Versatile mage c1 2021, p.582
Versatile Mage c1-2021, page 582
Mo Fan quickly moved toward the Dreadful Curse Hell Hound suppressed by the ice chains. Mu Ningxue also summoned an ice dune in no time to stop the other Dreadful Curse Hell Hound from intervening.
Mo Fan arrived in front of the Dreadful Curse Hell Hound that was bound to the ground. He leapt into the air and turned himself into a dark bolt of lightning, slamming right into the Dreadful Curse Hell Hound!
Mo Fan's reckless attack left a scorched hole on the Dreadful Curse Hell Hound's back. He ignored the Dreadful Curse Hell Hound's cry of agony and threw a Meteorite Fist right into the hole that he had just inflicted!
The force of the punch smashed the Dreadful Curse Hell Hound to the ground. Its blistered back was covered in blood after the explosion.
"Little Flame Belle, Possess!" Mo Fan was not done yet. He placed his hand on his c.h.e.s.t. The flames of the Ardent Sunset and Fire Calamity erupted and swiftly engulfed him in like armor.
"Sky-Flame Nine Palaces!"
Mo Fan threw a few punches fiercely. Nine thick pillars of lava fell from the sky and slammed right onto the Dreadful Curse Hell Hound that was still lying on the ground!
The Dreadful Curse Hell Hound could not even get back up to its feet. It was knocked into a pit over ten meters deep!
Chapter 1262 - Defeating Houndman
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
The flames of the Sky-Flame Nine Palaces rose into the sky and formed a burning mountain spitting out countless fireballs. The Ardent Sunset flaunted how unstoppable its flames were. The Dreadful Curse Hell Hound's body blistered in the scorching heat as the flames continued to burn through its body parts!
The Dreadful Curse Hell Hound cried out in agony. Not only was it struggling to fight back under Mo Fan's fierce attacks, it could not dodge them, as it was bound to the ground by Mu Ningxue's Ice Lock Formation!
After a series of explosions, the Dreadful Curse Hell Hound finally managed to break free from the ice chains. It immediately fled and hid behind its companion.
It had lost its initial imposing bearing. It was intimidated by Mo Fan's flames!
"Humph, I'll break all your fangs next time!" Mo Fan promised the Dreadful Curse Hell Hound.
Little Flame Belle was remarkably stronger after she was brought back to life, almost as strong as a Dreadful Curse Hell Hound on her own. However, when she merged with Mo Fan, it was like two swords combining into one. Their attacks were powerful enough to inflict serious damage on the creature described as the strongest Summoned Beast.
Houndman was completely dumbfounded after witnessing Mo Fan's strength while he was Possessed by Little Flame Belle. He knew better than anyone how sturdy his Dreadful Curse Hell Hounds were. Most Advanced Spells could not leave a single scratch on the Dreadful Curse Hell Hounds! He never thought the young man's Fire would be so terrifying!
More importantly, Houndman was greatly annoyed by the teamwork between Mo Fan and Mu Ningxue. Considering how agile the Dreadful Curse Hell Hounds were, it was very unlikely Mo Fan could directly land his attacks on them. It turned out that he had underestimated Mu Ningxue's capabilities, too!
"One left!" Mo Fan shifted his attention to the other Dreadful Curse Hell Hound. This creature was a lot quicker than the other one. If it had not been not blocked off by Mu Ningxue's ice dune, Mo Fan would not have had such a perfect chance to land his attacks on the first Dreadful Curse Hell Hound. It definitely felt great landing all his punches on the creature!
"Nyx Regime!" Mo Fan was well aware of how agile the Dreadful Curse Hell Hound was. He decisively Summoned the darkness.
Blackness loomed over the area. However, the eyes of the Dreadful Curse Hell Hound were surprisingly sharper in the darkness.
Mo Fan frowned. It seemed like the Nyx Regime was not that effective against the Dreadful Curse Hell Hound, let alone the Giant Shadow Spikes.
He soon gave up the plan of trying to seal the creature's movement with his Shadow Element. However, Mo Fan could still abuse the Nyx Regime to keep the Dreadful Curse Hell Hound busy with his Fleeing Shadow, buying time for Mu Ningxue to prepare her Ice Spells!
The Dreadful Curse Hell Hound moved and attacked swiftly. It was able to change direction almost instantly after missing its attacks. However, Mo Fan continued to abuse his two powerful movement spells. He first used shadow clones to confuse and distract the Dreadful Curse Hell Hound, then managed to trick the Dreadful Curse Hell Hound into wasting its attacks on a shadow puppet.
