Volume One: The Misty Cloud Immortal Palace Chapter Fifty-Four: Mu Qi

Chapter Fifty-Four: Muqi

“Palace Lord!”

On the Ascension Platform, the elders and disciples of the Cloud Veil Immortal Palace cried out in shock. In their eyes, the invincible Cloud Veil Immortal had, at this very moment, had his abdomen pierced through...

A jade-green chi dragon coiled around the body of the Cloud Veil Immortal, one great claw dripping with blood. Where those drops fell upon the platform, they emanated a powerful surge of immortal energy.

The blood of an Immortal—just one drop could cleave stars and quell seas!

“Heh heh, Cloud Veil, it seems your cultivation has regressed rather than advanced. If I’m not mistaken, you’re only at the mid-stage of the Immortal Lord realm now,” the Palace Lord Muqi said, standing atop the dragon’s head with arms folded, a sneer curling at his lips.

“Defeat me first before you mock me,” the Cloud Veil Immortal replied calmly, showing no concern for his wounds.

“Fine. Let’s see how long you can keep up your facade!” Muqi’s face darkened, his eyes cold. All these years, he had never once bested Cloud Veil, who always maintained that lofty, untouchable air before him. Not a day passed without Muqi longing to trample Cloud Veil beneath his feet.

Today, at last, the opportunity had come!

“Kill!”

The chi dragon lunged. Its four claws, like forged steel, shimmered with a cold metallic gleam as they swung to seize the white-robed figure at its center once more.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

In that instant, white light burst forth from Cloud Veil, and an endless torrent of sword aura erupted from his body. The ringing of swords resounded across the Ascension Platform as countless sword shadows danced in the air, all aimed at the chi dragon!

Boom!

The sword energy surged, converging into a white torrent that shattered one of the dragon’s claws—the very same that had pierced Cloud Veil’s abdomen moments before.

The chi dragon roared in agony, the sound echoing like thunderclaps. If not for Cloud Veil’s sound-sealing spell, all present would surely have been killed by the shockwave, for this chi dragon was a true Immortal Lord class beast.

“How is this possible?” Muqi’s face contorted with shock and fury. He stared at the dragon’s bleeding wound and the shattered limb on the ground, bloodshot eyes wide.

“Cloud Veil, you deserve to die!”

In the next moment, Muqi’s entire body transformed into a fist-sized jade-green orb of light, which shot up into the sky. Instantly, the entire heavens turned emerald, layer upon layer of green clouds rolling and roiling, casting a verdant shadow over the platform.

The chi dragon spiraled upward into the sky as well, and with a mighty roar, it opened its maw and swallowed the green orb whole...

“The Palace Lord’s been eaten by the chi dragon!” shouted the elders and disciples below, panic breaking out among them.

“Hahaha! Cloud Veil, a year from today shall be the day of your death!”

From high above, the chi dragon spoke in human tongue—and it was unmistakably Muqi's voice. What’s more, the dragon’s severed claw regenerated in an instant, as if it had never been wounded.

“To think you’d fall so far as to do this to yourself, just to kill me,” Cloud Veil Immortal looked up at the dragon, shaking his head with a sigh.

“Even I didn’t expect I’d be able to kill you so soon. I had thought to wait until your Five Decays reached the soul before making my move. But it doesn’t matter—you were always destined to die by my hand!” declared the chi dragon—Muqi.

Crack!

The next instant, the chi dragon dove, dragging with it a storm of green clouds, its body wreathed in lightning that tore the very fabric of space—its destructive power was truly terrifying.

“Let me cut you down!”

Cloud Veil’s robes billowed in the wind as white sword aura enveloped him. His steps became ethereal, gliding like a ghost—Zhou Hao, watching from afar, recognized it as the Celestial Void Step.

Boom!

Man and dragon collided head-on. The white sword energy swept through the green clouds as Cloud Veil struck the dragon’s head with his fist. The dragon rammed back with all its might, but instead, it was forced to retreat under Cloud Veil’s blows, leaving the onlookers stunned.

“Incredible! The Palace Lord is too powerful—even his fists can force back a chi dragon!”

“What kind of body is that? That’s a genuine chi dragon! The Palace Lord’s body is invincible!”

“To match a dragon in strength... Only the Palace Lord is worthy of awe!”

Normally, who didn’t know how terrifying the physical strength of an Immortal Lord class chi dragon was? With a single lash of its tail, it could shatter a line of planets. Yet now, before Cloud Veil, even the chi dragon was no match!

“No, it’s not just physical strength—it’s the power of the Human Sword Art!” At this, the Palace Lord of Lietian finally spoke, having not joined the other two in battle.

He felt ignored, left out of their private feud. He could have easily seized the turtle that so tempted him, but being straightforward and forthright by nature, he believed only the strongest, determined by a three-way duel, deserved the prize. Thus, he found himself a mere spectator among the elders and disciples.

“Human Sword Art?” Many were puzzled, unfamiliar with the term, but a few elders turned pale at its mention.

“Cultivate sword energy within the body, nourish the body with sword energy, until man and sword are one!” the Lietian Palace Lord explained. “The Human Sword Art hones the body like a blade, nurturing sword energy within. The body is the sword’s embryo—when mastered, the flesh becomes sharper and stronger than any divine weapon. It is the true unity of man and sword!”

Most knew that Cloud Veil’s greatest technique was the Cloud-Dissolving Sword, which involved nurturing sword energy within and unleashing it in a storm of destruction. But few had heard of this Human Sword Art, which demanded the practitioner themselves become the sword—the body as the blade, indistinguishable from the weapon!

