Nangong Mao Guan observed Xu Mu within the Domain of the Cursed Night, then suddenly shivered, his expression becoming somewhat mystical as he murmured,
"Mu Xu, Dao Yuan, darkness… it all feels so familiar, could it be…"
"We admit defeat to Mu Xu, but that doesn't stop us from looking down on that Saintess!"
Just as Nangong Mao Guan was about to connect Xu Mu with Mu Xu and guess his identity, Agudamu's words pulled him out of his thoughts.
Nangong Mao Guan quickly shook his head, stepped forward, and angrily demanded, "What do you mean by that!"
"A defeated general, unable to even defeat the second-place finisher of the Ten Thousand Races Alliance, how can you have the face to look down on the Saintess's chief disciple!"
"That's right, you can't even defeat the second-place finisher of our Ten Thousand Races Alliance, so what right do you have to look down on Saintess Nangong, for whom Mu Xu was willing to surrender!" Another young cultivator retorted excitedly.
But to their surprise, Agudamu revealed a strange smile upon hearing this and said,
"So that's what it was, admitting defeat."
"Being convinced by the Saintess doesn't necessarily mean being convinced by strength; it could be other aspects."
"If you don't believe me, just look. Aren't the two of them quite close now."
Nangong Mao Guan's expression instantly changed. The young members of many prominent clans were stunned for a moment, then also turned their heads sharply.
Everyone looked at Nangong Huai Tian, who was healing Xu Mu. Then, recalling how Xu Mu had voluntarily blocked Zhen Jie for Nangong earlier, they suddenly understood.
After their realization, the faces of a group of young prodigies turned pale.
They didn't even need Agudamu to say more; they could already imagine what had happened. After all, many of them had done similar things for Nangong, but unfortunately, none had succeeded.
Only Xu Mu had succeeded.
It was because he possessed absolute strength, so great that the thought of competing with Xu Mu for Nangong made these young prodigies want to give up. Thus, they inevitably felt a sense of frustration, which then turned into jealousy.
This was normal; everyone had a jealous heart. Even scholars like Ji Xuan Su were not entirely free from such feelings, but having these feelings was not entirely bad.
Some might become insidious villains because of it, but true powerhouses would utilize this emotion, treating the object of their envy as a benchmark, or setting an even higher benchmark than that person to motivate themselves.
Ji Xuan Su was like that.
But most people were not.
And so, Xu Mu suddenly felt tens of thousands of gazes fixed upon him, burning with hatred, as if they wanted to devour him alive.
Xu Mu immediately understood the reason and smiled wryly, shaking his head and jokingly saying, "Perhaps after this, I'll get injured even more because of someone."
Nangong Huai Tian knew what Xu Mu meant, so she glared at him with a hint of shyness and annoyance, but did not stop healing. Her fair little hands remained on Xu Mu's back.
Looking at the hostile eyes, Agudamu smiled triumphantly.
His goal had been achieved. Regardless of whether there was truly anything between Xu Mu and Nangong, the seed of doubt had been sown. At this position, any action carried a risk far greater than usual.
Xu Mu could be considered one of his most feared young successors, perhaps even the only one. If this future threat could not be dealt with today, he might not have to deal with it personally later.
For the Hundred Clans would surely stir up a storm.
Nangong Mao Guan narrowed his eyes, glancing around. Feeling that this was not a place to linger, he quickly flew to Nangong Huai Tian's side and said in a deep voice,
"Miss, delay leads to complications. We should leave quickly."
"Once the family recovers its strength, we will have time to settle the scores for today and before. But for now, we must endure."
Nangong Huai Tian listened, silently withdrew her hand, then exchanged a look with Xu Mu and sighed, "I truly must go."
Xu Mu nodded and smiled faintly, "Take care."
"If there's a chance, I will visit you at the Nangong family."
Nangong Huai Tian was taken aback. She found the remark too ambiguous but didn't know how to refuse, and more importantly, she had no reason to. So, she nodded silently.
Seeing this, Nangong Mao Guan immediately smiled and discreetly slipped an identity token into Xu Mu's hand, whispering, "This is my identity token. Seeing it is like seeing me in person."
"With this, if you come to the Nangong family in the future, no one will dare to stop you."
Xu Mu rubbed the square red wood token, recalling the one Nangong had given him before, and couldn't help but chuckle.
"Then I thank you, senior."
Xu Mu bowed to Nangong Mao Guan. The latter nodded and was about to take Nangong Huai Tian away, but the next second, Agudamu, the general from the Golden Tent Royal Court, spoke up again, stopping them.
"Wait."
"Don't push it too far. What else do you want!" Nangong Mao Guan glared angrily and demanded, Agudamu's repeated provocations and obstructions clearly indicated something suspicious.
If he truly intended to target Nangong Huai Tian, then even if he was outmatched, Nangong Mao Guan would fight with all his might!
Agudamu chuckled and waved his hand, "Don't misunderstand. This time, it's not directed at you."
He then pointed at Xu Mu, "He defeated the prodigy of our Royal Court. I admit he is strong, but I don't admit he is the strongest."
"Among those I brought, there is more than just Ai Yan."
As he spoke, Agudamu stepped aside, revealing a grassland female cultivator who had been standing in the shadows, almost unnoticed, to the world. She wore a tiger skin and had ornaments made of animal teeth around her neck and ears.
Her eyes held no wildness, but rather a purity originating from nature.
Therefore, she didn't appear particularly strong.
Xu Mu looked at her, his brows furrowed.
Not because she was strong, but because this woman seemed too weak, her cultivation only at the second stage of upper realm, falling short of ordinary cultivators participating in the Ten Thousand Races Alliance, let alone fighting him.
But with Ai Yan's precedent, Xu Mu knew this woman must be extraordinary, yet he couldn't discern why, so he grew solemn.
Agudamu looked at Xu Mu and smiled faintly:
"This is a talented junior from our Royal Court, named Wulan. I wish for her to fight the last match with you."
Before Xu Mu could speak, the Heavenly Dao Daoist directly refused, "No. Fighting two consecutive matches is unfair to Mu Xu."
Agudamu, who had anticipated this, laughed heartily and then declared loudly, "Don't worry, it will be absolutely fair."
"Wulan will only use one move."
"As long as you can withstand it, you win!"