The War Begins

The towering, majestic city walls stood not far away. Array patterns flickered atop them with a heart-palpitating light, bringing one of the few sources of illumination to this pitch-black marketplace and allowing Xu Yuan to see the visitor clearly.

Aside from those ferocious insect-like compound eyes, his pale skin was covered in thread-thin black seams, like cracks that might split open at any moment.

How utterly hideous.

Compared to their last meeting, Mu Xingyi had now completely become a monster wearing human skin.

After staring at the person inside the stall for several breaths, Xu Yuan chuckled, tossed the yellow fragrant fruit in his hand back onto the stand, then pointed at the perfectly intact protective canopy above and replied with a smile:

"I came here precisely to wait for you. But I am rather curious how you got in, Xingyi. This array hasn't been broken yet."

As he spoke, a trace of scrutiny entered Xu Yuan's gaze:

"Is that body of yours a projection?"

Mu Xingyi did not answer Xu Yuan's question:

"Such a low-level probe does not seem like Brother Xu's style."

Xu Yuan had no intention of following his lead. After pondering for a moment, he said to himself:

"Though we have history, closeness and distance are still not the same. If your true body had descended, you probably wouldn't have given me a chance to speak. So this body of yours really is a projection constructed through sorcery?"

Mu Xingyi's figure remained hidden in the shadows within the stall:

"This is indeed not my true body."

"Truly an impressive method."

Xu Yuan praised him, narrowing his long, slender eyes. "But to create such a projection from beyond the City Protection Array, I imagine you used Holy Source power?"

Mu Xingyi had no intention of wasting words