Just as Mo Fan was about to face the one-eyed demon wolf, he heard some noise outside. The city's Demon Hunter Squad had arrived, tracking Mo Fan's trail of the demon-seeking powder he had left behind.
As they approached, Mo Fan quickly turned on his phone, sending out a signal. The moment his phone signal went live, the demon wolf seemed to zero in on him like he had a GPS tracker, charging straight toward him.
Mo Fan quickly summoned his Scythe Bone Shield, which glowed faintly and hovered in front of him. The one-eyed demon wolf collided head-on with the shield. The impact caused the shield to tremble violently, sending the powerful demon wolf flying ten meters back, but also knocking Mo Fan off his feet.
The Scythe Bone Shield, after absorbing the massive impact, shattered into fragments of light and disappeared into the air. While the shield had saved him from the worst, the heavy blow left Mo Fan's body numb from the force of the collision.
This wasn't Mo Fan's first time using Scythe Bone Shield, but it was clear from the impact that this demon wolf was far stronger than what he had faced before.
Fortunately, as Mo Fan was thrown aside, the Demon-Hunting Squad arrived just in time. While they engaged in battle with the wolf, Mo Fan contemplated joining the fight. However, he had already notified the Magic Association in advance, and their senior magician, Yang Zuohe ,had also arrived.
Thanks to his presence, the One-Eyed Demon Wolf was quickly dispatched before it could further evolve. Two consecutive mid-level spells finished the beast off.
Once the One-Eyed Demon Wolf was killed, Mo Fan collected its soul essence. His pendant, the Little Loach, greedily absorbed the wolf's soul, letting out a small, contented hum as though it was a satisfied child after a meal.
From what Mo Fan could tell, even with his current abilities, there was no way he could have handled the advanced demon wolf on his own.
While he possessed the The Green Lotus Core Flame, his fire magic was still too weak. His Bone Scythe Shield had just barely protected him, and his his second-level fire attacks couldn't compete with mid-level magic.
But with the new essence absorbed into his pendant, Mo Fan knew it would soon evolve, accelerating his growth as a hunter and strengthening his magic even more.
Combined with the experience he was gaining from frequent demon-hunting expeditions, his cultivation would grow faster than ever.
After leaving the scene, Mo Fan returned to his academy. His home in Bo City had already been sold, with his father, Mo Jiaxing, living in a dormitory while driving trucks, and his sister, Xin Xia, living with their aunt. As for Mo Fan, he mostly stayed in the school dorms, whether during holidays or the school term.
However, instead of heading straight to his dorm, he made his way to the rooftop of the academy's teaching building.
Once there, he took out his pendant.
The pendant seemed to have just finished digesting the wolf's soul. It glowed faintly, emitting a radiant light that wrapped around it like silky threads of light. Under the cocoon of light, the once rusty and aged pendant was now undergoing a visible transformation, starting to take on a lustrous, jade-like appearance.
The pendant had finally evolved into a Spirit-grade item. As the Little Loach evolved, Mo Fan felt a soft, comforting sensation, as if he were wrapped in gentle silk. The pendant had upgraded to a higher grade, but it would still require more souls and spirit essences to continue evolving.
Mo Fan knew that when the pendant no longer required these materials, it would signify its next breakthrough. With the Underground Holy Spring feeding its growth, the Little Loach would surpass the power it had in the original world.
With a year and a half left before his duel with Yu Ang, Mo Fan knew that the next year would be critical for his growth. He realized he needed to hunt more demons to increase his strength.
Only by growing stronger could he avoid cowering in fear when the inevitable calamity arrived.
Time flew by. Aside from his usual classes, Mo Fan spent almost all his time hunting demons at the edge of the safe zones.
In just over a year, he had hunted down over fifty Colossal Eyed Ape Rat. During this time, his Lightning and Fire elements had both advanced to Star Dust Level 3.
Unfortunately, despite hunting so many demons, the Little Loach seemed like a bottomless pit—it still wasn't full. Even the souls of fifty Colossal Eyed Ape Rat couldn't fill.
On the bright side, Mo Fan made quite a bit of money from hunting. Over fifty Colossal-Eyed Ape Rats brought him a decent income of around 150,000.
Rather than hoarding the money, Mo Fan used it to purchase Fire Magic Stones to aid in his cultivation. At this point, money wasn't as important as increasing his magical power.
After absorbing several Fire Magic Stones, his fire element's stardust had grown significantly, nearing completion. Mo Fan knew his next steps would involve hunting stronger creatures in the forests beyond the Safe Zone.
Having progressed in both elements, Mo Fan felt more confident. With both elements at the third level, Mo Fan grew tired of hunting rats. He began venturing deeper into the wilderness, knowing that to break through to the mid-level of magic, he needed the Little Loach to evolve further.
Given his extensive experience, Mo Fan considered himself a seasoned demon hunter. If small squads without his capabilities could venture deeper into the forest to hunt demon wolves, then surely he could do the same.
As long as he didn't face too many wolves at once, he was confident he could handle them. Not all one-eyed demon wolves were advanced. Many were just regular wolf minions.
In fact, Mo Fan had developed a reliable strategy: using his Lightning Strike to paralyze the wolves, followed by his Flame Burst to deliver a fatal blow.
With dual elements and a fire spirit seed, he had both control and destructive power. Combined with his Scythe Bone Shield, he was equivalent to an entire demon-hunting squad by himself.
However, deep in the forest, things didn't always go according to plan. Mo Fan had ventured farther in, hoping to find a stronger essence for his pendant. He stumbled upon a pregnant One-Eyed Demon Wolf drinking from a stream. Without hesitation, he launched a surprise Flame Burst attack, obliterating the wolf before it could react.
But just as Mo Fan collected the essence from the fallen wolf, three more wolves appeared, howling menacingly as they charged at him.
It was unclear whether the dead wolf was their mother, but it was clear that they were out for blood.
Cornered by the wolves, Mo Fan acted swiftly. As the wolves closed in, he summoned his Bone Scythe Shield, while blue-green flames began to swirl in his hands.
"Fire Burst: Rupture!"
BOOM!
A massive explosion of green fire engulfed the first wolf, turning the surrounding trees into a sea of green flames. The heat scorched the old forest, burning it in an inferno of green fire.
One wolf down, Mo Fan wasted no time. The shield dissolved after deflecting another attack, leaving him open for a counterstrike.
"Lightning Strike: Wrath Shock!"
But before the remaining wolves could act, Mo Fan activated his third-level Lightning Strike, sending a paralyzing shock through their bodies.
"Fire Burst: Rupture!"
With another fiery explosion, the remaining wolves met the same fate as the first.
(End of Chapter)