High-Profile Move, One Against Four!

"There's sure a lot of useless nonsense.

I really don't understand where your sense of superiority comes from.

You show up acting all high and mighty,

but if you lose to me, your faces are going to hurt."

Mu Chen spoke slowly, his expression utterly indifferent. The Dou Qi surging from within him created ripples laced with faint killing intent throughout the courtyard, enveloping all five men before him.

Glancing at the man who had stepped forward first, Mu Chen swiftly worked out his battle plan.

He first stored the Ink Shadow Sword in his inventory. Then, amid their mocking laughter, he calmly closed his eyes. In an instant, his hands moved with agile speed, forming a series of profound and intricate seals.

As the seals shifted, the Origin Flame Talisman at the very top of the Fire-Attribute Space within Mu Chen instantly burst forth with dazzling golden light.

The purple flames in the space below were drawn in, transforming into a streak of purple light that rushed into the Origin Flame Talisman. At the same time, Mu Chen's aura began to rise steadily.

In less than a breath, he broke through the barrier of a Dou Master. A domineering and imposing suit of Dou Qi Armor wreathed in purple flames formed around Mu Chen's body.

This series of actions seemed lengthy, yet only an instant had passed—so fast that the enemies opposite him had yet to react.

Intense purple flames gleamed in Mu Chen's eyes. With a clench of both hands, a dark glint flashed, and the moment the Ink Shadow Sword appeared, it was coated in his current purple-flame Dou Qi.

Feeling the powerful strength coursing through his body, Mu Chen was overjoyed.

Flame Luminary Transformation truly is powerful. Using Purple Flame as its foundation alone can let my strength cross the barrier of an entire major realm and rise to the level of a one-star Da Dou Shi.

He tightened his grip on the sword hilt. This sensation of being filled with power intoxicated Mu Chen. He slowly raised the sword in his hand, its dark gleam, impossible to conceal beneath the purple-flame Dou Qi, pointing directly at his opponents as their expressions rapidly changed.

Just as the atmosphere in the courtyard grew taut, a mysterious black figure leaped onto a concealed structure near the courtyard.

The mysterious figure had chosen an extremely hidden location, nestled in the narrow gap between the eaves of two buildings. The gap happened to be just large enough to hide a person. Since the spot was so concealed and the figure had moved so quickly, no one in the dense crowd on the street below noticed his presence.

The black figure's exposed hand was withered, and the hair extending from beneath the hood of his black robe was white as well.

At that moment, the man in black slowly raised his head. First came a pair of cloudy eyes, followed by an aged face marked by a terrifying scar. It was Hai Bodong, whom Mu Chen had met once before.

"Purple flames! Their power isn't weak, but they're clearly not Heavenly Flames. That violent aura is more like Beast Flame born within a magical beast."

With a heavy sigh, Hai Bodong could not conceal the disappointment on his face. He said despondently, "So the so-called Heavenly Flame really was just a rumor. Of course—it is incredibly rare for a Heavenly Flame to exist between heaven and earth. How could a mere Dou Master obtain one? I was merely clinging to a lucky hope. What an empty joy."

"This kid is strange. Don't underestimate him. The four of you attack together and take him down quickly!" the scar-faced middle-aged man barked. For some reason, his eyelid had kept twitching, as though something terrible was about to happen.

It must be an illusion. This brat was able to kill a Da Dou Shi only because of that secret technique that suddenly raised his strength.

"Strength forcibly raised through a secret technique is extremely unstable. With four elite disciples of the Dark Hall attacking together, this brat has no chance of winning. His limbs will be crippled. There can be no second possibility."

Thinking of his sect's methods, the scar-faced middle-aged man shook his head slightly and dispelled the ridiculous thought that had arisen in his mind.

Seeing the three men beside him join the battle ahead, a cold smile appeared on the scar-faced middle-aged man's face. The cultivation techniques and Dou Skills practiced by Misty Cloud Sect disciples were not comparable to those ordinary people outside, who treated even a Yellow Tier high-level technique as a treasure. Their combat strength far surpassed that of ordinary people.

