A seemingly casual remark from the Profound Old Ghost snapped Mu Chen out of his daze.
’All this time, I haven’t been alone...’
Muttering softly, Mu Chen slowly turned his head toward the Profound Old Ghost beside him, a stunned look on his face.
The Profound Old Ghost let out a soft breath and smiled. "That’s right. Doesn’t Xiao Chenzi still have his Master?"
As he spoke, the Profound Old Ghost slowly rose to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Mu Chen. Clasping his hands behind his back, he gazed at the flowerbed before them and continued, "It’s certainly a good thing to shoulder everything by yourself; it helps a person grow. But before you met your Master, weren’t you always just enduring it all on your own, Xiao Chenzi? How did that feel? Was it pleasant?"
The familiar scenery of the back mountain brought back a flood of memories. Mu Chen’s mind was instantly filled with recollections of his tormented childhood. He felt a sting in his nose, and his eyes began to redden.
"It was awful. Not at all."
Hearing Mu Chen’s answer, the Profound Old Ghost’s smile grew warmer. "Yes, not pleasant in the slightest. Since fate brought Master and Xiao Chenzi together and bound our destinies so tightly, was it really just for mutual benefit? The answer is obviously no."
"Your Master once said that a man should rely on himself, but I never finished that thought. I did that so you wouldn’t become dependent at such a young age. But now, you’ve learned to shoulder your burdens and face your responsibilities, so your Master will tell you the part that was left unsaid."
"No matter how strong a person is, their endurance is always limited. When something exceeds what they can bear, they must learn to seek help. Do you know why the Peak Families always stand tall and never fall? Do you know why their disciples never have to fear retaliation from other families, no matter where they go? It isn’t because they themselves are so powerful, but because they have backing. It’s just that their backers won’t step in to help unless a disciple is facing true persecution."
"And it’s the same for you now. Your Master is the one who has your back! Your Master is your support! Go and do what your heart tells you. The heavens will not fall!" As he said this, the Profound Old Ghost’s gentle face instantly twisted into a mask of wild arrogance. The Barbaric Aura of a king who scorned the world erupted from him! It was just like the first time Mu Chen had met him!
"And even if the heavens do fall! Your Master will hold them up for you!!"
BOOM! With a tremendous roar, the Barbaric Aura that had long been brewing within the Profound Old Ghost shot into the Azure Sky. An invisible ripple of Primordial Power swept out in all directions like a world-ending tsunami. The sky! It went dark!!
A single great shout! The Azure Sky itself changed color! What terrifying power was this!?
"What’s happening?!"
Suddenly struck by an incomparably terrifying wave of Primordial Power, Red Wood Cliff and the others overseeing the reconstruction of the Xuanling Empire paled. The might of this power was suffocating!
"I can’t even move!!"
Red Wood Cliff stared, trembling in shock, at the teacup in his hand. Beads of sweat trickled from his temples and slid rapidly down his cheeks. ’How many years has it been? How many years since I last felt this way?’ He had already reached the realm of a Seven-Ring Martial Venerable; not even a One-Ring Saint could possibly suppress him so completely! ’This sudden wave of Primordial Power... who could have unleashed it?!’
Far away, within the Demon Beast Forest, Elder Mu Shen Jianxin was locked in a fierce battle with a Golden Behemoth inside an Independent Space. But just as they were about to clash once more, a terrifying wave of Primordial Power slammed into the Independent Space, causing it to twist and distort violently!
Seeing this, both Elder Mu and the Golden Behemoth froze. Elder Mu’s face changed drastically as he exclaimed, "What terrifying Primordial Power! With my current Cultivation Realm, the number of people on the entire Extreme Martial Continent who could shake the Independent Space I create can be counted on one hand! For the mere shockwave of Primordial Power to bring my Independent Space to the brink of collapse... what kind of being is this? Don’t tell me someone has broken through to the Emperor Realm?!"
The Golden Behemoth, Yueru, transformed back into her human form. Her fair, bewitching face was a mask of terror and shock. Just a moment ago, when that wave of Primordial Power had washed over them, her body had subconsciously wanted to prostrate itself on the ground! The fear etched into her very bloodline made her dare not even respond to Elder Mu’s words.
Fortunately, the wave of Primordial Power receded as quickly as it had come, and Yueru soon recovered. Elder Mu looked at her, noting her pale face and heaving chest, and asked in confusion, "What’s wrong with you? Although your Cultivation Realm is a sliver weaker than mine, you shouldn’t be this terrified. Perhaps that wave of Primordial Power was just a spatial fluctuation caused by some turbulence?"
