Chapter 334: Earth Spear Technique (Part 2)

Chapter 334: Earth Spear Technique (Part 2)



Qiu Gu Commander saw the Dark Bone Marquis pursuing Chen Mu and Mu Ranyan, and a hint of killing intent flashed in his eyes. He, too, was unwilling to let Chen Mu and Mu Ranyan escape unscathed. The Dark Bone Marquis was a top-tier existence among Grandmasters, and in the entire Cold Northern Region, there were only a few who could surpass him. Although the two Wind and Cloud Ranking figures had some strength, they were insignificant before a top-tier Grandmaster.

However, the Sacred Turtle approaching them, despite its formidable exterior, was internally weak and depleted. Moreover, they had nearly thirty thousand elite troops in formation, but they still couldn't afford to be too careless in battle.

"Protect!"

Qiu Gu Commander waved his command flag, gazing at the charging Celestial Demon Tortoise, and shouted.

Buzz!

In an instant, with his command flag as the foundation, over ten thousand troops in the formation, including dozens of Six Viscera Realm commanders and hundreds of Five Viscera Realm experts, channeled their internal energy, enveloping the blood essence of tens of thousands of soldiers within.

The cumulative effect led to a qualitative change, creating an overwhelming might. Within the vicinity of the formation, the power of heaven and earth completely solidified, and a vast true force gathered at the front of the formation, transforming into an immense, invisible wall!

The entire invisible wall, resembling a towering city wall rising from the ground, stood firm and unbreachable.

The massive body of the Celestial Demon Tortoise caused the earth to tremble with each step, and the rolling cloud sea it brought forth resembled gigantic waves in a river. Finally, with a thunderous crash, it slammed into the wall of the formation, creating a deafening boom that shook the heavens and earth.

Boom!

The towering invisible formation wall, struck by the impact of the Sacred Turtle, rippled like the surface of the sea, with invisible shockwaves seemingly penetrating the surface of the formation and seeping into the vast elite army behind.

Every soldier within the formation felt a powerful impact coming towards them, but this force was evenly distributed, bearing the brunt of the pressure. Despite the immense pressure on the elite warriors, it ultimately couldn't shatter the connected true energy.

Crash!

The vast cloud sea waves also crashed against the formation wall, like towering waves hitting a cliff, pounding against the rocks and erupting with thunderous booms. The formation wall rippled with each impact.

The two forces stalemated, and for a moment, it was difficult to discern their strengths.

...

Underground, Chen Mu led Mu Ranyan through the earth pulse, moving unhindered. The thick layers of soil they passed through seemed like a walk through water, without any solid obstruction.

Although Mu Ranyan had cultivated the Heavenly Essence Domain, this peculiar sensation was new to her. Even with the domain, such a transformation of all things was impossible. Only by cultivating the complete Heaven-Earth Concept could one achieve such a feat, becoming one with heaven and earth, formless and boundless.

"This is the Heaven-Earth Concept, the transformation of all things?" Mu Ranyan wondered as she was pulled along by Chen Mu, delving deeper into the earth pulse. She felt a sense of awe as she experienced the environment around her. She, too, had been attempting to cultivate the Earthly Essence, but with little progress.

Indeed, she was more attuned to the Heavenly Essence than the Earthly Essence, and the path to cultivating the complete Heaven-Earth Concept was filled with challenges.

Mu Ranyan couldn't fathom how Chen Mu had cultivated the Heaven-Earth Concept to such a high level. His talent seemed to have no bounds, effortlessly mastering the Five Viscera, Six Viscera, and even the Grandmaster realm.

"By cultivating the complete Heaven-Earth Concept and reaching a certain depth, one can freely transform between the Eight Aspects, and all things are refined by heaven and earth. Both positive and negative forces can be harnessed and transformed at will."

Chen Mu, leading Mu Ranyan through the earth pulse, briefly explained.

Cultivating the Heavenly Essence Domain allows one to fly in the sky, while mastering the Earthly Essence Domain enables one to move underground. Chen Mu, having cultivated the complete Heaven-Earth Concept, could do both with ease. For Mu Ranyan, flying through the sky with the Heavenly Essence Domain was already second nature, and she had previously evaded the Sacred Turtle's pursuit, but this was her first experience with earth travel.

Coincidentally, she was also contemplating the Earthly Essence Concept, and this experience of earth travel was a valuable addition to her understanding.

However.

Before Mu Ranyan could fully immerse herself in the wonders of earth travel, Chen Mu's eyes flickered, and he glanced back, saying, "Someone is chasing us. It seems they don't want to let us leave easily."

