Lu Jun and the others stayed in the city and rested for the night.
There was no movement from the Red Ornament Society for now. Most likely, they hadn't yet received the news of Xige, Oni, and their group's deaths, assuming they were still looting and playing around elsewhere.
But at breakfast that morning, Lu Jun received exactly what he had been waiting for—the information sent over by the National Institute mentors.
At present, the Japanese team and the Indian team happened to be traveling in this region as well. Thus, the International Competition Committee issued a mission: the three National Institutes were to join forces to eradicate the Caribbean Red Ornament Society!
He gathered his teammates and shared the mission with them.
"Hahaha!" Zhao Manyan rubbed his fists together, itching for action. "Isn't this just perfect? We already provoked the Red Ornament Society, so now we can uproot them completely."
Lu Jun glanced across the group and chuckled. "In addition to the international financial reward, this mission also comes with a treasure. It will be awarded to the member who performs best among the three National Institute teams."
This treasure was called the Dark Noble Cloak, a magic tool once used in his youth by none other than the Dark Sovereign.
That man was a Forbidden Curse Mage. The magic tools he used were anything but ordinary.
"An ultimate treasure of the Shadow Element!"
Mo Fan's eyes lit up. Among the team, his cultivation in the Shadow Element was the highest. If the Chinese team could obtain it, and his contribution proved even slightly outstanding, then by allocation it would surely fall into his hands.
"No time to lose, Captain—when do we set off?"
Guan Yu and Li Kaifeng, both with Shadow Element cultivation, were equally eager to rush out and slaughter the Red Ornament Society.
Lu Jun nodded slightly, then said suddenly, "Hmm, this time A Jiangtu will continue to lead the team. I have other matters to attend to."
"Huh?" At first, the others were puzzled, but then they nodded in understanding. Their National Institute captain often acted alone—this had become a hallmark of the Nine Continents team.
It was just as well; the other countries had no way to gauge the speed of Lu Jun's growth.
Mo Fan's eyes shone even brighter. If anyone in the team could possibly outshine him in contributions, it was Lu Jun. Old Lu not going along was precisely to his advantage.
Only Jiang Yu looked uneasy. "Based on the intel we gathered last night, the Red Ornament Society's leader Casso is no ordinary figure. He's a high-level mage at the peak of Domain—without several of our National Institute cores holding him back, we won't have enough."
Lu Jun had already prepared a response. "Don't worry. I'll leave safeguards with you. My dimensional beast, the Night Thunder Dream Beast, and my summoned creature, the Mermaid Holy Spirit, will accompany you. They'll be enough to keep you all safe."
At those words, everyone's eyes lit up. They all knew how absurdly powerful Lu Jun's two beasts were—both at Commander-level or higher, with supreme bloodlines, their strength far surpassing the ordinary.
Each one alone was not weaker than Old Ai. Together, alongside Mo Fan and A Jiangtu, their combined strength would more than suffice.
After discussion, the Chinese team split into two groups. Lu Jun went off to attend to his own matters, while the Mermaid and the Night Thunder Dream Beast were summoned to accompany the main force. At dawn, they set off to track down the Red Ornament Society's trail.
Whinny! Jingle~
On the street, the majestic black-and-white Dream Beast let out a low rumble, steady and resolute, declaring it would deal with their enemies. Seated upon it, the young mermaid radiated confidence.
For some reason, Shui-jun (the Mermaid Holy Spirit) possessed the same ability as Yan Ji to shrink her form, but she simply never used it—always maintaining her youthful maiden shape. Gentle in daily life, yet capable of standing alone when needed, she truly gave the impression of a secretary who handled everything—save for the occasional cough, cough…
Lu Jun waved them goodbye from the roadside. Normally, neither summoned beasts nor dimensional beasts could stray too far from their master. But ever since he mastered the Spirit Carving Method in Summoning, and with the mana linkage of Level 4 Mid-Tier Summoning, he was now able to achieve it.
Once the group departed into the distance, he turned away to head toward another destination.
He did indeed have business to attend to—the assassin, Bi Jiang had arrived.
The previous night, Lu Jun had clearly sensed it: the mark he placed was speeding from Peru, thousands of miles away, flying overnight. Truly in a rush.
