It wasn’t like Shaochen didn’t try to resist. He retreated with his fastest speed, utilizing several dozens of different movement techniques.
One must admit that the youth was an erudite scholar, performing these famous techniques from different systems in succession within the blink of an eye.
Alas, his amazing speeds and these prominent movements were useless. The power disparity was too great. There was nothing he could do if Li Qiye truly wanted his life.
The spark still fell on him. After making contact, he didn’t combust right away. The fire looked small enough to be patted away but in reality, this was akin to lighting up a piece of paper, not very flashy at the start. There was no smoke just yet but the burning process was indeed there. The paper would start to become ashes while still maintaining its overall shape.
A lack of visual indicators aside, Shaochen was indeed burning up with his skin gradually turning gray. More importantly, his flesh, muscles, and vitality were burning away with the skin. It meant that everything touched by this gray shade was being destroyed by the fire, including true energy.
“Ah!” The youth in pain couldn’t help but pat the area touched by the fire. Alas, the area turned to ashes and scattered, just like a piece of burnt paper would.
The pain was too much to take but the youth didn’t dare to pat the fire again. This was different from a body being destroyed. If it was shattered via a conventional and physical means, it could always be reconstructed with his power and his clan resources.
This wouldn’t do for Li Qiye’s method. This flame would truly destroy something. There was no way to recover the burnt areas.
“Ah!” His miserable screams echoed and made others shudder and gasp.
They thought about how imperious and arrogant he used to be until now - no way of escaping death.
“No…” At this moment, his entire lower body has turned to ashes so the fire was now heading for his forehead where his true fate resided, fully aware of the serious implications.
“Ahh!” The shrill scream turned worse, sad enough to tug at heartstrings.
“Buzz.” As it was being burned, his true fate suddenly released a brilliant light pinning across the sky.
The light created a door made of thick and flowing runes. It creaked and began to open just like an extremely heavy gate.
Everyone saw a magnificent scene with rolling mountains and beautiful rivers. It was filled with massive power just like a land of the immortals.
“The Mu Clan!” Most realized the place instantly.
“What is that?” The weaker cultivators remained confused.
“That clan has prepared something for Mu Shaochen when he’s near death. It’ll bring him back to the clan.” An ancestor explained.
Bringing something from Myriad back to Imperial was costly even for this clan so it had to be a fatal moment for them to bring Shaochen back.
“Buzz.” The door shot down a pulsing ray as illuminating as the sun straight for Mu Shaochen.
These rays came together and pulled him inside the portal. Next, with a pop, it disappeared from sight as if nothing had happened.
“Did he die?” Everyone didn’t know whether Shaochen was still alive or not and if the Mu could save him.
***
“Ah!” His scream echoed across the clan back in Imperial.
“Chen’er!” A sorrowful voice answered him.
“No!” Shaochen continued to scream since his true fate was about to be done for.
It was too late for the ancestors to help. In fact, even if they had ample time, they couldn’t come up with a way to stop Li Qiye’s method.
“This is not good!” These ancestors were shocked because Shaochen’s remnant soul hidden in the clan was being infected with this fire as well.
Remember, the clan was afraid of the youth being killed outside for causing trouble, so they used their art of immortality to take out one soul of his and stored it in the clan. With this, even if someone else were to destroy his true ate outside, he would have a chance to live again with this last soul.
Unfortunately, this final strand of soul hidden in the safest area of the clan was being burned as well.
“No…” Shaochen realized that death was coming.
“He, he, he’s coming to destroy our clan...” He didn’t forget to state this final line. It wasn’t for retribution, only to warn his clan.
“Who?!” One ancestor yellowed.
“Fier-ce-st…” Shaochen let out his last word before his last soul turned into a crisp.
He himself became a pile of ashes. The entire clan became silent.
Both the upper and lower echelons had no idea what was going on, only that it was something bad judging by Shaochen’s warning.
They let him down to Myriad in the past to take refuge, but also to sharpen him as well. Though it was training, they still sent Heavenrend Viper, an Eternal, to protect him. The viper was still a big shot in Imperial, let alone Myriad.
Plus, given the reputation of their clan, no one in Myriad should dare to provoke Mu Shaochen. But now, the viper has yet to return. Everyone could put two and two together.
More importantly, this enemy could use such a heaven-defying method to defeat their art of immortality. They initially believed that as long as Shaochen’s final sliver of soul was in their clan, he would never die.
Who in this world could defeat this art so easily? They couldn’t come up with an answer.
These ancestors naturally realized that a powerful foe was coming for them!
“Go send a message to our True Emperor, let him down that an enemy wishes to harm our clan.” One ancestor regained his wits and sent a messenger for their Eldest Young Noble.
He was Shaochen’s oldest brother, currently a famous True Emperor!
“Shen’er…” Shaochen’s senior gritted his teeth while holding the youth’s ashes: “I will avenge you, I will rip the flesh out of whoever did this to you. The Mu will not rest until this is done!” [1]
Though they didn’t know who “Fiercest” was, they would never let his death goes unpunished. If this person dared to come to attack their clan, they would not let him leave alive! It was also a matter of defending their clan’s prestige as one of the three behemoths in Imperial.
They have swept through the world before. Everyone was afraid of them; their enemies never had a good outcome.
“I don’t care who this Fiercest person is, but if he dares to kill a member of the Mu, show him no mercy!” Another ancestor’s eyes flashed with murderous intent.
1. Senior here is just a word for the older generation, could be father/uncle/grandpa, unclear