Chen Mu and his three companions had just finished eating three beggar's chickens when they noticed countless figures rushing out of the woods ahead, forming a semi-encirclement of Chen Mu's camp.
The four remained calm. Chen Mu picked up the kettle and took a sip, while the other three stood up and stretched their limbs.
"Hmm! I'm full and satisfied, time to stretch my muscles!"
Chen Duo said with a grin.
"Haha, everyone, how have you been? I didn't expect to see you all in the central area so soon!"
Yan Yuandong walked to the front of the group, appearing polite and all smiles.
"It's you?"
When Chen Mu saw Yan Yuandong, he immediately guessed what was going on. It seemed that these people were watching him, and it wasn't just a simple coincidence.
"Haha, young brother, don't be nervous. I'm not one to enjoy fighting with swords and spears. If you're still willing to join my Yuan-Zhou Alliance, I can refrain from attacking you."
"Oh? Tell me your terms!"
Although Chen Mu did not intend to join them, he wanted to hear what Yan Yuandong was planning.
"It's very simple, just hand over all the nameplates you're wearing to me."
When the candidates are promoted the day after tomorrow morning, I will allocate enough promotion plaques to ensure you pass the exam. However, you must return the plaques to me after the promotion is completed!
Chen Mu nodded. Actually, the other party's method was fair. For some people who lacked strength, they just wanted to pass the exam, and the extra nameplates were useless to them, so giving them to them was really no big deal.
"Hmm! That sounds good, but how do I know you're not lying to me? What if you don't give me the nameplate later?"
After Chen Mu finished speaking, Yan Yuandong's face instantly turned cold.
"You need to understand, you have no choice. I'm giving you a chance now; you have no room for negotiation!"
"What are you waiting for! The nameplate is right here; come and take it if you want it!"
Chen Mu shook the ground with his Dharma-Breaking Staff, exuding unparalleled domineering power.
Yan Yuandong was furious. The reason he had recruited Chen Mu time and again was partly because he admired Chen Mu's skill in formations, and partly because he was wary of Mingye. He had observed Mingye's teleportation ability from afar and knew that she was not easy to deal with.
But since things had come to this point, he couldn't back down, so he waved his hand.
"Charge them!"
After he finished speaking, dozens of the Qi Nourishing Realm experts attacked Chen Mu and his companions from all directions.
After the talisman array was completed, Chen Mu and his three companions had already practiced how to fight the enemy. They immediately took their positions and prepared for battle.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
After entering the rune array, some of the enemies seemed to get lost, constantly circling in place, while others were blocked by the transparent membrane and unable to advance. Only a small number were able to rush to Chen Mu and his companions and engage them in battle.
"Fire!"
Chen Mu shouted and made hand seals. Flames ignited on all the enemies who entered the talisman. Although these flames were not fatal, they would cause them great pain and affect their performance.
The heavens and earth trembled; a single sword strike shattered all laws!
A Huo unleashed his sword technique, his body surrounded by Sword Qi, his killing intent soaring to the sky, instantly killing seven or eight people in a row, his momentum unstoppable.
Whoosh!
Mingye moved swiftly, and although she didn't seem particularly imposing, her enemies around her vanished silently in a flash of white light, her slaughtering speed no less than that of A Huo.
Chen Duo hid in the very center of the rune array. Instead of using the Dharma-Breaking Staff, she took out the Rune Gun that Chen Mu had made for her and fired shot by shot, killing the approaching enemies one by one.
"This person's formation is actually so difficult to deal with?"
Yan Yuandong then realized that he had underestimated Chen Mu's talisman array. He gritted his teeth and led the rest of the group into the array.
"You all come with me!"
He also left behind more than twenty elite men by his side. These were the backbone of the Yuan-Zhou Alliance, all of whom were at least at the Middle Stage of the Qi Nourishing Realm and possessed formidable combat power.
On the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion, halfway up the mountain, there is a huge magic array in operation, and at the center of the magic array is an elegant and unique courtyard.
At this moment, several figures with an air of otherworldly elegance were chatting casually in the courtyard, occasionally channeling Spiritual Power into the array plate in the center of the courtyard to maintain the operation of the small world array outside.
Above the array plate, there are several void projections. By controlling these void projections, everyone here can see the battle situation of the examinees in the small world.
Suddenly, a dark passage appeared outside the courtyard, and then a slightly plump old Daoist priest walked out of the passage and into the courtyard.
"Haha, Senior Brother Mo, have you discovered any promising candidates worth nurturing this year?"
The slightly chubby old Daoist priest was named An Ruhai. He was an outer elder of the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion and was responsible for assessing and recruiting new students with professional skills, such as talisman masters, array masters, and weapon refiners.
"Hmm, a few of them were pretty good! Junior Brother An, are your assessments finished?"
Mo Fei is also one of the outer elders of the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion, and is currently in charge of recruiting new martial arts practitioners.
"Yes! This year I have taken in a total of twenty-five people, including two talisman masters, ten array masters, six alchemists, and seven weapon refiners."
Their overall qualities are quite good; two of them have even reached the Middle Stage of the Void Realm Divine Soul!
"Two Middle Stage of the Void Realm? How old are they?"
Mo Fei's face lit up with joy, seemingly very interested in the two of them.
"A seventeen-year-old formation master and an eighteen-year-old weapon refiner!"
An Ruhai answered with a smile.
"Good! In that case, we can say we've given the cabinet an explanation."
Mo Fei smiled and nodded, satisfied with the answer.
At that moment, An Ruhai caught a glimpse of the void projection above the array plate out of the corner of his eye, which showed Chen Mu using a talisman array to fight against Yan Yuandong.
Is this a formation? No... it's a rune array!
An Ruhai was the top array master among the outer disciples of the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion, and he could tell at a glance that Chen Mu's arrangement was not simple.
With a flick of his sleeve, he channeled Spiritual Power into the void projection, causing the scene within to move and reveal the full extent of Chen Mu's rune array.
"With the ability to transform the five elements and combine offense and defense, such power must mean that this child's Divine Soul has already entered the Void Realm!"
He stared intently at the battle between Chen Mu and his three companions, afraid of missing any detail.
After Yan Yuandong led his men into the talisman array, he threw out several array flags. With a flicker of his hands, the flags emitted a shimmering light, and a strange power spread out, actually interfering with Chen Mu's array.
"Ignorance!"
Chen Mu chuckled, made a hand seal, and pointed at the array plate beside him. A yellow light rose from the array plate and spread out, enveloping the entire array. The array flag that Yan Yuandong had just dropped immediately became dim and lifeless.
puff!
Yan Yuandong suffered a backlash from the formation and immediately spat out a mouthful of blood.
"How could this be? My Formation-Breaking Flag is completely useless?"
He muttered to himself as if he had lost his soul, as if the mental blow was more severe than the physical one.
The newly arrived experts only required Chen Mu to spend more energy controlling the formation, while A Huo and Mingye fought with increasing ferocity, slaughtering at an ever-faster pace.
With a bang, Chen Duo noticed that Yan Yuandong was in a daze, and seized the opportunity to fire a shot at him.