While the battle in the mine raged, Xu Mu sat cross-legged on the mountaintop, his heartbeat gradually calming.
He had slept for a long time, and it was time to wake up.
So, he awoke.
"Hoo."
Xu Mu slowly exhaled a breath of stale air but did not open his eyes.
He was using his divine soul to carefully sense his body's condition:
"Heartbeat is steady, blood supply is ample, my body feels like it has inexhaustible strength, and the energy in my Golden Core has even increased slightly. Is it because of that pollen?"
Xu Mu checked himself from head to toe and, finding his body in peak condition, suddenly felt an itch on his scalp.
Was it because he hadn't washed his hair?
Xu Mu curiously reached up to scratch the back of his head.
However, instead of reaching his intended spot, his hand touched something cold and dry, like a ghoul's claw.
"What the heck!"
Startled, Xu Mu snapped his eyes open, intending to turn his head for a clearer look.
To his surprise, before his head had even turned halfway, a sharp pain shot through the back of his neck.
*Bang!*
With a loud thud, Xu Mu's head and upper body were slammed forcefully towards the ground.
In that instant, Xu Mu even heard the sound of his neck bones cracking.
"Damn it, it really is a sea!"
Fang Jia, looking at the unconscious Xu Mu on the ground, cursed as he retracted his palm.
Just a minute prior, he had been stubbornly guiding his divine soul through Xu Mu's sea of consciousness.
At that moment, Xu Mu had woken up.
Upon waking, he seemed to be contemplating something. Thinking could cause changes in the spiritual energy of his sea of consciousness.
And any change in the sea, no matter how slight, would be like an earth-shattering event for his tiny divine soul.
Recalling the scene, Fang Jia's face turned pale.
Fortunately, he had fled quickly. Otherwise, he would have lost his life in that spiritual sea tsunami today. Trying to harm someone only to be killed in return, how shameful!
"I didn't expect you to wake up so early, nor did I expect your sea of consciousness to be so vast. I thought I could resolve this instantly. If I had known beforehand, I would have knocked you out much earlier..."
Fang Jia muttered to himself as he bent down, intending to lift the unconscious Xu Mu and continue his soul-searching technique.
Everyone else was still unconscious; their injuries would take at least ten days to half a month to recover.
So, as long as there were no external disturbances, he had plenty of time to search Xu Mu's soul.
Fang Jia suppressed his inner agitation and reached for Xu Mu.
Then, his hand was caught by another.
"So it was you who was wandering in my sea of consciousness for so long. That explains why it felt so itchy."
Xu Mu said, gripping Fang Jia's wrist with his left hand.
Supporting his neck with his right, he "cracked" his bones back into place and slowly stood up.
Seeing this, Fang Jia stammered in horror, "You... you weren't knocked out!"
"How is that possible? I definitely didn't miss my target!"
Xu Mu rubbed the back of his head, a sharp intake of breath escaping him as he felt the pain. He then said, "Yes, you hit the right spot."
"But unfortunately, every nerve in my brain is enveloped by spiritual energy, so it cannot be easily damaged."
"Even if you shattered my bones into dust, I wouldn't faint."
As Xu Mu spoke, the blood within him was already repairing his shattered bones, which regenerated and fused back together within seconds.
He twisted his head and then smiled in satisfaction.
Though not fully healed, he could at least move freely.
"This... this..."
Fang Jia's expression was one of pure terror, as if he had not anticipated this turn of events at all. He looked utterly panicked.
But Xu Mu knew Fang Jia was faking it, as he could sense the fluctuations of the Eight Trigrams from the space around them.
Fang Jia was facing the Xun position.
A slight breeze was already stirring the air.
Xu Mu shook his head slightly and asked, "I clearly led you all to survival. If it's not entirely my credit, it's at least the majority."
"You can disrespect me, but why do you want to harm me?"
"Why harm you?" Fang Jia repeated, his expression suddenly turning fierce. "Ask that question in hell!"
With his roar, a fierce gust of wind suddenly swept through the space.
Several massive wind blades materialized behind Fang Jia.
They swirled with immense power, appearing ready to erupt and slice Xu Mu into pieces at any moment.
Xu Mu sensed their power and clicked his tongue, "As expected of a Phase Four Lord. Even the most ordinary wind blade from the Xun position possesses such might. I am truly impressed."
"However, attacking me with the Eight Trigrams technique is not a wise choice."
Xu Mu's expression was calm. Facing the wind blades, he merely flicked a finger.
This finger did not attack or defend; it merely nudged the Bagua disk beneath Fang Jia's feet.
Consequently, the Xun trigram beneath Fang Jia's feet shifted to the Kan trigram.
The wind blades behind him immediately fizzled out, losing their energy source. They could no longer be sustained and dissipated into the heavens and earth.
They transformed into a gentle breeze, ruffling Xu Mu's hair.
He smiled with satisfaction and then tightened his grip on the demonic sword in his hand.
The demon god within the sword roared with killing intent.
The primal terror descended, instantly turning Fang Jia's face deathly pale.
Of course, the demonic sword's aura also startled the Gan Jiang sword in the distant mine.
Fang Jia had not expected Xu Mu to be able to manipulate another person's Bagua disk, and seemingly with no effort at all.
