At that very moment, a strange fluctuation erupted violently from deep within Mu Chen's body.
This fluctuation was not particularly powerful, but as it swept past Ji Zong, it made him shudder, his eyes suddenly filling with panic.
However, that fleeting trace of panic vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Ji Zong exhaled sharply, instantly regaining his composure.
"Mu Chen is indeed different from other youths. No wonder the Liu Territory had to enlist his help. But no matter how much he struggles, the gap in strength between us cannot be so easily bridged."
Ji Zong's arm trembled, and the longsword condensed from rainwater swelled in size. Its violent surge of spiritual energy blasted the two black seals away. Then, swift as lightning, he thrust the tip of the sword toward Mu Chen's shoulder.
Clang!
Ji Zong's strike was incredibly swift and fierce, piercing right through the gap between the two black seals and leaving Mu Chen no time to defend. The rainwater sword stabbed into Mu Chen's shoulder. Yet, the moment it made contact, the pagoda-shaped light silhouette within Mu Chen seemed to tremble slightly. The longsword paused for a fraction of a second before plunging deep into his shoulder, causing fresh blood to spray outward.
Pfft!
Seeing his sword hit its mark, Ji Zong let out a faint smile, believing the battle was decided. He looked up at the youth's face. Beneath the drizzling rain, those pitch-black eyes stared back at him like dark abysses, and an inexplicable sense of danger suddenly welled up in Ji Zong's heart.
Mu Chen paid no attention to the sword lodged in his shoulder; the flesh-tearing pain did not even make him frown. His hands flicked, and a streak of cold light shot out diagonally. It bypassed Ji Zong and, under the latter's astonished gaze, struck the floral umbrella in his left hand.
The umbrella shuddered, then slowly dissolved, scattering raindrops like blooming flowers. Ji Zong stared wide-eyed as his floral umbrella was destroyed, then suddenly snapped his gaze back to the youth and retreated rapidly. A bloody hole remained on the youth's shoulder, blood flowing freely down his arm.
"You... saw through it...?"
Ji Zong's mouth twitched, his expression turning grave. He had not expected this young boy to see through the formation's weakness. Moreover, the boy's sheer resolve shook him; Mu Chen had dared to use his own body as bait to create a momentary opening, leaving Ji Zong no time to react. He had precisely exploited that tiny flaw, decisively destroying the floral umbrella and shattering the formation.
"You lose."
Mu Chen looked at Ji Zong, a smirk playing on his lips.
His soft laughter echoed, seemingly dispelling the drizzle as a halo of light enveloped the surrounding space. Then, the faint clamor of a crowd filtered into the once-silent area.
It was still the same road, but there was not a single raindrop on the ground. The sun shone brightly, a stark contrast to the gloomy scene from moments before. In the distance, several figures came into view.
The Bewildering God Formation had indeed been broken.
Mu Chen stared straight ahead, where Ji Zong was looking back with a solemn expression. A moment later, the latter's face relaxed, and he said with a smile:
"What a formidable young fellow. To think Mu Feng has such an outstanding son."
Mu Chen merely smiled, his eyes still filled with vigilance.
"Are you going to continue, or are we done here?"
Ji Zong offered a faint, meaningful smile, holding his gaze for a long moment before turning to walk away.
Mu Chen watched Ji Zong depart, his brow remaining furrowed. The sense of danger had not dissipated in the slightest; clearly, the Liu Territory was determined to prevent him from returning safely to the Mu Territory.
"Ji Zong, what a useless fool!"
Mu Chen remained on high alert, warily scanning his surroundings. At a nearby street corner, two cold gazes pierced through the bustling crowd, locking onto the distant youth.
"Third Uncle, what do we do next?"
Beside the middle-aged man who had spoken, a handsome youth frowned as he asked. It was the familiar face of Liu Mubai, and the middle-aged man beside him was none other than Liu Ming.
"Hmph, it's a good thing I didn't rely entirely on Ji Zong. I only used him as a pawn to test Mu Chen. If he had been lucky enough to take care of the boy, great. If not, we would just have to take matters into our own hands!"
Liu Ming said with a dark expression, "No matter what, we cannot allow him to bring that item back to the Mu Territory. Otherwise, the grand plan our Liu Territory has spent so long preparing will be completely ruined!"
"However, if we act now, I'm afraid it will attract the attention of quite a few experts from the Northern Spiritual Academy."
