Your Vengeance, I'll Claim It!

"The Parthenon Temple's Holy Maiden has the power to heal and restore, but from what I know, all twelve of the Parthenon Temple's candidate shrine maidens have been assassinated. The Holy Maiden position is currently vacant." Tang Yue said.

"So there's no hope at all?" Though Mo Fan didn't fully understand who Tang Yue was referring to, her tone made one thing clear: there was no chance of Xu Zhaoting ever returning to his former self.

The Black Church's cruelty was truly beyond words.

"Mm. Keep an eye on him — I need to make my report." Tang Yue said.

"Alright."

He ended the call. Mo Fan turned to find that Xu Zhaoting had already lifted his head and was staring at him.

"Guh... guh... guh..." Xu Zhaoting extended his other claw — the one still mostly intact — and let out a strange, guttural sound toward Mo Fan.

"What are you trying to say?" Mo Fan studied him carefully.

"Guh! Guh!" Xu Zhaoting pointed at Mo Fan, then pointed to the spot over his own heart.

"You want me to end your life??" Mo Fan asked, taken aback.

Xu Zhaoting nodded.

"I'll take you to the Tribunal. They'll keep you contained while we figure out a way to change you back." Mo Fan said earnestly.

Xu Zhaoting shook his head. Zhang Lulu was already gone from this world. He himself had become this — a monster. Rather than letting Yu'ang use him as a slave again, driving him to take life after life without end, he would rather it stopped now.

He could not end his own life. His soul was enslaved; he was incapable of finishing the thing himself. So he was begging Mo Fan to do it for him.

Death would be a release. Especially for a Black-Beast Demon.

Mo Fan didn't move. How was he supposed to bring himself to do this?

When Xu Zhaoting saw that Mo Fan hadn't acted, he suddenly dropped to his knees — and began slamming his already blood-soaked head against the ground, over and over.

He was begging. He didn't want to go on living like this, and even more, he couldn't stand the thought of being made to kill again. He was certain that every life he took from now on would drag this agonizing moment back to the surface. All he wanted was release — and perhaps, on the road to the afterlife, he might still catch up with Zhang Lulu, who had only just departed.

Mo Fan called Tang Yue again. He had to know if there was any other way.

There wasn't. Tang Yue had nothing but despair for him.

"Do as he asks. It will be easier for him." Tang Yue's voice was low and heavy.

"I..." Mo Fan watched Xu Zhaoting kowtowing against the ground in wordless supplication, and the fire in his chest rose higher and higher, wave after relentless wave.

Finally, Mo Fan nodded.

A tongue of rose-colored flame rose from his palm, burning and dancing with searing heat. The firelight played across Mo Fan's resolute face — and across Xu Zhaoting's rotting, bloodied one.

Gazing at Xu Zhaoting now, Mo Fan couldn't help but think of that Lightning Element student who had stunned the entire school at Tianlan Magic High School's opening ceremony — how brilliantly he had shone in that single moment. Every time you caught a glimpse of him, there was always a trace of pride in his expression. After all, he was the only Lightning Element student in the entire school. At least, that was what he had always believed.

"Go in peace." Mo Fan drew slow, heavy breaths. Even the air felt like it was cutting at his throat.

The rose-colored flames in his palm finally slipped through his fingers — like a stream of sacred liquid, slowly pouring down from the crown of Xu Zhaoting's head.

The fire burned white-hot. As the blood-red rose flames consumed Xu Zhaoting's body, they spread to Zhang Lulu beside him.

Engulfed in fire, Xu Zhaoting pulled Zhang Lulu close. The blaze roared — Mo Fan didn't want Xu Zhaoting to endure the torment of burning in his final moments, so he let the flames burn as fast and fierce as possible, to end Xu Zhaoting's life as quickly as they could.

The vivid crimson bloomed into a garden of funeral roses, a searing and sacred cremation. In moments, both Xu Zhaoting and Zhang Lulu had been reduced to black ash.

The entire time, Mo Fan kept his back turned to them.

Bleak, cold moonlight fell across the quiet rooftop. The dancing firelight stretched Mo Fan's shadow long.

And in that moment, his fists clenched — hard, involuntarily.

As Xu Zhaoting and Zhang Lulu were consumed by the flames, the rage in Mo Fan's chest became something worse than fire — as though it might ignite not just within his body, but in the very air around him.

Mechanically, he raised his phone to his ear. When he spoke, his voice carried the weight of stone.

"Teacher Tang Yue — you said earlier that the person directing this operation is very likely hiding inside Pearl Academy?"

"Yes. Unfortunately, we don't know his name. Unless we get intelligence the way Xu Zhaoting did, all we can do is wait for him to expose himself."

"What if I gave them a chance to make a move on me?" Mo Fan asked.

"If the Earth Sacred Spring is truly in your hands, they'll act. Even at great risk, they'll act." Tang Yue said.

"Then I'll give them that chance."

"What are you going to do?"

"Teacher Tang Yue — lock down that Blue-Robed Cardinal as quickly as you can. The one inside Pearl Academy, I'll handle personally." Mo Fan said.

He hung up.

Behind him, the flames had begun to die down. Only then did Mo Fan allow himself to turn around.

He stared at the commingled pile of ash, his gaze cold as deep winter.

*Rest easy, both of you...*

*Your vengeance — I, Mo Fan, will claim it for you!*

"Lingling, have you found the Shadow Demon-Beast's location yet?" Mo Fan asked.

"Why do I feel like I've been turned into your personal errand girl, sitting here in Hangzhou while I hunt down leads for you in Shanghai..." A long-suffering sigh. "Fine, fine. Actually finding the Shadow Demon-Beast would be difficult, but figuring out who captured it isn't that hard. The Shadow Demon-Beast is currently in the hands of someone named Shen Mingxiao."

"Help me find them."

"On it." Lingling caught something in Mo Fan's voice — the feeling of a volcano right on the edge of eruption.

She didn't fully understand why he needed the Shadow Demon-Beast so urgently, but she would give him everything she had.

"Found them. They're in a courier warehouse on the south side of Pearl Academy." Lingling's efficiency was something else entirely — a Hunter Master who specialized in tracking and locating was no ordinary person.

"Good. Two hours from now, help me put out a message: that I, Mo Fan, will be bringing the Shadow Demon-Beast to the beast taming cage at dawn. Make sure every single participant in the assessment hears it — every last one." Mo Fan said.

"What are you planning?"

"Flushing out the snake."

Mo Fan was going to find the bastard who had gotten Xu Zhaoting and Zhang Lulu killed.

Since there was no way to know the enemy's true identity until they exposed themselves, he would cast a wide net.

With the Shadow Demon-Beast in his possession, every participant in the assessment would come for him — and that Black Church student would be no exception. The person could even hide his real purpose behind the pretext of stealing the beast.

But Mo Fan would drag him out into the open.

He was not going to let that person walk away. Not ever.