Ink Shadow, Heavy Sword!

"How is that possible? I'm a Da Dou Shi!"

Ha Lang scrambled to his feet, disbelief written all over his face. Staring at Mu Chen's approaching footsteps, his legs went weak, and he could not help backing away several steps.

"What a weak Da Dou Shi! I thought I'd have to go through a hard fight to take you down, but I didn't expect you to be unable to take even one move from me.

I thought you were strong. I was practically fully armed, yet this is all the strength you have? You're far too weak..."

Mu Chen shook his head and sighed. He had practically faced him in his strongest state, opening with a killing move, yet this old man had turned out to be such a fraud—completely unable to withstand a single blow.

Then again, he could not even solidify his Dou Qi Armor. At most, he had the combat strength of a peak Dou Master.

Although Mu Chen's words made Ha Lang's expression turn ugly, once he realized the vast gap in their strength, he no longer cared about his disheveled appearance. A fawning smile immediately appeared on his face.

"Young friend, your strength is truly unparalleled. The moment this old man saw you, I knew you were no ordinary person.

This time, this old man was blinded by greed and offended you. I brought this suffering upon myself and have made a fool of myself before you.

This old man begs you to show mercy and spare my life. I am willing to offer all my possessions in exchange for it."

Seeing that Mu Chen showed no sign of being moved, a trace of resentment flashed deep in Ha Lang's eyes. He added, "If you think that is not enough, this old man is also a Third-Grade Alchemist. I am willing to serve under you and follow your commands."

Even though his face burned with shame, Ha Lang could no longer afford to care about that if he wanted to live.

Third-Grade Alchemists were not cabbages. Even throughout the Jia Ma Empire, they were rare. No faction would ignore the benefits a Third-Grade Alchemist could bring. Ha Lang was certain Mu Chen would never reject a Third-Grade Alchemist like him.

Sure enough, Mu Chen stopped three meters in front of him. Joy appeared on Ha Lang's face as he realized his life had been saved, though inwardly he cursed wildly, Damn brat, just you wait. Once we get off this flying magical beast, I'll have plenty of ways to make you beg for death but be unable to die.

A thick sneer hung on Mu Chen's face as he said mockingly, "You may not believe this, but I'm a Fourth-Grade Alchemist. I personally refined those pills earlier."

Ha Lang's pupils contracted as he sensed something was wrong. He hurriedly said, "My lord, I can serve you faithfully, with absolute loyalty, and never betray you."

"Tsk, tsk. But I have no intention of raising a venomous snake. I have always believed that only dead enemies are good enemies, so you should die."

Mu Chen flicked his finger, and the Xuan Huang Flame turned into a streak of light that pierced through Ha Lang's head. With quick eyes and swift hands, Mu Chen snatched Ha Lang's Storage Ring before his body was burned to ashes.

"Mission: Slaughter completed. Reward has been issued to the backpack."

Mu Chen took the mission reward from his backpack. Before he could even see it clearly, something resembling a ball of light turned into a stream of radiance and shot into his mind, immediately transforming into detailed battle scenes that improved Mu Chen's combat experience.

After a long while, Mu Chen finally absorbed all the combat experience. Shaking his head slightly, he gathered the Storage Rings of the other three from elsewhere. After tossing all the corpses off the bird's back, Mu Chen waited patiently atop it.

At last, the massive flying magical beast began descending gradually. Having experienced this several times over the past three days, Mu Chen understood that it was preparing to land.

After leaving the clouds, when the vast land below became faintly visible, Mu Chen did not hesitate. With a light tap of his toes, he leaped from the bird's back into the sky.

The wind howled, cold enough to pierce the bone.

Head down and feet up, Mu Chen plummeted vertically at high speed. A Dou Qi Veil appeared over his body, isolating him from the friction of the air and blocking the fierce wind rushing into his nose and mouth.

Finally, when he was one to two hundred meters above the ground, the Purple Cloud Wings shot out rapidly. Mu Chen's descending body glided dozens of meters before steadily coming to a stop in midair.

Mu Chen's face turned slightly pale as intense pain began spreading through his body. He sucked in a cold breath and muttered, "The hidden injuries showed signs of acting up during the battle earlier. I need to find somewhere to deal with them first."

That was also why Mu Chen had been so eager to use the Xuan Huang Flame to kill Ha Lang, that worthless Da Dou Shi.

After landing, Mu Chen found that the surrounding vegetation was sparse, while the air was filled with scorching heat and drifting dust. Patiently, he found a concealed spot and carved out a cave before taking out the Jade Bone Body-Tempering Pill and swallowing it.

