The towering, imposing city wall stood not far off, the formation lines upon it flickering with a palpitations-inducing radiance. It cast a rare glow into this pitch-black market, allowing Xu Yuan to clearly see the newcomer's appearance.
Besides hideous, compound insect eyes, his pale skin was covered in thread-fine black fissures, splits that looked as though they could rupture at any moment.
How grotesque.
Compared to their last meeting, Mu Xingyi had now completely transformed into a monster clad in human skin.
Staring at the figure inside the stall for several breaths, Xu Yuan chuckled, tossed the yellow fragrant fruit in his hand back onto the stand, and pointed toward the city defense canopy above, which was now fully intact. He replied with a smile:
"I came here naturally to wait for you all, but I'm rather curious how you got inside, Xingyi. The array hasn't even been broken yet."
With that, a trace of scrutiny entered Xu Yuan's gaze. "Is this body of yours a projection?"
Mu Xingyi did not answer Xu Yuan's question. "Such a clumsy probe doesn't seem like your usual style, Brother Xu."
Xu Yuan had no intention of following his lead either. After pondering for a moment, he continued on his own, "Though you and I have some history, ties only go so far. If your true body had arrived, you wouldn't give me a chance to speak. So your current body really is a projection constructed through technique?"
Mu Xingyi's figure remained concealed in the stall's shadows. "This is indeed not my true body."
"Truly an impressive method."
Xu Yuan praised, his slender eyes narrowing slightly. "Yet to create such a projection across the city-protecting array, I imagine you must have used saint origin?"
Mu Xingyi had no intention of trading further pleasantries with Xu Yuan. "Whether it is a projection made with saint origin or my true body, rather than these pointless questions, what you truly wish to ask, Brother Xu, should be my purpose in coming here."
The corner of Xu Yuan's mouth curled into a smile. "So, your purpose wouldn't happen to be urging me to surrender, would it?"
Mu Xingyi's expression remained as calm and relaxed as when they first met, his voice warm and gentle. "I have come to make a trade with you, Brother Xu. After all, you once saved my life."
Looking at this old acquaintance before him who was no longer human, Xu Yuan stroked his chin. "You make it sound like you're quite sentimental. But since you put it that way, it seems you really have come to urge surrender."
After a few breaths of silence, Mu Xingyi said slowly, "Though you will most likely refuse, Brother Xu, I shall finish speaking nonetheless. If you are willing to let Mu Nuo devour you of your own accord, Wan and I can serve the Prime Minister's Manor for a hundred years, whether in life or death."
Hearing this proposal, Xu Yuan could not help chuckling aloud. "Do I look like someone noble enough to sacrifice himself for the common folk of this city?"
Mu Xingyi shook his head and said slowly, "I said we would serve the Prime Minister's Manor for a hundred years. The other Saints outside know nothing of our present conversation. If you agree, the three of us can coordinate with your side to slay them."
"You serve the Prime Minister's Manor? My father would never allow you to live."
"Which is why I said whether in life or death."
"..." Xu Yuan was speechless.
After a brief silence, Xu Yuan shook his head with a laugh. "To pave the way for that ghost infant, the two of you are truly willing to throw your lives away. Is this some kind of biological instinct?"
"..."
Mu Xingyi turned his eyes toward the inn in the northern part of the city where they had once stayed, his tone calm. "If only you weren't so special, Brother Xu, perhaps the two of us could still have heated wine and talked through the night as we did that day..."
"Enough."
Xu Yuan cut Mu Xingyi off, chuckling flatly. "Back then, I did appreciate your character, but as I recall, our acquaintance lasted barely half a month. Isn't this mutual-admiration act getting a bit sickening?"
"You cannot win."
"Perhaps."
"It seems your mind is made up, Brother Xu."
"Celebrating at halftime isn't a good habit—especially when things haven't even officially begun."
With that, a flash of killing intent gleamed in Xu Yuan's eyes. "Besides, even if that ghost brat of yours doesn't come looking for me, once my cultivation improves, I'll go seek him out myself."
"..."
A wordless silence fell.
As their gazes locked, Mu Xingyi's calm tone took on a trace of regret. "So it comes to this after all."
And as that soft whisper faded, Mu Xingyi slowly closed his hideous compound eyes.
High above upon the canopy, an abrupt upheaval erupted.
