An old man who looked to be in his 40s sat on a throne in the massive hall, clenching his fist.
"What did you just say? Care to repeat that again?"
The young soldier, trembling, stammered, "Second Young Master's life lamp has blown out."
The old man's eyes burned with fury as he raised his palm. Suddenly, a massive hand materialized above the young soldier.
Slam!
The soldier was crushed to the ground, blood splattering everywhere.
"Whoever killed Mu Bahai, I will wipe out their entire bloodline!" the old man roared.
"Father, please allow me to go to Shadowveil Jungle and investigate my brother's death," a young yet elegant man stood up and spoke.
He was Mu Chean, the first young master of the Mu family and a rare talent who had reached the Perfected Peak Martial Warrior level before the age of 25.
"Mu Chean, I grant you the authority to command the Mu Family's Second Squad—Beast Squad. Go and find out who killed your second brother. I will erase their entire lineage," the old man declared.
He was the current patriarch of the Mu family, a Martial Grandmaster. Though Mu Bahai was not talented or exceptional, he was still his son. How could he sit idly when his own blood had been slain?
"I will definitely bring back the head of whoever killed my brother, Father," Mu Chean vowed before striding out of the hall.
Deep in the jungle, Xian Yu had ventured far.
"Huff… A Martial Master beast, huh? Is this the deepest part of the jungle? I can only find Martial Master beasts here," Xian Yu muttered, standing atop the massive corpse of a bear-like beast.
"I've finally mastered the first form of Crimson Gale and the first two forms of Bloodstrike Blade. I should head out now."
Just as he made up his mind to leave, a powerful aura surged behind him. Though he couldn't tell exactly how far it was, it was undeniably strong.
A Martial Grandmaster beast!
Xian Yu knew that despite his recent breakthrough to Martial Master, he had no chance of defeating a Martial Grandmaster. Without hesitation, he turned to retreat.
A squad of warriors was searching the jungle.
"I can't find the Second Young Master's body anywhere. Did a beast eat him?" one of the masked men muttered.
He was a member of the Beast Squad, the second strongest squad in the Mu family. Only talented members of the Mu family could join, with the minimum requirement being Beginner Peak Martial Warrior, making them a force to be reckoned with.
"Quiet!" a woman dressed in all black snapped. "Keep searching! We're not leaving until we find clues about the Second Young Master!"
She was the squad leader, an Intermediate Martial Master.
"First Young Master, I sense someone approaching," she suddenly warned.
Xian Yu was sprinting through the jungle.
"Damn it! That beast is still following me. Is it hunting me?!"
Just then, he sensed multiple strong auras nearby. Though they weren't weak, they were no match for a Martial Grandmaster.
"I should warn them?"
As he got closer, he noticed one of the men wearing the same outfit as Mu Bahai.
Xian Yu halted.
"Are you from the Mu Family?" he asked coldly.
"We are the Beast Squad of the Mu Family. Have you seen any groups of people around here?" the woman in black questioned.
Mu Chean looked at Xian Yu carefully, a flicker of recognition flashing in his eyes.
"Oh, so you're from the Mu family. Are you looking for Mu Bahai?" Xian Yu smirked.
"How do you know the Second Young Master? What happened to him?" another squad member demanded.
"You want to know where Mu Bahai is?" Xian Yu's smirk deepened.
"I'll send you all to him."
"What do you mean?" Mu Chean asked, gripping his sword tightly.
"I mean I'll send you all to the afterlife!" Xian Yu roared as he launched an attack.
Xian Yu had already scanned their auras.
"The only real threat is the woman. The rest? Nothing to worry about."
Ten beast squad member between Intermediate peak martial warrior to perfect peak martial warrior rushed at him.
Before they could strike—
Boom!
Xian Yu vanished. He reappeared behind them.
"Ember Slash!"
The ten warriors were struck down instantly. Though they didn't die, they were heavily injured.
"What just happened?" Mu Chean was stunned. "Did he just teleport?!"
"No," the woman in black corrected. "That was an extremely advanced movement technique. It's definitely more powerful than anything in the Mu Family." Her eyes narrowed.
"I remember you… Xian Yu. To think you're still alive. And you killed my brother?! I'll feed you to my dogs!" Mu Chean spat venomously.
"You don't need to dirty your hands, Young Master. I'll handle him," the woman declared, drawing her sword.
"Execute the Air Sword Formation!" she commanded.
Eight warriors surrounded Xian Yu, their swords levitating in the air.
"Air sword control? So this formation lets them control swords in midair? I need to be careful."
Xian Yu deflected several attacks, but two swords managed to graze him." Tch. This is tougher than I thought."
Still, his mastery over Whispering Frost allowed him to dodge the air swords. "This technique is impressive. Give it to the Mu Family, and we'll ensure your death is painless," the woman sneered.
Xian Yu laughed. "You think so? Then prove it!"
"Blazing Fang!" A fiery energy of thrust errupted, incinerating all eight air swords.
The woman barely dodged. "That attack… If it hit me, I would've been seriously injured."
Her gaze sharpened. "This guy is no ordinary warrior. His techniques are beyond anything I've seen. I have to extract his soul and take them for myself!" She activated another sword technique. Illusions of fluttering flowers surrounded Xian Yu.
"An illusion? No… It's something else." Xian Yu focused his soul energy. "It alters my perception of the surroundings. This woman is more dangerous than I expected." Suddenly, each "butterfly" transformed into a razor-sharp blade, swarming toward him. He blocked what he could, but wounds accumulated across his body.