I have better weapons

“Y-you! You… ahhh!”

After a brief moment of stunned silence, Ren Qi, finally registering the pain from the clean cut on his arm, let out the most venomous scream he had ever uttered.

More than the unbearable agony, he was shocked by what had just transpired before him; he hadn’t even clearly seen Mù Qīngyǔ’s movements.

‘This isn’t how things should be going,’ he thought.

‘Why is this happening?’

‘Wasn’t she just a paper tiger, strong on the outside but weak within?’

‘How could she possibly cut off his arm?’

Mù Qīngyǔ lowered her standard-issue longsword, noticing a distinct chip on its blade.

She couldn’t help but sigh softly.

“Indeed, the disparity between swords is truly immense.”

Seeing her so unconcerned, Ren Qi’s wide eyes were riddled with dark, bruised blood vessels.

Anger and astonishment contorted his face, making his expression grotesquely comical.

“Are there other enemies nearby, you bastard?”

“What kind of skill is a sneaky ambush!”

“Come out and duel me head-on!”

Unable to tolerate his shouting, Mù Qīngyǔ pressed a finger to her temple, looking utterly exasperated.

“I am standing right in front of you.”

“Do you truly believe there’s anyone else around here?”

Upon entering, Mù Qīngyǔ had borrowed the remote control for the base’s machinery from Qiao Yíng.

After locating Ren Qi, she had casually blocked their path of entry.

She had no intention of using herself as bait, sacrificing her life to delay the enemy.

On the contrary, she did this to prevent the enemy from escaping, and she also wished to avoid anyone witnessing what was about to unfold.

Ren Qi gasped for breath, his gaze clearly indicating that he still couldn’t believe Mù Qīngyǔ had just severed his arm.

He clung to the hopeful notion that Mù Qīngyǔ was merely putting on a brave front.

Driven by this thought, he even lunged at her with his remaining, perfectly intact claw.

His target was Mù Qīngyǔ’s neck.

In front of Ren Qi’s hand, this pale, slender area seemed like a fragile toy, capable of being crushed with minimal effort.

Ren Qi wanted to see if, once he had Mù Qīngyǔ’s lifeline in his grasp, she could still maintain such an infuriating expression.

However, before Ren Qi’s palm could even touch Mù Qīngyǔ, she moved with the same blinding speed as her previous strike.

She raised her leg, spun around, and delivered a fierce kick that landed directly on Ren Qi’s abdomen.

The black monster’s movements ceased in an instant, his two crimson eyes bulging as if they might pop from their sockets.

Immediately afterward, under the powerful impact, his massive body was sent flying backward, tumbling several times across the ground before crashing straight into the wall.

As the shattered debris settled, Ren Qi rose from the rubble, a roar scattering the surrounding dust.

Mù Qīngyǔ, her dark hair swirling, narrowed her eyes slightly.

She hadn’t expected this fellow to be even more resilient than she’d imagined.

After a sword strike and a kick, he still possessed such vigor.

Ren Qi stared at her for a long moment, not raging as he had before, but instead letting out a sinister laugh.

“It seems I’ve been too influenced by the otherworldly demon; my mind has become dull.”

“You, this so-called Master Qín, truly only possess this level of strength.”

Though he had suffered a minor setback due to his carelessness, those two attacks, while seemingly ferocious, had failed to inflict any serious damage on Ren Qi.

No one would have expected that Master Qín, who had always been lauded as supremely powerful, possessed only this much ability.

After merging with the otherworldly demon, Ren Qi believed that a Tier-3 Spirit Wielder was no longer his match.

Even if a Tier-4 appeared, he might not win, but he could at least exchange a few blows and then seize an opportunity to escape.

After their recent exchange, Ren Qi was absolutely certain that Master Qín’s displayed strength would not exceed Tier-4.

“This is hilarious; I almost thought you were a Tier-6, but this is all you are?” Ren Qi continued to laugh.

“I even considered setting up elaborate traps to welcome you.”

“It seems completely unnecessary.”

As he spoke, his severed arm regenerated.

He lightly flexed his fingers, feeling no unfamiliarity whatsoever.

Mù Qīngyǔ did not refute his words; a slight curve merely appeared at the corner of her lips.

‘Hmm?’

This sight made Ren Qi somewhat wary.

He wondered if his assessment was incorrect.

In truth, if Mù Qīngyǔ had heard his thoughts, not only would she not refute them, but she would likely laugh, for he was absolutely right.

‘Is being that strong truly something to be so happy about?’

‘If he knew I was actually only Tier-2, he’d probably die laughing on the spot.’

Mù Qīngyǔ muttered inwardly, then picked up a strand of her own hair, her gaze slightly hardening.

Her originally dark hair now contained a few inconspicuous white strands.

She could easily cover them by smoothing her hair, but they felt like invisible blades, pricking at her heart.

This was her first time using the mysterious palace’s power.

The newly unlocked function was essentially a charging mechanism.

