Mu Nujiao

The next day, Lin Lan took Mo Fan to the wilderness outside Thunder Town, a place filled with all kinds of trees and where Demon Sparrows appeared.

Magic Hunters came here in an endless stream, and every demon-hunting team leaving this place returned laden with rewards. Just as Lin Lan and Mo Fan were preparing to enter the mountain, they saw a demon-hunting team walking and chatting, their faces relaxed and content.

"This haul really wasn't bad. One trip out here is worth a whole month of hunting demons in the wild," the burly man said to the others.

"Yeah. There are loads of Demon Sparrows here, and the hunting teams can look out for each other, making them easier to kill. The strongest demons we run into are only Warrior Rank. It's basically free money," the skinny, monkey-faced mage replied casually.

"But the Demon Sparrows here are strange. They keep charging toward Thunder Marsh Mountain like they don't care about dying. There's nothing up there, and nothing ever comes out," the only female mage in the team said, frowning in confusion.

"Hello, may I ask if there are many demons inside?" Lin Lan interrupted the female mage's thoughts, looking curious.

"Little brother, there are plenty of demons inside, and they aren't very aggressive. An Intermediate Mage can earn a million or so after a hard day's work," the burly man said with a carefree grin.

"You're students, right? Students should be careful when hunting demons here," the female mage said after sizing up Lin Lan and Mo Fan, offering them a kind reminder.

"We've already graduated. We're only Intermediate Mages, so there shouldn't be any danger in coming here to earn some money, right?" Lin Lan said calmly.

"Just graduated? You do carry yourselves well. But if you only reached the intermediate level in university, you still need to hunt more demons and build up practical combat experience." There were four people in the demon-hunting team. Another fairly handsome man looked at the two of them and spoke in a somewhat sharp, mocking tone.

"Hey, you—" Mo Fan was about to go argue with him when Lin Lan stopped him.

"Liu Shuang, you really need to fix that arrogant personality of yours. Sorry, little brother. He's just like that, so don't take it to heart." The female mage quickly stepped in to smooth things over. She was clearly the team captain.

"It's fine. I don't really care," Lin Lan said indifferently.

"Little brother, there have suddenly been more Warrior Rank Demon Sparrows these past few days. We're heading in to join up with other hunting teams. If you want to train or do anything else, just stay around the outskirts," the female mage told Lin Lan, her tone carrying a hint of apology.

"Alright, thank you." After thanking her, Lin Lan entered the mountain with Mo Fan.

"Lanzi, that idiot was way too arrogant. I was ready to go have a war of words with him. Why did you stop me?" Mo Fan said angrily.

"I think brute force can't solve every problem. There's no need to waste words," Lin Lan said steadily. Mo Fan wanted to say something else, but the words died on his lips.

As they walked through the mountain, the surroundings were quiet, with no other sounds to be heard. Lin Lan immediately felt that something was off. This kind of situation only happened when demons were nearby. Mo Fan had hunted demons many times and had gained some experience, so he too became alert.

"Caw, caw, caw!" The area around them suddenly grew restless as the cries of Demon Sparrows rang out without pause. In the next instant, countless Demon Sparrows flew out and lunged at the two of them. Their feathers were brightly colored, their bodies as large as tigers, and their tail feathers long and glossy.

"Sky Flash—Lightning Seal—Frenzied Charge."

"Lightning Seal—Raging Strike."

Star Orbits flickered in their hands as countless Lightning Seals struck the charging Demon Sparrows, knocking them out of the sky. Corpses carpeted the ground.

"Fiery Fist—Exploding Heavens." A red Star Map lit up beneath Mo Fan's feet, its glow dazzling. His Fiery Fist blasted toward the restless forest, setting rows of trees and swathes of grass ablaze. "Caw, caw..." Miserable cries from Demon Sparrows came from the grass.

"Mo Fan, are you trying to burn down the mountain?" Lin Lan snapped as he looked at Mo Fan.

"I was just testing out the Fiery Fist I drew," Mo Fan explained awkwardly, scratching his head.

"Dimensional Summon. Big Eagle, blow this fire into one place." Lin Lan summoned the Crimson Wind Eagle. It did not disappoint, stirring up a gale and driving the flames together. The fire gradually began to die down.

"Ice Vines—Condense." Lin Lan followed up with an Ice Vines spell to extinguish the remaining flames. Burning down mountains meant prison time, though he did not know whether the magic world worked the same way. Still, given how demons ran rampant here, even if mages flattened a mountain, it probably would not matter. Lin Lan's ingrained old way of thinking still needed changing. Looking at the blackened forest and the dead Demon Sparrows before them, Mo Fan hurried forward and had Little Mudfish absorb them. Yet after collecting for a long time, he did not get a single Essence. Lin Lan only collected a few Remnant Souls.

"Let's go. Time to find the next place." After collecting several intact tail feathers, Lin Lan called for Mo Fan to continue searching. Mo Fan hurriedly followed.

