"Black Vatican."
The voice rang out clearly.
Mu He, dressed in blue, advanced on the three of them with his Gray-robed Clerics.
"That's a Blue-robed Deacon of the Black Vatican!" Lin Yuxin's pupils contracted sharply, her face filled with disbelief.
Blue-robed Deacons were already highly important upper-echelon figures within the Black Vatican.
How could one be here?!
"What did you say? Mu He is from the Black Vatican?"
Mo Fan's mouth fell open. "I told you this old bastard was no good. Honestly, it'd make perfect sense if he were Black Vatican scum."
Mo Fan still did not know what the Black Vatican had done to Bocheng, so he did not yet harbor that kind of undying hatred toward them.
"Heh, you overestimate yourself."
Mu He looked at Mo Fan with indifference. "Don't think winning one duel makes you anything special, and don't think Innate Dual Elements makes you anything special either."
"Before you've grown up, you're just a bug by the roadside. I can crush you with one hand."
Suddenly.
Mu He's tone shifted as he shouted, "Capture all three of them, break their limbs, and turn them into human sticks to feed the Blood-patterned Giant Demon Rat!"
"You old bastard, you're fucking vicious!" Mo Fan cursed as Star Tracks rapidly connected beneath his feet, preparing to face the oncoming Gray-robed Clerics.
Taking the opportunity, Lin Yuxin ran to the Sacred Spring and activated the mechanism, collecting all the Sacred Spring water into a small bottle.
As she opened the hidden passage, she turned back and shouted at Mo Fan, "Get over here!"
"Earth Wave—Sinking!"
Seeing this, Mu He stomped his right foot heavily, and the ground surged like rolling waves.
Already badly injured, Lin Yuxin lost her footing and fell, her body gradually sinking into the rippling floor.
The small bottle containing the Sacred Spring fell nearby.
"Mo Fan, hold those Gray-robed Clerics back. I'll deal with Mu He!" Jiang Yuan said as he moved between Lin Yuxin and Mu He.
"No, there are too many of them. I'll deal with Mu He. You're stronger than me, so you're better suited to holding off those Gray-robed Clerics!" Mo Fan immediately shook his head.
Fighting a group and fighting one person.
He knew perfectly well which was harder.
The burden of fighting the strongest opponent would be left to Brother Jiang Yuan.
"Fine!" Jiang Yuan swiftly switched positions with Mo Fan without another word.
"Raging Waves - Torrential Roll!" The moment he switched over, Jiang Yuan unleashed Water element magic.
Raging waves crushed forward.
As the lowest-ranking members of the Black Vatican, the Gray-robed Clerics were merely Beginner level mages. They could not withstand a level-three Intermediate level spell.
In just one exchange, they were swallowed by the huge waves and lost consciousness one after another.
"Damn it, Mu He, you old bastard! Jiang Yuan, come save my sorry life!!!!"
At that moment, a miserable cry came from behind Jiang Yuan.
When he turned around, he saw Mo Fan getting beaten into a frantic retreat by Mu He, on the verge of dying.
Mo Fan cried out miserably, "Bro, why didn't you tell me this old bastard was a High-level Mage?!"
He had thought he had picked an easy target.
Instead, he had picked the strongest fighter in the whole group.
As the Blue-robed Great Deacon of Huzhen, Mu He's true strength was not that of an Intermediate level mage on the surface. He was a High-level Mage who had awakened Ice, Earth, and Wind elements!
"You chose him yourself. You can't blame me."
"Stop talking, stop talking, I was wrong! Bro, I can't hold on!"
"Don't panic. I'm coming to help."
As soon as he spoke, Jiang Yuan unleashed Raging Waves - Torrential Roll again, and surging waves swept through the hall.
Mu He raised a hand, releasing a blast of icy air.
The torrent froze into dense ice crystals under the erosion of the cold air.
"You're the student who took first place in the Annual Assessment, aren't you?" Mu He looked at Jiang Yuan with interest.
"You broke through to Intermediate level and awakened the Ice element in such a short time. Even at Imperial Capital Academy, talent like that is exceedingly rare."
"Mo Fan, your talent is also rare in this world."
As he spoke, Mu He's icy gaze settled on Jiang Yuan and Mo Fan.
It sent chills down their spines!
"Yu Ang happens to need Cursed Livestock. You two will do nicely!"
"Ice Coffin!"
A massive Ice Coffin filled the space above the hall, and overwhelming cold poured down. Even ice crystals drifted through the air in that frigid temperature.
To create Cursed Livestock, Mu He did not choose to smash the coffin down. He wanted to seal the two of them with its freezing aura instead.
Jiang Yuan calmly looked up.
"Mo Fan, release your Fire element magic with everything you have. Help me melt this ice."
Mo Fan was shivering beneath the chill. Hearing Jiang Yuan call out to him, he instinctively looked over.
It would have been better if he had not looked. The moment he did, he saw ribbons of scalding steam surrounding Jiang Yuan's body, winding around his limbs and torso as though they were orbiting a god.
