Before the astonished eyes of the crowd, Mu Chen’s fist slammed into the ground. Ripples of Primordial Power, like waves, spread out from his fist with incomparable speed. In a mere instant, the shockwave stunned everyone in front of him.

As for Xu Fei, thanks to Mu Chen’s warning, he had leaped high into the air with superhuman reflexes the moment Mu Chen’s fist struck, successfully dodging the Heaven-Shaking Fist. Speaking of the Heaven-Shaking Fist, Mu Chen felt a flicker of secret pride. This Combat Skill was actually a technique Little Tiger often used. But Mu Chen’s talent was immense, and the skill wasn’t overly complex. So, without any instruction from Little Tiger, Mu Chen had managed to learn it after seeing it only twice.

Of course, calling it "not overly complex" didn’t mean just anyone could learn it, as few people possessed the kind of physical strength that Mu Chen and Little Tiger had.

Mu Chen smacked his lips, thinking, ’It might be slightly weaker in terms of raw power, but its concussive force is much stronger than Little Tiger’s. That’s probably because my current strength is a notch above his.’

The thrill of battle quickly stimulated Mu Chen. Potent and pure Primordial Power surged violently within him, threatening to burst out of his body uncontrollably.

Seeing that everyone was stunned, Mu Chen’s eyes narrowed, his purple Snake Pupils contracting sharply. His Profound Dragon Arm reached behind him and gripped the edge of the Profound Jade Box. It had been a long time since the Profound Jade Fan had joined him in battle. From their words—"We must capture him alive"—Mu Chen knew that he was the War Wolf Mercenary Corps’ target. ’In that case, I have no reason to sit back and wait to die!’

"Hah!"

With a low shout, the Primordial Power Mu Chen had been suppressing finally burst forth, unleashed into the Outer Realm. A mass of Primordial Qi Gang Flame enveloped him completely. Five green Martial Rings pulsed into existence at his feet, revealing a cultivation level completely at odds with his imposing aura.

"Just a Five-Ring Martial Spirit? Then why is the aura he’s unleashing so terrifying?!" The Ghostly Elder stood to the side, mouth agape, his face a mask of disbelief.

CRACKLE!

While the elder was still stunned, countless silver arcs of Thunder Light erupted from beneath Mu Chen’s feet. The lightning spread rapidly across the ground, and amidst the surge, Mu Chen’s figure abruptly vanished. A Z-shaped trail of flashing silver light cut through the front ranks of the War Wolf Mercenary Corps, stopping only when it reached their rear.

The moment the Z-shaped trail vanished, a dark figure emerged from the night. As the dark clouds overhead parted, Mu Chen’s form became clear in the moonlight. He held a massive iron fan in his left hand, and from its Fan Blade, drops of blood splattered onto the ground, blooming like delicate crimson flowers.

SQUELCH...

A continuous, sickening sound of tearing flesh echoed from within the War Wolf Mercenary Corps. Without any warning—abruptly, even—more than a dozen of its members collapsed, stiff as boards. Blood flew, but not one of them had made a sound before they died.

Xu Fei and the Ghostly Elder were stunned by the scene. In their minds, there was no way the one-armed youth before them could be capable of such speed and combat rhythm.

War Wolf was also recovering from the stun. But the moment his vision cleared, he saw more than a dozen of his men collapsing in unison. His throat suddenly felt dry and itchy. "What... what the hell just happened?"

War Wolf was definitely not the only one asking that question. The stun had lasted less than a second, yet in that single moment, Mu Chen had instantly slaughtered more than a dozen Martial Artists whose cultivation levels were comparable, or even superior, to his own. On the Extreme Martial Continent, a land where one’s realm was everything, how could anyone believe it?

But while War Wolf was still reeling from the shock, Mu Chen moved again. A dazzling silver light, like a meteor streaking through the night, instantly carved a bizarre C-shaped trajectory from behind the War Wolf Mercenary Corps. In the blink of an eye, he appeared before War Wolf, leaving another swath of fallen mercenaries in his wake.

"Thunderbolt Slash!!"

KRA-ZZZTT!!

A low shout, accompanied by the sound of thunder tearing through the air, shattered the surrounding silence. War Wolf’s vision blurred as a figure appeared before him. The figure wielded a Giant Fan wreathed in lightning, slashing toward him with the force of a Thunderbolt.

His pupils shrank violently as War Wolf roared, "Are you kidding me?! Get the hell away from me!!"

He viciously swung his Battle Saber from the left, clashing against Mu Chen’s advancing Profound Jade Fan. As they collided, blue Primordial Power and white Thunder Light crashed together. War Wolf felt his arm go numb, his own blade forced rapidly back toward his chest.

