The Audience Appears, The Grand Overture Approaches

Deep in the Black Demon Forest, where human footprints are rarely seen.

On a vast and magnificent hillside, a thrilling standoff was on the verge of erupting.

"Run, Mu Chen, Luo Li, why aren't you running anymore?!"

The speaker was a long-haired youth dressed in black martial attire.

Qiu Beihai's typically indifferent face was now twisted with intense ferocity and rage.

As the right-hand man and most capable assistant to Ji Xuan, he had joined forces with Yang Hong on multiple occasions to lead hunting parties against Mu Chen and Luo Li, only to be brutally beaten and defeated time and again.

Even three of his fingers had been severed by Luo Li with the Luo God Sword, injuries that could not be reattached.

Not to mention the unbearable, agonizing pain of the severed digits.

One must remember, he was a prodigy of the sword.

This meant that for the rest of his life, he would have to painfully abandon the dream he had pursued since childhood.

Ever since Qiu Beihai lost those three fingers, his personality had become increasingly extreme. Like a mad dog, he led men everywhere to hunt for the whereabouts of Mu Chen and Luo Li, yet every encirclement failed.

Today, he had finally succeeded; how could he not be overjoyed?

Behind Qiu Beihai stood a massive, surging crowd, each of them possessing formidable auras.

Ji Xuan, Yang Hong, Shi Jingtian, the Shi Hao brothers, three mysterious kings, over twenty quasi-kings, and hundreds of level six or seven Spirit Souls; even the weakest among them were level five Spirit Souls.

This coalition included Ji Xuan's original followers, those like Shi Hao who held grudges against Mu Chen, and bloodthirsty hounds who had caught the scent of prey and latched on.

However, the luxurious lineup of nearly three hundred men that had set out with such high spirits—a force capable of sweeping across most of the Spirit Road—had suffered heavy losses, leaving only about one hundred and eighty remaining.

Even three or four level eight kings had fallen in battle.

Ji Xuan, surrounded by several kings, stood out as the most dazzling figure among the crowd.

His gaze lingered on the silver-haired girl in the black dress, the peerless beauty who stood quietly by Mu Chen's side, silent and graceful.

Even at this moment, the silver-haired girl did not once raise her head to look at him.

Ji Xuan felt an inexplicable surge of fury.

A deep sense of discomfort filled his heart, and an emotion known as jealousy gradually, steadily, began to consume him, sticking in his throat like a bone, demanding to be spat out.

Luo Li, believe me, after today, you will remember me forever!

Ji Xuan stepped forward and patted Qiu Beihai on the shoulder, signaling him to step back.

"Mu Chen, now that things have come to this, what else do you have to say?"

The pride of the Ji Clan, draped in a white robe, forced his eyes away from the girl standing with her sword and stared intently at Mu Chen.

His typically gloomy face could not help but reveal a hint of satisfaction.

"The audience has arrived, and the grand finale is about to begin~"

The Hundred Spirits Youth ignored the smug Ji Xuan and instead cast his gaze toward the distant horizon, as if peering through thousands of mountains, rivers, and endless space, his eyes profound.

"Hmph, playing the fool and babbling nonsense."

"Mu Chen, you certainly have a clever scheme."

"Do you think I don't know that this mountain is the territory of the Golden Armored Dragon Tiger Beast?"

"You two deliberately led us in circles through the Black Demon Forest for half the day, only to lure us here, all to play a game of borrowing a knife to kill."

"These are nothing but tricks I've already outgrown!"

Ji Xuan let out a cold snort, laughing as if he had everything under control.

The Golden Armored Dragon Tiger Beast, a hegemon among high-level spirit beasts, was extremely ferocious.

An adult could fight a human warrior at the late stage of the Spirit Soul realm; its combat power was terrifying.

In the past, when Luo Li, a king of the Spirit Road, had ventured deep into the Black Demon Forest for training, she had accidentally killed a cub of the Golden Armored Dragon Tiger Beast and was hunted down by the adult beast, suffering heavy injuries.

