Chapter 046: Every Strike Claims a Life

At this moment, within the illusion, Mu Tianhen’s murderous intent had not waned; his fighting spirit surged forth, sweeping in all directions. Even Mu Tianxue and the others dozens of feet away could distinctly sense it.

Little Bai poked out its tiny head, its red eyes spinning mischievously, waving its claws energetically to cheer for its master.

Owing to its unique bond with Mu Tianhen, it could sense his transformation, knowing it had placed its bet wisely and could look forward to a bright future.

Of course, it owed this opportunity to its parents, who had imparted certain knowledge and granted it this chance.

Watching Little Bai, Mu Tianxue and her companions, though unable to grasp the full meaning, could guess that the little creature was confident Mu Tianhen would win and the danger had all but passed.

Everyone longed to rush out and shout encouragement for Mu Tianhen, but none moved, lest their appearance provoke a counterattack from the beasts and trigger unforeseen calamity.

After all, to have reached such a level of cultivation meant the beasts possessed a measure of intelligence—they would not take reckless risks.

Far ahead, even the wild beasts sensed the overwhelming murderous aura and intense battle spirit emanating from Mu Tianhen’s body, filling their hearts with terror and making them tremble.

Suddenly, the giant bird perched upon the elephant’s back threw its head back and shrieked, then beat its wings, intending to flee this dreadful place and escape this terrifying man.

Survival was paramount.

Yet, it did not succeed.

Just as the giant bird began to beat its wings and prepare to take flight, the deadly sword light flashed once more, bursting forth with blossoms of sword energy.

These sword flowers interwove into a vast net, covering the giant bird from all directions.

With a series of explosive sounds, the sword flowers burst around the giant bird, tearing away feathers and spraying pillars of blood, scattering chunks of flesh both large and small.

The giant bird let out agonized cries, frantically beating its wings, its eyes wild with terror, desperately trying to escape.

Yet, enveloped in the dense sword blossoms, how could it find a path to flee? With each wave of bursting swords, its cries grew weaker and slower.

At last, it fell silent, toppling from the elephant’s back, a mass of mangled flesh and feathers that could no longer conceal its body—a dead bird.

As the giant bird’s anguished screams faded and the deadly long sword loomed in all its horror, the other beasts, previously stunned, snapped out of their daze and fled in panic.

This time, they scattered in all directions, not caring where they ran—survival was their only concern.

Unfortunately, their hopes were far too simplistic.

“None of you will leave alive! Sweeping Winds!”

With a thunderous shout, Mu Tianhen unleashed the Wind-Sweeping Sword Technique once more, paired with the Water-Skimming Footwork, propelling his speed to an unimaginable level, even for himself.

He became a blur, darting through the beast horde, his movements impossible to track.

Sword lights sliced through the air, crisscrossing and weaving into a deadly net, pressing down on the beasts.

Wherever he passed, blood sprayed, and lives were snuffed out.

In only a dozen breaths, the ground was littered with corpses, piled in heaps, forming a gruesome mountain of flesh.

Yet Mu Tianhen’s slaughter continued, the deafening sounds reverberating deep within the hearts of all, both inside and outside the illusion.

“Those who would humiliate me, those who would forget me—death without pardon!”

His proclamation rang out like an oath to all creation: if you stand against Mu Tianhen, as long as he lives, he will cut you down.

Be it man or beast—all must die.

Sword lights continued to weave through the air, blood spraying, lives harvested.

After another dozen breaths, the carnage finally ceased.

Mu Tianhen stood, sword in hand, atop the mound of beast corpses, his hair and robes fluttering in the wind, like a god of slaughter risen from the depths of hell.

His battle spirit swept outward, sending the small creatures in the grass scurrying away, digging into the earth to hide themselves.

The intensity of his murderous aura was so great that even those in the real world could feel it, their hearts filled with fear.

Each told themselves: never provoke this demon. To do so might cost one’s life, or worse, bring ruin upon an entire clan.

Within the illusion.

The three humans and one fox leapt from the tree hollow and rushed toward Mu Tianhen.

“Brother! You’ve won, you’ve won!” Mu Tianxue ran and waved, her face now alight with excitement and admiration, her earlier anxiety vanished.

Mu Tianxiang and Mu Qianyuan were likewise overjoyed, their eyes filled with reverence for his strength, yearning for power, and hope for their family’s future.

Mu Tianhen descended from the corpse pile, wiped the blood from his sword, and with a clang sheathed it, then walked toward his companions.

At that moment, Mu Tianhen wore a gentle smile, calm and peaceful—no trace of murderous intent remained.

“Let’s go. Let’s go home.”

He took his sister’s hand, carried Little Bai, and continued in the direction they had intended. Behind them, Mu Tianxiang and Mu Qianyuan followed closely, wary of any lurking dangers.

After this battle, they regarded Mu Tianhen as their guardian, their shield against death. So long as they stayed with him, they would not face peril.

Even should danger arise, Mu Tianhen could easily overcome it.

In the real world, the crowd continued to watch the four humans and one fox on the bronze plate, curious where they were headed and what might happen next.

At the same time, many wondered: if Mu Tianhen failed to last the time of a single stick of incense in the illusion, what would the Mu family do?

Would they deem he had passed the trial, or declare him failed?

After all, at the outset, Mu Qianyuan had stated: if you endure before the bronze plate for the time it takes a stick of incense to burn, you pass—becoming the official family head.

If you do not, you fail—the family headship cannot be assumed.

But with the terrifying strength Mu Tianhen had displayed, who else could claim the right? In this world, strength is everything.

Even if he failed the trial, none could prevent him from becoming the family head.

Thus, the Mu family would not foolishly discard such a treasure. They would surely give the position to Mu Tianhen, though retracting their earlier words was impossible.

Therefore, Mu Qianyuan was conflicted, as were many others in the clan.

Yet no one spoke, all standing in silence, watching the bronze plate where Mu Tianhen and his companions continued their journey, eager to see where they would go.

Was there a Mu family presence within the illusion as well?

“Brother, you must hold on, you must endure the time of a stick of incense—just half remains, just half! Hang in there!”

Mu Tianxue cheered in her heart, hoping her brother would stay the promised duration, thus avoiding any troublesome complications upon return.

Time flowed differently in the illusion than in reality. Mu Tianhen and his companions had already traveled for a day, finally leaving the vast plains and reaching the foot of a lush hill.

The sun was setting, crimson clouds filling the sky, draping the world in a splendid red veil, a sight pleasing to the eye.

“Hm?”

Just as they prepared to find a cave to rest for the night and continue their journey, Mu Tianhen abruptly halted, looking up toward the summit of the hill.