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What exactly is the power of Qi and blood? This small flicker of thought crossed Mu En's heart as he decided to stop holding back. A brilliant golden light suddenly erupted from his eyes.
He blasted out a punch that felt as if it carried the heavy will of the entire world behind it. The strike went straight toward Poison Undying. Poison Undying did not try to dodge or move out of the way. Instead, he simply crossed his arms in front of his chest to meet the blow head-on.
The sound of the impact was like a massive explosion. Poison Undying was smashed away through the air like a heavy cannonball. He spit out a spray of fresh blood as he flew. Dense, ugly cracks appeared all over his chest.
It looked as if his entire body was about to split wide open down the middle from the sheer force of the hit. However, Poison Undying was far from finished. He adjusted his posture slightly while he was still in mid-air. He landed on the ground easily and softly, looking as light as a swan feather.
He gave his body a gentle shake, and then something amazing happened. The terrifying injuries on his chest began to heal at a speed that anyone could see with their own eyes. The Qi and blood around him remained as vigorous and strong as a raging fire.
He looked like he had barely been touched at all. Poison Undying wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and started to laugh with great arrogance. He looked at the old man and asked if that was all the strength the Dragon God Douluo had left.
Mu En did not answer. He just frowned and remained silent. His figure stayed motionless in his wheelchair, but he did not stop his assault. He continued to blast out punch after punch toward his enemy. He added the power of light, which has the ability to purify all evil, to the fist shadows of his Reign Over the World technique. A rain of golden strikes poured down upon Poison Undying without any mercy.
The sounds of heavy banging filled the air. Poison Undying was forced to retreat step by step under the pressure. Blood blossoms constantly burst across his body as the punches landed. The sound of his bones cracking was clearly audible to anyone nearby.
However, at this moment, Poison Undying seemed to truly possess an immortal body. No matter how severe the injury he sustained, the vast power of his Qi and blood would instantly surge forth. This energy forcibly repaired the damage to his muscles and bones almost as soon as it happened.
As Poison Undying endured the heavy beating, he laughed wildly. He told Mu En that if his body were whole and he were still at his peak, he would naturally turn around and leave the fight. But he pointed out that Mu En was now a man with a crippled body. He asked how long the old man could sustain a full-power attack. He wondered aloud how many more times Mu En could still use the famous Seagod's Light.
Mu En used a powerful punch to drive him deep into the ground. His voice was icy and cold as he said that killing him just a few times would be more than enough. Poison Undying climbed out of the deep pit, looking like a mess because he was covered in blood. Yet, his aura did not diminish at all. Instead, it actually seemed to grow even stronger than before. He sneered at the old man. He told Mu En to come and try it.
He claimed the Seagod's Light was only enough to make him struggle on the verge of death, which gave him enough room to escape, recover, and eventually make a comeback. He mocked the old man by asking how much longer an old fellow like him could even expect to live.
His voice was booming and carried a vast aura that drilled into Mu En's ears. He asked Mu En how many moves he thought that trash Xuan Zi could block if they fought. He then asked how long it would take him to slaughter the entire Shrek lineage if he truly wished to do so. Every word he spoke was aimed directly at Mu En's heart, trying to break his spirit.
Mu En's attack finally stopped. He remained seated in his specialized wheelchair. His aged face flickered between light and shadow under the pale moonlight. He was silent for a very long time, as if he were thinking about the weight of those words. After a long while, he finally spoke. His voice carried a clear hint of exhaustion. He asked what Poison Undying's true purpose was for coming to Shrek City.
Poison Undying gave a short chuckle. He claimed it was all because the Shrek people did not follow the rules. He said they tried to forcefully seize the property of his business partner. He explained that he was only there to act as a backer for that partner and to seek justice for them. He insisted that his Body Sect was merely in Shrek City to conduct business honestly.
Mu En looked at him calmly. His gaze carried a hint of scrutiny, as if he were looking for the truth behind the lies. After another long silence, his hunched figure slowly became illusory. He eventually vanished into the darkness of the night.
Only his aged voice remained, echoing in Poison Undying's ear. He told Poison Undying that he knew the location of the Body Sect. He said that he was a man who was about to die anyway. He warned that if Shrek suffered any misfortune because of him, he would not mind creating more slaughter before his final breath.
Poison Undying remained silent after the warning. His imposing figure stood motionless for a long time. He waited for a full hour to confirm that Mu En had truly left the area. Once he was sure, his expression immediately twisted into a grimace of pain. He cursed to himself, saying that while dying was impossible for him right now, the pain was really awful.
