Chapter 1371 Fighting a Lone Battle Translated by XephiZ Edited by Aelryinth Blue Bat and Violet Ghost were shocked, but the latter was able to keep his calm. He asked in a solemn voice, “How did you know?” “I killed his female associate and forced him to eat her heart. I was quite enjoying myself, but he managed to run away while I was being careless,” Mo Fan chuckled. The Black Clergy nearby shivered in fear upon seeing his smile. This Northdeer was clearly insane! Violet Ghost believed in Mo Fan. He glared at his men. “How did the Enforcement Union find us!?” Violet Ghost hissed. Violet Ghost did not suspect Mo Fan. First of all, Mo Fan had been unconscious and half-dead. It was impossible for him to lead the Enforcement Union to them. Secondly, if Mo Fan had really brought the Enforcement Union to them, why would he bother telling them now, just to earn their trust? It was meaningless. “I’ll deal with him. Now that I’ve joined you, I must show you how valuable I am,” Mo Fan said to Violet Ghost. “Alright, but don’t make a move unless it’s necessary. Let’s see how many people they have,” Violet Ghost said cautiously. The place was no longer safe if the people of the Enforcement Union were aware of their location. Violet Ghost immediately stopped the Summoning of the Underworld Gate and ordered his men to relocate the magic formation. The Black Clergy stayed to protect the Mages who were in charge of the magic formation. They left under Violet Ghost’s lead. The group began to withdraw, but Blue Bat remained beside Mo Fan. “I’ll come with you,” Blue Bat said. “Sure, as long as you can keep up with me,” Mo Fan grinned indifferently. Before Blue Bat could react, she saw Mo Fan’s grin slowly turning into a black puff of smoke. When she took a closer look, there was only a black mist scattering in the air, with no sign of Mo Fan. Blue Bat wanted to follow him, but he was just too quick for her. Left with no choice, she could only follow Violet Ghost and the others who were relocating to another place. Opening the Underworld Gate was not a simple task, so they could not afford to be disturbed at all. Since the people of the Enforcement Union had shown up, there was no way Violet Ghost would stay in the same spot. That being said, Violet Ghost did not trust Mo Fan completely. However, while they were withdrawing from the place, the informer that Violet Ghost had planted close to the Enforcement Union told him a bunch of Enforcers were on their way to his location. Violet Ghost was even more convinced that Mo Fan was Northdeer. He was also glad that he had decided to save Mo Fan’s life, as he ended up saving his own life too! — Mo Fan had Fiendish Night. Even a Super Mage would struggle to avoid being tracked by him, let alone a normal Enforcer. An Enforcer’s rank was higher than a regular member of the Enforcement Union. They were usually more experienced and stronger than regular members of the Enforcement Union, and were entrusted with special missions. Mo Fan had met the Enforcer before. He was one of He Feikun’s associates, who had come to bring the mentally-unstable old herdsman away. Mo Fan was clear on the overall strength of He Feikun’s squad. If they were thinking of taking out this force of the Black Vatican led by Violet Ghost on their own, they were most likely going to be wiped out instead! As such, Mo Fan did not expose them to set them up. He was saving their lives! Violet Ghost was no weaker than him, and had four other Blue Deacons with him, including Blue Bat, whose strength remained unknown, not to mention around a hundred Black Clergy. He Feikun would only stand a chance if he brought along a Vice Elder of the Enforcement Union. Otherwise, he was only going to get himself killed! — “What are you looking for?” an eerie voice appeared behind Jiang Lin. He quickly turned around in a cold sweat. He saw a man in a blue outfit, their face full of scars. Most importantly, it felt like something was grabbing onto him firmly. His mouth was covered by two hands, preventing him from screaming for help... When Jiang Lin stopped panicking, he was shocked to see that his own shadow was grabbing onto him! -What kind of ability is this?- Jiang Lin had never seen an ability like this before. He stared at the Blue Deacon with wide eyes. He could feel his death approaching. “Don’t panic, listen to me carefully,” Mo Fan smiled. He knew the smile on his current face would not seem too friendly, nor was it any convincing, but this was where his temperament came into play. He believed he could explain the situation to the man in the shortest time possible, “You’re with He Feikun, right? I’m the Tree of Oath.” “Tree of Oath?” Jiang Lin was astounded when he heard the name. The Tree of Oath was the Enforcement Union’s secret code. Even though there was a chance that the Black Vatican had figured it out somehow, the mention of the name could still ease the atmosphere slightly. “You do know that it’s very easy for me to kill you,” Mo Fan continued calmly. Jiang Lin nodded. He believed in his instincts. If his shadow stabbed him with its claws, he could not even struggle. He was an Advanced Mage, but he had a feeling that the man could kill him as easy as the flip of his hand! “How many men do you have?” Mo Fan asked. “He Feikun is in charge; there are three Enforcers, including me, and ten other members of the Enforcement Union,” Jiang Lin said honestly. “It’s not enough. The enemy has more, and Violet Ghost is among them, too. Take your men and leave, I’ll stay on the trail,” Mo Fan said. Mo Fan had two plans in mind. If the Enforcement Union had enough people, he would immediately lead them to Violet Ghost and take the Black Vatican out. He would then put up an act and save both Violet Ghost and Blue Bat so they would lead him to the Chief Extraditor and Unas, who were the closest to the Cold Prince. If the