In the distance, cultivators who had intended to get closer were thrown prostrate to the ground by the overwhelming sound wave of the two words.
Gu Yunjue, less influenced under the shield of the Protection Soul Bell, just gave a faint frown at it. Whereas, Mu Chen' reaction was quite interesting.
Though Mu Chen's cultivation was two levels lower than Star-Cloud Exalt's, he seemed to have sensed no pressure. His attention drawn back by the words instead, Mu Chen drove his sword through Star-Cloud Exalt's throat in that instant.
The horror-struck Star-Cloud Exalt stared into Mu's eyes, disbelieving that Mu was immune to the attack of Immortalization Stage until he realized something. He opened his mouth and seemingly uttered two soundless words. But before finishing his speaking, he was beheaded by Mu Chen with a single swing of his sword.
"How dare you!" The man with white hair yelled furiously, stretching out his hand to Mu Chen in an attempt to save the victim's divine soul.
Upon hearing this angry rebuke, Mu Chen raised his eyebrows. Then he casted the Nine Yang Dark Fire to the dead body, forced out the hidden divine soul and stamped on it mercilessly.
Provoked to anger, the man stroke a palm toward Mu Chen. At this moment, Gu Yunjue gave a snort and drew his long sword from the sheath immediately. The two devilish powers collided with each other, which forced Gu Yunjue to retreat a dozen steps. Seizing the chance, Gu Yunjue pulled Mu Chen behind him. Then, he picked up the last piece of Star-Cloud Exalt's divine soul with his sword and stabbed it to death in a blink.
Gu Yunjue put his hands around Mu Chen's waist and rubbed it violently. At the same time, he summoned out the Protection Soul Bell which casted golden light overhead Mu Chen with a hum. With a faint smile, Gu Yunjue took the chance and pushed Mu Chen into the Bell.
After realizing what had really happened, Mu Chen tried to get outside but was bounced off by a magic array inside the Bell. He hit it with his sword furiously, but only got the same result. He immediately realized that he was locked up by the treacherous disciple!
Noticing Mu Chen's rage, Gu Yunjue just gave a faint smile again and said nothing. He was fully aware of Mu Chen's situation. Mu Chen's divine soul was too unique. If this secret was found by the foe, Mu Chen would be in danger.
Beholding his most capable subordinate killed right in front of him, the Devil Lord was filled with rage that had been forgotten for ages. This irritation, however, stimulated him to laugh. "Little kid, how dare you...eh?" The Devil Lord said, looking at Gu Yunjue as if he was a ridiculous and ignorant clown.
However, he suddenly sensed Gu Yunjue was of the similar blood lineage with himself and was stunned by it. "The Seventeenth?" he asked with uncertainty.
He had so many sons, but he remembered only a few. He just named his sons in accordance with their birth sequence. Anyway, what he wanted was just a qualified shell to conceal himself, not some fabulous family.
He had not thought that the poor boy he sent to the Immortal Realm had grown up to be so strong a man. "The bone age is at sixteen; the devilish power is at Synthesis Stage; the spiritual veins are three times wider than normal people's; the body has been strengthened by miracle remedies to be immune to poisons!" His eyes running down Gu Yunjue's body, the Devil Master said excitedly and even threw the annihilation of Star-Cloud Exalt's divine soul into the winds. "Seventeenth, come back with me. I will let that go." The Devil Lord said. His black pupils turned red gradually and stared at Gu Yunjue with mounting excitement.
"No!" Surprisingly it was not Gu Yunjue but Mu Chen who refused him decidedly at first. The voice ringing in Gu Yunjue's mind, contrary to its normal coldness, was full of fury. "I brought him up. He is mine!"
"You treacherous disciple! Set me free!" Mu Chen kicked the glow inside the Protection Soul Bell and shouted.
Undoubtedly, the thought that his most precious thing would possibly be taken away had thrown Mu Chen into a panic.
"Don't worry. I will not leave you." Gu Yunjue reassured his master by his divine sense after noticing Mu's agitation.
Feeling no breath of Mu Chen, the Devil Lord knew immediately he was hidden by Gu Yunjue. Perceiving this, he suddenly smiled. "Seventeenth, if you want this man, just take him with you. Besides, there will be numerous beauties standing in line for you in the Devil Realm."
Gu Yunjue squinted his eyes thoughtfully as if he was really considering the possibility of this offer.
