Da Xuan Martial Saint

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But the present Chen Mu had already become known as an invincible Qiankun Grandmaster. Even though he had only entered this realm not long ago, he had already demonstrated a degree of invincibility, proven by his direct confrontation with the Mystic Tortoise.

And in the very next moment.

An old yet resounding voice, accompanied by an air of authority, transmitted through Earth's Veins.

"To reach the third place on your Cold North's vaunted Wind Cloud List at such an age, to be able to kill several demon men of the Sky Demon Sect, your strength is indeed extraordinary, and your talent is the best I've seen in my life. Yet you think you can escape from beneath my watch with a burden in tow – you surely don't take me seriously enough," the voice boomed.

Boom!

As the words ended, the surrounding environment suddenly changed dramatically.

The coverage of the Houtu Domain nearly controlled the Earth Pulse's Power within a radius of dozens of yards and everything else, immediately sealing off Chen Mu's ability to merge with all things and to directly traverse through the earth and stone.

At the same time, the thick mudstone rock walls nearby suddenly became heavier, oppressive almost to the point of suffocation, pressing in from all sides towards the center, like an invisible giant hand, attempting to crush Chen Mu and Murong Yan directly in its grasp!

From afar.

The Wu Gu Marquis, twenty yards away, was raising his hand in the direction of Chen Mu and Murong Yan. He clenched his fist towards the center, seemingly about to crush the two like grinding them to death, yet confusion flashed in his eyes.

Something wasn't right.

Given Chen Mu's capabilities, even if he couldn't match the Marquis's speed underground without Murong Yan, he wouldn't be overtaken so quickly. All he needed was to widen the gap just a bit, then resurface, and the Marquis would have no way to touch him.

Yet Chen Mu stubbornly did not choose the logical escape route, nor did he forsake Murong Yan, persisting in fleeing together with her through the veins of the earth, allowing the Marquis to forcefully catch up. Such behavior seemed utterly foolish.

Could Chen Mu be a fool?

Certainly not!

A man who could rise to the third place on the Wind Cloud List at such an age, hailed as the most talented martial artist in the history of the Northern Path, how could he be foolish, seeking his own doom willingly?

The Wu Gu Marquis had already sensed that something was amiss, but his perception had fully expanded; the cultivation of Houtu allowed him to master the breath within several miles underground. He had detected no ambush nearby, which was one of the reasons he had boldly pursued to this place.

Without an ambush, what was the reason for Chen Mu's actions?

Perplexed, the Marquis did not let this hinder his strike against Chen Mu and Murong Yan. Regardless of whatever schemes or tricks the Seven Profound Sect might have, a hundred yards beneath the earth was his domain, and he feared nothing – when water comes, earth covers.

Boom!!!
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However, in front of the Wu Gu Marquis, the mudstone rock walls with a radius of about twenty yards began collapsing inward crazily, torn apart from the earth, forcibly compressed into a stone sphere!

Simultaneously, that twenty-yard radius area formed a cavity within the Earth's Veins, becoming a stone chamber.

It seemed as though Chen Mu and Murong Yan had already been crushed within that solidifying compressed stone sphere, but in the very next moment, the Wu Gu Marquis's expression abruptly changed as his gaze fixed on the stone sphere.

Crack, crack,

On the continuously compressing stone sphere, sudden cracks appeared, spreading more and more as if some terrifying force could no longer be contained, and finally, it burst violently!

Amidst the shattered stone sphere, one saw Chen Mu standing tall, his right hand gradually lowering, his body somehow already turned around. From about twenty yards away, he gazed at the Wu Gu Marquis and said indifferently:

"Wugumou Wu Gu Marquis, I've long heard your name."

"..."

The Wu Gu Marquis then ignored Murong Yan behind Chen Mu, but his stare was fixed on Chen Mu as he said in a suppressed and cold tone, struggling to contain the turmoil within, "You are not Chen Mu?! No, that's not right, this sensation..."

His face began to look ugly, with a hint of shock shining in his eyes as he looked at Chen Mu.

The move that just happened seemed simple, but in reality, as a top Houtu grandmaster, he had fully exerted himself in controlling the domain. Under the earth, slightly weaker grandmasters would struggle to escape his binding, let alone resist his move. Even the first-ranked person on the Wind Cloud List, the elusive itinerant wu'xin, he doubted could easily withstand it.

Yet Chen Mu had forcefully shattered it!

The method revealed was not manipulation of the Earth Pulse's Power through Artistic Conception but pure Yuan Gang True Essence!

The Yuan Gang True Essence that could forcefully break his Houtu Domain strike could not possibly be possessed by anyone within the Six Viscera Realm. The difference between them was like heaven and earth, only a Grandmaster Martial Body – and an exceptionally strong one at that – could pull this off!

So.

There was no doubt now.

No wonder Chen Mu dared to flee through the earth with Murong Yan, showing no fear towards him. No wonder Chen Mu could kill three demon men from the Sky Demon Sect – it was likely even his own brother Tuguhou had died at Chen Mu's hands.

"You have achieved Grandmaster status?"

Fixated on Chen Mu, the Wu Gu Marquis asked in a very restrained and cold voice, holding back the shock in his heart.

Although he had long heard of Chen Mu's name and knew of his peerless talent, even Chen Mu reaching third place on the Wind Cloud List only piqued his interest slightly. But at this moment, his heart was truly shaking, and his mind was engulfed in tumultuous waves.

Grandmaster!

Qiankun Grandmaster!

A grandmaster who is not yet thirty-two years old, and of the formidable and difficult path of Martial Arts – the Qiankun lineage.

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