Bloodbath

"Here he is!"

Liu Tianyu's voice rang out suddenly. He shoved his way through the crowd and charged at Mu Qing, his face cold as he struck with a palm.

A thick surge of Origin Force gathered over his palm, terrifyingly powerful.

His other arm hung limp at his side, temporarily useless. Mu Qing's Thunderstorm Fist had charred his fingers black, and the unique paralyzing force of the fourth level of Thunderstorm Fist had left him unable to use that arm for a while.

Even with only one arm, Liu Tianyu's power was no small thing. His palm slammed squarely into Mu Qing's chest. A thud rang out, followed by the sound of breaking ribs.

Mu Qing's whole body shuddered. Blood spilled from his mouth, and fierce pain flared through him.

But he endured it. A terrifying gleam flashed in his eyes as he seized Liu Tianyu's palm.

Liu Tianyu was horrified. He hadn't expected Mu Qing to be so ruthless—to grab him even through the pain. And Mu Qing's strength far exceeded his expectations. The blood-smeared hand clamped around him like an iron vise.

"Not good!" Liu Tianyu's expression changed. He saw the icy, murderous glint in Mu Qing's eyes.

Mu Qing grinned, blood still in his mouth, his expression chilling. The next instant, Origin Force surged from within him, and a Thunderstorm Fist exploded against Liu Tianyu's chest.

It was Mu Qing's full-force strike. Two tons of strength erupted in an instant. Even Liu Tianyu, at Blood Qi Eighth Stage, couldn't withstand it. The flesh on his chest burst apart and turned black, and who knew how many bones inside had snapped.

Liu Tianyu spat blood and flew backward, knocking down several students as he landed. He was gravely injured.

At that moment, Song Yalan hurried over. Because of the Blood Spirit, her Origin Force held a remarkably powerful healing effect. She pressed her palm against Liu Tianyu and helped him recover.

At the same time, her gaze turned toward Mu Qing in the distance.

Though that figure was covered in wounds, he showed no fear as hundreds of people surrounded him. His terrifying strength filled the students around him with dread.

At that moment, Song Yalan couldn't help feeling that leaving Mu Qing and coveting the Wang Family's resources might have been a mistake.

"Impossible! No matter how strong Mu Qing is, he can't take on hundreds of people. Wang Haixuan hasn't even made a move yet. Wang Haixuan can definitely defeat him!" She shook her head.

A frightening thought even rose in her heart: if Mu Qing died, it would prove that her choice had been absolutely right. She found herself hoping Wang Haixuan would use the Wang Family's power to kill Mu Qing.

"Why is his strength so terrifying?" Liu Tianyu had recovered somewhat. Remembering the power Mu Qing had just unleashed, he could hardly believe it.

That strength had completely surpassed his own, despite his Blood Qi Seventh Rank!

Surrounded by the crowd, Mu Qing swept his cold gaze around. He had used Origin Force to staunch the bleeding as best he could. Though he was covered in wounds, the North Campus students nearby no longer dared attack.

They stared at the ground. They had no idea how many students the terrifying man before them had beaten into critical condition. Several were nearly dead, and he had shown no mercy.

"Demon Mu! That guy's a demon!"

Some students trembled all over with fear. None dared attack again, afraid they would be the next to collapse on the ground.

For a moment, Mu Qing stood alone, blocking the path Yang Shanshan and the others had taken. Though the North Campus students surrounded him, not one dared step forward.

The terrifying strength and domineering force Mu Qing had displayed made everyone's hearts tremble.

Even the teachers watching in secret were astonished, their faces shaken.

The teachers had feared casualties from the brutal clash between Mu Qing and the North Campus students, so most of them had gathered nearby.

Three vice principals had come as well, observing from hiding.

They watched in secret, occasionally using miraculous methods to whisk away students Mu Qing had beaten half to death and give them rudimentary treatment.

Mu Qing panted heavily. He had also noticed several students lying in pools of blood inexplicably disappear from under everyone's eyes. He couldn't help marveling at how terrifying the teachers' abilities were.

Yet the teachers watching from the shadows were also marveling at Mu Qing's terrifying strength.

"What should we do? Should we step in and stop them?"

Vice Principal Lin Yuan didn't know what to do. The ordinary teachers looked at one another, equally at a loss.

West Lake High School had held countless mock exams throughout its history, but never before had anyone emerged to command an entire campus.

Earlier, they had been full of praise for Liu Tianyu, believing him to be the top contender in the mock exam—not even Wang Haixuan could match him.

They had noticed Mu Qing's fighting ability too, but until now, he had seemed at most as strong as someone at Blood Qi Sixth Rank. In the teachers' eyes, he had been merely decent.

But now, they were all stunned.

Every teacher was a Sixth-Order or higher powerhouse. They had all fought in all kinds of battles, slaughtering Fierce Beasts in their territory and living on the knife's edge.

They knew all too well what the Vermilion Fruit from Ape Nest could do. It really could rapidly raise someone's cultivation, but it wouldn't increase their fighting ability in the slightest.

