Chapter 58: The Ferocious Xiao Tian
In the heart of the battlefield, Mu Hai and Huang Tai, both Condensed Qi Stage Ninefold Heaven experts, clashed with explosive force. The sheer energy from their fight created a vortex of power that kept others at bay.
Mu Hai wielded a blue battle sword, a mid-tier second-grade Yuan Artifact, while Huang Tai held a pristine white longsword of similar grade.
Mu Hai unleashed a flurry of blue sword energy, raining down like a violent storm towards Huang Tai. The air filled with sharp hissing sounds as the strikes streaked through it. Huang Tai remained composed, deflecting the barrage with precise movements of his sword, though stray strikes scarred the ground around him with deep grooves.
"Water Moon Slash!" Mu Hai roared as he leaped into the air, channeling his energy into his sword. A crescent-shaped blue sword wave, nearly a meter in size, slashed downward towards Huang Tai.
This mid-tier Yellow-grade Yuan Technique had been cultivated by Mu Hai to perfection. Huang Tai's face darkened as he quickly flung a wooden table into the attack's path, but the blue crescent cut through it effortlessly, continuing its deadly arc toward him.
Huang Tai raised his sword in defense, but the impact forced him to stumble back, tearing his protective energy shield and leaving bloody gashes across his body. The force was so overwhelming that even a Purple Mansion Stage warrior would have been killed instantly.
As Mu Hai pressed forward for the killing blow, Huang Tai cunningly flicked his wrist, launching three poisoned sleeve darts at Mu Hai. Forced to defend, Mu Hai deflected the projectiles with his sword.
A Desperate Move
Using the diversion, Huang Tai shifted his focus. Instead of retreating, he charged straight toward Mu Feng.
"Master Feng!" a Mu family guard shouted, leaping into Huang Tai's path.
"Out of my way!" Huang Tai bellowed, slicing through the guard's skull with a single stroke. His hand, crackling with Yuan energy, reached out to grab Mu Feng.
Mu Feng barely had time to react. Gritting his teeth, he swung his sword with all his strength, but Huang Tai's protective barrier deflected the strike effortlessly. A blast of Yuan energy from Huang Tai's palm struck Mu Feng in the chest, sending him crashing into a wall and coughing up blood.
"Little brat, surrender quietly, and I might spare your life," Huang Tai sneered as he raised his sword to deliver the final blow.
Xiao Tian's Fury
At the last moment, Mu Feng flung several blue Yuan Talismans from his sleeve.
"Boom!"
The talismans exploded in a burst of blue energy, momentarily halting Huang Tai's advance and forcing him back. But before Huang Tai could recover, a streak of white shot out from Mu Feng's robes—a flash of motion so swift it was nearly imperceptible.
"Hissssss!"
Huang Tai's face twisted in confusion as a three-foot-long white serpent lunged at him, breaking through his protective energy barrier and sinking its fangs into his left eye.
"Arghhh!" Huang Tai screamed in agony. The serpent, its body shimmering with white scales and a blood-red dorsal stripe, viciously tore into his eye, causing it to explode in a spray of blood and viscous fluid.
Grabbing the snake, Huang Tai hurled it away, but his body stiffened almost immediately. The venom coursing through his veins turned his face an unnatural shade of black. He collapsed to the ground, convulsing violently as black blood poured from his ruined eye socket.
The room fell silent. The Mu family members and Huang Tai's allies stared in stunned disbelief at the sight. The serpent—Xiao Tian—slithered back to Mu Feng, its golden eyes glinting with a savage light. It coiled protectively around Mu Feng's arm, emitting a low, threatening hiss.
Xiao Tian's Ruthless Instinct
Mu Feng stared at the scene in awe. "You broke his protective shield… and your venom... it's terrifying!" he murmured, gently stroking Xiao Tian's smooth, flawless scales.
Meanwhile, the remaining Huang family members roared in fury. Two of their Condensed Qi experts charged toward Mu Feng in a desperate bid to avenge their master, but Mu Hai and Mu Zhong intercepted them, cutting them off with lethal efficiency.
"Kill them all! Leave no survivors!" Mu Hai commanded, his voice ice-cold as he rejoined the fray.
"Master Feng, are you alright?" Mu Zhong asked, his tone laced with concern.
"I'm fine, just a little internal injury," Mu Feng replied, brushing off the question as he focused on Xiao Tian. The snake uncoiled from his arm and slithered toward Huang Tai's limp form.
A Predator's Feast
Xiao Tian's body expanded, growing to over two meters in length. The snake loomed over Huang Tai, whose body still twitched faintly. With a sickening crunch, Xiao Tian bit into Huang Tai's chest, tearing open his ribcage and exposing his still-beating heart.
"No!" a Huang family guard cried out in horror, but it was too late. Xiao Tian sank its fangs into the heart, ripping it free and swallowing it whole. The horrifying sight sent shivers down the spines of everyone in the room.
Huang Tai's body convulsed violently one last time before going completely still, his lifeless eyes staring into nothingness.
After consuming the heart, Xiao Tian coiled back onto Mu Feng's arm. Its golden eyes narrowed in satisfaction, and its body seemed to shimmer with newfound energy.
Aftermath
The remaining Huang family fighters, leaderless and demoralized, were swiftly cut down by the Mu family warriors. The once-bustling inn was left in ruins, its floors littered with bodies and soaked in blood.
Mu Feng gazed down at Xiao Tian, who was now curled peacefully around his arm, its scales gleaming like polished ivory. Despite the bloodshed, he felt a sense of gratitude.
"You saved me," Mu Feng whispered, stroking the serpent's smooth scales. Though Xiao Tian's actions had been brutal, Mu Feng saw the creature not as a mere beast, but as a loyal companion.
A Warning to Their Enemies
With the battle over, Mu Hai ordered his men to regroup and prepare for their next move.
"This was the price of underestimating the Mu family," he declared, his voice filled with steely resolve. "Let this be a warning to anyone who dares cross us again."
The surviving Mu family members nodded grimly, their faces etched with determination. The war with the Huang family was far from over, but tonight, the Mu family had sent a clear message: they were not to be trifled with.