As long as Zhang Xiaolong had appeared, he'd emerge beside a mysterious young man in black robes.
The person beside him had exposed his identity!
Black Vatican!
"Jiang Yu, I never thought you'd manage to escape!"
That voice was very familiar to Jiang Yu. It belonged to Yu Ang.
Yu Ang pulled back his hood, revealing half his face, which was covered in densely packed, ugly scars.
"I have to thank you for that, Jiang Yu!"
Yu Ang gnashed his teeth and shouted angrily:
"Jiang Yu, how long do you think you can keep running? You've got me and the Black Vatican's elders to deal with. There are plenty of other demon creatures lurking around too!"
His words were full of fury.
Yu Ang wanted Jiang Yu to suffer as much as possible. He wanted to see him hurt, despairing, and miserable!
He wanted to inflict on Jiang Yu a hundred times the pain he had suffered himself!
Jiang Yu stared coldly at him.
Without saying a word, he raised his hand and cast an Ice Element Intermediate Spell.
"Frostbound Ice Prison!"
A rumbling sound echoed through the freezing air as ice spikes erupted from the ground, surging toward Yu Ang and the others.
"Damn it! How can you cast spells so quickly?!"
Yu Ang was stunned. Jiang Yu had completed his spell in the blink of an eye!
How was that possible?
The Black Vatican elder beside Yu Ang reacted just as quickly, hurriedly conjuring a Shield Demon Artifact to protect them.
"Kill him!"
Yu Ang had already recovered from the shock of the attack and was in a hurry to have the demon creatures kill Jiang Yu.
The demon creatures had to be dealt with first.
The power of an Intermediate Mage's spells was far greater than that of an ordinary battle mage's!
But the person he'd run into was Jiang Yu!
Jiang Yu stared at the monstrous demon creature. Its limbs were twisted, and its pale body was covered with dozens of ice spikes.
He'd unleashed four Ice Element Intermediate Spells in a row, holding the Black Vatican at bay all by himself!
"Hold on, Jiang Yu's about to run out of magic energy!"
Yu Ang shouted, warning the Black Vatican members in front of him.
The elder in black robes looked miserably at the Shield Demon Artifact, which had already been shattered. He glared at Jiang Yu with resentment.
"Why won't you just die? What's the point of struggling when you're only going to die anyway?!"
Ying Yue stared at the Black Vatican elder in disgust.
She had never wanted to use magic to help Jiang Yu.
But Jiang Yu had only raised a hand and knocked her down.
"Elder Tang Yue, don't bother."
"I'm more than enough to deal with him alone!"
The last word had barely left his mouth when another spell shot out.
"Roar! Roar!"
Five ice spikes appeared in the blink of an eye, pinning a demon creature to the ground.
Under the terrifying force of the ice, the demon creature's body twisted as its bones made a series of crackling sounds.
In the blink of an eye, the monstrous creature was destroyed!
The other demon creatures met the same fate, each dying beneath a single ice spike!
All their attacks were concentrated on the Black Vatican elder and Yu Ang.
The two tried to run, but the ice spikes had already filled the ground behind them!
"No—don't!"
Yu Ang had long since lost his former composure. He screamed furiously, trying to escape.
But the two ice spikes pinned him in place, one piercing his upper body and the other his lower body.
"Ah—!"
With a terrible scream, he was torn apart. His entrails and organs spilled out along with his blood.
The Black Vatican elder couldn't bear the horrifying sight.
He was terrified, too, and was unable to move.
Jiang Yu meant no harm. He simply walked past the ice spikes with an indifferent expression.
The three of them were now only a few hundred meters from safety.
Tang Yue, who had recovered somewhat from her shock, widened her eyes.
She stared at the young man beside her, whose expression was stern and resolute. She found him utterly unfamiliar.
Only when she heard Jiang Yu call her "Elder Tang Yue" did she come back to her senses.
"Ahem. I didn't expect you to become this strong. If I'd known, I wouldn't have thought you were going to die here."
The three of them were completely taken aback. Tang Yue, too, had a whole new view of the young man.
Lin Yuxin, who was standing nearby, was even more shaken.
She was wholly unable to put her feelings into words.
He'd saved her life. She'd be willing to work like an ox or a horse for Jiang Yu in return!
Jiang Yu and the others soon reached the safety zone.
At that moment, a familiar group stood in front of them.
