Chapter 335: Death (Part 2)

Chapter 335: Death (Part 2)



"Pfft."

The Dark Bone Marquis's spine embedded into the rock wall, spewing out a mouthful of bloody mist, his eyes revealing shock. However, the Primordial Essence True Force within his body wasn't completely dispersed, and almost immediately, he made his move, lifting his long spear towards Chen Mu.

"Earthquake!"

With his low roar, he manipulated the Earth Pulse Energy within a hundred zhang, causing the empty stone cave to surge and roll violently. Mud and rocks rushed in from all directions, rapidly burying Chen Mu.

At the same time, his entire body was swiftly retreating amidst the surging mud and rocks.

Escape!

He had originally planned to take advantage of Chen Mu's recent breakthrough to Grandmaster and find an opportunity to kill him, but he never expected Chen Mu's strength to be so terrifying. Even with the advantage of terrain, he wasn't a match, so he decided not to persist in a futile struggle.

Chen Mu observed the mud and rocks surging from all directions, his expression remaining calm. He drew two Seal Imprints with his hands, bringing them together in front of him, then tore them apart and slapped the Imprint onto the surging mud and rock layers.

Boom!!

The mud and rock layers violently shook, and a clear palm imprint appeared on the surface, spreading countless cracks. The Primordial Essence within seeped through, shattering the Earth Pulse Energy flowing within the rock layers!

Chen Mu then took a step forward, directly piercing through layer upon layer of mud and rock with his physical body, chasing after the fleeing Dark Bone Marquis. Before he even reached the Marquis' back, he raised a short spear in his hand, and a bundle of lightning crackled.

Demon Sealing Thunder Spear!

"If you dare to get close to me, you won't be able to escape so easily."

A glint flashed through Chen Mu's eyes, and his vast Primordial Essence True Force erupted, condensing onto the Thunder Spear. This time, it wasn't the Heaven-Earth Seal, but rather, all his Primordial Essence transformed into thunderous power.

In the past, when he was at the Six Viscera Realm, he couldn't fully unleash the ultimate power of the Demon Sealing Thunder Spear. But now, he could effortlessly wield this Spirit Armament, and as he channeled his immense Primordial Essence into it, the entire spear vibrated with a buzzing sound, as if it had come alive with a joyful spirit, as if it hadn't been wielded like this in countless years.

The entire spear had transformed into a dazzling, radiant color.

Chen Mu held the spear as if it were a pure lightning arc, with deep purple lightning intertwining nearby, permeating the mud layers and causing them to collapse wherever it passed.

Boom!!!

With a flick of Chen Mu's hand, the dazzling bundle of lightning burst forth, tearing through layer upon layer of Earth Pulse, piercing through with unstoppable force. It slashed across the Earth Pulse, directly attacking the fleeing Dark Bone Marquis' back!

Among the Five Elements, Wood overcomes Earth!

In the Eight Trigrams, Wind and Thunder correspond to Wood, and Thunder can also overcome Earth!

Indeed, this underground was the Dark Bone Marquis' domain, and the Earth Mother's control over the Earth Pulse was far superior to Chen Mu's. Although Chen Mu had cultivated the Heaven-Earth Concept, he hadn't mastered the domain, and in the face of a Grandmaster specializing in Earth Mother, he couldn't compete for control over the Earth Pulse. Thus, he could only overcome with sheer force!

If the Dark Bone Marquis had kept his distance at a hundred zhang, Chen Mu might not have been able to catch up in this deep underground. With the distance, the Marquis indeed had the ability to stall and resist, not because his strength was greater than the White Jade Demon Sovereign, who had died in Chen Mu's hands, but because the advantage of the domain at this level was far greater than imagined.

As top Grandmasters, if they were on the ground, Qin Mengjun could suppress the Dark Bone Marquis, but in this deep underground, the Marquis could suppress Qin Mengjun. Only on the ground could they each hold their own and compete.

Therefore,

The Dark Bone Marquis, who had directly clashed with Chen Mu, still had the ability to escape.