Again, Mu Chen gave a violent kick at the glow. 'No way!'
Finding that Mu Chen had really been irritated, Gu Yunjue curved the corner of his mouth into a smile, deciding to cease teasing on him. "I will certainly take him to the Devil Realm. But someday!" He said, seemingly with a pity.
"Then I will take you two together!" A hand grasped out of the void. Gu Yunjue dodged in a flash and reappeared in the air. The long sword buzzed in his hand as if it would be broken soon because of too much spirit power imbued in.
"Um?" Little had the Devil Master thought Gu Yunjue should dare to fight directly against him.
After a collision of the two devilish power, Gu Yunjue looked at his half-broken sword pitifully. This weapon was indeed not as good as the one he had used in his prior life. 'I should find a chance to get the Farewell Sword back.'
"You're a lot like me." The Devil Lord said with satisfaction.
"That's terrible." Looking at the Devil Lord, Gu Yunjue smiled fearlessly.
"Come back with me. I'll give you whatever you want."
"For me, his smile outweighs all of the three realms." Gu Yunjue said in earnest. His words brought blushes to Mu Chen's face and his ears. 'This perfidious disciple speaks imprudent nonsense even at this crucial moment!'
"In this case, I have to bring you home and teach you a good lesson." The Devil Lord said, looking at Gu Yunjue disappointedly.
Gu Yunjue laughed and pointed to the sky.
With a creak groaning in the air, a giant sheet of purple lightening crashed down between Gu Yunjue and the Devil Lord, accompanied with which, a green figure showed up with Yue Mingze in his hand.
After dropping down Yue Mingze and scanning around, the man saw Gu Yunjue and waved to him, "Hey! Here I meet you again, little buddy!"
Gu Yunjue smiled faintly toward him and then complained to Yue Mingze, "You're too slow, Chief Master Brother."
Taking a deep breath, Yue Mingze glared at Gu Yunjue with murderous intent in his eyes, 'Save your words! You wanna me here or not?'
Yue Mingze had been waiting for the green-dressed man since he received Gu Yunjue's message. After he finally met this man, he racked wits and managed to keep him.
Yue Mingze was still wondering how Gu Yunjue arranged all this perfectly. Five days ago, he was suddenly informed from another message to save Mu Chen together with this man. The man hurriedly carried him to come over for help the moment hearing it. He torn apart the space-time easily, but headed toward the wrong direction for several times. After exploring the way for a long time without any rest, he finally arrived at this moment!
"Where's Mu Chen? Which one?" The man in green asked.
"He wants to kill Martial Uncle Mu. Kill him first." Yue Mingze pointed his finger at the Devil Lord. Though having no acquaintance of this man with white hair, Yue Mingze could still recognize that he was a hard-core. Yue Mingze was about to figure out this man's identity by asking Gu Yunjue, but only to find that Gu had already disappeared when he turned around.
Why did he ask for help since he could escape from the danger?
Yue Mingze gnashed his teeth with anger and tried hard to restrain himself after realizing that Gu Yunjue just lured him into this mess.
This junior martial brother was nothing but a troublemaker!
Indifferent to the two new comers, the Devil Lord kept searching for Gu Yunjue, as his physical condition would be exhausted to support himself after half a day. Gu Yunjue was his new prey. How could he give up this long-coveted body?
The man in green, grabbing his tousled hair, stood in front of the Devil Lord in a flash. "You wanna kill Mu Chen?" He asked impatiently.
For an instant, the Devil Master looked stunned at the man's speed. "Get out!" The Devil Master fumed, slapping with his hand.
Mu Qing defended against it with a single hand without any fluctuation of his spirit power. "You wanna bully people in my family? Don't you dare?!" The ill-tempered man yelled, with green lightning sparking in his black hair, while giving a good kick on the Devil Master's chest and throwing him backwards far away.
Mu Qing rolled up his sleeves, rushed toward him again, and punched on the Devil Lord repeatedly like an unruly rogue. "Even the immortal lords have to bow down before Mu's. Who the hell are you? I've never seen a man more insolent than you in the three realms!"
The Devil Lord vomited a mouthful of blood, his face turning pale. He looked at Mu Qing incredulously, 'Facing with his cultivation, I should be helpless to fight back. Where does this man come from?'
Gu Yunjue watched what had happened just now from the Water Mirror in his hand. His face turned gloomy. 'I was right! With this enormous power, this man must be from the God realm, instead of any of the three realms of immortals, devils, or demons!'
