Versatile Mage: Shadow Assassin

The sky grew darker still, thick black clouds pressing so low they seemed about to crush the ground.

In Bo City, pedestrians hurried through the streets, trying to reach their destinations before the rain started.

Of course, there were always a few people with time to spare, wandering and standing out starkly from the anxious crowd.

Jing Wuji was one of those people.

Using an excuse to leave the oath-taking assembly, he strolled through Bo City—though in truth, he was heading to Mingwen Girls' Middle School.

He passed by familiar shops and nodded to acquaintances, exchanging casual greetings. These were part of his peaceful, everyday life.

"Hey, Little Wuji, off to pick up Xinxia again?" Old Li from the convenience stand called out with a grin.

"Yeah," Jing Wuji nodded in reply.

"Here, take this strawberry-flavored cotton candy for Xinxia," Old Li said, handing over two fluffy treats. "This plain one's for you."

Strawberry-flavored cotton candy was one of Ye Xinxia's favorite sweets.

"How much is it, Grandpa Li?" Jing Wuji asked, accepting the cotton candy with one hand and pulling out his wallet with the other.

"Oh come on, no need to be so polite with me. You two come here all the time. Think of these as my treat," Old Li said with mock sternness, raising an eyebrow. "If you don't accept it, it's like you're looking down on me!"

"Alright, alright," Jing Wuji relented and put away his wallet. "I'll bring Xinxia over in a bit."

"You're welcome to, but don't expect free cotton candy next time. I'm just a small business, after all," Old Li chuckled.

Ever since Ye Xinxia started middle school, Jing Wuji had made a habit of buying her snacks from Old Li's shop. Over time, the two became well acquainted.

Old Li had lost his wife early, and his grown children had all moved to big cities, leaving him to run the small shop alone in Bo City.

His children had tried multiple times to bring him to the city to enjoy retirement, but every time, he would just smile and wave them off.

"This place is my root," he would say. "I'm not going anywhere."

Seeing the old man living alone, Jing Wuji often stopped by to chat after picking up Xinxia.

But just as he had walked a short distance, the rain began to pour without warning—torrents crashing down from the sky.

He opened his umbrella as the rain slapped against its surface, water running down in steady streams.

Looking closely, Jing Wuji noticed the rain had a faint yellow hue, and there was a strange, fishy smell lingering in the air.

Keeping that unsettling detail in mind, he quickened his pace toward Mingwen Girls' Middle School. Xinxia was still waiting for him without an umbrella.

He hurried along. The school wasn't far now.

Suddenly, an alarm blared across the skies of Bo City, followed by a blinding pillar of blood-red light shooting into the heavens.

It was coming from the direction of the Xuefeng Mountain outpost!

As soon as Jing Wuji saw that crimson signal, he knew something terrible had happened.

Ignoring the Mage Association's restrictions, he dropped his umbrella and used Shadow Step to rush toward the scene.

Please… don't let me be too late!

The torrential downpour had come so fast, that no one had been prepared.

Ye Xinxia, who had been waiting for Jing Wuji at the school gate, was forced to take shelter in the guardhouse. A girl entered with her.

She recognized the girl—it was Lin Yun'er, the student who had gone missing last year. Rumor had it she was captured by a monster and later rescued by a hunter.

Rain pounded the ground outside, a chaotic symphony of splashes echoing in all directions.

A deep sense of unease suddenly gripped Xinxia's heart.

Her mind wavered, overtaken by a rising anxiety.

Please… let nothing bad happen!

Underground, Silver Trade Building – Grand Hall

Mo Fan slowly opened his eyes. A gleam of starlight flickered through his pupils—his whole being seemed renewed, transformed.

He had reached the mid-tier level. He couldn't wait to surprise Jing Wuji with the news.

Stretching his limbs, Mo Fan suddenly caught the muffled sound of shouting and fighting from outside.

Moments later, the heavy door to the hall burst open. A woman rushed in, slammed the door shut, and locked it in one swift motion.

Even though it had taken her barely three seconds to enter and lock the door, Mo Fan had already caught a glimpse of something that left him stunned.

Corpses. So many corpses.

The guards lay scattered in all directions—limbs torn apart, their bodies reduced to mangled remains, blood and organs smeared across the floor.

But what made Mo Fan's scalp tingle was the giant creature standing nearby.

A Blood-Marked Giant Demon Rat!

"If you don't want to die, get moving!" Lin Yuxin barked, hurrying over to the altar and pressing a button.

The Earth Spring's normally flowing stream was quickly redirected into a small hole in the stone platform.

In just seconds, the entire Earth Spring vanished into the little stone channel.

Mo Fan stared, dumbfounded.

Lin Yuxin rushed over to the cushion where Mo Fan had been sitting, flung it aside, and opened a hidden compartment beneath it.

Inside was a blue bottle filled with crystal-clear Earth Spring water.

"There's a hidden passage in the secret chamber. It leads to the back mountain of Tianlan Magic High School. Follow me," Lin Yuxin said cautiously as she picked up the bottle.

Although he had no idea what was going on, Mo Fan instinctively decided to trust her and follow.

Lin Yuxin walked over to the wall, her fingers pressing upon it like entering a passcode—though to the eye, the surface showed no difference.

"Clunk—"

A mechanical sound rang out. The wall beside them suddenly split open from the middle, revealing a pitch-black tunnel beyond.

"Move!" Lin Yuxin grabbed Mo Fan's hand and pulled him inside.

They had only run a few steps when Lin Yuxin suddenly stopped as if something had occurred to her. Her sharp eyes turned to scrutinize Mo Fan.

"The Earth Spring Water isn't safe with me either," she said gravely. "There could be Black Vatican members among the guards. They probably already know I'm carrying it. It'll be safer if you keep it. Please—guard it well!"

With solemn urgency, Lin Yuxin handed the Earth Spring Water to Mo Fan. Then the two of them continued to flee down the tunnel.

Having exited the hidden passage—and after getting a rough understanding of the situation along the way—Mo Fan and Lin Yuxin emerged on the rear mountain of Tianlan Magic High School in the northern part of the city.

Rain was pouring down in sheets, the sky a murky gray. In the distance, screams, cries of terror, and the roars of monsters echoed, plunging Bo City into an atmosphere of dread.

Mo Fan turned toward the source of the noise—and was met with a sea of blood. The sight before him was utter devastation!

Those rivers of red couldn't possibly be from livestock—they were from humans!

Blood flowed freely through the streets, forming rivulets that streamed into gutters and lowlands under the relentless downpour.

Bo City shrouded in this misty rain, looked like an ink-wash painting—except it was marred with splashes of red everywhere.

"WuuuAAHHH—!"

A monstrous roar shook the entire city. Mo Fan whipped his head around, only to witness a sight that would be burned into his memory for life.

The gray sky loomed overhead. The towering Silver Trade Building seemed almost to pierce the clouds—yet perched atop its summit was an enormous creature!

Its tail dangled down the side of the skyscraper, reaching nearly halfway down!

Its fleshy wings stretched wide—one hidden within the gray veil of rain, the other spread across dozens of floors of the building!

Its head reared high into the sky, and the roar that had shaken all of Bo City erupted from its gaping maw!

"Wh-what… what is that?" Mo Fan asked, swallowing hard.

"A commander-level demon… Winged Azure Wolf…" Lin Yuxin answered in a stiff, stunned voice.

Please add it to your bookshelf! Don't forget to vote!