Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

But it was the appearance of this afterimage that turned Mu Chen’s look of anticipation to one of joy. An afterimage—that was the sign of having reached the beginner level of Mist Step, even if it was incredibly faint and lasted for a negligible amount of time.

After that, Mu Chen began to tirelessly practice Thunderbolt Fist and Mist Step around the Sun and Moon Pool. The sound of thunder had completely faded, replaced by the whoosh of air being torn asunder.

"Heh heh, this feeling... it’s amazing."

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Mu Chen finally stopped, though reluctant to do so after over an hour of practice. The speed and Explosive Power were intoxicating, and he found himself completely immersed, unable to pull away.

This was the allure of power.

As Mu Chen celebrated, the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit bounced about, spinning circles in the air and letting out happy whimpers before joining him in his revelry. But it is often at one’s happiest moments that the unexpected occurs.

While Mu Chen and the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit were playing, a subtle ripple disturbed the surface of the Sun and Moon Pool. Lost in their joy, neither of them noticed the slight disturbance. As time passed, however, the ripples grew more and more violent. Soon, the water of the Sun and Moon Pool began to churn as if it were boiling, splashing up countless droplets as huge bubbles popped and fizzed on the surface.

In the midst of their play, Mu Chen suddenly noticed something was wrong with the pool. He shot back dozens of meters, not stopping until he reached the cave entrance. The Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit panicked and hid behind him. An Immortal Treasure was merely a source of power; it didn’t possess much strength of its own. Faced with an unknown danger, it was even more frightened than Mu Chen.

At the same time, the violently churning water suddenly grew still, becoming as placid and mirror-like as it was before. However, Mu Chen didn’t relax in the slightest. He clenched his fists, mobilizing the Primordial Power within him. He was ready to react to anything.

BANG!

Sure enough, after only a few seconds of calm, a monstrous wave erupted from the surface of the pool. When the wave receded, a massive, silver figure was revealed in the center of the water. It was a gargantuan beast, its entire body covered in dazzling silver Scale Armor. Each diamond-shaped scale was angled outward like a razor’s edge. It was easy to imagine that brushing against its body would be no different than suffering death by a thousand cuts.

Its enormous, triangular head was lined with a row of sharp spikes along its contours, resembling a majestic silver crown from a distance and inspiring a deep sense of dread. Even more terrifying were the densely packed, sharp Steel Teeth lining its jaws, which glinted with a metallic luster under the brilliant light of the Jade Wall.

Its cold, triangular eyes held an icy glint as they stared silently at Mu Chen—or rather, at what was behind him.

The part of its body Mu Chen could see was already over ten meters tall. The cave ceiling was only about a hundred meters above the pool’s surface, and this monster’s head and back alone took up a fifth of that height. If its entire body were to emerge, Mu Chen couldn’t even begin to imagine what kind of creature he’d be facing.

Moreover, Mu Chen couldn’t move an inch. He was completely pinned down by the creature’s aura. The terrifying pressure washed over him like a surging tide, making him feel like a lone boat in a vast ocean, in danger of being swallowed by the waves at any moment.

Cold sweat dripped down Mu Chen’s back. He was afraid. ’The aura coming from this massive thing is terrifying,’ he thought. ’What level of Magical Beast is it?’

With a silent roar in his heart, Mu Chen spun around, grabbed the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit, and bolted. But before he could take two steps, a silver light slammed into the Jade Wall above him with a BOOM. Instantly, countless jade chunks collapsed, completely sealing the cave entrance.

"ROAR..."

A mocking roar sounded from behind him. Mu Chen froze; he had definitely sensed derision in that cry. He turned to look at the beast and saw that it had now fully emerged from the water. But, strangely, the "giant beast" he saw now was to its previous form as a Kunpeng is to an ant—a world of difference.

It was now about three meters long and one meter high, with a body like a crocodile. Its limbs weren’t thick, but rather slender. Behind it, a silver tail making up two-thirds of its body length swung left and right with a WHIRRING sound.

Its sharp eyes watched a worried Mu Chen with amusement, the corners of its mouth pulling back in a disturbingly human-like smirk.

Mu Chen knew with absolute certainty that the difference in strength between him and this Magical Beast was like that between heaven and earth. If it attacked, he had no chance of survival.

"Sigh..."

A faint sigh echoed in Mu Chen’s mind. His heart leaped with joy as he called out, "Master."

"I am aware of the situation. It’s a shame you and the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit were not fated to be, but your life is more important than it is, after all."

With that, a spectral Soul Body floated out and appeared before Mu Chen. It was the long-silent Profound Old Ghost. He didn’t spare the Magical Beast a glance, instead looking first at the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit hiding in Mu Chen’s arms.

Sensing eyes upon it, the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit slowly peeked out from Mu Chen’s arms. The moment it saw the newcomer, it flew into a rage, its tiny face contorting with hatred.

It let out an angry whimper.

The Profound Old Ghost shook his head with a wry smile. "Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit, I know you hate me for sealing you away, but a hundred thousand years have passed. I’ve been reduced to a mere wisp of a soul, so I’ve gotten my just deserts. As for Chen’er... we’ll discuss that later."

The Profound Old Ghost broke off and turned his head, saying nonchalantly, "First, we need to take care of this Iron Armor Steel Fang..."

"Iron Armor Steel Fang? A Royal Beast!"

