Killing Mu Li

No matter how valiant mercenaries were, they feared death all the same. Mu Chen's barrage of gold coin attacks claimed the lives of six or seven burly men.

The miserable sight of bodies pierced through by countless gold coins left the surviving men pale with fear.

Seeing gold coins appear in Mu Chen's hand as he charged toward them, they screamed in terror and rapidly retreated. Even Mu Li's furious shouting did no good. On the contrary, two burly men nearly knocked Mu Li over. He was practically being carried backward by the crowd, making him so angry he nearly fainted.

Using gold coins to clear a path had been an idea Mu Chen came up with on the spur of the moment. Mainly because they had packed together and blocked his way out. He was not confident he could force a path through with his fists alone.

Now that he saw how effective it was, Mu Chen immediately grabbed Xiao Yi Xian and rushed out of the stone chamber. As he stepped over the horribly mangled corpses on the ground, he felt his stomach churn, and his face turned pale.

This was the first time he had encountered corpses, and also the first time he had killed someone!

He viciously bit the tip of his tongue. The pain and the metallic sweetness spreading across his lips jolted Mu Chen out of his discomfort. This had been the outcome he had expected—and wanted.

After quickly steadying himself, Mu Chen exerted strength in his hand. Xiao Yi Xian gave a cry of surprise as Mu Chen pulled her into his arms.

"Hold on tight. Don't let go."

Although the delicate body in his arms smelled sweet, Mu Chen had no spare mind to savor it. He stomped hard against the ground, and his body shot forward as though propelled by a spring.

After passing through the narrowest part of the stone doorway, the panicked mercenaries finally came to their senses under Mu Li's angry curses. Then a violent gust swept past, followed by several cries of agony.

Mu Chen passed through the crowd with an icy expression. With both hands now free, he struck the heads of several injured mercenaries in succession. Several bone-chilling cracks immediately echoed through the narrow passage.

At the mouth of the cave, where sunlight from outside reached, Mu Chen stopped and panted heavily.

Though his string of movements had been clean and decisive, it had also consumed a considerable amount of his Dou Qi and stamina. The result was that nearly ten people would forever sleep in the dim passageway.

"Are you all right?" Xiao Yi Xian asked worriedly.

"I'm fine. Their ropes are on the cliff wall. Climb up along them. I'll hold Mu Li and the others back."

Mu Chen pointed at several thick ropes, signaling Xiao Yi Xian to climb up. This was also the way out of the cliffside cave, while Mu Chen intended to return to the passage and finish off Mu Li and the others.

Mu Chen had his concerns as well. If both of them climbed the ropes at the same time, they would inevitably face attacks from Mu Li's group once they chased out. Below them was a sheer hundred-zhang drop, and Mu Chen did not dare gamble on it.

But Xiao Yi Xian shook her head. "With Mu Li's temperament, there must be Wolf Head Mercenary Group men lying in ambush above the cliff. We can't climb up. However, I have a way to get both of us out. I just need a little time."

Recalling the plot, Mu Chen slapped his forehead. The tension brought by the killing had made him forget about the flying magical beast Xiao Yi Xian kept.

Nodding, Mu Chen looked toward Mu Li and the others, who were about to rush out. Under the sunlight, the savage expressions on their faces looked especially terrifying.

Having broken free from the dread of death, the mercenaries had all become fiercely brave, their eyes bloodshot. But more than half their numbers were gone, so Mu Chen was not worried about being surrounded.

"One must pull weeds out by the roots! I, Mu Chen, have always repaid every grievance. Since enmity has already been forged, how could I let you leave alive?"

A chilling killing intent filled Mu Chen's eyes. Whether for his own sake or for Xiao Yi Xian's future safety, killing all of Mu Li's men in this cave was the best choice.

Xiao Yi Xian hurriedly took out a short flute from her clothes. She placed it between her cherry lips and gave it a gentle blow. The melodious flute sound rushed out of the cliffside cave and carried far into the distance.

"Stay at the entrance. Don't worry about me."

With that, Mu Chen pressed his lips together and charged toward Mu Li and the others.

