With the two beauties gone, only Mu Chen and his opponent remained, facing each other.
"Wood Spirit Clan, Mu Kui."
The Wood Spirit Clan's prodigy had a plain, honest face and a burly, powerful build.
A hint of eagerness surfaced on his usually impassive face.
"Hundred Spirits Royal Clan, Mu Chen."
Mu Chen was always genial toward fellow newcomers with whom he had no grudge.
He had heard that members of this clan were born with command over wood, and that their bloodline was ancient.
He had long wanted to test the strength of the Wood Spirit Clan's experts.
"Brother Mu Chen, enough small talk. Take my punch!"
Mu Kui laughed heartily. A strange, pale-yellow hue spread across his body, making him look like a withered tree—mysterious and intensely dangerous.
As he spoke, he stomped his right foot against the ground, splitting the earth beneath him.
Clenching his fist, which gleamed with a faint yellow light, he used the recoil from the earth to launch his burly frame forward like a cannonball.
The crowd's vision blurred, and he vanished from sight.
The next instant, that wood-yellow iron fist appeared right in front of Mu Chen's face.
Boom! A vast pillar of spiritual energy swept out, rising like billowing smoke.
Forced backward by the torrent of dark spiritual energy, Mu Kui caught himself midair by stepping onto a thick vine that had suddenly sprouted beneath him. He checked his momentum, then rapidly changed hand seals.
"Spirit-Binding Vine!"
The Wood Spirit Clan prodigy formed his seal and let out a low shout from deep in his throat.
Rumble—countless thick vines, half yellow and half green, twisted together. Like a horde of venomous snakes surging from their holes, they bared their fangs, tore through space, and flooded toward their opponent.
Once a living