Chapter 049: What Is True Strength

In truth, it was not that Mu Tianhen was weaker than his younger sister, Mu Tianxue, but rather that his attention was not on these minor figures. He was also certain that, given his sister's strength, she was more than capable of dealing with such small fry. As long as Mu Qianyuan and Mu Tianxiang remained united, there was no need to worry about them being harmed.

Mu Tianhen’s focus was fixed from the very start on that dark corner he had noticed. As a result, though he too wielded his sword to slay foes, he deliberately kept his display subdued, leaving the glory to his sister. He felt a deep sense of comfort in his heart; his sister was not as timid and cowardly as she appeared on the surface. Deep down, she possessed a fighting spirit that could make men tremble.

One only had to look at her relentless pursuit of their clansmen and now her slaughter of the enemy to glimpse her true nature.

The spear in her hand continued to dance, each thrust reaping several lives at once, striking such fear into their enemies that none dared approach. Yet even those who tried to flee could not escape the deadly reach of Mu Tianxue's spear. Amidst clouds of blood mist, the bodies piled higher, and the wails of the dying echoed even louder than those of the Mu clan during the earlier inferno, reverberating through the heavens.

"Enough!"

Just as Mu Tianxue alone had slain several hundred, a thunderous shout shattered the night. Instantly, a figure shot from the shadows.

In his wake, dozens of others emerged, their forms illuminated by the firelight. They all appeared to be strangers, each advanced in years, with white hair and beards. Judging by their ruddy complexions, they too were undoubtedly formidable cultivators.

At their head stood an elder clad in black robes, exuding an imposing presence. It was he who had spoken.

A cold glint flashed in the black-robed elder’s eyes as he glared at Mu Tianxue and barked, "You wretched girl! Do you take our men for melons to be chopped at will? Outrageous!"

Mu Tianxue was about to respond, but Mu Tianhen silenced her with a wave of his hand.

Then, in a calm voice, Mu Tianhen said, "Xue’er, continue. Leave none alive."

As he spoke, Mu Tianhen turned his gaze to the black-robed elder and sneered, "So you finally deigned to show yourselves? I thought you’d wait until everyone here was dead before you emerged."

At these words, the old men were taken aback and began to regard Mu Tianhen seriously.

The black-robed elder looked him up and down. "You knew we were here?"

Mu Tianhen maintained his mocking smile and replied with a question of his own, "If I couldn’t even detect your underground hiding place, how could I talk about wiping you out to the last man?"

"Arrogant!" the black-robed elder bellowed. "Ignorant brat, how dare you boast so wildly! Do you have any idea who we are?"

Mu Tianhen gave a cold snort. "You’re not even worthy of my questions. But one thing is certain: every last one of you will become a corpse!"

The black-robed elder threw back his head and laughed scornfully. "Boy, do you think that just because you’ve reached the sixth level of the Sky-Gazing Mirror, you’re invincible?"

"How ridiculous! Tonight, I’ll show you what true invincibility means!"

As he spoke, the black-robed elder unleashed his movement technique, his hands transforming from fists to open palms as he swooped down from above, pressing toward Mu Tianhen in a surge of oppressive force.

He was indeed a cultivator of great skill. The moment he made his move, the air itself seemed to tremble under his might. With alternating palms, he sliced through the very atmosphere.

Seeing the arrival of the black-robed elder and his companions, and with the most powerful among them taking the lead, the morale of those below soared. Their fighting spirit reignited, they charged toward Mu Tianxue and her companions with renewed shouts.

With these reinforcements joining the fray, victory tonight seemed assured.

Mu Tianhen paid no heed to how those people might attack Mu Tianxue and the others—he was confident they would be fine, at least for the time being. His only concern was to keep the black-robed elder and his cohort from interfering.

Thus, Mu Tianhen no longer held back and unleashed his full meridian power.

In an instant, a resonant hum emanated from within him, and his aura surged explosively, instantly overshadowing that of the black-robed elder and making him the undisputed master of the field.

Impossible!

Everyone was struck with terror, unable to believe their eyes. This man had been concealing his true strength all along! Now that he had revealed it, it surpassed even the black-robed elder, radiating an aura of overwhelming dominance.

None felt this more keenly than the black-robed elder himself. His face was filled with disbelief and a sense of impending doom. He wanted to change tactics, but his own momentum was too great and there was nothing to support a sudden shift; he could only continue his assault on Mu Tianhen.

"Ninefold Divine Fist!"

Suddenly, Mu Tianhen sprang into action. With a thunderous shout, he hurled his fist at the black-robed elder.

In the blink of an eye, the two collided.

A deafening crash rang out, followed by the sharp crack of breaking bone.

A howl of agony erupted from the black-robed elder as he was blasted away at even greater speed, soaring over the heads of his stunned, slack-jawed companions before crashing to the ground more than thirty feet away.

He landed with a heavy thud and rolled several times before coming to a stop.

Unable to endure any longer, he vomited a torrent of blood, his face pale as death, sweat streaming down his brow, his features twisted in pain as he struggled to rise.

His right hand was shattered, every bone broken beyond repair. Worse still, the tremendous force that had crippled his arm had invaded his body. It rampaged with savage might, battering his internal organs and tearing them from their places, splitting them apart and rapidly draining his life.

Witnessing this, the underlings who had only just found their courage instantly lost their will to fight, collapsing into a panicked mob once more, falling easy prey to Mu Tianxue and her companions’ slaughter.

Not only them—even the formidable figures who had emerged alongside the black-robed elder stood gaping in shock and confusion.

None of them could have imagined that the one who had seemed unremarkable at first was hiding such terrifying strength. He was the true powerhouse among the four!

To cripple the black-robed elder with a single blow—what did that mean? It was too much to even contemplate.

Mu Tianhen and his companions did not know the black-robed elder’s identity, but these others did. He was the patriarch of the City Lord’s Mansion, Gu Feng, one of Shun'an City's greatest experts. Aside from the ancestor of the Dai family, who was long in seclusion, Gu Feng was the strongest, having reached the eighth level of the Sky-Gazing Realm—a figure truly not to be trifled with.

Yet such a terrifying figure had been defeated by Mu Tianhen in a single move, left so weakened he could barely stand. This proved that Mu Tianhen’s strength had already surpassed Gu Feng’s!

If Gu Feng could not withstand even one blow, what chance did the rest of them have? No wonder Mu Tianhen had boasted he would wipe them all out.

If Mu Tianhen attacked them one by one, the odds of their total annihilation would be over ninety-nine percent—perhaps even absolute.

As elders and patriarchs of their respective clans, how could they simply watch as their families were destroyed?

So, with a single glance at one another, these old men reached a tacit agreement. At once, they sprang into action, unleashing their full meridian power as they charged at Mu Tianhen from every direction.