Just then, the Iron Armor Steel Fang in Mu Chen’s arms suddenly opened its eyes and shot the brawny man with the beast head emblem a cold glance. A single look was all it took. The man instantly felt as if he’d been plunged into an icy cavern, the blood in his veins seeming to freeze solid. He had never felt such an oppressive aura, not even from his own corps leader.
’Gods, what is that little beast?’ Beads of cold sweat streamed down the man’s cheeks, dripping onto the ground.
GULP...
Swallowing hard, the man’s expression immediately became respectful. He bowed and said, "I am Black Panther, a squad leader in the Morin Mercenary Corps. I was unaware of your presence, milord, and I apologize for any offense. We’ll leave right now. Right now."
With that, Black Panther shot the tall, thin man a meaningful look, and the two immediately tried to leave. However, with a single step, Mu Chen moved to block their path. "What was that you were saying about a water droplet?" he asked coolly. "Explain everything."
"I give you an inch and you take a mile! Die!"
Seeing that the other party was still pressing them even after they had lowered themselves, the tall, thin man became enraged. He drew the greatsword from his back, gathered his Primordial Power, and slashed down, unleashing a fierce wave of Powerful Qi.
"You idiot, stop!" Black Panther roared, but the tall, thin man’s greatsword had already sliced forward. It was impossible to pull back the attack.
"Hmph."
Mu Chen snorted. Lightning once again swirled around his feet, and with a SIZZLE, a faint arc of electricity tore through the night sky.
WHOOSH!
The tall, thin man’s blade sliced through empty air. He froze, stunned. A moment later, he felt a violent surge of Primordial Power erupt behind him. Before he could even think to dodge, a heavy force slammed into his back.
BAM...
Like another kite with its string cut, he went flying. He wavered twice in mid-air before tracing a somber arc and crashing into the mud.
Just as when he had struck the shorter mercenary, Mu Chen held back. He had controlled his Thunderbolt Fist, suppressing its Explosive Power and striking only with pure Primordial Power.
"Do you wish to continue?" Mu Chen asked, his expressionless gaze fixed on Black Panther. His voice was ice.
Black Panther was already terrified of Iron Armor Steel Fang. Now, the power Mu Chen had just displayed convinced him that this youth was far from ordinary. ’Sending a Martial Artist in the Martial Master Realm flying with a single strike, all while being a mere Second Ring Martial Artist... He has to be a genius from some great clan, out tempering himself in the world.’
Black Panther wiped the sweat from his forehead and quickly replied, "I think... that won’t be necessary."
"It’s like this. Two days ago, our Morin Mercenary Corps was fighting a Level 5 King Beast. Suddenly, a small, blue-and-red water droplet floated past our group. The droplet was bizarre; it had no aura at all, yet it could fly. Even weirder, it actually had a human face and was making little whimpering sounds. It looked frantic, as if it was searching for something."
Black Panther glanced at Mu Chen. Seeing that his expression hadn’t changed, he went on, "Our leader, Lord Morin, then noticed it. He was curious, so he pursued it. He tried to grab it several times, but it always got away. Our leader didn’t want to give up, convinced it had to be some kind of Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure. He ordered all members of the corps to capture it within three days."
"Over the following two days, we spotted it several more times, but it always slipped away. There was only one time when our leader, Morin, managed to seriously injure it during an all-out pursuit. After that, he ordered the rest of us to spread out and search. A little while ago, we saw it dart in this direction and gave chase. We didn’t expect to run into a thunderstorm, and... well, that brings us to what just happened."
Hearing this, Mu Chen’s mind fell into turmoil. The moment he heard about the red-and-blue droplet, he knew it had to be the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit. ’It must have been following my aura!’ But when he heard that Morin had gravely injured the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit, a storm of shock and fury erupted in his chest.
"Very good," Mu Chen said. "As of right now, consider yourself no longer a member of the Morin Mercenary Corps."
Black Panther was stunned. "Why?" he asked, confused.
"Heh... Because from this day on, the Morin Mercenary Corps will no longer exist."
A cruel smile spread across his lips. Mu Chen patted the snoozing Iron Armor Steel Fang in his arms and grinned. "You’ve spent all these days eating meat. It’s time you did a little work."
At his words, Iron Armor Steel Fang’s beautiful, streamlined silver body suddenly coiled. With a WHOOSH, it shot into the air. A moment later, amidst a series of CRACKING sounds, a giant beast over thirty meters long appeared, landing on the ground with a thunderous BOOM. It threw its head back and let out a titanic roar.
"ROAR!"
SHIIIIING...
Following a series of sharp drawing sounds, Iron Armor Steel Fang revealed its true form. Silver light glinted on its head as fifteen enormous blades shot toward the sky. The aura of a sovereign descending upon its domain swept through the area.
CRACKLE...
With a Flash of Thunder under his feet, Mu Chen’s figure vanished. When he reappeared a moment later, he was standing atop Iron Armor Steel Fang’s triangular head.
’Master!’ Mu Chen cried out anxiously in his mind.
’I know,’ the voice replied in his mind. ’I just scanned the area with my Spiritual Power. The rain is making the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit’s aura very faint, but since it’s gravely injured, it isn’t hidden very well. I can still sense it. Northwest, two thousand kilometers away. It seems there are a lot of people there. You must hurry.’
"Right! Steel Teeth, northwest! Two thousand kilometers! Go!" Mu Chen shouted, pointing northwest to the Iron Armor Steel Fang beneath him.
"ROAR!"