Hearing Chen Mu's words, Mu Ranyan looked back as well. Her perception underground was far inferior to when she was flying in the sky, almost completely cutting her off from the sensation and control of the Heavenly Essence. In this environment, she could barely utilize her Heavenly Essence Domain, and her strength was not much different from an ordinary Six Viscera Realm cultivator. Under Chen Mu's hand, she had virtually no resistance... Even in the sky, facing the current Chen Mu, she knew she wouldn't stand a chance.

"Is it a Grandmaster from the alien tribes beyond the pass? How many?" Mu Ranyan asked, unable to sense the pursuing presence.

Although it was a question, a glimmer of unknown light flashed in her eyes, and deep down, she wasn't overly concerned. She knew that unless it was the Blood Replacement Realm 'Wu Zu', the chief of the four clans, who personally came, no one else would stand a chance against Chen Mu.

The 32-year-old Grandmaster of Heaven and Earth, who had cultivated the Heaven and Earth Martial Body, was capable of withstanding a direct clash with the Celestial Demon Tortoise, a power far surpassing any top-tier Grandmaster. Among the Grandmasters of the Cold Northern Region, he stood at the pinnacle.

Even across the entire Great Xuan realm, Chen Mu's strength could rank within the top ten Grandmasters!

In the future, once Chen Mu's Martial Body further refines and he cultivates the Heaven and Earth Domain, he would undoubtedly become the undisputed number one Grandmaster. After all, throughout history, those who achieved Grandmaster status through the Heaven and Earth path in the Great Xuan realm have all occupied the top spot on the Grandmaster Register, without exception.

"One."

Chen Mu didn't pause, instead, he continued to lead Murong Yan deeper into the Earth Pulse, moving away from the enemy camp.

They were too close to the alien camp, and above, the Sacred Turtle was about to engage the elite alien forces. Naturally, the area directly below wouldn't be a safe haven, especially with Murong Yan by his side, which added to his concerns.

Murong Yan, being from the Heavenly Lineage, faced significant restrictions underground, rendering her nearly powerless. The battle between the Sacred Turtle and the alien forces above could pose a considerable threat to her, requiring Chen Mu's undivided attention to protect her.

Swish! Swish!

Chen Mu's extraordinary speed allowed them to navigate through the Earth Pulse at a depth of about a hundred zhang, like two fish swiftly swimming away. Simultaneously, they began to sense the monumental impacts erupting from above.

Evidently, the Sacred Turtle had already clashed with the alien forces, and the resulting shockwaves penetrated nearly a hundred zhang deep into the ground.

However, Chen Mu paid no heed to the surface. The battle between the Sacred Turtle, a Heavenly Demon, and the alien forces wouldn't be resolved quickly. After all, he had briefly observed the alien formation earlier, consisting of a mere two or three thousand troops, which was insufficient to easily suppress a Heavenly Demon like the Sacred Turtle, even in its weakened state. It was a fair fight.

Behind them.

Dark Bone Marquis, with his hands clasped behind his back, also traversed the Earth Pulse, tracking Chen Mu and Murong Yan's aura.

His method of spatial movement differed slightly from Chen Mu's. Chen Mu directly ignored the underground layers of mud and rock, causing them to transform into a watery state, allowing him to pass through effortlessly. In contrast, Dark Bone Marquis's movement caused the mud and rock in his path to naturally split, creating a gap for him to pass through.

The martial arts of the alien races weren't entirely dissimilar to those of the Great Xuan realm. Aside from many ancient shamanic techniques, the most typical was the 'Heaven and Earth' method, which, in fact, corresponded to the Heaven and Earth concept within the Heaven and Earth path, with only minor differences in the details.

Dark Bone Marquis cultivated one of these methods, the 'Earth' lineage, which was very similar to the Earthly Lineage. If a comparison were to be made, it would be most akin to Qin Mengjun's cultivation, except that Qin Mengjun cultivated the opposite Heavenly Lineage.

"Does the Heaven and Earth Concept utilize the power of all things?"

Dark Bone Marquis pursued them from behind, sensing Chen Mu's movements through the Earth Pulse, allowing him to gauge the distance between them, which he estimated to be about a hundred zhang. However, Chen Mu's speed underground was even faster than he anticipated.

As a Grandmaster of the Earth lineage, Dark Bone Marquis held the advantage of the terrain, yet he still couldn't quickly catch up and capture Chen Mu within a short time. He had to continue the pursuit at full speed within the Earth Pulse.

However.

Upon realizing that Chen Mu's speed underground was slightly slower than his own, a hint of determination flashed in Dark Bone Marquis's eyes, and he unleashed his Earth Domain, further increasing his speed as he charged towards Chen Mu.

Indeed, Chen Mu's spatial movement speed was extraordinary, almost matching his own underground. Once Chen Mu gained some distance, he would escape into the sky, and there would be no chance of catching up.

