Translated by XephiZ

Edited by Aelryinth

An Elder of the Magic Court had almost died just because she had learned the whereabouts of a Red Cardinal. What kind of outstanding capabilities did these Red Cardinals of the Black Vatican have, to be able to murder strong Mages like them so easily?

It took Mo Fan some time to calm down. He went up to Leng Qing and inspected her injuries.

Leng Qing had not suffered many physical injuries, but her pale skin had turned completely black, as if she was soaked in a black liquid for a very long time.

She was not poisoned, yet her body was severely damaged by Dark Energy. Even her blood was corrupted by the Dark Magic. Normal medicines were useless for her condition. The only cure was the Healing Element, which was a kind of the White Magic!

"Such a strong Dark Energy!" Mo Fan placed his hand on Leng Qing's body, but the Dark Energy immediately spread to Mo Fan's hand like a deadly virus.

Mo Fan was a Shadow Mage, yet even he was unable to withstand the Dark Energy. He lost feeling in his hand in just a matter of seconds!

"Mmm, the assassin seems to be everywhere. We've tried so hard to run away from him. We've cut off all communications, we didn't dare to use our magic, or even medicines, just to escape from that maniac," Xiao Ping said.

Mo Fan fell into deep thought. How did the assassin have such a terrifying tracking ability?

There were varieties of Dark Magic. Mo Fan was specialized in using shadows. He could move between shadows, conceal his presence, and impair the movement of his enemies. He could also form a Seal of Darkness with his will to mark a target, allowing him to track down a target. It was how he was able to follow the Bronze-Fang Hillman on Outer Mount Kunyu.

The Seal of Darkness was merely one of the basic abilities of the Dark Magic. Mo Fan had already inspected Leng Qing, but he did not find any Seal of Darkness on her.

Even if there was one, Leng Qing would have gotten rid of it long ago. It was not difficult to get rid of a Seal of Darkness.

Which came back to the question... how was the assassin tracking them?

They had stopped using spells, communication devices, and medicines. In other words, even the slightest presence of magic would expose their location to the assassin!

As the level of a Mage rose, the number of ways a Mage could use their spells increased too. Even though Mo Fan was a Shadow Mage, he still had no clue what the secret was.

Mo Fan looked at Lingling, but even the knowledgeable Lingling was shaking her head. She too was clueless about it.

"It's...it's the Darkness Corruption..." a feeble voice said.

Mo Fan followed the voice and realized Leng Qing was awake. Her eyelids were half-opened. Even moving her lips cost her lots of energy. She had been listening to their conversation, but she was too weak to respond.

"The Darkness Corruption is able to mark everything close to its target. Communication devices, spells, the people, the medicines… it will alert the assassin about the slightest energy it has detected..." Leng Qing said feebly.

"So you're saying that we can't even use a single spell. Otherwise, the assassin will know where we are?" Mo Fan asked.

Both Mo Fan and Lingling had made physical contact with Leng Qing. The Dark Magic had even attacked Mo Fan. Therefore, everything they did would be reflected to the assassin!

"Mm," Leng Qing said.

"What should we do then? The guy is somewhere in the city. If we try going to the Nanguo Enforcement Union, he's sure to intercept us. If we try asking for help or using any magic, he will know too. We can't even use any medicine. Doesn't that mean there's nothing we can do but watch her die in pain?" Xiao Ping said in despair.

The biggest problem they were facing was Leng Qing's injuries. Mo Fan believed she would not last for more than twenty-four hours if she was not treated.

"I..." Leng Qing wanted to say something, but she was just too weak. She tried her best to open her eyes, as if she had something important to pass on to Lingling and Mo Fan.

"I don't care what you found or learned, but I won't allow you to give up now. What's going to happen to Lingling if you die? You are all she has! Just close your eyes, rest well, and hang in there. I'll take care of the assassin and get you treated!" Mo Fan stopped Leng Qing from saying a word further.

Leng Qing was too weak. Every word she said would shorten her life.

Leng Qing turned to Lingling after hearing Mo Fan's words.

Tears were rolling in Lingling's eyes after seeing her sister was dying and hearing Mo Fan's words. She furiously punched Mo Fan on the chest and snapped, "My grandfather is still alive!"

"Oh, I was just saying so your sister will care more about you, so she won't think she can die in glory now, just because she has fulfilled her duty after discovering some information about a Red Cardinal. A real woman among women should take care of her family while swearing loyalty to the country! Those who have failed to make both ends meet aren't considered great. It's the same as being a one-trick pony. If your Fire Element is strong, but your Lightning Element is weak, people won't be impressed by you. It just means you've spent all your time practicing the Fire Element. You're no different than those that are bad in both Elements! What I'm trying to say is, Senior Sister, even though you've done a lot for the Enforcement Union, you haven't been taking good care of Lingling, which makes you a terrible person..." Mo Fan kept blabbing.

