When Bi Jiang's shadowy form departed, the interior of the temple grew dim.
The monk Wu Ku gently tapped the wooden fish before the Buddha statue, releasing a faint, almost imperceptible sigh.
After the Black Vatican's collapse, its remnants scattered everywhere. Following half a year of recuperation, drifting across South America and Europe, they had finally managed to reestablish footing.
Now, the Blue Bat had gone to Europe, joining forces with Extradite Shou to confront Yan Qiu.
Meanwhile, Wu Ku came to South America, choosing to inherit Madam Salan's grand legacy and continue executing the plans long since laid down.
Yet what troubled him most was this: after the death of Cardinal Salan, the Church had splintered into factions with their own schemes, leaving him unable to unify its strength for the revival of their great cause.
"How can a group of worms ever hope to carry forth Salan's will?"
Wu Ku muttered softly, and thus he resolved to initiate an assassination.
First, it was to avenge Madam Salan. Second, it was to revitalize the reputation of the Black Vatican.
Many of Salan's subordinates were deeply dissatisfied with the inner conflict between the Blue Bat and Yan Qiu. Dying at the hands of one's own, without being able to unleash darkness upon the world — such resentment brewed heavily.
If Wu Ku could stand out, hoist the banner, and strike at Huaxia's National Team — the focal point of worldwide attention — it would immediately inspire countless believers, and large numbers of followers would flock to him of their own accord.
Whether successful or not, this act of vengeance for Salan would surely win people's hearts.
Furthermore, the believers aligned with the other six Cardinal factions would inevitably shift their stance.
After all, the fall of the very first Cardinal had cast a massive shadow. In many regions, the Black Vatican had been forced into hiding, which left Salan's faction looked down upon by the others.
Put simply, Wu Ku sat firmly upon the fisherman's throne — no matter the outcome, he would not lose.
According to his intelligence, Bi Jiang's elusive dark abilities gave an extremely high chance of success.
Thinking this, Wu Ku's lips curved into a smile. He placed his palms together and softly chanted:
"Amitabha, merciful Buddha, blessed indeed."
Little did he know, their plotting was being observed clearly from thousands of miles away by Lu Jun.
At that moment, Lu Jun and the National Team had trekked on foot to a small mountain village by the Caribbean coast. Suddenly, his expression faltered — the passive effect of his Psychic Element Basic Level 5 spell had been triggered.
True Name Foresight — someone was speaking his name. Yet this time, the aura was quite unfamiliar, unlike the countless familiar ones before.
Buzz, buzz, buzz! How rare. Curiosity stirred, and he immediately activated the Curse Element's Basic Level 5 spell — Soul Lock from Afar.
In an instant, Lu Jun's soul seemed to fly free from his body. His immense spiritual force pierced the unseen, his vision spanning thousands of miles, descending upon the dim Buddhist temple.
Like a phantom spirit, he observed. Like an aloof, merciless deity, he gazed down upon Wu Ku and Bi Jiang's conversation, comprehending every word just spoken.
Buzz!
Several seconds later, Lu Jun blinked, his sight returning to normal.
Beside him, Jiang Shaoxu sensed a faint ripple of Psychic magic. Mistaking it as her own misperception, she saw his brief pause and asked with concern:
"Captain, what's wrong? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." He shook his head, diverting the topic as he pointed ahead at a beautiful village blooming with wildflowers:
"Let's rest over there for a while."
"Hooray, long live the Captain!"
Jiang Shaoxu was successfully distracted, and the others too cheered happily. Walking across the Caribbean on foot had indeed been exhausting — finally, they could take a break.
Lu Jun smiled, finally with space to contemplate what he had just witnessed.
"How amusing — after all this time, the passive effects of both Psychic and Curse are finally proving useful."
He sighed in deep emotion. It hadn't been easy. Before, these two passives were mostly triggered by girls or strangers mentioning his name, hardly ever by those plotting assassination.
