"Priest, who is the target this time?"
Fu Tianming looked at the masked man in front of him. The sinister aura around him made Fu Tianming feel uneasy.
The masked man was none other than Mu Yuang. After losing to Mo Fan in a magic duel, he had been punished by the Black Vatican, which had ruined half his face.
Thus, he wanted nothing more than to cut Mo Fan into a thousand pieces. However, he did not dare defy the Deacon's orders, so he could only set Mo Fan aside for the time being.
"Find Li Xingze!"
A red light flashed in Mu Yuang's eyes. Li Xingze's talent had caught the Deacon's attention, and the Deacon even intended to recommend him to a higher-ranking Red Cardinal.
That was an existence he had never come into contact with before. Why him?
He had worked undercover for the Black Vatican for years. Even without great achievements, he had contributed plenty. How could he be inferior to a mere Li Xingze?
"Li Xingze?" Fu Tianming froze, then retreated two steps in succession.
Was he joking? The three of them were supposed to deal with Li Xingze?
Not to mention how strong Li Xingze was now—even Li Xingze from a year ago was more than they could handle!
Mu Yuang swept a cold gaze over Fu Tianming and sneered inwardly. No wonder such a coward who feared trouble was still only a Gray Robe.
"As long as you recruit Li Xingze into the Vatican, all three of you will have a chance to rise to the rank of Priest," Mu Yuang said.
Upon hearing this, the three of them immediately forgot their fear and declared, "I'm willing to follow the Priest's arrangements!"
"However, in my opinion, Li Xingze probably won't submit willingly."
"Hmph!" Mu Yuang gave an alluring, sinister smile. "Once he kills a student from the Pearl Institute, there will be only one path left before him."
Upon hearing this plan, the three of them immediately applauded it. As long as Li Xingze had nowhere to go, the mission would become much simpler.
As for Li Xingze, with Lingling tracking the target, they soon found the Shadow Demon Beast.
"With Old Li's Summoned Beast here, we don't even need to do anything."
Watching the Shadow Demon Beast being toyed with by the Goldflame Dragon Lion, Mo Fan's eyes were filled with envy. Why was Li Xingze so lucky? How had he managed to encounter a Summoned Beast with such a high Bloodline?
Why had he only encountered a Netherwolf? It was too unfair!
Still, if he really summoned a Summoned Beast with such a high Bloodline, he truly could not afford to raise it.
But that was only temporary. Once his cultivation in the Undead Element advanced further, he would be able to try crafting an Undead Vessel.
That was the real way to make a fortune!
By then, Spirit Seeds and Contract Beasts would all be within his reach!
"Ze Ge's Summoned Beast is too fierce. If it were me, I probably couldn't last even a minute," Xu Zhaoting said with deep feeling.
Ever since receiving the Stardust Magic Artifact, Xu Zhaoting had changed the way he addressed Li Xingze and started calling him "Ze Ge."
Without the help of the Spirit-grade Stardust Magic Artifact, he could not have advanced his Wind Element to Basic Level 3 so quickly.
In less than three minutes, the Goldflame Dragon Lion had completely suppressed the Shadow Demon Beast. Mu Nujiao then bound it.
"The Shadow Demon Beast is ours now. Should we take it straight to the iron cage?" Mu Nujiao asked Li Xingze as she led the Shadow Demon Beast with vines.
With Li Xingze's deterrent presence, there was probably no one who would dare forcibly snatch it from them—unless someone could rally more than twenty people.
But that was unrealistic. Everyone was an Intermediate-Level Mage now. No one would willingly become someone else's hired muscle.
Mo Fan and Xu Zhaoting also looked at Li Xingze. They felt that Li Xingze was plotting something.
"Mu Nujiao, go back to the school first. Leave the rest to us," Li Xingze said.
"Hm?"
Although Mu Nujiao had plenty of doubts, she hesitated for a moment before nodding and leaving.
Watching Mu Nujiao's back, Li Xingze slowly said, "There are Black Vatican spies among these thousand Intermediate-Level Mages."
"What!" Mo Fan and Xu Zhaoting cried out, their pupils trembling uncontrollably.
This was not their first time hearing of the Black Vatican, but they were still unable to suppress their shock.
This was the Pearl Institute! If even the Pearl Institute had Black Vatican spies, then just how many Black Vatican spies were hiding in the shadows throughout Magic City?
"Who?" Mo Fan hurriedly asked.
Li Xingze shook his head. Even with an excellent memory, after so much time had passed, he could no longer remember clearly. He only recalled that one of them seemed to have the surname Fu.
He had investigated the names of the remaining thousand students, and there was indeed one person with the surname Fu. His name was Fu Tianming.
"What do we do?" Xu Zhaoting did not doubt Li Xingze in the slightest. Since Li Xingze said there were spies, it was almost certainly true.
"I've already informed Teacher Tang Yue. However, we need to draw these spies out, and I have a plan," Li Xingze said.
"What do you need us to do?"
"As long as it's about dealing with the Black Vatican, I, Mo Fan, won't hold back."
Mo Fan and Xu Zhaoting were both brimming with fighting spirit. Although Bo City had been saved, the disaster two years ago remained an indelible scar.
Xu Zhaoting's parents had luckily survived the disaster, but he had relatives who had unfortunately died in it.
Because of Li Xingze's interference, Mo Fan's uncle-in-law—Li Xingze's eldest uncle—had also survived the disaster.
"Terra Sanctum Spring!" Li Xingze looked at Mo Fan. He knew that Mo Fan still had some Terra Sanctum Spring left. That was exactly what the Black Vatican wanted most.
At this moment, Li Xingze did not know that the Black Vatican had already set its sights on him.
"Terra Sanctum Spring?"
Mo Fan's expression turned solemn. Back then, Bai Yang had tried to take the Terra Sanctum Spring from him.
"Mo Fan, spread the news that you still have the Terra Sanctum Spring. The Black Vatican spies will naturally reveal themselves." After pausing, Li Xingze continued, "I'll also leave this Shadow Demon Beast with you. You'll use it to lure them out."
Xu Zhaoting furrowed his brows, somewhat worried. "Wouldn't that be too risky? What if Mo Fan runs into danger?"
"Don't worry. I've already arranged for a High-level Magister to provide backup from the shadows," Li Xingze said calmly.
"A High-level Magister?!"
Mo Fan stared blankly at Li Xingze. How could an Intermediate-Level Mage like him call in a High-level Magister?
Wait, there really did seem to be someone. The recently famous Ice Emperor Hai Bo Dong in Magic City!
"You're not planning to ask your uncle to help, are you?" Mo Fan asked.
Li Xingze shook his head. Hai Bo Dong had already successfully advanced to Super-Order Mage. There was no way he would trouble him with such a minor matter.
"One of my uncle's subordinates. A High-level Magister with three Elements, specializing in the Fire Element."
"Damn, I thought the three of us were all ordinary guys. I didn't realize Old Li had already struck it rich."
Mo Fan wore an expression of painful struggle. He was afraid his brother might be having a hard time, yet also afraid his brother might be driving a Land Rover.
Li Xingze rolled his eyes and said calmly, "If you're willing to join the Ice Emperor Hunter Group, I can introduce you. I guarantee you'll receive the highest-level treatment."
"Then forget it."
Mo Fan gave an awkward laugh. He had no interest in working for someone else.
Once he could craft an Undead Vessel, why would he need to toil away hunting demons for money?
Mo Fan refused decisively. Xu Zhaoting, on the other hand, actually looked interested. He had no prominent family background or exceptional talent to begin with, so joining a Hunter Group seemed like a good choice for him.
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