Iron Armor Steel Fang roared in response. Its massive tail slammed into the ground, launching its body into the air like a cannonball. Three enormous purple Martial Rings instantly unfurled beneath it, and a powerful shroud of Primordial Power enveloped both it and Mu Chen. With lightning speed, Iron Armor Steel Fang rocketed toward the northwest...
It left behind a stunned Black Panther, standing frozen on the spot with his brow tightly furrowed. He muttered to himself, "A Royal Beast... Just who in the world is that boy...?"
Two hundred kilometers to the northwest, the air was filled with a clamor. Looking down from the sky, one would see a dense formation of more than five hundred people standing on the open plains. Red, orange, or yellow Martial Rings glowed beneath each of their feet as they stood in orderly ranks in the rain, all staring straight ahead.
Floating in the air above them were three individuals, each exuding an immense aura of Primordial Power. One was tall and powerfully built, with broad shoulders and a bald head. He held an Iron Rod as thick as a man’s arm. Beneath his feet, two green Martial Rings shimmered, revealing his formidable status as a Two-Ring Martial Spirit.
Another man, clad in fitted combat attire, wielded a Red Giant Sword. A confident smile played on his lips, and three green Martial Rings pulsed under his feet. Unlike the other man, he was surrounded by a shroud of mist. This wasn’t a mist he was creating himself; the temperature around his body was so high that it instantly vaporized any rain that came near him.
In front of them stood a middle-aged man with his hands clasped behind his back. The fluctuations of his Primordial Power were stronger than anyone else’s present. He had a full beard, short and practical hair, and three deep claw marks raked across his face—scars likely earned in battle against a Magical Beast.
A unique, cyan Martial Ring shimmered brilliantly beneath his feet. A potent barrier of Primordial Power surrounded him, forcing the rain to part a meter away. A pair of enormous, white Elemental Wings extended from his back, beating slowly... A powerful Martial King!
According to the progression of Martial Artist realms, a Martial Spirit can control Primordial Power enough to stand in mid-air, granting them a rudimentary form of flight. This method is not only slow but also consumes a vast amount of Primordial Power. However, once a Martial Artist reaches the Martial King Realm, a Soaring Air Vortex forms within their body. This vortex settles on their back, and when they fly, it condenses Primordial Power into a pair of enormous Elemental Wings. These wings not only grant incredible flight speed but also don’t consume the user’s own Primordial Power from their Dantian. Instead, the Soaring Air Vortex automatically absorbs Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi to power the flight, creating a perpetual motion effect.
And this powerful Martial King, with his condensed Elemental Wings, was none other than the leader of the Morin Mercenary Corps: the Martial King, Morin.
"Brother Mo, we’ve got that thing completely surrounded. What’s the plan now?" the bald man holding the large Iron Rod asked loudly.
Morin smiled, gazing down at the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit encircled by his Martial Artists. "Third Brother," he said, "There is nothing that I, Morin, have ever failed to obtain. I am certain this is no ordinary treasure. It could very well be a Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure that has gained its own consciousness."
"Hehe." Baldy chuckled foolishly and rubbed his head. "Well then, Brother Mo, you’ll have to give us a little taste when you get it."
The martial artist with the Red Giant Sword shot Baldy a disdainful look. "You damn baldy," he sneered. "Don’t lump me in with you. All you think about is eating."
Greatly annoyed, Baldy spun around to glare at the man with the red sword. "Xia Yan!" he roared. "Don’t get cocky just because you’re Second Brother! If you’ve got the balls, come and take a hit from my rod! We’ll see what’s tougher—your Fire Attribute or my Iron Rod!"
"Tch. Who’d want to fight a bald mule like you?" the man named Xia Yan retorted, pursing his lips. ’Even though my Fire Attribute gives me an edge, a real fight with this bull-headed oaf would be no picnic. That Iron Rod of his weighs thousands of pounds. One solid hit would be enough to crush someone to death.’
"Hmph. Coward," Baldy snorted, shooting Xia Yan a contemptuous look before slinging the Iron Rod back over his shoulder.
"Sigh, you two..." Morin watched his bickering subordinates and shook his head with a wry smile. "Alright, that’s enough. Let’s go down and take a look at our little prize." With a beat of his Elemental Wings, he drifted lightly to the ground. Xia Yan and Baldy both huffed at each other one last time before following him down.
Wuuu... Huff... Huff...
The moment he landed, Morin heard an incredibly faint whimper. A small, red-and-blue water droplet was propped up against a giant tree, panting for breath. This was, of course, the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit that had been separated from Mu Chen. In its search for him, it had hidden its own aura while desperately following his scent. For two days, it had survived in the outside world, cleverly dodging the Magical Beasts and human Martial Artists it came across.
But yesterday, its path had led it to a Mercenary Corps battling a Magical Beast. The mercenaries would never have noticed it, but the Magical Beast possessed an incredibly keen sense of smell. It discovered the spirit by chance and charged at it ferociously. That single charge forced the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit out of hiding. And in the moments that followed its discovery by the Mercenary Corps, the spirit finally understood the true meaning of Mu Chen’s parting words. Human desire was truly a terrifying thing.
It had spent the past few days hiding and fleeing, but that powerful human had eventually caught it once and gravely wounded it. The time since had been a living nightmare. Injured as it was, it could no longer conceal itself completely, no matter how hard it tried. And now, tonight, in the pouring rain, it had finally been cornered by these despicable humans.
The Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit was now incredibly weak. Its adorable little face was etched with exhaustion, and its once-solid, liquid body had grown faint and translucent. Only its bright, intelligent eyes remained sharp, warily watching the humans that surrounded it.