"Good brother, go and test the waters of the Giant Spirit Hall for me?" Zhang Fan said with a smile, putting a hand on Liu Mu's shoulder.
Liu Mu's body stiffened, his fair and handsome face flushing slightly. He pushed Zhang Fan's hand away and snorted, "That Qin Yun is a genuine Nascent Soul True Immortal. Can you handle him?"
"Don't worry, with me here, he won't be able to harm a single hair on your head," Zhang Fan guaranteed, patting his chest.
"You're using me as cannon fodder, aren't you? I'll see how you clean this up later."
Liu Mu knew that Zhang Fan had cultivated his Domain of the Great Dao, and he also wanted to witness its power. Thus, he didn't refuse. Immediately, he transformed into a streak of light and, under the horrified gaze of the red-haired man in red, charged straight towards the battlefield.
"Haha, the experts of the Giant Spirit Hall are indeed formidable. To be able to unleash the power of the Nascent Soul at the Nascent Soul stage, I am truly impressed." Liu Mu let out a wild laugh, drawing everyone's attention. The cultivators of the Ten Thousand Mountains Sect were about to retreat, but after hearing this, they stopped.
The many cultivators of the Giant Spirit Hall simultaneously turned their gazes towards Liu Mu. Even a fool could hear the mockery in his words, and their expressions turned unpleasant.
"Where did this person come from? I've never seen him before."
"He's quite handsome, but his head might not be quite right. Daring to oppose the Giant Spirit Hall, isn't that no different from seeking death?"
"Indeed. Qin Yun is still here. Insulting his prestige right in front of him, given Qin Yun's temperament, this foolish child probably won't survive today."
The murmurs rose and fell, and everyone thought the young man who had suddenly appeared was a bit out of his mind.
"Who are you?" The sword cultivator from the Giant Spirit Hall stared at Liu Mu with a frown and asked sternly.
"Just an nobody. However, I saw that my fellow Daoist's swordsmanship is peerless, and I happen to have been practicing swordsmanship for two and a half years. I wonder if this strong expert from the Giant Spirit Hall could offer me some guidance?" Liu Mu took out his ice-blue immortal treasure sword and said with a playful smile.
"Immortal Treasure?"
Sensing the power of an immortal treasure, many of the cultivators present couldn't help but brighten their eyes. Although the Shattered Star Domain had much richer resources than the Wu Shan Star Domain, immortal treasures were still rare items, and many half-step Nascent Soul cultivators did not possess one.
"Guidance is possible. If you lose, leave the immortal treasure sword in your hand," said the Giant Spirit Hall sword cultivator, a fiery glint in his eyes.
"Agreed," Liu Mu nodded without hesitation, then asked, "What if I win?"
The Giant Spirit Hall sword cultivator hesitated. He seemed to have no bargaining chip that could compare to an immortal treasure.
Qin Yun, high above in the void, became interested at this sight. With a hint of teasing, he said, "If you win, I will gift you this spiritual crystal mine. How about it?"
"Agreed," Liu Mu nodded blankly and said honestly, "I hope you'll keep your word."
A meaningful smile flickered in Qin Yun's eyes. As one of the only three Nascent Soul True Immortals in the Shattered Star Domain, he acted as he pleased and wouldn't care about any fragile promises.
"Come, let me see what the Giant Spirit Hall is truly capable of!" Liu Mu stood with his sword, and an invisible sword domain gradually gathered around him. Over nine hundred thousand strands of the rules of the Great Dao were brewing within his Nascent Soul.
Boom!
The Giant Spirit Hall sword cultivator attacked. His Dharma power erupted, and he transformed into an afterimage, charging towards Liu Mu. Dust and sand flew everywhere.
As he approached within ten feet of Liu Mu, he swung his long sword, the sword shadows filling the air, forming a circular sword aura that slashed down at Liu Mu. In order to obtain the immortal treasure, he intended to end the fight quickly and unleashed his most powerful sword technique.
"Sword Aura Splits the Heavens!"
Under the powerful and condensed assault, space itself shattered. Liu Mu seemed slow to react, only raising his long sword at this moment.
"Boy, die for me!" The Giant Spirit Hall sword cultivator's face contorted with ferocity, as if the immortal treasure in his hand was already his.
No wonder he was so arrogant. Even the surrounding cultivators believed Liu Mu was doomed to lose, as Qin Yun was not merely an observer and wouldn't play by any rules.
"Brother, you're going to get your friend killed," the red-haired man in red standing beside Zhang Fan sighed, shaking his head.
"That's not necessarily true."
As soon as Zhang Fan finished speaking, Liu Mu finally raised his long sword. Facing the incredibly condensed sword aura, he didn't dodge. He poured his immense Dharma power into the immortal treasure, and the over nine hundred thousand sword dao rules converged into a single, dazzling line.
Scraaaape!
The sky seemed to split into two worlds. The condensed sword aura, under Liu Mu's sword, was cut through like tofu and dissipated into nothingness.
The Giant Spirit Hall sword cultivator's eyes were filled with terror. This was hardly the peak of the Nascent Soul stage; even a half-step Nascent Soul would rarely possess such strength.
Qin Yun, who had been wearing a lazy smile, could no longer smile. By the time he realized something was amiss and acted, it was already too late.
The sword strike came too suddenly, without any warning. The distance between them was too short, leaving him no time to intervene. He could only watch as the Giant Spirit Hall sword cultivator was cleaved in half by the heavenly sword light, his Nascent Soul also unable to escape.
With a single strike, a cultivator at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage was utterly annihilated. Amidst the vast mountains, the chirping of birds could be heard, but no human voices.
"You are seeking death!" Qin Yun was instantly enraged. His vast Nascent Soul power pressed down on Liu Mu, intending to strike him.
"Aren't you going to act!"
Liu Mu's soul bore immense pressure. He looked up at Zhang Fan with difficulty, only to see no sign of him making a move. He inwardly cursed his misfortune, realizing he had been tricked by Zhang Fan.
After this period of cultivation, his sword dao rules had surpassed nine hundred and twenty thousand, and his soul power had also greatly increased. With his vast Dharma power and the advantage of sword dao rules, his strength was at the top tier among half-step Nascent Soul cultivators. However, it was clearly not enough against a true Nascent Soul expert.
Unless, he used the "Myriad Forces Heavy Sword," he could still resist to some extent.
Zhang Fan must have thought the same, but Liu Mu didn't want to go along with Zhang Fan's plan. Thus, he roared, "If you don't act, I'll tell Qin Hao that you killed Qin Hao."
Qin Yun's movement paused slightly. A cold glint flashed in his eyes. He scanned the crowd, his gaze finally settling on Zhang Fan.
Zhang Fan smiled helplessly. He had intended to use this to force out Liu Mu's potential, but Liu Mu had misunderstood his good intentions and directly exposed him.
The red-haired man in red standing beside Zhang Fan was stunned. Weren't these two supposed to be on the same side? How could one be more cunning than the other? Seeing Qin Yun's gaze fixed on Zhang Fan, his heart couldn't help but tremble. That icy gaze sent a chill through him, and he immediately transformed into a streak of light and fled far away, fearing he might be caught in the crossfire.
...