"Mu Chen, what other tricks do you have? Bring them all out!"
Ji Xuan snorted, automatically taking his opponent's praise as mockery.
With a wave of his hand, the hundred-plus men who had just recovered their vigor charged over again, their ferocity undiminished as they swarmed in for another attack.
"Too small-minded, too small-minded. Brother Ji's thinking is too small."
"I'm sincerely praising you, Brother Ji."
"After all, not just anyone can subdue a Super Heavenly Beast ranked eighth on the Earth Ranking of the Myriad Beasts Record while still in the Sensing Realm—a creature like the Ancient Heavenly Dragon Eagle."
Mu Chen smiled broadly, clearly determined to say something shocking.
His words were like a thunderclap out of a clear sky, exploding silently in everyone's hearts.
"The Ancient Heavenly Dragon Eagle? That's a Super Heavenly Beast ranked eighth on the Earth Ranking!"
"Hiss, King Xuan's foundations run that deep? As expected of a Ji Clan prodigy, born into a great clan in the Southern Border with a Supreme powerhouse at its helm and strong protectors at his back."
"Half a year ago, an ancient Spirit Treasury appeared in the Western Heavens."
Whispers immediately rippled through the crowd.
Some marveled at the antiquity of Ji Xuan's clan; others praised him to the skies.
There were also clever ones who connected this revelation to the ancient Spirit Treasury that had appeared some time ago and caused a huge stir from the moment it emerged.
Many Kings had died in its depths while fighting over their opportunities, and countless others had been injured or killed.
It was said that a strange cry had once echoed from the Spirit Treasury.
Could Ji Xuan have seized his heaven-defying opportunity there?
This was a Super Heavenly Beast ranked in the top ten of the Earth Ranking! How many Divine Soul Realm cultivators had never even seen one, let alone refined one into their bodies and gained its many wondrous abilities?
If I could—
For a moment, many self-proclaimed formidable fighters began to cast restless glances around.
Their gazes fixed on Ji Xuan grew increasingly inscrutable.
At the heart of the storm,
Ji Xuan's body was taut as he stared fixedly at Mu Chen, the Hundred Spirits Youth who had publicly exposed his strongest trump card. He didn't look away for even an instant.
His eyes blazed with fury, his hair bristled with rage, and his face turned ashen.
"How is that possible?"
At the same time, an almost inaudible gasp came from within Ji Xuan.
If looks could kill, Mu Chen would have died a thousand times over.
Ji Xuan's gaze was unusually complicated.
Rage mingled with fear, and the fear was threaded with a trace of confusion.
How had Mu Chen learned his greatest secret?
To keep it hidden, Ji Xuan had chosen to kill every witness present and cover up all traces. He hadn't even sent word to his clan yet.
As for the followers at his side, they were merely people he used as he pleased.
Could one of the witnesses have escaped that day?
Ji Xuan's thoughts raced as he tried to make sense of it all.
His reaction only confirmed the suspicions and conclusions of many human prodigies. The bold ones were already itching to make a move.
"Damn it, I've fallen for his trick again!"
Sensing the many dangerous gazes aimed at him from behind, Ji Xuan suddenly realized he had once again fallen for Mu Chen's scheme.
When Mu Chen exposed his greatest secret, Ji Xuan absolutely shouldn't have stayed silent.
Of course, denying it outright wouldn't have helped either.
Once a seed of suspicion had been planted, events were no longer under either side's control. Besides, the accusation was true, and Ji Xuan's actions had left clues.
The Spirit Road's elites weren't fools!
Seeing the Ji Clan prodigy played like a fiddle by his own prince, Zhou Yuan nearly burst out laughing. This time, it was a classic divide-and-conquer stratagem.
"Everyone, don't fall for this man's tricks."
"With a great battle before us, there's no reason to retreat. Besides, even if you want to withdraw, Mu Chen won't abandon his plan to settle scores with you. You'd only make it easier for him to pick you off one by one."
"Better to finish it all in one battle and pull up the roots!"
Ji Xuan shouted, trying to steady the troops.
The alliance still had more than a hundred and eighty people. Nearly a hundred belonged to his own force, while the rest had all either quarreled with Mu Chen and Luo Li or come after hearing the news to join the fight.
As long as he held his core forces together, Ji Xuan was confident he could fight back once more.
"That's right, that's right. Brother Ji understands me."
"I, Mu, have always repaid even the smallest grudge. I never let revenge wait until the next day; usually, I settle it that very night."
"If you fail to kill me, I'll pay you back double."
"I'll chase you to the ends of the earth and smash your dog heads in."
Mu Chen nodded along, looking as though he couldn't agree more.
Ji Xuan: "..."
The alliance's forces: "..."
What kind of reverse psychology was this?
Were you helping us steady our morale or what?!
Ji Xuan's eyelid twitched furiously, and a deep sense of dissonance welled up inside him.
The alliance members all wore strange expressions, muttering that Mu Chen was insane.
Damn it, if you'd said, "I'll punish only the ringleaders; everyone else will be forgiven," then this grudge could've been settled, couldn't it?
Our brothers would've saved face, and everyone would've been happy.
Then we could've withdrawn, and you and Ji Xuan could've fought one-on-one.
But you've left us no room at all. What, do you think we don't care about our dignity?
"Pick up your weapons and fight!"
The alliance members, left with no way out, shouted that they wouldn't return until they had killed Mu Chen.
Seeing that the troops could still be rallied, Ji Xuan nodded approvingly.
Though Yang Qiu and the other man were shaken by Ji Xuan's heaven-defying luck, they understood the need to face the enemy before them. Suppressing their many feelings, they raised their voices to whip up the crowd and bolster its strength.
For a moment, the alliance looked united, its morale high.
"Kill Mu the Bandit, seize the divine artifact!"
"Destroy the Dust Dog, claim the Spirit Body!"
Having learned from the times he'd been tricked before, Ji Xuan decided not to waste words with Mu Chen. He led his men forward, shouting slogans as they charged.
"Brother Ji, wait a moment."
Mu Chen held a small porcelain bottle in his hand and calmly took a sniff.
"Hmph, out of tricks, are you? Die!"
Ji Xuan swept his hand grandly, refusing outright to speak with his enemy.
We must pursue a routed foe while we still can, rather than play the conquering hero for fame!
"Brother Ji, have you taken anything to ward off poison?"
Mu Chen wasn't annoyed. He continued smiling kindly as he asked.
"I have taken some, so what? Hm? No, wait—"
Ji Xuan was just about to retort when his expression suddenly changed and he whipped around.
Thump, thump, thump. The men who had been full of energy just moments earlier collapsed limply to the ground, their bodies weak and unable to move.
Some even burst into loud wails where they lay, making for a downright bizarre scene.
In just two breaths, more than half of the hundred-plus men had been struck down. Only a few Kings could still hold out through sheer physical toughness.
"You actually used poison? How despicable!"
Seeing the scene, Ji Xuan's expression changed drastically as he shouted furiously.
He'd fallen for another trick—again!
In the spiritual-energy plane, spiritual energy was forbidden to all living beings.
As a result, the role of outside objects was magnified without limit: divine weapons, elixirs, spiritual treasures, mechanisms, hidden weapons, poisonous powders, strange medicines, and everything of the sort.
Possessing even one such item was like adding wings to a tiger; everyone had their own tricks.
Of the hundred thousand youths on the Spirit Road, countless had used poison or medicine. Some had even thrown lime powder.
If other people could use it, why couldn't I, Mu Chen?
Hearing Ji Xuan's words, Mu Chen couldn't help thinking it was ridiculous.
He'd never been this speechless in his life!
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