After fishing for so long, he had finally hooked a big one.
Lu Jun of course recognized Wu Ku and Bi Jiang. The former needed no elaboration — he had long been on Lu Jun's mind. The latter, however, was one of the four artisan-killers of the Killer Hall, a High-level pinnacle powerhouse.
That wasn't even the most important part. The key was that Bi Jiang possessed the innate talent Shadow-Chaos Fusion Galaxy — sharing a single star between the Shadow Element and Chaos Element. The meaning of this needed no explanation: it was tied to Fusion Magic, and possibly even the key to breakthroughs.
In addition, he held the Dark Matter Night Fiend, which would later be transplanted into Mo Fan's Shadow Element, laying a solid foundation for Mo Fan's Shadow to ascend into an invincible path.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Assassinate me? This one here is practically delivering the goods right to my door."
Lu Jun's mood soared. His Ascending State already granted him partial traits of Fusion Magic. He had long yearned to fully master this path, and though he had wished to track down Bi Jiang earlier, he had no idea where to begin.
Now things had turned out perfectly. Once Bi Jiang was slain, his corpse could be delivered to Feng Zhoulong Capital for research. Afterward, Lu Jun would dive deep into the ocean to capture a sea demon known as the Four-Colored Demon, a creature capable of allowing multiple elements to coexist.
With that, Old Feng's creation of Fusion Magic would be within reach. By then, with his six Elements fully cultivated to High-level plus mastery of Fusion Magic, even some Mid-tier Super-level experts who wielded Transcendent Power would not be his match.
As for Wu Ku, Lu Jun was not yet confident enough to handle him. For now, he would set him aside. Once the World Tournament was over, he would seclude himself in bitter cultivation before making a move.
During Soul Lock from Afar, Lu Jun had conveniently marked both Wu Ku and Bi Jiang with his Curse Element and Psychic Element. These marks were methods so subtle that ordinary Super-levels would not notice them.
Coming back to his senses, he led the National Team members into the village, intending to negotiate with the village chief for some rooms to stay in.
Yet ahead, two groups suddenly broke into a heated quarrel.
Looking over, Lu Jun saw several hundred gathered in an open area. On one side were local villagers, numbering in the hundreds, clothed in mixed garb. On the other side was clearly an outside force — dozens of mages wearing uniform crimson garments and adorned with red ornaments.
The leader of the crimson-clad force bore a slovenly, careless demeanor, swaying his head as he said in a playful tone.
"Village Chief, you misunderstand me. I only want to help the villagers make money together — a win-win situation, right?"
The village chief, a middle-aged man in black garb, barked angrily.
"Misunderstanding? Very well. Since it's come to this, the most valuable things our mountain village has are these herbs. If you've got the ability, then take them all!"
The man called Xige feigned innocence:
"Looks like there really is a misunderstanding. I'm just a businessman. From now on, your land, houses, herbs, and people all belong to me. But, as long as you pay ransom, I'll take my brothers and withdraw."
Upon seeing this scene, Mo Fan, filled with justice, couldn't help but curse.
"F*** me, the pirates here are this arrogant? Just robbing people openly? The government doesn't intervene?"
Jiang Shaoxu frowned tightly, sneering coldly."They're people of the Red Ornament Society. As for the local government… heh."
Lu Jun's gaze swept across the Red Ornament Society's bandit mages in the distance. They were staring directly at the young girls of the village, their eyes dripping with greed and lechery. Without a doubt, they weren't only here to plunder wealth, but also women.
Instantly, dozens of maidens in their prime and young married women turned pale in fright. The men clenched their teeth, stepping out to shield them.
The village chief's face grew deathly pale. Money lost could always be earned again, but if their women were defiled, the true damage would be irreparable.
Yet a burly middle-aged man quickly stopped him.
"No, Village Chief. If we give them the money, then when the sea demons invade next season, we'll have nothing left to hire hunters for protection!"
For additional chapters
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