Chapter 192 - 189: Mo Qianqian Battles Mu Chen

"Ninth Level of Tongyou Realm... No, it’s the Quasi-Space Spirit Realm! Mu Chen has broken through to the Quasi-Space Spirit Realm!"

"No wonder the Imperial Alliance is so confident. It turns out Mu Chen has reached the Quasi-Space Spirit Realm!"

"At the Eighth Level of Tongyou Realm, even a Void Spirit Realm First Layer cultivator couldn’t defeat him. At the Ninth Level of Tongyou Realm, a Void Spirit Realm Second Level certainly couldn’t either. Now that he’s in the Quasi-Space Spirit Realm, his combat prowess has probably surpassed the Void Spirit Realm Second Level!"

"Mu Chen hasn’t killed anyone in the Void Spirit Realm before, but that doesn’t mean he lacks the strength to do so. No one has seen his true trump card, so who knows how strong he really is? Perhaps he actually stands a chance of defeating Mo Qianqian."

"Now we’re in for a good show!"

The crowd broke into continuous waves of exclamations.

Jiang Wanzhong couldn’t help but worry for Mo Qianqian. Mo Qianqian was the person they favored and was quite close to Lao Liu. Although Lao Liu was currently in secluded cultivation and not present, if anything were to happen to Mo Qianqian, it would be detrimental to them as well.

Sensing Mu Chen’s imposing aura, Mo Qianqian furrowed his brows slightly. If it were an ordinary Quasi-Space Spirit Realm cultivator, he could instantly kill them with ease. But a monstrous genius in the Quasi-Space Spirit Realm was a completely different story.

"Heaven and earth hold righteous qi; Vast Firmament!"

Mo Qianqian let out a thunderous shout as he surged across the sky. He thrust his spear toward Mu Chen—a strike of supreme pure yang and unyielding power, immense and unrivaled, looking as though it meant to pierce the firmament and stabilize the universe itself.

The sheer might of this spear strike left everyone in the audience thoroughly astonished.

SWISH!

At the same time, Mu Chen slashed out with his sword. As the blade descended, a surging wave of crimson blood qi visibly erupted from Mu Chen’s body. The longsword in his hand turned a terrifying blood-red, its horrifying aura enveloping the entire battlefield.

CLANG!

An ear-piercing sound of clashing metal rang out. Mo Qianqian’s spear was deflected by about a foot, thrusting past Mu Chen’s side and only managing to tear a piece of his cyan robes.

Following the initial clash, Mu Chen followed up with a horizontal slash, aiming his sword right at Mo Qianqian.

Mo Qianqian frowned. As expected, Mu Chen’s physical strength was not to be underestimated. Even a Void Spirit Realm First Layer cultivator wouldn’t have been able to deflect his spear that far. Yet, Mu Chen had managed to force it aside by a whole foot, allowing his body to evade the strike completely. This alone was enough to prove the immense magnitude of Mu Chen’s strength.

Moreover, the sudden eruption of blood qi from Mu Chen instilled a deep sense of dread.

In that split second, Mo Qianqian swung his spear, using the shaft to block Mu Chen horizontally, clashing directly against the incoming sword.

Another loud metallic clang reverberated. Since both of them had struck in haste, neither had channeled their maximum power, yet their strengths were evenly matched, resulting in a standstill.

Mu Chen took the opportunity to explode with power. With blood qi diffusing from his body, his skin turned entirely crimson, making him look like a man made of blood. He continuously brandished his sword, launching a flurry of slashes at Mo Qianqian.

Mo Qianqian twirled his spear to defend, but he was actually forced back again and again under the heavy blows. An inch shorter meant an inch faster. In such close-quarters combat, a long spear held no advantage.

Seeing this, the crowd fell into collective shock. Was Mu Chen’s strength truly this formidable? Furthermore, his skin had turned crimson and was radiating blood qi—what kind of innate talent had he just unleashed?

"Could it be... is Mu Chen a Blood Demon Body?"

"A Blood Demon Body? The legendary Blood Demon Body that cultivates by refining human blood in a constant state of bloodlust?"

"The Blood Demon Body is an Ancient Demon Body. According to ancient texts, a fully mastered Blood Demon Body becomes addicted to slaughter, leaving thousands of miles of floating corpses in its wake. Mu Chen being a Blood Demon Body... that’s impossible, right?"

Many exclaimed in horror. Among the elders present, quite a few were well-informed and highly knowledgeable.

"A Blood Demon Body?" Mo Qianqian’s expression shifted slightly as he was continuously forced backward by Mu Chen.

