Chapter 47: Divine Arts That Surpass the Celestial Staircase

"Interesting!"

"Your camaraderie as fellow sect members actually moves me to tears!"

Shao Wenqiang laughed while shaking his head.

But then he abruptly stifled his laughter, drew the sword at his waist, and said coldly, "Kill them!"

"Clang, clang, clang!"

Accompanying Shao Wenqiang's order.

The squad members under his command each drew their weapons, aiming them at Li Mu and Qian Wenyi.

"Don't you know."

"According to the first rule of the Four Peaks Grand Tournament, aren't you generally prohibited from killing fellow sect members?"

"Acting so lawlessly, aren't you afraid of the sect's enforcement squad's later accountability?"

Qian Wenyi stood in front of Li Mu, loudly questioning Shao Wenqiang and the others.

But his hand gripping the long sword trembled slightly, showing his inner fear and unease at that moment.

The response to him, however, was...

"Whoosh!"

Suddenly, a sharp sound of cutting through the air rang out!

An arrow whizzed, grazing Qian Wenyi's neck and heading straight for Li Mu.

"Boom—boom—boom..."

Li Mu was immediately struck by the arrow, his body slammed hard against the wall.

"Splash..."

The arrow's residual force buried Li Mu beneath it.

"Swish..."

"Big brother!"

Qian Wenyi hurried toward Li Mu, but a mocking cold voice sounded from behind, "Qian Wenyi, even as death approaches you still have time to worry about others?"

"Die!"

Saying that, a young man raised his sword and thrust it toward Qian Wenyi's back.

If that sword landed, even with a top‑grade spirit artifact protecting him, Qian Wenyi would be seriously injured!

"Clang..."

"Bang!"

A crisp metallic clang rang, and the long sword in the youth's hand deviated from its attack trajectory.

The sword's force toward the back was largely reduced, yet it still knocked Qian Wenyi to the ground.

His head struck the bluestone, and he instantly fainted, completely losing consciousness.

However, the youth also felt unwell.

The earlier massive force even tore his palm, blood gushing out!

"Who?"

"What person!"

Shao Wenqiang stepped back sharply, cautiously scanning the surroundings.

"Don't shout so loudly; it's not like I can't hear."

When the dust cleared, a blood‑clothed Li Mu, whose rise time was unknown, stood up and slowly walked toward them.

"What?"

The group that had just trapped Qian Wenyi, preparing to surround and kill him, hurriedly turned and looked at Li Mu.

"Kid, you still aren't dead?"

Shao Wenqiang narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze coldly scanning Li Mu up and down.

The other squad members, now unable to continue the assault on Qian Wenyi, each turned around, pointing their weapons at Li Mu.

"That arrow just now was meant to kill me, right?"

But Li Mu acted as if he hadn't seen any of that, merely turning his neck slightly, strolling over casually, and stopping in front of their squad.

"If that's the case, then if I kill all of you now, would that count as self‑defense?"

"Kid, I think you still haven't faced reality!"

"Die!"

Before Li Mu could finish speaking, a youth wielding a long sword suddenly sprang out beside him and swung the sword toward Li Mu's neck!

At that moment.

"Crack..."

In the dim cave, a blinding flash of sword light suddenly appeared.

In the ears rang a single "Crack!"

Looking again at the youth who had just drawn his sword to slash Li Mu, his round, thudding head fell off his neck.

It hit the ground, rolling far away with a gurgling sound, and a burst of scorching blood suddenly spurted upward!

The scene before them appeared both bewitchingly flamboyant and ghostly.

"Hai..."

"Hai Dong?!"

Shao Wenqiang's pupils widened suddenly.

"What..."

"What?"

"When did that kid draw his sword?"

"Wasn't he just now, in the fierce fight with the Crimson Flame Giant Tiger, already seriously wounded?"

"How can he still have such swift skill!"

Shao Wenqiang and the others retreated in utter panic, their eyes full of vigilance as they looked at Li Mu.

But then, the revenge blade had somehow appeared in Li Mu's hand.

Bright red blood slid slowly down the deep blood groove of the black blade.

Li Mu, like a cold-blooded beast, stared at Shao Wenqiang and his party.

Shao Wenqiang's Adam's apple bobbed as he nervously swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

Even with Shao Wenqiang's ruthless and decisive style, he was deeply shocked by the ruthless tactics Li Mu displayed at this moment.