Yueru shook her head. "Sword Heart, it couldn’t have been a spatial fluctuation. I felt an incredibly powerful bloodline suppression! Even though the Primordial Power shockwave was instantaneous, I truly felt the urge to kneel in submission. It was... a Magical Beast!"
"A Magical Beast?! Don’t tell me the Evil Dragon Emperor has broken through to the Emperor Realm?!" Hearing this, Elder Mu’s face lost all color in alarm. If the Evil Dragon Emperor, one of the Nine Emperors, reached the Emperor Realm, the balance of the continent would be utterly shattered! Humanity’s situation would become perilous!
"No. I am one of the Nine Emperors myself. If the Evil Dragon Emperor had broken through to the Emperor Realm, I would have certainly sensed it. But the information coming from the Mark of the Nine Emperors shows that his cultivation is still in the Saint Realm!"
"So, you’re saying it was a natural phenomenon?" Receiving Yueru’s denial, Elder Mu visibly breathed a sigh of relief. As long as a Magical Beast on the Extreme Martial Continent hadn’t reached the Emperor Realm, there was no need to be overly concerned. According to historical records, the continent had previously experienced several waves of Primordial Power that surpassed the limits of the Saint Realm. At first, people assumed it was the aura of an Emperor Realm expert, but when no such expert could be found, it was ultimately attributed to unexplainable natural events.
"Perhaps," Yueru said. She also found it hard to believe that another Emperor Realm expert could have been born on the Extreme Martial Continent. Wiping the sweat from her face, she turned her questioning gaze to Di Cang. "Should we continue?"
Elder Mu took a deep breath and waved his hand. "Let’s not. In terms of raw power, you’re stronger than me, but I have a slight edge in the Martial Artist Realm, so we can call it a draw. There’s no point in continuing. Let’s stop here for today."
Yueru nodded in agreement with Elder Mu’s assessment. Besides, she was still shaken by the recent wave of Primordial Power. Even if she were to fight again, she wouldn’t be able to use her full strength.
"The battle in the Xuanling Empire is over, and that wave of Primordial Power was too peculiar. It seems I need to take a trip to the Central State. Perhaps that old fellow Tian Ji will know something."
With that, Elder Mu prepared to tear through space and return to the Extreme Martial Continent, but Yueru spoke up. "Sword Heart, when will we meet again?"
Hearing this, Elder Mu froze for a moment. He then let out a sigh, took a step, and vanished from the Independent Space. Yueru stared blankly at the spot where he had disappeared, her face etched with loneliness.
"When the time is right, we will meet again."
Just as Yueru was also preparing to leave, a gentle voice drifted out from the depths of the dark space. A smile rekindled on Yueru’s lonely face. With a single step, her enchanting figure flickered and vanished without a trace.
"I’ll wait for you..."
...
HUFF... HUFF... HUFF...
Back on the Extreme Martial Continent, at the Mu Mansion’s back mountain, Mu Chen was sprawled on the ground, panting heavily. He shot a sidelong glance at the awkwardly smiling, otherworldly man and grimaced in pain.
"Oh dear, it seems I’ve accidentally done something strange again. My apologies, Xiao Chenzi..."
Mu Chen was already covered in dirt from the Profound Old Ghost’s sudden outburst, and hearing his master’s smug tone nearly made him faint from anger. But even amidst his fury, a storm was raging in his heart. ’That terrifying aura just now... I’ve never seen or felt anything like it. Not even the Land Beast God, the Snow Qilin, ever exerted such horrifying pressure on me!’
’I thought I was finally about to catch up to my Master’s level, but now I see that was just an illusion! But... I really did seem to forget. I forgot that I still had such an immense figure watching over me. I forgot that I once relied on him just like a child...’
"Heh heh..."
Gazing at the Profound Old Ghost, who was grinning with narrowed eyes and showing his pearly white teeth, Mu Chen’s heart felt incredibly warm. In that instant, he made his decision. The thing that gave him strength, aside from the smugly smiling face before him, was that one sentence...
"If the heavens fall, your Master will hold them up for you!"
’If I don’t even have to worry about the heavens falling, what’s so difficult about creating my own faction?’
"Wow! Sister Bingling, you’re amazing! Brother Mu Chen is really here!"
Just then, a familiar, earnest voice drifted down from the sky into Mu Chen’s ears. A small smile on his lips, Mu Chen pushed himself up from the ground, his posture ramrod straight. His face was wreathed in a gentle smile as he said, "You’re here."
THUD. THUD. THUD.
A series of landing sounds echoed in front of Mu Chen. There were, in fact, exactly eleven people...