Chapter 97: The Clash of Flames

Murderous intent spread through the air, and the already sweltering heat dropped sharply, as though everyone had fallen into an icy cavern.

Gu Feng was very young and very thin, looking exactly like the kind of person who was easy to bully.

And yet this young man had casually seized Mu Cui.

Mu Cui, a first-rank spirit master, had not the slightest power to resist before him. Just how formidable was this youth? And wait—he even knew the girl in the portrait, and seemed to know her very well.

Among the young men and women, one of the youths had already analyzed the situation quite clearly.

He felt everything was still within his control, and said to Gu Feng, “Friend, please release Mu Cui. Let’s have a proper talk.”

Gu Feng had long since run out of patience. Besides, when a person stood alone, he could truly act without restraint and follow his heart.

Gu Feng let go of Mu Cui’s collar. Seeing this, the young man thought Gu Feng had relented. But in the next instant, Gu Feng viciously clamped a hand around Mu Cui’s throat and said through gritted teeth, “Your surname is Mu?”

Mu Cui nodded smugly and threatened, “Let go of me now. Offending my Mu Manor means your entire family will be wiped out.”

The Mu clan belonged to the imperial line. Even though they were a collateral princely house, they were still connected to the royal family and stood above others. That was why the younger generation of the Mu clan had always been exceptionally arrogant.

Of course, with the Mu clan’s power where it was, no one dared touch them.

Gu Feng revealed a cold smile and said softly, “Since your surname is Mu, then you can die. Oh, and let me tell you a secret: everyone with the surname Mu must die.”

His voice had lost all human warmth. It sounded like a demon’s sneer, and Mu Cui was afraid.

“You, what are you going to do? You’re only one person. There are so many of us here. If you kill me, you won’t escape either.”

“Heh. Don’t worry. You’re only the first Mu to go. It won’t be long before all the rest come to keep you company.”

Crack.

He lightly twisted Mu Cui’s neck and broke it.

Mu Cui stared at Gu Feng with bulging eyes and managed only, “You…,” before his strength vanished and he died on the spot.

The others trembled at the sight and instinctively backed away, wanting to flee and put distance between themselves and this demon.

Gu Feng said in an icy voice, “Did I say you could leave?”

At those words, everyone froze at once, afraid he would turn on them.

Gu Feng went on, “All of you, turn around.”

The seven of them turned around trembling, heads lowered, none daring to look at Gu Feng.

“You. Tell me where the person in the portrait is.”

That person hurriedly said, “I really don’t know! We’re looking for her too.”

“Tell me exactly what happened.”

A girl stepped forward and said, “I’ll explain. The girl in the portrait was brought back by Mu Cui’s second uncle. As soon as Mu Cui saw her, he took a liking to her and insisted on having her. There was nothing his second uncle could do, so he crippled the girl’s cultivation core and turned her into an ordinary person. That girl was very beautiful—really beautiful—so Mu Cui took her everywhere to show her off. Who knew her cultivation hadn’t actually been destroyed, and she ran away. She ran in this direction, so we came with Mu Cui to look for her.”

“Old man, have you found any trace of Yan’er?”

“No. I suspect she has entered that world.”

“What? With Yan’er’s cultivation, and her core already crippled, going into that world would be a death sentence!”

“You’re overthinking it. By cultivating the Devouring Art, the cultivation core isn’t all that important. So long as she keeps growing stronger, her body becomes her cultivation core. As for her safety, there’s even less need for you to worry. With a chaos-born beauty physique and the Devouring Art, your woman is like a thorn—whoever touches her will get pricked.”

“Even so, I still can’t rest easy. I have to find her.”

“Enough. Everyone has their own fate. Reaching this point is fate arranging things. If you don’t have the power to change fate, then all you can do is follow it. And your woman is not as simple as you imagine. You’ll understand in time.”

Even the system had said this much, so although Gu Feng still worried, he could only force it down into his heart.

Since he could not go looking for his younger sister, then the Mu clan that had caused all of this should prepare to bear his anger.

Gu Feng’s aura suddenly erupted, sweeping across dozens of miles. Whether man or beast, all were shocked and turned toward the direction where he stood, unable to tell who was unleashing such rage.

The young men and women beside Gu Feng were left staring in stunned silence.

They could not understand no matter how hard they tried: how could a youth so young be this terrifying? An aura like this existed only in the two great spirit masters of Mu Manor.

Gulp.

The young man closest to Gu Feng could not help swallowing hard.

Gu Feng said to the girl, “Lead the way, and I’ll give you this spirit weapon.”

Seeing that the girl used a sword, Gu Feng exchanged for a spirit weapon and tossed it to her.

The girl caught it, her whole body shaking. She could hardly believe it was real. Just for leading the way, he was giving her a spirit weapon?

The others looked at her, envy plain in their eyes.

If not for Gu Feng standing there, they might already have tried to snatch it.

“T-thank you…”

The girl was so excited she could barely form words.

Gu Feng came closer to her, not caring at all about propriety between men and women, and wrapped an arm around her waist. “Show me the way.”

The girl was startled, but then forcibly calmed herself and pointed in a direction.

Gu Feng carried her and shot away at great speed.

The remaining six were filled with bitter regret. Why had they not been more proactive and explained things to Gu Feng just now?

They thought it was because that girl had helped Gu Feng explain, which was why he had let her lead the way and given her a spirit weapon.

In truth, that was exactly the case.

Following the girl’s directions, Gu Feng carried her for just over ten minutes before the full outline of Mu Royal City came into view.

Mu Royal City was enormous, covering a vast area. Its walls stood thirty meters high, guarded by elite troops and powerful warriors.

Seen from above, countless streets divided the city’s buildings, and the flow of people was endless, bustling and lively.

Gu Feng slowed his flight.

The girl kindly reminded him, “Flying is forbidden in Mu Royal City for anyone not of the Mu surname. Shouldn’t we go down?”

At first, being held by Gu Feng had made her somewhat uncomfortable. But little by little, she had come to enjoy the feeling. In fact, she even wanted him to keep holding her forever. She very much wanted to be Gu Feng’s woman.

Gu Feng smiled faintly. “It’s fine.”

Just as they were about to reach the city wall, a middle-aged man in silver armor rose into the air and shouted angrily, “Stop! Do you not know the rules of Mu Royal City? Get down at once!”

His roar startled many people, who all looked this way.

Someone spotted the girl in Gu Feng’s arms and cried out, “Isn’t that Ye Xinlan? Who’s the man holding her?”

“Never seen him. Probably some fool from outside.”

“I don’t think he’s a fool. The Ye family still carries some weight in Mu Royal City. From the look of it, Ye Xinlan seems to be willingly letting him hold her!”

“True enough. Ye Xinlan is a very proud woman. Without real ability, a man would never catch her eye.”

Gu Feng looked at the middle-aged man, who seemed to be brimming with authority, and asked, “Your surname is Mu?”