Chapter 44: Return to the Purple Mansion
A thunderous roar echoed through the dense forest as two young men armed with swords and blades faced off against a ferocious beast.
The creature before them was a Blood Tiger, a feral predator covered in crimson fur. Standing over three meters long, it exuded an oppressive aura, its dagger-like fangs glinting ominously under the dappled forest light.
The Battle
Mu Feng and Mu Kuang exchanged a glance before advancing on the beast. The Blood Tiger snarled, its golden eyes glimmering with disdain as it lunged at Mu Feng with terrifying speed. Covering nearly eight meters in a single leap, the tiger opened its maw wide, aiming to devour him whole.
With a nimble retreat, Mu Feng narrowly avoided the beast's pounce, pivoting mid-air to swing his sword downward at the tiger. The blade collided with the tiger's extended claw in a sharp, metallic clang, and the impact sent Mu Feng skidding back a few steps.
"Kill!" Mu Kuang roared as he raised his blade high, descending on the tiger with a mighty strike. The tiger, however, lashed out with its powerful tail, cracking it like a steel whip. The blow struck Mu Kuang square in the chest, ripping through his clothing and leaving a bloody gash. The force of the strike hurled him to the ground.
Mu Feng seized the opportunity. "Frenzied Blade Technique!" he bellowed, leaping into the air with a spinning motion. His sword created a flurry of blinding slashes that carved into the beast's hide, leaving it bleeding profusely.
As the Blood Tiger recoiled in pain, Mu Feng channeled the power of his twelve blood-spirit meridians into his fist. The air around him vibrated as he unleashed his attack. "Spirit Vein Punch!" His fist glowed with a radiant white light before slamming into the tiger's head.
The impact was devastating. The Blood Tiger's massive body, weighing over 400 kilograms, was thrown several meters backward, landing with a heavy thud. It twitched and groaned, unable to rise.
With a final swing, Mu Feng plunged his sword deep into the creature's skull, silencing it forever.
Triumph and Recovery
Mu Kuang picked himself up, dusting off his clothes. He winced at the sight of his torn garments and bruised torso. "Brother Feng, that punch of yours is insane! I'd wager even a third-stage Purple Mansion cultivator wouldn't stand a chance against it."
Mu Feng chuckled. "With twelve fully restored meridians, my power is certainly above the average, but it's still far from enough."
Turning to the Blood Tiger's lifeless form, he said, "I'll be using this one to cultivate."
Mu Kuang nodded, moving to guard his brother. Mu Feng wasted no time, sitting cross-legged beside the carcass and drawing its life essence into himself. He placed the white serpent egg beside him, and a fraction of the tiger's potent energy was absorbed by the egg as well.
Hours passed as Mu Feng focused on mending his shattered Purple Mansion, the internal space within his dantian. The essence of the tiger fueled his recovery, gradually piecing together what had once been broken.
Breakthroughs
Over the next two weeks, Mu Feng and Mu Kuang hunted multiple ferocious beasts in the depths of An Nan Ridge. Each battle brought them closer to their goals.
Mu Kuang, aided by the Green Origin Fruit and his improved physique, successfully opened his own Purple Mansion—an upper-grade Purple Mansion, no less. Such a feat was rare and largely attributed to the transformation his body underwent through Burning Blood Body Refinement.
Meanwhile, Mu Feng fully restored his Purple Mansion. The once-broken space was now a vast, vibrant void capable of holding four times the Yuan energy of a standard Purple Mansion. It was a supreme-grade Purple Mansion, an extraordinary achievement.
Inside his dantian, the Yuan energy swirled into a tightly coiled white cyclone, marking his advancement to Purple Mansion Stage One.
Mu Feng opened his eyes, which now gleamed with a sharp, predatory light. A faint smile touched his lips as he clenched his fists. "I'm back… back to the Purple Mansion stage. Zhao Heng, prepare yourself. One day, you'll kneel before me, begging for forgiveness."
Mu Kuang grinned at his brother's renewed confidence. "Brother Feng, you did it?"
Mu Feng nodded. "Yes, I've returned to the Purple Mansion stage."
To test his newfound power, he retrieved the low-grade Yuan sword he had claimed from an earlier battle. Yuan energy surged from his dantian into the blade, igniting it with flames.
"Blazing Sword Technique!" he shouted, swinging the flaming sword toward a tree several meters away. A blazing arc of energy shot forward, cleaving through the trunk before burning out three meters beyond it.
Mu Feng stared at the aftermath with wide eyes. "Such power… I didn't expect it to be this overwhelming."
The Blazing Sword Technique was a low-tier fire-element Yuan technique he had practiced in the past. With his new Purple Mansion and enhanced Yuan energy, the technique's power far surpassed his expectations.
Looking Ahead
Mu Kuang clapped him on the shoulder. "With your strength, Brother Feng, even higher-level cultivators would fear you. What's next?"
Mu Feng sheathed his sword. "We continue. There are still greater foes and challenges ahead. The path to true power has only just begun."
With their resolve steeled, the two brothers prepared to delve deeper into the dangerous wilderness, determined to push their limits and carve their names into history.