Chapter 2160 — Granny Mu

Hearing such words, the fur-robed barbarian asked what was on everyone's mind, "Grandmother... you know him?"

"Hard to say," she calmly responded. "He looks exactly like someone once knew, but his cultivation is much lower, and there's something different about him. That said, the one I knew disappeared millions of years ago, but with his cultivation, I wouldn't be surprised if he is still alive."

"Is this person the same one you would constantly reminisce about to Mother and me?" the fur-robed barbarian asked.

Granny Mu responded with a silent nod of her head.

In the next instant, Chief Mu delivered her eighth blow, merging her martial technique with Celestial Qi to unleash a strike of devastating force. Yuan, however, met it head-on, unflinching. An exhilarated smile spread across his face. It had been ages since he'd been able to fight with his full strength, and the thrill of it set his blood ablaze.

Right before the clash, Granny Mu released her Celestial Qi, enveloping the barbarian settlement to shield it from the impending blast. Just as Granny Mu raised the barrier, a violent ripple tore through the land. Everything within ten thousand miles was erased, save for what her protection covered. Their clash not only reshaped White Hell's landscape but also left behind a massive crater.

However, moments after the cataclysm, the broken terrain began to mend on its own. This was no miracle, but a natural occurrence in places where spiritual energy condensed so heavily that even the land restored itself, some faster than others, depending on the area.

After the clash, Yuan slowly wiped his face with his hand, only to see a faint smear of blood. It was the first time he had been injured-but the wound was nothing more than a shallow cut, so insignificant it barely counted as an injury at all.

He turned to Chief Mu, who looked unscathed. Though her body bore no wounds, the shock of Yuan's unfathomable existence had damaged her mind.

Meanwhile, the dark clouds above swelled outward, their shade deepening into an even heavier darkness.

"Maybe we should've taken this fight somewhere else—a place where we cannot be disturbed," Chief Mu spoke as she looked at the dark clouds with a slight frown on her face.

Yuan smiled and said, "What are you scared of? It's just some dark clouds. It'll go away sooner or later."

Chief Mu narrowed her eyes. "Just some dark clouds? Don't tell me you've never faced a Heavenly Tribulation before."

"On the contrary," Yuan replied calmly. "I've experienced them several times."

Chief Mu wasn't surprised to hear that Yuan had already experienced several Heavenly Tribulations because of how heaven-defying his existence was.

"Anyway, enough yapping and give me your ninth strike," Yuan said a moment later. "I don't have too much time to waste here."

Chief Mu's eyebrows twitched, and she spoke in an annoyed tone, "You're so certain that you will endure all ten of my strikes, huh? Unfortunately for you, that won't happen!" Suddenly, Chief Mu released a chilling aura that made Yuan's skin crawl. This cold was unlike the frigid air of White Hell-it was something else, something otherworldly.

Yuan blinked in surprise at the notification. Chief Mu's chilling aura was so intense that merely standing near her gave him the same result as enduring the seventh region of White Hell. 'Is this the secret to how they can live within White Hell?" he wondered inwardly, his curiosity piqued.

Chief Mu then spoke with a confident smile on her face, "Forget about the tenth strike. If you survive this ninth attack, I'll consider it your win."

Yuan nodded, "If you say so."

This time, Chief Mu took her time preparing for the next strike. Her cold aura steadily intensified, soon surpassing even the seventh region's frost. It grew so dense and concentrated that it condensed into a semi-transparent armor around her body.

Yuan briefly considered taking the attack head-on to temper his body, but quickly dismissed the thought. The cold radiating from her felt potent enough to freeze even his soul.

Realizing what Chief Mu was trying to do, Granny Mu hastily said to the others, "Get as far away as you can from here." Without hesitation, all of the barbarians turned to flee in the opposite direction from the battlefield.

"W-Wait! What about us?!" Lady Chen exclaimed.

"And who the hell are you?" Granny Mu looked at them with raised eyebrows.

The fur-robed barbarian proceeded to explain their situation to her.

"I see. Then you will remain where you stand. If you can survive the aftermath, I may consider letting you go," Granny Mu said, a cold smile curling her lips.

"No way..." Lady Chen and the others collapsed to their knees, their eyes fixed on Yuan and Chief Mu. As Chief Mu's aura swelled in preparation for her ninth strike, Yuan braced himself. His Chaotic Essence surged to its fullest, and he summoned forth the True Primordial Fire. Flames of primordial origin erupted around him, engulfing his figure until he stood encased in an infernal armor, radiating heat that defied the very cold closing in on him.

On top of that, Yuan brought out all of his treasures, such as the Robes of Destruction and the Soul Emperor's Crown-treasures he had decided to wear only when he was fighting in earnest. After all, Yuan was already overwhelmingly strong without relying on treasures. If he wore them all the time, he would feel no excitement in battle, and worse, it would only hinder his training.

Gu Ruyan and the others stared in disbelief, mouths agape, as Yuan covered himself in treasures of immense power. Until this moment, they had been certain he was already fighting with the aid of treasures to overcome their differences in cultivation, but seeing him summon them now proved how wrong they had been.

As though the treasures weren't enough, Yuan also activated God of War's Astral Arts, wrapping himself in yet another layer of protection.

Chief Mu also completed her preparations at the same time. She looked at Yuan and muttered, "Though it was brief, I had fun. Unfortunately, it's time for you to die now." (More chapters in Buyers club for TMT)