Chapter 495: Return at Once!
"Everyone, you must be mentally prepared. What you’re about to see might be a little shocking."
"..."
Mu Chen’s words might have sounded a bit odd to everyone, but they did a lot to ease the tense and anxious atmosphere. Qin Garden snorted coldly. "I’d like to see what kind of trick this kid can pull."
Di Cang coughed awkwardly. "After all these years, why are you still so petty?"
Qin Garden’s hackles rose at his words. "What?! Me, petty? If I hadn’t yielded to my sister back then, would I have ever given you up?"
"...!!"
As soon as she said this, the six students from the Holy Hall and the people from the Demon Castle all whipped their heads around to stare at Di Cang and Qin Garden, their faces filled with utter shock...
"No way..." Qing Lei’s mouth twitched. He nudged Imro, who was standing beside him, with his elbow and asked, "So your Dean and our Dean have a history?"
Imro frowned at first from the nudge, but his expression returned to normal when he saw it was Qing Lei. He then shot a strange look at Di Cang and Qin Garden. "How would I know... Dean Qin Garden is usually very strict, and she never talks about matters of the Outer Realm in front of us. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been so arrogant."
As he spoke of arrogance, Imro’s gaze flickered over to the still-surprised Mu Chen. He swallowed and muttered under his breath, "Total freak..."
"..." Mu Chen’s Spiritual Power was incredibly sharp. Although he was still a bit dazed by Qin Garden’s words, Imro’s mutterings still reached his ears. He couldn’t help but turn to Mu Bingling and send a telepathic message, "Bing’Er, am I really a freak?"
Mu Bingling was quite surprised that Mu Chen would ask such a question, but she still nodded with a strange expression and sent back, "Not just a freak... a total freak..."
A drop of sweat trickled down Mu Chen’s temple. He was rendered speechless. "..."
"Ahem..." Di Cang coughed hurriedly, trying to give Qin Garden a hint. But it seemed to only spur her on. Ignoring the strange looks from the students around them, she glared at Di Cang with reddened eyes and shouted, "We’ll settle this old score when we get back!"
Di Cang just gave an awkward laugh in response and said nothing more. In Mu Chen’s memory, Di Cang’s face had always been stern. But ever since the Empire tournament, it was like Di Cang had become a different person. He seemed... more cheerful, much more warm.
"Mu Chen, didn’t you say you were going to do something? It’s all up to you now. Don’t forget our Empire is about to be plunged into deep water and scorching fire." Unable to bear being the center of attention any longer, Di Cang suddenly spoke to Mu Chen to divert everyone’s gaze.
Mu Chen blinked, then nodded. "I almost forgot what we were here for. Xiaobai, come on out."
With a soft call from Mu Chen, a white, ball-like fluffball materialized in front of him. The fluffball spun gently, and with two little POPS, it sprouted arms and legs. It was tiny and adorable, its large golden eyes blinking as it looked at the strangers around it. When it saw Mu Bingling and Mo Qing, the fluffball actually nodded with a human-like smile. Its cute appearance made Ye Shuangshuang and the others gasp in amazement. The creature that had appeared was none other than the Snow Qilin, Xiaobai.
"Wow! What is that thing? It’s so cute!"
Even though Ye Shuangshuang usually acted like a tomboy, deep down she was still a girly girl and had no resistance to beautiful or cute things.
But when Ye Shuangshuang reached out her hands toward the Snow Qilin, Xiaobai, it abruptly turned and dove straight into Mu Chen’s arms, its large golden eyes watching Ye Shuangshuang warily.
Seeing this, Mu Chen gave a helpless smile. Every time Xiaobai reverted to its initial form, its mind and thoughts would also return to a juvenile state, so it was still a bit wary of strangers.
"Aww... too bad. It seems Xiaobai doesn’t like you."
Mo Qing covered her mouth and giggled from the side. She then naturally took Xiaobai from Mu Chen’s embrace and cuddled it in her own arms. After her last... union with Mu Chen, Mo Qing’s personality had changed significantly. At least, in front of Mu Bingling, she no longer seemed so timid and no longer felt that she couldn’t gain Mu Chen’s approval.
"Hey! Why! Why! This little guy must be a huge pervert! He only likes pretty women!" Ye Shuangshuang puffed out her cheeks and spoke with clenched fists, her eyes full of indignation.
"Hehe... Chen’Er, why don’t you tell us why you called Xiaobai out?" Mu Bingling smiled from the side. She had seen the change in Mo Qing, and having lived with her for so long, she was naturally well aware of what had happened between Mo Qing and Mu Chen. But strangely, she didn’t feel any resentment. On the contrary, she was happy for Mo Qing.
Mo Qing and Mu Chen’s first meeting had been far too brief, and then Mu Chen had been away from her for two years. The resulting sense of distance was hard to overcome. Fortunately, Mu Chen was a man who cherished his relationships, which was something Mu Bingling was secretly thankful for.