Mu Chen was shocked. In the past three months, he had finished reading the entire *Magic Beast Encyclopedia* the Profound Old Ghost had given him. It contained information on the Iron Armor Steel Fang, though there were no illustrations. Recalling the details from the book, he realized they matched the creature before him perfectly.

"That’s right. It is indeed an Iron Armor Steel Fang. And a Three-Ring Royal Beast at that," the Profound Old Ghost confirmed with a nod.

Once a Magical Beast breaks through the Spirit Level, its power is tiered just like a human Martial Artist’s. Level 4 Magical Beasts are called Spirit Beasts, Level 5 are King Beasts, Level 6 are Sect Beasts, Level 7 are Royal Beasts, Level 8 are Venerable Beasts, Level 9 are Holy Beasts, and the highest level are Emperor Beasts. Likewise, each of these tiers is divided into nine minor ranks, with each rank marked by the appearance of a Martial Ring.

"But why would it be here?"

Mu Chen was even more confused. The Iron Armor Steel Fang fed on metal ore and typically lived near mineral veins. This was a lush region with fertile soil. Why would one be here?

The Profound Old Ghost smiled faintly. "Nothing is impossible. When you unbound the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit, the residual power from the Seal erupted for an instant, leaking out the Immortal Treasure’s Qi. However, with the Illusion Realm in the sky and the solid Jade Wall all around, no other Magical Beasts could sense it. Only a creature that burrows deep underground to devour metal could have possibly perceived it for that brief moment. Furthermore, any Magical Beast capable of sensing that flash of power would be among the elites of the magical beast world. This Iron Armor Steel Fang was likely drawn here from a great distance."

’So that’s how it is.’

Mu Chen finally understood after hearing the Profound Old Ghost’s explanation. But the relief he felt was instantly replaced by renewed tension. This was a Royal Beast, a supreme Emperor among Magical Beasts. How could a mere Second-Ring Martial Artist like himself possibly withstand its attack?

The Iron Armor Steel Fang, however, now had its eyes locked on the Profound Old Ghost. Its earlier amusement was gone, replaced by a grave expression. Still, its gaze would occasionally dart toward Mu Chen’s chest, where the object of its fatal desire lay hidden.

"Xiao Chenzi, in a moment, Master will need to borrow your body. Don’t ask any questions, and don’t think about anything. Just relax your body completely and leave the rest to me," the Profound Old Ghost said urgently, seeing the Iron Armor Steel Fang was about to make its move.

"Okay."

With that, Mu Chen sat right down on the ground and quickly entered a state of Meditation, letting his entire body go limp. Even though he had a thousand questions, he knew this wasn’t the time to ask them.

Seeing that Mu Chen had entered a state of Meditation, the Profound Old Ghost’s soul-like form shattered, dissolving into glowing motes of dust that poured into Mu Chen’s pores. Immediately after, a powerful aura erupted from Mu Chen’s body. His cultivation realm began to climb at a terrifying rate.

"Second-Ring Martial Artist... Ninth-Ring Martial Artist..."

"Martial Master... Ninth-Ring Martial Master..."

"Grand Martial Master... Nine-Ring Great Martial Master..."

"Martial Spirit... Martial King... Martial Sect..."

"First-Ring Martial Emperor... Second-Ring Martial Emperor..."

The terrifying aura continued to climb as purple Martial Rings appeared one after another at Mu Chen’s feet. In a matter of moments, their number grew from two to three, then finally to four. Only when the fourth purple Martial Ring appeared did the terrifying, rapidly rising aura around Mu Chen slowly stabilize.

"Fourth-Ring Martial Emperor... Looks like this is as high as I can go for now. Still too weak."

A devilishly charming voice muttered from Mu Chen’s lips. The body was Mu Chen’s, but the voice now belonged to the Profound Old Ghost.

The Iron Armor Steel Fang, which had been lying quietly across the pool, was horrified by the aura now pouring from Mu Chen. It couldn’t comprehend how a puny Martial Artist, who had seemed like an ant just moments before, had suddenly transformed into a Fourth-Ring Martial Emperor.

But there was no time for it to dwell on that. For the sake of that prize, it would risk death to make an attempt.

"ROAR!"

With a furious roar, the Iron Armor Steel Fang lunged. It spun in place, and its long Steel Tail whipped through the air in a huge arc toward Mu Chen. The tail, lined with countless bladed scales, tore through the air with a deafening WHOOSH.

"Hmph!"

A sound like a sword being unsheathed—SCHWING—suddenly echoed as Mu Chen’s eyes, closed for half a year, snapped open. Two beams of purple light shot from them. The light lasted only a moment before revealing a pair of demonic, vertical purple pupils. Six blue, crystalline snowflakes revolved around them like tiny Ice Crystals.

The Iron Armor Steel Fang was startled, its tail-whip slowing for a fraction of a second. The Profound Old Ghost threw a punch. Silver arcs of electricity crackled along his arm, and clusters of crystalline blue motes floated around his fist. "SZZT!"

BOOM!

A deafening blast erupted as Mu Chen’s fist slammed into the Iron Armor Steel Fang’s long tail, sending it flying.

THUD...

With a dull thud, the Iron Armor Steel Fang’s body slammed into the Jade Wall, embedding itself within the jade and sending massive cracks spreading out from the point of impact.