Chapter 122: Did the First Beauty of Tai

Of course.

Taking shortcuts comes at a cost.

Practicing the Devour Heaven Demon Art allows one to absorb any energy, but the cost is a shortened lifespan!

The higher the realm, the shorter the lifespan.

Even so, once the Devour Heaven Demon Art is fully cultivated, few in the entire world can match its power.

It could even claim the title of "Number One Under Heaven."

But this "Number One" is earned by devouring people, and everyone fears it.

Precisely because of this, thousands of years ago, numerous orthodox sects united to destroy the Sun-Moon Mo Sect.

Later, when it rose again from the ashes, the Devour Heaven Demon Art was lost.

Now it has appeared in Tai'an Prefecture—how could anyone not fear it?

Chen Mu deduced that the killer had absorbed the victims' internal strength and true qi, but he never imagined the killer was practicing the Devour Heaven Demon Art!

……

Inside the room, silence fell.

After a long while, Chen Mu spoke softly, "If the Devour Heaven Demon Art is involved, the killer must be found quickly—but how do we find him? He hides in the shadows, targeting only those who admire Qi Mengjun…"

"Wait!"

As he spoke, Chen Mu suddenly realized something and turned to Lu Tang…

"That's right—it's exactly what Brother Chen is thinking."

Lu Tang nodded, "The Zhou family, Jin Yang Gate, and the Wang family are preparing to unite and pressure the Qi family into revealing Qi Mengjun. Our Lord Tong will also appear!"

"……" Chen Mu fell silent for a moment, then said, "Count me in when you go."

"No problem!"

……

……

The atmosphere in Tai'an Prefecture was suffocating, like a storm about to break.

A string of mummified corpse cases had occurred, many of the victims of high status, their deaths strange and terrifying, all pointing squarely at Qi Family's Young Lady, Qi Mengjun.

Panic spread like plague, sweeping through sects and infiltrating the common streets.

Everyone lived in fear, especially men who had once expressed admiration for Qi Mengjun—they could neither sleep nor eat, terrified the killer would come for them next.

Under immense pressure, the forces led by the Zhou family, Wang family, and Jin Yang Gate could no longer stand idly by.

That day.

Led by Zhou Bowen, head of the Zhou family; Wang Zhongqiu, head of the Wang family; Cai Yunru, master of Jin Yang Gate; and Tong Yuanshan, current head of the Zhenwu Bureau, the group marched en masse straight to the gates of the Qi residence.

This assembly represented nearly half of Tai'an Prefecture's top powers—its sheer might could freeze any heart.

Chen Mu changed into ordinary martial attire and slipped quietly among the crowd, watching coldly.

He wanted to see how the Qi family would respond to this unprecedented siege.

The Qi residence gates were tightly shut, but the pressure outside had clearly reached inside.

Soon after, the gates slowly opened.

Qi Jinghong, head of the Qi family, stepped out with a solemn expression, followed by Qi Yundisc, Qi Jingxiao, and several other senior Qi family members, all wearing expressions of fury.

Qi Jinghong scanned the crowd before him, bowed, and spoke in a deep voice, "Brother Zhou, Brother Wang, Master Cai, Lord Tong—why have you come in such force, surrounding my Qi residence? What do you want?"

Zhou Bowen, eyes bloodshot, stepped forward, voice hoarse with hatred: "Qi Jinghong! Stop pretending ignorance! Every bloody case in Tai'an Prefecture stems from your daughter, Qi Mengjun!"

"The demon who practices the Devour Heaven Demon Art kills only those who admire her! If you don't hand her over as bait to lure out that monster, Tai'an Prefecture will never know peace!"

"Are you willing to sacrifice the entire prefecture for the sake of just one daughter?!"

Wang Zhongqiu also spoke coldly: "Master Qi, my third brother cannot die in vain! Unless we eliminate this demon, everyone lives in fear! If your daughter is the key, how can you keep her hidden any longer?"

