Mu quickly and sadly dashed to his grandpa who was bleeding heavily from the chest.
"Grandpa, are you okay?"
Lu couldn't speak. His lips parted slightly, but no sound escaped. His eyes fluttered shut as he fainted in Mu's arms, blood seeping through his robe and pooling onto the stone floor.
"No... No!" Mu shouted, his voice cracking. His hands trembled as he held onto the old man. His eyes burned, and tears fell freely.
"Don't do this, please..."
Three figures appeared in the distance. Their steps were calm and unhurried. Yao Zhilan led them, his white robe marked with red thread along the cuffs. The two beside him stood tall and quiet, but the killing intent they radiated wasn't something Mu could ignore.
"Well done, young man," Yao Zhilan said with a dry chuckle, his gaze scanning the corpses nearby. "You actually killed my men. Hah! Impressive. But as for me… I'm taking you in."
Mu turned his head slowly. His eyes were swollen from crying, but what stared back at Yao now wasn't grief, it was rage. His teeth clenched, jaw tight. His gaze sharpened like a blade.
"You coward," Mu said coldly. "You'll pay for this."
"Coward?" Yao chuckled again, louder this time. "Everyone here knows who the real coward is."
With a single step, Yao's foot struck the stone ground hard enough to crack it. A shockwave rippled from beneath him.
"If you don't want things to get tough, come quietly," he said. "But if you'd rather suffer…"
Mu rose. He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his skin, blood dripping down his palm.
"Do whatever you want. I'm not following you anywhere."
The Manhuman inside him stirred but didn't move. He was quiet and afraid. The strength of these enemies… they were far beyond what Mu could or he could face alone.
Mu spoke to him silently, inside his mind.
"I want them to pay. Can't you help me something? Any technique?"
The Manhuman hesitated.
"There's… one. But it's dangerous. It uses a blood connection."
"Me and you, right?"
"Yes. But it's risky. The Blood Possession Ritual. It lets me take over your body directly but if your body can't handle the spiritual energy, it could destroy you from the inside. You'll explode."
Mu didn't flinch. He stared ahead at the three cultivators, his voice calm.
"For the sake of my grandpa, do it."
"Mu, you'll die."
"I said do it."
The Manhuman sighed heavily.
Mu drew a small blade and sliced a shallow line across his palm. Blood flowed and hovered in mid-air, condensing unnaturally. It glowed faintly, forming a translucent orb of soul essence before merging into his chest.
The ritual began.
Ancient runes circled around him. The sky darkened. Winds howled. A column of light shot upward, swallowing Mu as if the heavens themselves were reaching for him. His body lifted into the air, glowing gold, veins pulsing like molten lightning.
Then… silence.
When the light faded, Mu's feet touched the ground again but his posture had changed. His eyes were blank but sharp. The Manhuman had taken control.
"Let's see how you handle this," the voice that came out of Mu was deeper, steadier.
The two Golden Core cultivators rushed in first, not wasting time.
"Formation: Void Slaughter Array!" they shouted in sync.
A giant web of crimson symbols unfolded beneath Mu, locking the space around him.
"Not bad," the Manhuman said through Mu. "But slow."
He raised his hand. Dozens of spiritual blades spun into existence around him, each forged from a different elemental law. Ice, fire, lightning, metal—flickering and humming with unstable energy.
"He's using multiple elements?" someone whispered from the palace walls. A crowd had gathered. Nobles, guards, and cultivators all stared in disbelief.
"Who the hell is this kid?!"
"Isn't that Wei Chen's son?!"
"Now it makes sense… this brat was hiding his strength all this time."
One of the cultivators attacked with a chain whip formed from molten stone.
"Earthbind Wrath!"
Mu sidestepped once. The ground behind him caved in. He didn't look back.
"Too slow."
He raised a finger.
"Thunder Burn."
A bolt of lightning, sharp and precise, lanced straight through the man's shoulder. The cultivator screamed, falling to the side, body spasming.
The second opponent appeared behind him, slashing with twin blades.
"Phantom Cut!"
Blades phased in and out of visibility, moving at impossible angles.
Mu's body vanished.
Then—BOOM!—he reappeared mid-air, stomping down with both feet.
"Heaven Step."
A crater exploded where he landed. The second cultivator was buried beneath the shockwave, blood pouring from his mouth.
Yao Zhilan clapped slowly.
"Impressive. You let your spirit take over. Clever trick. But I'm not them."
Mu turned his head, voice still cold.
"Come, then."
They clashed in the sky.
Yao Zhilan was very fast. Each blow he launched carried enough force to bend air. He used a curved blade wrapped in purple flames. Each swing left arcs of flame that lingered in the air.
"Burning Eclipse!" Yao roared.
A firestorm erupted. Even the clouds above ignited.
Mu countered with both palms raised.
"Sky-Reaching Palm!"
Waves of golden qi spiraled outward. The flames shattered but not without burning half of his robe to ash.
The palace trembled. Everyone could feel it. Even the elders.
Wei Chen arrived with the lords, eyes wide at the scene above.
"My son—!"
Lin Bo grabbed his shoulder.
"Wait. Let's watch… Your son has something more."
High above, their fight lit up the sky.
Mu launched a barrage of strikes.
"Starfall Fist!"
Yao twisted, dodging mid-air.
"Void Step!"
He appeared behind Mu, slamming a palm into his back.
Mu coughed blood.
Then twisted, smiling.
"You're open."
"Dragon Coil!"
From his feet, a giant ethereal dragon shot out and spiraled upward. It coiled around Yao, slamming into him with pure force.
Yao broke free, but his left arm was now scorched.
The people below watched, stunned.
"This... this isn't a Nascent Soul cultivator fight. This is like watching a demon and a god fight!"
"He's forcing Yao Zhilan to go all out!"
But then… something changed.
Mu's glow began to crack.
The Manhuman screamed inside.
"The energy's too much! Your body—! It can't hold it anymore!"
Cracks split down Mu's arms, across his chest. Light leaked out. His body trembled.
Still, he pushed forward.
"Just one more hit…"
"Mu, stop! You'll die!" the Manhuman shouted.
Yao roared, charging in for the final blow.
"Blood Reaper Slash!"
A crescent of condensed soulforce shot forward.
Mu didn't dodge.
He poured everything into his next strike.
"Celestial Divide!"
Their attacks met mid-air. The world fell silent.
BOOOOOM!!!
The sky split. A wave of energy pushed back everyone on the palace walls. Dust, lightning, and debris scattered for miles.
When the smoke cleared, Yao Zhilan crashed to the ground—half-buried in the rubble, unconscious.
And Mu… floated briefly.
Then his body gave out.
He drifted down like a broken leaf, glowing skin now fading. His body hit the ground softly and unconscious, face calm.
The entire palace was silent.
And somewhere in the crowd, someone muttered:
"That's why he was always so arrogant. He had every reason to be."