The pill immediately turned into a warm current that flowed through Mu Chen's limbs and bones. In an instant, its medicinal effect began to take hold, and Mu Chen felt as though countless ants were crawling all over his body, leaving him unbearably numb and itchy.

Clenching his teeth, a bead of sweat rolled down Mu Chen's forehead. Sitting cross-legged in the cave, he endured the discomfort and formed hand seals with both hands, activating the Jade Bone Body-Tempering Pill's effects with all his strength.

Before long, the numb, itchy feeling was replaced by pain like blades and axes carving into him. His bones crackled, while the skin on his body turned the color of emerald jade.

The pill's deeper effects had been triggered. Looking inward, Mu Chen saw the hidden injuries remaining in his body gradually healing, while his flesh, blood, and bones slowly grew stronger amid the pain.

"It's good that it works. My efforts were not in vain.

Pain is the catalyst for becoming stronger. Jade Bone Body-Tempering Pill, let me see just how effective you really are."

An hour later, Mu Chen spat out a large mouthful of foul-smelling blood. Yet after spitting it out, his complexion became rosy, his spirits excellent, and his skin returned to normal.

Mu Chen only felt that his body was comfortable and light, while his physical strength had increased by a considerable margin.

Mu Chen had a feeling that even relying solely on physical strength, defeating an ordinary Dou Master would not be much of a problem.

"The Jade Bone Body-Tempering Pill has refined my body all over again. It can truly be called cleansing the meridians and remolding the bones. Its benefits to me are enormous, worthy of its grade. In the long run, its benefits may even surpass those of the Three-Mark Azure Spirit Pill."

After sighing in admiration for a while, Mu Chen took out the Storage Rings belonging to Ha Lang and the other three, then poured out everything inside. The contents nearly filled the cave.

"Alchemists really are rich. The possessions of these four are truly substantial. The gold coins alone exceed one million, and there are dozens of pills from Grades One to Three. Some of the medicinal herbs they collected are ones I don't even have. What a harvest!" Mu Chen's face was filled with delight as he marveled at the abundant gains.

Mu Chen carefully selected some items to keep, then sacrificed all the rest, obtaining a total of 2,000 points.

Note: (One Third-Grade and three Second-Grade Alchemists, with a combined fortune of two million gold coins, really did not amount to much.) This made Mu Chen repeatedly praise Ha Lang and the others as good people, delivering themselves right to his doorstep because they knew he lacked points.

"Draw!"

After investing 1,000 points, the Wheel Prize Pool began spinning. Finally, it stopped in the item section before Mu Chen's astonished eyes!

"Inkshadow Twin Swords! I didn't expect to draw an Earth Tier spirit weapon.

What's been going on lately? Good things keep coming one after another. Could I be a hidden lucky emperor?" Mu Chen muttered joyfully to himself.

He spread his hands, and with a flash of dim light, two sharp treasured swords radiating a chilling aura appeared in his hands.

The blades were somewhat longer than ordinary swords and nearly two inches wide. Their entire bodies were black as ink, without the slightest pattern or ornament, yet their edges gleamed with an absolutely sharp coldness.

Mu Chen nimbly spun a few sword flourishes, unable to put them down. After pondering briefly, he pressed the two black swords together according to the hidden information he had obtained from the weapon.

A miraculous scene occurred. The two black swords clung tightly together like magnets. With a flash of dim light, they ultimately transformed into a massive heavy sword over two meters long.

Mu Chen raised the black heavy sword and spun it once in his hand, his face full of surprise. He muttered, "The heavy sword formed by combining the twin swords has quite some weight. If my body had not been strengthened, even wielding it would be exhausting.

The combined heavy sword does not provide any greater amplification to Dou Qi—it is still ten percent—but its power is definitely stronger. With it, my combat strength will rise another level."

Looking at the 1,500 points required for the next draw, Mu Chen felt somewhat pleased. At least the cost had not doubled immediately.

Holding the massive heavy sword, Mu Chen walked out of the cave and performed several slashing motions. The heavy blade tore through the air, and the sword wind sent the yellow dust on the ground swirling upward.

Although the heavy sword form could not compare to the speed of the two nimble black swords, Mu Chen was very satisfied with the destructive power caused by its immense weight once it struck.

He transformed the heavy sword back into the nimble black swords, simply made two suitable scabbards, and strapped them to his back. With a flick of both hands, the two light Ink Shadow Swords slid into their scabbards.

After loosening his wrists, Mu Chen left the concealed place, his figure gradually disappearing into the distance.