Chapter 124: Brutal Blossom-Crusher

Now that we know Pei Renguang is the killer, there are two choices for what to do next.

The first is to capture Qi Mengjun and interrogate her directly.

Once we know Pei Renguang's secluded cultivation location, we can lure the Wang family, Zhou family, and Jin Yang Gate into a coordinated ambush.

Chen Mu reaps the benefits of others' conflict!

The second is to let Qi Mengjun lure Lu Tang, then wait for an opportunity to draw out Pei Renguang.

Both choices carry uncertainty.

However, upon deeper comparison, the second choice holds greater uncertainty.

Because this woman's methods of seducing men are too bizarre.

For safety's sake, the first option is the safer choice!

……

Huh~ huh~

Cold wind brushed past.

Chen Mu listened from afar as Jin Yao vanished completely.

Slowly stepping out from the shadows, his footsteps silent, he approached Qi Mengjun as she exited the valley.

Qi Mengjun spun around sharply, saw Chen Mu, and her stunning face flashed with surprise—then instantly softened into seductive frailty, her eyes shimmering like a startled fawn.

"You… who are you? Why are you here?"

Her voice was soft and supple, carrying an odd magic that stirred pity and made one unconsciously lower their guard.

This was her tried-and-true charm technique.

Yet Chen Mu's soul had grown stronger after its recent enhancement, his mental resilience far exceeding that of ordinary people.

He remained utterly unmoved, instead sneering, "Drop your tricks. Tell me where Pei Renguang is."

Qi Mengjun's expression shifted slightly; her allure deepened, her body swaying as if too delicate to stand, "What are you talking about, Young Master? I don't understand… My lord is naturally at the Town Martial Office…"

Before she finished speaking, Chen Mu's figure vanished from his spot.

The next instant, he appeared before Qi Mengjun, his hand like an iron clamp gripping her snow-white throat and slamming her hard against the icy rock wall!

His movement was swift as lightning, ruthless and decisive.

"Ugh~!"

Caught off guard, Qi Mengjun's charm technique shattered instantly; her breath choked off, pain flashing across her face.

Fear flickered in her eyes as she struggled—but found his grip as immovable as a mountain.

Innate!

Qi Mengjun was merely Post-Heaven Peak; this man was Innate!

"My patience is limited."

Chen Mu's voice was low and dangerous, as if rising from the Nine Heavens' depths, "Tell me Pei Renguang's true cultivation location—or I won't mind letting you experience something worse than death. Will your fake-death trick fool the Sinew-Disrupting and Bone-Dislocating Technique?"

"I… I really… don't know…"

Qi Mengjun's eyes flickered with conflict; she spoke with difficulty while gathering her strength.

The next instant, a faint pink glow surfaced deep in her pupils—a stronger, invisible wave of mental seduction stabbed violently into Chen Mu's mind!

"Look at me!"

Her voice became ethereal and alluring, "You'll let me go… you'll help me…"

This was Qi Mengjun's ultimate secret technique, capable of bewitching even Early or Mid Innate Stage experts with weak wills.

Wang Zhongyi, Du Gongxian, Hu Xiaopeng—all fell prey to this trick.

Yet Chen Mu merely furrowed his brow; a flash of clarity lit his eyes as he focused all his mental power, wielding his soul as a blade to activate the "Reversal Fate Blade."

Hum~

An invisible mental blade instantly shattered and dissolved the seductive force.

"Ah!"

Qi Mengjun was struck as if by a heavy blow, screamed, blood trickling from her lips; her spirit recoiled, her gaze momentarily dulled.

She stared at Chen Mu in disbelief, as if facing a monster.

"Last chance. Where is Pei Renguang?" Chen Mu's fingers tightened slightly, his killing intent unmistakable.

The shadow of death fully enveloped her.

Qi Mengjun finally understood: every trick was useless before this man.

Fear overwhelmed everything; she gasped out a few words, "In… in Great Willow Manor…"

Great Willow Manor?

Chen Mu's brows lifted; he pressed again, "Where in Great Willow Manor?"

"I… I don't know."

Qi Mengjun struggled to speak, "I only… know My Lord is… in Great Willow Manor. The exact… location… I don't know. Only Jin Yao knows…"

Hearing this, Chen Mu fell silent for a moment.

The next instant—"Bang!"—a palm struck her lower abdomen, shattering her dantian!

"Ahh~!"

Qi Mengjun screamed, her stunning face paling further, despair flooding her eyes.

