Hearing Lu Nian's subversive declaration, Mo Fan and the others began to question life itself and lose faith.

If this so-called new element truly existed, did that mean they deserved to die?

"You do make some sense—but with your level, are you even capable of researching a new element?" Zhou Haoyu continued to guide the conversation.

Lu Nian's brow furrowed and his tone clearly turned displeased. "Stalling for time is pointless. In this desolate wilderness, you think someone will come save you?"

"If you want my cooperation for your research, you should at least let me understand how far your research has progressed," Zhou Haoyu replied calmly.

Mo Fan, Zhao Manyan, and the others all looked incredulous—was he seriously planning to cooperate with this experiment?!

This whole thing sounded completely unreliable!

"Fine, no harm telling you. This experiment was originally started by a very powerful figure but was abandoned long ago. However, all the results ended up in my hands."

"The research is already seventy-to-eighty percent complete. All that's missing now is a perfect test subject like you."

Lu Nian's expression was detached, as if Zhou Haoyu wasn't a living person but a disposable object.

"Dean Song He sent us to this deserted city for training—is that related to you?" Zhou Haoyu suddenly asked, shocking everyone behind him.

That kind and benevolent old dean… had something to do with this murderous demon?!

Lu Nian and his men were also stunned, clearly not expecting Zhou Haoyu to suddenly bring up Dean Song He.

"How did you think of him? That man is the beloved dean whom tens of thousands of Imperial Academy mages admire," Lu Nian said with some surprise.

Dean Song He had almost no negative rumors around him at Imperial Academy, making it hard to associate him with such crazy experiments.

"This whole thing is far too suspicious. I don't believe a mere military officer like you could run something like this without someone supporting you from behind," Zhou Haoyu replied.

"You're right. Dean Song He does indeed know about it."

Lu Nian didn't deny it, his eyes locking onto Zhou Haoyu. "I've said all that needs to be said. If you obediently cooperate with my experiment, I'll do my best to spare your life."

Since a new element was being created, a willing participant would obviously be better.

Zhou Haoyu said no more and simply gave Mu Ningxue a glance.

Mu Ningxue instantly understood and immediately led the others to retreat—staying here would only drag him down.

In the next moment, Zhou Haoyu decisively released the Water Barrier. A silver-colored flying sword shot straight out, aimed directly at Lu Nian who was only ten meters away.

Lu Nian reacted with lightning speed, constructing a thick earthen wall in front of himself and immediately summoning a magical armor.

A cold flash streaked by—the silver flying sword pierced the earthen wall in an instant and sliced off Lu Nian's arm.

The armor didn't even activate in time.

Lu Nian's pupils contracted violently as he gritted through the pain and hid behind his subordinates.

"Kill! Kill them all!"

Lu Nian's facial muscles twitched and twisted. He looked sinister and terrifying—like a rabid cultist.

Because Zhou Haoyu had lifted the defensive barrier, Liao Mingxuan and Ming Cong—closest to the edge—were immediately impaled through the chest by two Frost Chains.

Seeing that, Zhou Haoyu knew he had to deal with these Military Mages first.

The silver flying sword became a ruthless reaping blade, harvesting a Military Mage's life nearly every instant.

"How is this possible?!"

Lu Nian's face filled with horror. Was this really the strength a Mid-Tier Mage should have?!

What's the point of researching a damned Demon Element now?!

"Want to learn it? Go study slowly in hell."

Silver light flickered in Zhou Haoyu's eyes as he controlled the two silver flying swords with his mind.

One flying sword slaughtered Lu Nian's men without mercy, while the other relentlessly assaulted Lu Nian himself.

Lu Nian unleashed all his abilities in return, pushing his Earth mastery to the extreme, using a giant Rock Earth Elephant to guard himself.

But in the face of absolute offensive power, these defenses were ultimately useless.

[Unlock Condition: Met.]

[Opening…]

[Obtained Dark Law Fragment.]

"Dark Law Fragment?"

In just a split second, Zhou Haoyu felt as though something had been added to his spiritual world.

Anything that had ties to the Laws was definitely not simple!

In just that short span of time, all of Lu Nian's subordinates had been wiped out. Zhou Haoyu had no intention of leaving any loose ends.

Looking at the ground littered with corpses and the flowing river of blood, even someone with decent mental fortitude like Mo Fan couldn't help but gag, while the timid Bai Tingting was so terrified she curled up on the ground.

Zhou Haoyu glanced at the corpses of Shen Mingxiao and the others, then sighed lightly before retrieving the Blood Calamity Seed from the body of a female officer.

Though the Demon Element was powerful, Zhou Haoyu had no desire to awaken it.

With his Spiritual Origin and golden finger, there was simply no need to pursue the Demon Element—it would be putting the cart before the horse.

As for giving it to Mo Fan to awaken the Demon Element, Zhou Haoyu thought it over and still rejected the idea.

Now that Lu Nian and Mu Yu'ang had both died at his hands, it would be very difficult for Mo Fan to obtain the position of the Wicked Saint King—unless Red Devil YiQiu found him a new evil soul.

To put it plainly, whether Mo Fan awakened the Demon Element or not, it had nothing to do with Zhou.

If he really did awaken the Demon Element, it would lead to the deaths of many people later on.

Most importantly, Old Man Bao's treasure chest could only be opened by killing Red Devil YiQiu. Naturally, Zhou Haoyu wouldn't let Red Devil YiQiu succeed.

Once he had thought it through, Zhou Haoyu immediately packed the Blood Calamity Seed and stored it in his dimensional ring. This was critical evidence to bring down Song He.

Returning to the group, Zhou Haoyu saw that they were still dazed and said with a serious expression, "Everyone has their own fate. Mages die unexpectedly every day. All you can do is accept that reality."

"You're right. Whether it was the Bo City calamity or now, surviving is what matters most."

Mo Fan was the first to recover. Having lived through the Bo City disaster, his resilience was naturally stronger than the others.

If Zhou Haoyu hadn't been with them on this expedition, they probably wouldn't have made it back—maybe they'd all be dead by now.

More than Zhou Haoyu's talent, Mo Fan admired his state of mind.

Whether facing the Pseudo-Dragon Giant Lizard or those Military Mages, he always remained calm.

He didn't seem like someone their age at all.

Song Xia did her best to suppress the fear in her heart and looked toward Zhou Haoyu. "Should we bury them first, or return to the city right away?"

Zhou Haoyu looked at the corpses of Shen Mingxiao and the others. If left here, they would probably be devoured by wild beasts.

"Let's just find a spot and handle it simply," Zhou Haoyu replied.

After giving Shen Mingxiao and the others a basic burial, the group continued along the abandoned railway, heading back.

No one spoke much along the way—everyone wore a solemn expression.

After two days of travel, they encountered a few Skyhawk Mages.

With the Skyhawk Mages escorting them, the group safely returned to the city.

.....

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