Actually, We're Friends

The Mu Chen before him was still young and green, with a trace of childishness lingering on his face. He was a far cry from the somewhat cold youth who would emerge after completing the Spirit Road. After all, apart from Luo Li, his future self would chase people down and slaughter them throughout the Spirit Road, killing until he earned the title of Blood Calamity.

"Uh, Brother... Mu, this was all a misunderstanding." Yun Mo hurriedly tossed away the stone in his hand and raised both hands to show that he meant no harm. He continued, "How about we pretend none of this ever happened...?"

Mu Chen looked at Yun Mo, somewhat bewildered. He had actually thrown away his stone without any hesitation. That undoubtedly meant he was admitting defeat.

To be honest, he had sensed an extremely dangerous aura from Yun Mo.

Before entering the Spirit Road, Yun Mo must have possessed a considerable cultivation base. If they really fought without holding anything back, Mu Chen would most likely be the one to die-provided, of course, that he did not run away.

The corner of Mu Chen's mouth twitched. "You seem to know me?"

"Uh... yes, yes!" Yun Mo replied. Anything was fine as long as they stopped fighting.

Win or lose, continuing this fight would leave him taking a crushing loss.

If he won, this world would be gone, and his dream of becoming a wealthy local lord would go up in smoke. If he lost, he would simply die. That was even more straightforward.

Who knew whether these chosen protagonists were being watched by the world's consciousness? What if a bolt of lightning struck halfway through their fight...?

"But I've never seen you in the Northern Spiritual Realm! How do you know me?" Mu Chen also dropped the stone in his hand and stared at Yun Mo.

Watching him do so, Yun Mo sighed inwardly with relief. At the end of the day, he was pretty formidable himself, all right? As long as he wasn't dealing with those three protagonists, everything was negotiable!

"Well, I promised someone I wouldn't tell you. All I can say is that it has something to do with your origins. We should count as friends."

Yun Mo spun this story for Mu Chen. He knew Mu Chen cared deeply about this, and he had to use it to turn their relationship around. Naturally, he could only go this far. He could not reveal anything beyond that. If he changed the course of Mu Chen's life, things would turn ugly.

Once Mu Chen made it onto the Firmament Ledger and became a ruler, he would announce that he was Mu Chen's friend.

Then wouldn't everyone else scramble to bring him offerings?

He could afford to dream a little bigger about becoming a wealthy landlord.

In the future, he would become the emperor of an entire continent!

"Hehehe." As his thoughts wandered, Yun Mo's face took on the same sleazy expression as the elders back at his academy. He seemed to glimpse a beautiful future.

"My origins? Friends?" Looking at that rather sleazy smile, Mu Chen grew increasingly speechless. Still, what Yun Mo had said about his origins genuinely concerned him, and he pressed further. "What exactly do you mean by my origins?"

Yun Mo shook his head. He would rather die than move things in that direction. If he spoke, Mu Chen might never become the Blood Calamity and be expelled from the Spirit Realm. The greatest change would then be missing out on Nine Nether. That would truly spell disaster.

He sidestepped the subject, sat down beside a tree, and waved a hand. "All I can say is that we really are friends. How about this? To make up for that little accident just now, I owe you a favor. I won't take the same route as you, either. You should get going!"

Yun Mo had to take a different route from Mu Chen. That way, he could perfectly avoid those particular people and events, and the plot would return to its proper course.

Mu Chen frowned slightly. He sensed Yun Mo's resolve. Even if they fought again, he probably would not reveal those things. And since Yun Mo knew his identity, continuing to fight hardly seemed possible.

He nodded, relaxing somewhat. Although Yun Mo's words were full of holes, Mu Chen himself had no confidence in winning if they kept fighting.

"All right, then. I'll accept that favor. I hope this favor from a friend like you will prove useful someday."

With that, he stopped lingering over Yun Mo. In a few swift bounds, he headed toward the end of the Spirit Road. His current goal was to become a student of the Five Great Academies.

Only after Mu Chen's retreating figure vanished did Yun Mo's shoulders slump. He could not help grumbling inwardly, Was that good luck or bad luck? A chosen son of destiny, and I ran into him the moment I arrived.

Although they had fought, at least they had not fought to the bitter end.

Luckily, he had reacted quickly and even seized the opportunity to secure the label of friend. This outcome could hardly have been more perfect.

Besides, now that he had met Mu Chen, it seemed there was nothing left to hold him back on this Spirit Road!

As long as he did not kill Ji Xuan.

Ji Xuan should also be on Mu Chen's route. All he had to do now was take a different path, and he could completely avoid the characters involved in the plot.

By the time Yun Mo finished thinking it through, he grinned. He suddenly realized that he could apparently cut loose during this Spirit Road Trial.

"Time to hunt for opportunities, and see who's carrying anything good along the way. It's all mine!"

The setting sun appeared in the sky, signaling that their first day on the Spirit Road was nearly over.

Somewhere along the Spirit Road, Yun Mo was struggling to pick a spiritual flower growing on a cliff. In his eyes, this flower was a rather fine natural treasure.

He remembered Qing Yilun telling him about the value of this kind of flower.

The Mistveil Flower was a spiritual flower that grew on sheer cliffs. It earned its name from the mist that shrouded it year-round.

It had nine purple petals, so unusually plump that anyone could easily tell they were filled with rich juices.

Its juice could be used to refine pills or sucked out directly. Once consumed, it could slightly strengthen the soul and even grant a mysterious power that preserved one's appearance. This power was permanent, making it a spiritual medicine highly sought after by female cultivators.

Naturally, what Yun Mo cared about was its center.

The flower's center could lure out Nocturnal Bees. By following the bees, he would be able to locate their nest.