"Li Mu, hasn't he already fought that Crimson Flame Giant Tiger to the point of both being gravely wounded, barely alive?"

"How can he still possess such terrifying combat power?"

"This..."

"This is impossible!"

Whether it was at the martial debate conference where Li Mu cleanly instant‑killed Zhao Jianfei, or at Ziyang Daochang where Li Mu, in front of tens of thousands of Outer Peak disciples and Inner Peak elders from the Four Peaks, boldly decapitated Qin Zhixiang on the spot.

Shao Wenqiang knew it!

The young man before him is a ruthless person!

Definitely a ruthless killer!

So, even before the two met, Shao Wenqiang was already trying to probe Li Mu's background!

Including just now, even knowing Li Mu was already seriously wounded, they still chose to make Li Mu the primary focus of the first wave of concentrated fire.

Instead of Qian Wenyi!

Aiming to eliminate Li Mu, the greatest threat, at the earliest possible moment!

But even though they were already that cautious, in the end they not only failed to kill Li Mu, but he ended up chopping off the heads of their own men first.

"Everyone, strike together!"

"This time!"

"We must kill Li Mu!"

Shao Wenqiang made a gesture, brandishing swords in both hands, his face full of vigilance as he stared at Li Mu, constantly on guard.

Huang Yiheng nodded, then drew his bow and nocked an arrow, the bowstring pulled tight, ready to deliver a killing blow with a single shot!

"Boom—..."

But before he could release the arrow, a thunderclap accompanied by a flash of violet lightning suddenly rang out.

Amid the lightning and thunder, Li Mu had already appeared before Huang Yiheng.

"Hm?"

"Hm!"

Huang Yiheng's mouth dropped open in shock.

"Two arrows!"

"You shot two arrows at me, so let's start with you!"

Li Mu curled his lip, and the fist hanging at his side suddenly opened, a ball of golden flame sprouting from his palm.

The golden flame was initially only the size of a pill, but in the blink of an eye it spread to cover Li Mu's entire hand.

Then, without giving him any time to react, Li Mu's right palm shot out like lightning, gripping Huang Yiheng's whole face tightly.

"Boom!"

As if something had been ignited instantly!

A fierce burning sound suddenly rang out.

Behold.

The golden flame, like a spark meeting gasoline, instantly surged along Huang Yiheng's face, completely devouring his entire body!

The ears rang with the crackling 'piri-pala' sounds of fierce fire scorching flesh!

While everyone in the arena was still bewildered, Huang Yiheng was already incinerated by Samadhi True Fire, reduced to nothing.

From start to finish, not even a single scream was uttered before the person was completely burned away!

Then, the crisp 'clang, clang…' sounds rang repeatedly.

The spirit artifact, pack, Daoist robe and other items that had belonged to Huang Yiheng scattered across the ground.

And Huang Yiheng seemed to have evaporated from the mortal world, leaving not even a trace of face or hair.

The charred flesh turned into dense, almost tangible golden smoke that swirled around Li Mu, seeping through his pores into his body.

"Silence!"

"Silence as dead!"

Shao Wenqiang and the remaining four felt as if an invisible giant hand were clamping their throats tightly.

They tried to open their mouths to speak, but their throats were so dry that after a long stammer they couldn't utter a single word.

"Perhaps…"

Shao Wenqiang and the others still haven't figured out how a living man like Huang Yiheng could have been…

"... eaten?"

Moreover, the death process was that bizarre!

That kind of terrifying!

【Ding!】

【System identified that the host used Samadhi True Fire to successfully purify an Eighth-Grade Refining Qi Realm cultivator, triggering Tenfold Heavenly Dao Blessing.】

【Congratulations host, obtained Tenfold Harvest!】

【Ding!】

【Congratulations host, successfully upgraded Samadhi True Fire to lv: 2.】

【Ding!】

【Host uses Samadhi True Fire to purify an Eighth-Grade Refining Qi Realm cultivator, and will settle fifty percent of the opponent's current realm to the host!】

With that, the two system prompt sounds rang in succession.

Li Mu could clearly feel that the realm, which had just broken through the Ninth-Grade Refining Qi Realm and still had some cultivation, instantly became stabilized.

Moreover, although the devouring of Huang Yiheng could only grant Li Mu fifty percent of the realm harvest.

Yet this still made Li Mu's cultivation surge dramatically upward!

