Da Xuan Martial Saint

About half a month away from the Void Tide, it is also the time to leave Xunmu Cave Heaven.

If Ling Ji could hold out for this half-month, she would live.

Otherwise, she would die.

Chen Mu didn't know whether Ling Ji could hold out for half a month, but he was quite calm now. After all, his path in martial arts had been completely cleared. Even if he ultimately couldn't break through this central settlement, it didn't matter much. As soon as he returned to the Da Xuan World, he could immediately attempt to charge into the Blood Exchange Realm, and he would undoubtedly break through in one fell swoop with no bottlenecks.

His strength now was comparable to that of the Celestial Human Level, but there were differences in strength among those at the Celestial Human Level. Ling Huan had previously forced a breakthrough of his limits and utilized the power of Xunmu to achieve strength close to that of a complete Celestial Being. Still, he was by no means strong among them.

For instance, those who practiced the Taiyin lineage and reached the Celestial Human Level, compared with those who cultivated complete Yin Yang and reached the same level, unquestionably had a significant gap in strength. The former might have some ability to protect themselves against the latter, able to flee and withdraw, but they would certainly not be equals.

Chen Mu no longer feared the world's strong. No matter how powerful a Celestial Master was, he was confident in retreating. However, to truly dominate among the Celestials, he would need to take that one step and reach the Blood Exchange Realm.

"Half a month left."

Chen Mu muttered to himself as he bombarded the formation.

Unconsciously, the pinnacle of martial arts was now just one step away from him.

...

Outside.

Ruins Sea.

Powerful auras interwove and filled the air, making the nearby heavens and earth feel incredibly heavy. Even grandmasters standing here would certainly feel the immense pressure.

And if an ordinary person were here, they would probably struggle to remain standing, quickly being crushed to their knees, and may even be unable to withstand the oppressive power of heaven and earth, being literally crushed into collapse.

Above the rolling waves of the sea.

The Pavilion Master of the Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion stood with his hands behind his back, wearing a Mysterious Robe. The surging waves, upon reaching before him, would dissipate into nothingness.

Not far behind him, in the void, was a faint, nearly imperceptible afterimage, which was also intentionally shown. Otherwise, ordinary people wouldn't be able to see his figure clearly; the sensation of being split felt as if it had merged into the void.

The Master of the Blood Hidden Pavilion!

The leaders of two well-known northern sects both stood here.

And that wasn't all. Dozens of yards away stood another figure, whose aura seemed to fuse with the Heavens Vault, vast and boundless. His presence as if giving counsel to the heavens and the earth, was no other than Chu Changhua of the Supreme Diancang Sect from Central Prefecture.

Further away, there were four existences with either grand or subdued auras, standing in various locations. Their auras intertwined, causing the fiercest of the nearby waves to be forcibly calmed.

No less than seven Blood Exchange Realm masters!

It is known that those in the Blood Exchange Realm were high above and top-tier figures in any region, ranking among the highest in any state, and standing at the pinnacle of the martial path. Ordinarily, even Marrow-Cleansing Grandmasters would find it difficult to meet with a Supreme Blood Exchange master, and yet here were gathered no fewer than seven.

Even throughout the entire Cold North with the Eleven States, the openly recognized Blood Exchange experts were only about a dozen. Those seven here might not be Celestials, but they still represented nearly half of the top experts of the Cold North Path.

At this moment.

Even the Dragonwood Island Master had retreated to the distance. His gaze toward the Pavilion Master of the Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion and the others carried a hint of solemnity. His strength was among the pinnacle of the Blood Exchange Realm, almost the strongest beneath the Celestials. One-on-one, he was confident in defeating anyone of the seven present, but two against one? He had little confidence in victory.

And seven against one... Once trapped, even he faced mortal danger!

Although this was the territory of Tingchao Cliff, and the other Blood Exchange experts from Tingchao Cliff were also paying attention to this place, including their top Celestial Masters, he dared not be careless.

"Seven Blood Exchange experts, dealing with one Marrow-Cleansing expert, is indeed taking it very seriously," he remarked.

The Dragonwood Island Master shook his head inwardly.

As many as seven Blood Exchange Realm experts not only gathered and joined forces here but even set up an enclosing formation, making it seem as if they were trying to ambush a Celestial Being. In reality, however, they were merely preparing to deal with someone who had not yet entered the Blood Exchange Realm.

