It wasn’t like Shaochen didn’t try to resist. He retreated with his fastest speed, utilizing several dozens of different movement techniques.

　　One must admit that the youth was an erudite scholar, performing these famous techniques from different systems in succession within the blink of an eye.

　　Alas, his amazing speeds and these prominent movements were useless. The power disparity was too great. There was nothing he could do if Li Qiye truly wanted his life.

　　The spark still fell on him. After making contact, he didn’t combust right away. The fire looked small enough to be patted away but in reality, this was akin to lighting up a piece of paper, not very flashy at the start. There was no smoke just yet but the burning process was indeed there. The paper would start to become ashes while still maintaining its overall shape.

　　A lack of visual indicators aside, Shaochen was indeed burning up with his skin gradually turning gray. More importantly, his flesh, muscles, and vitality were burning away with the skin. It meant that everything touched by this gray shade was being destroyed by the fire, including true energy.

　　“Ah!” The youth in pain couldn’t help but pat the area touched by the fire. Alas, the area turned to ashes and scattered, just like a piece of burnt paper would.

　　The pain was too much to take but the youth didn’t dare to pat the fire again. This was different from a body being destroyed. If it was shattered via a conventional and physical means, it could always be reconstructed with his power and his clan resources.

　　This wouldn’t do for Li Qiye’s method. This flame would truly destroy something. There was no way to recover the burnt areas.

　　“Ah!” His miserable screams echoed and made others shudder and gasp.

　　They thought about how imperious and arrogant he used to be until now - no way of escaping death.

　　“No…” At this moment, his entire lower body has turned to ashes so the fire was now heading for his forehead where his true fate resided, fully aware of the serious implications.

　　“Ahh!” The shrill scream turned worse, sad enough to tug at heartstrings.

　　“Buzz.” As it was being burned, his true fate suddenly released a brilliant light pinning across the sky.

　　The light created a door made of thick and flowing runes. It creaked and began to open just like an extremely heavy gate.

　　Everyone saw a magnificent scene with rolling mountains and beautiful rivers. It was filled with ma.s.sive power just like a land of the immortals.

　　“The Mu Clan!” Most realized the place instantly.

　　“What is that?” The weaker cultivators remained confused.

　　“That clan has prepared something for Mu Shaochen when he’s near death. It’ll bring him back to the clan.” An ancestor explained.

　　Bringing something from Myriad back to Imperial was costly even for this clan so it had to be a fatal moment for them to bring Shaochen back.

　　“Buzz.” The door shot down a pulsing ray as illuminating as the sun straight for Mu Shaochen.

　　These rays came together and pulled him inside the portal. Next, with a pop, it disappeared from sight as if nothing had happened.

　　“Did he die?” Everyone didn’t know whether Shaochen was still alive or not and if the Mu could save him.

　　***

　　“Ah!” His scream echoed across the clan back in Imperial.

　　“Chen’er!” A sorrowful voice answered him.