Chapter 541 - 531: Elder Feng’s Arrival

Chapter 541: Chapter 531: Elder Feng’s Arrival

"Hmm? I did say that, but just because I don’t like wearing them doesn’t mean I never will." Tilting her head with a smile, Chu Aoqing continued, "I’ve already prepared your room. It’s the Cultivation Room, so you won’t have to sleep on the plush chair anymore."

"Huh?" This was a pleasant surprise. Mu Chen smiled happily, and just as he was about to say thank you, an immense concentration of Primordial Power slammed down from the sky. Chu Aoqing’s brow furrowed. The space beside her split open, and the ancient Heavy Sword Tai’e appeared in her hand, its seal already broken.

"So, they’re here?" Mu Chen’s lips curved into a grin as he looked up at the sky.

"Who could it be?" Chu Aoqing was bewildered. Mu Chen’s expression told her that the visitor was not an enemy.

"Wait here in the dorm for a minute," Mu Chen said, turning to Chu Aoqing. "I’m just stepping out. I’ll be right back."

"No." Chu Aoqing frowned, rejecting his suggestion outright. "I’m your personal guard. I don’t recognize this Primordial Power fluctuation. Even if they don’t have malicious intent, I have to guarantee your safety."

Mu Chen seemed a little exasperated. He said gently, "Don’t worry, I know this person. Well, I might as well tell you. He’s the Guardian of Holy Beast Mountain, Feng Chaoming."

"Feng Chaoming? The Martial Fool, Feng Chaoming?" Chu Aoqing’s expression was one of pure shock. Clearly, his name was a legend within Holy Tomb Mountain.

"Could he be here to ask you about that celestial phenomenon from earlier?" Chu Aoqing mused to herself, then said to Mu Chen, "So he’s still alive, and he even became the Guardian of Holy Beast Mountain. If it’s him, then I can relax. Legend has it that Elder Feng is extremely protective. He’d even stand up for one of Holy Tomb Mountain’s most unruly students if they got bullied in the Outer Realm."

As she spoke, Chu Aoqing withdrew her Primordial Power, and the Heavy Sword Tai’e returned to its sealed state.

"I guess I was getting too caught up in the ’personal guard’ title. Everyone has their secrets. Go on." Chu Aoqing crossed her arms over her chest, the pressure creating a deep valley between her ample curves.

Hearing Chu Aoqing’s relaxed tone, Mu Chen felt a pang of sympathy. He sighed and said, "Actually, a hundred years ago, Elder Feng Chaoming suffered a grievous injury. In that incident, he lost his left palm..."

Mu Chen quickly recounted what he had seen inside Holy Beast Mountain, then concluded, "So that’s the gist of it. He’s come to find me because I have a method for regenerating severed limbs."

"What? You have a way to regenerate severed limbs?!"

Chu Aoqing, who was always known for her calm and nonchalant demeanor, was finally showing an expression of pure astonishment. It wasn’t just her; even someone like Nameless would be utterly shocked to hear such a thing!

Regenerating severed limbs... that was a power only a Great Power of the Emperor Realm could possess! And even an Emperor Realm expert would have to expend a significant amount of their Cultivation to accomplish it.

"You really have that kind of power?" Chu Aoqing asked, stunned. A flicker of hope, almost imperceptible, shone in her eyes.

"Of course not," Mu Chen said without a moment’s hesitation, his tone utterly righteous.

"Er..." Chu Aoqing gave Mu Chen an adorable look, tilting her head in confusion. "Huh?"

Mu Chen found himself momentarily dazed by her expression. He quickly recovered, rubbing his nose. "What I mean is, I don’t have the *power* to regenerate limbs, but I do have the *method*. As for what that is, I’ll tell you when I get back. If we keep Elder Feng waiting, he might just blast the dorm to pieces."

With that, Mu Chen took a single step, activating Instantaneous Step, and vanished from before Chu Aoqing’s eyes, leaving her alone in the hall to murmur to herself.

’Does he really have a method to regenerate severed limbs?’

In that instant, Chu Aoqing’s heart trembled violently. A tall, imposing figure surfaced in her mind, and her eyes began to mist over.

...

Outside the dorm, high in the air, a bolt of purple lightning tore through the sky with a CRACK. In the next flash, Mu Chen’s figure appeared at its location.

Opposite him, a scarred, fierce-looking old man was staring in awe at the miraculous Body Technique, his expression full of admiration. It was none other than Feng Chaoming.

"Impressive. Very impressive. What is your relationship with the Thunder God Hall?"

"Huh?" The question caught Mu Chen off guard. "The Thunder God Hall?"

Feng Chaoming sneered. "Still trying to play dumb in front of me? I’ve fought experts from every corner of the world. What kind of Combat Skill haven’t I seen? What you’re using is clearly Furious Thunder Force, a technique that only the Direct Lineage of the Thunder God Hall can learn."

"Er..."

Mu Chen was stunned. ’I can’t believe the person Master happened to save all those years ago was actually from the Direct Lineage of the Thunder God Hall.’

"Struck dumb, aren’t you? Hmph. But you don’t have the Thunder God Seal of the Thunder God Hall’s Direct Lineage, so how did you learn this Cultivation Technique? Did you... steal it?" Feng Chaoming gave Mu Chen a strange look, then waved it off. "Forget it. I’m not interested in any of that. Just a word of advice: whether you came by it through a fortunate encounter or stole it, never use this technique in front of a Core Disciple of Thunder Flash. If you do, you’ll have endless trouble. That old geezer Lei has a nasty temper."