That was how she had been targeted by the notorious Five Tigers of the Zhao Family, leading to a series of troubles.

Ji Xuan, who prided himself on being infallible, deliberately exposed Mu Chen's "scheme" in public to seize the initiative, break his opponent's resolve, and cause him to panic and lose his footing.

After all, once a trick like borrowing a knife to kill is seen through, it loses all its mystery.

Let's see how this boy makes a fool of himself, Ji Xuan sneered in his heart.

Though he appeared relaxed, his body was quietly tensed, not missing a single expression or subtle movement from Mu Chen.

He remained secretly vigilant, ready to strike at any moment.

Ji Xuan had seen too many examples of people capsizing in the gutter; with victory finally within his grasp, he did not want to make a fool of himself in front of the eyes of the entire Spirit Road.

The Royal Heir's words sounded flustered, but his expression remained completely unchanged. "Ah, so you saw through it. You've been a clever child since you were young."

To Ji Xuan, Mu Chen's every action was a sign of a guilty conscience.

He could hardly wait to see his opponent kneeling on the ground, begging for mercy.

Thinking of this, the high-spirited Ji Xuan suddenly raised his hand high. "Still running your mouth when death is at your doorstep? Brothers, hit him!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!!"

The moment Ji Xuan raised his arm, several jade bottles appeared from nowhere within the swarming crowd behind him, soaring into the air before exploding in unison.

Large swathes of golden liquid sprayed downward, drenching everyone present.

Ji Xuan, who was surrounded by his followers like the moon among stars, was the primary target, his body covered in the strange, pungent scent of blood.

From head to toe, it was a perfect 360-degree coating, not a single inch spared.

"The scent of blood, essence blood of a spirit beast, and it's gold."

"Wait, everyone, be careful! This is the blood of a Golden Armored Dragon Tiger Beast!"

Yang Hong, who had been well-read since childhood, sniffed the air and his expression shifted abruptly.

He quickly connected the events of today to the incident where Luo Li had accidentally killed a Golden Armored Dragon Tiger Beast cub and was subsequently hunted by the adult high-level spirit beast.

These golden liquids were likely the handiwork of King Luo from that day.

"What? The essence blood of a Golden Armored Dragon Tiger Beast cub?"

"Doesn't that mean..."

The coalition forces, comprised of various factions, realized the gravity of the situation and immediately erupted into chaos, turning into a complete mess.

Back when the jade bottles containing the essence blood of the Golden Armored Dragon Tiger Beast cub were thrown into the air and shattered, several figures had already flashed out from the coalition camp.

"Royal Heir!"

These figures, both men and women, were at the very least at the quasi-king level.

The seven of them lined up, knelt on one knee, and shouted in unison with cupped fists.

"Rise, everyone. It has been a long time."

Mu Chen raised his hand in a gesture to help them up, unable to hide a smile.

From the Northern Spiritual Academy, including himself, eight people had been selected for the Spirit Road to participate in the trial.

Himself, Zhou Yuan, Lie Jiu, Luo Tong, Tang Qian'er, Hong Ling, and Liu Mubai.

Although the ultimate divine artifact, the Mirror of Judgment, randomly deployed living beings and did not place them in the same location, if Mu Chen still couldn't gather his Bailing Retinue after two years as the Spirit Road trial neared its end, he would be a rather useless Royal Heir.

He, Mu Chen, had never fought alone!

Having grown up together and entered the academy together, the Hundred Spirits Youth had deep bonds. After the formalities, they stood up with smiles and took their places behind the Royal Heir.

Zhou Yuan complained privately that a young girl calling herself Wu Yingying had been searching for him everywhere, and upon finding him, she had drawn her blade and slashed at him without rhyme or reason.

After the attack, she simply turned and left, claiming she had found the wrong person.

It was truly... truly baffling!

ps: Character list created successfully; it should be visible on the Qidian side.

The Spirit Road is nearing its conclusion. Brothers, be patient; it won't be this simple.