Chapter 54: The Mantis Catches the Cicada—How Many Yellow Birds Lurk Behind

How did Chen Mo find this place?

Zhou Li chased after him, rapidly recalling the events of tonight.

From leaving the city to reaching the Western Wasteland Mountains, not a single trace was left behind.

The mine entrance was guarded by five layers of arrays, interlocked and interdependent; one misstep would trigger a chain reaction. Only he and Jue Mi knew how to break it.

"Jue Mi could never betray me… Could Chen Mo really be a Master of Array Dao, effortlessly deciphering the formation? How is that possible?"

Zhou Li could not fathom it.

No matter what, he must be stopped!

Soaring upward along the stone steps, he reached the cave entrance—just as one foot stepped out of the stone portal—

Shhh!

A dazzling blade of light tore through the night!

Feeling the overwhelming blade aura, Zhou Li's pupils contracted—he tried to dodge.

Suddenly, a faint glow lit up all around, and his body became sluggish, as if trapped in mud.

Too late to dodge—he could only raise his blade in a desperate block.

Clang—

His weapon was cleanly severed!

At the last possible moment, Zhou Li twisted his body violently—the horizontal blade, meant for his neck, slashed into his shoulder.

Blood sprayed, buried to the bone!

He reacted swiftly, tensing his muscles to clamp the blade, gathering true energy in his palm and slamming it forward with all his might!

But Chen Mo had no intention of fighting to the death—he struck once, then immediately withdrew, drifting back two zhang away.

In his hand, the horizontal blade pointed to the ground, its jade-like blade stained with two inches of crimson.

The blade did not cling to blood—blood flowed down the edge, pooling at the tip, then dripping onto the wild grass.

Zhou Li's heart turned cold.

This strike had been so terrifying—if not for his weapon blocking most of the force, his entire arm would have been severed on the spot!

Looking at the strange stones arranged around him, his expression froze.

This is my array!

In just a few breaths, he had penetrated the formation and turned it to his own use—what terrifying mastery!

"You understand arrays?!"

"A little."

"…"

Just as Chen Mo prepared to strike again, a muffled boom came from inside the cave.

Boom—

A dark shadow shot out like lightning.

It was Lin Jingzhu.

She looked battered, one wing broken behind her, her black ice armor cracked all over, her skin faintly tinged with bluish-black.

Behind her, gray mist surged like a hurricane, emitting piercing howls.

Lin Jingzhu darted to Chen Mo's side, pale-faced and breathless:

"Quick—give me one more drop of that!"

As Chen Mo squeezed out a single drop of Life Essence, Lin Jingzhu immediately sucked his finger into her mouth, drawing hard—the bluish-black hue on her body receded rapidly.

After expelling the demonic qi from her body, her cheeks regained color, and she glared at Chen Mo with irritation.

"You run fast, Master Chen!"

You fled alone—and left me behind to hold off the demon!

Low-quality, unworthy of a human!

Chen the Runner replied calmly: "Your shell is so tough, you can take a beating and not die. If I hadn't come out early to set up the array and trap one of them first, two-on-two would've been hopeless."

The cave entrance had ready-made materials; with minor modifications, they could be turned to our use.

I had you hold the rear precisely to buy time to set the array—to turn defense into offense.

Seeing Zhou Li, half his body stained red and pinned in place, Lin Jingzhu knew he spoke truth—her expression softened slightly.

"You should've warned me first. I had no preparation at all."

"The situation was urgent. What if you refused?"

"…"

Hu—

The gray mist swirled, taking human form.

Zhou Li clutched his shoulder, barked: "Move now—don't let them escape!"

Jue Mi's eyes were deep, her lips parting softly: "Don't worry—two sixth-rank martialists won't make a ripple."

"Lin Captain, handle the demoness—I'll deal with the other one!"

Chen Mo's shattered jade blade rang sharply—the Azure Dragon's blade intent slashed through the air!

Jue Mi swept her sleeves—the gray mist surged forward, only to be instantly scattered by the gale!

Roar—

The roar was deafening!

Jue Mi's spirit trembled—she froze for a moment.

The giant blue dragon, alive as if breathing, opened its abyssal maw and swallowed her whole.