However, he was too close to Chen Mu, and after the intense clash, he wanted to create some distance, but it was undoubtedly too late!

"A Spirit Armament of Thunder Dao?"

The Dark Bone Marquis sensed the vibrations from behind, causing his eyelids to twitch, and his heart sank further.

The Earth Mother wasn't one of the Five Elements of Earth, but rather, it symbolized the nurturing of all life. Although it wasn't as vulnerable to Wood and Thunder attributes, the problem was that Chen Mu's strength far surpassed his. Wielding a Thunder attribute Spirit Armament, this attack posed a life-threatening crisis!

Almost as soon as he sensed the vibrations, the Demon Sealing Thunder Spear had already torn through and pierced dozens of zhang of mud, rushing towards his spine with no room to dodge or evade!

In this crisis,

The Dark Bone Marquis could only grit his teeth and swing his long spear, blocking the incoming Thunder Spear. The dazzling deep purple lightning collided, creating a burst of crackling arcs.

With a loud crackling sound, his tiger's mouth trembled, and even the Grandmaster's Martial Body couldn't withstand the impact. His tiger's mouth split open, blood flowing, and the dazzling lightning on the Demon Sealing Thunder Spear continued to clash with the Primordial Essence True Force on his spear, inching its way up the spear.

Crackle, crackle.

The Dark Bone Marquis's eyes turned red, and he didn't know what secret technique he used, but his heart beat fiercely, pumping blood throughout his body. His Primordial Essence True Force erupted, finally dispersing the lightning.

Immediately after, he tried to retreat further.

But.

The attack of the Demon Sealing Thunder Spear had delayed Chen Mu for a moment, but his figure had already caught up to the Marquis' back! Although his abilities were restricted in this deep Earth Pulse, and even his movements were hindered, he had cultivated the Martial Body. With a head-on charge, he reached the Marquis, lifting his left hand and lowering his right, the Heaven-Earth light swirling and fading.

Wind Wheel,

Thunder Wheel,

Fire Wheel,

Water Wheel,

...

Heaven-Earth Seal!

Chen Mu fully manipulated the immense Primordial Essence, his gaze calm. The Seal he struck with his hand seemed to encompass the entire Heaven and Earth, causing the sky to collapse and the earth to shake, leaving the Marquis trapped with nowhere to retreat or evade, forcing him to take the blow head-on!

In the face of this life-threatening crisis, the Dark Bone Marquis became unusually calm, a top Grandmaster not to be trifled with. In an instant, he discarded all distractions, expanding the Earth Mother domain, merging with the earth as if he had become a part of the Earth Pulse, blending with the entire land.

"Earth Mother descends, nurturing all life."

Blood dripped from the Dark Bone Marquis' tiger's mouth as he tightly gripped the Spirit Armament spear, borrowing the power of the earth to swing it upwards with all his might.

With this strike, it seemed as if the entire Heaven and Earth had fallen silent. He seemed to have ascended to another realm, touching an invisible barrier. In an instant, the nearby mud and rock layers froze, and a powerful life force erupted, causing green sprouts to grow from the withered yellow soil.

Facing Chen Mu, who had reached the pinnacle of Grandmastery and pushed his realm to its limits, this was the first time he faced a life-threatening situation. Death seemed to loom over his heart, but the Houtu martial art he cultivated was in harmony with the essence of all life. At this moment, as he swung his spear in a desperate attempt to survive, he seemed to have broken through the boundary between life and death!

Life! Life! Life!!

A radiant light shone from Marquis Dark Bone's eyes, a brilliance he had never exhibited before.

Every top-tier Grandmaster was a prodigy of their generation, once an unparalleled genius. Marquis Dark Bone was no exception. At this moment, he felt he had truly touched a certain boundary. If he survived this encounter, he would undoubtedly surpass the final hurdle of martial cultivation, undergo Blood Transformation, and ascend to the pinnacle of martial arts, becoming the second 'Bone Ancestor' among the Four Clans.

However, his hopes ultimately shattered.

