Mo Fan at his best – Versatile Mage

After the National Pavilion challenge ended, Feng Li arranged a plane ticket for Mo Fan so he could head directly to South Korea and rejoin the National Team.

Mo Fan accepted the ticket.

Then he calmly ignored the departure time.

Since he had already returned to China, there was one more matter he wanted to handle before leaving. Master Qixiu’s clue about the Blue Whirlpool Trench could not be left alone. The Water Elemental Spirit was not something that would wait obediently for them, and if Zhao Manyan wanted to walk further on his Water path, this chance was worth gambling on.

Mo Fan contacted Zhao Manyan directly.

The moment the call connected, Zhao Manyan’s lazy voice came through. “Don’t tell me you caused trouble again. I heard you beat up the British team at the National Pavilion. Are you trying to make every country remember you before the tournament starts?”

“Cut the nonsense,” Mo Fan said. “Operation deep sea is a go.”

The other side went silent.

Then Zhao Manyan’s voice immediately changed. “You mean that Water Elemental Spirit clue?”

“Yeah. Get your defensive equipment ready. We’re going down.”

“Now?” Zhao Manyan said in disbelief. “Brother, shouldn’t you be flying to South Korea? Feng Li is going to skin you alive.”

“He can skin me after I come back.”

Zhao Manyan was speechless for a while before finally sighing. “Fine. For the sake of this young master’s future Water Spirit, I’ll risk my life with you.”

A few hours later, the two arrived near the coastal battlefield.

The densely packed houses of the Tenth District had already been submerged by seawater. The broken ruins left behind by battle surged forward under the force of the currents, carrying massive pressure with them.

Concrete slabs, twisted steel, shattered windows, broken signboards, and ice-cold waves rolled together. A normal person would die from even a light hit. Even an ordinary High Tier Mage would not last long in this kind of environment, because constantly manipulating Water Magic and resisting chaotic currents would consume a terrifying amount of magic energy.

Zhao Manyan looked at the flooded district below and swallowed.

“Are we really going through that?”

Mo Fan glanced at him. “You’re the Water Mage.”

“I’m a defensive Water Mage, not a deep-sea suicide expert,” Zhao Manyan said.

Even while complaining, Zhao Manyan still activated his magic.

A dark-blue water barrier rose around them, crystal-clear and smooth. Layers of flowing water wrapped over their bodies, while pale golden Light Blessing covered their skin beneath it. Several water serpents coiled around the barrier, constantly adjusting the pressure and guiding away the violent currents.

The moment they entered the water, the surrounding cold immediately pressed in.

This was not ordinary seawater. It was filled with poison, bacteria, demon blood, shattered ice, and the residue of battlefield magic. Without Zhao Manyan’s Water Protection and Light Blessing, even Mo Fan would not want to stay inside for long.

Splash!

Countless violent currents swept toward them.

The moment they entered the range of Zhao Manyan’s barrier, their force weakened and slid away. Broken stones and metal fragments that should have struck them head-on were redirected by the water flow, losing most of their lethality before passing by.

Mo Fan nodded. “Not bad.”

Zhao Manyan raised his chin. “Of course. This young master’s Water Element is High Tier now. If I can’t even handle seawater, how can I chase after a Water Elemental Spirit?”

“Keep that confidence,” Mo Fan said. “You’ll need it soon.”

The two moved deeper.

At first, Zhao Manyan could still maintain his barrier steadily. Mo Fan used Shadow Magic to hide their presence, letting darkness cling to their bodies like a thin veil. His Space perception spread ahead, avoiding dangerous currents and detecting large demon movements before they approached.

But the deeper they went, the denser the sea monsters became.

Countless sea demons crowded forward in waves. Their bodies brushed through the submerged ruins, their scales scraping against broken buildings. The pressure of their movement alone was enough to push Mo Fan and Zhao Manyan backward.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

Zhao Manyan’s barrier trembled repeatedly.

Seeing the endless swarm ahead, Mo Fan quickly strengthened his Shadow concealment. The dark aura around them became softer and thinner, reducing their presence as much as possible so the nearby sea monsters would overlook them.

Even so, the trouble was not over.