Mo Fan froze. The next moment, his mind became clearer than ever before, as though no external factor could interfere with his thoughts.
Before he could figure out what was happening, Jiang Yuan spoke again.
"Now, release Fire element magic!"
"Alright, Fire Seed—Burst!"
At the thought, Mo Fan's Star Track connected in an instant.
One Thought Star Track formed!
Explosive flames erupted, shattering and melting the ice in the intense heat.
"Holy shit, I can form a Star Track with one thought too?"
Amid his shock, another One Thought Star Track formed, and blazing flames roared forth.
"Keep casting. Don't stop." Jiang Yuan directed him while quietly releasing a Mind Magic spell.
Mo Fan was currently in an Overclock Co-vibration State. He could unleash one hundred percent of his strength and form a Star Track with one thought.
This was one of the ways to use the Overclock State!
While Mo Fan continuously cast magic, Jiang Yuan moved as well. The steam surrounding him spread throughout the entire hall.
The hall became shrouded in mist, making it impossible to see anything.
This was Jiang Yuan's exclusive Intermediate level Water element magic variant—Boiling Steam!
With the Overclock State's enhancement, the spell's power multiplied.
In such an unceasing high-temperature environment, it was extremely difficult for Mu He to use Ice element magic. Even if he cast it, its power would be reduced by thirty to forty percent.
Not to mention that Mo Fan was constantly heating the area with Fire element magic.
Furthermore, Mu He had failed to establish an Ice element environment from the start. By the time he realized how much the steam environment restricted him, he was already deep within the steam.
The wind could not blow it away!
Before Mu He could react and use Ice element magic to lower the temperature, his thoughts already seemed somewhat muddled.
It was time to end this quickly!
Jiang Yuan clenched his right hand, and powerful lightning burst forth.
Using the mist as cover, he moved behind Mu He.
He lightly tossed out the lightning.
Crack! Thunder exploded as the lightning transformed into a thunder serpent and lunged at Mu He.
Lightning element magic was already immensely powerful, and now it had a fourfold boost to its base power.
With a single strike, it pierced Mu He's Intermediate level defensive spell before landing on his body with a dull explosion.
Blood squeezed out from flesh that had been charred black, flowing without end.
Mu He trembled as he looked down. His scalding blood continued to drain away along with his life.
Blood pulsed out in streams like a heartbeat. It looked like an artery had been struck.
How was this possible?
He was a dignified Blue-robed Deacon of the Black Vatican, a figure feared by countless factions, yet he had suffered such a severe loss at the hands of a student?!!!!
"Lightning... Lightning element magic!" Mu He suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"You have three magic elements. You're a High-level Mage too!!"
His mind had long been thrown into chaos by Jiang Yuan's Mind element spell, "Mind Ripple—Rage," leaving him unable to think at all.
He instinctively assumed Jiang Yuan was a High-level Mage.
"Too bad I didn't hit a vital spot, but this should be enough." Jiang Yuan sighed softly and raised his hand, unleashing another burst of lightning.
"Bastard, bastard!!!"
"I was merely careless! Do you really think you can defeat me?!!"
Mu He cursed hysterically as powerful Ice elements erupted violently.
Feeling the immense pressure, Jiang Yuan's heart tightened.
A High-level Mage was far stronger than an Intermediate level mage.
Especially in such a cramped space, it was even more difficult for an Intermediate level mage to deal with a High-level Mage.
Jiang Yuan had yet to obtain an Elemental Seed, nor had he strengthened his magic to a higher level.
The power boost granted by his talent could not close much of the gap between him and a High-level Mage.
The only reason he had severely wounded Mu He was because Mu He had underestimated him from the beginning.
If he encountered another High-level Mage, it would not be so easy.
"Are you still going to continue?" Jiang Yuan asked coldly, his expression unchanged.
"Pfft! Cough, cough!" Mu He coughed up a mouthful of blood. His eyes were frighteningly dark as he stared at Jiang Yuan, as though he wanted to carve that face into the deepest recesses of his mind.
Without saying a word, he turned and vanished from sight.
He could unleash his full strength and kill Mo Fan and Jiang Yuan, but that would also put him in a dangerous position.
If he stayed any longer, he would likely bleed dry.
Jiang Yuan watched Mu He leave and did not recklessly chase after him.
Although it was no different from letting a tiger return to the mountains, stopping Mu He was far too dangerous.
He did not believe he could survive a fully unleashed Ice Coffin.
But it did not matter. After the failure of the Bocheng Disaster, Salang would not let Mu He off easily, and the next place Mu He appeared would surely be Ancient Capital.
Because Ancient Capital was the site of one of Salang's grand ceremonies. Salang would not allow Mu He to go to any city other than Ancient Capital.
The next time they met, the gap in their strength might still be immense.
But by then, it would not be Mu He who held the advantage in strength!
Once this disaster was settled, Jiang Yuan planned to use avoiding the Black Vatican as an excuse to venture into the wilderness and obtain his own magical opportunities, bringing about a qualitative transformation in his strength!!
Before you continue