Versatile Mage: Starting with the White Tiger Pendant-Chapter 179: Demon Relics

Mo Fan was slightly stunned. "Lu Nian is dead?"

He walked to the edge of the scorched crater, leaned forward, and looked down. There, he saw a twisted, blood-soaked corpse, a sight so gruesome it was almost unbearable. The corpse's contorted face, frozen in an expression of fear and despair, revealed the unimaginable torment he had endured before his death.

But Mo Fan remained expressionless. He felt no sympathy in fact, he even thought this wasn't enough. After all, he hadn't been the one to personally finish him off.

Lu Jun had never forgotten the grudge he held against Lu Nian from back in Magic City, and like Mo Fan, he lived by the rule of never forgetting a grudge. Lu Nian's righteous justifications had always been disgusting, especially since he sacrificed others for the sake of his own research using them as mere test subjects.

"This old dog got off easy."

Mo Fan spat on the ground, then turned to Lu Jun and asked, "By the way, what exactly is Blood Demon Relic?"

Lu Jun smirked mysteriously, picked up one of the Blood Relics, and casually tossed it to Mo Fan. "Lu Nian deserved to die," he explained, "but his Demonic Element can be fully realized through you."

Mo Fan, caught off guard, fumbled to catch the Blood Relic, and upon hearing Lu Jun's words, he almost threw it away in shock.

"What the hell?! Old Lu, you're not planning to use me as an experiment, are you?!"

"Listen to me first," Lu Jun said, shaking his head. "The Demonic Element has always required an enormous amount of mana—far beyond what any mage of the same level can provide. A Mid-tier mage would need more than two entire Nebulas, while a High-tier mage would need more than three Star Rivers. That's why no one has ever been able to sustain it."

"But you... you're born with dual elements. Your Mid-tier magic has four Nebulas, and your High-tier magic has six full Star Rivers. You have more than enough to sustain the Blood Relic. It's the perfect match for your magic."

Hearing Lu Jun's persuasive tone, Mo Fan felt a chill run down his spine. He quickly waved his hands. "Forget it! I'm not interested. I believe I can grow stronger on my own, without relying on this power."

Lu Jun chuckled, his words carrying a deeper meaning. "You're right. But having it as a trump card wouldn't hurt, would it? When the time comes, if you're ever pushed to the brink of death, you could use it like a Heavenly Demon Disintegration Technique."

Mo Fan had been ready to throw the Demon Relic away, but after hearing this, he hesitated then obediently put it away.

"That's true," he thought to himself. "I'm handsome and strong, and a lot of people envy me. Having an extra trump card is always a good idea."

Lu Jun then proceeded to explain the taboos of the Demonic Element: "Once you transform, all your magic levels will drop by one tier, and you'll suffer from soul backlash."

"But," he added, "if you stockpile enough Demon Essences in advance, you can easily counteract the backlash."

The more Mo Fan listened, the more tempting it sounded. He suddenly realized this downside wasn't as bad as he had imagined! He had thought the transformation would turn him into a mindless monster, but it was actually manageable.

"Wait a minute... my Little Loach can collect Demon Essences effortlessly!"

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Seeing Mo Fan deep in thought, Lu Jun added one last crucial piece of advice: "When you reach High-tier or even Super-tier, don't rush to awaken a new element. The Demonic Element should be your top priority. It will be invaluable to you in the future."

"Alright, I don't know if I'll ever use the Demon Relic," Mo Fan muttered, "but I'll keep it for now."

Though he still had some doubts, he agreed to hold onto it.

Lu Jun said nothing more. He was certain that Mo Fan would eventually use it.

Even if he resisted at High-tier, he'd have no choice when he reached Super-tier.

After all, without the Demonic Element, how could he have saved Zhang Xiaohou in the Ancient Capital? How could he have rescued Xinxia in the Parthenon Temple after the National Institute Battle?

Without the Demonic Element, Mo Fan wouldn't survive.

It was destined that he would take this path.

At the moment, aside from obtaining the Demon Relic for Curse Magic research, Lu Jun had only limited Mo Fan's early usage of it.

After all, it would be a waste to unlock the Demonic Element just to kill Lu Nian, a mere nobody. Losing half a year of training and dropping a magic tier for that? Too big of a loss.

In the original timeline, Mo Fan had Demonized in Dongting Lake and had to spend four months recovering. Then he trained for two more months just to regain his former strength. His entire second semester of freshman year had been wasted.

