The Great Ruler: Reborn as Mu Chen, sweeping across the vast world!

Mu Chen and Luo Li headed towards the end of the final spiritual path.

The deeper you go, the more treacherous the environment becomes.

The towering ancient trees were gradually replaced by a strange tree that was entirely black, with twisted branches like ghost claws, its canopy so dense that it blocked out the sun.

The forest was dimly lit, and a thin mist carrying the smell of decay hung in the air. The ground was covered with a thick layer of humus that had accumulated over countless years. It was soft and silent underfoot, but it concealed a swamp that could devour life.

This is the final obstacle before the end of the final spiritual path: the Black Demon Forest!

Only by traversing this forest can one undergo the final spiritual initiation and compete for the Spirit Crown!

Mu Chen walked through it with steady steps, his sharp eyes scanning his surroundings.

The powerful perception spread out like invisible ripples, taking in every rustle of wind and grass within a radius of hundreds of feet.

The rustling of lurking poisonous insects, the trajectory of flowing miasma, and even the faint aura of distant mythical beasts were all clearly discernible.

Luo Li quietly followed half a step behind Mu Chen, her glass-like eyes calm and still, only softening slightly when her gaze swept over the tall, black-clad figure in front of her.

As the two traveled, the attacks they encountered increased rather than decreased. The spirit beasts in the Black Demon Forest were even more ferocious and cunning, and most of them possessed potent poisons or special abilities.

But for Mu Chen and Luo Li, these threats were not enough to move them.

Often, before the attackers even show their claws, they are killed with a punch or a sword, their essence taken as provisions.

After this period of development, Luo Li has steadily reached the fifth level of spiritual body!

They hardly need to communicate with each other; a glance or a subtle gesture is enough for them to understand each other's intentions.

Mu Chen launched the main attack with overwhelming force, using brute strength to overcome skill; Luo Li provided support with agile swordplay, filling in any gaps in their defense!

The two were traversing a forest of withered trees shrouded in a pale purple poisonous mist when Mu Chen suddenly stopped and raised his hand in a gesture of farewell.

Luo Li stopped immediately, and the Luo Shen Sword silently slid into her palm.

"There are people ahead, quite a few," Mu Chen said in a low voice, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Twenty-three, all with strong auras. Gathered together, there's one level four, four level three, and the rest are level two."

In the depths of the Black Demon Forest, a place fraught with danger where everyone is prey to each other, such a large gathering of people is anything but ordinary.

Either an alliance was formed, or a powerful figure was brought together to subdue or unite the people.

After passing through the deadwood forest, a relatively open valley in the forest comes into view, where the poisonous fog has thinned out.

In the center of the valley, a group of teenagers had gathered, and at a glance, there were exactly twenty-three of them!

These people were dressed in various styles, most of them with weathered faces and sharp eyes, clearly all outstanding individuals who had made it all the way to the Black Demon Forest.

They vaguely formed a loose circle, with several figures standing out prominently in the center.

The appearance of Mu Chen and Luo Li immediately attracted everyone's attention.

The conversation in the valley abruptly ceased as gazes were cast upon them, filled with scrutiny, vigilance, and undisguised assessment.

When these gazes fell upon Luo Li, expressions of amazement were hard to suppress.

Even in this dark and filthy Black Demon Forest, her long, flowing silver hair and her aloof and peerless face still shone like the bright moon reflected in murky water, captivating all who beheld her.

When they saw Mu Chen beside Luo Li, some of them looked surprised and uncertain.

They were victims whose blood-red tokens had been stolen, and by sheer luck, they managed to snatch other people's tokens...

Amidst the varied gazes of the crowd, a white figure emerged from the group gathered in the center and slowly walked forward.

The man was dressed in a spotless white robe, with a handsome face, red lips and white teeth, gentle eyes and a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.

From afar, it exudes a refined and elegant air, completely out of place in the treacherous environment of the Black Forest.

His steps were unhurried, his gaze crossing the distance between the valleys to land on Luo Li, his eyes burning with undisguised intensity.

However, Mu Chen beside Luo Li caused the white-robed youth to pause slightly. The gentle smile on his face remained unchanged, but that smile never reached his eyes.

His gaze shifted from Luo Li to Mu Chen's face, scrutinizing him from head to toe. His voice was clear and bright: "My name is Ji Xuan. This must be Miss Luo Li. And how should I address this friend?"

Ji Xuan!

Mu Chen understood immediately; it was indeed him.

One of the biggest rivals in the early part of the original work, hypocritical, pretentious, and ambitious.

A mere level four spirit body is not worth mentioning at all!

His expression remained unchanged as he calmly stated, "My name is Mu Chen. I hope you will all do me a favor and hand over your tokens to avoid suffering physical pain!"

Ji Xuan's gentle smile froze completely.

The expressions of the twenty-odd teenagers behind him changed from astonishment to absurdity, and then from absurdity to humiliated anger.

In this Black Demon Forest, their team was a behemoth, and even the team led by another genius, Wen Qingxuan, had to give them a wide berth!

Now, a young man who seems to be a lone wolf dares to speak like this?

"Your Excellency," Ji Xuan's voice remained composed, though its tone had cooled slightly, "this joke is not funny."

"This guy is really arrogant!" A burly young man wielding a heavy hammer couldn't help but step forward, his eyes wide with anger.

He is a level three spirit, and is considered one of the top combatants in this team.

"Who do you think you are? How dare you be so insolent in front of Brother Ji Xuan!"

laugh!

The sharp sound of the pebble cutting through the air was so brief that it was almost an illusion.

Immediately following was the muffled sound of bones shattering, mixed with a shrill, distorted scream.

"Ugh—!"

The burly young man's anger froze instantly, twisting into extreme pain.

His left leg buckled, he lost his balance, and fell heavily to his knees.

At his knee, a bloody hole the size of a thumb was open from front to back, with warm blood gushing out and quickly soaking through his trousers, spreading a dark red stain on the gray-black humus ground.

Mu Chen lowered his eyes, casually weighing another pebble in his hand, his gaze falling on Ji Xuan's pale face.

"You're a terrible master. You can't even keep an eye on your dogs, they're barking indiscriminately."

The faces of the youths behind Ji Xuan changed drastically. Many of them subconsciously gripped their weapons, their eyes scanning back and forth between Mu Chen and their kneeling, wailing companions with suspicion.

too fast.

They didn't even see how the pebble was launched; they only heard the sound before their companion fell.

You have to understand, he's a level three spirit!

This speed and power, along with the ruthlessness revealed in that casual gesture, sent a chill down the spines of the trial participants who had fought their way to the Black Demon Forest.

"My patience is limited. Are you going to hand over this token or not?"