The honey produced by Nocturnal Bees gave a pleasant tingling sensation and had a special body-tempering effect when swallowed. Unlike those methods of tempering the body through self-inflicted suffering, it could strengthen one's flesh amid sweet fragrance and flavor.

The presence of a Mistveil Flower all but guaranteed that Nocturnal Bees were nearby.

But just as Yun Mo was about to touch its petals, voices reached his ears.

"Damn it, how is that woman so strong? Where the hell did she come from? Everyone's an ordinary person on the Spirit Road, so how can she slap someone half to death with one blow?"

One of them cursed incessantly, occasionally sucking in a sharp breath.

"Brother Yu, I think we should stop provoking her. There's something off about how strong her body is. And that

"spear in her hand practically takes someone down with every thrust." Another man swallowed, still shaken.

"Yeah, Brother Yu. I think we should leave. Let's not go back there tomorrow."

Yu Fang was reluctant to give up. That woman was guarding a spiritual tree, waiting for its fruit to ripen so she could claim it all for herself.

Whether an injury was internal or external, those fruits could heal it effectively. They certainly qualified as treasures on the Spirit Road.

There was no spiritual energy on the Spirit Road. No matter how gifted someone was, once injured, they could only let their body recover naturally, without intervening themselves. An outside source of power changed everything. The mysterious power of a Spirit Fruit could greatly shorten the time needed to heal. Such fruit was practically a drowning man's last straw.

"No. She took our tokens, and those Spirit Fruits should ripen tomorrow. We'll try again. I refuse to believe that woman can keep herself at peak condition after expending so much energy. We'll make her hand over the fruit. Tomorrow, even if you die, you have to hold her... who's there!"

Yu Fang's gaze sharpened as he looked toward the cliff. Something had made a noise there, though he did not know whether it was a person or some demonic beast.

On the Spirit Road, there was a distinction between demonic beasts and spiritual beasts. Demonic beasts posed very little danger; most could easily be handled even by ordinary people.

Spiritual beasts were different. The special traits of some made them difficult to deal with, and anyone would have to approach them cautiously.

"Bzzz... bzzz, bzzzz."

The corner of Yun Mo's mouth twitched. As he waved his hand to drive away the Nocturnal Bees, he accidentally made some noise, sending a few stones tumbling down the cliff.

Their timing really could not have been worse.

His original plan had been to use the Mistveil Flower's center to locate the hive and obtain a large supply of Nocturnal Bee honey. Who would have thought these Nocturnal Bees would suddenly discover the flower so quickly and interfere with his attempt to pick it?

Clearly, these Nocturnal Bees had followed the people here.

"Who's there? Come out! I can see you!" Yu Fang shouted harshly again. In the last sliver of sunset, he spotted a figure clinging to the edge of the cliff.

Yun Mo licked his lips. Ignoring the roaring behind him, he stretched his hand as far as it would go. With one final exertion, he caught a petal of the Mistveil Flower between two fingers.

Then he gently lifted it, plucking the entire flower intact.

Yu Fang watched Yun Mo ignore him completely and remain sprawled there as though no one else existed.

Rage immediately welled up inside him. Back at his academy, he had been a student even the elders valued highly. His exceptional excellence had also earned him the right to enter the Spirit Road Trial.

He had never been treated with such contempt.

"Damn it! First that bitch, and now this arrogant brat. Get him! Knock him down and take his token. I'll make him regret coming to the Spirit Road!"

Yu Fang's face twisted viciously. He had already suffered bitterly at that woman's hands, and now he had run into someone else who did not know what was good for him. He would use Yun Mo's corpse to restore his proud confidence.

The three of them took separate positions, cutting off Yun Mo's routes back from the cliff. Now he could either jump straight down or break through the three of them head-on.

Yun Mo rose and calmly turned around, putting away the Mistveil Flower. A cold gleam flashed in his eyes. Since arriving on the Spirit Road, he had yet to kill a single person.

"Brat, blame yourself for walking straight into our line of fire!"

Yu Fang revealed a sinister, brutal smile and attacked first.

Clenching his right fist, he strode quickly toward Yun Mo. His terrifying punch carried savage force as it hurtled straight toward Yun Mo's face. It was so powerful that it even produced a shrill whistle. Although the punch carried no spiritual energy, a direct hit would, at the very least, leave Yun Mo disfigured.

Seeing that Yun Mo still had not moved, the other two sneered incessantly. "Hmph! One punch from Brother Yu will make this brat jump off the cliff of his own accord."

"He brought it on himself! Too bad they can't both end up badly hurt!" His voice grew much quieter toward the end.

As their senior at the academy, Yu Fang naturally possessed extraordinary martial skill. Under normal circumstances, even the two of them together could not withstand him.

Yet just as Yu Fang's fist was about to strike his cheek, Yun Mo tilted his head slightly, simply and efficiently avoiding the straight punch.

Then he bent his knees slightly and swiftly folded his right arm. As his left foot stepped forward, he twisted his waist, driving his elbow viciously into the center of Yu Fang's chest.

Thud!

The terrifying force almost caved in Yu Fang's chest.

From Yu Fang's perspective, all he knew was that Yun Mo had tilted his head and dodged a punch powerful enough to leave a mark in mountain rock. Then an agonizing pain erupted in his chest, seemingly shattering his breastbone completely. His vision went black, and he flew backward.

Their exchange was decided in an instant. Seeing Yu Fang lying on the ground with his entire body convulsing, the two who had been watching with sneers froze. It was as though they had plunged into an ice cellar, a chill shooting straight to the tops of their heads.

"Gulp..."

Yu Fang had been taken down in a single move!