Gu Yunjue understood that there was nothing he could do if the man wanted to take Mu Chen away.
Staring blankly at Gu Yunjue and Mu Qing in the Mirror, Mu Chen gave a sudden chuckle after a pause, full of fatigue in his voice. Utterly worn out, he was not in the mood to say a word nor think anything.
"Master." Gu Yunjue said gently. He put the mirror on the table and wrapped his arms around Mu Chen from behind.
"Let me out..." Mu Chen didn't even bother to hit against the bell again. Little had he expected that the Protection Soul Bell he sent to Gu Yunjue would be unbreakable to himself one day.
"Where does Master want to go?"
Feeling the arms around his waist fastened, Mu Chen signed helplessly. If Gu Yunjue was just the master of Gazing Chen Pavilion, they would have a leeway to discuss. What he wanted from Gu Yunjue was just an answer to the question—whether he was threatened or not. However, now that Gu Yunjue kept silent of his powerful devil cultivation and other divulged secrets, he had no interest in the answer at all.
Out of mind, out of question. His heart was tired.
As was shown in the Water Mirror, the Devil Lord split the space and made his escape into the Devil Realm.
Mu Qing rolled down the sleeves and looked around. "Where's Mu Chen?" He looked puzzled.
Yue Mingze twitched the corner of his mouth. How could he know? He couldn't even perceive any of their breath since he lost sight of Gu Yunjue. Then a suspicious thought came to his mind. Gu Yunjue was here when he arrived, but where was Mu Chen?
"Master, do you want to talk with them?" asked Gu Yunjue, holding Mu Chen still in his arms.
Downhearted and disappointed, Mu Chen made no answer but remained cold.
"We'll go straight to the Lofty Cloudy Sect. My Senior Martial Brother, no need to look for us." Heaving a sign, Gu Yunjue sent a voice message to Yue Mingze.
The danger past and god forgotten? Yue Mingze felt speechless.
Controlling the Water Mirror to switch the scene with his thought, Gu Yunjue saw Gu Yunjining in the distance.
Knowing that the Devil Lord had returned to his realm with wounds and Star-Cloud Exalt dropped dead, Gu Yunjin waved to his followers. "Retreat!" He ordered decidedly, with a trace of fierce hostility in her eyes.
Narrowing his eyes, Gu Yunjue gazed at Gu Yunjin thoughtfully as the corner of his mouth curved into a mischievous smile.
Mu Chen tilted his head and caught the glance of this expression. He covered Gu Yunjue's eyes with his hands coldly.
"Master," Overlapping his palms on Mu Chen's, Gu Yunjue spoke softly. "Give me a chance to explain. Ask me anything you want to know, I will tell the truth. I promise."
Mu Chen shook his head and felt too tried to hear anything now.
"Master, please don't leave." Gu Yunjue buried his face on Mu Chen's neck. His voice was constrained with pains, which touched Mu Chen's heart. He opened his mouth, but finally said nothing.
"I built this Gazing Chen Pavilion merely for my safety. My fate is under others' thumbs. I don't want to betray the Sect and Master. So I have to develop my own power to protect myself and master from danger. But I didn't expect it should cause misunderstanding. It's my mistake." Gu Yunjue whispered slowly, as if he was afraid of stirring up Mu Chen's sensitive emotion again. The soft tone entered Mu Chen's ears and lightened his mood like a magic power.
Seeing his explanation work, Gu Yunjue continued his conciliation. "Master, you are well acquainted that I am an immortal-devil hybrid. If I only practice either one of the two cultivations, there will be an imbalance in my spirit power, which can easily put me in the danger of disorder."
Mu Chen frowned thoughtfully.
Seeing Mu Chen's reaction of that look, Gu Yunjue said no more. He wanted to give Mu Chen a second to figure it out alone. If he couldn't explain it clearly now, he knew, more troubles would wait for him in the future.
The gulf of misunderstanding, which distanced two people, was generally caused by the lack of explanations.
Moreover, one more lie could damage the long-established trust between two people, which in turn would be difficult and painstaking to repair.
Therefore, the thought of telling lies to Mu Chen never occurred to Gu Yunjue. Sometimes, Gu Yunjue did keep things from Mu Chen just because it was not a good time to tell. But he never lied to him.
"Who taught you to practice the devilish cultivation?" Mu Chen asked abruptly after a short silence.