Chapter 118: The Extreme-Enhanced Mute

Yuan Shanhu spent an hour fulfilling Chu Danqing’s request.

Chu Danqing obtained two freshly prepared Longevity Spirit Pills.

Their effect was simple: restoring HP and MP only.

But the restoration process induced corresponding physical sensations.

As for immortality? That effect was gone.

In truth, Emperor Taichang had no way to verify whether he was immortal.

“Chu my lord, doesn’t this count as treason?” Zhuo BuFan hesitated, watching Chu Danqing prepare to leave the mansion and deliver the red pills to Emperor Taichang that very night.

Chu Danqing turned, puzzled: “Are you bored enough to test your bond with your nine clans?”

“I can just take Da Bao and run. Your Zhuo family, Yuan Family Village, and Canluo Sect don’t have legs.”

If you’re still hesitating, it’s clearly treason.

Chu Danqing felt no reverence for imperial power, so he didn’t care.

“As accessories, even if you’re not executed, you’ll be exiled.”

“Why would you betray yourself?” Chu Danqing said, exasperated.

There are only a few people here. If you don’t speak and I don’t speak, who will know the truth?

Hearing this, everyone agreed—it made sense. They were all on the same rope, tied together.

With that, Chu Danqing left Zhuo’s mansion and headed straight for the palace.

Chu Danqing wasn’t just rushing to deliver the pills—he intended to seize power through this opportunity to complete his trial task.

If he had simply taken the “Longevity Spirit Pill” from the Taiyi Academy, manipulating the situation wouldn’t have been so easy.

He only needed to slightly alter the sequence, and the entire nature of the event would change.

For example: he planned to investigate the Taiyi Academy tomorrow, but overnight received word that the Suqin spies had stolen the pills first.

Thanks to his tip-off, he mobilized troops at night and successfully recovered the “Longevity Spirit Pill.”

After that, he wouldn’t need to say anything—Emperor Taichang would understand the consequences himself.

He would then casually “discover” from the surviving lamas that high officials in the capital had colluded with the Suqin, and that spy nests were transmitting intelligence from within the city.

The rest? The momentum was now his.

Li Wanwu? He’d have to worry about his own dereliction of duty first—no time to interfere with Chu Danqing’s actions.

Once he completes the trial task and gains his return eligibility, if Li Wanwu sees tomorrow’s sun after being drained of value, it’ll only mean Guo Ming’s sword is too dull.

On the road, Da Bao suddenly moved, yanking Chu Danqing over.

He barely dodged the attack, retreating several meters in quick succession.

It was a dark, basin-sized mass that exploded upon hitting the ground.

Nearby, a boy carrying a massive coffin leapt down from a tall building.

Chu Danqing recognized the newcomer.

It was the boy who had previously played the fool to deceive others—the Dimension Adept.

“This is our third meeting, isn’t it?” The boy grinned brightly, introducing himself: “Call me the Mute.”

“Silent Poetry,” Chu Danqing replied with his alias, then asked: “So, you’re working for Li Wanwu now?”

The Qiutan Faction was drowning in its own troubles; Prince Fu had taken his family to guard the imperial tombs.

And the Jishi Factory was directly tied to the red pills—so the origin of this self-proclaimed Mute was obvious.

Of course, he might belong to the Suqin faction—but either way, he had to be dealt with tonight.

“Who I work for doesn’t matter. What matters is that you turn back now and abandon pursuit of the red pills.” As the Mute spoke, the coffin on his back clicked open a crack: “It’s better for everyone.”

Dark, murky energy surged forth, instantly enveloping his entire body.

When he looked up, Da Bao’s Tearing Claws had already lashed out toward him.

The claws tore a massive gash through the dark energy surrounding him.

Unfazed by this turn, the Mute’s dark energy formed a human face that emitted a piercing shriek.

Da Bao’s movements halted—his Blood Rage power began to dissipate.

“Bearer of the Divine Shrine—kill,” the Mute’s voice slithered into Da Bao’s ear like a ghost.

Instantly, Da Bao turned, targeting Chu Danqing—but before he could move, he broke free, spinning around and delivering a massive slap straight into the Mute’s dark energy.

Da Bao’s Golden Spirit Body Technique and Golden Spirit Seal granted him a combined 60 points of negative effect resistance.

Simultaneously, Chu Danqing summoned his remaining familiars.

“Zhang Cai was under your control. So you’re well-regarded in the Jishi Factory,” Chu Danqing said, completing the final piece of the Tingjian puzzle.

Too bad—it didn’t matter, because they had already won.

The Mute didn’t care. His dark energy hardened into a grotesque armor covering his body.

He swung his dark blade, engaging Da Bao and the summoned creatures in battle.

Naturally, the Mute was pushed back step by step.

Chu Danqing’s summoning skills weren’t for show.

If sacrificing one’s own combat power and consuming vast resources couldn’t defeat an equal-tier Adept, the summoning system would have vanished long ago.

Seizing this opportunity, Chu Danqing used his Spirit Eye Technique to scan the Mute’s data.