Mu Qing's strength was entirely his own.

Lei Kai stood in midair. Looking down from above, he saw Mu Qing as a tiny black speck, like an ant, while the North Campus students formed a dense, dark mass, like a surging flood.

Yet Mu Qing had held back every student from North Campus all by himself, allowing Yang Shanshan and Jiang Yuanjie to leave in safety.

"I didn't expect that kid to be so terrifying. When I was his age, I don't think I was anywhere near that strong or impressive!" Lei Kai suddenly sighed.

"Don't act rashly for now. Everything must follow the rules of the mock exam," Tai Lie said.

As a vice principal, his words carried considerable weight. Still standing in midair, he calmed the teachers and told them to prioritize rescuing students who were on the brink of death.

The teachers nodded and said no more.

They had lost their heads earlier and considered intervening in the mock exam because Mu Qing had hit too hard. One punch was enough to knock out a student at the same rank, while students at Blood Qi Fifth Rank couldn't withstand him at all. Several were already close to death.

"Don't be afraid! He doesn't have much Origin Force left. Wear him down!" With Song Yalan's help, Liu Tianyu had recovered enough to fight again.

He stepped forward, and the North Campus students' fighting spirit returned.

Among the North Campus students, Liu Tianyu seemed to be a spiritual leader.

"Wang Haixuan and I will do our best to hold Mu Qing back. Find a way around him and go after Yang Shanshan and the others!" Liu Tianyu said coldly.

Clearly, he still hadn't given up on the Vermilion Fruit. It was a treasure that could help him break through to Blood Qi Eighth Stage.

Wang Haixuan came to Liu Tianyu's side. Along with his hatred of Mu Qing, his eyes held the same desire and greed for the Vermilion Fruit.

In their eyes, Mu Qing's overwhelming fighting ability came from consuming the Vermilion Fruit.

That was why they coveted it so badly.

They changed their strategy. Knowing they couldn't defeat Mu Qing quickly, they decided that the two of them would keep him occupied while the other students looked for an opening to get past him and seize the Vermilion Fruit.

Yang Shanshan and Jiang Yuanjie were already badly injured. Just a few students at Blood Qi Fifth Rank would be enough to take the Vermilion Fruit with ease!

Wang Haixuan and Liu Tianyu exchanged a glance without a word. The next moment, they surged forward, unleashing their martial skills as they attacked Mu Qing.

The other students sprang into action as well. They scattered, trying to get around Mu Qing and seize the Vermilion Fruit.

Mu Qing's expression turned cold. He roared, electricity flickering across his body, then charged forward and drove a punch into one of them.

The student's pupils contracted. Blood gushed from his mouth, and the bones in his body cracked as he flew away like a sandbag.

"I told you: anyone who tries to get past me dies!"

Mu Qing's gaze was so cold it seemed ready to freeze over, sending a chill to the bone.

He had warned them, but the North Campus students remained unmoved. With Liu Tianyu stepping forward again, their fighting spirit had flared back to life.

This infuriated Mu Qing. Before he knew it, he was putting more and more force into each strike.

Every student he caught took a punch and flew away spitting blood. He was like a human meat grinder, reaping them one after another.

Blood smeared Mu Qing's face, making him look like a demon.

His ferocity sent chills through the teachers.

"Your opponents are us!"

Liu Tianyu and Wang Haixuan charged over. They surrounded Mu Qing from both sides. One moment, a powerful palm strike swept toward him; the next, a fire-wreathed fist came crashing down.

Mu Qing struggled to hold off both of them alone.

Wang Haixuan was especially troublesome. He had mastered three martial skills: an advanced skill each for attack, defense, and speed.

Mu Qing kicked Liu Tianyu's palm away, then drove a Thunderstorm Fist at Wang Haixuan.

But Wang Haixuan ignored it and let Mu Qing's fist slam into him.

A metallic clang rang out. Wang Haixuan's whole body shuddered, and he spat blood, but he wasn't seriously hurt.

At the critical moment, he had used Golden Bell Cover to absorb most of the force of Mu Qing's Thunderstorm Fist. Then, with a feral grin, he smashed his fire-wreathed fist into Mu Qing.

After breaking through to Blood Qi Seventh Rank, Wang Haixuan was in some ways even more frightening than Liu Tianyu. After all, he had mastered three martial skills!

Mu Qing vomited a large mouthful of blood. This time, he was badly injured, but he had no time to recover. Liu Tianyu was already channeling Origin Force on the other side and striking at him with a palm.

He fought them off again and again. Seeing so many North Campus students slip past him and pursue Yang Shanshan and the others, his eyes flashed with murderous intent.

Mu Qing roared. The full force of his two-ton strength erupted, and he unleashed Thunderstorm Fist again and again, sending Liu Tianyu and Wang Haixuan staggering back dozens of steps.

He blurred forward and plunged into the North Campus students again. Whoever he saw, he punched. Every chest he struck was charred black, smoke rising from it.