Inside the inn, Mu Bai couldn't help but ask in a trembling voice, "F-Father, are you part of the Black Vatican? Was the Bo City disaster your doing?"
He felt immense pain. Mu He's love for him was evident to all, yet he was a traitor, a butcher of the innocent.
Mu He fell silent for a while before saying, "You don't understand."
With that, the Deacon Mu He no longer paid attention to his son, Mu Bai. He neither forced him to join the Black Vatican, nor did he worry that Mo Fan and the others would use his son's life to threaten him.
In the living room, Mo Fan, Zhang Xiaohou, and He Yu saw this and understood — Mu Bai had been unaware and had no connection to the Black Vatican.
However, the group still kept their eyes on Mu Bai, wanting to see what choice he would make.
Mu Bai trembled all over, but in the end, he didn't take that step. He remained standing on this side, then stumbled down in despair.
Lu Jun let out a sigh of relief. Just like in the original story, Mu Bai stood firmly on the side of justice his heart was kind.
Right after, they dropped the matter. They were all proud people, unwilling to use a 'good man' to threaten the bad.
Wouldn't that make them the same as the Black Vatican? Besides, since Mu Bai had already made his choice, there was no need to force him into committing patricide in the name of righteousness.
Lu Jun stared at Mu He, sensing the vast and overwhelming mental fluctuations. A peak High-tier in three elements, his spiritual attainment was on par with that of the Ghost Woman.
That was why, in just an instant of mental clash, the Imperial Guards outside suffered heavy losses, and with coordinated teamwork, they had subdued several High-tier mages.
He scanned the figures behind Mu He — seven or eight High-tier Blue Deacons, dozens of Mid-tier Gray Priests, and hundreds of servant-class Black Beast Fjustic and felt a chill run through him.
In the original story, only a female High-tier Water Blue Deacon attacked Mo Fan, and she was easily defeated when the Flame Belle took over his body.
After that came the calamity of the Dark Abyss, which left no room to deal with Salan's forces.
Later, after the failure of the Ancient Capital incident, the Black Vatican fled in disarray, relentlessly pursued by the Tribunal, and suffered heavy losses.
Unexpectedly, at its peak, the Black Vatican had hidden so many forces in the Ancient Capital. This force alone could rival a demon tribe led by a Commander-level creature.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Outside, the Imperial Guard mages quickly responded. There were also spiritual High-tier mages who erected mental barriers to help their comrades resist the Black Vatican.
Unfortunately, under Mu He's immense spiritual pressure, they could only hold on with great difficulty.
Lu Jun frowned. The high-ups of the Ancient Capital hadn't sent any Super-tier mages, mainly because every known Super-tier mage had a reputation, and any movement would alert the Black Vatican which would be counterproductive.
Besides, this group from the Black Vatican didn't have any Super-tier mages either. The only one,Wu Ku, had not shown up. Clearly, Salan was cautious and unwilling to send a key figure here.
"In other words, it's just a bunch of High-tier mages."
Lu Jun's expression remained blank. This was their home ground. Though the Black Vatican had purposely deployed [Dominance of the Night], shrouding the area in darkness to prevent the noise of magical clashes from leaking out…
…the Ancient Capital had prepared well. If communication was cut off, Super-tier mages would be dispatched immediately to capture everyone in one sweep.
"Lu Jun… it's you again. It was you who ruined Lady Salan's plan in Bo City, and here in the Ancient Capital, it's you again. Tonight, I must eliminate you."
Mu He glared at him coldly and growled ferociously.
Boom! The several Blue Deacons attacking had already scattered, engaging the Imperial Guard mages outside in a massive battle. Bursts of colorful magical effects flashed, with deafening roars.
Mu He strode forward, his eyes flickering with black-red and translucent brilliance, confident he could easily subdue this group of university students.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Lu Jun and the others were immediately struck by mental oppression. Mo Fan, Zhang Xiaohou, and He Yu had their Star Charts interrupted mid-drawing.
Just then, some of their old high school classmates nearby, still groggy from drinking, were startled awake by the noise outside and screamed, "What's going on?"