As he spoke, Feng Chaoming waved his hand, pulling Mu Chen right in front of him. He said sternly, "Are you certain you have a way to restore my palm and my internal injuries? Kid, don’t make promises you can’t keep. Even a Holy Mark Tripod Master like Linghai couldn’t help me. What makes you think a little whelp like you can?"

"I can."

Mu Chen nodded, his reply brimming with confidence. He pushed the matter of the Thunder God Hall to the back of his mind. He was in Holy Tomb Mountain now; he couldn’t let it distract him. His top priority was his Cultivation.

"Very good." Feng Chaoming gave a cold smile. "If you fail, heh, I promise I won’t kill you. Now, tell me, what are your terms?"

Mu Chen was happy to be speaking with a sharp man. "My terms aren’t unreasonable. I just want permission to enter and exit Holy Beast Mountain."

"Permission to enter and exit Holy Beast Mountain?" Feng Chaoming chuckled. "And you call that ’not unreasonable’? Do you have any idea what Holy Beast Mountain is? It’s not a place you can just waltz into whenever you please. Besides, this concerns the relationship between humans and Magical Beasts. If humans are constantly entering their world, those old coots inside Holy Beast Mountain won’t remain calm."

Mu Chen shook his head. "When I say ’enter Holy Beast Mountain,’ I don’t mean going inside the Mirror Screen. I mean the Outer Realm. If you can’t even manage something like that, then I see no reason for us to continue this discussion."

"Oh?" Feng Chaoming’s expression darkened, but a smile played on his lips. "You’re quite direct, aren’t you? Aren’t you afraid I’ll just detain you and force you to tell me the method?"

"Of course I’m not afraid. You’re the most protective elder in Holy Tomb Mountain, bar none. You’d never lay a hand on me. Don’t forget, I’m a student of Holy Tomb Mountain who has signed the Illusion Spirit Contract. You wouldn’t let anything happen to me."

Mu Chen chuckled. He wouldn’t have been so cheeky if it weren’t for Chu Aoqing’s earlier description of Feng Chaoming’s personality.

"Haha..." Feng Chaoming’s expression softened, and he laughed. "You little rascal, you certainly do your homework before a fight. Very well. I don’t need you to restore my left palm; that’s not a problem that can be solved on the current Extreme Martial Continent. As long as you can heal fifty percent of my internal injuries, I’ll agree to let you enter Holy Beast Mountain whenever you wish. The Outer Realm only, of course."

The corner of Mu Chen’s mouth curved up. "Is that to say you don’t believe me?"

Feng Chaoming said, "You’re serious?"

Instead of answering, Mu Chen gave him the most effective proof possible: a piece of his own memory, shared directly.

When Feng Chaoming saw the image in Mu Chen’s memory—an image of Mu Chen himself with a missing right arm—his pupils suddenly dilated. In a flash, he was at Mu Chen’s side, gripping Mu Chen’s right arm with his own remaining right hand. After examining it closely, he exclaimed, "This is real?"

"As real as it gets!"

"Heh, ’as real as it gets,’ eh?" Feng Chaoming released Mu Chen’s arm. "If you can truly restore my palm, you will be my savior. For the rest of my days, I will guarantee your safety... at least, until the day I die."

Seeing Feng Chaoming’s earnest expression, Mu Chen immediately moved to refuse. But before he could speak, Feng Chaoming cut him off.

"Don’t refuse. My life’s greatest pursuit is battle—fighting against all kinds of Martial Artists. This broken body and my crippled left palm have destroyed that pursuit. You could say that I am living in misery, a life worse than death. If you can heal my ailments and my disability, you will be giving me my life back. In that sense, your grace is tantamount to giving me a second life. If all I give you in return is access to Holy Beast Mountain, my conscience will never be clear."

The sincere words made it impossible for Mu Chen to refuse. He knew that refusing again would surely antagonize Feng Chaoming. The man was direct and straightforward, but he also had a formidable temper.

"Alright, I accept," Mu Chen said with a nod. "However, can you wait one more month? After a month, I will personally come and heal you."

"One month? A month it is. I’ve endured for a hundred years, what’s one more month to me?" Feng Chaoming wasn’t disappointed. He didn’t even ask for a reason, and was actually smiling. He then produced a lion-headed token from his sleeve. The token was extraordinary; though just an inanimate object, it radiated a thick, barbaric aura.

"This is a Holy Beast Order. Just infuse it with Primordial Power to activate it, and it will transport you directly to Holy Beast Mountain. In one month, use it to come to Holy Beast Mountain. I will be waiting for you there."

After tossing the token and these words to Mu Chen, Feng Chaoming turned gracefully and vanished in a single step. Even grievously injured and crippled, he was still immensely powerful. At the very least, Mu Chen could tell from Zhu Jiuqian’s past words and actions that Feng Chaoming was one of the true patriarchs of Holy Tomb Mountain, with a status no lower than Dilaka’s!

Taking a deep breath, Mu Chen glanced at the full moon, his thoughts turning to the Tiger Green Spiritual Liquid in his Storage Ring. ’If it’s just to restore one palm,’ he thought, ’two-thirds of it should be more than enough.’

’The reason my own arm was so difficult to regenerate was mainly due to that strange curse on it. Otherwise, a tenth of the Jade Green Spiritual Liquid probably would have been enough.’

’I’m not in a rush to absorb the Gold Attribute Primordial Power. First, I should focus on mastering the Beginner’s Chapter of the Forest of Myriad Manifestations.’

His plan set, Mu Chen’s figure abruptly vanished, leaving only a silvery afterimage in his place...