Poison Undying exhaled a deep breath, but a look of excitement soon dominated his face. The power he gained from being a Body Cultivator was even greater than he had imagined. Since he had mastered his Qi and blood, he now possessed the strength to fight Mu En one-on-one without being defeated. He felt like he was starting to touch the outline of the ultimate level of power. A breakthrough to a higher rank had finally become a real possibility for him.
As long as he achieved that breakthrough, he could live for several more decades. That would be enough time for the talented young members of his sect to grow up and take over.
He thought that even though the process was a bit strange, the Body Sect would definitely prosper in the future. His figure flashed as he returned to the waiting convoy. He waved his massive hand and spoke with a voice like a great bell. He told the members of the Body Sect to follow him into the city.
Inside the golden ancient tree in Shrek City, Mu En's figure quietly appeared. Not a single trace of his presence leaked out into the room. He seemed the same as he always was. However, anyone present who possessed the cultivation level of a Super Douluo could sense that something was wrong.
Mu En's aura was now somewhat dimmer and weaker than it had been when he left. Everyone in the room paused what they were doing. They immediately surrounded him with faces filled with concern and solemnity.
Xuan Zi, who was standing nearby, was the first one to approach the old man. His face still had bruises that had not fully faded away, and his aura seemed weak. This was the result of an incident from a few days ago. He had encountered a conflict between Body Sect disciples and Shrek students outside the city.
He had intended to forcefully suppress the outsiders, but Poison Undying had suddenly appeared and severely wounded him. It was because of this injury that Mu En had to be the one to intercept Poison Undying today instead of Xuan Zi.
Mu En slowly sat back down in his reclining chair. His cloudy gaze swept over the crowd of teachers and leaders. His voice carried a heavy hint of fatigue. He told them that Poison Undying was more difficult to deal with than he had expected.
He explained that the man seemed to have completely mastered the power of Qi and blood. Although Mu En could defeat him in a fight, he admitted that he could not kill him outright. He warned that a long stalemate would be bad for the future of Shrek.
Hearing this news made everyone fall silent. If even Elder Mu could not deal with Poison Undying, it meant that the Body Sect would be a very troublesome problem for Shrek City. Mu En's gaze swept over the crowd again. He paused briefly on Xuan Zi.
There was a small hint of disappointment in his eyes that was hard for others to see. The Gluttonous Divine Ox Spirit was a top-tier Spirit. It usually gave a person a slight chance of reaching the ultimate limit of level ninety-nine. But when Mu En looked at Xuan Zi, he did not see that spark of potential anymore.
After a slight pause, he still tried to encourage the man. He told Xuan Zi that he must focus on his cultivation and try to achieve a level ninety-nine breakthrough as soon as possible. He said this was necessary so Xuan Zi could truly support the Academy. Xuan Zi looked very ashamed of himself and bowed his head as he promised to try.
Mu En's gaze then moved on to the rest of the group. It lingered briefly on a figure standing further back in the room. This was Zhang Lexuan. In this young woman, he could still see that slight possibility of greatness.
On the day the Grand Competition ended, she had achieved a level seventy breakthrough. She had then forcefully skipped a grade level to absorb a seventy-thousand-year Spirit Ring. Although the process had injured her, she had recovered very quickly.
Her cultivation speed had not slowed down at all during the past year. Since the competition, her level had already reached seventy-four. Mu En felt sure that Zhang Lexuan might be able to become a Titled Douluo before she reached the age of thirty.
If she could absorb one or two more hundred-thousand-year Spirit Rings, reaching level ninety-eight would be guaranteed at the very least. Because of her strong character, he believed she might also be able to keep Shrek clean and honest.
Mu En lowered his eyes as he thought about the future. This child was perhaps the last real hope for Shrek's future. After a moment of silence, Mu En sighed and gave his instructions. He ordered that all teachers and students of the Academy must act very carefully in the near future. He told them to try their best to avoid any conflict with the Body Sect and the people associated with them.
Everyone in the room answered him at the same time, but their expressions were all different. Most of them felt a strong sense of being unwilling to give in. Shrek Academy had dominated the Douluo Continent for ten thousand years. It was recognized as the number one academy in the whole world.
None of them ever thought they would be forced into such a weak position. The crowd fell silent, and the atmosphere became very heavy and still. Then, at Mu En's command, they all withdrew from the room. The area returned to its usual silence. Mu En was left alone, looking out the window with a figure that appeared slightly desolate in the quiet night.