His eyes were filled with fear. Lu Jun's methods were too brutal—he'd dismembered people. He couldn't figure out whether the other guy was the Black Vatican member or he was.
Lu Jun walked over, swaying his head from side to side. With a sunny smile, he spread his hands and said, "I remember you saying you'd do all sorts of things to me and my sister. Now you've fallen into my hands. Guess what I'm going to do?"
At that moment, Lu Jun stood before Yu Ang, looking down at the gray-robed man kneeling on the ground. His eyes turned black, and the Fearful Haze slammed into Yu Ang's mind.
"Ah!" Yu Ang screamed. It was as if he'd seen some indescribable horror. His body trembled as he staggered backward, then got up and ran in another direction.
Every so often, he seemed to see a pair of sinister, scarlet eyes watching him from somewhere behind.
"Hahaha! Run! Run as fast as you can, and find someone who can save you!"
Lu Jun held the Heavy Sword, his killing intent surging. Threatening his family had long since touched a raw nerve. How could he not turn the place upside down and kill them all?
Rampaging through the Full-Time Mage world
In the bustling city, Yu Ang staggered along in front while blue light flashed around Lu Jun's feet as he chased after him. The two ran across the streets, causing a commotion. Every passerby who saw them looked utterly bewildered.
But when they saw Lu Jun carrying a long sword and looking cold, none of them dared approach. They hurried away or called the police.
Ding, ding, ding~
Suddenly, Lu Jun's communicator rang in his pocket. After a while, someone had finally called. He took it out and saw that it was his older sister, Lu Mei. Holding his sword in one hand, he answered with the other. "Hello?"
A hurried voice came from the other end. "Where are you right now? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." He looked at Yu Ang fleeing ahead and said, "The Black Vatican tried to assassinate me. I'm chasing them to their hideout. Hurry over."
"Okay. I'm not far from you. I'll be there soon."
Lu Jun hung up and watched Yu Ang head toward an abandoned industrial area where few people went. He let out a series of cold laughs.
When he caught up, Yu Ang didn't seem to be heading straight for the hideout. Instead, apparently terrified out of his wits by the Fearful Haze, he'd lost his mind and was going door to door at Black Vatican hideouts, begging for help and trying to buy time.
Knock, knock, knock!
Just like now: Yu Ang pounded on the door of a shop in the busy district and shouted hysterically, "Open up! For the sake of the Black Vatican, help a brother out!"
Creak. The door opened, and a burly man warily asked, "Who is it?"
Then he saw Lu Jun approaching with a sword. His brow twitched, and he hurriedly flung the Fire Seed Primary Magic he'd been holding.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Lu Jun hadn't even had a chance to ask anything. Seeing the blazing red fireball hurtling toward him, he scoffed, flicked his wrist, and swept the Vibranium Heavy Sword upward. Golden Radiance flared, and a white-gold arc of light more than ten meters long sliced through the air, extinguishing the flames.
In the next instant, it struck the burly man, cleaving him in two on the spot. His body burst open, blood spraying as his innards spilled across the ground.
Yu Ang, standing nearby, was splattered from head to toe. His expression went blank. He'd only just found a savior, and in the blink of an eye the man had been butchered like a chicken.
The nearby passersby screamed. The people who'd been following the pair and filming them with curiosity had shaky hands. They pocketed their phones and ran, realizing they'd encountered someone truly ruthless.
Still, quite a few bold souls kept filming.
Lu Jun and Yu Ang chased and fled through the streets, witnessed by countless people. The footage was sure to go viral online.
But some mysterious force quickly stepped in and deleted it. Then Lu Jun's phone rang again. He answered, and Tang Yue's anxious voice came through. "Lu Jun, I'm on my way. Don't do anything rash!"
"By the time the Adjudication Court gets here, I'll have caught a big fish. I should be able to follow the trail and catch the Blue Robe Deacon."
He hung up and kept following Yu Ang.
