Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

High in the sky, the white-haired elderly administrator watched the golden pillar of light once again shoot toward the heavens, ecstatic. "Excellent! Excellent! I’m finally seeing a glimmer of hope! The ancient legacy of Extreme Martial can finally be revived. This kid is incredible! Beautifully done!"

"Beautifully done!"

At the same time, Lingyun clenched her fists, leading a group of female disciples in a continuous chant of Mu Chen’s name. Her actions quickly drew the scorn of elders such as Di Cang, Wu Kui, Xuan Yin, and Wu Changqing. Di Cang was the most blunt, barking, "That’s enough! No wonder you can’t find a partner. You’re a grown woman, yet you still act like a child. Have you no sense of decorum!"

Once Lingyun was scolded, the other disciples immediately fell silent. They all glanced sideways at the Tower of Calamity, feigning total ignorance. Lingyun shot them an irritated look and thought viciously, ’Just you wait. I’ll make things hard on all of you tomorrow.’

"Mu Chen. Ninth floor, challenge successful. Clearance evaluation: Perfect. Time to clear: fifteen seconds."

The cold, mechanical voice shattered everyone’s train of thought. Lingyun’s brows furrowed instantly. ’Fifteen seconds... This one seemed a bit rough.’ She turned to look at Di Cang and noticed that his expression had also grown solemn. It was true; it had taken Mu Chen several times longer to clear the ninth floor. There must have been some kind of unforeseen complication. Otherwise, he should have passed it long ago.

Lingyun’s guess was correct. An unexpected complication had indeed occurred on the ninth floor. Right now, Mu Chen was sitting inside the challenge zone, panting heavily. He was surrounded by innumerable shards of shattered Ice Crystals, and the Shattered Star Lock Chain was coiling around him in a clear state of Absolute Defense.

’What in the world just happened?’

Mu Chen opened his eyes and looked at his left hand. A deep gash had appeared in the web of his thumb, inflicted by that Eight-Ring Martial Spirit. He shook his head, trying hard to recall the events of that final moment.

The Guardian Illusion on the ninth floor was an Eight-Ring Martial Spirit. A Martial Artist of this realm was someone Mu Chen would take seriously, but he definitely shouldn’t have ended up in such a sorry state. After all, his Martial Artist Realm was no longer at the level of an Eighth-Ring Martial Master. After passing the eighth floor, his Martial Artist Realm had smoothly advanced to that of a Nine-Ring Great Martial Master. He was even capable of Tier Jumping to challenge a First-Ring Martial King, so he hadn’t used his full strength.

But the unexpected happened. Judging from the Guardian Illusions on the eighth floor and below, they possessed tyrannical strength and Primordial Power but had very little intelligence. They would only attack and defend mindlessly, without any attempts to dodge or fight with tactics.

However, the Guardian Illusion on the ninth floor could not only dodge and use unpredictable moves, it even copied most of Mu Chen’s Combat Skills. It was even exceptionally proficient with the Thunderous Fury Technique. Of course, even with these new variables, it was nothing to the battle-hardened Mu Chen. If anything, it made the fight more interesting, which was why he exchanged several rounds with the Guardian Illusion before finishing it off.

But just as Mu Chen’s Profound Jade Fan was about to slice through the Guardian Illusion’s neck, the illusion suddenly revealed a strange smile. That was right—it was the first time Mu Chen had ever seen a Guardian Illusion display emotion. His heart lurched as an extremely bad feeling flooded his mind. Spurred by his sense of danger, the surrounding Water Attribute Primordial Qi instantly condensed. Just as an impenetrable ice wall was about to form, the Guardian Illusion actually self-destructed! It just blew itself up!

Just how terrifying is the might of a self-destructing Eight-Ring Martial Spirit? Self-destruction is by no means the same as unleashing one’s full power; it is a force erupted at the cost of burning one’s very soul. Even a Martial King Strong Person would not dare to face the self-destruction of an Eight-Ring Martial Spirit directly, to say nothing of Mu Chen, who was only a Nine-Ring Great Martial Master. Furthermore, his distance from the epicenter of the blast was essentially zero. At such a close range, Mu Chen had no time to react before he was swallowed by the shockwave.

It was an absolute catastrophe. If the Shattered Star Lock Chain and Profound Jade Fan hadn’t automatically moved to protect their master at the critical moment, his life would have likely ended right there.

The last drop of liquid from the Emperor’s Heart Returning Lotus was slowly consumed. The internal trauma in Mu Chen’s body and the gash on his hand both healed completely, leaving only a faint scar. Without close inspection, it was impossible to tell he had ever been injured there.

’I can’t let a mistake like that happen a second time.’

Clenching his fists tightly, Mu Chen’s expression became intensely serious. ’My next opponent, no matter who it is, won’t get a single opportunity! Purple Sky Demon Pupils, open!’

"SHING!"

A sound like a sharp sword being drawn from its sheath rang out as Mu Chen opened his eyes. His uncanny purple pupils revealed a look of fury and determination. Six blue, crystalline snowflakes slowly rotated within them. The merciless, vertical slits of his pupils suddenly constricted. Mu Chen had now fully entered his combat state.

The golden phantom from the ninth floor appeared. Mu Chen opened his arms and absorbed it. The nine yellow Martial Rings at his feet continued to flicker. As the golden motes of light surged through his body, Mu Chen’s Primordial Power began to skyrocket. His nine Dantians seemed to crave this golden Primordial Power so desperately that all thirty-six thousand of his pores opened, ravenously devouring the specks of golden light. The fluctuations of Primordial Power around his body only ceased after the last mote of light was consumed.

’Hm? Only the peak of a Nine-Ring Great Martial Master?’