They had not walked far when the aura of fire magic suddenly came from ahead. The two pushed aside the grass and saw several mages fighting Demon Sparrows in a clearing.

"Demon Vine—Grow." The female mage formed a Star Orbit in her hand. Several vines burst from the ground and, as though alive, lashed toward the Demon Sparrows in the air.

"Lanzi, what Element is that? It can turn into plants and play bondage games?" Mo Fan's eyes went wide as he stared without blinking. Mo Fan knew quite a bit about the flashy Elements, but of White Magic, he only knew about healing because Xin Xia had awakened the Healing Element.

"This is the Plant Element. This kind of magic is one branch of White Magic. You figured out my Space Element before, so I thought you knew everything," Lin Lan said to Mo Fan. It seemed Mo Fan was only half-informed. He had probably spent all his time cultivating and had not read a single book.

"Fiery Fist—Earth Brake." A Fire Element mage paid no heed as a Star Map appeared beneath his feet. Flames erupted from the ground, and the raging fire killed all the Demon Sparrows restrained by the Plant Element, burning them into charcoal.

"That's a second-tier Fiery Fist." Mo Fan could not help admiring the terrifying destructive power of Earth Brake.

"Caw!" Just as the demons here had been dealt with, another kind of bird cry came from the sky. The three mages immediately became vigilant and began drawing Star Orbits in their hands. Lin Lan and Mo Fan hid behind a tree and quietly watched.

"Caw, caw!" The sound grew louder and louder. Two bird-shaped shadows slowly appeared in the forest ahead.

"Seven-Colored Cloud Sparrows!" The Fire Element mage recognized at once that the seven-hued birds were Warrior Rank Seven-Colored Cloud Sparrows. These demons were fast and not especially aggressive, but since the group had killed Demon Sparrows from their species, they would certainly attack.

The feathers on the two Seven-Colored Cloud Sparrows transformed into dagger-like blades and shot toward the three mages.

"Ice Vines—Condense." Another mage stood at the front, drawing an Ice Element Star Orbit in his hand. He froze the feathers before him into icy plumes that shattered onto the ground at the slightest touch.

"Demon Vine—Bind." The Plant Element mage cast her magic beneath the Seven-Colored Cloud Sparrows, controlling vines in an attempt to bind the two birds. The Seven-Colored Cloud Sparrows sensed the danger and flew into the sky, while every vine struck empty air.

"Caw!" The two Seven-Colored Cloud Sparrows suddenly swooped toward them.

"Dodge!" The Fire Element mage hurriedly told the others to evade while drawing a Star Map as he moved. "Wind Disk—Tornado." A hurricane swept up and spiraled toward the Seven-Colored Cloud Sparrows, but they flew into the sky again. The Wind Disk could not even touch a feather.

"Ice Lock!" The Ice Element mage summoned Ice Locks. Chains of ice shot toward the Seven-Colored Cloud Sparrows in the air, attempting to bind and bring them down.

"Caw!" The Seven-Colored Cloud Sparrows released ear-splitting sonic waves. Every approaching Ice Lock was shaken apart by the sound, falling to the ground in fragments.

"These beasts are too fast. Our magic can't hit them at all. Get ready to retreat. If we delay any longer, more Seven-Colored Cloud Sparrows will arrive." The Fire Element mage hurriedly released Fire Burst while leading the other two away.

"Lanzi, are we still just watching?" Mo Fan said to Lin Lan, completely engrossed in the fight. He had not even noticed that Lin Lan had already walked out.

"Sky Flash—Thunderbolt—Yaksha." Lin Lan emerged from the forest, and a Star Map lit up beneath his feet. The sky immediately darkened as clouds gathered overhead. With a movement of Lin Lan's will, lightning fiercely split from the clouds. Countless bolts forced the two Seven-Colored Cloud Sparrows to dodge again and again, but no matter how fast they were, how could they outrun lightning?

"Rumble!" Terrifying white lightning struck the two Seven-Colored Cloud Sparrows. They instantly lost all life and fell from the sky as though their wings had been torn away. Black smoke rose continuously from their bodies as they twitched, electrical arcs still numbing them.

Mo Fan looked at Lin Lan, who was releasing lightning ahead, then looked back at where Lin Lan had been standing. Only then did he realize that Lin Lan had gone ahead to fight the demons, and he hurriedly ran over.

"Little brother, thank you for helping us. We are from the Mu Family, and that is my family's young lady." The Fire Element mage also stepped forward to thank Lin Lan and reveal their identity.

"The Mu Family?" Lin Lan took a careful look at the woman this time. Brown hair, blue eyes, a faintly cool air about her, an orchid-like grace, and the beauty of a celestial maiden. "She really is quite pretty, so this is..."

"Hello, I'm Mu Nujiao."

That isn't the Kui Ox on the mountain~