A low hum resonated.

In the sky, the chi dragon circled and roared as Cloud Veil stood in silent opposition—man and dragon facing off. Soon, the chi dragon attacked again, emerald whirlpools appearing in the void around it, torrents of green mist boiling within, ready to erupt like a volcano.

Cloud Veil, meanwhile, shone with surging sword energy. Bands of white sword aura formed a protective barrier around him, impervious to the swirling green mist.

Thunder rumbled.

The chi dragon roared, sending the green whirlpools hurtling toward Cloud Veil like cannonballs. The heavens thundered with the assault, terrifying the spectators below—hundreds of volcanoes seemed to erupt at once, green beams illuminating the sky and earth. Again the dragon’s body trembled, sending more whirlpools crashing toward Cloud Veil, bent on his destruction.

“Dragon Severing!”

With a mighty shout, Cloud Veil unleashed his full strength. All saw his body transform into a peerless immortal sword, a thousand zhang in length, spanning the heavens!

Man and sword became one!

Where the sword passed, every green whirlpool exploded—the sword’s aura so sharp that even the void itself fractured, black rifts splitting the green sky.

At the last moment, the chi dragon coiled around the immortal sword, claws grinding against the blade, jaws clamping down on the hilt. But the dragon suffered for it—the sword’s energy was too sharp, unmatched by anything in existence.

Sword energy surged, its edge unrestrained. The chi dragon’s once-impenetrable body was shredded like tofu, and two kinds of blood stained the blade—one red, one green.

Bang!

The mighty chi dragon exploded utterly. A single figure tumbled from the dragon’s remains, grievously wounded, body beyond control, plummeting toward the Ascension Platform.

The immortal sword turned back into Cloud Veil; his neck, hands, and feet were covered in claw and bite marks, green pus oozing from the wounds. His face was deathly pale, lips bloodless, eyes half-closed. He looked utterly spent, yet somehow remained standing.

“Cloud Veil, all my life I lost to you. I cannot accept it, I cannot...” Muqi’s body plummeted toward the platform, his gaze fixed on the white-robed figure above. Like a dying candle in the wind, his fate was sealed—Cloud Veil’s unity of man and sword had slain the chi dragon, and thus, Muqi, for they had become one.

“Muqi, perhaps this is your best ending. But don’t worry, I’ll join you soon enough,” Cloud Veil gave his most sincere smile to Muqi’s resentful final stare.

“I could not save your heart, so I could only end your life. No matter how you feel, I want you to know—I always considered you my friend. But I must admit, I failed as a friend. I could not save you, and in the end, I killed you with my own hands.”

At those words, Muqi’s bloodshot eyes suddenly cleared. He crashed heavily onto the Ascension Platform, and in his final moments, memories of his youth flooded back...

Back then, he aspired to be an Immortal King. With extraordinary talent, he reached the rank of quasi-Golden Immortal at just five hundred years of cultivation, a mere step from true Golden Immortal status. Arrogant in his youth, Muqi hunted demons relentlessly to hasten his advancement. It was during one such hunt that he met Cloud Veil, who, burdened with caring for his infant brother Yunfang, was beset by demons and unable to fight at full strength.

Seeing this, Muqi intervened. The demons were many and fierce, and after a desperate struggle, he managed to escape with Cloud Veil and the infant Yunfang. From then on, the two became fast friends, vowing to seek enlightenment together.

Time flowed swiftly. Centuries passed, and both became Golden Immortals. In the same academy, sparring was inevitable, and with competition came victory and defeat. Yet Muqi, after losing to Cloud Veil for over a decade, grew deeply frustrated.

Slowly, jealousy took root. He wanted to defeat his friend, to step over Cloud Veil. He scoured the world for secret methods to quickly increase his power, but to little effect.

One day, by chance, he entered a mountain cave and found a cold pool within. There, a jade-green chi dragon lay, scales shedding, reeking of decay, green blood streaming from its body. Muqi drew his sword to kill it, but the dragon, able to read hearts, sensed Muqi’s burning desire to surpass Cloud Veil.

Thus, it tempted Muqi to open the door to evil.

The chi dragon told Muqi it was dying, waiting in the cold pool for the end. Whether Muqi killed it or not, it would die. But before its death, it could help Muqi defeat Cloud Veil. If they merged into one, their combined power could easily slay him.

Though Muqi loathed the thought of merging with the dragon—becoming neither man nor beast—his obsession with defeating Cloud Veil was too strong. In the end, he agreed.

Leaving the cave, Muqi did not return to his sect, but went instead to a life-bearing planet. Now more dragon than man, the chi dragon took over his spirit, seeking to replenish itself with the life essence of countless beings. Its victims: the weakest, all beneath the level of Lesser Immortal.

That day, life withered on that world—corpses piled high, rivers ran red with blood.

The Immortal Palace was shaken. Muqi was hunted across the stars for centuries, finally hiding in this remote region. Fate had it that Cloud Veil was assigned here too. By then, Cloud Veil knew Muqi’s atrocities were the dragon’s doing and sought a way to separate them. But after so many years, nothing worked. Muqi had severed all ties, refusing any help.

Thus, their enmity endured for a thousand years.

On the Ascension Platform...

“So... this is good. Now I no longer have to envy you... ha...” Muqi uttered his last words in a faint whisper.

“The Palace Lord... is dead!”

The elders and disciples of the Muqi Palace cried out, each one devastated, unable to lift their heads in the face of this reality.