Mo Fan was slightly stunned. "Lu Nian is dead?"
He walked to the edge of the
scorched crater
, leaned forward, and looked down. There, he saw a
twisted, blood-soaked corpse
, a sight so gruesome it was almost unbearable. The corpse's
contorted face
, frozen in an expression of
fear and despair
, revealed the unimaginable torment he had endured before his death.
But Mo Fan remained
expressionless
. He felt no
sympathy
in fact, he even thought
this wasn't enough
. After all,
he hadn't been the one to personally finish him off
.
Lu Jun had never forgotten the
grudge
he held against Lu Nian from back in Magic City, and like Mo Fan, he lived by the rule of
never forgetting a grudge
. Lu Nian's
righteous justifications
had always been
disgusting
, especially since he
sacrificed others
for the sake of his own research using them as mere
test subjects
.
"This old dog got off easy."
Mo Fan
spat on the ground
, then turned to Lu Jun and asked, "By the way, what exactly is Blood
Demon Relic
?"
Lu Jun
smirked mysteriously
, picked up one of the
Blood Relics
, and casually tossed it to Mo Fan. "Lu Nian deserved to die," he explained, "but his
Demonic Element
can be fully realized through
you
."
Mo Fan, caught off guard,
fumbled to catch the Blood Relic
, and upon hearing Lu Jun's words, he almost
threw it away
in shock.
"What the hell?!
Old Lu, you're not planning to use me as an experiment, are you?!
"
"Listen to me first," Lu Jun said, shaking his head. "The
Demonic Element
has always required an
enormous
amount of mana—far beyond what any mage of the same level can provide. A
Mid-tier
mage would need more than
two entire Nebulas
, while a
High-tier
mage would need more than
three Star Rivers
. That's why no one has ever been able to sustain it."
"But you... you're born with
dual elements
. Your
Mid-tier
magic has
four Nebulas
, and your
High-tier
magic has
six full Star Rivers
. You have
more than enough
to sustain the Blood Relic. It's the
perfect match
for your magic."
Hearing Lu Jun's
persuasive tone
, Mo Fan felt
a chill
run down his spine. He quickly
waved his hands
. "Forget it! I'm not interested. I believe I can grow stronger
on my own
, without relying on this power."
Lu Jun chuckled, his words carrying a deeper meaning. "You're right.
But having it as a trump card wouldn't hurt, would it?
When the time comes, if you're ever pushed to the
brink of death
, you could use it like a
Heavenly Demon Disintegration Technique
."
Mo Fan had been ready to
throw the Demon Relic away
, but after hearing this, he
hesitated
then obediently
put it away
.
"That's true," he thought to himself. "I'm
handsome
and
strong
, and a lot of people envy me. Having an extra trump card is always a good idea."
Lu Jun then proceeded to explain the
taboos
of the Demonic Element: "Once you
transform
, all your magic levels will
drop by one tier
, and you'll suffer from
soul backlash
."
"But," he added, "if you
stockpile enough Demon Essences in advance
, you can
easily
counteract the backlash."
The more Mo Fan listened, the more
tempting
it sounded. He suddenly realized this
downside
wasn't as bad as he had imagined! He had thought the transformation would turn him into a
mindless monster
, but it was
actually manageable
.
"Wait a minute... my
Little Loach
can collect Demon Essences
effortlessly
!"
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Seeing Mo Fan
deep in thought
, Lu Jun added one last crucial piece of advice: "When you reach
High-tier
or even
Super-tier
,
don't rush
to awaken a
new element
. The
Demonic Element
should be your
top priority
. It will be
invaluable
to you in the future."
"Alright, I don't know if I'll ever use the Demon Relic," Mo Fan muttered, "but I'll keep it for now."
Though he still had some doubts, he agreed to
hold onto it
.
Lu Jun said nothing more. He was
certain
that Mo Fan would
eventually
use it.
Even if he resisted at
High-tier
, he'd have no choice when he reached
Super-tier
.
After all,
without the Demonic Element
, how could he have
saved Zhang Xiaohou in the Ancient Capital
? How could he have
rescued Xinxia in the Parthenon Temple
after the National Institute Battle?
Without the Demonic Element,
Mo Fan wouldn't survive
.
It was
destined
that he would take this path.
At the moment, aside from obtaining the
Demon Relic
for
Curse Magic research
, Lu Jun had only
limited
Mo Fan's
early usage
of it.
After all, it would be a
waste
to unlock the
Demonic Element
just to kill
Lu Nian
, a mere
nobody
. Losing half a year of training and dropping a magic tier for that?
Too big of a loss
.
In the original timeline, Mo Fan had
Demonized
in
Dongting Lake
and had to
spend four months recovering
. Then he
trained for two more months
just to regain his former strength. His entire
second semester of freshman year
had been
wasted
.
