"My good brother, go test the waters for me against the Juling Hall, will you?" Zhang Fan said, placing a hand on Liu Mu's shoulder.
Liu Mu stiffened, his handsome, fair face flushing slightly. He pushed Zhang Fan's hand away, snorting, "Qin Yun is a genuine Nascent Soul true immortal. Can you stop him?"
"Don't worry, with me here, he won't be able to harm a single strand of your hair," Zhang Fan vowed, thumping his chest.
"You're using me as a pawn, aren't you? We'll see how you handle this later."
Liu Mu knew Zhang Fan had cultivated the Domain of the Great Dao and wanted to witness its might himself. Thus, he didn't refuse. He immediately transformed into a streak of light and, under the horrified gaze of the red-haired man, charged directly towards the battlefield.
"Haha, the experts of Juling Hall are truly formidable! To wield Nascent Soul power at the Nascent Soul stage, I am truly impressed," Liu Mu roared with laughter, drawing everyone's attention. The cultivators of Wanshan Sect, who were preparing to retreat, stopped upon hearing his words.
The cultivators of Juling Hall all turned their gazes to Liu Mu. Even a fool could discern the mockery in his words, and their expressions soured.
"Where did this person come from? I've never seen him before."
"He's quite handsome, but his mind might be a bit… off. Daring to oppose Juling Hall, isn't that tantamount to seeking death?"
"Indeed. Qin Yun is still here. Disgracing him to his face, with Qin Yun's temperament, this foolish lad likely won't survive today."
A chorus of discussions erupted. Regarding the young man who had suddenly appeared, everyone thought him to be somewhat deranged.
"Who are you?" the sword cultivator from Juling Hall frowned, staring intently at Liu Mu and demanding fiercely.
"Just an unknown nobody. However, I saw your swordplay is peerless, and by chance, I've also been practicing sword techniques for two and a half years. I wonder if a strong expert of Juling Hall could grace me with some guidance?" Liu Mu drew his ice-blue immortal treasure sword and chuckled flippantly.
"Immortal Treasure?"
Sensing the aura of the immortal treasure, many of the cultivators present's eyes lit up. While the Shattered Star Domain possessed far richer resources than the Wushan Star Domain, immortal treasures were still rare, with many half-step Soul Transformation cultivators not even possessing one.
"Guidance, yes. If you lose, you will leave behind that immortal treasure sword in your hand," the Juling Hall sword cultivator said, a flicker of desire in his eyes.
"Agreed," Liu Mu nodded without hesitation and added, "And if I win?"
The Juling Hall sword cultivator hesitated. He seemed to have no comparable stakes to offer against an immortal treasure.
Qin Yun, observing from above, became interested. With a hint of playful teasing, he said, "If you win, I shall gift you this spirit crystal mine. How about that?"
"Agreed," Liu Mu nodded dazedly, stating honestly, "I hope you keep your word."
A knowing smile played on Qin Yun's lips. As one of the three Nascent Soul true immortals in the Shattered Star Domain, he acted on impulse and wouldn't care about such easily broken promises.
"Come, let me see the true skill of Juling Hall!" Liu Mu stood with his sword, an invisible sword domain gradually coalescing around him. Over nine hundred thousand rules of the Great Dao churned within his Nascent Soul.
*Boom!*
The Juling Hall sword cultivator attacked. His magical power erupted, and he transformed into an afterimage, charging at Liu Mu. Dust and debris flew as sand and stones were whipped up.
Within ten feet of Liu Mu, he swung his long sword, his sword shadows spreading to form a circular sword aura, which descended upon Liu Mu. Eager to obtain the immortal treasure, he intended to end the fight quickly, unleashing his most potent sword technique in the first move.
"Heaven-Splitting Sword Aura!"
Under the powerful and condensed assault, space itself seemed to shatter. Liu Mu appeared sluggish, only raising his long sword at this moment.
"Brat, die!" the Juling Hall sword cultivator's face contorted with ferocity, as if the immortal treasure was already his.
It wasn't entirely his fault for being so arrogant. Even the other observing cultivators believed Liu Mu was doomed to lose, especially since Qin Yun was not one to stand idly by or play by the rules.
"Brother, you're going to get your friend killed," the red-haired man 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 sword. Facing the immensely condensed sword aura, he didn't dodge. He poured his boundless magical power into the immortal treasure, and over nine hundred thousand sword dao rules converged into a dazzling line.
*Swish!*
The sky seemed to be split into two worlds. The condensed sword aura, under Liu Mu's sword strike, was cleaved like tofu and dissipated into nothingness.
The Juling Hall sword cultivator's eyes were filled with sheer terror. This was far beyond peak Nascent Soul; even a half-step Soul Transformation cultivator would rarely possess such power.
Qin Yun, who had been wearing a lazy smile, could no longer maintain it. Realizing the danger, he moved to intervene, but it was too late.
The sword strike came too suddenly, with no warning. They were too close, leaving him no time to react. He could only watch as the Juling Hall sword cultivator was bisected by the sword light, his Nascent Soul meeting the same fate.
In a single move, a peak Nascent Soul cultivator was utterly annihilated. The vast mountain range, which only moments before had been filled with the sounds of birds, now echoed with silence.
"You are seeking death!" Qin Yun roared in fury, his vast spiritual power pressing down on Liu Mu, intent on striking him.
"Aren't you going to act?!"
Liu Mu's soul bore immense pressure. He looked up at Zhang Fan with difficulty, but saw no sign of him making a move. He inwardly cursed, knowing he had been tricked by Zhang Fan.
After his recent cultivation, his sword dao rules had surpassed ninety-two thousand, and his soul power had also greatly improved. With his immense magical power and the advantage of sword dao rules, his strength was among the top tier for half-step Soul Transformation cultivators. However, against a true Soul Transformation expert, it was still insufficient.
Unless he used the Ten Thousand Jun Heavy Sword, he could only resist to some extent.
Zhang Fan had likely intended for him to push his limits, but Liu Mu, unwilling to comply with Zhang Fan's scheme, shouted, "If you don't act now, I'll tell Qin Hao that you killed him."
Qin Yun's movements faltered for a moment, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. He scanned the crowd, his gaze finally settling on Zhang Fan.
Zhang Fan let out a wry smile. He had intended to push Liu Mu's potential this way, but he had misunderstood his good intentions and had directly exposed himself.
The red-haired man beside Zhang Fan was bewildered. Weren't these two allies? How could one be so good at digging traps for the other? Seeing Qin Yun's gaze shift to Zhang Fan, his heart trembled. The chilling look made even him, standing beside them, feel a shiver. He immediately transformed into a streak of light and fled far away, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.
...