Mu Zi's domineering words instantly sparked a storm of indignation among the people of the Xie clan.
To chop off his own arm just because of her words? If the Xie clan went along with this, how could it ever hold its head high in Qingyang?
The man Mu Zi had pointed at was especially furious. He stepped toward her with a look of contempt.
"You, girl, are certainly beautiful, but it seems you're completely witless," he said.
"Our master gave you a chance, and you rejected it. Since you don't appreciate kindness, I'll teach you a lesson!
"Let's see if you're so arrogant when you're screaming and begging for mercy!"
With those words, he unleashed his late-stage Earth Yuan aura and rushed towards Mu Zi, reaching out a hand to grab her.
Lin Dong, watching this, felt a wave of worry.
He knew that Mu Zi's spiritual power techniques were strong and could even penetrate his defenses.
But until this moment, she had never shown an aggressive side.
Therefore, he wasn't sure if she could handle a late-stage Earth Yuan master.
At that moment, his Yuan Destruction Shuttle was ready, prepared to intervene at any moment and save Mu Zi.
He owed her, so how could he stand by and do nothing?
However, the subsequent events were unexpected for Lin Dong.
Mu Zi didn't even think of using her spiritual power. She simply extended a delicate jade hand, and a dark-blue Yuan Power swirled in her palm.
With a chilling coldness, she casually struck the man from the Xie clan with her palm.
Bang!
The late-stage Earth Yuan master had no time to resist and was thrown back by the powerful blow. Crashing into a large tree, he fell heavily to the ground.
He spat out blood abruptly, immediately losing consciousness. Lin Dong noticed with astonishment that tiny ice crystals were mixed in the blood.
Xie Qian's eyes narrowed. He hadn't expected an opponent of the same level to be merely a plaything for Mu Zi, unable to withstand her. This only strengthened his certainty of her unusual background.
But it was too late to back down—like a person who had mounted a tiger, Xie Qian was forced to become Mu Zi's enemy.
Mu Zi raised her head, pointed at Xie Qian, and cried out in a clear voice:
"Clan Leader Xie, fight me!"
In truth, her persistence against the Xie clan wasn't just to satisfy her principles, but also because of the itch in her hands, yearning for battle.
After her last breakthrough, she had constantly been fighting various demonic beasts.
But there were no truly strong beasts in the vicinity of Qingyang, and her fights always left her feeling unfulfilled.
Now, only a Heavenly Yuan level opponent could put pressure on her, and Xie Qian was a suitable opponent.
"I hope you don't disappoint me!" Mu Zi said, looking at Xie Qian with a burning fighting spirit in her eyes.
Xie Qian, meeting her gaze, suddenly felt a coldness in his heart.
But he quickly suppressed this fear. With a cold sneer, he thought: a difference of an entire cultivation level—what did he have to be afraid of?
"Since you're asking for death yourself, don't blame me!"
Xie Qian enveloped himself in Yuan Power and charged towards Mu Zi, while simultaneously giving orders to the men of the Xie clan:
"Half of you—hold back that brat Lin Dong, the rest—continue the attack!"
Seeing that the Xie clan had once again attacked Liu Yan and her group, Lin Dong could no longer worry about Mu Zi.
He turned to one of the Lin clan guards:
"Uncle Luo Ling, take the men and protect my mother, lead them to Ironwood Village. The others will help you, and I'll stay to cover your retreat!"
"Alright!" the guard who had accompanied Lin Dong immediately responded. Knowing part of his strength, they trusted their young master.
Liu Yan quietly whispered in Lin Dong's ear:
"Dong-er, if you have a chance, help that girl. She got into trouble because of me. But if it's too dangerous, don't risk it. Your safety is most important!"
Lin Dong nodded, jumped off Xiao Yan, and rushed towards the Xie clan's group.
Powerful spiritual power poured out from his Nirvana Palace, setting in motion dozens of Yuan Destruction Shuttles, which rapidly reaped the lives of the enemies.
Xiao Yan at that moment let out a low tiger's growl. His body leaned slightly forward, explosive power rapidly accumulating within him, and he charged into the crowd.
His massive body swept everything in its path. Anyone he touched fell with a crushed chest, bleeding profusely. His sharp claws and fangs tore through flesh, leaving a bloody chaos in their wake.
One person and one beast completely tied up the Xie clan's group, leaving a field littered with bodies behind them.
Meanwhile, Mu Zi had entered into a fight with Xie Qian.
Extending her jade hand, she quickly gathered Yuan Power, forming a radiant, lotus-shaped seal.
"Heavy Yuan Seal!" she exclaimed.
Xie Qian, with a serious look, enveloped his hand in Yuan Power and delivered a powerful blow.
Boom!
Although he shattered the radiant seal, he had to retreat several steps to stand his ground. The result of this clash caused Xie Qian's face to darken.
Xie Qian thought that dealing with an Earth Yuan level master would be simple. He even planned to quickly defeat Mu Zi to free his hands to deal with Lin Dong, that troublesome youth.
But reality hit him like a cold bucket of water—he wouldn't be able to easily defeat this girl.
Late-stage Earth Yuan, and she's fighting him to a standstill? What kind of monster was this?
Mu Zi moved using Steps Through the Heavens, her body soaring and descending like a phantom, and Xie Qian's attacks couldn't catch her.
From time to time, Mu Zi would unleash a Heavy Yuan Seal, forcing him to scramble in a panic.
For a time, Xie Qian was completely helpless against her.
While Mu Zi kept him occupied, the Xie clan's men fell like cut grass under the combined assault of Lin Dong and Xiao Yan.
"Damn it, I can't get stuck here!" Xie Qian thought in despair.
If this continued, all his men would be dead.
Making a decision, Xie Qian broke off his fight with Mu Zi and rushed towards Lin Dong.
Mu Zi, standing in the air, raised an eyebrow. This old man was trying to run away? She hadn't finished playing yet!
It was always like this: enemies, unable to cope with her, would choose to flee.
"Sigh, sometimes having a movement technique that's too powerful is also a problem," Mu Zi sighed.
Her body flickered, and like a wisp of blue smoke, she overtook Xie Qian, blocking his path.
This time, she didn't tempt fate and used her strongest martial art.
With a wave of icy cold around Mu Zi, the grass and trees became covered in frost, and the ground within a radius of several zhangs turned into an ethereal blue world of ice.
Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, a dark-blue radiant seal slowly emerged.
"Earth Yuan Seal!" she exclaimed.
Under her full control, this powerful martial art finally revealed its formidable might.
Lin Dong was amazed by the power of this strike. Could such strength truly come from an Earth Yuan level master?
Driven by curiosity, he directed a thin thread of spiritual power, but upon touching the radiant seal, he felt in horror how the coldness of its power pierced him like needles.
Xie Qian, standing directly in front of the Earth Yuan Seal, felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. In this blow, he felt a taste of death.
Xie Qian let out a loud cry, fully mobilizing his powerful late-stage Heavenly Yuan Power, and with difficulty repelled this coldness outside his body.
Not daring to hold back, he immediately used the Xie clan's strongest fourth-rank martial art.
"Destructive Vortex!" he exclaimed.
Under the gaze of everyone present, the two powerful techniques clashed with a deafening roar.