Wind pressure surged, dust and sand filling the valley floor.
Above the sky, the ancient seal had expanded to about a zhang in circumference, trembling in the void. The inscriptions on its surface blazed with intense light, as if about to seal this entire world within it!
The black-robed cultivator spread his sleeves wide, his expression cold and stern, like a descending deity, heaven and earth changing color.
He stepped forward and said coldly, "The Judgment Seal is merely a trapping seal. This is the killing seal. When the Killing Judgment Seal appears, even an early Golden Core cultivator can be killed with a single strike."
Mu Yun activated the Superluminal Amplitude System and barely managed to dodge the trapping seal's strike, only to be blocked by the energy wall. Just as he was about to force his way out, he felt a great crisis looming.
At the same time, the Zeus Creative Neurological System sent back a warning:
"Warning: Zhang curvature field pressure increased by 300%. Unit space imbalance. Current Nuclear Arc Reactor energy output insufficient to defend against the attack."
"Recommendation: Temporarily overload the Nuclear Arc Reactor, channel energy to the Quantum Defense System, and combine with the Superluminal Amplitude System to evade the central strike zone."
"Execute!" Without time for excessive deliberation, Mu Yun immediately adopted the system's recommended plan.
Boom!!
Almost in the next instant, the ancient seal crashed down.
Countless rocks collapsed, dust waves shot into the sky, and the entire valley seemed flattened!
Branches snapped, leaves flew. The loud crash startled even the birds and beasts at the foot of the distant mountain into flight.
The black-robed cultivator stood in the air, his divine consciousness locked onto the valley floor, not missing a single fluctuation.
"Dead?" His gaze cold, he was about to withdraw the ancient seal when he sensed something amiss.
Crack… A faint sound came to his ears, as if some structure, under extreme pressure, had finally developed a crack.
The next moment! A streak of light rushed out from beneath the ancient seal, piercing through the dust and fog, shooting straight into the sky!
Senior Brother Wei raised an eyebrow. "Still alive?!"
Mu Yun, his hair disheveled, burst out from the ground. His clothes were torn, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but his gaze was colder than ever before!
"Creative Neurological System… assess the opponent's combat power and provide the optimal plan to defeat him," he commanded in his mind.
"Based on the current engagement, predicting combat power and providing the optimal plan will take five minutes. Until then, it is recommended to… flee along the valley using the complex terrain."
"Flee?!" Mu Yun was speechless. He immediately slid down along the cliff wall, and the moment he landed, he activated the Superluminal Amplitude System, his figure darting swiftly through the forest.
"He fled?" The black-robed man stood in mid-air, a trace of contempt flashing in his eyes.
"This young man is young and has no spiritual energy fluctuations. I thought earlier that he was some expert hiding his aura to avoid revealing his identity. Now it seems he is using external objects. Could he be… a disciple of some major artifact-refining sect?"
"If that is the case, though his escape speed is fast using external aids, where can he possibly run?" He flicked his sleeve, glided close to the ground, and flew in the direction Mu Yun had fled.
Mu Yun moved in silence, dead leaves rustling under his feet. His robes barely stirred, his expression calm as still water.
The Zeus Creative Neurological System operated quietly, its radiation spreading like a spiderweb, covering several li. The terrain's ups and downs, air currents, and spiritual energy flow were all mapped in his mind.
After a moment, a three-dimensional combat map had taken shape.
"…That should be enough."
He stopped by a crooked old tree, his gaze sweeping over the rock formations entwined around its roots, his eyes narrowing slightly.
The next instant, he pressed his left palm to the ground, and a gray-silver device the size of a knuckle silently embedded itself into the tree root.
This was an Antimatter Disturbance Module. The rugged terrain and thin spiritual energy here made it ideal for deploying an interference wave field.
"System, mark this location as an ambush point."
"Mark complete."
Without pausing, he swept forward and vanished into the depths of the forest.
…
The five minutes were nearly up.
Mu Yun stepped into a natural fault valley. Heavy mist hung low, the vegetation silent.
The valley was crisscrossed with cliffs and jagged stone pillars, high on both sides, with only a narrow passage winding through the depths—an extremely complex terrain.