*Screeech—!*
A piercing shriek of clashing metal echoed through the firmament as a colossal beetle leg-blade pierced the city defense canopy from the outside without warning. The blade tip plummeted at extreme speed, plunging into the ground of the prefectural city like a heaven-propping greatsword and throwing up a cloud of dust.
And this was merely the beginning.
The massive leg blade began to drag, tearing open a hundred-zhang rift across the city defense canopy. Sunlight and the insect tide surged madly toward the breach, tumbling down from midair as shrill buzzing began spreading into the city.
Seeing this, Xu Yuan was just about to tease him that his destructive power was far inferior to the White Emperor's, but when he turned his gaze back to the man before him, Mu Xingyi had already slowly opened his eyes, the aura upon his body suddenly becoming fathomless.
*Oh?*
*Can an Insect Saint transfer its true body into a spell projection?*
Before the astonishment in Xu Yuan's eyes could dissipate, a fine slit on the surface of Mu Xingyi's skin cracked open, and a slender whip-blade extended from within.
In an instant where time seemed nearly frozen, the whip-blade slashed across, lashing toward Xu Yuan.
From top to bottom, the slash mark carved by the strike instantly stretched tens of zhang across the ground. Stalls and buildings along its path were cleaved cleanly in half vertically, and only after a breath did the delayed air currents stirred up by the slash come billowing outward!
The blast of air whipped their clothes. Mu Xingyi stared at the handsome young man still standing before him, a hint of bewilderment showing in his densely packed compound eyes.
Xu Yuan looked back at him as well, his tone carrying a touch of helplessness. "The talks break down and you immediately go for the kill?"
Mu Xingyi fixed his gaze on the man before him. "With your cultivation, it is impossible for you to react."
Xu Yuan shrugged and smiled with squinted eyes. "They say that if a slash is fast enough, a person won't even realize they're already dead. Maybe I'm already dead right now, who knows?"
"..."
Mu Xingyi did not speak.
Bug-men were different from other creatures.
He had no intent-soul to probe his surroundings.
In exchange, however,
the insect's compound eyes granted him dynamic vision far exceeding humans of the same realm.
Just now, at the very instant the whip-blade made contact, Mu Xingyi had clearly seen the figure of Xu Changtian before him flicker, dodging his slash by a hair's breadth.
Seeing this, Xu Yuan gave a faint sigh. "To tell the truth, I rather envy you. You didn't have to do anything at all—just eat your own father and you instantly gained the power of a Saint..."
Before his words had finished, the whip-blades concealed beneath Mu Xingyi's skin shot out once more. Over a dozen abrupt slash marks spread out from beneath Xu Yuan's feet, carving the southeastern section of Huanglong Market into stark, fractured segments!
Yet bizarrely,
apart from a few specks of dust clinging to his robes, Xu Changtian still stood before him completely unscathed.
Every time his slashes arrived, his figure would flicker.
Scanning the widespread devastation behind him and sensing that his dantian was now nearly half empty, Xu Yuan sighed. "I originally wanted to wait until sister-in-law showed herself, but since you've given such a generous greeting gift, Xingyi, this young master naturally ought to return the favor as host."
"It seems you have indeed laid an ambush here. However, are you certain your ambush will work on me—"
Before he could finish, Mu Xingyi's brows suddenly furrowed. He abruptly realized his body had been immobilized by some unseen force.
In the next instant,
countless translucent, profound talismans illuminated from the market's darkness. The crystal-clear talismans interlocked one by one, joining into a continuous sheet that ultimately formed a spherical shroud of light, enveloping the entire market within!
His clustered compound eyes rolled rapidly as Mu Xingyi observed his surroundings. Though he still could not locate the caster, several thoughts flashed swiftly through his mind.
*This is a spell prepared in advance.*
*The caster should only be around the Transcendent Realm.*
*Breaking this talisman array will not be difficult, but it will take time.*
*If he protected himself with saint origin, these talismans would still injure him.*
*Choosing to molt and escape would prevent injury, but it would expend a massive amount of saint origin.*
The tangled thoughts had just flashed by when a split-second of hesitation brought another sudden shift to the surroundings!
The talisman barrier hovering in the air abruptly converged, clinging and adhering to his body like golden chains, firmly locking his aura within this talisman cage.
And right at that moment, Mu Xingyi's rapidly rolling compound eyes caught movement atop the cloud-piercing western city wall.
It was a burly, muscular man hovering in midair.
The man was glaring down at him from above.
And behind him
stood over a hundred city-defense heavy ballistas, drawn, notched, and ready to fire!
Chapter 658