Da Xuan Martial Saint

Just as Murong Yan attempted to flee through the dark clouds by employing her Sky Flying Technique, Chen Mu's figure flickered in and out of visibility within the distant layers of clouds, tracking the demonic power trail left by the Mystic Tortoise all the way up here.

Earlier, he had mastered the Three Feet Forbidden Domain enabling him flight, and now, having cultivated the Qiankun Martial Body, his speed in the sky had become even more formidable. Among the grandmasters, he was unrivaled, and even high-ranking martial artists in the Blood Exchange Realm, unless they were extremely proficient in flying escape techniques, would find it difficult to catch up with him. Probably only a few monsters, such as the Tenth Rank 'Golden-Winged Roc', could outpace him.

Of course, this was when he hadn't yet reached the Blood Exchange Realm.

"Heavenly Demon Black Tortoise."

Chen Mu was still far away at this moment, but he could vaguely make out the trajectory of the Mystic Tortoise within the dark clouds, a glimmer of light flashing in his eyes as he sensed the surging demonic power emanating from the creature.

Despite some confusion in his heart as to why the Mystic Tortoise chose to escape through the sky rather than seeking out a water vein to travel through the water, he quickly recognized the source of the change. Ahead, within the dark clouds, the enormous Mystic Tortoise was in hot pursuit of another, comparatively minute figure—which he hadn't noticed before due to the great distance and the vast presence and dense demonic Qi of the tortoise overshadowing the other's aura.

Now that he was getting closer, he could make out that tiny form.

The sensation of the Qian Heaven Domain was very familiar and pronounced, and its aura was not as strong as Qin Mengjun's, so he immediately knew who the one being chased by the Mystic Tortoise was—the main peak's protector, Murong Yan.

"So that's how it is. Although there are grandmasters who can use flying escape techniques, in terms of speed in the sky, her Qian Heaven Domain is somewhat faster. So she is the one responsible for leading the Mystic Tortoise away? That's a good strategy."

As Chen Mu gradually drew closer, he also wore an expression as if he was deep in thought.

The Mystic Tortoise excelled in water and was inept at flying. If it were to enter the rivers and use the terrain to its advantage, capturing it again would be uncertain even for those in the Blood Exchange Realm. If it were in the vast Outer Sea, it would be even more dreadful, but on land, or in the air, it wasn't as fearsome, and even Murong Yan could keep it at bay.

However.

Chen Mu quickly realized that the situation didn't quite match his judgment as, though Murong Yan was leading the Mystic Tortoise in flight, her aura was clearly somewhat disheveled. Moreover, the Mystic Tortoise kept letting out thunderous roars within the dark clouds, each containing the unique daunting might of a Heavenly Demon, which spread outwards and caused considerable disturbance to Murong Yan's aura, who was only in the Six Viscera Realm.

And it seemed that Murong Yan had become tainted with an aura that didn't belong to her, reminiscent of something like 'rosemary'—it was that substance that was leading the now insane and frenzied Mystic Tortoise on a relentless chase.

"Hmm?"

At that moment, when Chen Mu sensed that something was amiss, the Mystic Tortoise let out another roar akin to thunder, causing a minor sway in Murong Yan's Qian Heaven Domain and a slight delay in her speed.

It was this slight delay that allowed the Mystic Tortoise to close the distance even further, and a terrifying giant mouth gaped open, as a tumultuous surge of demonic power immediately brewed, causing the surrounding clouds to tremble.

"Not good."

Murong Yan, sensing the activity behind her, instantly realized the danger. Only then did she understand that although the Mystic Tortoise wasn't adept at flying, the condensed water mist within the dark clouds could still enhance its power, much like the water currents!

The rolling dark clouds suddenly coalesced into waves, and under the mobilization of the overwhelming demonic power, they rolled towards Murong Yan, threatening to engulf her completely.

The spread of these waves was much faster than the Mystic Tortoise's flying speed—almost instantaneously, they had reached behind Murong Yan, like a colossal wave born from the fog, pouring down upon her.

Sizz-sizz!

The waves had just spread to within about twenty yards behind Murong Yan when they began to sizzle and dissipate into nothing, colliding with her Qian Heaven Domain and continuously eroding each other.

Given the sufficient distance between Murong Yan and the Mystic Tortoise and the fact that the turtle launched its strike from afar, plus the reality that this realm was above the firmament rather than in the Vast Sea, when their powers clashed, it ended up being the last gasp of a desperate effort, ultimately unable to breach her Qian Heaven Domain.

Even so,

Murong Yan's complexion didn't look too good.

Although her Qian Heaven Domain had withstood the hit, the impact slowed her flying speed considerably, and the pursuing Mystic Tortoise behind her was closing in even more.

This situation was becoming extremely perilous.

At a distance of two hundred yards, she wasn't too fearful of the Mystic Tortoise. However, at merely a hundred yards, it posed a significant threat to her. At that distance, the tortoise could attack her without needing the assistance of the Cloud Sea's mist.

And just as Murong Yan's heart sank and she was forced to consider using a secret technique to widen the gap again, her eyes suddenly flickered, and she glanced to the side and behind her. She saw a figure that had unexpectedly appeared not far from the Mystic Tortoise, keeping pace with the beast, and even continuing to pursue her, clearly much faster than both her and the Mystic Tortoise.

"That is..."

She quickly recognized the identity of the comer.

In the Mysterious Heavenly Sect, among the many grandmaster elders who could fly, quite a few could catch up with her, but those who could fly faster than her were far fewer—Chen Mu was precisely someone capable of reaching her speed in flying techniques.