His attack was utterly laughable in the eyes of the other party!
And now, his wrist was caught again. With his physical body at a disadvantage, there was no possibility of a comeback.
"I'll ask again, why do you want to kill me?"
"Tell me, and I can give you a complete corpse."
Xu Mu's expression was chilling, his words brimming with confidence.
Although Fang Jia was a Phase Four异人 (special ability user), his most proficient skill, the Eight Trigrams, was suppressed by Xu Mu's cultivation technique and couldn't be effectively used.
Furthermore, Fang Jia's physical condition was depleted; he had not rested, while Xu Mu was at his peak. He had also seized Fang Jia's wrist, with the demonic sword resting against his chest.
Under such circumstances, Xu Mu couldn't imagine how he could lose.
"A complete corpse, huh? Heh heh." Fang Jia put on a show of cold laughter, then suddenly roared, "Big Brother, Fourth Brother, save me!"
"Xu Mu is trying to kill me!"
Fang Jia's roar echoed across the entire cliff. Simultaneously, he unleashed the water technique of the Kan trigram, and with a slip of his wrist, he broke free from the iron grip.
Not only Nan Feng and Nan Tong, his brothers, but all the other ability users who heard Fang Jia's cry were awakened.
And as they opened their eyes, they saw Fang Jia's horrified expression.
He was fleeing in a panic, pursued by a cold, terrifying sword light.
*Ssssh!*
The sword light flashed, and Fang Jia's body was cleaved in two by Xu Mu's strike.
Blood sprayed, and Fang Jia died instantly, without even a chance to cry out.
"No!!"
Witnessing his good brother die before his eyes, Nan Feng roared in agony. He had not expected Fang Jia to die so suddenly, just like Xi Du!
"How dare you do this!"
Nan Tong stood up, surrounded by poisonous creatures, and glared at Xu Mu through gritted teeth, as if he would attack at any moment.
But Xu Mu ignored him, instead using the Eight Trigrams, his palm imprinted with the Qian trigram, and then he abruptly reached towards the sky.
"Aiyyah!!!"
Xu Mu calmly lowered his gaze and saw a small, flickering gray soul clutched in his hand. It was unmistakably the shape of Fang Jia.
His body was dead, but his soul still existed. He had tried to escape stealthily but was discovered and captured by Xu Mu.
"You still haven't answered my question. Why did you want to harm me?"
Xu Mu's voice was cold as he questioned. His patience was wearing thin.
Nan Feng, gritting his teeth, rose to his feet, gripping his great axe with imposing might. "Enough!"
"You've already killed my brother once, do you intend to kill his soul too, to utterly annihilate him?"
Xu Mu clenched the soul in his hand, showing no intention of letting go. He met Nan Feng's eyes fearlessly and said, "He wanted to kill me, but I can't kill him?"
"Do you know that while I was recuperating, he secretly infiltrated my sea of consciousness? When I discovered him, he tried to break my neck with a single palm strike?"
"He can kill me, but I can't kill him."
"What do you four monsters of the Northwest think you are, to be so arrogant? Believe it or not, I'll kill you all right now!"
Xu Mu's expression turned ferocious, and he directly pointed the demonic sword at Nan Feng.
A fearsome and malevolent aura permeated the air, causing Nan Feng to break out in a cold sweat.
He couldn't help it; Xu Mu's confidence and presence were overwhelming. Furthermore, his leadership in recent days had left an indelible, powerful impression on everyone, making them naturally fearful.
"This... Alliance Leader Xu, this incident should be a misunderstanding. I believe you've misunderstood."
Nan Feng's expression was grim as he took two steps back, forcing himself to explain.
"No need to say more."
"He wanted to harm me, so he cannot live."
Xu Mu's expression was impassive as he clenched his fist. Infinite spiritual energy surged within, and Fang Jia's soul was instantly crushed, utterly extinguished.
"You!"
Seeing this, Nan Tong pointed at Xu Mu, wanting to shout, but ultimately suppressed his anger.
He realized that the other people on the cliff had also awakened and were all staring at them with killing intent.
Nan Feng's expression was grim. He then shook his head, saying no more.
*Boom!*
A deafening sound came from the mine.
Xu Mu sensed an extremely dangerous aura and turned his head to look with a grave expression.
He saw a sword light, reaching into the sky, erupt from there. Its power was terrifying, tearing through the heavens.
And from behind that sword light, emerged a person and a beast.
The beast was none other than Qiong Qi.
Beside it stood not Yan Yu, but a young general holding a long halberd.
Xu Mu's expression stiffened slightly. Wasn't that Ji Chang? Why was he here? And where was Yan Yu?
Xu Mu looked closer and discovered that Qiong Qi was carrying someone in its mouth – it was Yan Yu.
"I will kill you all!"
An enraged roar surged from the mine. Xu Mu focused his gaze and realized that the one speaking was Yan Yu's Gan Jiang sword.
Xu Mu was completely bewildered.
Was Yan Yu's sword chasing Ji Chang and Qiong Qi?
"Brother Hao Han!"
Qiong Qi, seeing Xu Mu standing on the mountaintop, transmitted a tearful message:
"Brother Hao Han, this sword has gained sentience."
"Please save me!"