Xu Mu stood at the edge of the magnificent, city-wall-like Tianchi, looking down at Chen Changkong from above, countless fragments flashing through his mind.
Many of those fragments were about Zhou Jie.
Then, he thought of Chen Changkong and Zuo Mingqiu, the last two to choose their opponents. After a brief exchange, Zuo Mingqiu had chosen him, while Chen Changkong went to the fourth Yaochi to meditate.
“So it was you.” Xu Mu mused, then nodded with realization, looking at Chen Changkong and speaking, “Zhou Jie provoked me because you instigated him behind the scenes, and Zuo Mingqiu was also guided by you.”
“But why did you? Was it because of your brother?”
Xu Mu asked with a perplexed expression, truly unable to comprehend how he had offended Chen Changkong to warrant such deliberate plotting against him. After much thought, his only connection to Chen Changkong was his brother, Chen Ming. Chen Ming had once been involved in a fixed match with people from the Jialan clan, and had subsequently lost a considerable amount of money due to Xu Mu's schemes.
“It has nothing to do with Chen Ming. He deserved to lose.”
A gentle breeze swept by, lifting Chen Changkong’s long hair that obscured his eyes. He spoke, floating into the air on his broad longsword, leveling himself with Xu Mu.
“As for Zhou Jie and Zuo Mingqiu, I cannot command those two. They chose you because they wanted to fight you. I merely gave a gentle push from behind.”
Hearing this, Xu Mu’s brows furrowed even deeper. He asked, “Then why? If I recall correctly, I haven’t offended you.”
Chen Changkong smiled faintly and said, “Young Master Xu, you still haven’t answered my question.”
“Are you willing to fight me, or will you run again?”
Xu Mu gazed into Chen Changkong’s slightly aged young eyes, sensing the faint emotions emanating from them—an inexplicable hostility and a strong desire.
He craved to kill him.
But why was that?
“Forget it.”
The next second, Xu Mu swept away the doubts in his heart, no longer dwelling on such trivial matters. No matter what, he could not leave this Yaochi.
Earlier, in his fight with Zuo Mingqiu, he had retreated, but that was for the ultimate victory. Therefore, he would not fear Chen Changkong.
Even in his weakened state, heavily injured and at the end of his strength.
“After you lose, remember to reveal everything. No omissions are allowed.”
Xu Mu’s expression returned to calm. He turned around and leaped into the corrosive pool water. His movements were concise and steady, clearly indicating that after a short period of rest, Xu Mu’s injuries had recovered significantly, reaching the threshold for combat.
In such a state, he might have a slim chance against ordinary prodigies, but against Chen Changkong, that chance approached zero.
“If I lose, I am at your mercy.”
“Of course, that outcome is impossible. I admit you are strong, but luckily, Zuo Mingqiu is also very strong.”
Chen Changkong flew on his sword above Xu Mu’s head, looking at Zuo Mingqiu, who was meditating and healing in the distance, with a hint of emotion on his face.
From Zuo Mingqiu’s recent battle with Xu Mu, he could largely confirm that the combat power of the three of them was roughly equal, with any outcome possible. The gap was not significant.
But fortunately, Xu Mu was now heavily injured by Zuo Mingqiu. Even if he had any hidden trump cards, he would not be able to contend with his peak state.
Chen Changkong looked down at Xu Mu and sighed.
“I’m sorry, I really like that sword.”
“So, please die.”
—Before the last sentence was finished, a sword intent suddenly emerged between heaven and earth. The sword intent seemed to be condensed from the gravel and loess of the grotto, crude and unrefined, lacking the sharpness of ordinary sword intent, but rather possessing a dullness.
Or rather, a heaviness.
Chen Changkong gripped the broad longsword, and the dense fog within the hundreds of meters long and wide pool gathered in the lower half, as the upper part was occupied by a brownish-yellow sword intent.
Chen Changkong slashed a sword at Xu Mu.
The sword was as heavy as mountains and seas, with illusory sword energy surging. Ancient beasts recorded in the scroll of mountains and seas struggled and roared, their pressure terrifying. The rock formations on both sides of the pool could not withstand it, shattering into countless fragments and falling.
This sword was truly heavy.
But this sword was not merely heavy. As Chen Changkong made his move, thousands of cuts instantly appeared on Xu Mu’s tattered upper robe from an invisible sword qi, turning it into rags and revealing his body, sculpted like white jade.
Xu Mu’s expression was solemn. This sword was not on the same level as the sword light from Zuo Mingqiu’s Dao Sword. If they were to face each other, purely in terms of swordsmanship, Chen Changkong would definitely crush Zuo Mingqiu.
And naturally, he could no longer withstand it with his physical body, as this sword was too heavy and he was too gravely injured.
So without hesitation, Xu Mu took out his arrows.
Leveraging the obscuring dense fog and the brownish-yellow sword qi, which were just enough to block outside vision, Xu Mu did not hold back. He drew the string of the Demon Bow into a crescent moon and then suddenly released it.
"Crack!"
The Great Dao arrow condensed, and the moment it was shot, it produced a sonic boom, like a thunderclap.
Clearly, upon hearing the thunderous sound, the first reaction of everyone, including Chen Changkong and all the cultivators watching the battle from afar, was that Xu Mu had used lightning magic to counter Chen Changkong’s sword strike.
But the next second, as the transparent arrow pierced through the dense fog, like a ferocious dragon, it broke through the rock layer and sword intent, and met the sword light, everyone realized they were wrong.
Chen Changkong was also wrong.
His pupils shrank to an extreme at that instant, then suddenly widened, as he realized a fatal mistake.
He had underestimated Xu Mu once again.
"Boom!!!"
The terrifying Great Dao arrow broke through everything. Rocks shattered, mountains were pierced, sword light broke, and then it shot towards the sky with its world-ending power.
Coincidentally, Chen Changkong was suspended in mid-air.
Facing this arrow, he let out a fierce roar, gripping his sword with both hands and unleashing another sword light. The scroll of mountains and seas unfurled like a screen, with true dragons and phoenixes entwining, clashing with the transparent Great Dao arrow.
"Boom crack!!!"
This was the clash of Great Dao rules and swords, unimaginably fierce. However, the endless massive stones splitting from the surrounding mountains, the white steam erupting from the ground in the pool, and the intensely vibrating ground indicated that this clash was far more intense than what cultivators of the same stage could imagine.
Before long, the vibrations gradually subsided.
Chen Changkong, who had been repelled to high into the sky by the explosion, slowly descended onto a rock that had fallen to the bottom of the pool. He crouched there, his robe torn in half by the Great Dao, his expression grave as he surveyed his surroundings.
Finding no sign of Xu Mu, Chen Changkong raised his sword and shouted at a pile of rubble, “No need to hide, I’ve already seen you!”
“Is that so? Then you have very good eyesight.”