Chapter 578 - 566: You Are Mu Chen?

Chapter 578: Chapter 566: You Are Mu Chen?

As its form was fully revealed, Mu Chen, standing in the distance, was momentarily stunned. The instant this Magical Beast appeared, the image of a Water Qilin surfaced in his mind.

In terms of appearance alone, this Magical Beast—about five meters tall and seven meters long, with the body of a horse, a Dragon Tail, and the head of a Qilin—was practically the spitting image of a Water Qilin. However, it had no horns, so Mu Chen concluded that it wasn’t a true Water Qilin, but merely a Magical Beast possessing the Bloodline Power of one.

But the Water Qilin was, after all, one of the Peak Magical Beasts. For this beast to possess its bloodline and inherit nearly ninety percent of its appearance, the concentration of that bloodline had to be incredibly high.

"Your codename is Calamity, right?" Fang Bin stamped his foot, leaped into the air, and landed on the Water Monarch’s back, addressing Mu Chen in the distance.

Without waiting for Mu Chen to speak, Fang Bin continued, "You should be aware that, given our respective strengths, continuing this fight will only lead to a stalemate. How about this? We’ll entrust the final battle to our Magical Beast partners. What do you think?"

Mu Chen didn’t object. He completely agreed with Fang Bin, not because Fang Bin was so overwhelmingly powerful, but because his control over his Water Attribute Elemental Power was simply too unique. If Fang Bin decided to retreat and focus solely on defense, Mu Chen wasn’t confident he could win. After all, while his physical strength was approaching the level of a Ninth-Ring Martial Emperor, his Primordial Power was still only equivalent to an Eighth-Ring Martial Emperor. If he tried to fight a Peak Nine-Ring Emperor using only his physical and Primordial Power, he would be the one to lose in the end.

"I also think using our Magical Beast partners will resolve this battle faster."

As he spoke, Mu Chen silently called out to Xiaohai in his mind. Instantly, the sleeve covering his right arm disintegrated, revealing a slender arm and the gleaming silver Star-Shattering Seal.

A profound, never-before-seen Rune rose from Mu Chen’s wrist and vanished into the air. Immediately after, a massive red-and-white Array Map unfurled, filled with strange Runes, complex patterns, and constantly pulsing nodes of golden light.

Suddenly, a bolt of black lightning descended from the sky over the endless yellow sand. The lightning crashed onto the red-and-white Array Map, shattering into countless writhing electric serpents. An immense pressure of Primordial Chaos descended from the heavens, casting a hazy pall over the entire space.

ROAR!!

A piercing roar echoed from the other side of the Summoning Array Map as Xiaohai’s massive body descended directly through it. After being nurtured by Mu Chen’s Primordial Power for two months—and since an Illusion Spirit Beast’s growth evolves along with its master’s—Xiaohai’s appearance had changed dramatically!

The most obvious change was his size. Originally about four meters long, he had now grown to around eight meters. Although this was still far from the height of a Lightning Armor Dragon, his aura had completely surpassed it! At a glance, his black armor, which gleamed with a metallic luster, looked far more solid.

Its well-proportioned and powerful body hovered perfectly straight in the air, its massive Steel Wings radiating a scorching aura. Sensing Mu Chen’s desire for battle, Xiaohai’s Steel Wings unfurled with a WHOOSH. Blue Fire Flames erupted, and the searing air currents parted the clouds, distorting the very image of the space around it.

ROAR!!

With another furious roar, Xiaohai’s body, gleaming with a metallic luster, erupted in a flash of black light. Instantly, countless Sword Blades shot out from his shoulders, back, legs, and even all his joints, glinting with a sinister chill under the glow of the red-and-white Array Map! A suit of form-fitting metallic armor materialized around his body, connecting with his joints and the extended blades to form a perfect suit of armor!

Two red-and-white stripes extended from beneath his metallic feet, crawling up his body. As they spread, the crimson lines seemed to paint a beautiful scroll, quickly imbuing his entire form with a mysterious air!

His black Steel Tail swayed ceaselessly in the air. With every swing, the countless slanted Steel Blades bristling from it slashed out arcs of sharp Sword Qi. Just from that, anyone careless enough to be struck would be left half-dead, if not killed outright!

What’s more, at the very tip of his tail, a cluster of vibrant blue Fire Flame leaped and surged. It radiated no scorching heat, no searing pain—only a vigorous Life Aura.

The moment he saw that flame, Fang Bin’s gaze was involuntarily drawn to Xiaohai’s head. It was the head of a Giant Dragon, pitch-black with a metallic sheen. Two sharp horns with an exceptionally beautiful curve extended from the sides of his forehead, sweeping back. A black, sword-like Sword Blade protruded from his snout, with streaks of crimson-black lightning crackling along its edge.

Even more bizarrely, a cluster of eerie blue fire burned between his brows. This ball of fire was suffused with a vibrant Life Aura, pulsing and throbbing just like a newborn heart.

Its eerie purple eyes stared at him indifferently, devoid of any emotion!

"What is that?!"