The dantian shattered—her martial path was severed.

Pah~

Chen Mu's face expressionless, he delivered a palm-strike to her neck, knocking her unconscious, then retrieved rope from his palm-space and bound her tightly.

Carrying Qi Mengjun, Chen Mu found a cave.

They threw the body into the cave, then found a massive boulder to block the entrance.

Having finished everything, Chen Mu floated back to Wulong Fucheng.

Whoosh!

Whoosh~

Under the night sky, he slipped back into the city like a ghost.

He took out his bow and arrow, and swiftly wrote on three sheets of paper.

The first arrow, tied with a note, pierced through the lantern before the Jin Yang Gate with a sharp whistle and drove deep into the gatepost.

The note read: "The murderer who cultivates the Devour Heaven Demon Art hides in Ju Liu Shanzhuang. If you wish to avenge, hurry!"

The second arrow struck the Zhou family's ancestral hall, embedding itself directly before Zhou Shaoyou's spirit tablet.

The third arrow shot into the Wang family's training ground, embedding itself on the most visible weapon rack with a loud crash.

The content was identical on all three.

Cai Yunru, Zhou Bowen, and Wang Zhongqiu, immersed in grief and rage, received this anonymous message almost simultaneously.

Normally, they might have suspected this was an attempt to sow discord.

But now, their extreme hatred for the murderer made them willing to believe it!

"Ju Liu Shanzhuang? Jin Yao?!"

"Regardless of truth or lie, search!"

"If it's true, I'll tear him into a thousand pieces!"

"…"

The three leaders, without hesitation, immediately gathered most of their forces and stormed toward Ju Liu Shanzhuang, raging with fury.

At dawn the next day, while Ju Liu Shanzhuang was still shrouded in morning light, it was surrounded by hundreds of allied troops from the three clans, leaving no escape.

"Jin Yao! Come out and answer!" Cai Yunru's voice boomed like a bell, thick with rage.

Jin Yao emerged with his men, his expression calm, but a flicker of barely perceptible shock flashed in his eyes. "Lord Cai, Lord Zhou, Lord Wang—what is the meaning of this? You bring armed men to surround my villa—do you intend to declare war on Ju Liu Shanzhuang?"

"Lord Jin, we received a secret report that the murderer who cultivates the Devour Heaven Demon Art is hiding in your villa! Please grant us the courtesy to search, to prove your innocence!" Zhou Bowen cried, eyes red.

"Absurd!"

Jin Yao flatly refused. "Is Ju Liu Shanzhuang a place for anyone to search? This is an act of provocation—there must be a traitor sowing discord!"

"Whether it's provocation or not, a search will prove it! Lord Jin, why do you keep obstructing us? Are you guilty?" Wang Zhongqiu sneered.

The two sides tensed, the atmosphere turning hostile in moments.

"Damn it!"

"Where did the leak come from?"

Jin Yao secretly panicked.

He refused firmly while secretly signaling his men to prepare.

Seeing this, Cai Yunru, Zhou Bowen, and Wang Zhongqiu grew even more suspicious, their fury deepening.

"Today, you will let us in—or we will force our way in!"

Overcome by the pain of losing his son, Zhou Bowen could no longer hold back—he stepped forward sharply.

In that instant…

Jin Yao's eyes flashed with murderous intent. He knew peace was impossible—he struck first!

His target: Zhou Bowen, who charged the front!

"Attack!"

He roared, slamming out a palm—his qi dark, cruel, and vicious, aimed straight at Zhou Bowen's heart!

This sudden betrayal caught everyone off guard—Jin Yao had struck with such decisive treachery!

"You dare!" Zhou Bowen cried, shocked and furious, barely raising his guard.

Boom!

The air exploded; Zhou Bowen was blasted back, his blood and qi churning as he staggered several steps.

That palm ignited the powder keg!

"Jin Yao! You really are guilty!"

"Kill! Avenge my son!"

"Level Ju Liu Shanzhuang!"

"…"

Seeing this, Cai Yunru and Wang Zhongqiu had no more doubts—they roared and joined the battle.

The hundreds of men they brought immediately clashed with Jin Yao's forces!

In an instant, the front of Ju Liu Shanzhuang became a storm of swirling qi, flashing blades, and deafening cries of death.

Dozens of meters away.

Chen Mu stood behind a tree, watching the battle calmly.

【Corpse detected. Retrieve?】