Chapter 240: Chapter 235: Elder Mu Takes Action
The mysterious woman known as Elder Qin Yuan nodded to the handsome man, then looked at Mu Chen, who was enveloped in a net of lightning. Her brow furrowed in puzzlement. In her eyes, the young man trapped in the lightning net possessed no Primordial Power, as if he were a cripple, and he was even missing a limb.
But since the Young Master rarely asked her for anything, she couldn’t very well refuse. She unhurriedly raised a slender finger. Without any visible sign of releasing Primordial Power, she simply pointed toward the lightning net, and with a soft SWISH, it dissipated into thin air.
Freed from the net, Mu Chen began to fall, having no Primordial Power to support himself. However, after dropping less than half a meter, he stopped and stood firmly in mid-air, looking at the two strangers before him with a puzzled expression.
This phenomenon startled Elder Qin Yuan. At her level of cultivation, she could naturally see at a glance how Mu Chen was treading on air.
"Elemental Power Materialization?"
A voice like a celestial melody seemed to come from all directions, but everyone knew it was the mysterious woman speaking. "A cripple with not a shred of Primordial Power is able to use Elemental Power Materialization?" Even someone at her level had never witnessed something so strange. ’If he has no Primordial Power, how could he possibly perform Elemental Power Materialization? This is a complete contradiction.’
A peculiar glint, however, appeared in the handsome man’s eyes. He murmured softly, "It seems Black Soul wasn’t exaggerating in the slightest. This kid appears to have even more astonishing secrets."
"Hm?"
Just then, the mysterious woman suddenly looked toward a point in the empty sky, let out a soft sound of surprise, and said, "It seems this little one would have been fine even if we hadn’t arrived."
The handsome man also looked in the same direction and said with a smile, "Senior, won’t you show yourself?"
"Well, well... I carelessly gave myself away. Tsk, tsk. Let me see who’s come to visit. This attire, this bearing... I never would have thought this kid had connections with you people."
Another playful voice drifted out of the void. A moment later, a figure in white appeared beside Mu Chen, standing suspended in mid-air with his hands clasped behind his back.
Mu Chen turned his head and exclaimed in surprise, "Elder Mu? What are you doing here? And who are these two seniors?"
Elder Mu pursed his lips. With a mere thought, he erected a faint golden Barrier around the four of them before speaking. "These two have quite the background. Remember what I told you the other day about the state of the continent? They are from Tingyu Pavilion, one of the nine supreme powers."
"Tingyu Pavilion?" Mu Chen was taken aback. He hurriedly bowed to them and said, "This junior, Mu Chen, pays his respects to you two seniors."
The handsome man laughed. "What senior? I’m not even five years older than you. Just call me Young Master Qin. As for these two, they are the real seniors here."
Mu Chen froze for a moment, gave the man a deep look, and said, "Young Master Qin."
The handsome man nodded. "We came here for two reasons. First, to help you. Second, I have something to tell you. However, with such a profound senior by your side, Mu Chen, our coming here seems to have been superfluous."
Elder Mu waved his hand dismissively. "Senior this, senior that... it’s all so troublesome. What surprises me is how a kid who’s never traveled far from home ended up with connections to people from the Central State."
The handsome man closed his Folding Fan and smiled faintly. "It’s a long story. For now, we should resolve the immediate crisis. Will you be handling this, Senior, or shall we?"
Elder Mu chuckled slyly. "These old bones of mine haven’t had a good stretch in a while. I’ll go. As for you two, don’t you have something to discuss with this little fellow? Go on and talk now. By the time you get back, all this trouble will be gone." Noticing Mu Chen’s astonished expression, Elder Mu rolled his eyes in mock exasperation. "You brat, don’t give me that look. Did you really think I was just some old geezer who loves to sleep all day? Honestly."
The moment he finished speaking, Elder Mu chuckled and shot out of the faint golden Barrier. His entire form seemed to disintegrate, vanishing into thin air. When he reappeared a moment later, he was already standing beside Xuan Yin and the others.
The handsome man was taken aback and asked in surprise, "Elder Qin Yuan, can you tell how much his realm has progressed in the last ten years?"
Qin Yuan frowned. "If we were to truly fight, I would be defeated within thirty moves..."
"I see... Over a thousand years ago, a monstrous talent like him emerged from the Xuanling Empire, and now..." The handsome man’s gaze shifted to Mu Chen as he murmured, "A thousand years later, another, even more monstrous talent has emerged from the very same Xuanling Empire. Could there be some profound secret hidden within this Empire?"
Elder Qin Yuan remained silent, her gaze also shifting to Mu Chen. Her eyes, which were veiled in mist, shone with a profound light, as if trying to see right through him.
Mu Chen said nothing, mainly because he didn’t know what to say. To ease the tension, the handsome young man spoke up, "Mu Chen, would you be willing to accompany me to a quieter place? I’d like to speak with you in private."
