"Since they left, let's start harvesting the treasure. Tsk Tsk, a Fire Soul Core, if I obtained it, Yunmei would definitely kneel down for me! Let's see if she'd still act all virtuous, ignoring me every day!" the man with a mole on his face said, his voice dripping with resentment.
"Give this thing to me, and I'll give you all some other good things," Dong Fang Jun said firmly, adjusting his expensive clothing with an air of entitlement.
The other men exchanged wary glances before plastering on apologetic smiles. No matter how much they resented it, none dared to oppose Dong Fang Jun. Although they were all Intermediate Mages, Dong Fang Jun was a direct disciple of the Dong Fang Branch Family. Confronting him was out of the question.
"I'm sorry, but this thing belongs to me. As for other benefits… If my mood is good, I'll let you all die a little less painfully." A cold and gloomy voice pierced the air, sending a chill down their spines.
An extremely pale-looking youngster wearing a hoodie, with a somewhat handsome yet unsettling face, emerged from the shadows. The chaotic atmosphere left in the wake of the recent magical battle suddenly gave way to a biting cold that seeped into their bones.
This man carried the aura of an expert, with an indifferent killing intent that was palpable. He swept his emotionless gaze over the four Dong Fang Family magicians.
"Who are you this time? Humph, you actually want to take our prize after we did all the hard work?" Dong Fang Jun's face contorted with anger.
"You might have heard of my name: Chao He." The man slowly took off his hood, revealing his face, twisted into a demonic expression.
What shocked everyone was the mark on his forehead, clearly branded with a hot iron. People with this kind of brand were usually those sentenced to death by the Enforcement Union.
"That brand! It's… it's a convict!" the man with the combed hair exclaimed, his voice trembling.
"Dong Fang Family? If I remember correctly, you have a girl called Dong Fang Qing'er. She seemed quite... delicious," Chao He began to laugh, a sound devoid of humanity.
"You bastard, you actually dare to toy with a disciple of our Dong Fang Family?" Dong Fang Jun shouted, his voice a mix of rage and fear.
"Oh, toying with her wasn't anything special. What I meant was she was quite delicious when I ate her!" Chao He licked his lips, his eyes gleaming with a horrifying hunger.
As the four men heard this, goosebumps erupted across their skin. They knew Dong Fang Qing'er had been taken by this madman, but to hear he had actually eaten her... It was beyond comprehension.
Whoosh~
"Hehehhahahahah!"
Without hesitation, they unleashed their depleted magic, but Chao He's laughter only grew more sinister.
His laughter was dreadful, like the screech of a blood-sucking bat. As he laughed maniacally, the four realized something black was slowly descending from above. It looked like a spider web, or perhaps the claw of some vicious creature slamming down.
"I was here before all of you. In fact, this demonic pit was a gift I prepared for our meeting!" Chao He's voice was a cold whisper of doom.
A black claw and a black spider web appeared, shrouded in a mist of pure malevolence. When the four men looked up, they saw the trap—a monstrous spider shadow with numerous eyes that gleamed with a malevolent hunger, making them feel as if their very souls were being devoured.
"It's the Curse Element! Retreat!" Dong Fang Jun yelled, his face pale with fear.
Panic ensued. They had never encountered magic like this, where unseen black silk bound their bodies, and closing their eyes to cast spells only brought visions of the monstrous spider into their minds. Its disgusting body and countless eyes invaded their spiritual world, paralyzing their ability to control a single star of magic.
The shadowy spider loomed closer, its avaricious eyes fixated on them, and in that moment, they understood the true horror of Chao He's curse—a terror that stripped away their hope, leaving them to face the relentless advance of an inescapable nightmare.
...
"Oh no, we're too late!" Tang Yue exclaimed, her face turning pale.
Originally, Tang Yue had planned to intervene while Chao He was attacking the four members of the Dong Fang Family, quickly and thoroughly dealing with him. Who would've thought he had prepared a Curse Web in advance, binding the four Dong Fang men instantly?
Curse Element spells were notoriously sinister and cunning. They were almost impossible to defend against if one wasn't careful. The four men from the Dong Fang Family had been completely focused on the squad of Hunter Mages. When they were relatively exhausted, Chao He cast his Intermediate Curse Magic, effortlessly sweeping up everything and everyone.
Furthermore, the Curse Spell had been cultivated to the third tier of the Intermediate Level. At that level, the sinister spider's spirit became a phantom that entered people's minds, rendering those who had fallen into the trap completely helpless.
The Dong Fang men were not weak, but they couldn't defend themselves against this kind of cunning scheme. Once they had fallen into the trap, these four were no different than disabled people—simply sheep for the slaughter.
SWOOSH~
"Don't worry! They won't die," Mo Fan assured, his eyes glowing with a serene whitish-golden light that seemed to blend with the sunlight above him.
A power deep within Mo Fan suddenly surged. The white-gold glow was then emulsified with an ominous crimson light—the power of the Sacred Evil God that Mo Fan possessed, amplifying his Blessing Element.
A beautiful white-gold star orbit appeared in Mo Fan's right palm, and the glow was sprinkled over the four members of the Dong Fang family. Their bodies glowed slightly as they were bound to the black web of the sinister spider.
Tang Yue glanced at Mo Fan in a daze. Just a second ago, he looked like a teenage kid playing Uno with his favorite friend, but now he seemed like a deity from a higher realm.
Ba-thump!
Her heart skipped a beat. Her eyes widened as she placed a hand on her chest. _What's wrong with you, Tang Yue? He's just a kid, and he's your student! Get a hold of yourself!_ Tang Yue's heart was suddenly in turmoil. Her beautiful face became hot, and a blush appeared on her cheeks.
"Ms. Tang Yue, I think we should wait until he truly lets his guard down. Even though he's only an Intermediate Mage, his cultivation is at the peak of the Intermediate Level," Mo Fan said after ensuring the Dong Fang members wouldn't die.
"Huh? Ah! Ah... Yeah! We should," Tang Yue stuttered, snapped back to reality.
"Yeah... Are you okay? Your face seems red. Do you have a fever?" Mo Fan asked, extending his hand toward her forehead.
Slap!
"..."
"..."
Tang Yue slapped Mo Fan's hand away reflexively.
Mo Fan stared at Tang Yue in surprise, and she stared back at him, immediately regretting what she did. Mo Fan felt a bit wronged; he had just extended his hand to check her temperature.
"Ah... It's..." Tang Yue tried to explain, but no words came out of her mouth. Instead, her heart started beating like a bullet train.
"It's fine... I'm sorry for being casual with you, teacher. I forgot you were my teacher for a moment," Mo Fan said, feeling a little hurt.
"No! That's not..." She wanted to explain, but she still couldn't. Her mind was a mess, filled with thoughts of Mo Fan! It felt as if she was going to explode.