’This feeling again... Overwhelming power... The kid’s a monster! I’m an Eighth-Ring Martial Sect, damn it! Hah!!’

Having been suppressed by Mu Chen twice in a row, War Wolf’s fighting spirit finally ignited. He slammed his right hand onto the back of his saber and, with a full-powered surge of Primordial Power, finally pushed the blade away from his chest. But just then, a strange smile crept onto Mu Chen’s lips. War Wolf’s jubilant, arrogant expression instantly froze.

’Not good! It’s a trap!’

But it was too late for War Wolf to retreat. The Thunder Light on Mu Chen’s Giant Fan had vanished, replaced by a mass of green, scorching flame that coated its surface. Feeling the searing heat, War Wolf—who had only just escaped the shadow of the terrifying Blast Fist—felt his heart tremble. ’It’s happening again...’ 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"Burst Slash..."

Mu Chen’s lips moved as he softly spoke the name of the attack. This time, he wasn’t using the focused version of Burst Slash, but the scatter-shot version. And his target... was every single member of the War Wolf Mercenary Corps!

BOOM!

Like grease hitting a fire, there was a sudden detonation. War Wolf’s body was sent flying back over fifty meters, shooting lengthwise through the entire formation of the War Wolf Mercenary Corps. But that wasn’t all. Because Mu Chen had used the scatter-shot version of Burst Slash, the exploding green flames shot directly into the crowd, engulfing everyone. It was autumn, and the air was cold and dry. The fire spread from person to person, and soon the entire Mercenary Corps was engulfed in a sea of flames.

Flames born of Primordial Power weren’t like normal fire; you couldn’t just roll on the ground to put them out. This kind of flame was extremely adhesive and tenacious. If one’s cultivation level was too low, they could only watch as their body was burned to ash. If their cultivation level was high, however, they simply needed to use their Primordial Power to form a barrier against the flames to save themselves.

War Wolf reacted the fastest. The flames had barely scorched his skin before he used his Primordial Power to blow them away, suffering no damage. The other corps members also reacted quickly; they were a battle-hardened mercenary corps, after all, and understood such basic principles. The Martial Artists with higher cultivation levels not only instantly dispelled the flames on themselves, but they even helped save some of their teammates with lower cultivation levels. It seemed that, apart from making the surroundings brighter, Mu Chen’s attack had caused no substantial damage to the War Wolf Mercenary Corps.

But was Mu Chen’s attack really just meant to light up the surroundings? Of course not! War Wolf had already realized the truth. While everyone was frantically extinguishing the flames, Mu Chen’s figure had already weaved in and out of their ranks several times. He was simply too fast for anyone to notice.

When the surrounding flames were finally extinguished, War Wolf discovered to his horror that of the hundred-man company that was intact just minutes ago, only a third remained standing. In other words, during that brief period when the flames erupted, Mu Chen had killed nearly forty of them!

That Burst Slash was just a diversion, a way to create chaos and draw his men’s attention. Robbing a house on fire! This was a textbook case of taking advantage of a crisis!

War Wolf stared at the blood-soaked ground, his eyes instantly turning crimson. "Senior!! KILL! HIM! I want him DEAD!!"

Startled by War Wolf’s demonic howl, the elder instantly shifted his gaze to Mu Chen, a strange glint in his eyes. He could already sense it: this young man was no ordinary person, but most likely a peerless genius. ’If that’s true,’ the elder thought, ’then I’ve already made an enemy of him by helping War Wolf. Once this brat matures, he will definitely come for revenge. For that reason, I cannot let him leave here alive today, no matter what.’

SWOOSH!

Without a sound, the elder circulated his Primordial Power and shot toward Mu Chen. His Body Technique was incredibly bizarre, as ephemeral and unpredictable as a phantom. However, just as he was speeding toward Mu Chen, a burly figure blocked his path.

The figure who blocked his path was none other than Xu Fei, who had witnessed Mu Chen’s entire battle. Now, Xu Fei had no more reservations. From the combat power and experience Mu Chen had just displayed, it was clear he had already surpassed any Martial Artist his age. ’A prodigy! An absolute prodigy! His talent with the Chosen Spirit was one thing, but who would have thought his talent as a Martial Artist would be even more incredible!’

"Hey, hey. I think you’ve got the wrong guy. Your opponent is me! Want to get past? You’ll have to ask my sword first!"

As his voice fell, Xu Fei’s earthy-yellow wings of Primordial Power unfurled with a great roar. A powerful flap kicked up a violent hurricane as his heavy Silver Giant Sword, humming with terrifying fluctuations of Primordial Power, slashed toward the Ghostly Elder’s waist...