Annihilation

Unlike the secret speculation within Stone Desert City, inside the courtyard, as the three men brought out their Dou Techniques, their powerful auras locked onto one another, leaving no possibility of escaping through movement techniques.

This was purely a clash of Dou Techniques. Even though his rank lagged far behind theirs, Mu Chen still had immense confidence in victory. The greatest source of that confidence was the solid support of his cultivation technique's rank.

"Kid, take this! You're finished."

As the furious roar rang out, two immensely powerful Dou Techniques shot toward Mu Chen at high speed. The oppressive force they created made the surrounding air turn thick and sticky. Even the remaining floor tiles were lifted one after another before being shattered by the shockwaves.

"I only want to say this: you know nothing about my strength."

Mu Chen took a deep breath, his eyes icy. His hands rapidly formed seals as he bent slightly forward, then fiercely pushed out the Fire Seals in his palms. Two fire pythons wreathed in dark yellow flames swept forth at tremendous speed.

Mu Chen roared inwardly, "Blazing Prairie Hundredfold Slashes!"

The Dou Techniques of both sides collided at astonishing speed. In an instant, a deafening explosion resounded throughout Stone Desert City. A seemingly thin wave of air swept in every direction, and when it struck the courtyard walls, the sturdy walls shattered like paper.

Mu Chen stomped his foot, and a Dou Qi shockwave suddenly appeared, easily wiping out the airwave rushing toward the room behind him.

Mu Chen gritted his teeth. The outcome was unfavorable! Facing the Dou Techniques of two Five-Star Great Dou Masters in succession, even the ever-victorious Blazing Prairie Hundredfold Slashes had fallen into difficulty and was at risk of being worn away.

Mu Chen's expression turned solemn as he reflected, After several battles lately, I've become a little too arrogant. It will be difficult to win with a single Blazing Prairie Hundredfold Slashes. Do I need to use Heavenfire Judgment or Flame Luminary Transformation?

Only now did Mu Chen clearly realize that his foundation was still insufficient. He simply had too few Dou Techniques that he could effectively use.

As for offensive Dou Techniques, he still had Mad Lion's Roar, which he had not mastered well. However, it was a rather useless technique with truly unimpressive power. Since obtaining Heavenfire Judgment, Mu Chen had barely practiced Mad Lion's Roar.

As for the even lower-grade Wood Hardening, after Mu Chen's body had been strengthened by the Jade Bone Body-Tempering Pill, Wood Hardening had lost its ability to boost his defense. It was practically a worthless Dou Technique.

"There is no telling how many people in Stone Desert City are coveting my Heavenly Flames. It would be unwise to expose Heavenfire Judgment and Flame Luminary Transformation too early."

"Then I'll gamble on this. My cultivation technique has the advantage. I refuse to believe that two Five-Star Great Dou Masters can stop me."

With a flick of his finger, several Qi-Replenishing Pills flew into Mu Chen's mouth, rapidly restoring the Dou Qi he had expended.

This was Mu Chen's usual cautious method, ensuring that his combat strength would not stray too far from its peak during battle.

"Using pills" had always been an essential combat tactic.

Mu Chen sneered coldly as crystalline Fire Seals appeared in his hands once more. The Dou Qi within his Qi Cyclone surged out at high speed, flowing through the specific meridians in his arms and into the Fire Seals.

Glancing at the fire pythons that were about to collapse, Mu Chen's face was solemn as he said in a low voice, "If one strike can't defeat you, then I'll make it two. Let's see whose attack is fiercer."

As he spoke, Mu Chen rapidly thrust out his palms. Two energy-filled fire pythons immediately replaced the dimming ones and joined the battle, forcefully driving the enemy's Dou Techniques toward the two men, whose expressions drastically changed.

"What a bizarre kid. He used such powerful Dou Techniques twice in a row in such a short time. Even if his Dou Qi can keep up with the expenditure, can his meridians and bones withstand it?" the skinny man said in shock, with even a faint trace of fear in his voice.

Seeing his companion intending to retreat, the fat man secretly cursed him for being a coward before saying, "Don't panic. He must be going all out now."

"Put more power into it. I refuse to believe his Dou Qi reserves are enough to support him defeating both of us. Remember, we're both Five-Star Great Dou Masters!"

The two men were separated from Mu Chen by the violently surging curtain of light formed by their Dou Techniques, so they did not see him swallow the pills just now. Otherwise, they would definitely have cried that it was unfair. Wasn't he clearly bullying two poor men?