?!

Zhou Li's expression was one of utter astonishment.

He knew better than anyone the tricks of this enchantress—how could she be suppressed by Chen Mo?

"Stop looking. Your opponent is me."

Lin Jingzhu swallowed a Jin Dan, replenished her true essence, leapt forward, and drove the dark-gold long staff straight at Zhou Li's throat!

……

At the foot of the Western Wastes Mountain.

Chu Zhuo stood atop a branch, his gaze sweeping over the dense sea of forest.

"Where did the man go?"

Following Young Master Zhou's instructions, he had been keeping a close eye on Chen Mo this whole time.

Yet Chen Mo paid no heed to the case at all; with the deadline drawing near, he still looked utterly carefree.

The more it was so, the more Chu Zhuo found it strange.

To salvage his image in Young Master Zhou's eyes, he had given it everything he had, determined to catch Chen Mo in some slip, staying up several nights in a row without rest, tailing him from the shadows.

The Chen residence had a Grandmaster within, so Chu Zhuo dared not get too close, and instead hid atop the Yongning Tower in the east of the city, using a clairvoyant mirror to look down over the entire Chen estate.

Tonight, he had actually discovered something amiss!

He had tailed Chen Mo out of the city all the way, following the traces to the Western Wastes Mountain.

But the mountain range was simply too vast, the trees thick and flourishing, blotting out the sky, making it impossible to spot any trace…

At that moment, a flash of light rose in the distance, and faintly the sounds of roars and clashing metal could be heard.

"Found him!"

Chu Zhuo's figure swept through the air like a hawk, and he soon arrived at the mountain hollow.

He saw four people fighting not far away.

One was Chen Mo, the other was that Young Lady of the Lin family.

As for the opponents, there was a woman of extremely bewitching beauty, and the captain of the guards who had been by Young Master Zhou's side that day!

Judging by the lethal strikes traded on both sides, it was clearly a fight to the death!

Sensing the aura upon that bewitching woman, Chu Zhuo's face could not help but change.

Could it be… a yao?

At this moment, he finally understood why Young Master Zhou had told him to watch Chen Mo!

This matter involved too much; Chu Zhuo did not dare wade into these murky waters, and the thought of retreat had already sprouted in his heart.

But at that moment, Zhou Li caught a glimpse of him from the corner of his eye and shouted loudly: "Chu Zhuo! We're all grasshoppers on the same string—when something goes wrong, none of us can escape!"

Chu Zhuo's footsteps halted, his expression shifting.

If he left now, no matter which side survived in the end, it would be an utter catastrophe for him!

Judging by the strength of both sides, Zhou Li was a Rank 5 martial artist, the bewitching woman was even stronger; with himself added in, it could be said victory was in the bag!

Since that was so, better to go all in and see it through!

"What are you hesitating for? Move, now!" Zhou Li roared furiously.

"We've already offended Chen Mo and Lin Jingzhu to the death anyway—perfect chance to cut off the trouble at the root!"

"And at the same time, we can cling tight to the Zhou family's thigh!"

In the span of a lightning flash of thought, Chu Zhuo had already made up his mind!

……

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The azure giant dragon's form shattered, sword qi spraying in all directions, piercing through the surrounding rocks.

Jue Mi's grey mist about her had thinned somewhat, her skirt torn to reveal snow-white skin, her body covered in dense bloodstains; her gaze toward Chen Mo was a mixture of shock and uncertainty.

This man was not only immune to the erosion of yao qi, he could also inflict harm upon her true form!

He had not mastered a Martial Spirit, so he was undoubtedly a Rank 6 martial artist, yet he gave her a vague sense of danger…

Hoo—

Chen Mo drew a deep breath.

The true essence within his body circulated at high speed, and the breath he exhaled carried waves of heat.

【Ghost Slayer.】

【After equipping the title, one can sense the aura of yao and ghosts within a radius of five li, is not disturbed by yao qi, and deals increased damage to yao and ghosts.】

This yao's strength was no mean feat; relying on the title's boost, he could barely trade blow for blow.

But it was still not enough to slay her.

