The Predicament

Putting aside the question of how strong his opponent was, even the weakest Spirit Saint in the Offering Hall would be more than Mu Qian could handle.

Under these circumstances, not knowing the opponent's Martial Soul or abilities made the situation even more difficult.

At least he doesn't know how strong I am either. I'm not at a disadvantage in the number of Soul Skills. If he lets his guard down, I might still have a chance.

Still, one question had been nagging at Mu Qian: "How did he find us?"

"We left Star Luo City six days ago. He's blocking our route, so he must have known where we were headed well in advance."

"But that doesn't make sense..."

Zhu Zhuqing shook her head. She didn't know either.

As they spoke, the distance between them dwindled. Seeing that he couldn't avoid the old man, Mu Qian reluctantly stopped and held the young woman in his arms close, eyeing their opponent warily.

"Why are you blocking our way, senior?" Mu Qian asked cautiously. Even if the man meant them harm, he needed to find out who he was.

The other man didn't even glance at Mu Qian. His eyes remained fixed on Zhu Zhuqing. "Little girl from the Zhu Family, it seems you've forgotten your fate. You actually ran off with some nobody."

The old man spoke in a flippant tone, his words dripping with mockery and scorn.

That one sentence made his intentions clear.

He was an enemy, not a friend.

"Old geezer, who are you calling a nobody?!"

It wasn't Mu Qian who spoke, but Zhu Zhuqing in his arms.

Her gaze was dead cold, her expression dark, like a cat provoked into anger.

"It's precisely because I remember my fate so clearly that I made this choice. I've had enough of that darkness, of living like a rootless duckweed with no path ahead."

Mu Qian patted her shoulder, signaling that he would handle this.

"Looks like you don't intend to let us leave today."

"Leave?" The old man's lips curled upward. For the first time, he turned his gaze toward Mu Qian...

In midair, the old man from the Star Luo Imperial Family's Offering Hall blocked their way, seemingly cutting off their only chance of escape.

"You still think you can leave today?"

"I'll tell you plainly. A rumor is circulating in Star Luo City right now: Fourth Miss of the Zhu Family died after going mad from improper cultivation."

"Do you understand?"

Hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing clenched her fists. Her body trembled with rage.

Mu Qian chuckled. "What a convenient little rumor. The Star Luo Imperial Family must be worried about the damage to its reputation."

"But there's something I've never understood. How did you find us?"

"Why should I tell you?" The old man's face was full of contempt.

"There's no need for two people about to die to know too much."

Zhu Zhuqing glared at him coldly. "If I remember correctly, the Offering Hall has no right to interfere in these matters before an heir is chosen, does it?"

The old man looked back at Zhu Zhuqing. "Girl from the Zhu Family, don't blame me. I had no choice. I owe the Eldest Prince a favor."

Before he had finished speaking, the old man suddenly attacked, lunging toward them.

A powerful wave of Soul Power erupted. Though the old man's Soul Power wasn't as potent as Mu Qian's, he had several times as much of it!

Mu Qian's scalp prickled. He abruptly hurled Zhu Zhuqing into the distance and shouted, "Run! I'll handle this!"

"I'm not leaving!" As she fell, Zhu Zhuqing reached out, trying to grab the hem of Mu Qian's clothes.

But Mu Qian had thrown her with too much force. In an instant, several meters separated them.

"I'm not leaving! We promised to face this together!" Zhu Zhuqing landed and struggled to steady herself, then ran toward Mu Qian, her voice breaking.

"Listen to me. Trust me. I haven't fulfilled my promise yet."

Mu Qian urged her anxiously. He beat his Dragon Wings and dodged the opponent's probing attack, then quickly gathered his Soul Power.

Three pitch-black Spirit Rings slowly rose from beneath his feet, pulsing around him.

There was no time to keep his Spirit Rings hidden now.

He had already expended a great deal of Soul Power fleeing at full speed, and he was facing an enemy at least as powerful as a Spirit Saint. He couldn't afford to divert his Spiritual Power to conceal his rings any longer.

"Those are... three Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings!" the old man cried in shock, his pupils shrinking as if he had witnessed something that shattered his entire worldview.

In that moment of distraction, Mu Qian had already moved.

"First Soul Skill: All Living Things!"

Mu Qian thrust out his right hand. The First Soul Ring trembled, and a sacred, blue-gold radiance suddenly enveloped the old man.

"Hm? What's going on... My Soul Power..."

The old man felt what was happening inside him in alarm. His Soul Power was being stripped away at a visible rate.

Though it was only a drop in the ocean compared to his vast reserves, it had already greatly weakened his ability to fight.

"How astonishing. You have three Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings and such a bizarre Soul Skill. Kid, I can't let you live."

The old man felt a surge of fear. If the kid escaped, the consequences were unimaginable, given his talent, which defied all convention.

He had lived long enough to see countless times how leaving the roots intact could lead to disaster.

So Mu Qian had to die here today.

Mu Qian felt exactly the same way. From the moment he revealed his strength, he had no intention of letting the old man leave alive.

He still had one most important trump card.

"Kid, it seems I underestimated you."

"Third Soul Skill: Greedy Wolf's Fury!"

With a roar, the old man's body began to swell rapidly.

One white, one yellow, three purple, and two black Spirit Rings rose in quick succession. The third purple ring blazed brightly.

"So that's all it is? Just an old dog!"

The instant he saw the opponent's Martial Soul, Mu Qian breathed a sigh of relief.

Greedy Wolves were renowned among Spirit Beasts for their powerful tracking abilities.

So this old dog, with his Greedy Wolf Martial Soul, must have found Mu Qian by sensing his aura.

Mu Qian had only been worried that the old man possessed some kind of mental ability like time reversal, allowing him to see Mu Qian's face and the fight itself.

If that were the case, not only would Mu Qian's full strength be exposed, but he would also face an endless pursuit.

"Second Soul Skill: Return to Void!"

Mu Qian swept his arms outward, and the heaven-and-earth elements that had been calm moments before instantly went berserk.

The branches and leaves of the trees below twisted strangely. Massive thorny vines shot skyward, and countless leaves, swept along by Soul Power, seemed to transform into razor-sharp blades, encircling the old man.

Unlike the last time he had come here, Mu Qian now possessed the Wood element. In the Star Forest, he undoubtedly had the home-field advantage.

Though Mu Qian wasn't yet skilled at controlling the Wood element he had just acquired, all he needed was to hold the opponent off for a little while.

At the same time, the rotten wood and dead leaves that had accumulated on the forest floor for countless ages began to gather.