Enforcement Union’s numbers were not enough, Mo Fan would advise them to leave. First, they would only end up dying if they were to engage the enemy. Second, he had already earned Violet Ghost’s trust. This group of the Black Vatican was only a part of the conspiracy. Taking them out now might even mess up his plan! “What should I tell He Feikun? He’s a very impatient guy,” Jiang Lin said. “He’s an idiot. It’s only going to mess up the whole operation. Tell him the Black Vatican isn’t here. They had already withdrawn when you arrived,” Mo Fan told him. Jiang Lin nodded. If he told He Feikun everything, the man would never believe what Mo Fan said. He would lead his men and come here right away. Jiang Lin had worked with He Feikun for a long time, and was extremely familiar with his character. Mo Fan had also met He Feikun at the hospital. He knew how stubborn and arrogant the man was, definitely not the kind to achieve great things. “May I ask who you are... you must be one of the respectful seniors if you managed to sneak into the Black Vatican as a Blue Deacon?” Jiang Lin asked. Mo Fan shook his head with a wry smile. Mo Fan was just a nobody. Taking the identity of Northdeer was made possible by sacrificing endless lives. Even Leng Qing, an Elder of the Enforcement Union, had ‘died’ to preserve it. Mo Fan only happened to be the last person receiving the baton. The people might cheer him for making it to the finishing line, but they would completely forget about the others that were panting heavily while lying on the spots where they passed on the baton. “What is happening in the east?” Mo Fan asked as he recalled something. “We don’t know either. Our superiors ordered us to work together with the Preventive Committee and deal with the members of the Black Vatican that are hiding here. However, during this period, many fortresses have dispatched their troops to the east. Senior, what’s happening here?” Jiang Lin asked. “We only found out that the Black Vatican is Summoning creatures from the Underworld to invade our land... yet the majority of the troops are being sent east, where a great storm is coming, further weakening our defense. Speaking of adding hail to snow!” Mo Fan sighed. Mo Fan was angry, too. The information he had gathered was enough to prove that the Cold Prince was up to something, yet the backup he requested never arrived. The members of the Enforcement Union that had been sent here were clearly nowhere enough! It was like a rat plague was about to happen. The streets were already crawling with rats, but not only was the government reluctant to act, the authorities were placing their attention somewhere else instead. How could he not be disappointed? However, how could Mo Fan withdraw after learning what was happening? His face was calm, but his rage had erupted like a volcano when he learned how the Black Vatican had brutally massacred the people of the Qiqige Tribe, let alone the slaughter they were planning to bring to the cities warded by the Northguard Fortress! There was no backup and response from the authorities. If he gave up, the whole land would turn into Hell. The people being evacuated to Feihuang City would be trampled to death by the creatures of the Underworld! Mo Fan might be disappointed, but he had no choice but to clench his teeth and stay on the trail. Once he was done here, he swore he would punch the cold-hearted authorities in the face! “Don’t tell anyone you saw me,” Mo Fan said. Jiang Lin nodded. He knew not everyone in the Enforcement Union was trustworthy. “Can you please pass on a message to Commander Zhang Xiaohou at the Ancient Capital? Tell him to convince the remaining army in the North Valley to hold their line of defense at all costs,” Mo Fan said. “I give you my word, senior...senior, is the situation really that serious?” Jiang Lin asked seriously. The line of defense at the North Valley... The scale of the battle sounded like nothing he had been through. He could not help but doubt if the Black Vatican could really stir up something so crazy. “I really don’t want to see an entire city stacked up with dead bodies again,” Mo Fan replied. “Is senior a survivor of the Ancient Capital? Senior, don’t you worry, we will not let the Black Vatican get its way, I swear on my life!” Jiang Lin swore. Mo Fan was slightly relieved after seeing Jiang Lin’s determination. It turned out that he was not fighting a lone battle, after all! “I’ll be going,” Mo Fan said. “Take care, senior,” Jiang Lin replied. “You too.” The darker the journey ahead, the more precious it was to find a companion along the way. Mo Fan had no idea if he would see the Enforcer again. — Mo Fan stumbled into Blue Bat on his way back. Blue Bat looked at Mo Fan and asked, “Where is the guy?” “There, mixed up with the soil. You want to take a look?” Mo Fan asked. “Violet Ghost told you to stay put!” Blue Bat was displeased by Mo Fan’s carelessness. “Oh, I might consider listening to that if it came from you,” Mo Fan replied. Blue Bat could not react for a moment. She quickly dodged Mo Fan’s gaze after calming down and changed the topic, “Let’s go; the guy is most likely the Enforcement Union’s scout. Things are going to be troublesome when they realize he’s dead!” “It’s fine, I’ll kill them all when they come,” Mo Fan replied. “Humph, did you forget that you were almost eaten by the condors?” Blue Bat said. “I admit that I couldn’t take the guy on, but one day, I’ll hang him on a cliff and let the condors eat him slowly while he is still wide awake!” Mo Fan promised. Blue Bat had already gotten used to how bombastic a person Mo Fan was. She simply ignored him and did not even bother checking the ‘remains’ of the Enforcer, quickly leaving with Mo Fan. Meanwhile, Mo Fan was having a weird feeling, too. He bet not many people could curse themselves so descriptively and blatantly like him!