After that, they found several more Black Vatican hideouts. Lu Jun brutally killed and dismembered everyone in them. Blood trailed behind Yu Ang wherever he went. When dealing with beasts, you had to use even greater violence and harsher methods to crush them.
Make the Black Vatican afraid. Make them consider the 'cost' before they acted.
Yu Ang felt a profound despair. He was like a Death God, going from door to door and knocking. Whenever he came out, his scythe was stained with blood.
At last, after Lu Jun had followed him and cut down forty or fifty people, Yu Ang left the city and headed for the abandoned factory hideout, unaware of what he was doing.
It was a meat-processing plant, full of the stench of raw meat. It processed assorted scraps into dog food, which could fetch a decent price. Of course, it might also have been set up to feed the Black Beast Demons they were raising, while conveniently masking the stench of the sewers.
Several men in black stood by the gate, chatting and laughing. When they saw Yu Ang stagger toward them, covered in blood, they were taken aback. "Your Excellency, the priest! What happened to you?"
As if he'd seen his saviors, Yu Ang screamed frantically, "Kill him! Hurry!"
When Lu Jun came into view, everyone at the abandoned factory changed expressions. They hurriedly blew their whistles and controlled their stars. One Black Beast Demon after another came running out of the factory at the sound.
Lu Jun sneered at the sight. He'd found their hideout. He controlled the Metal Element Star Chart and swung his wrist. Under the force of a powerful magnetic pull, the Vibranium Heavy Sword transformed into a black flying sword and shot out, darting through the night like lightning.
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
In the blink of an eye, it split into seven streaks of Platinum Glow, howling through the air like white rainbows piercing the sun. The sharp whine of their passage echoed above the factory, each streak carrying tremendous force.
Thwack! Thwack!
At Lu Jun's mental command, the swords split into seven paths. Each one pierced several Black Beast Demons with speed too fast to follow. The sound of flesh being cut apart rang out. They fell in rows like stalks of wheat, then hung on the sword blades like shells, their momentum carrying them onward until they were pinned to the high walls.
The Black Vatican members and Black Beast Demons were skewered one after another like candied hawthorn on a stick, pinned all over the factory. Blood flowed across the ground, along with all manner of entrails.
The meat-processing plant was instantly flooded with the stench of blood, transformed into a slaughterhouse.
It didn't take long for Lu Jun to kill every last one of them. He walked over to Yu Ang, looked down at him, and said with disappointment, "That's all the men you have? I gave you a chance, but you're useless!"
At the sight of this, Yu Ang's mind collapsed. He roared, "What do you want?"
Lu Jun said calmly, "Heh. Do you know where your Blue Robe Deacon is?"
"The Blue Robe Deacon..." Yu Ang murmured blankly. Then, as if he'd suddenly seized a lifeline, he nodded frantically. "I know, I know! So that's the information you want. Just spare my life, and I'll tell you everything."
Lu Jun slowly shook his head. He grabbed Yu Ang by the hair and dragged him toward the abandoned factory.
Yu Ang's scalp pulled taut, and the pain was unbearable.
Lu Jun ignored him and entered the factory. A thick Curse Aura emanated from the darkness. As he dragged Yu Ang closer, the scene inside came into view.
Several processing machines stood around the interior, concealing it. At the center was a black-and-red Pool of Curses, its black liquid rippling and giving off the sharp smell of chemicals.
"The Black Vatican's Pool of Curses?"
Lu Jun smiled. Only experts in the Curse Element could create one. It was basically a Black Vatican production facility.
Black Beast Demons, Cursed Black Beast Demons, and even more powerful Commander Rank Demonic Beasts were continuously produced here. In the future, this was where the Blue Robe Deacon Fang Shaoli, who specialized in the Poison Element, would produce the Black Blood Worm Mother.
The Pool of Curses before him was quite large. It must have produced at least General-level Cursed Black Beast Demons. If he wasn't mistaken, a year and a half from now, Xu Zhaoting would be tortured here and forcibly turned into a demon in the original story.
