Volume 1, Chapter 61: Only a True Hero Can Show His True Colors

Amidst the chatter, Muyi had already arrived before the Life-and-Death Stage.

"Muyi actually came! The rumor is true!"

"Good grief! Does this Muyi seriously think that with his Divine Transformation realm cultivation, he can defeat a powerhouse at the fifth tier of the Origin Prefecture realm?"

"It's unbelievable. Let alone being at the eighth tier of the Divine Transformation realm, even if he were at the peak of the tenth tier, it would be utterly impossible to contend with a fifth-tier Origin Prefecture realm expert! There has never been such a precedent since ancient times!"

When Muyi appeared before the Life-and-Death Stage, everyone's gaze instantly converged upon him.

A wave of intense discussion erupted among the crowd.

Everyone looked at Muyi with deeply puzzled eyes, wondering if he had lost his mind.

"Muyi, now that it has come to this, you wouldn't be regretting it and lacking the courage to step onto the Life-and-Death Stage, would you?"

Walking up behind Muyi were Nangong Ying and Gufan.

These two were terrified that Muyi might chicken out at the very last moment.

They acted as if they had already secured their victory over Muyi from the very beginning.

"Hmph, utterly clueless in the face of death. How truly pathetic."

Muyi shook his head, tapped his toes lightly, and like a flying swallow, landed upon the Life-and-Death Stage.

At that moment, the thousands of spectators instantly boiled over.

For this meant that Muyi was truly going to fight a decisive battle to the death against Nangong Ying and Gufan upon the Life-and-Death Stage.

The matter was now set in stone, with no possibility of taking it back.

"Hahaha! What audacity!"

Nangong Ying and Gufan laughed heartily.

Then, Nangong Ying strode forward with his head held high and stepped onto the Life-and-Death Stage.

"Muyi, let me be the one to cut you down!"

Staring at Muyi and licking the corner of his mouth, Nangong Ying was extremely excited. "Ever since you arrived at our Divine Seclusion Academy, you've been stirring up trouble everywhere. Let me deal with you, this monstrosity!"

"Do you really think just the likes of you alone can fight me?"

Muyi looked at Nangong Ying as if looking at a fool. "Call Gufan up here as well. One person is not enough for me to warm up."

"What did you say?"

Instantly, Nangong Ying's expression turned even frostier, boiling with murderous intent.

In his view, Muyi's words were nothing short of a direct insult to him.

"I said, just you alone are not enough for me to fight. Perhaps if you add Gufan and both of you come at me together, you might actually give me a bit of fun."

Muyi stood with his hands behind his back, smiling calmly.

Only a true hero can show his true colors,

And a person of great distinction remains naturally dashing!

As Muyi stood quietly upon the Life-and-Death Stage, he gave off a towering impression, resembling a divine pillar holding up the heavens, one that would never take a single step back.

"Muyi, the two of us intend to fight you in a one-on-one duel, not a gang beatdown."

Down below the Life-and-Death Stage, Gufan naturally heard Muyi's arrogant remarks.

"If both of us went up together, you'd likely be crushed into a pulp instantly. Wouldn't that be taking advantage of you a bit too much?"

Gufan sneered repeatedly.

To him, it was utterly ridiculous beyond measure that Muyi still dared to act so arrogant when death was imminent.

"Get up here and stop wasting breath. The two of you are like ants in my eyes. Killing either of you alone is simply too easy and far too uninteresting."

Muyi could not be bothered to talk nonsense. "Gufan, if you're a man, get up here!"

"Fine! Since this is your final dying wish, I'll grant it to you!"

Under the watchful eyes of thousands of people, Gufan had no choice left.

Of course, he didn't need any other choice either.

Originally, according to the estimates of both himself and Nangong Ying, either one of them possessed absolute certainty in executing Muyi.

There was simply no need for both of them to attack together.

However, since Muyi was arrogant and conceited enough to demand a one-on-two fight, why should they refuse such a wonderful blessing?

Gufan immediately shifted his footing and arrived upon the Life-and-Death Stage.

"Are you satisfied now? You can die without any lingering grievances next, right?"

In Nangong Ying's eyes, Gufan stepping onto the stage was merely fulfilling Muyi's final wish before death.

"Alright, there's no need to waste any more words with him. Let me send him off to the netherworld."

Nangong Ying was growing impatient.

For he desperately wanted to see where on earth Muyi derived such confidence to face both of them with such composed serenity.

"Heart-Burning Palm!"

Nangong Ying moved his feet, his entire body transforming into a series of flickering phantoms moving at lightning speed.

Bang!

Blazing like fire, his palm carried the heat to melt all things in creation.

Muyi's chest was struck squarely by this palm strike.

"Huh? What's going on? He hit him on the very first move, and Muyi didn't even attempt to dodge?"

"Nangong Ying is, after all, at the fifth tier of the Origin Prefecture realm, and coupled with the fierce, blazing aggression of the Heart-Burning Palm, he is renowned for absolute speed! Muyi simply had no way to evade it, and probably didn't even have time to react!"

"Does that mean Muyi is going to be killed in a flash? Is this grand spectacle ending even before it truly begins?"

There were a full thousand spectators present!

Everyone had hoped to witness an epic clash for the ages.

Not a single person wished for the outcome to be Muyi being instantly obliterated by a single strike from Nangong Ying.

Amateurs watch the excitement, while experts watch the technique.

By now, aside from a few lower-tier inner sect disciples who were clamoring and assuming Muyi was about to be defeated instantly, true experts could already tell that this battle was far from simple.