They were led by Mo Fan, Yan Yuhuang, Bai Yang, Zhang Xiaolong, and the others...
Seeing Jiang Yu, they were all delighted and called out to him.
"Brother Jiang, you're alive!"
Zhang Xiaolong waved excitedly.
But Jiang Yu ignored him completely, because there was someone in the group whom he knew well.
Bai Yang, wearing a sleek black uniform.
Standing beside him were the badly wounded Tang Yue and the soaking-wet Jiang Yu. Bai Yang was even more delighted.
Because he could finally take Lin Yuxin back with him.
But before he could act, he had to secure the Earth Element Spring.
Bai Yang strode forward.
A rough voice called out to him.
An enormous ice spike shot through his entire body, and he fell dead on the spot.
The whole safety zone fell silent. Everyone stared, unable to understand why Jiang Yu had killed Bai Yang.
"He's with the Black Vatican."
Apart from those words, Jiang Yu offered no further explanation.
He told Tang Yue to hand Lin Yuxin over to Yuxin's father, then hurriedly ran out of the safety zone.
He had someone more important to save!
Jiang Yu rushed toward Yu Ang's house.
He'd learned in advance that his childhood friend Xia Xia might be in danger there.
Yu Ang's family was the largest clan in Bo City, so naturally, they had their own magic barriers.
By the time he arrived, not a single trace of damage could be seen on the Yu family's protective barrier.
After a quick search, he found Xia Xia.
The old Yu family estate!
With a deafening explosion, a blazing constellation appeared in the sky above the estate!
A huge firestorm descended like a meteor shower from the heavens.
On the side, Zhang Kong was doing everything in his power to control the Winged Wolf Beast.
The enormous beast's wings had been badly burned, and there was a horrifying hole in its chest.
Flames engulfed the Winged Wolf Beast as it beat its hundred-meter-long wings and fled in terror.
"Damn it! He actually let the Winged Wolf Beast get away!"
Zhang Kong gritted his teeth and spat.
"If everyone survives, that's good enough. We've already used up all our strength."
Xue Kong had noticed the situation early on.
Most of the demon creatures had been drawn to the Earth Element Spring.
The remaining demon creatures were soon dealt with by the strength of the city guards and the mages.
Civilian casualties were minimal. At least, that was how they'd sum up the battle in their official report.
Meanwhile, outside Bo City...
The Black Vatican's upper echelons stood rigidly like a dark wall, their faces tense as they stared at the Earth Element Spring that had failed to fall into their hands.
They had used three waves of attacks, yet they still hadn't secured the Earth Element Spring!
Had their entire operation really been ruined?
They'd never imagined the Black Vatican's high command would be sent running, unable even to join Tang Zhong...
The sky was dark, and the land was scorched.
Bo City stretched out before them, its ruins filling the horizon.
Xue Kong gazed down at the devastated city from above.
Behind him stood a handsome young man, much taller than he was.
With a broad smile, the young man said:
"Jiang Yu, you handed over the Earth Element Spring just like that? That sounds like quite a loss for you."
He hadn't known what the situation had been, but the outcome was good. At least the Earth Element Spring hadn't fallen into the Black Vatican's hands.
Jiang Yu waved a hand, dismissing him.
"I drank it."
Xue Kong's smile froze. He looked at Jiang Yu in disbelief.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yu turned his attention to his own spiritual world.
[Unlimited Awakening: Boundless Life]
[With a hundred times the magic energy reserve, your magic energy recovery speed is also increased a hundredfold.]
[Source: This ability was obtained by consuming the Earth Element Spring and a special item.]
At the moment Jiang Yu had touched the Earth Element Spring, the special prompt had suddenly appeared on his status screen. He'd gained another Unlimited Awakening.
Xue Kong thought about it for a long time before finally accepting the situation.
Bo City's Earth Element Spring had been in use for over six thousand years, and it had only so much power to offer.
It wouldn't have helped that kid much anyway.
Xue Kong couldn't help imagining what might have happened if Bo City had been in danger and the mysterious being hadn't warned them, or Jiang Yu hadn't held back the demon creatures.
How many people would have died throughout the entire city?
"Forget it. In a few days, Bo City will hold a commendation ceremony."
"You've done a great service, kid. You deserve it."
Jiang Yu asked with little interest:
"What kind of reward?"
"Whatever you want! It's a big celebration!"
Xue Kong smiled mysteriously.
Before you continue