Chapter 61: Mu Ningxue’s Arrow

Going back or staying didn't really matter to Mo Fan anymore. After all, whatever was destined to happen, would happen.

As everyone agreed to leave, Lu Zhenghe, though anxious, had no choice but to go along with it.

The night passed uneventfully.

The next morning, everyone started packing their things, getting ready to leave. Lu Zhenghe wanted to try convincing them to stay, but when he looked up, he saw a formation of snow-white wings approaching. The wings sparkled under the dim light, decorating the dark sky with faint radiance. Seeing this, he decided not to press the matter any further.

Mo Fan also noticed the wings, but he was more concerned about whether Chief Instructor Zhang Kong would come through for them or not.

As they headed out of the city, they walked along an old railway covered in moss and weeds. The tracks stretched through the forest toward a distant city, which felt like a paradise to the group now.

Everyone was eager to return to civilization, to their cozy homes. But they hadn't gone far when a group of figures appeared ahead, all wearing identical uniforms. The design was somewhat similar to that of the Mage Guards, but with a distinct color difference.

There were about twenty to thirty people in this group, each accompanied by a giant white eagle. The eagles had powerful, sharp gazes, and their large wings nearly touched the ground. If they spread their wings, they would likely reach a span of two meters.

"Are these Mage Guards here to rescue us?" Jingjing asked with hope on her face.

"Their uniforms look strange." Zhao Manyan noted.

"Be careful." Mo Fan warned.

The group froze at Mo Fan's reminder, and Lu Zhenghe's gaze also shifted toward him.

Lu Nian, standing at the front of the group, slowly raised his right hand and gave a cold order to the other mages: "Kill all unnecessary people."

His tone was so casual, as if he were merely suggesting they take these people away. But his command was one of execution!

Lu Zhenghe was stunned and quickly tried to smile awkwardly. "Big brother, there must be a misunderstanding. These people are students from Pearl Academy and Imperial City Academy undergoing training with me."

"That's why they need to be silenced. I don't want anyone knowing about this." Lu Nian responded flatly. His calm attitude made it clear that countless people had already died by his hand.

As soon as Lu Nian spoke, a chilling killing intent filled the air, coming from the twenty or so mages behind him. These were mid-level mages, and when they set their sights on the inexperienced trainees, it was as if a pack of wolves had surrounded a group of lambs.

Ice chains flew, and lightning gathered in the sky.

Everyone quickly activated their defensive magic items, except for Ming Cong, who was still bound and unable to react in time. He was killed on the spot.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Thanks to their magic items, the rest of the group barely managed to withstand the first wave of attacks. Mo Fan, quick on his feet, grabbed Lu Zhenghe by the neck, threatening, "If your men make another move, I'll kill him first."

Seeing Ming Cong's body, the group realized that the enemy wasn't joking — they truly intended to kill them. The assassins showed no mercy at all.

Lu Nian frowned, clearly displeased. He had intended to wait until Lu Zhenghe was safely out of harm's way before making his move, but his impatience had led him to act prematurely. In his mind, these students were just inexperienced children who had never experienced real combat. He expected them to freeze in fear and wait to be slaughtered.

But to his surprise, Mo Fan had immediately taken his brother hostage.

"Big brother, save me! Please!" Lu Zhenghe cried, his voice full of desperation.

Lu Nian was ruthless, showing no mercy. Mo Fan, however, was just as brutal. Lu Nian had seen him in action before, during the confrontation with Liao Mingxuan.

"Interesting." Lu Nian said with a smirk, taking a puff from his pipe. He waved his hand, signaling his magic bombardment team to pause.

Liao Mingxuan, who had been on edge, saw the attack stop and immediately shouted, "Do you know who I am? I'm the son of Liao Feng from the Imperial Capital Magic Association! If you kill me, I'll make sure your entire family is wiped out!"

"Oh?" Lu Nian raised an eyebrow, his eyes glowing with a dull brown light.

In an instant, Liao Mingxuan fell silent. His body became rigid, and he couldn't move a muscle, not even his fingers. Then, all of a sudden, Liao Mingxuan stopped breathing. He was dead.

"Idiot." Mo Fan muttered without a shred of emotion.

Liao Mingxuan and Ming Cong's deaths didn't bother Mo Fan at all. It was naive to think that anyone would care about killing in the wilderness.

"What do you want?" Lu Nian asked calmly.

"You tell me. We don't even know you, so why are you trying to kill us?" Mu Ningxue demanded angrily, her face flushed with rage.

Though she was trembling slightly, it was clear that she was trying to keep her composure in the face of such senseless violence. Fortunately, Mo Fan had seized the upper hand by capturing Lu Zhenghe, their traitor.

"Oh? You're the granddaughter of the Mu family? Quite brave," Lu Nian complimented before turning his attention back to Mo Fan. "Alright then, how about a trade? One life for another. You choose. Who do you want to save?"

He eyed the women standing near Mo Fan and grinned. "That one next to you isn't bad. You seem close. Let Lu Zhenghe go, and I promise I won't kill her."

Mo Fan glanced at Mu Ningxue and Mu Nu Jiao before turning back to Lu Nian. "I'll consider sparing him, but first, I want to know—why are you doing this?"

Mo Fan sensed that Mu Ningxue was preparing something, so he decided to stall for time.

After a brief hesitation, Lu Nian explained his motives, framing himself as some kind of noble figure. Of course, he left out any details that might incriminate him.

"Alright, that's enough. Next time we meet, I'll take your head off," Mo Fan said coldly, before igniting his hand in flames and burning Lu Zhenghe alive.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!" Lu Zhenghe screamed.

"What are you doing?!" Lu Nian shouted, completely caught off guard by Mo Fan's sudden execution.

At the same time, an overwhelming cold aura surged behind Mo Fan.

Mu Ningxue's snow-white hair flowed majestically as she hovered above the frozen battlefield, her beautiful face now exuding a fearsome power. She stood amidst a field of rapidly forming ice crystals, looking like a snow queen in her domain.

"Ice Crystal Bow!"

Mu Ningxue transformed into the embodiment of winter, her outstretched arms drawing back a bow that seemed capable of freezing the entire world.

Snow swirled, ice spread, and even the low-hanging clouds froze into shards. The sheer coldness of her domain combined with the power of her Soul-level Ice Seed, creating a force that rivaled even high-tier magic.

Her arrow shot forth, and several of Lu Nian's men were instantly obliterated, while the rest were frozen solid.

(End of Chapter)