In the end, Mo Fan did not use that Soul Essence. Servant-level creatures had abilities that were far too limited, and it would not be of much help to him right now.
He decided to keep it. It could be used either to strengthen his stars or to illuminate the Celestial Spirit Codex.
With Little Loach's assistance, Mo Fan quickly recovered his magical energy.
Just as he stood up, Zhang Xiaohou walked over and said, "Brother Fan, this is the boxed meal the Military Department sent you. There's meat in it too."
"What? Your boxed meals don't have meat?" Mo Fan asked with a smile.
"What boxed meals? Those meals are supplied to the Military Mages first. Beginner Mages like us eat instant noodles, just like the ordinary people."
Mo Fan paused, then understood. The disaster had struck so suddenly that supplies were naturally unable to keep up.
"It's fine. I'll head out later and bring you something good when I come back." Mo Fan was starving, so he picked up the boxed meal and began eating.
"Brother Fan, you're going out again?!" Zhang Xiaohou said in surprise.
"Of course. I'm an Intermediate Mage. Even Beginner Mages outside are fighting for their lives, so what reason do I have to hide inside the Safe Zone?"
Bocheng had always been Mo Fan's regret. Although he had failed to preserve it this time, as long as people were still alive, rebuilding Bocheng was only a matter of time.
After wolfing down his meal, Mo Fan found a bag, slung it over his back, stuffed two bottles of water inside, and casually headed out beyond the barrier.
"Wait, student. The city is still very dangerous. You cannot go out whenever you want," the guard mage at the barrier entrance said, stopping Mo Fan.
"I'm an Intermediate Mage. I'm going into the city to drive out demons," Mo Fan said.
The two guard mages widened their eyes. He had become an Intermediate Mage at such a young age—his future was limitless.
Inside the barrier, Zhang Xiaohou could not persuade Mo Fan, so he could only return to where his classmates were resting.
When Zhou Min saw Zhang Xiaohou return alone, she could not help asking, "Zhang Xiaohou, where's Mo Fan? Why isn't he with you?"
"Brother Fan went into the city to hunt demons," Zhang Xiaohou said dejectedly. He felt that he had once again failed to help Mo Fan.
"He went into the city? Why did he go back by himself again?" Zhou Min's pupils instantly widened, and her voice rose unconsciously.
"Who went back? Mo Fan went back? Damn, Mo Fan's a real man!" Wang Sanpang said after overhearing their conversation.
So Mo Fan had gone out again. Mu Bai turned to look beyond the barrier, but he could only see a lone figure gradually moving farther away.
Mo Fan had already surpassed him by far. If he still wanted to catch up to Mo Fan, he should not waste any more time!
With that thought, Mu Bai immediately began meditating.
Holding a bottle of water, Mo Fan crossed a bridge. Two Giant Eyed Stinky Rats suddenly darted out from beneath it. They had been gnawing on human corpses in the foul-smelling river.
The moment they caught the scent of a living person, they immediately headed toward him.
But what awaited them was not a delicious meal, but a reaper come to claim their lives!
Two tiny flowers of Black Spot Golden Flame, each containing terrifying heat, flew out and landed on the Giant Eyed Stinky Rats. As though they had been drenched in gasoline, the rats burst into fierce flames in an instant.
Mo Fan waved his hand and collected the Lingering Soul Remnants.
His first destination was the Magic Association. Not only did it have Soul Essences consigned by hunters, it also had Awakening Stones. There might even be magical equipment and magic artifacts.
Mo Fan's cultivation had been unparalleled in his previous life, so of course he knew how to awaken himself. However, self-awakening at a low spiritual level would damage his foundation, which was why he had not used that method.
Now that disaster had struck, obtaining these resources to fight demons was simply taking from the people and using it for the people. It was not as though he had no justification!
Mo Fan easily convinced himself.
