Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

’I’ll go check it out.’

After a month of training, Mu Chen could easily discern the power released by a Magical Beast’s roar. From the sound of this one, the beast’s level was definitely not low. Moreover, it didn’t seem too far away.

But before Mu Chen could get closer, another roar, this time mixed with the clash of weapons, came from that direction. Mu Chen lifted his Locking Chain and the Black Iron Block to avoid making any noise and quickly darted behind a large tree. From there, the distant sounds became much clearer.

"That bastard! It’s a Furious Barbarian Bear!" a man’s shout came from the thicket.

Following the voice, Mu Chen immediately spotted its source: a massive, bear-like Magical Beast. It had a large frame and extremely thick limbs. Its claws, extending an inch from its paws, glinted with a cold, sinister light under the bright moon. A pair of blood-red eyes stared intently at the four figures before it.

’A Furious Barbarian Bear.’

Of course, Mu Chen knew of this Magical Beast. It was a Second-level Magical Beast, one of the Overlords of the outer Demon Beast Forest, and ranked number one among the beasts mercenaries least wanted to encounter there. In the past month, Mu Chen had already faced two Furious Barbarian Bears. In a life-or-death struggle, he had killed one and severely wounded the other, but he had suffered grievous injuries himself in the process.

He glanced down at his left chest and abdomen, where two long claw marks were still clearly visible. The corner of Mu Chen’s mouth twitched. He could still vividly recall the piercing pain.

Then, Mu Chen shifted his gaze to the group of people ahead. There were four of them in total: three men and one woman. One of them, with a slender build, appeared to be the leader. His face was too obscured by dirt and grime to see clearly, but Mu Chen could vaguely tell that he wasn’t very old. He was the one who had just spoken.

As for the other three, two were young men, equally travel-worn, with exhaustion flickering in their eyes. Judging by their expressions, they looked somewhat alike; perhaps they were brothers. The last member was a young woman, whom Mu Chen could see quite clearly. Aside from a few tears in her clothes, she was much cleaner than the other three. The moonlight made it easy for Mu Chen to get a good look at her.

She was a young girl, seemingly about his own age, with the delicate charm of a jadeite carving. While not stunningly beautiful, she possessed a fresh, unworldly air. Right now, her face was filled with panic, and the small hand gripping her sword hilt was trembling slightly.

"Brother Xi Yu, what should we do?" The girl’s face was pale. She bit her lip, looking completely lost.

The man called Xi Yu didn’t turn his head. He sighed and said, "A Furious Barbarian Bear. It’s a Second-level Magical Beast with immense strength and a tough hide, one of the apex predators in the outer Demon Beast Forest. Even a First-Ring Martial Master might not be its match. But among us, only two have the strength of First-Ring Martial Artists; the rest are Ninth-Ring Martial Disciples. If Little Tiger weren’t injured, we might have had a chance to kill it by maneuvering and waiting for an opportunity, but now..."

The man named Xi Yu shook his head. Mu Chen’s gaze swept over the other two young men. Sure enough, one of them, standing closer to Mu Chen’s position, had a pant leg soaked in blood. A deep claw mark was imprinted on it, the flesh torn and peeled back. Blood was still flowing freely, indicating a very recent injury. This must be the Little Tiger Xi Yu had mentioned.

"ROAR!"

Xi Yu was about to speak again, but the Furious Barbarian Bear suddenly seemed agitated by something. It opened its massive maw, lined with ghastly white fangs, let out a furious bellow, and charged them with huge strides, giving them no time to react.

Xi Yu’s pupils shrank. He yelled, "Xiaobao, take Little Tiger and Xiao Xiao and get out of here!"

The young man called Xiaobao was shocked. "But, Brother Xi Yu..."

"Hurry! Or we’ll all die! That’s an order from your captain!" Xi Yu cut Xiaobao off before he could finish. He then turned and charged the Furious Barbarian Bear, slashing out with the longsword in his hand.

"ROAR!"

Seeing someone dare to challenge its kingly authority, the Furious Barbarian Bear flew into a rage. It raised a massive paw high and swatted viciously at the man named Xi Yu.

"BOOM."

Sword met claw with an earth-shattering crash. Xi Yu was sent flying by the bear’s strike. He coughed up a mouthful of blood and stumbled, barely managing to stay on his feet.

"Brother Xi Yu!"

The delicate girl named Xiao Xiao rushed forward to support Xi Yu, whose face was covered in blood. Tears streamed down her face. Seeing that Xiao Xiao hadn’t left, Xi Yu became furious. "Dammit! I told you three to run! Are you disobeying your captain’s orders?"

The injured young man, Little Tiger, had a stubborn look on his face. He shouted, "Captain, forgive me for disobeying your order this one time. If we’re going to die, we die together."

"That’s right! We die together!"

The young man named Xiaobao echoed the sentiment, his eyes filled with determination. Xi Yu sighed helplessly. "Why must you all be like this... Sigh... Since it has come to this, let’s fight to the death."

"Alright! A fight to the death!"

The group shouted as one, raising their longswords and charging the Furious Barbarian Bear. But the youths were no match for the ferocious beast. Within a few exchanges, both Little Tiger and Xiaobao were sent flying by its paws.

Xi Yu managed to save the girl, Xiao Xiao, protecting her from a blow. He gave a bitter smile. Looking at the savagely glinting eyes of the Furious Barbarian Bear, he let out a roar of unwillingness. "Is this really how I, Xi Yu, am to die in the Demon Beast Forest?"