The sea monsters were moving like a tidal wave.

Mo Fan and Zhao Manyan were forced to move with the current, unable to resist directly. Every time they tried to push deeper, the mass of creatures surged up from below and shoved them back.

Splash!

The two were suddenly thrown out from the submerged district by a violent current.

Zhao Manyan cursed, “Damn it! We barely moved at all!”

Mo Fan’s expression also darkened.

The greatest challenge was not the complicated underwater terrain.

It was the massive current of creatures.

The sea monsters were surging up from the depths toward the battlefield above, while Mo Fan and Zhao Manyan had to dive downward through the entire Sea Battle City. It was like walking against the flow of a crowded street, except every person in that crowd was a savage sea demon.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

They tried several directions, but each time they only advanced a short distance before being forced back again.

Mo Fan’s eyes grew colder.

He had originally planned to sneak quietly into the deep-sea region connected to the Merfolk, but now it looked like even sneaking required skill. If he recklessly killed his way through, the Shadow concealment would immediately be ruined, and the entire swarm would target them.

That would be the stupidest choice.

A softer method was needed.

“Stop resisting the current directly,” Mo Fan said.

Zhao Manyan turned to him. “What?”

“Guide it,” Mo Fan said. “Don’t fight the whole sea. Let the outer current carry us with the swarm, then redirect downward whenever there’s a gap.”

Zhao Manyan paused, then quickly understood.

“You want to use the sea monsters themselves as cover?”

“Exactly.”

Zhao Manyan took a deep breath. “Fine. If we die, I’ll haunt you.”

“Your ghost would still hide behind a shield.”

“Damn, you really know how to hurt people.”

Despite complaining, Zhao Manyan adjusted his Water Magic.

The barrier no longer resisted everything head-on. It became thinner, softer, and more flexible, moving with the surrounding current instead of against it. Mo Fan supported him with Space Magic, occasionally using telekinesis to nudge sea monsters aside, opening small gaps without making it look unnatural.

Immediately, the densely packed sea monster horde parted slightly.

A narrow path appeared.

With waves surging behind them, Mo Fan and Zhao Manyan slipped forward, pressing deeper through the swarm.

Along the way, Mo Fan used telekinesis as support. Sometimes he flicked a smaller sea demon aside, sometimes he swept debris out of the way, and sometimes he lifted broken stone slabs to guide the flow of water. He did not attack directly. Every movement was controlled and quiet.

The path was long and arduous.

The deeper they went, the more the surroundings changed. First came the layered sea levee districts. Then the signs of human architecture gradually disappeared. Broken streets, collapsed houses, and twisted steel faded behind them.

Only seaweed, reefs, and dark trenches remained.

Zhao Manyan’s Water Element was being drained rapidly. His face gradually turned pale.

He could not stop casting. The moment he stopped, they would lose momentum and be swept backward, wasting all previous effort.

Time passed.

Zhao Manyan’s Water Element magic energy was nearly emptied. The defensive magic tools on his body began glowing one after another, taking over part of the pressure. Even so, his heart sank as he looked ahead.

The sea monsters seemed endless.

In the deep sea, surrounded by savage beasts, a sense of loneliness and dread naturally emerged.

Mo Fan’s Shadow Element also continued to drain. Maintaining concealment in such a chaotic monster tide was not easy, especially while using Space Magic to open a path.

Roar! Roar! Roar!

Amid the vast horde, a group of ferocious Sawtooth Green Demons suddenly charged upstream. Their bodies were long and muscular, their teeth jagged like rows of knives. Most of the surrounding sea monsters instinctively dodged.

After all, one person going against the current was different from a whole group forcing their way through.

Mo Fan’s eyes lit up.

“Follow them.”

Zhao Manyan immediately understood.

The two slipped behind the Sawtooth Green Demon group. With those creatures opening the way, their progress suddenly accelerated severalfold.

Along the way, they naturally encountered several Commander-level sea demons displeased by the disturbance. Huge shadows turned slowly in the dark water, their gazes heavy and dangerous.

Mo Fan did not panic.