Despite his mental fortitude, insights, and spiritual understanding, even after transcending that boundary, he had not truly reached that realm. It was not a qualitative change but merely a small step forward.

As his spear clashed with Chen Mu's Heaven-Earth Seal, it was slowly and steadily pushed back, inch by inch, until the spearhead crumbled, and all his Essence Aura and vitality dissipated.

Bang!

The spear slipped from his grasp, originally angled upwards towards Chen Mu. It now pointed downward, piercing the underground rock layer. Marquis Dark Bone stumbled backward a few steps before coming to a halt.

Chen Mu's figure descended, landing right in front of him. His hands, which had formed the Heaven-Earth Seal, trembled slightly, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Indeed, one must not underestimate the heroes of the world."

The top-tier Grandmasters were indeed not the kind of demons from the Heavenly Demon Sect who feared death.

In terms of strength, if Marquis Dark Bone and Onyx Demon Sovereign were to fight on land, their power might not differ significantly. But in terms of martial will and determination, they were worlds apart.

Marquis Dark Bone, though an alien Grandmaster, was undoubtedly the most extraordinary person he had encountered, aside from Qin Mengjun. In the face of life and death, he maintained absolute calmness and even underwent a subtle transformation.

He knew what this transformation was.

If Marquis Dark Bone could overcome this hurdle, he would have an eighty percent chance of entering the Blood Transformation Realm and reaching the pinnacle of martial arts.

If Marquis Dark Bone had demonstrated this level of strength from the beginning, even Chen Mu might have struggled to contain him. However, the opponent's overconfidence led to their close-quarters combat, and a single move left him wounded. Despite his near-transformation in mental fortitude and will, it was not enough to bridge the gap between them. Chen Mu's Heaven-Earth Seal remained unbreachable!

Marquis Dark Bone stood silently across from Chen Mu, his hands hanging down, blood dripping from his cracked palms. He stared at Chen Mu without uttering a word, his eyes revealing a complex expression.

In the end, the brilliance in his eyes faded, and his body began to crack, starting from the head, like a porcelain figure. His body crumbled inch by inch, like a clay statue, eventually disintegrating into the earth.

"What a pity."

Chen Mu looked at the completely shattered remains of Marquis Dark Bone, shaking his head.

The number of individuals qualified to enter the Blood Transformation Realm was indeed scarce. In reality, most Blood Transformation experts were top-tier Grandmasters who had transcended their realm. Only a few, like Feng Hongsheng and Shi Zhenyong, were capable of such a feat.

This was one of the reasons for the significant gap between Blood Transformation experts and Grandmasters. Most Blood Transformation experts had once been top-tier Grandmasters.

Marquis Dark Bone had the potential to break through to the Blood Transformation Realm, but with his death, the world would have one less martial arts pinnacle in the future. However, as an alien clan Grandmaster, his death was final.

Chen Mu regretted that he would have one less 'Earth Spear Sage' to validate his martial arts.

Chen Mu carefully examined Marquis Dark Bone's remains, finding nothing of value. He retracted his gaze, reaching out to retrieve the long spear that Marquis Dark Bone had used. It felt incredibly heavy in his hands, as if it weighed a thousand pounds.

"A good weapon."

Holding the spiritual long spear horizontally in front of him, Chen Mu inspected it.

This was an authentic Earth-attributed spiritual weapon, undoubtedly empowered by a piece of Mysterious Yellow Stone. Its weight rivaled that of the Demon-Sealing Thunder Spear, and it even approached the caliber of the Mystic Heavenly Sword Diagram.

Unfortunately, for Chen Mu, unless it was a perfectly compatible Heaven-Earth spiritual weapon, even the Earth Spear would not be significantly more effective in his hands than the Demon-Sealing Thunder Spear or the Frost Soul Spirit Sword.

Nevertheless, such a spiritual weapon was a rare find for a Grandmaster, and it could be exchanged for other valuable resources.

After casually swinging the Earth Spear, Chen Mu turned around and walked forward through the earthen layers.