Sitting in the Black Camp’s rest area, Mu Junwu suddenly gripped the arms of her chair and shot to her feet. Her jade-green eyes were fixed on the Magical Beast. As a Wood Attribute martial artist, she could sense an unparalleled Life Aura from it, even through the dimensional barrier! It was a Life Aura infinitely close to the absolute peak! And yet, despite possessing such vitality, it gave her a feeling of extreme danger and oppression!

The atmosphere in the entire arena hall grew heavy. At that moment, no one was paying attention to Mu Chen or Fang Bin anymore. Every single gaze was fixed on Xiaohai.

Like Fang Bin and Mu Junwu, they had never seen such a Magical Beast. It was domineering! Majestic! Fierce! Powerful! It seemed to possess every quality a Magical Beast should have, and even qualities they shouldn’t!

’Is that Mu Chen’s Illusion Spirit Beast?’

Chu Aoqing whispered the question, her voice audible only to herself. ’Perhaps I’m the only one in the entire arena who can remain this calm,’ she thought. After all, she alone had witnessed the forging of this Contract on the first level that day. Seeing Mu Junwu’s astonished expression, Chu Aoqing had to resist the urge to tell her what the beast was, but she knew this wasn’t the right place. It wouldn’t matter much if Mu Junwu knew, but if others found out, it would certainly cause a panic. It was best to avoid such unnecessary trouble.

Inside the arena, Elder Lei watched Mu Chen on the screen with a complicated expression. He gave a wry smile. "So, it’s him."

"Is this really a Magical Beast?"

Fang Bin murmured softly. He could clearly sense that this Magical Beast’s rank in the Magical Beast Realm wasn’t particularly high; it wasn’t even a Royal Beast yet. But being stared down by a creature that looked like a living weapon, he felt an urge to retreat. Moreover, a Beast Master and their beast’s hearts are linked. His Water Monarch, which to his knowledge had never been intimidated before, was now showing the impulse to prostrate itself. Before the fight had even started, he had been utterly defeated in terms of presence alone.

"I think... there’s no need to continue this fight."

Fang Bin shook his head with a wry smile and sent his Water Monarch back to the Summoning Space. The truth was, he hadn’t wanted to recall it. His Water Monarch had developed an immense fear of the black Magical Beast before it. It had even retreated three times without anyone noticing.

Mu Chen said nothing in response to Fang Bin’s words. He’d had a plan from the moment he chose the highest-level king-of-the-hill tournament. He knew his current strength was just barely enough to handle an Eighth-Ring Martial Emperor; anyone stronger was beyond his ability to fight. To win, his only ace in the hole was Xiaohai. Of course, if he had his Profound Jade Fan, that would be another matter entirely.

So, the moment Fang Bin suggested they battle with their Magical Beast partners, the fight was already over. Xiaohai’s aura had surpassed even that of a Divine Beast. Although Xiaohai’s own rank in the Magical Beast Realm was only Tier Five Seventh Ring, it was impossible to resist his pressure without the Cultivation of a Venerable Realm Magical Beast.

"Aren’t you going to say something?" Fang Bin asked, taking a deep breath.

"Say what?" Mu Chen asked.

"Your name, for example. Or your Martial Arts Realm. We’ve been fighting for so long, and all this time you’ve used that strange combat style. All I know about you is that your codename is Calamity," Fang Bin said with a laugh. "They say a man should know why he’s been defeated. I’m Fang Bin; I’m not a nobody. At least grant me the clarity of my loss, so I know who to look for when I seek my revenge next year."

The joke instantly closed some of the distance between them. Mu Chen had known from the start that Fang Bin was very different from the others in the White Camp. Now, it was clear that the difference was significant.

"Unwilling to say?" Fang Bin sighed.

"Not at all. It’s just that you probably wouldn’t recognize my name," Mu Chen said with a self-deprecating laugh. "But since you’ve put it that way, I suppose it would be arrogant not to answer. My Martial Artist Realm is only Seventh Ring."

"A Seventh-Ring Martial Emperor?!" Fang Bin exclaimed, staring at Mu Chen in astonishment. He couldn’t fathom how a Seventh-Ring Martial Emperor had managed to fight him to a standstill, let alone possess such an unknown and terrifying Magical Beast.

But Mu Chen just waved a hand. "Not a Seventh-Ring Martial Emperor. A Seventh-Ring Martial Sect. I wish I were a Seventh-Ring Martial Emperor."

"Are you messing with me?" Fang Bin’s expression darkened. He already felt that losing to a Seventh-Ring Martial Emperor was utterly humiliating. Now, this guy was claiming to be a Seventh-Ring Martial Sect? Wasn’t that just a flagrant insult?

Mu Chen gave a wry smile. "You’re not happy if I say nothing, but you don’t believe me when I tell the truth. Regardless, what I said is true. It’s up to you whether you believe it."

With a dark expression, Fang Bin stared at Mu Chen for a long moment before saying helplessly, "Fine. Then what’s your name?"

"Mu Chen."

"You’re Mu Chen?!"