Chapter 231: Chapter 226: The Extreme Spread of Fear

Mu Chen chuckled, a hint of madness in his eyes. He slowly reached his left hand behind him, his fingers closing around a pitch-black case with a SNAP. Only then did the Eldest of the Zhou Family and the Zhou Family’s Second Brother notice the long, black case Mu Chen had been carrying on his back the entire time.

With a thought, the black case suddenly flipped open. A massive, black Giant Fan unfolded before everyone with a SWISH. Mu Chen flicked his arm and gripped the ring on the fan’s handle. Tilting his head, Mu Chen’s eyes, hidden behind a pitch-black mask, coldly stared at the ninety Clones surrounding him. With a tap of his foot, black Thunder Light suddenly erupted, and Mu Chen’s figure vanished from everyone’s sight.

SHING SHING SHING SHING...

A series of slicing sounds came from a certain direction within the Barrier. Everyone turned their gaze toward the source of the sound, but apart from the several Clones that had been instantly torn to shreds, they could not see Mu Chen’s figure at all.

SHING SHING SHING SHING...

Another series of slices, and a vacuum once again appeared in the densely packed area of Clones. Everyone was shocked. What on earth had Mu Chen done? To think he had instantly annihilated dozens of Martial Emperor Clones.

As if he had truly had enough fun, Mu Chen’s figure suddenly appeared before everyone amidst a black mist. He held the black Giant Fan in his left hand, his expression utterly indifferent. The black Shattered Star Lock Chain instantly coiled around him. Looking at the sixty-odd Martial Emperor Clones that still remained, the demonized Mu Chen’s face suddenly showed a look of impatience. In a cold, detached voice, he said, "Playtime’s over!"

As he spoke, Mu Chen flipped his wrist, swinging the Profound Jade Fan behind him. Black Primordial Power continuously poured from his body into the fan. In less than a moment, a terrifying wave of black Primordial Power completely enveloped the Profound Jade Fan. A black Ice Crystal Mark quietly appeared on the spot between his eyebrows. Everyone stared at the black Giant Fan, which now emanated a faint, cold light, and a sudden sense of foreboding rose in their hearts.

Qing Lei looked at the dark figure in the air and murmured, "Brother Mu Chen is about to use that move..."

Ye Shuangshuang’s pupils contracted. "That move... It’s terrifying..."

Qin Garden looked at Qing Lei and Ye Shuangshuang with surprise and doubt, as she didn’t understand what they were talking about.

"Nine Waves Technique—Ice! Prison! Cold! Tempest!"

A smirk lifted the corners of Mu Chen’s lips. His voice seemed to descend from the sky itself, each word deliberate, like an ethereal Brahma Sound. The next moment, countless motes of black ice-mist appeared around Mu Chen, completely concealing his figure. The three Zhou Family brothers felt the surrounding temperature plummet to an unbelievable degree.

With Mu Chen’s figure gone, the Secret Technique unleashed by the Eldest of the Zhou Family was rendered meaningless. Although the Clones were corporeal, they had no consciousness of their own and required his commands. But since he could not even catch a glimpse of Mu Chen, the Clones were as useless as wooden stakes.

Soon, the black ice-mist had enveloped the entire space within the Barrier. A sharp whistle echoed, and suddenly, a high-frequency freezing sound filled the area.

KRIIIIING...

From within the ice-mist, black ice spikes of varying lengths continuously shot out. New spikes grew from the old ones, and in the space of a single breath, the entire Barrier was completely covered by billions upon billions of black ice spikes. Except for Qin Garden and a patch of grass that Mu Chen had subconsciously spared, every single spot was densely and thoroughly covered, leaving not even enough room for a fly to land.

Qin Garden stared at the world of black ice spikes around her, her entire back numb. She murmured, "What kind of Combat Skill is this?! It’s too terrifying..."

In truth, this wasn’t even its most terrifying aspect. Without this powerful Barrier to contain it, Mu Chen, at his current Martial Artist Realm, could have turned the entire Xuanling Empire into an ocean of ice spikes. And the hardness of these black spikes had long surpassed that of Celestial Tier Weapons!

"Is it... over?" Qing Lei gazed with complex emotions at the red-haired youth standing in the center of the ice spikes, looking like an Ice Emperor. There was no more shock on his face, for no other reason than that Mu Chen had given him too many shocks already—so many that he had grown numb to them. It was as if there was nothing Mu Chen couldn’t do.

"No! The fight isn’t over yet!"

Qin Garden’s gaze fell on the empty patch of grass. A puff of colorful dust appeared, and along with it, the three Zhou Family brothers. As Mu Chen was unleashing his sure-kill Combat Skill, they had simultaneously played their own trump card: Shadow Concealing Dust!

Standing within his Profound Ice World, Mu Chen turned to look at the three unharmed men, a flicker of confusion in his eyes. The next moment, at his command, all the black ice spikes dissolved into ice dust and vanished from the Barrier. The Eldest of the Zhou Family, his face pale, looked at Mu Chen with terror and said, "You’re the greatest genius I have ever seen. But of all the mistakes you could have made, you never should have come to the Xuanling Empire! Now, detonate!"

