Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

"AWOO!" The instant it saw space shatter, the Exotic Beast felt fear. It knew it stood no chance against an attack that could break space itself. Escape was impossible. But as a creature with one foot in the Venerable Realm, its intelligence was quite high. ’Since this is a Combat Skill that needs to be charged, all I have to do is interrupt it.’

Having figured this out, the corner of the Exotic Beast’s mouth curled up. It roared and charged toward the black-robed figure, its remaining right claw raised high. Streams of Primordial Power flowed around its palm. It was easy to imagine that if this claw struck the black-robed man, not only would the Combat Skill be interrupted, but whether he would even survive would be another question entirely.

Seeing the Exotic Beast’s desperate charge, the Profound Old Ghost, hidden beneath his conical hat, grew anxious. He had underestimated the creature’s intelligence. He hadn’t expected it to neither flee nor freeze up, but to instead adopt the most effective method: attacking to defend. ’I have no choice but to stop now,’ he thought. ’But if I do, those three pieces of Lifebound Ice will be wasted. What else will I have to kill it?’

Just then, unexpectedly, a massive silver figure charged in from the side. With a single pounce, it tackled the Exotic Beast to the ground, locked onto its head, and fired an Elemental Power Cannon.

"BOOM!"

After the explosion, Iron Armor Steel Fang proudly lifted its shattered claw and slammed it down again and again. The ground trembled continuously as the Exotic Beast howled in pain. Although the damage Iron Armor Steel Fang was inflicting was minimal, the beast, missing one of its arms, was simply unable to push the massive creature off.

Silver blood flowed ceaselessly, and Iron Armor Steel Fang’s attacks grew weaker. But at that moment, the Exotic Beast, which had been taking a merciless beating, found its chance. It abruptly raised its head and shot a blue beam of light from its mouth. Caught completely off guard, Iron Armor Steel Fang was struck by the Elemental Power Cannon.

"BOOM!"

The Exotic Beast’s Elemental Power Cannon was devastatingly powerful. A single strike sent Iron Armor Steel Fang flying. The moment the blast hit, its body was completely frozen solid. The difference in their ranks meant Iron Armor Steel Fang was no match for the Exotic Beast.

"AWOOOO!"

The Exotic Beast was utterly enraged. A bloodthirsty light gleamed in its eyes, and its face, now scarred by Iron Armor Steel Fang’s claws, looked even more ferocious.

"AWOO!"

With another roar, the Exotic Beast swung its massive claw, tearing at the frozen statue of Iron Armor Steel Fang. As the claw passed through, the sound of shattering glass echoed. Mu Chen, who had retreated to the rear, felt his pupils contract violently. The last thing he saw through the Profound Old Ghost’s eyes was Iron Armor Steel Fang being completely shredded, turning into a cloud of glittering ice shards that scattered in the wind. Only a single, silver, fist-sized Rule Crystal was left behind, falling silently to the ground.

’No!’

Mu Chen screamed in his heart. Scene after scene of his time with Iron Armor Steel Fang flashed before his eyes. ’Even though it was a proud Emperor, it had only signed a Master-Servant Contract with me, and only to be my guard for three years. It didn’t have to die. It really didn’t have to die.’

But as Mu Chen was lost in his grief, a Spiritual Impact from the outside knocked his soul unconscious. The Profound Old Ghost’s sharp gaze was locked tightly on the roaring Exotic Beast. Thanks to the delay Iron Armor Steel Fang had bought, his Secret Technique was now complete.

The Profound Old Ghost glanced at the Demon Core left behind by Iron Armor Steel Fang. For some reason, a ripple stirred his cold, indifferent heart. By now, the Exotic Beast had finished its roar. A terrifying pressure suddenly emanated from behind it. The beast froze, turning its head in horror. In its vision, a dragon’s cry that made its very soul tremble erupted from the icy mist behind the black-robed figure.

"Had enough fun? If you have, then die for me! Ancient Secret Technique—Xingtian’s Fury!"

The Profound Old Ghost rapidly changed his hand seals, then thrust a single hand toward the heavens. Space began to tremble. A gigantic Dragon Claw suddenly emerged from the icy mist behind him. The claw was covered in Scale Armor made of Profound Ice, resembling a warrior’s plate armor. The moment the massive claw appeared, the Profound Old Ghost fiercely thrust his arm downward. The terrifying hand in the sky pressed down in unison, its speed approaching that of Instant Teleportation!

"SWOOSH!"

There was no deafening boom, no world-shaking shatter of space. There was only that colossal arm, as thick as a mountain range. Before the giant hand, the Exotic Beast was like an ant. It was utterly crushed into a pulp by the descending claw, all signs of life completely extinguished.

*Huff... huff...*

Slowly retracting his left hand, the Profound Old Ghost looked completely drained after unleashing that attack. Although he was occupying Mu Chen’s body, Mu Chen’s body was now covered in fine cracks.

The Profound Old Ghost sighed helplessly. "It seems... I still... *huff*... affected... the foolish boy’s body... *huff*..."

Looking at his trembling left hand, the Profound Old Ghost maneuvered Mu Chen’s body to snatch the Extreme Ice Attribute Spirit still floating in the air. He also grabbed the Demon Cores of both Iron Armor Steel Fang and the Exotic Beast.

Perhaps because the Extreme Ice Attribute Spirit had been taken, the surrounding frozen mountains began to revert to their original appearance. But because of this, some of the damaged peaks, no longer held together by Profound Ice, started to collapse. Boulders tumbled down from all sides. Some Martial Artists, unable to dodge in time, were struck, and a chorus of screams rang out. They were either dead or maimed.