"ROAR!"

The Furious Barbarian Bear’s earth-shattering roar was his only answer. The moment the sound faded, the bear dragged its heavy body and charged toward Xi Yu. In that same instant, Mu Chen, who had been watching the events unfold from a distance, suddenly noticed a faint scratch on the Furious Barbarian Bear’s neck.

’It’s that one.’

Rage surged in Mu Chen’s heart. This was the very same Furious Barbarian Bear that had severely wounded him, the one he had heavily injured in return. Seeing the bear raise its paw, both Xi Yu and the girl named Xiao Xiao closed their eyes in despair.

In the instant they closed their eyes, Mu Chen moved. With a single step, accompanied by a tremendous clap of thunder, he appeared before the Furious Barbarian Bear. He raised his left fist and slammed it viciously against the beast’s enormous paw.

"Thunderous Fist!"

"BOOM..."

Fist met paw. With just one punch, the difference in power was clear. Mu Chen was only forced back a single step, while the Furious Barbarian Bear stumbled back three meters.

This sudden turn of events shocked not only the Furious Barbarian Bear but also Xi Yu and Xiao Xiao, who had closed their eyes. What a back that was! It wasn’t burly; in fact, it looked rather thin. But his bare torso was covered with countless gruesome, terrifying wounds—a shocking sight to behold.

He had only one arm. His right arm was gone, severed from the shoulder with a clean cut, as if sliced off by a sharp sword. His left arm was bound by a Black Iron Lock Chain as thick as a man’s arm. The chain was long, stretching over two meters to the ground, where a black iron block the size of a human head was attached to the end. It was impossible to tell what material it was made of.

’Yet this is the figure who sent the Furious Barbarian Bear—a beast renowned for its strength—stumbling back three meters with a single punch. Who in the world is he?’

"ROAR?"

The Furious Barbarian Bear let out a questioning roar at the boy before it. But when it saw his missing right arm and the scars on his abdomen, a look of terror filled its savage, crimson eyes. Then, this Overlord of the outer Demon Beast Forest did something that left everyone dumbfounded. It turned and ran.

"Trying to run?"

Mu Chen was momentarily stunned, then found the situation both funny and exasperating. With a shout, he stomped his foot again. The sound of thunder echoed as he instantly appeared in front of the surprisingly slow Furious Barbarian Bear. He threw a punch that landed squarely on the beast’s chest, simultaneously driving his Explosive Power into its body.

"BOOM!"

Following the massive impact, a shocking scene unfolded. The eight-hundred-kilogram Furious Barbarian Bear was sent flying two meters into the air by Mu Chen’s punch. A moment later, a muffled explosion erupted from within its body. The attack was so sudden that the bear was launched into the sky before it could even react.

The Explosive Power of the Thunderous Fist ravaged the Furious Barbarian Bear’s insides. A spray of brownish blood mixed with countless fragments of internal organs spewed from its mouth. But Mu Chen knew that this blow wasn’t enough to be fatal. He tugged with his left hand, and the Black Iron Lock Chain, weighing over five hundred pounds, flew up from behind him. With a swing, he smashed it brutally onto the bear’s skull.

"BANG!"

"CRACK!"

With a sickening crunch, the Furious Barbarian Bear’s skull was smashed open. Whitish brain matter splattered across the ground. Mu Chen snorted coldly. With a flick of his wrist, a sharp dagger appeared in his hand. He rummaged inside the bear’s fractured skull for a moment before finally finding a crimson crystal: a Second-level Demon Crystal.

After taking the Demon Crystal, Mu Chen didn’t linger and turned to leave.

Xi Yu quickly recovered from his shock. Seeing Mu Chen about to leave, he hurriedly called out, "Friend, please wait."

Mu Chen turned around, slightly impatient. "What is it?" he asked coldly.

Xi Yu had been about to speak, but when Mu Chen turned to face him, a look of profound shock flashed in his eyes. He had imagined what the owner of that back might look like—a middle-aged man, perhaps, or a young mercenary. But the moment Mu Chen turned around, he was stunned. The owner of that back... was just a boy. A boy of only twelve or thirteen years old...

Seeing Xi Yu remain silent, Mu Chen frowned. "If there’s nothing, I’m leaving."

With that, Mu Chen turned to walk away. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk to them, but he was incredibly curious about the "maturing" thing that Elder Xuan had mentioned. The destination was only a few hours away. If he hurried, he might just make it before dawn.

When Xi Yu saw Mu Chen about to leave again, he cursed himself internally and rushed to get his words out. "Uh... wait! Thank you for your help just now, friend. I’m Xi Yu, a first-year student at the Xuanling Imperial Academy. If you ever need anything in the future, just come find me. I’ll do everything in my power to help."

"You’re from the Xuanling Imperial Academy?"

Mu Chen asked doubtfully. After speaking, he glanced at their sleeves. Sure enough, in a spot obscured by dust, there was a character for "Xuan" formed by strange symbols. It was almost impossible to spot without looking closely.

Seeing Mu Chen finally respond and seemingly know of the Xuanling Imperial Academy, Xi Yu smiled. "Yes, we’re all first-year students. We came out here on an academy mission, but we didn’t expect..."

At this, Xi Yu gave a bitter smile and glanced at the corpse of the Furious Barbarian Bear, a lingering fear still in his heart.