As he shouted the word "detonate," a figure wrapped in colorful dust suddenly appeared beside Mu Chen. Everyone froze. Qin Garden cried out, "Damn it! He used the Shadow Concealing Dust to hide a Martial Emperor Clone! And he’s planning to make it self-destruct inside this Barrier! Does he have a death wish?! Even though it’s a Clone made of Primordial Power, if it self-destructs, that portion of power will be lost forever! Is he really willing to lower his own Martial Artist Realm just for a mutually destructive attack?!"

Qin Garden’s words struck fear into everyone except the three Zhou Family brothers. The self-destruction of a Martial Emperor Strong Person! That was enough power to destroy an entire town! If it were to successfully detonate here, everyone inside the Barrier, including Qin Garden herself, might not survive!

For the first time, the demonized Mu Chen’s expression turned grave. With a thought, he unleashed the power of his Ultimate Ice, instantly gathering the purest Ice Attribute Elemental Power within the Barrier. He clenched his hand, and with a KLANG, the Clone was frozen solid.

Below, the Eldest of the Zhou Family sneered, "Heh heh, trying to freeze the self-destruction of a Martial Emperor Strong Person? Keep dreaming!"

Sure enough, two seconds after the Clone was frozen, cracks began to appear on the Profound Ice with a sharp CRACKING sound. Mu Chen was shocked once again, but now he was out of options. ’Is this where everyone’s life is going to end?’ The answer, of course, was no.

Because at that critical moment, a white, ball-shaped, furry creature suddenly emerged from Mu Chen’s robes. It swallowed the block of Profound Ice in a single gulp. Amidst a flash of golden light, the white Fur Ball Little Beast passed right through the Barrier in front of everyone, flew high into the sky, and vanished from sight.

A few breaths later, the Fur Ball Little Beast reappeared from the Outer Realm, gave a yawn, and dove back into Mu Chen’s robes, giving no one another chance to look at it.

The three Zhou Family brothers’ mouths were hanging wide open. They had no idea what had just happened. But then, a deafening BOOM echoed down from the sky. Immediately after, they saw the sky become covered with clouds of colorful light, and the once-dark sky became incredibly bright.

Lingyun’s mouth opened and closed. She had not said a single word until now. But she was utterly bewildered. ’What is that little beast? How did it pass through this terrifying Barrier? What is its relationship with Mu Chen?’ A series of questions left Lingyun astonished. Everything about Mu Chen was too bizarre, so bizarre that she could no longer comprehend it with common sense.

It was not just Lingyun and the others; even Mu Bingling was left stunned by the rapid turn of events. Everyone was lost in a world of contemplation, for a moment even forgetting their grief over Mo Qing’s loss.

The Eldest of the Zhou Family stared blankly. "This... This is impossible. Impossible! How could this be? How could something pass through a Barrier that not even a Martial Emperor can break? What in the world was that white thing?"

He had even more questions, but this was clearly not the time to ponder them. Because Mu Chen’s icy gaze was now locked onto the three of them. With a clear DING, the two Martial Ring Groups at Mu Chen’s feet blurred for a moment. Mu Chen paused, then the crazed look returned to his face.

Mu Chen clenched one hand, and the seven flower petals behind his back all shattered. Particles of black Ice Crystal quickly seeped into his body. The Profound Jade Fan appeared in his hand once more. Under the control of his will, the Shattered Star Lock Chain shot out and embedded itself in the ground before the three Zhou Family brothers. Mu Chen’s body, wreathed in a black aura, began to spin rapidly in the air. In an instant, a small whirlwind formed. Pulled along by the chain, Mu Chen arrived beside the three Zhou Family brothers in the blink of an eye.

He was about to slice the three of them in half at the waist, but just then, a sense of crisis jolted the Eldest of the Zhou Family back to his senses. His body’s entire Primordial Power erupted, and pieces of armor condensed from Primordial Power appeared out of thin air, wrapping tightly around his body. Just in case, the Eldest of the Zhou Family even pulled a jet-black shield from his ring and held it up to block in front of them.

After he did all this, Mu Chen’s attack finally arrived. This was a strike empowered by seven layers of the Red Lotus Ice Technique! The moment the shield touched Mu Chen’s small whirlwind, it instantly shattered into countless fragments. The three Zhou brothers were sent flying away, spinning violently, and slammed so hard into the Barrier that it shuddered.

PTUI!

The violent impact made the three of them suddenly spit out a large mouthful of blood. The blow had been far too heavy. But they had no time to worry about their injuries, because Mu Chen was now holding the figure of a man in his hand. It was... He Long! Mu Chen was gripping He Long by the head, lifting him high into the air. A cruel smile played on his lips, but his taunting gaze was fixed on the three Zhou Family brothers.

He Long was truly terrified. He had been using Shadow Concealing Dust to watch this unbelievable battle from the sidelines, utterly shocked by Mu Chen’s immense power and terrifying appearance. He should have had plenty of Shadow Concealing Dust left, but Mu Chen had unexpectedly dragged him out of his invisible state... An emotion of extreme terror began to spread from the depths of He Long’s heart...