"Is this one of the divine techniques in the Eight-Nine Profound Skill?"

"Not to mention, Samadhi True Fire can instantly kill an Eighth-Grade Refining Qi Realm cultivator with terrifying lethality."

"While burning the opponent, it can also loot fifty percent of the opponent's current realm harvest as a reward."

"Such a defying-heaven special effect, let alone Earth Tier martial techniques."

"Even the Heavenly Tier martial techniques of the Qian Kun Realm are nothing to behold before this divine technique Samadhi True Fire!"

"Compared to the martial techniques created by the natives of the Qian Kun Realm, Samadhi True Fire is truly a Dimensionality Reduction Strike!"

"The key…"

"My Samadhi True Fire, like the Eight-Nine Profound Skill, can continuously upgrade!"

"Quick!"

"Kill him quickly!"

"Ugh—aaah!"

The remaining four Xiao Tianfeng disciples also scattered, attacking Li Mu from different angles.

Li Mu, wielding the Revenge Blade, strolled leisurely among the crowd.

His senses were fully activated, calmly observing the enemies' movements.

The sound gradually faded, and time seemed infinitely stretched.

"Slow!"

"Too slow!"

"It's really too slow!"

Li Mu merely tilted slightly to the side, easily evading the thrust of a long spear behind him.

Then, with a reverse swing, his blade pierced the man's abdomen!

Golden flames, like a fire python, surged instantly, incinerating the man completely, turning into dense spiritual qi which Li Mu absorbed.

【Ding!】

【System identified that the host used Samadhi True Fire to purify a Seventh-Grade Refining Qi Realm cultivator, triggering Tenfold Heavenly Dao Blessing!】

【Congratulations host, successfully upgraded Samadhi True Fire to lv: 3.】

【Ding!】

【Host uses Samadhi True Fire to purify a Seventh-Grade Refining Qi Realm cultivator, and will settle fifty percent of the opponent's current realm to the host!】

"..."

"You monster!"

"Go die!"

"Whoosh!"

Accompanied by a roar, an arrow materialized and shot out of thin air!

Li Mu only heard its sound, without even looking, casually lifted his hand, easily grasped it in his palm, and then threw it.

The arrow then shot back toward the direction it came from.

"Ah!"

The previously ambushing cultivator, upon seeing this, let out a startled scream, instinctively trying to duck, but Li Mu had already appeared before him, and the Revenge Blade transformed in the air into a sharp lightning, stabbing straight into the youth's chest.

"Splat!"

The strike was too fierce; the black blade tip protruded a long segment behind the youth.

"Ugh—aaah..."

"Boom!"

The intense pain made the youth hysterically roar.

But the next second, a ball of golden flame ignited his entire body!

Li Mu opened his mouth wide and directly swallowed the golden smoke threads formed after the youth was burned into his belly.

Then, Li Mu shook his head in disappointment.

Fighting the Crimson Flame Giant Tiger was a life-or-death duel, whereas battling this group was like playing house with children.

Boring!

Watching Li Mu effortlessly dodge their attacks while, like the Grim Reaper, continuously harvesting his companions' lives.

The Xiao Tianfeng disciples all widened their eyes.

"Hm?"

"Why..."

Why would a Refining Qi Realm cultivator make such a move!

Quick!

He's just too fast!

There's no way to see his attack clearly!

The Xiao Tianfeng disciples' faces turned deathly pale in an instant!

Speed is relative!

In Li Mu's eyes, the speed of those cultivators was as slow as a slide show.

But in their eyes, Li Mu's speed was as fast as a ghost; they couldn't even think of fighting someone like him.

Even you can't see his movements clearly!

Li Mu darted back and forth among the Xiao Tianfeng disciples!

A flash of blade light suddenly appeared!

Immediately after, another burst of blood light shot upward!

At the same time, the crisp system prompt kept ringing in Li Mu's ears!

Ding!

Congratulations, Host. You successfully purified an Eighth-Grade Refining Qi Realm cultivator with Samadhi True Fire, triggering Tenfold Heavenly Dao Blessing!

Ding!

Congratulations, Host. Samadhi True Fire level has reached lv: 4.

Ding!

Congratulations, Host. Samadhi True Fire level has reached lv: 5.

Ding!

Congratulations, Host. Your cultivation has advanced to Ninth-Grade Qi Refining Realm Great Completion!