Mu Chen rubbed his nose and smiled at everyone. "Alright, Qing’Er, stop playing with Xiaobai. We’re counting on him to get us home."
"Counting on him? No way, this little squirt?" Ye Shuangshuang walked up to Xiaobai, looked him up and down, then pointed. "The Primordial Power fluctuations he’s giving off seem really weak."
"Hehe, I knew you’d all be fooled by his appearance." Mu Chen was very pleased. If Xiaobai didn’t have this camouflage ability, Mu Chen might have had a lot more trouble. "Now, you really need to prepare yourselves. Xiaobai, reveal your true form!"
Hearing this, Xiaobai, still nestled in Mo Qing’s arms, nodded. With a single leap, he shot into the sky. His tiny body suddenly erupted with a violent, three-colored light of white, black, and gray. An extremely terrifying wave of Primordial Power surged from within him, whipping up a frightening tornado in the air!
"ROOOOAR!!!"
With a roar that shook the heavens, Xiaobai’s body instantly dissolved into a writhing, glowing liquid. Before everyone’s shocked gazes, this liquid mass gradually stretched, elongated, and finally solidified. The light faded, and in just a few breaths, a lion-like Giant Beast seven meters tall and over ten meters long appeared before their eyes!
This Giant Beast possessed a mane of long, white hair that flowed like a curtain of light. As the tornado dissipated, a gentle breeze stirred, lifting its long hair and pulling forth countless crystalline motes of light. Mixed within the white hair were a few strands of black, adding a touch of majesty to its otherwise saintly appearance.
A spiraling, one-meter-long horn with dazzling black-and-white patterns was both sharp and imposing! Around this horn, strange arcs of black lightning danced and leaped, leaving no doubt in anyone’s mind that it could pierce through anything!
Looking down, its four powerful limbs stood firmly in the sky. Its streamlined muscles had a tangible quality, radiating a sense of infinite Explosive Power that could be unleashed with a single step, shaking all who witnessed it.
Its four enormous, sharp claws were wreathed in black lightning. Due to their proximity, the lightning on the claws would occasionally collide, creating brilliant flashes and sending surges of vigorous Primordial Power expanding outward.
Even more shocking were its black eyes, filled with a cold, ruthless, and malevolent aura! They were like the night sky in the void, unexpectedly twinkling with mysterious starlight! And in the center of those eyes, two golden pupils swept sharply over the crowd, radiating a wild and domineering kingly air from within.
"Father! I seem to have an ominous premonition!"
A deep, ancient voice emerged from the Giant Beast’s mouth, its words stunning everyone.
Mu Chen nodded. "An ominous premonition?"
Xiaobai nodded. "Yes. Ever since I came to the Outer Realm just now, I’ve sensed a frenzied aura. If this aura is allowed to grow, I’m afraid countless Magical Beasts will go berserk and madly attack anything and everything they see!"
"!!"
Mu Chen was startled. "What you’re saying is a bit different from what Lord Dilaka said, but the final result is exactly the same. Xiaobai, I need to ask you for a favor!"
"Father! Just tell me. I’ll do it if I can."
"Okay." Mu Chen nodded. "I need you to use your power to traverse space and carry us all back to the Xuanling Empire as quickly as possible! You know the geographical location of the Xuanling Empire. Once the Magical Beasts go berserk, the Xuanling Empire will inevitably be the first to be attacked! And... my home!"
Xiaobai’s expression didn’t change at the first part of Mu Chen’s words, but when he mentioned his home, a murderous glint flashed in Xiaobai’s eyes. ’My home... if they dare touch my home, I will make them pay the price! All of you, get on!’ After speaking, Xiaobai lifted its front legs, twisted its body to turn around, and presented its back to Mu Chen and the others.
Mu Chen smiled slightly at this. With a light tap of his toes, he floated effortlessly onto the top of Xiaobai’s head. But after he landed, he realized that Di Cang and the others hadn’t followed. He turned to find them all standing there petrified, their mouths wide open.
"Hey! What are you all spacing out for? Get up here!"
Mu Chen’s shout snapped Di Cang and the others out of their stupor. Following his lead, the dozen or so people carefully stepped onto Xiaobai’s back.
Sensing the humans on its back, Xiaobai turned its head, shot the others a cold look, and snorted. "If it weren’t for my father’s sake, you think paltry beings like you would dare stand on the back of this King? Hold on tight, and don’t fall into the spatial turbulence!"
With that, Xiaobai thrust its lightning-wreathed claws forward, piercing into the fabric of space with a SSSZZZ sound.
"ROAR! Shatter for me!"
With a furious roar, Xiaobai ripped its claws apart, tearing a massive spatial fissure dozens of meters long in front of them. Before anyone could even cry out in alarm, Xiaobai leaped into it in a flash, leaving behind a giant gash in space that refused to close for a long, long time...