Or, to be precise.

Even if he managed to catch up at that point, he wouldn't pursue them further.

He wasn't foolish. As a top-tier Grandmaster of the Earth lineage, he felt virtually invincible underground, which was why he had immediately pursued them through the Earth Pulse, determined not to let Chen Mu escape.

But if they ascended to the sky, his strength would be greatly diminished, and Chen Mu wasn't an easy target, being ranked third on the Wind and Cloud Rankings. At that point, whether he could defeat Chen Mu was uncertain, but even if he could, capturing Chen Mu and Murong Yan in the sky would be a pipe dream!

It was Chen Mu's decision to escape underground that presented an opportunity, and so Dark Bone Marquis pursued them without hesitation.

Swish! Swish!!!

Dark Bone Marquis, with his Earth Domain unleashed, rapidly closed the distance between them.

One hundred and twenty zhang,

One hundred zhang,

Eighty zhang,

Twenty zhang,

Finally, the distance narrowed to within twenty zhang!

At this range, the coverage of the Earth Domain enveloped Chen Mu and Murong Yan.

"Here he comes."

Murong Yan sensed the anomaly and her expression turned solemn.

At this distance, even with her powers restricted underground, she could sense Dark Bone Marquis's presence. The oppression of the Earth Domain seemed to envelop everything, giving her an extremely uncomfortable feeling.

If they were on the ground, under the sky, she wouldn't hesitate to unleash her own Heaven Domain to counter. But now, a hundred zhang underground, with the Heaven Domain inaccessible, she felt like she was slowly drowning, even without her opponent taking any action.

Despite Chen Mu's calm demeanor, Li Hua felt a sense of reassurance having him by her side.

The aura emanating from this person was not that of an ordinary Grandmaster, and with the Earth Domain likely being the Earth Domain, the newcomer was probably none other than the renowned 'Dark Bone Marquis' of the Four Clans, one of the true top-tier Grandmasters, whose strength rivaled that of Qin Mengjun and Jiang Changsheng.

However, Chen Mu, now known as the invincible Heaven-Earth Grandmaster, had only recently attained this realm, yet he already exuded an air of invincibility. His head-on confrontation with the Sacred Turtle was a solid testament to his power.

And then, at the very next moment—

A deep, resonant voice, accompanied by an aura of authority, reverberated through the earth pulse.

"To reach the third rank on the Wind and Cloud Rankings at such a young age, and to have the ability to kill several Heavenly Demon Sect demons, your strength is indeed remarkable. Your talent is something I've rarely encountered in my lifetime. But to bring along a burden and think you can escape right under my nose is a bit too arrogant, don't you think?"

Boom!!

As the voice fell, the surroundings underwent a sudden transformation.

The Earth Domain's coverage was nearly absolute within a radius of several dozen zhang, instantly sealing off Chen Mu's ability to manipulate the earth pulse and everything within it, preventing him from directly traversing through the mud and rocks.

At the same time, the thick mud and stone walls nearby became heavier and heavier, almost suffocating, as if an invisible giant hand were squeezing inward from all directions, aiming to crush Chen Mu and Mu Ranyan in its grip.

From a distance, about twenty zhang away, the Dark Bone Marquis raised his hand, clenching it into a fist as he looked toward Chen Mu and Mu Ranyan, ready to annihilate them. But a hint of confusion flashed in his eyes.

Something wasn't right.

With Chen Mu's abilities, even without Mu Ranyan, his underground speed would still be slower than the Marquis. However, he shouldn't have caught up this quickly. Chen Mu only needed to maintain some distance, then escape to the surface, and the Marquis wouldn't be able to do anything to him.

Yet, Chen Mu stubbornly refused to choose a reasonable escape route, nor would he abandon Mu Ranyan. He insisted on fleeing with her through the earth pulse, allowing the Marquis to catch up. This behavior seemed incredibly foolish.

Could Chen Mu be a fool?

Impossible!

At such a young age, he had already reached the third rank on the Wind and Cloud Rankings and was hailed as the most talented martial artist in the Cold North Region's history. How could a fool achieve such feats?

The Dark Bone Marquis, sensing something amiss, had already extended his perception to its limits. As a master of the Earth Lineage, he was intimately familiar with the auras within a radius of several li underground, and he hadn't detected any signs of an ambush nearby. This was one of the reasons he dared to pursue Chen Mu this far.

With no ambush in sight, why was Chen Mu acting this way?

The Dark Bone Marquis was perplexed, but this didn't stop him from attacking Chen Mu and Mu Ranyan. Regardless of the Seven Mystics Sect's schemes, this was his territory a hundred zhang underground, and he feared nothing here. He could handle anything they threw at him.

Boom!!!