He stood at the valley entrance, looking down at the scattered rocks below, his gaze calm.
"…I'll choose this place."
He hurried down and entered the core area of the valley.
Here, three sides were surrounded by cliffs, one side a deep chasm. The mist churned, obscuring vision and disrupting divine consciousness.
"System."
"Fault valley coordinates locked. Current energy remaining: 20%."
He took a deep breath, closed his eyes for three breaths, and when he opened them again, his eyes were utterly serene.
…
Footsteps approached from afar.
The black-robed cultivator finally appeared. He stood on the cliff top, his gaze sharp as a blade, looking down at the valley center.
"Hmm?"
His eyes narrowed.
In the valley, a lean figure stood silently on a rock. His black hair stirred slightly, his face showed no fear, and his gaze was calm and profound.
"Not running anymore?"
The black-robed man's voice was unhurried.
Mu Yun slowly looked up at the figure above and said calmly, "The terrain here is good. You've chased me all this way—this is a fitting place to send you off."
The black-robed man's gaze sharpened, then he chuckled lightly. "Given up? Or do you think you have a way out?"
Mu Yun did not answer.
The black-robed man clasped his hands behind his back, his aura unremarkable, yet it made one's chest feel heavy as a mountain.
He stepped forward on his own, his voice still indifferent:
"You have no spiritual energy inside you, yet you can unleash killing blows comparable to an early Golden Core cultivator. You cannot fly using energy, yet your escape speed rivals that of a mid-Golden Core cultivator. You have evaded me, wounded me, and even my junior brothers… fell by your hand."
The black-robed man paused, then his eyes burst with sharp light.
"All those abilities of yours must rely on external objects."
"I will not kill you."
He narrowed his eyes and looked down. "If you are willing to explain your origins in detail and describe that artifact-refining method thoroughly… I, Wei, will spare your life."
The valley wind blew, gray leaves like feathers drifting through the ravine.
Mu Yun spoke slowly: "If I truly agree to hand over the method, will you really let me go?"
The black-robed man smiled. "Of course."
Mu Yun had not intended to waste words with him, but suddenly an idea came to mind. He calmly spoke three words.
"Suichong Pavilion."
"What?" The black-robed man's expression changed dramatically, but he recovered in an instant.
"I see… Young friend, if your magical treasures come from the Suichong Pavilion, that would explain it."
"Though I, Wei, have seen countless artifacts, I have never encountered such methods. A mere mortal, able to contend with Golden Core cultivators like us."
"If not from the Suichong Pavilion, how could such a miracle occur?"
He stroked his sleeve, his voice measured: "Where is the Suichong Pavilion now?"
Though his tone was light, a sharp edge quietly gathered in his gaze.
Mu Yun listened quietly, without a word.
After a moment, he spoke calmly: "You misunderstand."
The black-robed man's expression tightened, suppressing his irritation.
"Oh? Then please enlighten me, young friend. If not the Suichong Pavilion, then do you have a sect behind you? That 'speed-boosting treasure' and 'energy armor'—which artifact-refining master produced them?"
Mu Yun shook his head. "You don't need to know."
The black-robed man's gaze gradually turned cold.
"Enough, enough. I'll capture you first. I, Wei, have plenty of ways to learn everything about you."
Mu Yun looked at him, neither angry nor afraid.
"You may not be able to capture me. It's not certain who will kill whom."
"Is that so?" The black-robed man snorted coldly. His sleeve flickered, and a golden dharma seal swirled in his palm.
"Then let's see how many of your techniques can block my blows."
With that, he flicked his sleeve, and a golden light chain rushed out from the void, transforming into a zhang-long chain aimed straight at Mu Yun's chest.
At the same time, his Golden Core vibrated again, and his divine consciousness covered the valley, pressing down layer by layer!
Mu Yun did not move. Only as the golden light was about to strike did he shift his foot slightly.
Boom!
The ground erupted! A pre-deployed energy disturbance module detonated!
"The five minutes are up. Now providing the optimal plan to defeat the enemy." Mu Yun's eyes lifted slightly, flashing with cold light.