But then again, if he himself were to make a move against Chen Mu, he would likely arrange things in the same way. After all, Chen Mu was indeed no ordinary individual, a once-in-a-millennium genius across the whole world, and he also bore a Heavenly Mandate. Even the forces of heaven and earth lent him aid, so being excessively cautious was never too much. Either don't be his enemy, or when deciding to act, make sure to prevent any possible accidents.

Even more so.

The Dragonwood Island Master was aware that there were more than just those seven Blood Exchange experts present.

In order to guard against any interference from their Tingchao Cliff, there were at least two more Blood Exchange Realm experts in the shadows, and several more had even gone to visit their Tingchao Cliff as guests to ensure they wouldn't interfere.

All this was done as covertly as possible by the other party, who did not want to attract too much attention. Although there were many in the world who did not wish to see Chen Mu become a Peerless Martial Saint and reign supreme, the more people who paid attention, the greater the variables would be.

Of course.

Such a large-scale operation couldn't possibly be kept completely secret, and it would attract attention sooner or later. But as long as the ambush was completed before that, killing Chen Mu above the Ruins Sea, any subsequent uproar wouldn't matter anymore.

"To think such an extraordinary figure is not from our Tingchao Cliff, yet in half a month's time he will be buried here,"

"What a pity, what a pity."

The Dragonwood Island Master sighed inwardly.

However, even if Chen Mu had indeed come from Tingchao Cliff, his rise would not necessarily have been smooth.

Not to mention Tingchao Cliff, even if he were from the Da Xuan Royal Family, it would be the same. Throughout the Ninety-Nine State, various forces and even those from the Outer Sea were not too keen on seeing the birth of another figure like the Da Xuan Martial Emperor.

Was the current fragmented state of the Da Xuan Dynasty Court merely because Emperor Xuan neglected state affairs and the Eight Princes fought amongst themselves?

The situation could evolve to its current state partly because of the involvement and instigation from various parties.

Some forces hoped for a stable world and a prosperous era, but there were also forces that wished to reshuffle the world, if not to overthrow the Da Xuan Dynasty Court entirely, at least to change the past pattern and allow themselves to enter Central Prefecture and wield the power of the world.

A peerless figure like Chen Mu, with a Heavenly Mandate, was indeed extraordinary. However, in the Dragonwood Island Master's view, entering Xunmu Cave Heaven was an absolute mistake. Otherwise, by hiding in the depths of the Outer Sea with a concealed identity, even for people like the Pavilion Master of Mysterious Mechanism, it wouldn't be easy to find him. If he managed to accomplish the Blood Exchange after seclusion and re-enter the world, then he would fear nothing.

But by entering Xunmu Cave Heaven, it was like being trapped in a pot.

The access to Xunmu Cave Heaven from the Da Xuan World was only possible during the rise and fall of the Void Tide, creating a void passage through the weakest point, at an almost fixed location and time. The Pavilion Master of Mysterious Mechanism and others lying in wait meant there was no possibility of evasion.

Given the current circumstances, Chen Mu only had a chance of survival by stepping into the Blood Exchange Realm. But he knew the situation inside Xunmu Cave Heaven all too well. Its unique environment prevented the use of the Power of Heaven and Earth to cleanse the body, making the breakthrough to the Blood Exchange Realm impossible without accidents or outside intervention. In his view, the current situation looked like a checkmate.

...

Those outside were unaware of the situation within Xunmu Cave Heaven.

Similarly.

The people inside Xunmu Cave Heaven were also unaware of what was happening outside.

Led by Yan Hong, Jiang Han, and hundreds of Grandmasters, along with Chen Mu, they were still fiercely attacking the central settlement of the Spirit People Race. The intense battle had continued for nearly fourteen days. Despite the standstill of the formation, the Spirit People's elite were suffering heavy casualties.

These nearly thousand elite Spirit People, though all possessing formidable strength, on par with individuals at the Five Viscera and Six Viscera level, were still in grave danger resisting the more than a hundred Grandmasters and the presence of Chen Mu, even with the power of the Xunmu Grand Formation between them.

After nearly half a month of fighting.

Even the continuous Inner Breath of Marrow-Cleansing Grandmasters, after battling fiercely for nearly a month without rest and now engaged in further fierce combat, would inevitably feel mentally exhausted, yet no one withdrew from the battle at this moment.

That's because everyone understood that as tired as they were, the Spirit People were surely at their limit too. Ling Ji, the new Spirit Ancestor with injuries, was definitely not in a better situation. Whether they could break through this formation was possibly to be decided in this very moment.