Inside the cave passage, Mu Li was briefly stunned before sneering. "You actually dare come back. I have to say, you've got guts. Unfortunately, you don't have much of a brain."

"I came back precisely to kill every one of you here.

"I have always believed in repaying hatred with hatred. Since we have already become enemies, then I can only ask all of you to die!"

A cold killing aura flashed in Mu Chen's eyes. Even the mercenaries, whose faces were filled with madness, felt as though they had fallen into an icy abyss when they saw the killing intent in his gaze, as if a savage and terrifying magical beast had fixed its eyes on them.

"Don't panic. He's only a six-star Dou Zhe. After those attacks earlier, I refuse to believe he has much Dou Qi left.

"Attack with me and kill him. Whoever contributes the most will be rewarded with ten thousand gold coins."

"Wood Hardening!" This was the highest-grade Dou Technique Mu Li possessed, a low-level Profound Tier technique. It was his hidden trump card and the source of his confidence in confronting Mu Chen head-on.

Mu Li's once handsome face was now twisted with savagery. He raised his fist, green light flashing around it as it brought forth a surge of force and punched directly at Mu Chen.

Mu Chen swung both hands to either side. Flecks of fire flashed in his eyes, while pale red flame patterns emerged over his arms. The Dou Qi in his body gathered along two specific pathways into his palms, forming two rising fire seals that Mu Chen gripped in reverse. His hands seemed to transform into two balls of flame.

Blazing Prairie Hundredfold Slashes! Mu Chen shouted inwardly before throwing a heavy punch that collided fiercely with Mu Li's fist.

As their fists collided, a sound like muffled thunder rang out, echoing through the empty passage for a long time. Accompanying it was Mu Li's miserable scream.

Their attributes countered each other—fire restrained wood! Moreover, Mu Chen's Blazing Prairie Hundredfold Slashes was a full tier higher than Mu Li's Dou Technique. Thus, there was no suspense at all. Mu Li staggered backward, clutching an arm that was nearly ruined.

Pressing his advantage, Mu Chen quickly followed. The flames coiling around his fist grew thicker and fiercer, deeply reflected in Mu Li's terrified eyes.

"No... I'm the young leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group. My father is a Dou Master. You can't kill me." Mu Li's face was filled with terror. With death before him, if kneeling and begging could save his life, he would have done so without hesitation.

But when he met Mu Chen's cold eyes, devoid of even the slightest emotional ripple, he knew begging would be useless.

"I hate this! If more people had come down, if I hadn't let you strike first in the stone chamber, how could I have ended up like this?"

No matter how unwilling Mu Li was, Mu Chen's fist slammed hard into his chest. The scorching force, like blazing flames and infused with Dou Qi, surged wildly into Mu Li's body and ravaged his vitality.

Mu Li threw his head back and spat out a mouthful of blood. His flying body knocked over two mercenary subordinates before crashing heavily into the rock wall. His chest had caved deeply inward where Mu Chen struck him. He was clearly dead.

"He killed the young leader! Everyone, attack together and kill him!"

A mercenary roared. Their young leader had died here. They could imagine how furious their bad-tempered leader would be upon learning of it. If they did not kill Mu Chen, they would surely not escape death even if they returned.

Mu Chen swept his gaze around. There were not many mercenaries left—only four.

Drawing a breath, Mu Chen raised his palm. A dark yellow flame swept from it and rapidly coiled around the remaining four burly mercenaries.

Watching the four flaming men struggle madly, Mu Chen knew they were merely Dou Zhes. With Heavenly Flames wrapping around their bodies, their fate was naturally to become several piles of ashes.

Mu Chen's expression remained cold. After this bloody battle, the discomfort in his heart had completely vanished.

"This is the rule of the Dou Qi Continent. I was stronger than them, so they died!"

After briefly regulating his breath, Mu Chen walked over to Mu Li's corpse and fiercely struck his head once more. Only after confirming that he was truly dead did Mu Chen remove the Storage Ring from his finger and head toward the lovely figure at the cave entrance, her hands tightly clasped together and her face full of worry.