He used Shadow Magic to reduce their presence further, while Zhao Manyan guided the turbulence and scent of the Sawtooth Green Demons toward those Commander-level creatures. From the outside, it looked as if the Sawtooth Green Demons were the ones causing all the commotion.

For a time, even the Commander-level demons did not act.

Zhao Manyan carried several small sound-amplifying devices, and Mo Fan used Space Magic to transmit distorted vibrations along the current, creating the illusion of a larger demon group pushing through from behind.

The lie was crude, but underwater, amid the chaos of thousands of sea monsters, it was enough.

Eventually, just as Zhao Manyan’s Water Element and Mo Fan’s Shadow and Space magic energy were about to run dangerously low, the pressure ahead suddenly lightened.

The path opened.

The densely packed sea monster swarm became sparse.

They had finally passed through the sea monster battlefield.

Zhao Manyan leaned against the inside of the water barrier, breathing heavily. “If this goes on any longer, I really won’t have anything left.”

Mo Fan’s expression was not relaxed either.

If they had failed to cross before exhausting their magic, he would have had no choice but to break through by brute force using Fire, Lightning, and Space. But once killing began, the situation would become much harder to control.

Fortunately, they had made it.

Mo Fan glanced around and found himself looking into a vast ocean trench.

Cracks stretched for hundreds of kilometers, impossibly deep. Numerous caverns had been carved into the stone walls, and strange blue light drifted faintly from within some of them. Above the trench, underwater currents formed channels like highways, where countless sea monsters shuttled back and forth, resembling an undersea expressway transporting demons from the depths.

Zhao Manyan looked at the scene and muttered, “This place is ridiculous…”

Mo Fan’s eyes sharpened.

They had entered the domain of the Merfolk Sea.

Even the Servant-level merfolk here stood around three meters tall, with upper bodies like blue-skinned humanoid giants and lower bodies like fishtails. Their physiques were extremely robust, their azure scales glittering faintly in the dark water.

There was no legendary mermaid beauty here.

Regardless of gender, their faces were rough and brutal, with fish-like features, visible gills, and sharp teeth. They looked more like sea warriors carved from muscle and scales than graceful creatures from fairy tales.

Zhao Manyan stared for a while before whispering, “Forget it. I just hope the Water Elemental Spirit isn’t this ugly.”

Mo Fan glanced at him. “Focus.”

The two did not dare delay.

Taking advantage of the last of their concealment, they quickly dove deeper into the ocean trench.

As they descended, the merfolk resting in the crevices of the stone walls remained quiet and undisturbed. Mo Fan’s Shadow concealment and Zhao Manyan’s softened water flow kept their movement hidden, while the natural currents covered the faint traces they left behind.

Soon, they reached the deepest point.

A massive den appeared ahead, surrounded by three towering merfolk giants.

Each one was around twenty meters tall. A single horn grew from each of their foreheads, and their long tails faintly resembled flood-dragon tails. Their auras were heavy, each one clearly at the Commander level.

Rather than ordinary merfolk, they looked more like Jiao-men, flood-dragon people guarding an ancient underwater gate.

Mo Fan’s eyes narrowed.

This was the heart of the Merfolk stronghold.

Whatever Master Qixiu’s clue was pointing toward, this place was clearly important.

Zhao Manyan’s throat moved slightly. “Three Commander-level guards… Are we still going in?”

Mo Fan observed the area carefully.

The three merfolk giants stood in a triangular position, surrounding the massive den. The currents around them were unusually stable, and the stone walls nearby were covered in strange water-pattern markings. Something was definitely hidden inside.

Without hesitation, Mo Fan guided Zhao Manyan through the blind spot between the three Commander-level merfolk.

Everything went smoother than expected.

Honestly, Shadow concealment combined with Zhao Manyan’s Water control was almost too useful in this kind of environment. As long as they did not attack or release obvious hostility, most sea monsters would not notice them.

The only real challenge had been crossing the battlefield. Without sufficient Water control, even Mo Fan’s Shadow and Space Magic would not have been enough to reach this place.

The two slipped deeper into the den.

Then, as Mo Fan finally saw what lay within, his eyes widened in shock.

Zhao Manyan froze beside him.

“What?” Mo Fan muttered. “How could this be?”