At that moment, the black-and-red Curse Element Stardust in Lu Jun's Spiritual World stirred with longing. The cursed water contained an immense amount of energy.
To mages of other Elements, it was deadly poison. But to Curse Element mages, it was a trove of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.
That's right. Besides the boost from their [mental realm], there were other ways to improve the Curse Element: something called [Curse Substance]. The former provided a multiplier, while the latter added special effects.
Of course, Curse Substance had much stronger and stranger effects than ordinary Spirit Seeds.
This was Lu Jun's goal: to make Yu Ang lead him to the Pool of Curses himself.
If he took it back and found someone to refine it, they might be able to extract the Black Vatican's 'Curse Substance' and turn his Curse Element into a powerful Magic System.
Cursed Substance
The moment he saw the 'Curse Substance,' Lu Jun thought of Mo Fan. Mo Fan was now an Intermediate Mage.
Although he'd missed out on Tang Yue's free awakening, the City Demon Hunting Squad in high school had started rolling out early, allowing him to save a little money. A few days ago, he'd awakened the Shadow Element and Summoning System, then come over to brag about it.
Those two Elements were no joke. They were Mo Fan's main specialties.
In the future, Mo Fan's Shadow Element would reach its peak after he refined the 'Dark Substance [Night Fiend]' he'd obtained from Bei Jiang, a member of the Assassin's Hall, and fused it with the 'Curse Substance [Whipping Curse Spirit]' from the research institute in the Demon Capital.
Those mysterious, bizarre, and inexplicable methods were fascinating.
Curse Substance was a type of Dark Substance, while the latter was exclusive to Dark Magic. Curse, Undead, Shadow, and Poison Elements all had it. Finding any one of these substances could bring the corresponding Element close to mastery.
Looking at this Pool of Curses, Lu Jun figured its Curse Substance wouldn't be quite that powerful, but it could at least let his Curse Element hold its own at the Intermediate Level.
His Water and Metal Elements were already powerful. With the Curse Element added, he could speedrun the Mingzhu University dungeon.
"Magician Ma Zhoulong from the Demon Capital is too far away. Pearl Academy should have a teacher who can handle this. I'll ask them to refine it later."
Lu Jun murmured to himself. There was surely also a Pool of Curses in Bo City, but its level was far below this one.
Then he looked down at Yu Ang, whom he still had in a tight grip, and smiled. "I heard the Black Vatican usually tortures and interrogates people here."
As Yu Ang's face grew paler and paler, Lu Jun smiled. "Then I'll see how tough your mouth is."
Splash!
As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Jun shoved Yu Ang into the Pool of Curses. The black, bubbling liquid boiled. As it touched his skin, some dark, sinister aura began to corrode him.
Yu Ang started screaming, feeling pain all over his body.
That wasn't all. Ignoring Yu Ang's struggles, Lu Jun forced his head beneath the water and said coldly, "Who do you think you are, making demands of me?!"
Gurgle, gurgle!
Yu Ang was submerged in the Pool of Curses. His face was in agony, and he choked on the water, suffering a living hell.
After a while, Lu Jun finally eased his grip and let Yu Ang's head rise so he could gulp down air. Then he asked coolly, "Well? Have you thought it over?"
"I... I—" Yu Ang had just started to speak when Lu Jun's gaze turned cold. The Vibranium Heavy Sword in his hand transformed into a dagger, and he brought it down hard. With a thwack, one of Yu Ang's fingers was severed. Lu Jun said indifferently, "Too late."
"Aaaaaah!" Pain shot through Yu Ang's hand. He was about to lose his mind.
Before he could recover, he was forcibly shoved back into the Pool of Curses. All the while, Mind Impact lashed at him, tormenting his mind and body alike.
In his daze, Yu Ang had one thought: Which one of them was really the Black Vatican? The other guy was far too practiced at interrogation.
Elsewhere, the battle between Lu Jun and the Black Vatican had already alarmed the Magic City Adjudication Court.