Liu Mubai analyzed in a low voice.
"Then we will make it quick."
A sharp, murderous glint flashed in Liu Ming's eyes. With a wave of his hand, ten figures materialized like bolts of lightning. Each of them exuded a thick, suffocating aura of death, and the powerful fluctuations of spiritual energy radiating from them proved they were all genuine, Initial Stage Spiritual Wheel Realm experts!
"Strike!"
"Yes!"
The ten figures acknowledged in low, muffled voices. Their bodies blurred, melting into the shadows and vanishing instantly.
At the intersection, Mu Chen, who was warily scanning his surroundings, suddenly narrowed his eyes, his gaze locking onto the path ahead. Ten figures suddenly burst forth, instantly fanning out to encircle him.
"Ten Initial Stage Spiritual Wheel Realm experts... they really spared no expense."
As Mu Chen took in the sight of the ten figures, his heart skipped a beat. The Liu Territory's desire to see him dead was immense. Although Liu Ming did not dare to make a move personally within the confines of Northern Spiritual City, he had still prepared quite a "feast" for him.
"I can't fight them head-on. I have to break out!"
Thoughts raced through Mu Chen's mind as his body instinctively retreated. No matter how confident he was, he was not foolish enough to believe he could take on ten battle-hardened, formidable Initial Stage Spiritual Wheel Realm experts all by himself.
*Whoosh!*
Yet, the ten figures were already lunging straight at him. Violent spiritual energy erupted, thick with murderous intent. Even from a distance, the commotion began to draw attention; the disturbance was simply too large to go unnoticed.
"Damn it!"
Sensing the overwhelming pressure of their combined assault, Mu Chen cursed inwardly. Gritting his teeth, he mobilized the spiritual energy within his body, causing a dark light to flicker between his palms. He was clearly preparing to fight with everything he had, desperate to buy himself some time.
*Swish!*
The ten figures closed the distance in the blink of an eye. Their coordination was seamless; as they advanced, they had already perfected their encirclement, completely cutting off any path of retreat. Ten cold, sharp longswords thrust simultaneously toward Mu Chen's vital points.
Mu Chen's gaze was fixed intently on the incoming attacks. Above his palms, the dim radiance grew increasingly dense. However, just as he was about to take a forceful step forward and make his move, a sudden roar, like a clap of thunder, resounded abruptly: "Where did these thieves come from, daring to lay hands on my Mu Territory's Young Master? You have a death wish!"
Along with the resounding thunder, a streak of light, swift as lightning, surged forth. In the blink of an eye, it landed heavily in front of Mu Chen. With a flick of his sleeve, a majestic spiritual energy, like a surging river, rolled out. The ten figures were instantly struck as if by a heavy blow, their bodies sent flying back in disarray.
"Uncle Zhou!"
Mu Chen looked at the familiar figure before him, his face instantly lighting up with joy. He had finally arrived.
The lean middle-aged man in front of Mu Chen was none other than Zhou Ye of the Mu Territory. At this moment, his gaze, sharp as an eagle's, stared at the ten figures that had been sent flying. But he did not pursue; instead, he remained by Mu Chen's side, shielding him.
"Kill them!"
Zhou Ye stared coldly at the ten figures, then let out a sharp command. Immediately, a chorus of responses erupted from not far away. More than ten figures swiftly darted over, heading straight for the ten attackers.
Seeing this, the ten figures gritted their teeth. Then, with a flick of their sleeves, mist rose, and their forms quickly retreated under its cover.
"Bastard!"
Somewhere at the crossroads, Liu Ming watched Zhou Ye, who had suddenly brought reinforcements. He was instantly enraged, his face turning livid. He hadn't expected Zhou Ye to ruin things at such a crucial moment!
"Third Uncle?" Liu Mubai frowned. He hadn't expected this series of plans to take such a detour.
"Go back to the Liu Territory and tell your father what happened. I'd like to see just how much guts Mu Feng truly has, daring to interfere with our Liu Territory's plans!"
Liu Ming said grimly. Then, with a wave of his hand, he turned and left.
Seeing this, Liu Mubai could only sigh helplessly. His gaze, piercing through the gap, fell upon Mu Chen in the distance, who was already protected by the Mu Territory's forces. A cold glint flashed in his eyes. "Lucky brat, consider yourself fortunate this time. Next time, I'm afraid you won't get this kind of opportunity again!"