Mo Fan used Blink to quickly back away from the Dreadful Curse Hell Hound after he successfully infuriated it. Soon enough, Mu Ningxue was done preparing her Ice Spell. The temperature began to drop rapidly as white frost covered the mountain.
The freezing Ice Spread spread rapidly across the place. The ice chased rapidly after the Dreadful Curse Hell Hound, regardless of which direction it was running!
The Dreadful Curse Hell Hound was forced into a corner. It began to unleash its rotting aura recklessly to drive away the ice. However, Mu Ningxue's Ice Element was very powerful, and even the Dreadful Curse Hell Hound could not bear it. Its limbs were soon frozen while ice was creeping up its body from the ground!
The Dreadful Curse Hell Hound was unwilling to admit defeat. It tried its best to break the ice slowly covering its body. Shards of ice scattered in the air.
"Gravity Space!"
Mo Fan summoned a silver Star Pattern at the perfect time. The rhomboid Space Rhythm bore down on the Dreadful Curse Hell Hound. The creature was struggling even harder to get rid of the ice, as if countless iron balls were tying it down.
The creature was constantly injured by the frost and the gravitational force pressing down on it. Half of its body was eventually covered in a thick layer of ice. The struggling creature eventually grew still!
Houndman realized that the situation was unfavorable to him. He immediately cast the Summoning Spell to f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y withdraw the Dreadful Curse Hell Hound back into the Summoning Plane.
He would have trouble withdrawing the creature if he was slightly slower. Even so, it was unlikely he could Summon the Dreadful Curse Hell Hound back out to fight again!
"Humph, I wasn't well-prepared today. I'll come again next time! By then, you will hand over the moth woman obediently, or I assure you that your Fanxue Mountain is going to suffer for it!" Houndman harrumphed coldly with a smug look.
"So, you're about to flee by tugging your tail between your legs, why must you sound like you're proud of it? Besides, do you really think Fanxue Mountain is a place where you can come and go as you wish? I'll make sure to make it an unforgettable experience for you!" Mo Fan laughed in his face.
Mo Fan saw Houndman Channeling his magic to withdraw the Dreadful Curse Hell Hound that was injured first. In response, Mo Fan quickly reacted and dragged the injured Dreadful Curse Hell Hound back out from the lunar-white gap with his Illusionary Claw. He did not allow the creature to escape back into the Summoned Beast Plane!
"What are you doing!?" Houndman's expression faltered at the sight.
"Didn't you ask them to tear off my limbs? I believe it's fine if I kill one of these b**ches in return!" Mo Fan f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y dragged the Dreadful Curse Hell Hound over to him.
Mu Ningxue had the same thought as Mo Fan. She knew Houndman would try his best to intervene. She quickly Summoned a strong gust of wind, sweeping it in Houndman's direction.
The wind gradually turned into a tornado, spiraling like a dragon. It almost tossed Houndman, Zeng Guanglie, and their men into the sky. The Wind Spell flatly proved that Mu Ningxue's cultivation was no weaker than an experienced Mage like Zeng Guanglie's. Both Houndman and Zeng Guanglie were astounded by how strong the wind was!
"Lightning Tyrant Domain!"
"Ardent Sunset Domain!"
Mo Fan unleashed both his Domains. The strong fire and wild lightning clashed into one another, forming a terrifying destructive aura. The whole mountain began to tremble!
A huge lightning claw came shrieking down, and landed on the injured Dreadful Curse Hell Hound.
The dark lightning claw tore at the creature hard, leaving deep wounds on it. The Dreadful Curse Hell Hound's vitality was quite surprising; any other ordinary Commander-level creature would have turned into ashes scattering in the air after receiving Mo Fan's Fiery Fist. Meanwhile, the Dreadful Curse Hell Hound was still breathing after enduring the Sky Lightning Claw with its twelvefold damage.
However, the Sky Lightning Claw was not the end of Mo Fan's attacks. The Hellish Flames combined with the flames of the Calamity Fire, the Ardent Sunset, and the Rose Flame was the real deal. Burning meteorites plummeted from the sky, and destroyed the remaining life force of the Dreadful Curse Hell Hound before the effects of the Sky Lightning Claw disappeared!
The people saw the Dreadful Curse Hell Hound get smashed into pieces amid the flames. Its head was crushed while its body was burned into ashes. Its blood evaporated in the overwhelming heat.
The flames continued to spread wildly, forcing Zeng Guanglie, Houndman, and the others to back away.
