Sword Draws, Ghosts and Gods Tremble

That light laugh was incredibly familiar.

After her brief astonishment, light and joy immediately appeared in Chen Yao's eyes. She spun around and looked behind her.

In the narrow alley behind her, a figure was slowly approaching. He wore a simple yet neat, pale-colored robe. Who else could it be but Chen Mu?

"Second Brother!"

Chen Yao's face was alight with delight.

Although she had no idea how Chen Mu had appeared here, to her, it was as if a ray of light had suddenly appeared in the boundless darkness that was about to drown her.

Chen Mu calmly walked forward step by step, his gaze passing over Chen Yao to the man in plain clothes. "Since when has the Paradise Cult dared to appear in the Capital in broad daylight?"

"Spellcaster..."

The man in plain clothes forced out the word.

In the Great Yuan Dynasty's Capital, spellcasters—especially high-rank spellcasters—were practically the mouthpiece of the Great Yuan Dynasty. Their status was more unique than that of any other group.

The problem was that he knew nearly every high-rank spellcaster from the Directorate of Celestial Observation, yet Chen Mu did not exist in his memories. Clearly, Chen Mu was not from the Directorate of Celestial Observation!

Combined with the way Chen Yao had addressed Chen Mu, this immediately made the man in plain clothes realize that Chen Mu was most likely a spellcaster who had only recently awakened, not yet known to anyone and not yet a member of the Directorate of Celestial Observation.

"What, aren't you going to tell me about your crooked doctrines?"

Chen Mu spoke casually.

He had no interest in the Paradise Cult or the Heavenly Born Cult themselves, but he was somewhat intrigued by the so-called "True Person" mentioned by the man in plain clothes, as well as his talk of the apocalypse approaching.

Many things did not arise from nothing. The Paradise Cult and the Heavenly Born Cult, those two Evil Cults, had continued to exist despite being hunted down by the Great Yuan Dynasty and the Eight Sects of the World. Without a doubt, they had secrets of their own.

The man in plain clothes remained silent.

He knew the abilities of spellcasters too well. He knew that in a place like the Capital, escaping a spellcaster's pursuit was practically impossible, so retreating would be meaningless.

Without a sound, a sleeve spike slid from his sleeve into his hand. He stood where he was without moving, yet a terrifying aura gradually spread from him.

The oppressive force made the air seem heavy and made Chen Yao's breathing difficult. A trace of terror appeared in her eyes. She knew the man in plain clothes was gathering his strength without releasing it—once he erupted, it would be a thunderous strike!

How terrifying would the burst of a Fifth Rank Martial Artist be?

He moved like thunder,

Sending a thousand armies fleeing!

The terrifying aura being brewed by the man in plain clothes made it difficult for Chen Yao to breathe, but when she saw Chen Mu still walking toward them as if he noticed nothing, anxiety surged in her heart.

"Second Brother, be careful! He's a Martial Dao Fifth Rank!"

Chen Yao managed to call out.

A Sixth Rank spellcaster and a Fifth Rank Martial Artist were equivalent in level, but there was no doubt that the closer the distance, the more disadvantageous it was for the spellcaster. What was more, it was broad daylight, not the night that favored spellcasters!

With Chen Mu approaching so recklessly, if the man in plain clothes suddenly erupted, then even if Chen Mu was a Sixth Rank spellcaster, he would face enormous danger. In an instant, life and death could be decided!

Yet Chen Mu's expression did not change at Chen Yao's warning. He continued walking forward calmly until he reached Chen Yao's side.

Then.

Chen Mu gently extended a hand and took the Broken Sword from Chen Yao.

He did not even look at the man in plain clothes. He merely held the Broken Sword before him and examined it carefully. The sword had already been broken until only the hilt and less than an inch of shattered blade remained.

The man in plain clothes still did not move.

He only stared at Chen Mu.

The oppressive aura belonging to a Fifth Rank Martial Artist grew stronger and stronger. Chen Yao could barely withstand it only by gathering her entire mind, and her heart was tense to the extreme. It was as if she could no longer hear her own heartbeat or breathing. All that remained between heaven and earth was a vast, boundless silence.

"Looks like you don't intend to say even half a word to me."

Noticing that Chen Yao was having trouble resisting the oppression brought by the man in plain clothes' Martial Dao Will, Chen Mu finally shifted his gaze away and looked at him with some disappointment.

Chen Mu's voice scattered the oppressive atmosphere for an instant.

But in that very instant, the man in plain clothes moved.

The sleeve spike in his hand suddenly flipped upward. The Martial Dao Will he had been gathering without releasing erupted in an instant, surging forth like a river bursting its banks!

It appeared to be nothing more than a simple upward thrust.

But in Chen Yao's eyes, the entire sky suddenly dimmed. Streaks of blood-colored light interwove, seeming to form a sea of blood that would drown everything!

Only Sixth Rank Martial Artists could temper the embryonic form of Martial Dao Will and fuse it into their own blood and qi. Fifth Rank Martial Artists, however, had truly entered the hall; every move and every technique contained their own will.

If one's will was not firm enough, one's mind would be shaken in an instant. Upon seeing such terrifying illusions, let alone blocking the opponent's attack, one would find it difficult even to move a finger!

Chen Yao had witnessed this kind of power before.

From Old Meng, she had experienced an even stronger Martial Will.

But having seen it did not mean she could resist or see through it. After all, she was only at the Eighth Rank. Before reaching Sixth Rank, a Martial Artist could not truly resist such Martial Dao Will.

At this moment.

Chen Yao felt only her own insignificance. She could see nothing but everything before her being swallowed by that sea of blood. Whether herself or Chen Mu beside her, they both seemed like insignificant ants, destined to be devoured completely.

"Damn it, Second Brother is too close to him."

This thought surfaced in Chen Yao's mind, and her heart went cold. The range of Martial Will was very small, limited by blood and qi, but Chen Mu was far too close. He was certainly within its area of influence.

For a spellcaster, coming into close contact with a Martial Artist was fatal.

However.

In the very next instant.

The sea of blood that had transformed into a heaven-shaking tidal wave and was about to crash down suddenly froze in midair. Then all the illusions seemed to be made of paper, torn into shreds.

Chen Yao's vision blurred, and she once again saw the narrow street and alley, as well as the figure of the man in plain clothes.

The sleeve spike in the man's hand had vanished at some point. Not only had he failed to get closer, he had retreated several steps, leaving several extremely deep footprints in the ground!

Before Chen Yao could recover from her daze.

Chen Mu, who had seemed not to move at all beside her, lightly raised his hand. Holding the Broken Sword, now reduced to a blade tip barely an inch long, he swung it downward toward the man in plain clothes ten paces away.

In the next moment, Chen Yao saw a dazzling beam of white sword light suddenly appear from the void and fall from the heavens. It poured down like a surging river, causing heaven and earth to lose their color.

Sword Draws, Ghosts and Gods Tremble!

"Defend!"

The man in plain clothes let out an angry roar, his voice exploding through the alley like thunder. He thrust both palms upward, and the true essence of a Fifth Rank Martial Artist erupted at full force, transforming into a barrier visible to the naked eye and blocking the wave of sword light.

But it was useless.

The true essence barrier was as fragile as glass. The instant it touched the sword light, it shattered. The man's entire body was immediately submerged in the sword light. His eyes widened as his body was annihilated inch by inch from head to toe.

The copper skin and iron bones of a Fifth Rank Martial Artist were as flimsy as paper. Even his blood was crushed clean by the white sword light.

In the end.

The man in plain clothes vanished completely. In his place remained only a pitch-black crater roughly ten feet across. At a glance, its depth could not be seen!