Just as the faint, shimmering light pagoda appeared within Mu Chen's body, a strange fluctuation suddenly swept out from within him.
That fluctuation wasn't particularly powerful, but when it reached Ji Zong, the latter's body trembled slightly, and his eyes showed a momentary daze.
"Hmph."
However, this daze only lasted for an instant before Ji Zong let out a cold snort and recovered. This Mu Chen was indeed different from ordinary youths; no wonder the Liu Territory had to ask him to act. But no matter how he struggled, the vast gap between the two of them could not be easily bridged!
Whoosh!
Ji Zong's arm trembled. The longsword, condensed from rain, instantly surged, its violent spiritual energy directly and forcefully shattering the two Yama Death Seals, then, like lightning, it stabbed towards Mu Chen's shoulder.
Ding!
Ji Zong's attack was incredibly sharp, piercing through the gap between the two Yama Death Seals, leaving Mu Chen no time to defend. The rain-longsword stabbed into Mu Chen's shoulder, but the moment it made contact, the faint image of a light pagoda within Mu Chen's body seemed to tremble slightly. The rain-longsword paused for a moment before its tip finally pierced into Mu Chen's shoulder, and fresh blood seeped out.
"Whoosh!"
Ji Zong looked at this scene and smiled faintly, thinking the situation was already decided. His gaze fell upon the young man before him, and beneath the drizzle, he saw a pair of dark eyes, like deep black holes, staring at him. An unspoken sense of danger suddenly surged into Ji Zong's heart.
Whoosh!
The young man before him paid no mind to the longsword stuck in his shoulder; not even that pain could make his eyebrows twitch. His palms trembled, and a cold light shot out diagonally, finally flying past the handle of the flower umbrella held in Ji Zong's other, left hand, under Ji Zong's astonished gaze.
The flower umbrella fell powerlessly, stirring up a few raindrops. Ji Zong looked at this scene with some surprise, then at the young man who had suddenly retreated, fresh blood still continuously flowing down his shoulder.
"You actually saw through it..."
Ji Zong's mouth twitched, his expression growing much more solemn. This young man before him had actually seen through the flaw in his formation. What shocked him even more was not just that, but that the latter actually had the audacity to use his own body as bait, causing Ji Zong, in the moment he struck to injure him, to expose a slight vulnerability. And the young man seized this momentary vulnerability without hesitation, striking to sever the flower umbrella in Ji Zong's hand, and at the same time... also severing Ji Zong's connection with the formation.
"You lose."
Mu Chen grinned at Ji Zong, saying with a smile.
As his laughter faded, the falling spring rain had already stopped. The air around them seemed to shimmer with light. Then, Mu Chen began to hear faint human voices entering his ears.
It was still the same intersection, but there were no more raindrops on the ground, and sunlight even shone down from the sky. In the distance, some figures appeared.
Clearly, the "God-Confusing Formation" that had originally enveloped him was now broken.
Mu Chen stared ahead. There, Ji Zong looked at him with a solemn and serious expression. After a moment, he opened his mouth and said with a smile: "You truly are an impressive young man. I never thought Mu Feng would have such an outstanding son."
Mu Chen also smiled, but his eyes were full of caution and vigilance. "Are you still planning to make a move next?"
"The formation is broken. I can't kill you, and what happens next has nothing to do with me, but you'd best look out for yourself." Ji Zong smiled faintly, then gave Mu Chen a deep, meaningful look, before turning and slowly walking away.
Mu Chen stared at the departing Ji Zong, his brows still tightly furrowed, because that sense of danger still hadn't completely receded. Clearly, the Liu Territory had truly made up its mind not to let him return to the Mu Territory smoothly.
"This Ji Zong, he's truly useless!"
While Mu Chen vigilantly scanned his surroundings, somewhere at that intersection, two icy gazes pierced through a gap, fixed on the distant figure of the young man.
"Third Uncle, what do we do next?" Beside the middle-aged man, a handsome youth asked with a frown. That familiar face belonged to none other than Liu Mubai, and the middle-aged man beside him was Liu Ming.
"Hmph, it's a good thing I never truly trusted that Ji Zong. I only wanted him to act as a vanguard to test the waters. If he could resolve it, that would naturally be for the best. If not, we will simply take matters into our own hands!"
