Versatile Mage (Web Novel)

Winter was over, and new buds were starting to sprout all over the snowy city. Green vines and purple-red plum blossoms were also spreading throughout the city.

Far away in the Antarctic, a space resembling an oval-shaped mirror gradually tore open. A familiar part of Pearl Institute in the mysterious Eastern country was visible in this mirror.

"Alas, creating a teleportation portal over such a long distance is risky." Mo Fan let out a long sigh. Despite the cold, he was sweating profusely.

Teleporting halfway across the world required skill and also courage from the mages. They could never be certain that setting the destination to the Pearl Institute would not accidentally send them to the forbidden lands of Kunlun.

Pang Lai, the Chief Royal Mage, and the other Forbidden Mages hesitated. After some consideration, Pang Lai chose to be cautious and told Mo Fan, "It makes us dizzy. We plan to fly back slowly, so we'll pass on using the portal."

"Flying back will take a lot of time. Trust me. Once you step through this portal, you'll see Pearl Institute," Mo Fan said confidently as he patted his chest.

"Oh, no, no. The plan to negotiate with the Antarctic Emperor went too smoothly. It feels too good to be true. I'm afraid of karma, so I'd rather be cautious," Pang Lai replied.

The other Royal Mages smiled as they declined to use Mo Fan's portal.

"Alright. I'll go first, then. Take care, everyone." Mo Fan could not force them, but he was still annoyed by Pang Lai's lack of trust.

With that, Mo Fan straightened up and stepped into the teleportation portal he had created.

In the next moment, he disappeared from the freezing region. The other mages felt a bit envious, as they only knew Elemental Magic. While the Space Element might not be the strongest in battle, it looked the coolest.

…

Two weeks later, Pang Lai and his team of Royal Mages safely returned home from their trip to the Antarctic.

Coincidentally, Pearl Institute and Imperial College teamed up again to organize an exchange event. Before Pang Lai and his team could rest, they were invited to the National Institute to share the success of their mission with the talented and enthusiastic young mages.

"Please welcome Pang Lai, the Chief Royal Mage!"

"Oh, please, I just played an advisory role this time. The real leader was Mo Fan. I'll let him talk about our journey first," Pang Lai said humbly.

Without Mo Fan, who was well-known as the Evil Saint King, the Royal Mages might not have received any respect from the Antarctic Emperor. So, Pang Lai knew who the real hero was.

"Huh? Didn't Mo Fan come back with you guys?" asked Feng Li, an instructor from the National Institute.

"No. Mo Fan made a teleportation portal and came back alone. He should've been back two weeks before us," Pang Lai explained.

"B-But we haven't heard anything about his return. We even sent people to check on Fanxue Mountain. Dean Xiao, did Mo Fan return to Pearl Institute?" Feng Li asked.

Dean Xiao shook his head. He had no idea about Mo Fan's early return.

"Well, that's strange. Where could Mo Fan be? Maybe his recent tasks have been too heavy, so he's secretly gone on a vacation?" Feng Li pondered.

"Um… I'm not sure if I should say this," Pang Lai said as he glanced at the other Royal Mages. After hesitating for a moment, he continued, "I think he might have been teleported to some forbidden area in the world."

The other Royal Mages nodded and appeared relieved.

Fortunately, they had not used Mo Fan's teleportation portal two weeks ago. Otherwise, they might have ended up in a strange place or even out of this plane!

…

In a faraway place where the Sahara Desert met the Atlantic Ocean, a wild man emerged from the swirling sands. His lips were cracking from dehydration.

A massive sandstorm was roaring behind him. Within the swirling golden sands, hundreds of angry crimson eyes were focused on him. They were determined to force him out of the desert.

"Stop chasing me. I accidentally wandered into your sacred land and took a sip of the Sacred Spring. Is it necessary to be so ruthless?" Mo Fan, the wild man, glanced back at the swirling sands and felt tired.

Teleportation portals were so unreliable.

He was supposed to end up in East Asia, near Pearl Institute. How did he end up here in the Sahara Desert?

In truth, Mo Fan felt somewhat happy to be there. He had previously been chased by an arrogant sandstorm spirit and barely managed to escape from the desert.

After becoming a Forbidden Mage, Mo Fan was determined to confront this sandstorm spirit and show that he was no longer the same as before!

However, he underestimated the strangeness and power of the Sahara Desert. It turned out that the sandstorm spirit lived in groups!