Lu Jun stroked his chin and grinned. "Delivering himself right to my door, and so eager at that."
At that very moment, in a hotel on the other side of the city, the thin figure of Bi Jiang stood by the window in a black overcoat. He gazed down at the streets and muttered to himself:
"National Institute captain Lu Jun… tsk tsk tsk, what a pity. So young, yet about to die."
Bi Jiang mused carelessly, pondering how best to kill Lu Jun—whether to strike him down before the watching eyes of all those young National Institute members, or to lure him out alone and slowly torture him for his own amusement.
Knock, knock, knock!
Suddenly, a series of knocks came from the door. A clear, magnetic voice spoke in international tongue: "Good morning, sir. Your breakfast."
Interrupted, Bi Jiang frowned and replied, "I didn't order breakfast."
The server outside fell silent, then after a pause spoke more softly: "Sir… perhaps you'd like a special service instead?"
"Scram!"
Bi Jiang's patience snapped. He let out a cold snort.
But this time, the voice came again, louder: "Hello, community warmth delivery!"
At those words, Bi Jiang let out a furious laugh, killing intent rising in his heart. He wanted to dispose of this clueless "waiter" immediately.
Yet the moment he walked closer to the door, he sensed something was wrong.
Boom!
In an instant, the wooden door exploded, the wall collapsing along with it. Countless shards of wood and stone scattered everywhere.
A figure engulfed in blazing Blood Flames burst inside violently, throwing a fist straight toward Bi Jiang. The terrifying force made even space ripple, its might no weaker than a Commander-level physique.
"Cut the nonsense. This service must be delivered—no room for negotiation!"
Bi Jiang's face changed drastically. Luckily, at the critical moment he controlled his Stars, his body dissolving into a wisp of shadow to escape. In his place, only a Shadow Puppet was shredded into dust by that brutal force.
When the smoke cleared, Lu Jun's tall, flawless figure emerged. He spat once, annoyed—raw physical strength alone truly wasn't enough to deal with the sinister trickery of Shadow Element and Chaos Element mages.
Still, his Spiritual Faith Mark had long since locked firmly onto Bi Jiang. The man could not escape.
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
The next moment, Lu Jun's figure flickered. Silver motes scattered in the air, spatial ripples spreading out—Blink!
Before the commotion in the hotel had even settled, the two had already leapt out into the streets. A wisp of shadow and a streak of silver light flashed rapidly through the city, weaving across busy avenues and alleys.
In just a blink, they were kilometers away, far from the city center, entering a desolate district.
"Damn Black Vatican, what kind of garbage intel did they give me? How does Lu Jun have Space Element?! And how the hell do you explain that monstrous physique?"
Bi Jiang's brow twitched violently. He could only curse "monster." Never mind that Space Magic was one of the rare few that could actually counter Shadow and Chaos—just this kind of body alone could probably withstand over a dozen High-level spells with ease.
So what if his own gifts made him elusive and unpredictable? If he couldn't break through that defense, all of it was pointless!
That was the weakness of Shadow and Chaos mages. Their evasive tricks were slippery, their movements bizarre, their maneuvers dazzling—but in the end, their damage output was pitiful! All flash, no substance.
Usually this flaw wasn't much of a problem. After all, mages were far weaker than demons in physical resilience—frail, easy to kill. But facing someone like Lu Jun now? That was a whole different issue.
"Damn it!" Bi Jiang cursed under his breath as he sensed Lu Jun relentlessly chasing behind him. Grinding his teeth, he decided to stop running.
If he couldn't outpace him, then he'd have to test it head-on. It wasn't as if he had never slain Commander-level creatures before. Even Super-level mages had fallen to his hand.
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
Soon, Lu Jun saw a shadow halt up ahead, condensing into the form of a thin, gaunt figure.
Bi Jiang turned around, sneering. "Ignorant youth who doesn't know the height of the heavens—today I'll make you die with regret right here."
For additional chapters
Versatile mage {40 chapters}
Douluo Dalu:This Soul Master is to Weird {30 Chapters}
Patreon. Com/ALLISWELL123