Marquis Dark Bone was dead.

The nearby Earth Pulse had returned to tranquility.

Chen Mu did not need to forcefully break through the earthen layers. With his Heaven-Earth Concept, he effortlessly traversed the Earth Pulse once more, descending a few steps before retracing his steps and returning to their initial battleground.

This was where Marquis Dark Bone had initially forced open the stone layers, which he had then sealed during his escape.

Chen Mu quickly found Murong Yan curled up in a corner, unmoving.

Swish.

Chen Mu tore open the earthen layers, creating a space, and said to Murong Yan:

"Murong Senior Sister, it's over."

Murong Yan didn't feel embarrassed. Underground, she had limited mobility and struggled with earth traversal. She couldn't follow their battle, and even blocking the aftermath was extremely challenging. So, she waited in her original spot.

Seeing Chen Mu return, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Although she was certain Chen Mu would win, the underground was Marquis Dark Bone's territory. She worried he might have other traps or tricks. Fortunately, the battle ended swiftly.

As Murong Yan stood up, she noticed the Earth Spear in Chen Mu's hand. Her eyes flashed, and she quietly asked, "Was that Marquis Dark Bone's spear? Is he..."

"If he hadn't approached me first, I might not have been able to defeat him underground."

"Chen Mu spoke calmly, 'He's too confident in his own abilities.'"

Upon hearing Chen Mu's words, Murong Yan couldn't help but take a deep breath.

Indeed, just as Chen Mu said, the underground was the absolute advantage for Bone Piercing Marquis. Down here, even if he encountered three or four top-tier Grandmasters of the same level, he wouldn't be afraid at all. Even if he couldn't win, he was confident he could escape unscathed.

To put it bluntly, he wasn't afraid of the Seven Mystics Sect's ambush. Even if numerous Grandmasters from the Seven Mystics Sect appeared, they couldn't touch him underground unless a Blood Replacement Realm Elder intervened.

It was this confidence that led to his demise.

Even so, the turmoil in Murong Yan's heart continued to surge like a tide, difficult to calm. After all, Bone Piercing Marquis was one of the top-tier Grandmasters, and among the many Grandmasters in the Cold North Region, he had the qualifications to rank in the top ten! Those stronger than Bone Piercing Marquis, not counting Blood Replacement Realm experts, there wouldn't be more than a handful in the entire Cold North Region, and even including Blood Replacement Realm experts, there wouldn't be more than twenty. Top-tier Grandmasters weren't just a title; they were truly at the pinnacle of strength in the eleven provinces of the Cold North Region, with few rivals.

Yet, such a figure had died underground, in the very terrain that favored him the most.

"Let's go."

Chen Mu turned to Murong Yan and said, "Let's see how the alien tribe's formation and that Mystic Turtle are doing."

Murong Yan nodded slightly.

If it were her, after leading the Mystic Turtle to the alien tribe's formation, she would definitely turn and flee, running as far as possible. Only Chen Mu, with the strength to kill Bone Piercing Marquis, had the confidence to stay and continue observing the battle.

"Excuse me."

As Murong Yan responded, Chen Mu nodded slightly, then stepped forward and placed his hand on her shoulder. They then ascended through the layers of soil and rock, quickly breaking through the surface and emerging from the ground.

The two were now in a rugged hilly area, about ten miles away from the battlefield where the Mystic Turtle and the alien tribe's formation were located. They could still hear the booming sounds like rolling thunder, indicating an intense battle.

Looking into the distance, they saw that the alien tribe's formation was still in a defensive stance, arranged in a Turtle Shell Formation without trapping the Mystic Turtle within. Clearly, they didn't intend to trap and kill the Mystic Turtle.

"Roar!!!"

The Mystic Turtle roared in anger, and the cloud sea in the sky visibly formed a vortex, which it continuously tore apart, turning into waves that washed over the formation but couldn't break through the defensive stance.

The Mystic Turtle's occasional tail swings created fierce attacks that even Chen Mu struggled to block head-on. The formation's condensed true energy deflected the attacks, causing only ripples on the dry yellow formation walls.