"Protector Murong."

Chen Mu moved through the dark clouds, his speed much faster than the Mystic Tortoise visible to the naked eye, almost instantly passing it from behind, catching up with Murong Yan, and sizing her up and down. He asked, "How's the situation?"

Murong Yan shook her head with a wry smile. "I fell for a Demon Man's scheme. I don't know what thing has mixed into my Inner Breath; I can't get rid of it momentarily, and that Mystic Tortoise has been chasing after me nonstop."

"So that's the case, no wonder it persistently pursued you and completely ignored my presence."

Chen Mu turned to glance at the Mystic Tortoise behind them.

When he was catching up from behind just now, he had intentionally released some of his Qi to test the Mystic Tortoise's reaction. However, the Mystic Tortoise completely ignored his Qi, focusing only on Murong Yan.

Roar!!!

While Chen Mu and Murong Yan were having their brief conversation, the Mystic Tortoise issued another thunderous roar, gathering vast demonic power within its mountain-like body, once again stirring the rolling Cloud Sea.

In that sea of clouds, waves upon waves formed, turning into successive tides pressing towards Chen Mu and Murong Yan.

Murong Yan felt the oppressive force coming from behind and her heart sank. This time, due to the closer distance, she felt an even stronger pressure from the demonic power and attack. However, her expression did not show too much panic, for at this moment she was not alone; Chen Mu was right by her side, and his strength was much greater than hers.

And in the next moment.

The sweeping Cloud Sea tide, covering a hundred zhang, rolled up behind Chen Mu and her. Against that tidal force, Chen Mu merely raised his right hand, and with a flick of his sleeve backwards,

Accompanied by a buzzing sound, the wave-like tide that was rolling towards them suddenly froze in midair, as if paused, stopping momentarily. Then, with the area where Chen Mu struck as the center, it dissipated over several dozen zhang.

Boom!!!

A thunderous rumble resounded through the land.

Despite appearing to be a simple action, it was actually Chen Mu wielding the Power of Heaven and Earth coupled with Yuan Gang True Essence, clashing with the Mystic Tortoise from over a hundred zhang away, and the resulting turmoil was naturally earth-shattering.

"So strong..."

Murong Yan glanced at the collision behind them and couldn't help but take a sharp breath, her look towards Chen Mu filled with amazement. She already knew about Chen Mu's recent slaying of Tuguhou from the Umon tribe. Initially, she found it unbelievable since Tuguhou's strength was not something that a Seventh Rank Demon Venerable from the Sky Demon Sect could compare to. Being able to defeat the likes of White Feather Demon Venerable did not necessarily mean he could defeat Tuguhou, let alone slay him. Your next read awaits at My Virtual Library Empire

Now witnessing Chen Mu's distant engagement with the Mystic Tortoise, she finally experienced firsthand Chen Mu's formidable power. Even though it was a hundred zhang away, she bore the brunt of the Mystic Tortoise's strike, yet that was indeed the Heavenly Demon Black Tortoise!

The previous strike from two hundred zhang away had nearly collapsed her Qian Heaven Domain.

Now that the distance shortened to a hundred zhang, the power of this incoming strike was far more than doubled. Yet Chen Mu blocked it with seemingly no effort, almost without breaking a sweat. Clearly, the gap in strength between her and Chen Mu was immeasurable.

What Murong Yan found most incomprehensible was how Chen Mu could possess such strength. In her perception, Chen Mu had not revealed the power of the Qiankun Domain, relying solely on Artistic Conception and his own Yuan Gang. Could such intense Yuan Gang True Essence really be something that someone at the Six Viscera Realm could possess?

"As expected of a Ninth Rank Heavenly Demon, still so powerful even in a weakened state."

Chen Mu narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched the Mystic Tortoise. The brief clash from a hundred zhang away allowed him to roughly assess the power level of the Mystic Tortoise. Indeed, it was no ordinary being, much stronger than the likes of the Ink Jade Demon Venerable.

Even in a weakened state, it still felt extremely threatening to him. Now considering his own strength, he was a peerless Grandmaster, among the very best below the Blood Exchange Realm. However, facing a weakened Mystic Tortoise, he still did not sense any certainty of victory.

Of course.

Such a gap was not too surprising for Chen Mu. After all, the Mystic Tortoise was a Ninth Rank Heavenly Demon, truly corresponding to the level of the Blood Exchange Realm—the pinnacle of Martial Arts, the final step, and naturally far stronger than a Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster.

"That's fine."

"Let me see for myself just how big the gap is between me and the Blood Exchange Realm."

Mere probing wasn't enough; seeing this rare opportunity, he wanted to use the Mystic Tortoise's strength to carefully discern the gap between him and the actual Blood Exchange Realm. That way, when he further tempered his Martial Body, and even after mastering the Qiankun Domain, he would know how close he was to that level!

In the very next moment, Chen Mu's figure halted in the clouds, no longer fleeing far away with Murong Yan. Instead, he stopped and turned around, facing the massive form of the Heavenly Demon Black Tortoise bearing down on him like a small mountain.

"..."

Murong Yan noticed Chen Mu's actions, and was immediately taken aback, her speed subconsciously slowing down a bit. Although the Mystic Tortoise was currently fixated on her, paying all its attention to her, Chen Mu's approach towards the Mystic Tortoise was undoubtedly a very dangerous act, for it was after all a Heavenly Demon.

What was Chen Mu trying to do?