Houndman's eyes almost fell out of their sockets. He was bound to the Dreadful Curse Hell Hounds with a soul contract. The death of the Dreadful Curse Hell Hound created in a strong backlash against him. His face contorted and twisted in pain and rage!
"You...you dared to kill my Summoned Beast!" Houndman yelled like an enraged beast.
"You can Summon the other one again. I wouldn't mind killing it too!" Mo Fan shot back.
Mo Fan seriously had no idea why the man had such a strong ego. Mo Fan never showed any mercy to people like him...
"Houndman, we've underestimated them. We should leave and come back again once we recover from our injuries. The kid isn't going to run away, and we won't have any trouble tracking down the moth woman with the Dreadful Curse Hell Hound's help..." Zeng Guanglie quickly advised. He knew they had messed up this time.
They were in the wrong, as they had trespassed into a private land. If they ended up being caught and handed to the Enforcement Union, their superior would have to bust them out.
Councilman Su Lu despised people that were useless to him. They could not afford to let him know what had happened. They must retreat for now and find a way to get their revenge and accomplish their mission!
"Let's go!" Houndman's face was twitching in pain and anger. It had been a long time since he felt so humiliated.
Both he and Zeng Guanglie were supposed to be elites of the Advanced Level, yet they had lost to two students from the national team. If their defeat was made public, they would be too ashamed to show their faces again. They had to get revenge at all costs!
"Come, time to leave!" Ke Lingxi did not even have the courage to speak. Both Zeng Guanglie and Houndman were stronger than him, yet they were still no match for the two young Mages.
These two students that helped the national team win the World College Tournament were indeed monsters. He had seen many graduates of magic institutions working as interns at the Research Union. They were mostly ordered around like servants by older Mages like him!
Chapter 1263 - Moon Moth Phoenix
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
{TL Note: If you're interested in what the actual reference of the creature is, it's the Chinese moon moth with the scientific name Actias Ningpoana.}
"Who were these people?" Mu Ningxue asked.
The moths that survived finally had a chance to catch their breath after Mu Ningxue put out the fire. Mu Ningxue observed the dried remains of the moths scattered across the mountain. She could not understand why the group of people would do such a cruel act to Yu Shishi.
"They are from the Research Union. They have been stalking Yu Shishi for some time. They want to use her for their experiments," Mo Fan answered.
"How bad is the situation?" Mu Ningxue observed her surroundings.
"Not great. Many moths have died, but some still managed to survive. Let's check on her," Mo Fan said.
Mo Fan and Mu Ningxue went up to Yu Shishi and saw her cautiously holding the youngest moths in her arms. She was comforting the little creatures in a soft voice. It seemed the little moths that had survived were greatly scared by the flames!
Yu Shishi turned around and saw Mu Ningxue and Mo Fan. She forced a pitiful smile and said, "Is it true that someone like me doesn't deserve to live peacefully in this world?"
"Don't you say that. You're welcome to stay here, but I believe you haven't told us everything about you. Are you sure they are the people of the Research Union?" Mu Ningxue asked calmly.
The Research Union was still under the Magic Association, but the behavior of Zeng Guanglie and Houndman clearly did not represent the Magic Association. It was likely that someone else was after Yu Shishi!
"I..." Yu Shishi looked away. She was clearly hiding something.
"We won't force you if you don't feel like telling us your secret, but if you are serious about staying here and want us to protect you and your moths, you should at least tell us the reason why they are so eager to get their hands on you, so we can think of a way to get rid of them," Mu Ningxue stated firmly.
Yu Shishi remained silent for some time. She glanced around the woods, now burned beyond recognition.
She let out a heavy sigh and said, "I'm afraid they are after a Totem Beast."
"A Totem Beast!" Mo Fan was startled.
They were after a Totem Beast?!
A Totem Beast was incredibly powerful. If they could find traces of one's whereabouts from some ancient ruins and utilize it, they would be invincible!
The safety that the Black Totem Snake provided Hangzhou was remarkable.
It turned out that there were still people looking for Totem Beasts out there , but did they really exist?
"What Totem Beast is it?" Mo Fan asked.
"The Moon Moth Phoenix!" Yu Shishi said.
---
"I hope you'll keep everything I'm about to tell you a secret at all costs, as it might bring danger to the Moon Moth Phoenix. The Totem Beasts are powerful, but they are extremely vulnerable in this era too. Compared to other demon creatures that continue to reproduce and evolve, the Totem Beasts are easier to kill off due to man-made disasters," Yu Shishi began earnestly while sitting on a boulder.