The Military Mages had delayed the demons earlier, so there had still been relatively few demons in Bocheng. But after so much time, the front line had probably already been breached.
By now, the city should be full of Warrior-level demons, while Servant-level demons roamed everywhere.
Mo Fan cautiously kept close to the walls of the buildings as he moved. Not having the Shadow Element was truly inconvenient. He had to awaken both the Shadow Element and the Summoning Element first.
Mo Fan did not plan to alter his Magic Elements in his second run. These were the Magic Elements he knew best, and he had already matched their skills properly. What would be the point of changing them casually?
In any case, he would eventually be able to derive every Magic Element, and even create new ones.
The greatest benefit of rebirth was that his realm remained, even though his cultivation did not. In other words, whenever he reached a new magical level, he would know exactly what to do.
Both the Magic Association and the Hunter's Union were located in the central district. He had to pass through Tianlan District to reach them. Keeping to the base of the walls, Mo Fan casually killed any Giant Eyed Stinky Rats and One-Eyed Magic Wolves he encountered.
Because of Mo Fan's interference, far fewer people had died in Bocheng than in his previous life. The One-Eyed Magic Wolves had finally entered to open their mystery boxes, only to find that they were all empty. They were practically starving to death.
Driven by hunger, a One-Eyed Magic Wolf started fighting a Giant Eyed Stinky Rat. The Giant Eyed Stinky Rat might have looked fierce and imposing, but compared to the wolf, it was no match at all.
Very quickly, the Giant Eyed Stinky Rat's huge forehead was pierced through by the wolf's claws!
Good, good! Watching the splendid show from afar, Mo Fan secretly rejoiced. It'd be best if they beat each other's brains out.
Mo Fan was quite lucky. The Giant Eyed Stinky Rat killed by the One-Eyed Magic Wolf dropped a Soul Essence. Mo Fan had Little Loach carefully absorb it.
The One-Eyed Magic Wolf noticed nothing unusual and lowered its head to eat the Giant Eyed Stinky Rat's flesh.
Mo Fan's eyes shifted as he wondered whether he should attack this magic wolf. But after hesitating again and again, he gave up—because this magic wolf ran with a Three-Eyed Demon Wolf, and that Three-Eyed Demon Wolf had more than ten One-Eyed Magic Wolves as underlings.
Mo Fan admitted that he was strong, but not that strong!!
Along the way, Mo Fan remained extremely cautious and only killed lone demons. He never touched any demon group with more than five members.
Stopping and going like this, Mo Fan took two hours to reach the Magic Association.
Bocheng's Magic Association and Hunter's Union were housed together. The first and second floors belonged to the Hunter's Union, while the third and fourth floors belonged to the Magic Association.
The first floor was a complete mess. Several mangled corpses lay there, while the once-bright floor was gray with dust and littered with rubble and piles of exposed rebar.
"Little Loach, hurry up and sniff around. Where are the Soul Essences hidden?" Mo Fan said, stroking Little Loach.
Ever since Little Loach had absorbed the Earth Sacred Spring and evolved, its abilities in every aspect had greatly improved. Very soon, it flashed twice, guiding Mo Fan toward the Soul Essence.
The first-floor hall had been thoroughly destroyed. The farther in he went, the more corpses he saw. Most wore Magic Association uniforms, though there were also several corpses dressed in gray robes.
Mo Fan was very familiar with the style of those gray robes. They belonged to the Grey-robed Cultists of the Black Flood Pavilion.
The Lingering Soul Remnants on the corpses had yet to disperse, meaning they had likely died this morning. Good Soul Essences should not be wasted, and neither should good Lingering Soul Remnants.
Little Loach guided Mo Fan to a pile of rubble in a corner. The rubble blocked the corner, and Little Loach indicated that a Soul Essence lay beneath it.
Fire Seed - Burst!!
Mo Fan trusted Little Loach completely, so he directly used a Level Three Fire Seed to blast apart the rubble!
Before you continue