Going One-on-One with Hathaway

Hathaway didn't answer Ye Chen. Instead, she stared at An Linghui in the distance. "So the Vermilion Bird Clan came too."

"What? Only your Holy Light Clan is allowed to come?"

An Linghui's gaze was ice-cold.

Xu Mu looked at An Linghui with astonishment, never expecting this woman to be from the Vermilion Bird Clan.

This was an otherworldly race that frequently appeared throughout Dragon Nation's history.

"I never said that. The four otherworldly clans of the four directions do make up a formidable force when gathered together, but times have changed."

Hathaway shrugged nonchalantly. "We're already doing you a favor by not wiping you all out."

"But I don't want to give you that favor!"

An Linghui snorted coldly, flames reigniting on her body.

"Hold on."

Xu Mu raised a hand to block An Linghui's path. "There are still over a dozen people here."

Only then did An Linghui retract her qi.

After all, the Holy Light Clan had already made a move against Xu Mu just moments ago—conflict between the two sides was inevitable.

She wasn't in a rush.

Ye Chen likewise surveyed the surroundings. Currently, his side and Xu Mu's side were evenly matched in numbers.

He had Hathaway plus two experts from the Holy See—three Second-Order fighters in total.

As for Xu Mu's group, they were far weaker in terms of realm.

Aside from Xu Mu himself, who was at the early Transcendent stage, the young man beside him was only at the Grandmaster Perfection level.

As for the two women—one was First-Order, the other Second-Order.

On paper, Ye Chen's side clearly had the advantage.

But actual combat capability was a completely different matter.

The two women beside Xu Mu weren't ordinary Realm Breakers—as just demonstrated, they had effortlessly killed two Second-Order fighters.

So the key to victory on his side rested solely on Hathaway.

If she could take down Xu Mu, the battle would be over.

Because Ye Chen, leading the remaining two Second-Order fighters, was confident he could defeat the other three besides Xu Mu.

Hathaway glanced at Ye Chen. "What's your plan?"

Deep down, she always felt that Ye Chen was a pretentious person—but she had to admit his talent far surpassed hers, and he was highly capable as well.

Hathaway was one of the Holy Light Clan's prodigies; at the very least, when she was at Ye Chen's level, she definitely wasn't as strong as him.

Ye Chen first turned his gaze to the remaining black-robed figures. "At this critical juncture, I believe it's time for all of you to reveal your faces, don't you think?"

The black-robed people over there remained unmoved.

"Anyone who's made it this far isn't a fool. Trying to reap the benefits as a third party? Dream on!"

Ye Chen shifted his gaze to Xu Mu. "There's bound to be a conflict between us. You don't want to be someone else's pawn, do you?"

"What are you trying to say?"

Xu Mu looked at Ye Chen.

"How about we join forces and kill all these people who dare not reveal their identities first?"

Ye Chen said calmly.

"Fine, I agree to that."

Xu Mu nodded.

Hearing this, the black-robed figures over there began pulling off their hoods one by one.

At this location, there was no escape—whether it was Xu Mu's side or the Holy Light Clan, both were extremely formidable.

If the two sides joined forces, these people stood no chance.

Xu Mu and Ye Chen both examined them, but none were familiar faces.

"What now? Should we make them choose sides?"

Hathaway looked at Ye Chen. "Don't forget, there are also those two people from the Great Wasteland Clan."

"I haven't forgotten."

Ye Chen looked at Hathaway. "If you ask me, the only wildcard here is Xu Mu. As long as you can take him out, victory is ours."

"You're that certain?"

Hathaway gave Ye Chen a faint sidelong glance.

"Absolutely."

Ye Chen said with confidence.

"Then I'll trust you this once."

With that, Hathaway strode toward Xu Mu.

Seeing this, Yang Lielan immediately stepped in front of Xu Mu. "I advise you not to act rashly, or you'll die a miserable death."

"Yang Lielan, I've heard of you. You were once a prodigy girl, but you're getting old now."

Hathaway smiled and, in a single step, appeared before Yang Lielan. "I'm about the same age as you, but by Holy Light Clan standards, I'm still young!"

Crash!

Golden chains burst outward from Hathaway's body like octopus tentacles.

Yang Lielan, Chen Xuan, and An Linghui struck out simultaneously to counter the incoming golden chains.

Xu Mu retreated while attacking the chains with his longsword.

Suddenly, one of the golden chains coiled around Xu Mu's black sword like a venomous serpent.

The chain continued to extend, touching Xu Mu's hand.

Hum!

In an instant, Xu Mu appeared before Hathaway.

"Gotcha!"

Hathaway grinned, and all the golden chains spread out, enveloping both her and Xu Mu. "Sacred Inferno!"

Boom!

The golden chains kept tightening, finally condensing into a massive sphere wreathed in golden flames.

The sphere was roughly ten meters in diameter and dropped to the ground.

Seeing this, Chen Xuan immediately raised his hand and sent a telepathic message. "Brother Mu, can you hear me?"

But no voice came back from Xu Mu.

On the other side, Yang Lielan was already attacking the golden sphere with her spear.

Yet the sphere didn't budge.

"Don't waste your effort. This is the Holy Light Clan's Heaven-grade art—Sacred Inferno."

An Linghui explained from the side. "The Holy Light Clan can fuse formations and techniques together. It looks like a technique, but it's more like a formation."

"Is there really no way to break it?"

Yang Lielan asked in a low voice.

"Unless we have several times Hathaway's qi, we absolutely cannot breach it."

An Linghui shook her head.

"Relax, I trust Brother Mu. A single woman won't beat him in a one-on-one fight."

Chen Xuan said from the side. "Let's worry about ourselves for now."

"Exactly! Without Xu Mu, you're all nothing!"

Ye Chen sneered.

...

Xu Mu looked around and saw that the entire area within a hundred meters was shrouded in runes.

He was confined within this golden light span of over a hundred meters.

"I didn't expect your formation mastery to be this profound."

Xu Mu looked at the one-eyed woman before him and smiled.

"Take the essence and discard the dross. Good things are meant to be learned. Formations originated from your people, but thousands of years ago, our clan already learned them—and we adapted them, creating something of our own."

Hathaway said calmly. "We don't call them formations. We call them sacred arrays."

"Blaspheming before the master."

Xu Mu said with disdain.

"I like people with a tough mouth. They're the most hilarious when they beg for mercy before dying."

Hathaway tore off her black robe, revealing a silver suit of armor beneath, emblazoned with a massive golden cross on the chest.

Behind her was a white cape, also embroidered with a golden cross.

For ease of movement, many parts of her armor were cut open.

Her flawless skin and striking figure were clearly visible.

Combined with her eyepatch and cold, sharp features, she exuded a queenly aura.

"Xu Mu, when fighting Ye Chen earlier, he lasted around ten minutes. I hope you'll last longer."

Hathaway curled her lips into a smile.

"Interesting. You've sparked my competitive spirit. With someone like you, pushing forward aggressively is bound to be satisfying!"

No sooner had Xu Mu spoken than he took the initiative to strike.