A single Qi-Replenishing Pill cost more than five thousand gold coins. In the entire Jia Ma Empire, only a handful of people could afford to eat Qi-Replenishing Pills like candy.

Unfortunately for them, the Mu Chen they had encountered was not only a Seven-Star Dou Master, but also a Fourth-Grade Alchemist.

Looking at the obstructed fire pythons, it was obvious that the other side was unwilling to accept defeat. They had also intensified their Dou Technique attacks, trying to tip the scales of victory back in their favor. But how could Mu Chen possibly let them have their way?

"Damn it, if twice isn't enough, then I'll do it a third time. I told you, you know nothing about my strength."

Thanks to the energy of the Companion Purple Crystal Source tempering him half a month ago, Mu Chen's meridians had become far tougher. Now, as he activated Blazing Prairie Hundredfold Slashes for the third time, his meridians felt only a slight pain. Mu Chen estimated that he would have no problem supporting four uses of Blazing Prairie Hundredfold Slashes.

As Mu Chen's Dou Technique erupted once more, the endlessly roaring clash of Dou Techniques finally produced a victor.

With a loud explosion, two black figures shot out at high speed. They scraped violently across the ground, kicking up clouds of dust before landing in the street outside. Their rapid friction against the ground had actually carved two trails half a foot deep and a meter wide.

Within the city, countless watching eyes narrowed sharply as they witnessed the miserable state of the two black figures sprawled in the street. Even just watching, they felt pain on behalf of those two men.

At this moment, in the courtyard that no longer had walls or a gate, Mu Chen held two Ink Shadow Swords in reverse grip as he walked indifferently toward the two men lying on the ground, blood continuously spraying miserably from their mouths.

The fat man, who was in slightly better condition, struggled to lift his head, revealing a blood-covered face whose features could no longer be distinguished.

With a puff, a mouthful of broken teeth mixed with fragments of shattered organs fell to the ground. His Dou Qi Armor had long since disappeared, and his body was severely wounded. Even if Mu Chen did not kill them, they had no chance of surviving.

Mu Chen slowly approached the two men, carrying an oppressive and razor-sharp aura.

The slaughter of recent days had already tempered Mu Chen's heart. Even though the two men were in such miserable condition, there was not the slightest ripple of pity in his eyes. The moment they chose to attack, their ending had already been decided.

He first cast a cold sideways glance at the countless spectators. Their gazes held fear, reverence, or, of course, complete indifference.

Mu Chen's soul power was far stronger than his cultivation, allowing him to vaguely sense that none of those expressionless people were below the Da Dou Shi realm.

Cough, cough...

Lowering his gaze to stare directly at the fat man coughing up blood, Mu Chen said coldly, "Who are you? Why did you want to capture Qing Lin? Tell me honestly, and I can give you a quick death."

Mu Chen guessed that the two men were from the Mo Clan. Only that old pervert from the Mo Clan would go to such lengths to capture Qing Lin for those so-called organ transplant experiments. Still, Mu Chen was not entirely certain whether they truly belonged to the Mo Clan.

The blood-covered fat man painfully formed a cold smile and did not answer Mu Chen's questioning. He knew he would not survive.

"Hehe, Heavenly Flames are indeed formidable. They actually allowed a Seven-Star Dou Master to fight above his rank against two Five-Star Great Dou Masters. Kid, you're lucky, but you're unlucky too."

"The more outstanding your displayed strength is, the more people will covet your Heavenly Flames. You can't escape. Someone will definitely tear the Heavenly Flames out of you alive, and you'll die even more miserably than we will," the fat man said with a strange smile.

Before he could finish speaking, a chilling flash of sword light pierced through his head.

Mu Chen understood that he would gain no useful information even if he continued asking. He looked toward the skinny man, but unfortunately, although that man's temper was worse, his strength was also weaker. He was already dead.

Mu Chen took the Storage Rings from their hands and lightly tossed them. His indifferent gaze swept over the surroundings, carrying a cold warning. Mu Chen understood that only slaughter could intimidate those harboring ulterior motives.

"They're all just small fish and shrimp. The big fish haven't arrived yet. I hope a few big fish come within the next nine days."

"You think I'm livestock to be slaughtered at will, but little do you know, I've already cast the net. Now I'm simply waiting for you to swim into it."