Whenever she modified spells within the palace, energy would be replenished.

Once fully charged, a glowing orb would light up as a reminder.

Mù Qīngyǔ had already tested the purpose of this energy on her own.

It had only one use: to temporarily boost her strength.

This enhancement was compulsory and incredibly potent, allowing her, who was originally quite weak, to effortlessly send Ren Qi, merged with an otherworldly demon, flying.

It was a convenient function, akin to drawing a trump card for survival in critical moments.

However, once this card was played, Mù Qīngyǔ had to end the battle swiftly.

The spiritual power boost from the mysterious palace’s charge could only be sustained for a very short period and came with significant side effects.

To use a machine analogy, Mù Qīngyǔ was currently operating in an overloaded state, abandoning all other functions and dedicating all her power to the combat function.

The fatigue and exhaustion that followed the effect’s end were a given, and even her disguise would gradually fade during this time.

To fight with all her might, she had to do so as ‘Mù Qīngyǔ,’ not ‘Master Qín.’

‘If only I could end the battle in one go.’

Still, it was better than being utterly helpless.

From Xǔ Tiānlí’s condition, it was clear he had already done his utmost.

As his master, if Mù Qīngyǔ continued to slack off, her own conscience wouldn’t allow it.

Clang!

Crack!

Thud!

Mù Qīngyǔ discarded the chipped standard-issue longsword, her gaze seemingly searching for the next suitable weapon.

It was at this exact moment that a loud bang erupted from Ren Qi’s position.

The black monster’s body vanished from where he stood, appearing before her in the blink of an eye.

First came the oppressive sight of his body, followed by the rush of wind from his rapid advance.

His dark shadow completely enveloped her, and his raised claw, devoid of any pity, swung down upon her.

The usual Mù Qīngyǔ would have been utterly unable to react to such a strike, left only to passively await death.

But now, she could perceive the direction from which the claw attacked, and she could raise her hand to block its path before it even touched her.

Bang!

Ren Qi’s eyes widened, sensing that the impact felt wrong.

His palm had indeed connected, but the imagined scene of her body being torn apart did not occur.

His sharp nails merely stopped beside her cheek.

Mù Qīngyǔ had blocked Ren Qi’s attack with a single hand, her body not swaying in the slightest.

He had thought he was striking a towering mountain.

Air currents converged around Mù Qīngyǔ, forming a vortex above her head.

‘So this is the effect of Xǔ Tiānlí’s Qi Accumulation Art?’

‘How wonderful.’

‘There’s no need to dodge; standing still and taking hits doesn’t hurt much.’

Ignored, Ren Qi bared his teeth and unleashed a flurry of punches, each carrying a deadly rage, intending to pummel her into a bloody pulp.

However, these tempestuous fists seemed no different from an ordinary person’s punches to Mù Qīngyǔ.

Even without specifically blocking them, she would be unharmed.

She even yawned, infuriating Ren Qi to the point where he almost ground his molars to dust, and he accelerated his punching speed once more.

Crack!

The ground beneath Mù Qīngyǔ’s feet shattered, yet she remained standing perfectly upright.

Only when Ren Qi felt a touch of fatigue and slightly slowed his pace did she raise her hand.

The vortex above her head immediately changed its form, erupting outwards.

Air currents coiled around her fist, imbuing the punch with a terrifying momentum.

Ren Qi’s hairs stood on end in that instant.

He decisively abandoned his attack and switched to full defense.

Mù Qīngyǔ’s single punch unleashed a force he couldn’t generate with countless blows, sending him flying once again.

The black monster did not lose consciousness, but as he scrambled to his feet, he realized both his arms were deformed and fractured, bending at grotesque angles.

‘Was she truly this strong?’

Ren Qi was already considering retreating, but he forced himself to calm down.

His greatest characteristic was his composure; without this habit, he would never have climbed to his current position within the Shan Hai Collective.

Mù Qīngyǔ also glanced at her own fist; her formerly pale hand was now slightly red and swollen.

Seeming to notice her condition, Ren Qi forced a smile.

“You still can’t defeat me.”

“What does it matter if you’re stronger than me?”

“Your stamina is ultimately limited.”

Mù Qīngyǔ would eventually exhaust her strength, but he was different.

As long as she couldn’t kill him with a single blow, she couldn’t truly defeat him.

Even if he couldn’t win immediately, Ren Qi could wear down his opponent through a prolonged battle.

The situation was still in his favor!

Seeing Mù Qīngyǔ pick up another sword from the ground, he shrieked even louder.

“Those pieces of junk can only be used once, not to mention they can’t kill me.”

“What’s the point of all this struggling?”

“Oh, indeed, these swords are quite useless.”

Mù Qīngyǔ casually tossed it aside, the crisp clatter echoing in Ren Qi’s mind.

“After all, I have a much better weapon.”

She smiled, a smile more terrifying than Ren Qi, the half-human, half-ghost monster himself.