The Marquis focused on the area in front of him, where the mud and rock walls, within a radius of about twenty zhang, suddenly began to crazily contract and compress, tearing themselves free from the earth and forming a stone ball! Simultaneously, a cavity formed within the twenty zhang radius, creating a cavity in the earth pulse, resembling a stone chamber.

It seemed that Chen Mu and Mu Ranyan had been crushed within the compressed stone ball, but in the next moment, the Marquis's expression changed, and his gaze fixed on the stone ball.

Crack! Crack!

Visible cracks appeared on the stone ball, rapidly spreading as if something terrifying was trying to break free, ultimately causing the ball to shatter!

In the center of the shattered stone ball, Chen Mu stood tall, slowly lowering his raised right hand. His body had somehow turned around, and from a distance of about twenty zhang, he stared back at the Marquis, speaking calmly, "Dark Bone Marquis of the Umong Clan, your name precedes you."

"..."

The Marquis, ignoring Mu Ranyan behind Chen Mu, fixed his gaze on Chen Mu and said, "You're not Chen Mu? No, that's not it... This feeling..."

His expression became difficult to read, and his eyes, as he looked at Chen Mu, revealed a hint of shock.

The previous move seemed simple, but in reality, the Marquis, a top master of the Earth Lineage, had exerted his full strength with his domain. Even slightly weaker Grandmasters would struggle to break free from his domain in this underground location. He doubted even the top-ranked Carefree Wanderer on the Wind and Cloud Rankings could easily withstand such an attack.

But Chen Mu forcibly broke through it!

Moreover, the technique he displayed wasn't a domain-manipulated earth pulse but pure Primordial Essence True Force!

The Primordial Essence True Force that shattered his Earth Domain in one blow couldn't possibly be achieved by a Six Viscera Realm cultivator; it was a world of difference. Only a Grandmaster with an exceptionally strong Martial Body could accomplish such a feat!

Therefore, there was no question.

No wonder Chen Mu dared to flee underground with Mu Ranyan, showing no fear of the Marquis. No wonder Chen Mu could kill three Heavenly Demon Sect demons, and even the Marquis's brother, Bone Piercing Marquis, might have fallen to Chen Mu.

"You've already cultivated to the Grandmaster realm?"

In the depths of the earth, a hundred zhang below the surface, the weight of the entire cave seemed to have increased tenfold under the influence of Wu Guhou's Earth Domain.

But.

Facing Wu Guhou's top-tier Grandmaster move, Chen Mu's response was still rather simple. He merely clenched his right fist, forming a fist seal, and forcefully met the oppressive weight with a punch.

Having reached his current level of mastery, Chen Mu, who had cultivated the Heaven and Earth Body, also did not require overly flashy techniques. After attaining the pinnacle of power control, a single move, the Heaven and Earth Seal, was enough to suppress all things in the world.

Boom!!!

Chen Mu's fist, enveloped in the light of the Eight Aspects of Heaven and Earth, clashed with Wu Guhou's descending spear, meeting it head-on.

This plain and unadorned fist, without even touching the spearhead, halted just a foot away from it, neither advancing nor retreating. The True Energy within both the fist and the spearhead clashed and tore at each other, causing black lightning-like brilliance to erupt from the depths of the earth, making the nearby earth pulses almost boil.

Mu Ran Yan, witnessing this scene, did not hesitate and quickly retreated to the farthest corner, curling up into a ball and barely managing to maintain a wisp of True Energy barrier to shield herself from the aftermath.

In reality, Chen Mu and Wu Guhou's clash produced no residual energy, and the earth pulses' tremors were solely due to the collision of their techniques. Mu Ran Yan, having retreated to the farthest corner and curled up, was barely able to withstand the impact of the earth pulses.

Finally, after a few breaths of intense confrontation, Wu Guhou's spearhead, shrouded in deep yellow light, began to flicker and show signs of cracking.

As Wu Guhou's eyes widened in shock, Chen Mu's fist relentlessly pressed forward, ultimately slamming into the spearhead of the spirit weapon in Wu Guhou's hand.

Vibrant!!!

The unleashed power of this punch caused the entire spear to tremble violently, and Wu Guhou's hands went numb. He could no longer hold his ground and was forced backward, along with his spear, as if struck by a powerful force. He slammed into the rock wall ten zhang away, causing debris and stones to scatter, and his body became deeply embedded in the wall!

Mu Ran Yan, observing from the corner, had a glint in her eyes.

Indeed.

Even Wu Guhou, a top-tier Grandmaster, was no match for Chen Mu at his current level. Upon entering the Grandmaster realm, it was indeed like a dragon hidden in a deep pool, leaping into the sky and thenceforth looking down upon the world, unstoppable.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end