Qin Wu had her back to a huge mountain peak. The peak, which had been fractured by the Exotic Beast and then frozen by the Extreme Ice Attribute Spirit, was now free. The entire upper half snapped off and came crashing down. Although Qin Wu noticed, she had just unleashed a Secret Technique and her body was completely weakened. She couldn’t run, let alone take a few steps.

’Am I going to die here?’ Qin Wu closed her eyes in despair. A wave of dizziness washed over her. With the Exotic Beast’s death, the mental fortitude that had kept her going finally gave way. The moment she relaxed, she fainted. Beside her lay Xiaoyu, who had been knocked unconscious by the spatial fluctuations.

But just as the mountain peak was about to crash down, a black shadow flitted past and rescued them. The savior was none other than the Profound Old Ghost, still controlling Mu Chen’s body. By now, he could no longer speak a complete sentence.

Finding a safe corner, he set down the unconscious Qin Wu and Xiaoyu. The Profound Old Ghost then struggled to fly off in another direction. The snow gradually stopped falling. A few breaths after he left, dozens of black figures appeared beside Qin Wu. A man of exceptional beauty stepped out from the crowd. At first glance, he bore a striking resemblance to the unconscious Qin Wu. He sighed and said softly, "Silly sister, was it really worth risking your life like this just to escape the family’s arranged marriage?"

With that, the man gently picked up Qin Wu. A pair of blue Elemental Wings unfurled from his back with a WHOOSH, and he soared into the sky. Another man who looked like a guard picked up Xiaoyu. A pair of white Elemental Wings emerged from his back as well, and he gracefully followed the first man. Without exception, the dozens of others also deployed white Elemental Wings and flew after them. In a matter of moments, the entire group had vanished over the horizon.

"Finally... arrived..."

The Profound Old Ghost’s body suddenly plummeted. Below him was a ten-thousand-zhang cliff—or more accurately, a ten-thousand-zhang ice cliff. An unknown amount of time passed. Only when the Profound Old Ghost’s vision started to double did he finally land on solid ground.

Looking up, directly in front of him, was a colossal Profound Ice Gate. Or rather, only the Profound Old Ghost would have considered it a gate. The moment he saw it, tears welled up in his impassive eyes.

"One hundred thousand years. I’ve finally returned." As if experiencing a final burst of life, the Profound Old Ghost’s exhaustion vanished completely, replaced by endless nostalgia and excitement.

Glancing at the "gate," the Profound Old Ghost quickly found a protruding corner of Profound Ice. He pressed it lightly, and a strange golden symbol instantly appeared on the gate. The symbol seemed to be carved, yet also looked as if it had formed naturally. The Profound Old Ghost bit his finger and drew another symbol following a peculiar trajectory. The moment the two symbols converged, a brilliant golden light erupted.

"RUMBLE..."

With a tremendous roar, the gate before him slowly opened to the sides. Plumes of icy mist drifted out from within, revealing a brightly lit path. The Profound Old Ghost quickly flew through the gate. After he entered, the Profound Ice Gate, which was over a hundred meters thick, closed on its own.

Watching the gate close, the Profound Old Ghost smiled faintly. ’Looks like this is it... My good disciple, from now on, you’ll have to walk this path on your own... I hope that the next time I see you, you will have become... a truly peerless expert...’

A wave of dizziness swept over him. He knew that the energy from his final burst of life had been consumed by the Primordial Power used to open the gate. To prevent Mu Chen’s body from dying along with his own descent into slumber, he quickly separated himself from it. The moment the Profound Old Ghost emerged, the long blue hair melted away, replaced by mottled grey hair. The handsome, devilishly charming face was supplanted by deep wrinkles, and the skin all over his body began to wither. Before he could finish his words, his already-fading figure shattered like a falling droplet of water, turning into countless transparent specks of starlight that slowly vanished from the world...

「Half a year passed in the blink of an eye.」

Below the giant ice gate, a young man lay quietly. He had been there for six months, motionless, as if he were merely asleep.

This young man was Mu Chen, who had entered this place half a year ago. By now, the wounds all over his body had long since healed completely. A black Scroll floated silently in front of him.

In the depths of his Sea of Souls, everything was dim. Only a single, crystal-clear, transparent pearl emitted a faint glow. Suddenly, the Sea of Souls, which had been dark for half a year, flashed with light. It came and went in an instant. The Sea of Souls fell silent once more, as if that flash had just been an illusion.

Another two days passed. During this time, Mu Chen’s Sea of Souls lit up several more times, and the frequency increased with each passing day. Until today, when the Extreme Spirit Pearl within his Sea of Souls suddenly began to spin on its own. Following that, Mu Chen’s Sea of Souls gradually brightened, and this time, it wasn’t a fleeting flash, but a complete and total illumination.

In the Outer Realm, Mu Chen’s brow suddenly furrowed. Then, his tightly shut eyes slowly began to make out his surroundings. It was a world of blue. He struggled to his feet, feeling a wave of weakness. "What happened to me? Where is this? Master? Master!"

Now seemingly fully awake, Mu Chen’s first instinct upon seeing this unfamiliar world was to call for his Master. But he waited for a long time without any response.

"Master, are you there? Did you fall asleep again?" Mu Chen frowned and began to take in his surroundings. He was standing on a wide, flat road made of solidified Profound Ice, a road that was a hundred meters across. On both sides of the road stood countless giant ice sculptures dozens of meters tall. There were humans, Magical Beasts, and even some humanoids that looked like Magical Beasts. Mu Chen understood that these were most likely the legendary Beastmen.