Liu Ming snorted coldly, adding, "No matter what, we cannot allow Mu Chen to bring that item back to the Mu Territory. Otherwise, our Liu Territory's long-laid plans will be completely disrupted!"
"But if we act now, I'm afraid it might draw the attention of the people from the Northern Spiritual Academy," Liu Mubai said softly.
"Then we must deal with him swiftly."
A cold light flashed in Liu Ming's eyes. With a wave of his hand, ten figures darted out from behind him. These individuals exuded a thick aura of killing intent, and the spiritual energy fluctuations radiating from them indicated that every single one of them had reached the initial stage of the Spiritual Wheel Realm!
"Go!"
"Understood!"
The ten figures murmured their assent, their bodies blurring as they vanished into the shadows.
In the middle of the street, Mu Chen's vigilant gaze swept across his surroundings. Suddenly, he whipped his head forward, only to see ten figures charging rapidly toward him, swiftly forming a defensive perimeter to surround him.
"Ten initial-stage Spiritual Wheel Realm experts... they really are pulling out all the stops."
Mu Chen's heart skipped a beat at the sight of the ten figures. The Liu Territory's desire to eliminate him was indeed immense. Although Liu Ming did not dare to personally make a move while they were still within Northern Spiritual City, he had nonetheless prepared quite a grand reception.
"I can't let myself get bogged down here. I have to break out immediately!"
His mind raced as he rapidly retreated. Proud as he was, he was not arrogant enough to believe he could take on ten battle-hardened, initial-stage Spiritual Wheel Realm experts all by himself.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
However, the ten figures closed in with terrifying speed. Their spiritual energy erupted, and a suffocating wave of killing intent filled the air, throwing the surrounding crowd into a chaotic panic.
"Damn it!"
Sensing the formidable momentum of the approaching group, Mu Chen cursed under his breath. Gritting his teeth, he channeled his spiritual energy into the black seal in his palms. He was prepared to risk a desperate strike, but his objective had shifted—he now needed to buy as much time as possible.
Whoosh!
The ten figures advanced with seamless coordination. As they moved, they tightened their encirclement, completely sealing off all of Mu Chen's escape routes. Ten cold, gleaming sword tips aimed directly at his vital points and thrust forward simultaneously.
His expression turned incredibly grave as he faced the oncoming onslaught from all directions. Mu Chen pushed his spiritual energy to its absolute limit, the dark spiritual energy wrapping around his hands growing increasingly dense. However, just as he was about to charge forward and risk it all, a thunderous roar suddenly reverberated through the air:
"Who dares lay a hand on our Young Master? Are you looking for death?!"
Along with that thunderous roar, a streak of light descended like a falling star, crashing down right in front of Mu Chen. With a violent sweep of his sleeve, a torrent of spiritual energy surged forth like a bursting dam, violently slamming into the ten pursuers and sending them flying backward in disarray.
"Uncle Zhou!"
Mu Chen's eyes lit up with joy as he recognized the familiar face. His reinforcements had finally arrived!
The middle-aged man who had come to Mu Chen's rescue was none other than Zhou Ye of the Mu Territory. His sharp, eagle-like gaze swept over the ten figures who had been sent flying, but he did not pursue them. Instead, he remained by Mu Chen's side, shielding him.
"Kill them!"
Zhou Ye commanded coldly. Behind him, a chorus of fierce roars erupted as numerous experts of the Mu Territory charged forward, their expressions savage as they lunged at the ten attackers.
Seeing this, the ten men gritted their teeth. With a flick of their cloaks, a thick mist billowed out, and they quickly retreated, vanishing into the haze.
"Damn it!"
From a distant street corner, Liu Ming watched the sudden appearance of the Mu Territory's expert, his face turning ashen with rage. At this critical juncture, Zhou Ye had completely ruined his plans!
"Third Uncle?"
Liu Mubai frowned, not expecting a hitch in their otherwise seamless plan.
"Return to the Liu Territory and report this to your father. I want to see just how much audacity Mu Feng has to interfere with the plans of our Liu Territory!"
Liu Ming ground his teeth in fury, then turned and departed.
Liu Mubai sighed helplessly. His gaze pierced through the crowd, landing on Mu Chen, who was now heavily guarded by the Mu Territory's experts, and his eyes grew increasingly cold.
"Lucky brat. You got lucky this time, but I'm afraid you won't have such luck next time!"