"These aliens are quite steady."

Chen Mu stood with his hands behind his back, observing for a moment before speaking to Murong Yan.

Given the strength of both sides, the alien tribe's formation clearly had the upper hand. If they actively trapped the Mystic Turtle within the formation, they might suffer some casualties, but they would ultimately be able to kill the Mystic Turtle within the formation.

Even so, the alien tribe's formation maintained a defensive stance, primarily defending against the Mystic Turtle's attacks with little offensive action. They occasionally switched to offense, landing a few attacks on the Mystic Turtle, leaving some wounds.

In this situation, if the Mystic Turtle wanted to retreat, they couldn't stop it without trapping it.

However, the Mystic Turtle was still in a state of madness, seemingly unable to break through the alien tribe's formation. It continued to persist, lacking rationality, possibly due to some method used by the Heavenly Demon Sect.

"Perhaps it's because Bone Piercing Marquis isn't here."

Murong Yan was also observing from a distance, and her eyes flickered slightly as she responded.

Bone Piercing Marquis had gone to pursue her and Chen Mu. With Solitude Valley under attack and the situation with the Heavenly Demon Sect unclear, it was normal for the alien tribe's formation to be cautious and not want to engage in a direct fight with the Mystic Turtle.

If Bone Piercing Marquis had killed her and Chen Mu and returned to the formation, the aliens might have truly wanted to trap and kill the Mystic Turtle. They might then switch from defense to offense.

After all, the resources on this Mystic Turtle were too rich, and it would be worth some casualties to obtain them.

Hearing Murong Yan's response, Chen Mu nodded slightly, as he had also guessed this. Clearly, Bone Piercing Marquis wasn't coming back, and the alien tribe's formation was playing it safe, leaving him with no better option.

"If they maintain their defensive stance, there's nothing we can do."

If the alien tribe's formation trapped the Mystic Turtle, turning from defense to offense, he would have some ideas. Because then, the outer side of the formation would become extremely weak.

He only needed to coordinate his attack from another direction, and he might be able to completely tear apart the alien tribe's formation of tens of thousands. But with the aliens maintaining their defense, there was no such weakness. Even if he attacked now, coordinating with the Mystic Turtle, it wouldn't have much significance, as his attack methods weren't stronger than the Mystic Turtle's, and might even be slightly weaker. The alien tribe's formation was a 'Turtle Shell Formation,' an impregnable defense from all sides.

At this moment, within the alien tribe's formation, the temporary commander in the center was constantly adjusting the formation's power to collide with the Mystic Turtle's offense and defense. However, his brows were tightly knitted, and his eyes occasionally glanced outside the formation.

"Why haven't they returned..."

Bone Piercing Marquis was a top-tier Grandmaster of the Earth Domain. How could he take so long to return after pursuing Chen Mu and Murong Yan, two rising stars of the Wind and Cloud Sect?

If he couldn't catch up, he should have returned earlier. They still needed to deal with this Mystic Turtle.

If they could trap and kill this Mystic Turtle, the rich resources it held were obvious. They might even receive a reward from the 'Wu Zu,' the chief of the four tribes. But with Bone Piercing Marquis absent, he didn't dare to change the formation from defense to trapping.

After all, the situation in the Cold County was uncertain, and they weren't clear about the status of Solitude Valley and the Heavenly Demon Sect. This Mystic Turtle seemed to have been lured from the direction of Solitude Valley, and without any information, he naturally dared not take risks.

Fortunately, this Mystic Turtle seemed to have completely lost its rationality.

Even though it had no way to break through their Turtle Shell Formation, it continued to persistently attack. If this continued, they might be able to slowly kill the Mystic Turtle with the formation, which was the most stable strategy.

Even if seven or eight Grandmasters from the Seven Mystics Sect appeared and ambushed them, their Turtle Shell Formation would remain stable, and the formation of tens of thousands would be as steady as Mount Tai, unafraid of the Seven Mystics Sect Grandmasters' attacks.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end