"I've heard a thing or two about the Moon Moth Phoenix. I remember that it was the Totem Beast of the Yueli Tribe to the south of Huang He (the Yellow River). It used to rule over the south of Huang He in the past, a well-developed human tribe, but I heard they were defeated and annexed by a stronger tribe. Its Totem Beast, the Moon Moth Phoenix went missing, too. Rumors say the Moon Moth Phoenix was the descendant of the most authoritative Totem Beast in history..." Mo Fan quickly explained what he knew about the Moon Moth Phoenix.
Professor Shi had told Mo Fan a lot of information about the Totem Beasts. Among the stories was information about the Moon Moth Phoenix, so he recognized it when Yu Shishi mentioned its name.
Yu Shishi never expected Mo Fan to know about the Moon Moth Phoenix. She added, "The Moon Moth Phoenix is hibernating most of the time. As its life approaches the end, it will turn into a cocoon and be reborn after a prolonged period to refresh its lifespan."
"So you're implying the Moon Moth Phoenix is currently in its cocoon phase, and you know where it is?" Mo Fan said.
Yu Shishi nodded. It was the Moon Moth Phoenix that had granted her the unique scent. The people of the Research Union must have noticed traces of the Moon Moth Phoenix after observing her. They were after the Moon Moth Phoenix, not her.
"I won't tell anyone where the Moon Moth Phoenix is," Yu Shishi said firmly.
"How did you become a moth woman?" Mu Ningxue asked.
"I was gravely ill when I was young. My family gave up on me, and abandoned me in a forest. I knew I won't be able to live for long, so I kept wandering aimlessly. I ended up fainting on some warm moist grass… I thought I was dead when I was wrapped up inside a white thing that I thought was a coffin, but I later realized it was actually a cocoon. I was inside it asleep for many years. When the cocoon broke apart, I was reborn like the Moon Moth Phoenix. I was no longer sick, nor was my body weak, but I suddenly had wings and fangs. My body is no longer human, apart from my appearance," Yu Shishi explained.
Mo Fan and Mu Ningxue finally understood why Yu Shishi was trying so hard to protect the moths. It was the moths that had saved her when she had lost all hope. It was the moths that cured her and granted her power.
The moths had saved her, while her family had abandoned her. The great contrast further convinced her that the moths were more like family to her. She was willing to risk everything just to protect the moths!
"Is the Moon Moth Phoenix really still alive?" Mo Fan asked.
Yu Shishi nodded and said, "The Moon Moth Phoenix isn't the only Totem Beast that's still alive. Humans no longer need the Totem Beasts, so they have been living deep in the mountains and forests. They have turned untamed and wild. Some died and are lost to history. Some are deeply asleep and have no intention to wake up no matter what happens. The Moon Moth Phoenix belongs to the past. She only wants to live peacefully and observe the changes in the world until her death. I don't understand why those people keep trying to hunt her down. Are they thinking of taming her so she would fight for them like their Summoned Beast? There's no way the Moon Moth Phoenix would be enslaved by them!"
"Humans were more like slaves to the Totem Beasts in the past..." Mo Fan explained calmly.
Chapter 1264 - The Mystery of the Totem Beasts
Translated by XephiZ Edited by Aelryinth "If they are here for the Totem Beast, they won't give up so easily," Mu Ningxue stated. "Not many people know about the Totem Beasts. I bet there's someone giving orders behind the Research Union. You should be more careful from now on. Try not to fall into their hands," Mo Fan advised her. "Maybe we should assign Bola to protect her for the time being," Mu Ningxue ventured. Mu Ningxue did not want to lose Yu Shishi after learning her extraordinary capabilities that were perfect for defending their territory. "Bola has his own mission," Mo Fan was unwilling to assign Bola to protect Yu Shishi. Mo Fan was only helping Yu Shishi because he was bored. He would never assign Bola, who was assigned to protect Mu Ningxue, Lingling, Liu Ru, and the others to protect someone else. --- After settling Yu Shishi down, Mo Fan and Mu Ningxue stayed behind and discussed matters. "Things are getting serious now that a Totem Beast is involved. Those guys clearly have a great authority giving orders behind them. It's going to be tricky if we want to protect Yu Shishi," Mo Fan said. "But if we can help her overcome the trouble, she might be willing to swear loyalty to us. I can't think of anyone more suitable than her to protect our land," Mu Ningxue agreed. "By the way, I should pay Professor Shi a visit. He might not even believe there are Totem Beasts still alive other than the Black Totem Snake, and Yu Shishi is the main lead," Mo Fan said. "Mm, it's better if we ask for more information." ------ Mo Fan went back to the Magic City. Instead of going straight to Professor Shu, he went to the Clearsky Hunter Agency first. He pushed open the door with the little bell on it; the crisp chime echoed inside the