Chapter 336: Mu Liuji
The terrifying aftershock ravaged the heavens and the earth. For a moment, it was as if the void had collapsed, stirring chaos in all directions. The experts of the Xu family all bled out, perishing in the vast torrent of power.
Only Xu Ao, an expert at the Seventh Layer of the Divinity Transformation Realm, managed to barely escape with his life after deploying various Secret Techniques and spiritual armaments.
But even so, he was in such agony that he vomited blood, his face deathly pale. He had been sent flying several hundred meters, crashing through and destroying several mountain peaks before he finally managed to stabilize himself. His vital energies were in turmoil, and the pain was unbearable.
"Why… Why did it turn out like this…"
Xu Ao threw his head back, his face a mask of indignation. Overcome with rage and frustration, he suddenly spat out a large mouthful of fresh blood and began to pant raggedly.
Just moments ago, he had watched with his own eyes as the Xu family experts accompanying him were swallowed by the aftershock, dying right before his very eyes.
'To think, even I'm in such a wretched state and severely injured! The others stood no chance; there was no way they could have survived!'
At this thought, Xu Ao felt a wave of uncontrollable fury.
'What kind of monster is that Ye Chen?'
'He's clearly only at the Primordial Mansion Realm, yet he can unleash combat power on par with the Divine Might Realm!'
'If it weren't for that, our Xu family experts wouldn't have all died just from being grazed by the aftershock!'
He struggled to prop himself up and looked into the distance, desperate to see Ye Chen crushed and pinned to the ground by Lord Shakyamuni.
After the aftershock dissipated, Ye Chen lay on the ground, covered in blood.
"He… He's been defeated?!"
Xu Ao was overjoyed at the sight.
But when he scanned the area, he saw no sign of Lord Shakyamuni, which made him suspicious and uneasy.
At that moment, Ye Chen was still conscious.
Although he had sustained heavy injuries, his foundation clearly wasn't harmed. He could still move.
"Haaaah…"
'So this is the power of the Divine Might Realm?'
'It really is something else!'
Ye Chen shook his head and climbed to his feet, his mind still a little dazed.
From that battle, he had determined that Lord Shakyamuni's cultivation was around the Third Layer of the Divine Might Realm.
Ye Chen was already quite satisfied to have fought a Great Power at the Third Layer of the Divine Might Realm to such a standstill.
"Cough, cough…"
Suddenly, a cough echoed from a nearby pile of rubble. A figure struggled to push aside the rocks before staggering to his feet.
"Lord Shakyamuni?!"
Xu Ao nearly cried out in alarm at the sight.
It was clear that Lord Shakyamuni was in no better state than Ye Chen.
His kasaya was in tatters, and his exposed skin was covered in a web of crisscrossing wounds. Several gashes were so deep you could almost see the bone beneath.
Lord Shakyamuni gasped for breath, his golden eyes filled with a grim, chilling light.
"To have forced me to this point… You can die without regrets!" he hissed, suppressing his killing intent.
"What? You still want to fight?"
"I may be heavily injured, but your condition isn't any better than mine."
"Even if we keep fighting, you can't defeat me."
Ye Chen said calmly, his expression serene.
"Hmph!"
"If it weren't for that Karma Fire, how could you possibly have injured me?"
Lord Shakyamuni snorted, his voice filled with disdain.
"External power is still a part of one's strength."
"Being pushed this far by me, someone who is only in the Primordial Mansion Realm, you've already lost all face."
Ye Chen smiled.
'With trump cards like the Chaos Suppressing Hell Cauldron and the Red Lotus Karma Fire in my possession, if Lord Shakyamuni insists on fighting, he'll be the one to die in the end!'
At these words, Lord Shakyamuni fell silent.
He didn't make a rash move, seemingly wary of Ye Chen unleashing the Red Lotus Karma Fire on him again.
Without a doubt, Ye Chen was right. In his current, heavily injured state, continuing to fight Ye Chen would clearly be a struggle.
"If he can't deal with you…"
"...then what about me?"
Just then, a mocking voice suddenly echoed between heaven and earth.
Then, a figure seemed to appear out of thin air, landing on a nearby mountain peak.
He looked down on Ye Chen, a mocking smile on his face. An incredibly intimidating aura surged from his body, so powerful that the surrounding void seemed to collapse and shatter under the pressure.
Ye Chen's eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the man who had suddenly appeared.
'Another Divine Might Realm expert?'
'And from the looks of it, he's here for me, too?'
"My lord, you're here!"
From a short distance away, Xu Ao cried out in delight, visibly excited.
He never imagined that Mu Liuji, the Celestial Tier assassin from the Valley of Death, would actually arrive as backup at this moment!
He knew that after the Valley of Death's assassination attempt had failed, the Xu family no longer had the funds to hire Mu Liuji again. That was why they had decided to join forces with the experts of the Saint Temple to take Ye Chen down outside of Flame City.
Who would have thought that even with the great Lord Shakyamuni himself taking action, they still couldn't handle Ye Chen!
Instead, all of the Xu family experts had lost their lives here.
This had undoubtedly filled Xu Ao with utter despair.
But Mu Liuji's appearance gave Xu Ao a renewed glimmer of hope.
'Now that Ye Chen is injured from his fight with Lord Shakyamuni, if Mu Liuji attacks him, victory is practically guaranteed!'
"Lord Mu, the Valley of Death's previous operation was unsuccessful. Are you here for revenge?" Xu Ao asked, unable to contain his excitement.
"No."
Mu Liuji gave Xu Ao a cool glance and said coldly, "The payment you provided was only enough to dispatch my subordinates. As for the assassination failing, you can only blame your own faulty intelligence. I bear no responsibility for what comes after."
"Ah…" Hearing this, Xu Ao immediately sobered. "Then, Lord Mu, the reason you are here is…"
"We are the ones who requested Elder Mu to take action."
Two monks in kasaya robes stepped forward to stand beside Mu Liuji.
They emanated a vibrant Buddhist light, their expressions solemn and dignified. A shockingly oppressive aura surged around them—they were, incredibly, two more Saint Monks!
At this, understanding finally dawned on Xu Ao.
'So it was the experts from the Saint Temple who hired Mu Liuji to step in!'
'Even though the facts were a little different from what I'd imagined, the result would be the same. Ye Chen will die today for sure!'
"Calling for backup because you can't win? I suppose that's understandable."
"But I never expected that the great and mighty Saint Temple would actually have to hire an assassin from the Valley of Death to deal with me…"
"Could it be that the Saint Temple has run out of tricks?"
Ye Chen glanced at Mu Liuji and the two Saint Monks beside him, his gaze deep and tranquil. His expression remained completely unfazed.
"Hmph!"
"As long as we can eliminate a brat like you, what does it matter if we borrow some outside help?"
"You said it yourself: external power is also a part of one's strength!"
Lord Shakyamuni boomed with laughter, his smile dripping with derision!