They formed a large population, almost like rulers of a certain area. They controlled the northern parts of the Sahara Desert, and even the ruler of the Sahara had to respect them to some extent.

Not long ago, Mo Fan had a friendly match with the Antarctic Emperor. He was not in the best shape, yet he boldly challenged all the sandstorm spirits in the northern Sahara Desert. He almost got himself into big trouble.

Fortunately, Mo Fan gained something valuable this time; he acquired the Sacred Spring from deep within the desert. Its effects were similar to those of the Underground Holy Spring. It could help restore the Azure Dragon's energy.

Mo Fan never expected to find such a valuable item hidden in the Sahara Desert. He risked his life to grab it and quickly fled.

"Stop chasing me! If you don't stop, I'll fight back!" Mo Fan was frustrated after he saw the overwhelming yellow sand and countless angry eyes.

"Roar!" the sandstorm spirits responded angrily. They were willing to lose as many of their troops as necessary to bury this bold human right there.

They had not experienced such humiliation in thousands of years. Mo Fan had disrupted their sacred ceremony!

Despite threatening to fight back, Mo Fan did not slow down.

The most thrilling thing about this world was that no matter how powerful someone became, there would always be someone who could beat them down.

Mo Fan could actually defeat these sandstorm spirits. However, they were practically immortal in the Sahara Desert. The endless sea of sand allowed them to constantly reform, revive, and recharge.

"Huh? Why is there an oasis ahead? Am I seeing things?" Mo Fan muttered to himself.

"Doesn't matter. I need to get water and gather other elements to fight them."

The desert was filled with the Rock Element. Even though Mo Fan was a Rock Element Mage, his rock magic seemed ineffective against the sandstorm spirits.

Without access to other elemental energies, his power was significantly reduced.

However, the oasis up ahead provided an opportunity to balance the elemental energies and unleash his full strength.

Great!

He would fight back at the oasis!

He would show these brainless sandstorm spirits who was really in charge!

The desert was hot, but as Mo Fan neared the oasis, he felt a sudden chill.

Considering he had been in the desert for two weeks, the coolness should feel refreshing. Yet, he quickly realized that there was something strange about this chill.

It was not a normal kind of cold.

It was a chilling coldness that reached deep into his senses and seeped into his soul!

Mo Fan possessed a powerful divine-level sense, an advanced version of Dragon Sense. However, it was screaming at him to flee!

This warning felt like a bone-chilling sensation spreading through his body. It made every vein, muscle, and inch of skin feel cold. It was urging him to stay far away!!

Mo Fan was usually skeptical, but he trusted his instincts.

He quickly changed direction. He would rather face the endless sandstorm spirits than set foot in the creepy oasis.

Unfortunately, Mo Fan had underestimated the danger of this oasis.

As he tried to run away, the oasis started growing incredibly fast. In no time, thick ancient trees sprouted and stretched into the air, while twisting vines swiftly spread across the desert floor like serpents. Ghostly flowers bloomed in the dry sand and created a surreal sea of blossoms.

The sky became obscured by the trees, and just like that, an ancient, eerie rainforest appeared out of nowhere. It did not seem like some strange divine power had summoned it. Rather, it was as if it had been concealed beneath the desert for ages. Triggered by some evil force, it suddenly grew, covered the horizon, and towered into the sky.

It was unbelievable, but this ancient forest grew like a swirling vortex and swallowed the vast desert.

Mo Fan could not escape. Although he could fly fast, the divine trees grew faster.

Neither Mo Fan nor the pursuing sandstorm spirits could escape. They had once been powerful and dominant. However, as the trees grew, everything began to fade away. Even the bright sun vanished, let alone the defenseless sandstorm spirits.

"D-Divine Wood Well!"

Mo Fan was shocked. He felt a chilling familiarity amidst his fear.

Back when he was chasing Zhao Jing, that guy had thrown a sprout of the Divine Wood Well. The strength of that sprout allowed Mo Fan to catch a glimpse of the Divine Wood Well, but that one little peek almost killed him on the spot!

Mo Fan did not expect the real Divine Wood Well to be hidden beneath the vast Sahara Desert. Today, he had stumbled upon it!

The Sahara Desert and the Divine Wood Well had no connection, yet they were strangely together. Even Mo Fan, who thought himself invincible, felt uneasy.

Was this going to be his day of reckoning?

Was he going to be in deep trouble today?