"A bit of a tough nut…"

"Chu Zhuo?!"

Hearing Zhou Li's shout, Chen Mo's heart stirred with warning, and his figure flashed, vanishing from the spot.

At the same moment, two crimson blades cleaved down from the sky, carving deep gullies into the ground!

Seeing Chu Zhuo strike, Zhou Li breathed a sigh of relief.

Although he was trapped by the formation, he was after all a Rank 5 martial artist with solid foundations, a Martial Spirit in hand; for the moment, Lin Jingzhu could do nothing to him either.

And with Jue Mi and Chu Zhuo working together, no matter how great Chen Mo's abilities, today he would find it hard to escape death!

The outcome was decided!

"Captain Chu, slay Chen Mo swiftly—afterward, the Young Master Is Actually Rank 5 heavy reward!"

"Rest assured, this old man has every intention of doing so—today I will absolutely not let this whelp leave alive!"

Chu Zhuo gripped twin blades, his eyes cold and dark as he stared at Chen Mo.

Facing Chu Zhuo's sudden appearance, Chen Mo was somewhat surprised, but not panicked.

"Looks like you still haven't learned your lesson. You really think you can kill me?"

"Hmph, last time you only got me through a sneak attack. Today, this old man will show you what 'crossing realms is like ascending to the heavens' means!"

Chu Zhuo's words were domineering, but his eyes were exceptionally cautious.

From his understanding of Chen Mo, this guy might still be hiding some dirty tricks. Best to let this demon race member take the first strike while he watched from the side, waiting for a chance to ambush.

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind!

……

"Not bad, interesting."

"I've changed my mind. Such a fine man, eating him would truly be a waste."

"I'm going to turn you into my slave, lock you to the bed and drain you day and night... sss, just thinking about it gets me so excited~"

Juemi licked her lips, her gaze moist.

A tattered ruqun could not conceal the spring scenery, her skin Bai Xi as snow, the rounded outlines clearly visible.

She no longer suppressed her aura. Darkness deeper than the night itself spread out, the dense demonic Qi covering a full hundred zhang in all directions!

"Stop struggling, you two are no match."

"Be good and submit to me, and I might consider letting your little lover join us too~"

Juemi's voice was soft and sweet, full of seductive intent.

"Sorry, but you reek too much. I don't like it."

"Besides—"

Chen Mo said lightly, "Who told you there are only two of us?"

"Hmm?"

Juemi was slightly taken aback.

Suddenly sensing something, she looked up. Under the cold moonlight, a streak of silver light came whistling down like a shooting star!

Clang—

The silver spear, carrying a shrill sound of tearing air, precisely pierced her chest, nailing her dead to the ground!

Shen Shuchou arrived with his hands clasped behind his back, stepping through the air, carrying quite the air of an immortal sage.

"Still posing?"

"If you were any later, my bones would have been gnawed clean!"

Chen Mo said irritably.

After noticing Chu Zhuo was watching him, he had left a contingency in place.

He had given a paper figure to Shen Shuchou. As long as he used his aura to trigger the paper figure on his body, Shen Shuchou would sense it.

"The paper figure's sensing range is limited, I had to feel my way here."

Shen Shuchou explained, then turned to look at Chu Zhuo, his gaze as biting as a cold wind.

"Centurion Chu, you should know very well what crime colluding with the demon race is, right?"

"Tired of living?"

Chu Zhuo clenched his jaw. There was no turning back now—he had to fight to the end!

The opponents were just two sixth-rank and one fifth-rank. The advantage was his!

None of them were getting away!

"Attack!"

Juemi saw the newcomer's strength was no trivial matter. Her form dissolved into grey mist and scattered, breaking free of the silver spear's binding.

In an instant, demonic Qi blotted out the sky!

Shen Shuchou raised his hand with a beckoning gesture, the long spear flew back into his grip, silver light blazing around him, like the brilliant Ye Xingchen in the night sky!

Boom!

The silver light and demonic Qi crashed into each other violently!

Trees all around snapped and flew sideways, creating a vacuum zone of several hundred zhang!

On the other side, Chu Zhuo's figure flashed, arriving before Chen Mo in an instant. His crimson flame twin blades danced like blood serpents!