Lu Jun reasoned that half a year was more than enough for Mo Fan, with his dual-element advantage, to hunt demons and gather enough Star River Vain. He should at least reach High-tier before heading to the Ancient Capital.

The original Mo Fan's growth trajectory was far from perfect.

If he hadn't been held back by the Demonic Element, and if he had avoided getting involved in so many major events, then perhaps by the time the Holy City targeted him, he would have already broken through to Forbidden Curse-tier.

Lu Jun put away the remaining Demon Relics and stopped paying attention to Mo Fan.

His real objective had always been Lu Nian's Demon Relic.

Mo Fan's timeline had simply been collateral damage but since he could manipulate events, why not take advantage of the situation?

A Commander-level Vampire's Blood Source combined with a Demon Relic...

This would surely allow him to craft an exceptional Curse Material.

Now, everything was prepared only one piece remained.

He still needed to advance his Curse Element to High-tier, which required gathering a Star River Vain.

He had about 50 to 60 million on hand but still needed to hunt many more monsters.

Coincidentally, Lu Jun looked toward the battlefield in the city center.

Between the towering skyscrapers, thunderous explosions rang out continuously.

Brilliant streaks of High-tier magic illuminated the battlefield. With every strike, hundreds of Earth Lizard Beasts were crushed into pulp.

Meanwhile, Lu Mei and Zhan Kong, two powerful High-tier Wind Mages, were engaged in aerial combat against a Commander-level Pseudo Dragon.

Mo Fan also witnessed this scene.

The overwhelming tide of lizards surged forward, yet the four High-tier mages held the line, preventing them from advancing.

It was a sight that left him deeply shaken.

Lu Jun turned to Mo Fan, smirking mysteriously.

"A single tribe isn't something a Mid-tier mage can handle. You should leave Jinlin Wild City for now."

"Remember to capture Lu Zhenghe alive on your way out. He'll serve as evidence of Lu Nian's crimes. I have a use for him. When the time comes... hehe... The Imperial Capital Academy, which oversaw this training exercise, will have to take responsibility for this mess."

Mo Fan's eyes lit up, like a cat that had just stolen a fish, and he grinned slyly.

"Ohhh, I see—we're gonna extort the Imperial Capital!"

"A fat compensation payout for mental distress... and property damage... Oh, and let's not forget the military should pay up too!"

The two of them were cut from the same cloth, both dual-element mages, both always broke, and both experts at squeezing money out of every opportunity.

They nodded in agreement, sealing the deal.

A moment later, Mo Fan vanished into the shadows, using Shadow Escape to leave the battlefield.

Lu Jun fixed his gaze on the battlefield ahead.

He summoned his Night Thunder Dream Beast, preparing to join the battle.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

He drew his Black-Gold Dragon Pattern Sword.

A three-foot blade flickered in the wind, expanding rapidly transforming into a colossal saber over ten meters long.

He stepped onto it, and with a whoosh, he soared through the sky, flying toward the mountainous nest of the Giant Lizard Horde.

From midair, Lu Jun looked down at the battlefield below.

Over ten thousand Earth Lizard Beasts surged forward, their dark swarm-like mass resembling a rolling tide of darkness.

When humans number over ten thousand, it's a crowd.

When monsters number over ten thousand, it's an unstoppable calamity.

Each tribe typically had about fifty nests, and even after discounting the weak and elderly, there were still at least 2,500 active warriors.

But a Commander-level Pseudo Dragon had far greater influence than ordinary White Sturgeon Demons or Vampires.

Its call had rallied over ten thousand monsters.

That was the real challenge in hunting Commanders and Monarchs one had to eliminate their minions before striking at the heart of the beast.

He caught a glimpse of his Night Thunder Dream Beast, its form melting into shadows, creeping along the rocky cliffs toward the False Dragon's lair.

Upon reaching the nest, its Nightmare Domain expanded, locking into a deadly stare-off with the massive, dozens-of-meters-long Pseudo Dragon.

"A large horde, huh?"

"A Water Mage like me isn't afraid of numbers."

Lu Jun's aura flared powerfully.

A surge of water vapor erupted from his body, soaring into the sky.

Serpentine Water Silk Flood Dragons coiled around him, their scales glistening with an ethereal crystalline glow.

Above his head, a brilliant azure pearl hovered, casting its radiance over the entire battlefield, sending countless misty tendrils cascading down like flowing silk.

At some point, the sword beneath his feet had vanished.

In its place was a raging azure river, sweeping across the battlefield like a heavenly torrent.