Lu Jun reasoned that
half a year
was more than enough for Mo Fan, with his
dual-element advantage
, to
hunt demons and gather enough Star River Vain
. He should at least reach
High-tier
before heading to the
Ancient Capital
.
The original Mo Fan's
growth trajectory was far from perfect
.
If he hadn't been
held back by the Demonic Element
, and if he had
avoided getting involved in so many major events
, then perhaps by the time the
Holy City
targeted him, he would have already
broken through to Forbidden Curse-tier
.
Lu Jun
put away the remaining Demon Relics
and
stopped paying attention
to Mo Fan.
His real objective had always been
Lu Nian's Demon Relic
.
Mo Fan's
timeline
had simply been
collateral damage
but since he could
manipulate events
, why not take advantage of the situation?
A Commander-level Vampire's Blood Source combined with a Demon Relic...
This would surely allow him to craft an exceptional Curse Material.
Now, everything was prepared only one piece remained.
He still needed to advance his Curse Element to High-tier, which required gathering a Star River Vain.
He had about 50 to 60 million on hand but still needed to hunt many more monsters.
Coincidentally, Lu Jun looked toward the battlefield in the city center.
Between the towering skyscrapers, thunderous explosions rang out continuously.
Brilliant streaks of High-tier magic illuminated the battlefield. With every strike, hundreds of Earth Lizard Beasts were crushed into pulp.
Meanwhile, Lu Mei and Zhan Kong, two powerful High-tier Wind Mages, were engaged in aerial combat against a Commander-level Pseudo Dragon.
Mo Fan also witnessed this scene.
The overwhelming tide of lizards surged forward, yet the four High-tier mages held the line, preventing them from advancing.
It was a sight that left him deeply shaken.
Lu Jun turned to Mo Fan, smirking mysteriously.
"A single tribe isn't something a Mid-tier mage can handle. You should leave Jinlin Wild City for now."
"Remember to capture Lu Zhenghe alive on your way out. He'll serve as evidence of Lu Nian's crimes. I have a use for him. When the time comes... hehe... The Imperial Capital Academy, which oversaw this training exercise, will have to take responsibility for this mess."
Mo Fan's eyes lit up, like a cat that had just stolen a fish, and he grinned slyly.
"Ohhh, I see—we're gonna extort the Imperial Capital!"
"A fat compensation payout for mental distress... and property damage... Oh, and let's not forget the military should pay up too!"
The two of them were cut from the same cloth, both dual-element mages, both always broke, and both experts at squeezing money out of every opportunity.
They nodded in agreement, sealing the deal.
A moment later, Mo Fan vanished into the shadows, using Shadow Escape to leave the battlefield.
Lu Jun fixed his gaze on the battlefield ahead.
He summoned his Night Thunder Dream Beast, preparing to join the battle.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
He drew his Black-Gold Dragon Pattern Sword.
A three-foot blade flickered in the wind, expanding rapidly transforming into a colossal saber over ten meters long.
He stepped onto it, and with a whoosh, he soared through the sky, flying toward the mountainous nest of the Giant Lizard Horde.
From midair, Lu Jun looked down at the battlefield below.
Over ten thousand Earth Lizard Beasts surged forward, their dark swarm-like mass resembling a rolling tide of darkness.
When humans number over ten thousand, it's a crowd.
When monsters number over ten thousand, it's an unstoppable calamity.
Each tribe typically had about fifty nests, and even after discounting the weak and elderly, there were still at least 2,500 active warriors.
But a Commander-level Pseudo Dragon had far greater influence than ordinary White Sturgeon Demons or Vampires.
Its call had rallied over ten thousand monsters.
That was the real challenge in hunting Commanders and Monarchs one had to eliminate their minions before striking at the heart of the beast.
He caught a glimpse of his Night Thunder Dream Beast, its form melting into shadows, creeping along the rocky cliffs toward the False Dragon's lair.
Upon reaching the nest, its Nightmare Domain expanded, locking into a deadly stare-off with the massive, dozens-of-meters-long Pseudo Dragon.
"A large horde, huh?"
"A Water Mage like me isn't afraid of numbers."
Lu Jun's aura flared powerfully.
A surge of water vapor erupted from his body, soaring into the sky.
Serpentine Water Silk Flood Dragons coiled around him, their scales glistening with an ethereal crystalline glow.
Above his head, a brilliant azure pearl hovered, casting its radiance over the entire battlefield, sending countless misty tendrils cascading down like flowing silk.
At some point, the sword beneath his feet had vanished.
In its place was a raging azure river, sweeping across the battlefield like a heavenly torrent.