at it when I'm in a bad mood!"
---
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A condo in the Southern Zone of the Pearl Institute...
Zhao Manyan stretched and flung his golden hair around. He felt a lot more refreshed.
He walked along the cozy path in the park and blatantly observed the girls who were having pleasant conversations around him. He enjoyed staying here, as it was close to the girls' dormitory. He could easily find some beauties when he was least expecting it. The girls would be even more charming and attractive once he refined them with his magical hands!
As soon as Zhao Manyan located his prey, the wooden clapper in his pocket started knocking, as if it was trying to get rid of his evil thoughts. Zhao Manyan was immediately displeased. Why must his Lifetime Vessel be something that was commonly used by the monks? The last thing he would do in his life was to be a monk!
"Stop knocking, how worldly can you be? You didn't even bother responding when I was still an Advanced Mage, but you're Summoning me now when I'm just about to have some relaxing moments with a chick after achieving the Super Level. What's with the rush!?" Zhao Manyan snarled.
Zhao Manyan tried to put the wooden clapper away, yet it started knocking even louder. Zhao Manyan had no choice but to look at it. He suddenly saw a scene transmitted into his mind by the wooden clapper. He was extremely familiar with the place. It was Pudong District, that had been turned into the Pudong Sea after it was flooded.
"Holy crap, when did you come to Shanghai? I'll go look for you, don't come any closer! You're going to cause a lot of trouble!" Zhao Manyan yelled.
Zhao Manyan was startled speechless. The world was so big, so the ancient turtle would usually pretend to be an island in some random ocean. Zhao Manyan always struggled to track it down, yet it had come to the East China Sea when Zhao Manyan least expected it. It had already reached the Pudong Sea!
Zhao Manyan no longer had the mood to have an enjoyable time with some chick. He quickly ran for Pudong Sea, as he was afraid the Magic City would sound the alarm at any second. Knowing Baxia's power, he knew it would trigger at least a Purple Alert as soon as it approached the safe zone!
Chapter 1901 - Vast Sea Monster
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
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"It's an order to gather the Super Mages… Brother Fan, a Ruler-level creature must have shown up," Zhang Xiaohou told Mo Fan.
Mo Fan nodded. Super Mages were very important to a city. It was rare to gather all the Super Mages available in one place, unless some powerful sea monsters had shown up.
"It is at the Jimei Route I was in charge of previously. It's in the direction of Jimei Bridge..." Zhang Xiaohou went on.
"Jimei Bridge... Lingling told me that the Haicang Bridge collapsed after a mysterious creature rammed into it. They aren't able to use that route anymore. It turns out that the sea monsters are trying to stop us from evacuating the city. They are planning to destroy every bridge!" Mo Fan spat.
Zhang Xiaohou nodded. He concentrated and Summoned the Feathers of the Wind Spirits to speed them up.
Mo Fan and Zhang Xiaohou were traveling through the sky. Stormy clouds over ten kilometers high were right above them, like they were continuously compressing the space between the clouds and the surface of the sea.
Meanwhile, the sea level continued to rise from the rain and the tide Summoned in by the sea monsters. The dark sky and the gray sea kept applying a suffocating pressure to the city!
A huge wave suddenly splashed into the dim sky ahead. The wave was an eerie black. It was more like some thick mud instead of normal seawater.
The wave immediately startled Mo Fan and Zhang Xiaohou. It was simply too huge. A Commander-level creature would never be able to stir such a huge wave, something that almost reached the top of a skyscr.a.p.er. It must be an extremely powerful creature!
After the wave fell onto the city, the buildings, streets, and the land over a kilometer away were all submerged. Mo Fan and Zhang Xiaohou stared at the wave. They suddenly felt minuscule and helpless.
The wave was like a veil across the sky, not something they could handle. Their minds were overwhelmed by fear even when they were still three kilometers away.
"Brother Fan..." Zhang Xiaohou remained still in the sky. He had lost the courage to keep going.
They were simply asking for their deaths if they kept flying forward!
"It's no ordinary Ruler-level creature. It's most likely a Great Ruler-level creature!" Mo Fan had to take a deep breath too.
The sea monsters were generally stronger than land creatures. That meant that Mo Fan would have no chance of defeating a Lesser Ruler-level sea creature with all his might, not to mention his strength was greatly affected when fighting around water.