Under the pitch-black night sky, a figure with blue-black hair stood alone atop a high-rise. His center-parted hair brushed against his sharp cheekbones. Combined with his pale complexion, he looked like a ghost haunting the city.
His eyes were slightly sunken, and his pupils were so deep that they revealed no emotion. His vintage Tang-style outfit draped over his thin frame. Most astonishingly, a pair of wings like a black hawk's extended from his back!
Their feathers were sharp as blades, every vein clearly visible. The wings were currently folded, but their roots looked sturdy and well-muscled, and the wings themselves were quite full!
"Night Hawk, respond if you can hear me. We've found the target!"
"This is Night Hawk. Give me the location."
"The meat-processing plant in the industrial area."
With that, Night Hawk of the Adjudication Court leaped down, spread his wings, and flew toward Lu Jun's location.
When he arrived, someone was already standing on the ruined street, which looked as if it had been swept by a flood. She was an exceptionally beautiful, tall, mature woman.
The street was strewn with corpses. One by one, the creatures looked like skinny, charred monkeys, and the stench of sewage and stale water hit him in the face. One glance was enough to identify them as members of the Black Vatican.
Lu Mei nodded to the mysterious newcomer, recognizing him as someone from the Adjudication Court. Then she turned and followed the Wind Track to look for her younger brother.
The trail was simply too obvious. On the way, she'd come across several slaughterhouses.
Night Hawk followed, soaring overhead and looking down at the street. Even the bystanders who loved a spectacle didn't dare approach. These corpses had been torn apart so brutally that ordinary people would throw up at the sight. They might not sleep for several nights afterward, haunted by what they'd seen.
"Tsk, tsk. I heard he's just a kid who hasn't even entered university yet. What brutal methods."
He sounded appreciative, but he knew that the higher-ups were partly shocked and outraged. Lu Jun had been far too brazen, acting as if there were no rules.
Even High-Order Mages were somewhat wary of killing people. They went away from crowds to do it. But Lu Jun had killed people in a busy district, dragging corpses through the streets in broad daylight.
And as if that weren't enough, he'd disemboweled and dismembered the corpses, deliberately arranging them into grotesque scenes. Even the Black Vatican wasn't that terrifying.
Yet there was nothing they could do about Lu Jun. After all, he'd been killing the enemy for justice. He was a good comrade. They'd just have to tell him to be more careful next time.
Meanwhile, the videos were setting the internet ablaze. There was no way to keep them off ordinary people's networks. As for the nearby Mingzhu University website, they couldn't control that, nor was there any need to. Only mages were qualified to see the real world, and sooner or later they'd have to face it.
So Lu Jun's name exploded in popularity on the Pearl Forum. As for those who hadn't enrolled yet, they were already in various chat groups well before university began, getting to know one another. All that remained was to meet up in person.
Now, videos were flooding those chat groups, with ninety-nine-plus notifications in a second. Everyone was talking about the new student, Lu Jun.
They were all impressed and uneasy. Even before he'd arrived, his name had already risen to prominence among the new students. He'd made a name for himself because, supposedly, several of the Black Vatican members who died were new students in the same year. He was a real ruthless one.
Of course, the videos had been censored. Otherwise, how could those adorable high school graduates bring themselves to click on them?
The older students from Green Campus and Main Campus had no censorship. They saw the full versions, and many of them threw up. When had these young people, sheltered in their ivory towers, ever seen anything so horrific?
They watched Lu Jun in the videos, coldly following his targets, his sword rising and falling as he cut his way from the city to the suburbs without even blinking. The hands holding their phones began to shake.
Whether they were senior students who'd experienced Demon Beast training or struggling students from Green Campus, they silently memorized Lu Jun's appearance and labeled him someone they must never provoke. They were genuinely afraid he'd go on a killing spree.
When someone else picked a fight and said they'd "do you," they only meant they'd beat you. But when Lu Jun said he'd "do you," you'd better start thinking about where you wanted your grave.
Before you continue