Jialan Yanliang was silent for a moment, then looked at Xu Mu and said, "You are truly brave."
Xu Mu smiled, "You flatter me."
Jialan Yanliang fell silent again, his fist clenching slightly. A cold, chilling aura surged from his body, making the dark clouds even denser.
He glanced back at Jialan Lou, who waved his hand, signaling that he could fight whenever he pleased.
"Then let's begin," the young man sighed. He stepped forward with his right leg, and the terrifying underworld aura from his body transformed into vengeful spirits, charging towards Xu Mu as if to tear him apart.
At this moment, Xu Mu maintained the same posture of beckoning provocatively. Facing the onslaught, he neither dodged nor blocked. His muscles tensed abruptly, and with the circulation of his blood energy, he charged forward.
*Boom!*
With a resounding explosion, Xu Mu and Jialan Yanliang's bodies separated. The vengeful spirits attempting to climb onto Xu Mu were also scattered by the surging blood energy.
Jialan Yanliang looked at Xu Mu, his eyes becoming serious. In that initial collision, both had been testing each other, so he could sense that Xu Mu was not as weak as Jialan Lou had described; in fact, he was quite strong.
"Very good, at least I didn't come here for nothing." Jialan Yanliang's expression finally changed. His eyes turned fierce, and his entire body was enveloped in a dark, sinister energy, as if he had been doused with an unerasable bucket of black dye. He looked bizarrely monstrous.
Below the stage, Jialan Lou and Ghost Elder's eyes both flickered with surprise. They hadn't expected that after just one move, the seventh Disha would employ such a level of special ability.
"It seems he is indeed very strong," Lu Fei said with a complex expression, aware of the terrifying nature of this ability.
This wasn't a special ability in the usual sense, but a birthright of the Jialan clan: Demonization. Once used, it caused irreversible damage to the user's body and cultivation realm, but in return, it granted immense power.
The Jialan clan only resorted to this move when facing exceptionally formidable enemies. The fact that this Disha used it so early proved Xu Mu's strength. If he had fought earlier, he would have undoubtedly lost.
On the battle stage, Xu Mu sensed the explosive increase in Jialan Yanliang's aura, and his gaze became somewhat solemn.
After the first probing move, he could almost gauge that the opponent's strength was on par with the strongest of the three Ghost Generals under Ye Gong, Wei Dao Xuan. Now, with the use of some kind of amplification secret art, his power had ascended to another level.
"Truly troublesome," Xu Mu clicked his tongue, then clenched his fist and hurled it forward.
"Ghost Hand!" Jialan Yanliang shouted shrilly. He met Xu Mu's punch head-on, countless vengeful spirits and dark energy attaching to his fist, forming a spectral ghost hand that emanated a chilling aura.
*Boom!*
Xu Mu's punch shattered the ghost hand. The wails of countless vengeful spirits echoed in his ears. The explosion was terrifying, yet he showed no intention of defending. Instead, he seized the opportunity of close proximity to unleash a left hook.
This punch, he threw with almost all his might.
Jialan Yanliang's expression was one of horror. He had never expected Xu Mu to break his Ghost Hand, nor to withstand the explosion of vengeful spirits and throw another punch, and such a terrifying one at that. The mere aura emanating from his fist, the surging blood energy, filled Jialan Yanliang with dread.
"He's definitely not a Stage Two!"
This was Jialan Yanliang's immediate thought.
His second thought was naturally to evade. Just as Xu Mu's hook was about to strike his chin, the vengeful spirits around him erupted. One by one, they coalesced into near-solid forms and slammed into Xu Mu, exploding. This managed to force Xu Mu's body to lurch sideways.
His punch missed. Seizing the opportunity, Jialan Yanliang lunged forward.
*Screech!*
Ten thousand vengeful spirits coalesced into a spectral ghost god's skeleton, a terrifying figure wielding a bone staff. As it descended, it aimed directly for Xu Mu's chest, its momentum so fearsome it seemed capable of crushing Xu Mu instantly.
Xu Mu sensed the danger. His Seven-Colored Glazed Heart beat frantically. He suppressed the urge to draw his blade, clenched his fist once more, and empowered it with a dark golden Dao energy, unleashing a full-force punch upwards.
*Bang!*
The fist met the ghost god's scepter. The immense force instantly shattered the scepter. Countless vengeful spirits were corroded by the Dao Source and then exploded. However, in that instant, Xu Mu was completely engulfed by the dark, vengeful night.
Jialan Yanliang, from the shadows, took the opportunity to unleash his abilities from all directions: corrosive, continuous rain, ghost god's attacks, lurking minor ghosts, vengeful spirits gnawing at the soul, and explosions of gathered yin elements… Countless abilities erupted, instantly burying Xu Mu.
This furious barrage of special abilities lasted for a long time. Only when the black, paint-like marks on the seventh Disha of the Jialan clan began to fade did he slowly stop, standing on the side of the arena, gasping for breath.
Meanwhile, the crowd below watched the center of the battle stage with bated breath and anticipation, eager to see the situation within the chaotic mass of dark clouds and fog.
Was Xu Mu dead?
This was their question.
But soon, a beam of dark golden light pierced the darkness.
As the Dao Source incinerated and purified the vengeful spirits, the familiar figure slowly revealed itself to the sight of the crowd.
"Quite formidable," Xu Mu said, looking at the bruises on his body and the few bleeding wounds, giving the young Disha a sincere and measured evaluation.
His physical body was strong, capable of defeating many through primal means, but Jialan Yanliang was clearly not among them.
The latter was evidently experienced in close-quarters combat. During the engagement, Xu Mu had been unable to strike vital points as easily as before, always being evaded by various means, and being counter-attacked.
Clearly, if he wanted to win, it wouldn't be a simple matter. Even adopting a boxing stance wouldn't be of much use, as the opponent possessed many strange special abilities, making it difficult for his fists to land.
So, what should he do?
Xu Mu first thought of the Innate Eight Trigrams. But he quickly dismissed it, realizing that exposing such profound techniques at this moment would undoubtedly invite endless trouble. He had already learned his lesson from the desolate ancient battlefield when the Four Northern Barbarians had attempted to search his soul while he was resting.
The Innate Eight Trigrams couldn't be used. His blade couldn't be used. His bow couldn't be used. What else could he use?
Xu Mu thought of lightning techniques, and his sole shadow ability.
After a moment of contemplation, Xu Mu chose the latter. Lightning techniques were too difficult to learn, and once exposed, it would be hard to prevent people from discovering his connection to the Daoist sect. If it were accidentally discovered that he was Xu Mu, his peaceful days would be over.
Xu Mu's wounds healed at a visible rate. A shadow quietly crept onto his back.
Jialan Yanliang seemed to sense something. His expression became serious as he looked around, but he found nothing.
Just as he was about to launch another offensive, bombarding Xu Mu with his abilities, he suddenly found himself unable to move.
He looked down at his feet and surprisingly discovered that the dark yin energy around him seemed much denser than before.
Had his power improved?
Xu Mu kicked out with a foot, imbued with immense force, directly hitting Jialan Yanliang's chest.
As he flew backward, Jialan Yanliang saw a shadow detach from his own.
In that instant, the young Disha understood what had happened.
"So, you play dirty too."
Jialan Yanliang looked at Xu Mu, thinking this with a sigh.