"Greenhorn, accept death at this old man's hands!"

Chen Mo stepped on wind and thunder, dodging and weaving.

While evading, he opened his attribute panel, quickly added points, and raised "Azure Dragon in the Sleeve" another level.

Mysterious insights welled up in his heart, and his understanding of Dao Resonance deepened further!

"Come at me, perfect timing to test my technique on you!"

Last time at Drunk Moon Tower he had gained some insights. These past few days he had been exploring and improving, and had already found an entirely new path for channeling his power!

Chen Mo's fingers lightly hooked, and the Suiyu at his waist sang with a clang.

Roar!

Suiyu left its sheath, the dormant dragon awakened!

The blade burned with a dark cyan blazing flame, tracing a mysterious arc straight for Chu Zhuo's throat!

Chu Zhuo had seen Chen Mo's bladework before and dared not be careless. He hurriedly pulled his blades back to block.

Clang—

The twin blades caught Suiyu, but the sharp force stabbed into his skin with pain!

Before he could even catch his breath, Chen Mo withdrew his blade and slashed again, the speed too fast for the naked eye to follow!

Clang—

Clang—

Clang—

Each blade faster than the last, each blade fiercer than the last!

As the sixth blade fell, Chu Zhixin's arms had gone numb, and a web of cracks had spread across the Red Serpent twin blades!

"He actually broke through my Martial Spirit?"

"How is that possible!?"

No time was given him to think.

The seventh blade!

The jade-studded blade tore through space, carrying a surging saber intent, and slashed down upon the Red Serpent twin blades.

The twin blades shattered with a crash, a spray of blood bursting forth!

A massive gash was sliced diagonally open across Chu Zhixin's chest; through the wound, one could see the pale white bone and the heart beating within the chest cavity!

Before he even felt the pain, the eighth blade had already come cleaving down!

No reasoning, no mercy — speed pushed to the absolute limit!

"No—!"

"This is absolutely not the strength a sixth-rank martial artist should possess!"

"Run, run now!"

Every hair on Chu Zhixin's body stood on end, and a premonition surged in his heart—

If that blade lands, he will die for certain!

Burning Blood!

Between life and death, Chu Zhixin erupted with his full potential, compressed the true yuan throughout his body, spun around, and fled for his life!

If it came to that, he'd simply leave Tiandu City and live as a wanderer of the jianghu!

Far better than dying a violent death on the spot!

Just at that moment, several greenish chains materialized out of thin air, binding him in place!

"Who!?"

Chu Zhixin was both shocked and furious.

Though the chains only held him for an instant before shattering apart, for Chen Mo it was already enough.

The blade-edge ripped through the void, and the Azure Dragon saber intent surfaced along with it — different from before, this time within the giant dragon's vertical pupils, blazing black flames burned!

Whoosh—

The saber qi passed straight through his body, soundless and silent.

Chu Zhixin stood frozen in place like a statue, still holding the posture of running, his eyes filled with blankness and disbelief.

Chen Mo flashed to appear before him, the long saber in his hand slowly sliding into its sheath.

Clang—

Boom!

Chu Zhixin's body exploded in an instant, his flesh and blood scattering in all directions, burning with blazing flames!

Amid the rain of blood filling the sky, Chen Mo stood tall and straight, his jade-like, handsome face unstained by a single speck of dust.

Chu Zhixin, dead!

【Host has comprehended the Dao Rhythms of a saber art.】

【"Blazing Flame Eight Slashes" has metamorphosed into "Startling Dragon Slash," and proficiency has been inherited in sync.】

A system prompt flashed before his eyes.

Chen Mo did not pay it much attention, and turned his head to look at the shadows of the dense forest.

Beneath a tree stood a woman in a purple gauze skirt.

"How did you get here?" Chen Mo asked, frowning.

The night breeze stirred her hair, brushing past her incomparably radiant face; those dewy eyes seemed to hold a thousand emotions as she gazed at him from afar.

"Tonight my heart was uneasy, I kept feeling something was about to happen, so I followed the aura of the paper figure and chased it here…"

"Chen Mo, I was very worried about you."