As Ruo Hao explained, Ruo Lin finally learned that he had been keeping secrets from her all along. Her parents were fabricated, and to avoid the hassle of Ruo Lin visiting their graves and other complications, Ruo Hao had directly claimed that her parents had died without leaving a trace.
"No," Ruo Lin frowned deeply.
"Ruo Lin, listen. Your family has come to take you back. Your birth parents must be desperate to see you after all these years," Ruo Hao urged.
"I'm not going back. You are my grandfather, and this is my home," Ruo Lin declared.
"Young lady, you must come back with me. The clan leader has ordered me to bring you back. If you refuse, I... I'll have no choice but to use force," Murong Qiuzhai said.
"What are you planning to do?" Ruo Lin asked.
"If you don't come back with me, I'll have to resort to coercion," Murong Qiuzhai said helplessly.
Hearing this, Ruo Lin instinctively hid behind Mu Chen. Her intentions were clear—she didn't want to leave not only because she was reluctant to part with Ruo Hao but also because she couldn't bear to leave Mu Chen.
"Ruo Lin has made her stance clear. Please don't force her," Mu Chen said.
"Who do you think you are? Do you think you have a say here?" The blue-haired, blue-eyed man glared at Mu Chen.
With just a thought, ripples that caused the space around Mu Chen to collapse appeared. The attack instantly reached Mu Chen's side. The man's soul realm had already surpassed the Emperor level.
It's worth noting that this blue-haired, blue-eyed man was remarkably young. For someone of his age to have a soul realm beyond the Emperor level was indeed a thought-provoking matter.
Hum
Mu Chen's eyes closed and opened, and an energy ripple formed around him, intercepting the soul energy attacking him.
"Oh?"
The blue-haired, blue-eyed man let out a sound of surprise, seemingly not expecting Mu Chen's soul realm to be able to rival his.
Hum
Unwilling to accept this, the blue-haired, blue-eyed man focused his mind, unleashing even more terrifying soul energy. The space around them collapsed in large swathes, like surging seawater, threatening to engulf Mu Chen.
Thud
Mu Chen stomped his foot, and ten Soul Rings, all shining with a brilliant golden light, appeared around him. A sword materialized in front of him.
Sixth Soul Skill: Devour
As the sixth Soul Ring around Mu Chen lit up with a golden glow, a massive black hole appeared before him. The space around the black hole collapsed directly, forming spiderweb-like cracks.
The soul attacks from the blue-haired, blue-eyed man were all devoured by Mu Chen's black hole.
"Step back!" Mu Chen said.
Xiao Yu, Xue Ni, Ruo Lin, Bibi Dong, and the clan leader Jin Shi all retreated over a thousand meters.
"You've angered me," the blue-haired, blue-eyed man said coldly.
As his voice lingered, even more turbulent soul energy surged toward Mu Chen. The blue-haired, blue-eyed man wanted to see just how much of his soul energy Mu Chen's black hole could devour.
Sure enough, as the black hole continued to devour, it began to expand and contract like a balloon. It was clear that Mu Chen's Sixth Soul Skill had reached its limit, and the black hole was on the verge of collapsing.
"It's impolite not to return the favor!" Mu Chen said.
"Reverse!"
Mu Chen chanted. The black hole flashed with a dark light, emitting a completely different energy wave than before. A terrifying surge of soul power erupted from the black hole, colliding fiercely with the soul energy of the blue-haired, blue-eyed man.
It is worth mentioning that what surged out from the black hole at this moment was not only the previously devoured soul energy but also Mu Chen's own soul energy.
Boom!
A deafening sound erupted as the reversed soul energy swept through everything, forcefully repelling the soul energy of the blue-haired, blue-eyed man. Simultaneously, the man's body was struck by the terrifying energy current.
By the time the energy current finished its assault, the blue-haired, blue-eyed man no longer maintained his initial appearance. His hair was disheveled, and he looked utterly disheveled.
"You've truly angered me, you native!" the blue-haired, blue-eyed man snarled, his face contorted with rage.
Native?
Indeed, from the perspective of the blue-haired, blue-eyed man who hailed from the Primordial Plane, all humans from the Battle Qi Plane were natives. Today, he had actually been struck by a native. This filled the blue-haired, blue-eyed man with immense fury!
Hum.
The blue-haired, blue-eyed man extended his hand, and a fan appeared in his grasp. The fan shimmered with radiant colors, and on its surface was a painting. Every stroke seemed to contain profound mysteries.
Clearly, this fan was no ordinary object.
"Die!"
The blue-haired, blue-eyed man roared.
With a wave of his fan, terrifying blue waves surged forth. Unlike previous water-attribute Battle Skills, these blue waves were filled with countless dense threads. Wherever the waves passed, they left behind black trails—signs of collapsing space.
The Profound Meaning of Water!
Mu Chen frowned. His opponent had actually mastered a technique embodying the Profound Meaning of Water.
"The highest virtue is like water."
Mu Chen waved his hand, and his Dou Qi surged forth!
Mu Chen's attack was different from that of the blue-haired, blue-eyed man. The latter's attack was overwhelmingly domineering, giving the illusion of wanting to destroy everything in existence. Mu Chen's attack, on the other hand, was sometimes as gentle as a woman, and at other times as fierce as a man!
Boom!
The heavens and earth lost their color, and the sun and moon were eclipsed. The entire space was filled with blue light! The sky trembled, and the earth cracked! Within the terrifying energy storm, the Tianmu Mountain Range, spanning five hundred miles, was completely flattened. The site of the battle, Tianshan, had been transformed into a crater with a radius of ten kilometers. Magma surged from beneath the ground, and the molten pool within the crater began to rise rapidly.
"It's ruined!" the Golden Stone Clan leader lamented in anguish.
The Tianmu Mountain Range was originally a formation that created a miraculous phenomenon every three years. Now that the entire mountain range had been leveled, it meant that the mystical function of the Tianshan Blood Pool was forever lost!
In the sky, Mu Chen had disappeared.
"Is he dead?" the blue-haired, blue-eyed man asked in a calm tone, as if stating something entirely expected.
Indeed, he hailed from the Primordial Plane. Killing a native in his eyes was nothing more than a trivial matter.
"Mu Chen!"
Bibi Dong's eyes were filled with sorrow, her heart aching as if pierced by a knife. She had always believed she felt nothing for Mu Chen. But now, witnessing his death in battle, Bibi Dong realized she had fallen for him—the man who had once hurt her, taken her Soul Ring, and forced her to sever her right arm!
"Mu Chen!"
"Mu Chen!"
Xiao Yu and Ruo Lin stared blankly, unable to accept that Mu Chen, who had always protected them, was gone.
"Mu Chen!"
Xue Ni's eyes were filled with sorrow as two tears rolled down her cheeks. She had finally realized that she, too, loved Mu Chen—so deeply, so profoundly. She hadn't even had the chance to confess her feelings, and now the person she loved was gone!!!
"You all, seeking death!"
Bibi Dong stepped into the void, her Soul Power erupting, her hair billowing wildly. She was on the verge of breaking down!
"Hmph!"
The blue-haired, blue-eyed man let out a grunt, showing nothing but disdain for Bibi Dong. A massive blue wave surged toward her, threatening to engulf her completely.
Bibi Dong's Soul Power was only at the peak of the Heavenly Realm, and her Dou Qi level was merely that of a Dou Zong. If that wave were to hit her, she would undoubtedly perish!
Just as the blue wave was about to swallow Bibi Dong, a surge of Soul Power intercepted it!
"What's the rush? I'm not dead yet!"