Because they had already noticed Nangong Ying's expression.

His complexion was exceedingly ugly, and within his eyes flickered the look of someone witnessing something utterly unimaginable.

"How is this possible..."

Nangong Ying's Heart-Burning Palm had indeed struck Muyi's chest dead-on.

Yet, the anticipated scene of Muyi's body exploding on impact never occurred.

Muyi's physique remained as steadfast as Mount Tai, like a divine pillar stabilizing the sea, not even taking a single step backward.

"Burst for me!"

Nangong Ying's eyes turned crimson red like a bloodthirsty beast, utterly unable to accept what was happening before him.

His palm force continuously surged, pouring ferocious energy frantically into Muyi's body, vowing to blast him apart from the inside out.

Yet no matter how hard he pushed, the force ultimately vanished like a clay ox sinking into the sea, leaving no trace behind.

"Hmph? Is this the extent of your full strength?"

A sneer crept onto the corner of Muyi's mouth. "Perhaps I overestimated you after all."

"Scram!"

Suddenly, Muyi let out a mighty shout that sounded like a sudden peal of thunder.

From deep within his body came the roars of tigers and dragons that shook the heavens.

Boom!

A monstrous wave of energy surged forth like a vast, overwhelming ocean.

Only when the great tides roll do the true heroes stand revealed!

Nangong Ying's entire body felt as though it had been struck by a massive heavy hammer; he instantly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and was sent flying backward through the air.

"How can this be..."

Standing behind him and watching with composed ease, Gufan dropped his jaw in sheer astonishment at this sight.

Nangong Ying was a powerhouse at the fifth tier of the Origin Prefecture realm!

Yet Muyi was merely at the eighth tier of the Divine Transformation realm.

Nangong Ying's Heart-Burning Palm had struck Muyi squarely in the chest, yet not only did it fail to seriously injure his opponent, it hadn't even pushed him back a single step!

On the contrary, Muyi had simply relied on the explosive power within his body to blast Nangong Ying flying and coughing up blood.

What kind of terrifying, monstrous strength was this?

"Nangong Ying, what on earth just happened?"

Nangong Ying landed dozens of feet away.

Gufan instantly flashed to his side, his expression growing gloomy.

"Muyi's strength is extraordinary. The two of us must join forces for this battle; we must not underestimate the enemy!"

Nangong Ying blurted out these exact words.

As one of the thirty-two Saint Children of the Divine Seclusion Academy, he had also experienced numerous battles and possessed a wealth of combat experience.

Before facing Muyi, he had indeed looked down upon the former with utter contempt, believing that with his fifth-tier Origin Prefecture realm cultivation, killing a mere eighth-tier Divine Transformation realm Muyi would be as easy as reaching out and taking something.

Yet after their previous exchange, he completely understood that the Muyi before him was simply not human—he was a god! A demon!

The Heart-Burning Palm driven by his full strength had been completely unable to shake the opponent in the slightest.

Let alone a mere eighth-tier Divine Transformation realm entity, even an expert of the exact same realm as himself, if they took a Heart-Burning Palm squarely to the chest, would either die or be heavily wounded.

Yet Muyi was not only uninjured, he hadn't even taken a single step back. Just how terrifyingly formidable must his strength be?

"What? Is he really that formidable?"

Gufan had actually discerned it as well just moments ago.

He had merely been holding onto a shred of wishful thinking.

Hearing Nangong Ying utter those words himself, that final shred of illusion was completely shattered.

"Draw your weapons! We must not engage him in close-quarters hand-to-hand combat!"

Taking a deep breath, Nangong Ying produced a treasured sword in his hand.

This was a top-grade precious artifact.

In Gufan's hand, a long sword also materialized, which was likewise a top-grade precious artifact.

"Huh? What's going on? Why have both Nangong Ying and Gufan drawn their weapons?"

"Are you an idiot? Didn't you see what just happened? It wasn't that Muyi couldn't dodge Nangong Ying's Heart-Burning Palm; rather, he simply disdained to dodge and took it head-on with his chest!"

"Even so, not only could Nangong Ying not harm him, but he was actually sent flying by the rebounding force of his physical body. From that alone, it's clear how terrifying Muyi's physical prowess is!"

"No wonder Nangong Ying and Gufan have resorted to using top-grade precious artifacts. Viewed this way, Muyi is in grave danger."

Seeing Nangong Ying and Gufan draw their weapons, the surrounding crowd erupted into yet another wave of fierce and clamorous discussions.

"Hmph, you two possess some awareness now that death is upon you. Unfortunately, it's far too late."

Standing calmly upon the Life-and-Death Stage, Muyi looked indifferently at Nangong Ying and Gufan.

"From the very moment the two of you stepped onto the Life-and-Death Stage, your fates were already sealed."

"However, considering that we are fellow disciples, I shall send you off on your final journey with the utmost sincerity."

In Muyi's hand, a long sword appeared, seemingly forged from pure ice, snowy white in color, and adorned with dragon patterns.

"This is... the aura of a Dao artifact!"

"Not just a Dao artifact! It seems to be a top-tier Dao artifact of the highest grade!"

"What? A top-grade Dao artifact?! How can that be..."

When Muyi produced the Profound Ice White Dragon Sword, it instantly stirred up a thousand ripples with a single stone!

The former supreme sect-镇宗 sacred treasure of the Four Seasons Sword Sect had reappeared in the mortal world after a span of over a hundred thousand years.