[Probationary-Level Dimension Adept]

[Attributes]

[HP: 72%]

[Death Energy: 323]

[Strength: 5]

[Agility: 5]

[Constitution: 5]

[Spirit: ???]

[Perception: 5]

[Skills]

[Corpse Path: Burial Coffin Scripture (Inherited) LV.MAX]

[Soul Confusion Technique (Active) LV.MAX]

[Death Energy Enshrouding (Passive) LV.10]

[Ghost Qi Forging Spirit (Passive) LV.7]

[Ranged Combat Basics LV.MAX]

[Melee Combat Basics LV.MAX]

Seeing the Mute’s attribute panel, Chu Danqing thought: this guy was truly formidable.

He’d only boosted Spirit, ignoring all other stats.

And he’d reached over 10 Spirit points without undergoing a rank assessment—likely due to the Ghost Qi Forging Spirit skill’s boost.

This was reality, not a game. A human being is a whole; the five attributes couldn’t be hyper-specialized like in a game.

Perhaps it was tied to his inherited skill—maybe turning Strength, Agility, Constitution, and Perception into Spirit-based calculations.

After being scanned, the Mute immediately condensed his dark death energy into a spear and hurled it.

Thorned vines lashed out, intercepting the death spear.

It blocked the attack—but the vines shattered under the strain.

“Time’s up,” Chu Danqing said. Heavy footsteps rushed toward them.

Yesterday, the former emperor died; today, the new emperor ascended.

Patrol troops were numerous—this battle’s commotion couldn’t have gone unnoticed.

As soon as Chu Danqing spoke, the Mute tried to flee.

“General of the Feathered Forest, Commander of the Imperial Guard here! Seize this Suqin spy with me!” Chu Danqing shouted, slapping the Suqin label onto the Mute.

Seeing this, the Mute yanked open his coffin fully.

Even more violent death energy spread, forming a vast mist zone.

[You received 1 point of Death Energy erosion damage, mitigated by shield]

[You received 2 points.]

[You]

Combat logs scrolled rapidly—the Death Energy erosion damage surged wildly, rising from 1 point to 10 and still climbing.

Fortunately, the shield effect from the Five Element Banners was extremely potent, and Chu Danqing replenished MP to sustain it—his HP was never in danger.

The death mist dissipated after roughly ten seconds.

Da Bao ripped off the Mute’s head; the Zhanji Tiger tore apart his right shoulder blade and most of his torso.

His right chest was pierced through by the Heart Demon, his heart shattered.

The Mute’s death caused the death mist to vanish.

Cause of death: the death mist reduced Da Bao’s HP to critically low levels, triggering the Rage and Fearless states—boosting his stats and greatly increasing resistance.

The sudden power surge caught the Mute off guard, leading to his death.

Fortunately, Da Bao’s final strike, enhanced by Bloodlust Pursuit’s life-drain effect, restored his HP above 30%, ending the Rage state.

Otherwise, he would have entered indiscriminate attack mode.

Chu Danqing pulled out two steaming baskets of medicinal dumplings and fed them to Da Bao.

Unfortunately, the Silent One’s coffin had completely disintegrated into scrap wood.

Clearly, the cost of the massive death mist was this piece of equipment; otherwise, had it fallen into Chu Danqing’s hands, he could have sold it for a profit.

The Silent One has burned his bridges—otherwise, with Da Bao’s reinforcements and the capital troops closing in, his end would have come.

But he still underestimated Da Bao’s power after going berserk, and extreme development merely produced a fragile target.

Otherwise, it would have taken at least three to five minutes to kill him.

At the same stage, if a single-attribute cultivator could withstand Da Bao, his summons, and the capital troops’ encirclement, he wouldn’t be a reserve-level soldier.

“Lord Chu, are you unharmed?” A city defense officer recognized Chu Danqing and hurried over to greet him.

They had arrived too late; not only had they missed out on the glory, they’d also watched their superior get assassinated.

If Chu Danqing held a grudge, he had a hundred ways to target them.

“I’m fine. Quickly escort me to the palace—I have urgent news to report to His Majesty.” Chu Danqing waved his hand and spoke at once.

“Yes, Lord Chu!” The city defense officer breathed a sigh of relief—Chu Danqing’s tone clearly indicated he wasn’t upset about their delay.

The city defense officer immediately arranged guards to escort him.

Before leaving, Chu Danqing added: “This man is a Su Shen traitor. Alert all troops.”

These words sank the city defense officer’s heart—he must have committed some grave sin to be plagued by such misfortune.

They rode straight into the imperial palace; Chu Danqing, as Commander of the Imperial Guard, held the authority to enter and exit freely.

He immediately met with Emperor Taichang, who had already retired for the night.

Upon hearing Chu Danqing had found the elixir of immortality, Emperor Taichang rushed out in his night robe to receive him, fearing any mishap.

“Your Majesty, I have fulfilled my duty—I found the elixir of immortality last night.” As soon as he appeared, Chu Danqing pulled two tightly wrapped red pills from his pocket.

(End of Chapter)