Leng Qing glanced at Mo Fan. If she had the energy, she would kick Mo Fan out of the room for uttering such nonsense.

Who would choose to die if they were given an option? The problem was that she did not think she had any chance of surviving. The assassin was too strong for them. Leng Qing had only managed to contact Lingling with a special method. She tried to contact Old Bao, but he was still out of the country. He seemed to be involved in something important!

"Those guys are never around when we need their help!" Lingling snapped furiously.

The Clearsky Hunter Agency had a lot of experts, but the others usually came and went like shadows. It was rare to see them around, so it was difficult to ask them for help during an emergency.

"Is the assassin a Super Mage?" Mo Fan asked.

"No, but I think he's scarier than a Super Mage," Xiao Ping said.

If they were up against a normal Super Mage, they just needed to run away, but it was impossible to escape from the assassin. Every time they thought they were safe, the assassin would stab at their throats with his black dagger, placing them under a suffocating pressure.

"We still have a chance if he's not a Super Mage. Since we can't ask other people for help, we'll have to take him on ourselves," Mo Fan said.

They would have to save Leng Qing first if they wanted to learn what she had discovered about the Red Cardinal.

An elusive ubiquitous assassin pursuing them in the darkness… Mo Fan decided to confront him directly!

---

Mo Fan did not have much time left. He initially planned to wait until Zhao Manyan was here, but that was no longer an option. Many flights were delayed or even canceled due to the thick mist looming over the city. The only way Zhao Manyan could make it in time was by flying here with his golden wings. However, he had to stay on the right path. Otherwise, he would be feeding himself to demon creatures instead!

"I'll leave Little Flame Belle behind and head over to the Canton Tower. I'll see if the assassin knows where I am if I don't use my magic," Mo Fan said.

Mo Fan was now corrupted by the Dark Magic too. Luckily, Little Flame Belle was sleeping on his shoulder in her porcelain doll form. Otherwise, their location would be exposed once he had to summon the Little Flame Belle.

------

Mo Fan was confident in Little Flame Belle's strength. He left by himself and proceeded along the busy streets. He found himself in a noisy market.

The market was crowded with people; vegetable vendors, butchers, middle-aged women negotiating for a lower price, young couples complaining about how dirty the place was. Mo Fan did not wear the outfit of a Mage, nor did he have any badge on him. He was weaving through the crowd like a normal person!

He kept going and soon reached the Tianhe District, with its tall buildings and overpasses. It was like a different world compared to the urban village. The skyscrapers with steel glasses, the delicate parks combined with spacious plazas, the streets with slow-moving traffic... the traffic here was even worse than the Magic City!...

The reason why Guangzhou was called the Demon City was mainly because of its ever-changing weather. It always gave the weather forecast huge slaps to the face. It was misty when Mo Fan left the house the others were hiding in, but it was already raining now.

Mo Fan was getting closer to the Canton Tower, moving at a fast pace. He was merely employing the physical traits of a Mage, without relying on his magic, so he was not unleashing any magic ripples.

The Canton Tower showed off its unique charm at night. Mo Fan didn't expect the simple design of the tower and its squares would be so magnificent when he was looking at it from a close distance!

"Someone is falling!"

"My Heavens, someone is falling from the tower!"

"Holy crap, it's a kid!"

An uproar suddenly occurred ahead of Mo Fan. The people started screaming.

Mo Fan raised his head and saw a vague figure descending rapidly. It must have been falling for some time.

A normal Mage would not dare to catch the figure, since its momentum from the constant acceleration would be too much for them to handle. The impact would crush the kid as soon as he made contact with anything, let alone the ground!

"Damn it, is every Mage of the Nanguo Magic Association blind!?" Mo Fan cursed.

Mo Fan was quite impressed by his own luck. The kid was less than fifty meters above the ground. A few Mages were diving from the tower to save him, but they were unable to reach the kid in time!

Mo Fan was close to where the kid was falling. He kept reminding himself not to use a single spell, yet he could not bear to just watch the kid fall to his death!

"Consider myself unlucky!" Mo Fan always found these naughty kids annoying. He vanished as he was forced to use Blink.

The moment his body emitted a silver flicker, an invisible dark energy immediately rose from his body and turned into tiny black flies, flying into the sky toward the top of the Canton Tower!