Mu Chen was silent for a moment, then nodded. He could sense that this handsome man bore him no ill will; in fact, he could feel a sincere friendliness radiating from him. For some reason, looking at the man’s handsome face, Mu Chen felt a strange sense of familiarity...
Seeing Mu Chen nod, the handsome man gave a warm smile. "Elder Qin Yuan, I’ll have to trouble you."
Elder Qin Yuan shook her head. After taking a single, soft step forward, both Mu Chen and the handsome man vanished on the spot, leaving behind no trace except for a faint fluctuation of Primordial Power in the air.
"Elder Mu!" Qin Garden, Wu Changqing, and Xuan Yin shouted in unison. They were the only ones present who knew this reclusive old man from the academy.
Elder Mu waved his hand. "You’ve all had it rough, daring to stand up against so many people. It’s about time an old man like me, who’s been lazing around the academy for years, lends a hand, don’t you think?" Then, seeing Mu Bingling and Mo Qing staring worriedly at the spot where Mu Chen had vanished, he added with a smile, "Don’t worry. That boy just went off to have some tea and a chat. He’ll be fine."
"Mm..."
The two women relaxed slightly upon hearing Elder Mu’s reassurance. Judging from the power he had just displayed, this old man who managed the academy’s Library Pavilion was clearly not as simple as he appeared.
With all that settled, Elder Mu stood alone outside the city walls. He casually picked at his ear and said, "Guests from the Celestial Eagle Empire, I trust you’ve had your fun. Our Xuanling Empire is only so big, and there isn’t much to see. It’s time for you all to go home."
His words, laced with Primordial Power, traveled far and wide. The moment he spoke, it wasn’t just the people from the Celestial Eagle Empire who were stunned; every soldier of the Xuanling Empire was dumbfounded too. He made it sound as if the Celestial Eagle Empire was here on a sightseeing tour.
He Yunfeng was stunned for a long moment before he finally processed the words. Seeing the old man in white robes opposite him, he bellowed, "Go home? Heh, you must be joking! My son, He Long, died in the Xuanling Empire! You expect me to leave before this matter is resolved?"
Elder Mu stroked his beard and said, "But the little fellow who killed your son and your empire’s Elder has already been taken away by others—those two who just arrived. If you want to make trouble, you should be looking for them. Besides, they aren’t from our Xuanling Empire."
He Yunfeng stiffened again before continuing, "Hmph! I will hunt down Mu Chen, of course. But before that, I will first raze your Xuanling Empire to the ground! All soldiers! Crush this pathetic Lower-class Empire for me!"
"ROAR!!"
At his command, countless earth-shattering roars from the Magical Beasts below erupted. The very space around them seemed to tremble from the force of a million beasts. Elder Mu’s brow furrowed, and a golden light flashed in his eyes. He bellowed, "You brutes, shut up!"
With Elder Mu’s roar, all the Magical Beasts suddenly felt a suffocating pressure descend from the heavens. Instantly, they all fell prostrate on the ground, trembling uncontrollably. The strongest among them had already reached the Sect Realm, but even these Sect Beasts could only bury their heads and whimper under the terrifying pressure.
Elder Mu snorted coldly. "I’ll say it one last time: leave or die! So what if we killed the Crown Prince of your Celestial Eagle Empire? He’s dead, and that’s that. A mere Celestial Eagle Empire... do you really think I, this old man, would even spare it a glance?"
He Yunfeng was stunned by Elder Mu’s declaration. He sized up the old man again but still couldn’t see what made him so special. Intimidating Magical Beasts was something he, a Three-Ring Martial Venerable, could also easily do. Yet, the old man’s words gave him pause. The Elders behind him, however, were not having it. The Grand Elder of the Celestial Eagle Empire was the first to rush forward, his voice grave, "Such arrogance! To look down on our Celestial Eagle Empire! I’d like to see just what tricks a pathetic Low-class Empire like Xuanling can pull!"
With that, he charged forward. Spurred on by his lead, the other Elders followed, each of them gathering immense Primordial Power, preparing to utterly demolish the Xuanling Empire’s city walls. Seeing them advance instead of retreating, Elder Mu taunted, "Oh-ho! Quite audacious. It seems the Xuanling Empire’s many years of silence has given you so-called Middle-class Empires a serious superiority complex. Since you’re so eager, I suppose I’ll have to stretch these limbs that haven’t moved in centuries."
Everyone froze. ’Not moved in centuries?’ they thought. ’If a person lived for a millennium, their Martial Artist Realm would have to have surpassed that of a Martial Venerable... right?’
"Juniors like these need a good slap to be taught a lesson."
With that said, Elder Mu slowly raised his arm. Locking onto the group of opposing Elders, he swung it down abruptly.
SMACK!
The crisp sound of a slap echoed from the sky. All the advancing Elders were sent flying backward, a bright red Palm Seal appearing on each of their faces. The Grand Elder, a Four-Ring Martial Venerable, touched his own wrinkled old face, his expression utterly dazed.
"He... he actually dared to slap our faces..."