room. He looked into the room and saw Lingling leaning forward onto the bar with a schoolbag on her back. It was like she was about to become moldy from boredom. Lingling smiled as soon as she saw Mo Fan. However, her smile was soon replaced with a strong grievance. The little girl harrumphed coldly! Mo Fan walked up to Lingling and gave the little girl a huge hug. He said with a grin, "My little Lingling, have you been missing me?" "I thought you forgot that you're still a Hunter of the Clearsky Hunter Agency!" Lingling snapped back. She had to go to school obediently whenever Mo Fan was not around. The problem was, sending someone as intelligent as Lingling to school was like asking a university student to go to kindergarten! She was happy that Mo Fan had come, as she could finally hunt some demon creatures, go on an adventure, or start some high-reward quests! "Any jobs worth doing lately?" Mo Fan asked with a shameless grin. "We've missed out on the good ones. The rest are either too dangerous or not rewarding enough." Lingling was clearly still holding a grudge against Mo Fan. "Let's put our Hunters work aside for now, then. I need you to investigate the Totem Beast that once ruled over the Huang He region in the past, as much information as you can!" Mo Fan said. "A Totem Beast?" Lingling's eyes suddenly glittered. The little girl immediately livened up. The Totem Beasts were legendary existences. The Hunter Union had many quests that had been around for a long time, since no one had managed to accomplish them; some of them were related to the Totem Beasts. Lingling had already collected the information that the Hunter Union had on the Totem Beasts. She was waiting for Mo Fan to become stronger before they attempted to solve the mysteries of the Totem Beasts. To her surprise, Mo Fan had found the clues about a Totem Beast first! Information about the Totem Beasts was extremely lacking. The ancient ruins had either faded into history or were buried in the territories of demon creatures. It was extremely difficult to dig up any trace of the Totem Beasts, let alone have any clues about their whereabouts. "Which Totem Beast is it? Gramps might have some information about it!" Lingling was more cheerful now that she finally had something to do. "I only came because Old Bao might know something about it. I heard from Liu Ru that he has a lot of information about the past. It's the Moon Moth Phoenix. Do you remember the moth woman that I was dealing with? Mu Ningxue is willing to take her in so she can protect our territory. To our surprise, the moth woman is somehow related to the Totem Beast, the Moon Moth Phoenix! She's currently being targeted by the people of the Research Union, but I believe there's someone else behind the Research Union. I'll need you to investigate and see who the people trying to get their hands on the Moon Moth Phoenix are," Mo Fan told her. "Alright, wait here, I'll take a look upstairs!" Lingling dashed up the stairs. There were gaps between the stairs. The little girl completely forgot that she was wearing a short skirt. She carelessly climbed up the stairs right in front of Mo Fan. Mo Fan quickly moved his gaze away. It was inappropriate to have evil thoughts on the gorgeous little Lingling, even when she was purposely exposing her cute baby blue p.a.n.t.i.e.s in front of him. --- Lingling came down the stairs with a huge book. "I found something. The human tribe under the Moon Moth Phoenix flourished quickly, but they declined rapidly, too. They were only around for a short period in history. I believe it's mainly because of the short lifespan of the Moon Moth Phoenix… based on the information I have, moths are short-lived creatures. Some only live for a few nights. Although the Moon Moth Phoenix is a Totem Beast, she could not violate the laws of nature. She could only live for seven months, and will then revert into a cocoon after seven months!" The little girl was very engrossed in things she was interested in. She did not even realize she was about to trip. Luckily, the observant Mo Fan quickly used his Telekinesis to stop her from falling. "Seven months, that short?" Mo Fan was surprised. The Black Totem Snake would only go through ecdysis once every ten years or so. However, it was not born again with the ecdysis, it was only changing his skin. The Moon Moth Phoenix was a Totem Beast too, yet her lifespan was only seven months. How did she manage to survive for so long? It was just as Yu Shishi had mentioned. The Totem Beasts might be powerful, but they were vulnerable too similar to the moths. If someone was plotting against them on purpose, they would die very easily! "Are we trying to find the Moon Moth Phoenix?" Lingling asked. Mo Fan shook his head and said, "We're trying to stop the people of the Research Union from finding her. Totem Beasts have always been kind to humans. We might even need their help against the demon creatures in the future..." "Alright, I'll investigate who's behind the Research Union. It's quite serious if it has something to do with a Totem Beast! You should discuss it with Zhu Meng and my sister," Lingling said.