Soon, they saw dark shadows flashing in the night and smelled that familiar sour stench. Trembling, they realized, "It's the Black Vatican!"
"That's right. Stay inside the room."
Lu Jun didn't have time to explain or comfort them. While drawing his Star Chart to summon the Night Thunder Dream Beast, he sternly barked at them.
Zhao Kun and the others were sensible enough to know that their cultivation wasn't high. They would only be a burden in this battle, so it was best not to get in the way. They hurriedly took shelter in the rooms.
Among them, Zu Jiming reacted the fastest, darting into a room like a streak of smoke. Zhou Min hesitated to speak, but ultimately didn't try to act tough and backed off.
Given the Beastman's usual conduct, it was thanks to Lu Jun's spiritual castration that he hadn't caused a public outcry at the Ancient Capital Institute.
In the Sage state, he cultivated wholeheartedly. Now, his cultivation had reached the peak of dual-element Intermediate Level.
Yet with that level of strength, he still didn't dare face the Black Vatican head-on. His cowardice was utterly contemptible.
Tzzzzz!
As soon as the Night Thunder Dream Beast appeared, surging black mist spread, filling the entire living room in the blink of an eye. Along with it, the Nightmare Domain unfolded.
In midair, the dim and translucent hues clashed, vast waves of black mist and mental fluctuations offset each other, unleashing a terrifying shockwave that swept across the room.
Lu Jun used the concealment of the Dark Domain to consecutively cast Mind Palace and Evil Spider Curse Well. An ancient octagonal tower descended, suppressing everything below.
In an instant, Mu He let out a muffled grunt. His psychic barrier was forced back a step, and he stared at Lu Jun in astonishment.
Beside him, Mo Fan also moved. The porcelain doll-like Little Flame Fairy collided into his embrace. A fiery lotus bloomed on his chest, radiating in layers. Flames coiled all around him, making him appear like a fiery demon.
After several months of growth, Flame Fairy had reached the peak of the Juvenile Phase, possessing the strength of a Warrior-tier in the Advancement Phase.
The two merged into one—Advanced Fire Mage + Elemental Holy Spirit—releasing a power of earth-shattering magnitude.
Fierce Fist: Nine Dragons!
Mo Fan threw a punch. The purplish-red flames flared wildly like a rising purple sun. Somehow, he had already leveled his Intermediate Fire Spell to level 4.
RUMBLE! The entire hotel trembled. With intense combat breaking out on all sides, it finally couldn't hold up anymore—half of it collapsed.
Nine fire dragons burst skyward from the crumbling building. Wherever they passed, rubble and walls were scorched into thick black smoke, which billowed outward and soared dozens of meters high, tearing apart the curtain of darkness.
Cough cough cough! Lu Jun and the others staggered out of the ruins, covered in dust.
Zhang Xiaohou complained, "Fan-ge, be more careful. Casting fire magic in such a confined space you trying to barbecue your teammates too?"
Up in the sky, Mu He's figure was in disarray. Large parts of him were charred black. Behind him, a pair of massive Wind Wings shielded him.
He had taken Mo Fan's Fierce Fist head-on. Even a Commander-level demon wouldn't have withstood that hit.
"This isn't good…"
Seeing how powerful Lu Jun and Mo Fan were, Mu He began to waver. His strongest methods lay in curses and the mind, but Lu Jun had easily neutralized them.
The Wind Element was not suited for offense or defense. If this fight continued, the outcome looked grim.
"I can only rely on the hidden agent now…"
Mu He glanced toward the still-standing half of the building. Just as this thought flashed through his mind, his pupils suddenly widened.
He saw Lu Mei's graceful figure walking out from the room that held Fang Gu and Asha'ria. The Beastman, Zu Jiming, was sent flying like a dead dog by a fire dragon, crashing to the ground with his entire body scorched.
"Heh… what were you waiting for?"
Lu Jun sneered, casting a cold glance at Zu Jiming. From the first moment he saw this man, Lu Jun had been on guard and deliberately held back, arranging for his sister to guard Fang Gu and Asha'ria.
Sure enough, a dog couldn't change its habit of eating crap. He was colluding with the Black Vatican again truly degenerating the more he lived.
For additional chapters
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