Wu Tan suddenly swung his fist at Qin Muyu again. Qin Muyu crossed his arms to block Wu Tan’s punch.
Blocking Wu Tan’s punch, Qin Muyu’s face showed a grimace. The next second, he retreated.
Wu Tan stopped his offensive steps, looking at the retreating Qin Muyu with a serious expression. "Your strength shouldn't be like this."
Qin Muyu remained silent. He couldn't fight without his inner core.
Qin Muyu's inner core was not inside his body. Fan Wei looked at Qin Muyu, unsure.
"What!"
As soon as Fan Wei said this, Hu Guizhi, who was beside him, blurted out in disbelief.
Fan Wei also looked at Qin Muyu with disbelief.
The inner core was the lifeblood of a demon. A minor demon without an inner core was no different from an ordinary animal. Even a thousand-year-old great demon could not maintain its human form for long without an inner core.
It could be said that the inner core was a demon's second life.
"Fan Wei, are you sure you're not mistaken?" Hu Guizhi asked again, not daring to believe it.
Fan Wei hesitated for a moment and then nodded. "Didn't you feel Qin Muyu's spiritual power only decreasing and never increasing during the fight?"
Hu Guizhi nodded. She had felt it was strange why Qin Muyu's strength had declined so severely.
Shao Shan, listening to their conversation, was overjoyed. If Qin Muyu truly had no inner core, he would surely die if they fought a war of attrition.
"Your inner core is not inside your body!" Wu Tan said, looking at Qin Muyu’s somewhat displeased face.
Qin Muyu remained silent. He knew that if a real fight broke out, he couldn't hide the fact that he had no inner core for long.
Seeing Qin Muyu’s silence, Wu Tan knew he was right. This fellow indeed had no inner core in his body.
"Hmph!"
Wu Tan snorted. "Without an inner core, you are not worthy to fight me. Get your inner core back, and then we will have a fair fight."
For the past five hundred years, Wu Tan had made it his goal to catch up to Qin Muyu. If he defeated Qin Muyu in such an unclear manner, Wu Tan could not accept it.
A true man wins honorably and accepts defeat gracefully. This was Wu Tan's principle.
Seeing that Wu Tan had stopped attacking, Qin Muyu’s face showed no sign of relaxation.
Wu Tan was a martial fanatic, someone who would never take advantage of an enemy.
If he had truly wanted to kill him, he would have already unleashed his killing move. His only concern now was that person. Fan Wei had a detached attitude, while Hu Guizhi was someone who wouldn't get involved in anything unless it benefited her. Only Shao Shan was insidious and cunning.
Fan Wei and the other two leaped in front of Wu Tan and Qin Muyu.
Qin Muyu turned and prepared to leave. Without his inner core, he was no match for them.
"Although I don't know why your inner core is not inside your body, you should know that without it, your strength is at most enough to deal with a thousand-year-old great demon," Fan Wei said, reminding him.
Fan Wei had no reason to attack Qin Muyu and did not wish to offend someone stronger than himself. That battle had not affected him; on the contrary, it had helped him slightly, as more demons meant greater competition.
Qin Muyu nodded. "Thank you for the reminder. I have something to attend to, so I will take my leave."
"Remember, I still have a fight with you!" As Qin Muyu was about to leave, Wu Tan suddenly said.
Qin Muyu stopped and turned to look at Wu Tan. "I will give it my all another day."
Wu Tan grunted and nodded.
Watching Qin Muyu’s retreating back, Shao Shan was eager to finish him off. Although his inner core was not inside his body, that body had descended from the heavens. Perhaps killing him would reveal a method of ascension.
Not long after Qin Muyu left, Shao Shan, unable to resist, followed. As soon as he lifted his leg, Wu Tan called out to him, "What, are you going to kill Qin Muyu?"
Shao Shan stared coldly at Wu Tan. "Wu Tan, are you trying to meddle in my business?"
Wu Tan snorted, his aura suddenly surging. He clenched his fists. "Are you threatening me?"
Shao Shan instinctively took a step back. "No."
Now was not the time to offend Wu Tan. He had to endure it for now.
Although Shao Shan was also a three-thousand-year-old great demon like the other three, he was the weakest due to his original form being a pheasant. In the last demon king competition, Qin Muyu had completely dominated him.
"I don't care about his life or death, and I don't think you can kill him," Wu Tan said indifferently.
Wu Tan admired Qin Muyu's strength, but it was only admiration. He also didn't believe Shao Shan could kill Qin Muyu. If Shao Shan did kill Qin Muyu, it would prove that Qin Muyu was not worthy of being his opponent.
Shao Shan snorted and stepped forward. If he ascended and became a phoenix, he would not fear this Wu Tan.
Fan Wei watched Shao Shan follow and said softly, "If he truly ascends to become a phoenix, none of us here might be his match."
Wu Tan remained silent, not refuting. If Shao Shan truly ascended to become a phoenix, he indeed had no confidence in defeating Shao Shan.
"I don't deny his talent, but unfortunately, his luck is a bit lacking. He will never become a phoenix," Wu Tan said, then yawned. "Alright, I'm going back."
Seeing that Wu Tan had no intention of following, Hu Guizhi asked, "Wu Tan, aren't you going to take a look?"