Mu Chen’s combat prowess was indeed formidable. Under such relentless, close-range pressure, he didn’t even have the chance to execute a powerful combat skill. However, he was a Spirit Master; this minor setback wouldn’t stump him.

SWISH! Mo Qianqian manifested his Spirit Body, which materialized right by Mu Chen’s side and thrust a palm strike at him.

Mu Chen’s expression changed, and he quickly met the attack with a palm strike of his own.

BAM!

Lacking sufficient combat power, the Spirit Body was blasted back by the impact. However, the spear in Mo Qianqian’s hands erupted with an even greater force as he swept it heavily toward Mu Chen.

Mu Chen hastily moved to intercept it but was knocked back quite a distance by the overwhelming strike.

"Righteous Qi Devouring Heaven and Earth!"

Seizing this brief opening, Mo Qianqian executed the second stance of the Vast Spear Technique. A terrifying power surged within his body. At this moment, Mo Qianqian seemed to swallow mountains and rivers, exuding an unmatched, peerless aura that felt capable of suppressing the very ages.

"It’s that move again!"

"That’s the trump card he used to heavily injure a Void Spirit Realm Second Level. Mu Chen might not be able to withstand it."

"The decisive moment of the battle is here."

Anxious anticipation gripped the crowd. Battles between experts were all about ending things quickly and decisively. Despite the brevity of the skirmish, the ultimate deciding factor lay in their respective powerful trump cards.

WHOOSH!

A monstrous aura of blood qi blossomed from Mu Chen’s body, and the longsword in his hand began to glow an even brighter crimson. Mu Chen exuded an equally grand aura that threatened to annihilate everything in its path. The two of them seemed like ancient titans stepping out of the primordial past.

In an instant, Mu Chen flickered into motion, taking the initiative to charge straight at Mo Qianqian.

"Demon... Blood... Sutra!"

As his icy voice rang out, Mu Chen seemed to transform into a literal blood demon. He raised his sword, preparing to unleash a terrifying slash upon Mo Qianqian.

"Our generation suppresses the mountains and rivers!"

With a roaring bellow, Mo Qianqian held his spear skyward with both hands before smashing it down upon Mu Chen with devastating might.

An inch longer meant an inch stronger. With this overarching strike from Mo Qianqian, no matter how powerful Mu Chen’s sword was, he would be forced to intercept the spear first. Thus, no matter how potent the sword strike, it would never reach its target. This was the inherent advantage of wielding a spear!

However, in the very moment the spear plummeted, Mo Qianqian suddenly made a decision.

Between victory and defeat, he chose to lose!

If he won, he would get fifty drops of Liquid of Chaos. Whether he could actually secure them was another matter entirely, but it would undoubtedly invite massive danger.

If he lost, on the other hand, he could openly hand over the fake Ninefold Coffin and redirect all the crossfire away from himself.

Fifty drops of Liquid of Chaos represented an enormous fortune. In the past, he absolutely would have risked his life to fight for it. But his current situation was entirely different. The Cyan Cloud Mountain Sect Leader, the Imperial Alliance Leader, Black Dragon—he couldn’t withstand a single strike from any of them.

Self-preservation was key; to gain something, one had to let go of something else! First, he needed to save his own skin, and this was the perfect opportunity to lose the item on purpose. As for those fifty drops of Liquid of Chaos, he could always go rob the Imperial Alliance for them once his strength grew in the future!

In the split second before his spear landed, Mo Qianqian deliberately withdrew a large portion of his strength.

CLANG!

In the next moment, spear and sword clashed. Mu Chen’s base strength was already immense, and combined with Mo Qianqian holding back, the impact sent Mo Qianqian’s spear vibrating violently out of control.

Mo Qianqian nearly lost his grip. But this was a Spiritual Spear—he couldn’t just drop it. As he gripped the shaft with all his might, the violent rebound of the spear sent his entire body hurtling backward. Even Mo Qianqian felt a sharp, intense pain in his arm.

SWISH!

It was as if Mu Chen had fully expected to win the exchange. Seizing the opening, he lunged forward for the kill, swinging his sword at the retreating Mo Qianqian.

Mo Qianqian grabbed the other end of the spear with his free hand, holding the shaft horizontally in front of his body as a shield. At the same time, he summoned his Spirit Body. Channeling the power of corrosion through it, the Spirit Body launched a palm strike at Mu Chen.

Shrouded in blood qi, Mu Chen didn’t halt his lethal sword strike aimed at Mo Qianqian. Instead, he thrust out his free hand—swirling with bloody light—to block the Spirit Body’s palm.