Cai Yunru and Tong Yuanshan said nothing, but their silence spoke volumes, adding weight to the pressure.

Qi Jinghong's face darkened: "Absurd! My daughter lives in seclusion—what crime has she committed? What do these murders have to do with her? Is beauty itself a sin? To force a frail young woman into becoming bait—what a mighty display of heroism!"

Qi Yundisc, young and fiery, leapt forward and cursed: "Bullshit! Why should my sister be your bait? Who knows if you yourselves provoked enemies and now want to blame it on the Qi family? If you want to touch my sister, you'll have to walk over my corpse!"

The scene froze in stalemate.

The Qi family argued their case, but their opponents were numerous and wielded the banners of righteousness and grief, pressing forward relentlessly.

The atmosphere grew ever more Solemn; qi churned beneath the surface, and the onlookers held their breath, sensing a great battle was about to erupt.

Tong Yuanshan finally spoke, his voice carrying the weight of official authority: "Master Qi, this is not coercion—it is because the case is grave and far-reaching, and your daughter is the only lead. For the peace of Tai'an Prefecture, we beg you…"

At that moment, a young maid in emerald-green robes stumbled out of the residence, face ashen, voice shrill with terror:

"Master! Master! It's terrible! The Young Lady… the Young Lady is dead!!"

Like a thunderclap from clear sky!

Everyone froze, including Zhou Bowen and the others who had been demanding justice.

"What?!"

"What did you say?!"

"Qi Mengjun is dead?!"

"……"

Qi Jinghong and Qi Yundisc's faces turned ashen; they forgot the crowd outside and spun around, sprinting into the residence.

Zhou Bowen, Wang Zhongqiu, Cai Yunru, Tong Yuanshan, and the others exchanged stunned glances, then immediately followed.

The situation had changed abruptly—far beyond their expectations.

Hidden among the crowd, Chen Mu's heart tightened; he moved soundlessly with the surging tide, using his skillful body technique to slip into the Qi residence amid the chaos, following the group ahead.

The group rushed to the embroidered pavilion where Qi Mengjun lived, only to find several maids and old nurses kneeling on the ground, weeping uncontrollably.

Qi Jinghong shoved open the door and rushed in.

Chen Mu shifted his position, found an angle, and through the shoulders of the people ahead, clearly saw the scene inside the room.

On the exquisitely embroidered bed lay a woman in her early twenties, quietly resting beneath silk quilts, eyes tightly closed, face pale as death, yet still unable to conceal her suffocating beauty.

Her brows like distant mountains dusted with ink, her skin like congealed white jade, her features exquisitely crafted as if heaven's perfect masterpiece—even without a trace of life, she was breathtakingly beautiful, heartbreakingly lovely.

Is this Qi Mengjun?

The most beautiful woman in Tai'an Prefecture?

Chen Mu inwardly marveled—Qi Mengjun was truly a peerless beauty; no wonder so many men had gone mad for her, even drawing death upon themselves.

Yet now, this peerless beauty had already perished.

"Mengjun! My daughter!" Qi Jinghong lunged to the bedside, tears streaming down his aged face, voice choked with grief.

"Sister!!" Qi Yunpan wailed uncontrollably.

Zhou Bowen, Wang Zhongqiu, and others stood inside the room, faces filled with shock and doubt, staring at the lifeless Qi Mengjun on the bed—none could speak a word.

The earlier coup and plan had instantly become a colossal joke.

Bait?

The person was dead—what bait was left?

Chen Mu frowned slightly, his sharp gaze sweeping every corner of the room, then returning once more to that pale, yet breathtakingly beautiful face.

Dead?

At this very moment, she suddenly died like this?

Suicide?

Or… elimination?

'Wait!'

Suddenly, Chen Mu's heart stirred, his eyes flickering with strangeness.

'If Qi Mengjun is dead, why didn't I get the pickup prompt?'