Shock

Man Xiongmu rushed into the Bamboo building and saw Guduo's arm streaming with blood while Feitianyun was pinned to the ground by White Dog, screaming.

His expression darkened, and he shouted sternly, "Stop!"

When Wu Tian saw him arrive, he leaped away and returned to Chili Mu's arms.

He had held back when attacking. Since Guduo had dared to draw his blade, he naturally had to be punished. The wound on his arm was merely superficial and posed no serious threat.

Although Feitianyun was overbearing and willful, the other party clearly came from an extraordinary background. If she died in the stockade, it would likely bring disaster upon them. Moreover, most of these stockades had people on Skull Mountain, so he naturally would not act rashly. He had merely meant to frighten her.

However, given this woman's nature, there would surely be no shortage of entanglements in the future.

But even if he wanted to settle this person, he absolutely could not do it in the stockade.

His mind was steady, and he acted according to his own rules. Coupled with the ruthlessness honed through hunting in the jungle, he had already developed a hint of killing intent toward Feitianyun in secret.

To those born into noble families, face was often far more important than human life. Though this seemed like nothing more than a minor dispute and a small clash, it might well become the root of disaster for Chili Mu and himself in the future.

While Wu Tian was pondering this, Man Xiongmu had already strode forward. He extended a finger, and magical light spread out, sealing Guduo's wound. Then he took out a bottle of Healing medicine. The ointment looked like sludge, but once applied to the wound, it proved highly effective. The injury began healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

At that moment, Feitianyun also crawled up from the ground. Her face was deathly pale, filled with uncontrollable humiliation and fury, as she said to Man Xiongmu, "Master, that slut ordered that beast to bite Guduo, and she even tried to kill me."

"Master, hurry and kill her."

When Man Xiongmu heard her, his expression turned extremely gloomy. Without saying a word, he condensed black wind into a palm and slapped it toward Feitianyun.

Bang!

Feitianyun had only just stood up when the slap swelled her cheek red and sent her tumbling back to the ground.

This time, she was struck senseless. Only after a long while did she recover, staring at Man Xiongmu in disbelief. "M-Master..."

Man Xiongmu's expression was fierce. "Remember your identity. Right now, you're nothing more than a mere mortal. How dare you speak to me like this? Are you ordering me around?"

Feitianyun sensed the vicious, baleful aura radiating from him and finally became afraid. Her body trembled slightly as she covered her cheek and whimpered softly, "I-I won't do it again... Master..."

"Hmph!" Man Xiongmu snorted coldly. If he had not been considering White Dog Stockade, a mere mortal who dared offend him like this—even if she were a spirit child—would have been killed without a second thought. With his status and position, killing her would have been nothing.

He turned to Chili Mu, his tone softening slightly, and asked, "Little Chili, tell me. What exactly happened?"

Chili Mu was also somewhat afraid of Man Xiongmu in his current state. She hugged Wu Tian tightly and softly recounted everything that had happened.

Her thoughts were clear, and her account was orderly. She explained everything in detail: Feitianyun had provoked them first, Guduo had drawn his blade afterward, and Wu Tian had stood up for her.

After she finished, she looked pitifully at Man Xiongmu and said, "Uncle Man Xiong, White Dragon protected me. If you're going to punish someone, punish me instead!"

As she spoke, she closed her eyes and raised her fair little face, seemingly waiting for the palm condensed from black wind.

Man Xiongmu looked at her slightly pale little face, which had gone white from fear, yet saw how stubbornly she pressed her lips together. He could not help shaking his head and laughing. "You did nothing wrong. Why would I punish you?"

His gaze swept over Guduo and Feitianyun as he said heavily, "At first light tomorrow, I'll take you back to Skull Mountain. Until then, if either of you dares cause trouble again, don't blame me for showing no mercy."

There were three rooms in the Bamboo building. He directly assigned Guduo and Feitianyun to one room, took a room for himself, and left Chili Mu in her original room.

Just as he finished making the arrangements, the Chieftain also arrived. The moment he stepped through the door, he asked worriedly, "What happened? Is Little Chili all right?"

"Old friend, rest assured. With me here, nothing will happen!" Man Xiongmu did not tell the Chieftain what had happened. Instead, he sent him away.

Once Guduo and Feitianyun returned to their room, the Chieftain had also left, and the room once again fell silent.

Man Xiongmu looked at Chili Mu with a smile and said, "Little Chili, you did very well today. Don't be afraid. Uncle is also from the stockade, and I'm your elder."

"If anyone bullies you, I'll stand up for you. Understand?"

Chili Mu nodded vigorously and said happily, "Thank you, Uncle."

Man Xiongmu walked over and rubbed her little head. Then he glanced at Wu Tian and said, "White Dragon also did well today. He knew to protect his little master."

After soothing Chili Mu's emotions, he continued, "Little Chili, how has your cultivation of the Tongyou Spell been going lately? Have you run into any problems?"

Chili Mu's cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds during this period. However, with no one to guide her, she had accumulated quite a few doubts. She proceeded to ask about each question she had stored up over the days.

At first, Man Xiongmu answered with ease, but later, he grew increasingly shocked. The questions Chili Mu asked could only arise after cultivating the Tongyou Spell to an extremely profound level.

An excited expression gradually appeared on his face, and he could no longer restrain himself. He said at once, "Little Chili, cultivate the Tongyou Spell once right now."

Chili Mu obediently agreed, set Wu Tian down, and then sat cross-legged on the bed. After calming and focusing her mind for a moment, she began casting the Tongyou Spell.

Before long, faint, ethereal muttering rang out, like ghosts and gods whispering. The vital essence of heaven and earth around them rapidly converged. The essence surrounding Chili Mu boiled, blazing like flames.

At her mouth and nose, she inhaled and exhaled radiance as if refining it. Crimson light spread out, quickly enveloping her entire body.

Man Xiongmu clearly saw the strange phenomenon surrounding Chili Mu. An expression of incomparable shock appeared on his face as he murmured, "This... this is..."

He could hardly believe his eyes. Even a superior Immortal root could not cultivate the Tongyou Spell to such a profound level in such a short time, much less trigger such a strange phenomenon.

His expression shifted unpredictably as countless aptitudes recorded in the sect's many ancient texts flashed through his mind.

"The most top-tier Immortal root aptitude is known as Hundred Days Foundation Establishment."

"But Chili Mu's performance has surpassed even that. Could it be the legendary... Dao Body?!"

At this thought, Man Xiongmu's pupils widened. He was both horrified and ecstatic, his gaze locked firmly on Chili Mu as countless thoughts surged through his mind.

"No, I can't take her back to the mountain just like this. Once people set their sights on her, there'll likely be tremendous trouble..."

He paced back and forth beside Chili Mu, unable to make up his mind. After a while, he suddenly thought of someone and finally reached a decision.

"Only she can protect Chili..."