Mu Chen glanced at the nine incredibly solid Martial Rings at his feet, his heart calm. Although he hadn’t consumed a single Martial Power Pill in the Grand Martial Master Realm, he chose not to take one now. Leaving aside the immense amount of Primordial Power required to break through to the Martial Spirit Realm, even if he had enough, he couldn’t estimate how long the breakthrough would take. If it exceeded twenty minutes, the Tower of Calamity would eject him, and his journey this time would end on the ninth floor. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

’I’ll just let the reward from the next floor break through the shackles to the Martial Spirit Realm for me. I’m really looking forward to seeing what changes my Nine Attributes Dantian will have after I reach the Martial Spirit Realm.’ With a brief moment of anticipation, Mu Chen changed into a fresh set of clothes, composed himself, and then strode into the next floor’s space.

This time, Mu Chen let none of his guard down. The moment he appeared, he spread his Spiritual Power out to form a Spiritual Net. His Purple Sky Demon Pupils spun to life, and everything around him began to slow down.

"PFT..."

An extremely faint sound came from Mu Chen’s right. His Spiritual Detection instantly relayed this information to him. Under the perception of his Purple Sky Demon Pupils, the Guardian Illusion attempting to ambush him appeared, completely exposed, within his sight. Of course, this was a figure captured by the precognitive ability of his Demon Pupils; the actual Guardian Illusion had yet to move.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Mu Chen gripped his Profound Jade Fan, spun violently, and swung the fan outward in a massive, smashing arc.

"BANG!"

A figure was sent flying from Mu Chen’s side. Without a second thought, a command from his will sent the Shattered Star Lock Chain slithering out of his sleeve like a silver serpent. It became a silver streak of lightning, weaving side-to-side as it darted toward the Guardian Illusion. Its sharp Spiral Blade spun at high speed; a direct hit would undoubtedly run its target straight through.

But at that moment, an intense fluctuation of Primordial Power erupted from within the flying Guardian Illusion. A single cyan Martial Ring appeared at its feet, and with a WHOOSH, a pair of azure Elemental Wings sprouted from its back. Instead of trying to halt its momentum, it used the immense inertia to accelerate forward even faster. Only after it had completely shaken the pursuing Locking Chain did the Guardian Illusion turn around and hover in mid-air.

With his Purple Sky Demon Pupils active, Mu Chen’s vision became exceptionally clear. Combined with his constantly expanding Spiritual Detection, every move this Martial King Level Guardian Illusion made was under his complete surveillance.

The Shattered Star Lock Chain drifted continuously around Mu Chen. Its Spiral Blade rotated slowly, its sharp edge perpetually locked onto the Martial King Guardian Illusion.

"BOOM!"

All at once, a Primordial Energy Vortex exploded from beneath the Guardian Illusion’s feet. The figure vanished in a flash and reappeared next to Mu Chen. It threw a punch, laced with a terrifying Elemental Force Gang Wind, aiming straight for Mu Chen’s face.

Mu Chen didn’t move a step, nor did he make any visible gesture. A crystal-clear ice wall instantly materialized before him. Moreover, in the same instant the wall formed, the Shattered Star Lock Chain shot out with a WHOOSH at his command.

"BOOM!"

With a deafening roar, the Guardian Illusion’s fist, wreathed in Gang Feng, struck the Profound Ice Wall directly. The tremendous impact shattered the ice wall into a pile of fragments with a CRASH. However, the Guardian Illusion’s forward momentum was brought to a dead stop. As Mu Chen’s cultivation realm advanced, the ice walls he condensed from his Extreme Ice Attribute had also become far more durable.

With a command from his will, the Shattered Star Lock Chain, which had already circled around behind the Guardian Illusion, lunged forward. It targeted the area of its back directly over the heart—not only a blind spot, but a vital point. If it pierced through, the Shattered Star Lock Chain would shred its heart without hesitation.

"Hah!"

As if sensing the danger, the Guardian Illusion let out a great shout. Primordial Power erupted from its body, rapidly forming a Primordial Energy Vortex around it. Although its Defense Power was not as formidable as the Qi Vortex Gang Wind of a Martial Arts Master, it was still a fairly effective defensive technique. But could it truly stop the sharp Spiral Blade of the Shattered Star Lock Chain?

The answer was no. With a soft SQUELCH, the Spiral Blade of the Shattered Star Lock Chain mercilessly plunged into the spot over the Guardian Illusion’s heart. But in that hair’s breadth of a moment, the Guardian Illusion used the slight delay created by the Primordial Energy Vortex to whip around, grab the Shattered Star Lock Chain, and yank it out of its back.

There was no blood, no shredded flesh. The Guardian Illusion’s wound was like a black hole, completely dark within. Seeing the Shattered Star Lock Chain torn away, Mu Chen’s pupils constricted. He stepped forward, his left hand clenching into a tight fist as a scorching Flame Vortex materialized over his knuckles.

"Blast Fist!"

"POW!"

Following Mu Chen’s low cry, the searing Blast Fist slammed viciously into the Guardian Illusion’s back. Mu Chen had put almost all his strength into this blow, so there was no suspense as to the outcome. The Guardian Illusion, struck by the Blast Fist, shot into the distance like an arrow. At the same time, the Flame Vortex that was originally on Mu Chen’s fist was now stuck to the Guardian Illusion’s body.

"KABOOM!!!"

A second later, the Flame Vortex attached to the Guardian Illusion’s back suddenly burst with a dazzling light. An earth-shattering explosion followed, instantly filling the entire tenth floor’s challenge space with a black smokescreen that obscured all sight. In that same moment, Mu Chen rapidly spread out his Spiritual Detection, keeping a constant watch on the King Level Guardian Illusion’s status...