"Kid, don't make any pointless resistance. The four of us attacking together is already giving you plenty of respect. Just accept your fate."

Mu Chen's gaze sharpened. Though the four men charging at him spoke with utter disdain, their movements complemented one another as they took up four different angles. Their auras converged around Mu Chen. The moment they attacked, they could swiftly seal off his routes of escape. If Mu Chen fell even slightly behind, he would inevitably face their storm-like onslaught.

Mu Chen said nothing. Things had come to this; only battle could prove the truth, and victory was his only path.

"Kill!"

Mu Chen stomped down. Explosive Dou Qi blasted a crater into the ground as Wind Shadow Step activated. He knew that the only way to resolve this predicament was to strike first, shatter the four men's offensive with overwhelming force, and seize victory in one move.

While still in midair, Mu Chen swung both hands and first unleashed four streaks of purple-flame sword Qi. Without waiting to see the result, he flicked his wrist and tossed both Ink Shadow Swords directly into the air. Even Hai Bodong, watching from afar, could not make sense of this action.

"Judging from the way those four attack, they should be from the Misty Cloud Sect. Misty Cloud Sect members are most skilled at joint attack techniques. With four attacking together, their combined strength will definitely be no weaker than that of a high-level Da Dou Shi attacking at full power.

This kid isn't thinking of defeating them quickly, yet he threw away his weapon? Isn't that simply courting death?"

Hai Bodong shook his head, disappointment flashing through his cloudy eyes. He had originally heard that a Dou Master brat could kill a Da Dou Shi across realms and thought he was an unrivaled genius. Now, however, it seemed the rumors had been exaggerated. Such mediocrity was not worth his intervention.

With both swords leaving his hands, a savage grin appeared on Mu Chen's lips. Two crystalline flame seals rapidly formed in his palms, which he clenched tightly.

At that moment, the sword Qi Mu Chen had unleashed earlier was shattered by the four men working together. Before they could even wear their sneers, however, a purple-flame figure suddenly shot out from the broken energy cloud.

"Kill!"

Mu Chen clenched both fists and flew forward, kicking the arm raised by the man in the center. The kick sent him stumbling back several steps. Under Mu Chen's precise control, his retreating path blocked the two men to the left, preventing them from immediately unleashing Dou Skills to attack Mu Chen.

Borrowing the rebounding force, Mu Chen swiftly pounced toward the man on the far right. He unleashed his right fist with the force of thunder. The flame seal in his palm erupted with purple firelight that coiled around his fist.

Before the fist even arrived, the fierce gust from it, carrying a crushingly powerful Dou Qi pressure, bore down directly on his opponent, blowing the hair behind the man's head backward.

The man's pupils contracted violently, and a bead of cold sweat quickly rolled down from the tip of his nose. Gritting his teeth, he remained convinced that his own strength could never lose to a Da Dou Shi who had relied on a secret technique to rise in power. He immediately unleashed a Profound Tier low-level fist Dou Skill and met Mu Chen's incoming punch head-on.

A muffled impact rang out as purple flames flared brilliantly. Mu Chen forcefully shattered the man's fist Dou Skill. The instant their hands collided, overwhelming strength crushed the man's five fingers, and broken hand bones even pierced backward through his elbow. Mu Chen's face remained cold and unchanged despite the bloody sight before him.

Turning his fist into a palm, Mu Chen pressed the crystalline flame seal in his left hand against the man's chest. It violently pierced through his Dou Qi Armor and shattered the bones in his chest.

As the man flew backward, Mu Chen closed in several steps and repeatedly slammed his hands, laden with surging Dou Qi, onto the man's shattered chest. The man screamed miserably again and again, vomiting blood without end.

In less than an instant, Mu Chen unleashed more than ten palm strikes at extreme speed. Only after hearing the muffled, thunder-like sound of the man's heart bursting did he rapidly twist around, avoiding a sharp blade thrust toward his back.