Chapter 143: Kill the Earth Altar!!

Boom~~~

Accompanied by a muffled explosion.

Tang Zhenke unleashed a terrifying aura, his true qi condensing into countless black vipers that surged toward Chen Mu and the other two.

The immense power churned the air into chaos, its force utterly horrifying.

Boom~ Boom~ Boom~

Chen Mu, Pang Yunrui, and Shen Ge were all forced backward, their blood qi churning violently.

Die! Die! Die!

Tang Zhenke tore off his mask and unleashed his killing techniques without restraint!

His eyes turned blood-red, his killing intent boiling; his moves grew fiercer and more treacherous, the black vipers coiling like dragons, each palm strike carrying the power to shatter mountains and split rocks, his true qi crashing like a furious tidal wave against Chen Mu and the others.

"You brats! Today you'll learn that the chasm between Earth Altar and Primordial is not bridged by numbers!"

Tang Zhenke sneered, his assault like a storm of wind and rain.

Though Chen Mu, Pang Yunrui, and Shen Ge moved in perfect sync and each was a prodigy of the Hidden Dragon caliber, under Tang Zhenke's full outburst they could not regain the upper hand—forced into desperate, life-threatening defense.

Pang Yunrui's wounds worsened, blood continuously seeping from his lips; Shen Ge's sword techniques were repeatedly shattered by brute force, his Hukou cracked open; Chen Mu's Sky-Defying Sword Stance was sharp, yet still could not fully pierce Tang Zhenke's thick, unyielding protective aura.

If this continued, the three would surely lose.

Chen Mu's face grew solemn, his mind racing at full speed.

Direct confrontation was no solution—he must strike where unprepared!

Just as Tang Zhenke's killing technique shoved Pang Yunrui and Shen Ge back and he unleashed a full-power palm strike toward Chen Mu—

Chen Mu snapped his head up, his gaze like cold lightning locking onto Tang Zhenke's eyes, speaking with absolute certainty and rapid speed.

"Tang Zhenke! I know who truly killed Tang Yiming!"

"That man is Leng Yanhui of the Baji Men's Leng Clan!!"

The words exploded like thunder.

Tang Zhenke's palm toward Chen Mu froze mid-air; the torrent of killing intent and surging true qi halted abruptly.

A look of utter shock and disbelief flashed across his face—his spirit reeled violently, shaken and momentarily unguarded by this sudden revelation.

Now is the moment…

Chen Mu had waited for this split-second opening!

From his third eye, an invisible, intangible, yet supremely condensed spiritual force erupted—a needle without form or color, faster than thought, driving straight into Tang Zhenke's defenseless soul-realm, stunned by shock.

Shocking Spike!

"Ahh—!!"

Tang Zhenke, caught utterly off-guard, felt his skull pierced by a red-hot steel needle, then violently twisted inside!

The agony surpassed physical injury, striking directly at the depths of his soul.

He let out a shriek so horrific, so inhuman, staggered backward clutching his head, blood trickling from all seven orifices, his mighty true qi spiraling wildly out of control, his protective aura flickering erratically.

Spiritual and soul damage is far more severe and agonizing than physical injury.

"Die now~!"

Chen Mu seized the chance and unleashed the Hateful Heart Fist!

Hate! Hate! Hate!

Boom boom boom~!

His punches shot out like lightning, exploding through the air.

His internal true qi and the fist's hatred intent coalesced to their peak—Hateful Heart Fist, perfected, unleashed without reserve.

This punch struck squarely against Tang Zhenke's gaping chest.

The hatred-infused punch force surged like a breached dam, flooding into his body, ravaging his meridians and organs, and striking again at his already wounded soul!

"Wah—"

Tang Zhenke spat another gout of blood mixed with internal fragments, his eyes glazed, his face twisted in agony.

"Old bastard! Die!"

Seeing this, Pang Yunrui mustered his last strength, lunging like a mad tiger, his twin halberds crossing as they blazed with unprecedented radiance, slashing fiercely toward Tang Zhenke's neck.

"Die!!"

Shen Ge, gritting through his wounds, unleashed his final sword technique—the sword qi instantly sealed the space around Tang Zhenke, blocking any possible last-ditch counterattack!

At this moment, Tang Zhenke's spirit and body were both shattered, his consciousness dim, his true qi scattered—he could not defend or evade effectively.

"No…"

Tang Zhenke screamed, his eyes filled with terror and disbelief.

Ssshhhh!

Pang Yunrui's twin halberds slashed through—Tang Zhenke's head flew skyward.

Shen Ge's sword qi instantly shredded the entire head into fragments!

Tang Zhenke, the Tang Clan expert who had entered Earth Altar for over a decade, ultimately paid for his arrogance and contempt with his life, perishing in this ancient trial ground.

The battle ended abruptly.

Pang Yunrui leaned heavily on his halberds, gasping for breath; Shen Ge propped himself up with his sword, face pale.

Chen Mu slowly retracted his fist, calming his churning blood qi and spiritual energy.

The "Shock Spike" skill was powerful—but could not be repeatedly cast.

Each external release required a pause, like a cooldown.

The "Soul as Blade" technique of the Reversed Fate Dao did not have this limitation—its usage depended entirely on spiritual energy.

Of course, the power of the "Soul as Blade" technique from the Reversed Fate Dao was far weaker than "Shock Spike."

Even Tang Zhenke of the Earth Altar realm couldn't withstand it and was grievously wounded on the spot.

Tang Zhenke died.

A card silently slipped into his pouch!

Chen Mu reached in to check — a True Essence Card!

This was clearly a brand-new card.

When true Qi liquefies, it becomes True Essence.

Once True Essence is born within the dantian, one can advance to the Earth Altar realm.

This True Essence Card, picked up from Tang Zhenke, contained nine months' worth of True Essence.

How many years' worth of true Qi equals one year of True Essence?

"Hoo~~"

Chen Mu exhaled, suppressing his restless mind.

Then he gazed silently at the corpse on the ground — body and head severed, skull crushed to pulp.

Shen Ge and Pang Yunrui were likewise silent.

Slaying a powerhouse of the Earth Altar realm was no easy feat; the dangers within were known only to himself.

"Clean things up, we're leaving." Chen Mu calmed himself and said in a low voice.

The commotion just now had been considerable — it had very likely already alerted people nearby.

The Tang family had more than one Earth Altar realm cultivator.

Once the news leaked, a whole heap of trouble would follow.

"Right, let's go first!"

Pang Yunrui nodded.

Shen Ge also reacted at once, swiftly tidying the scene, erasing the traces of battle, and pocketing Tang Zhenke's belongings.

With all this done, the three dared not linger another moment and immediately headed deeper into Shi Lin at speed, their figures quickly vanishing among the constantly shifting stone pillars.

……

……

"The exit is just ahead!"

Chen Mu's "Wind-Listening" led the way as he raced ahead, guiding Shen Ge and Pang Yunrui in a swift dash.

Dozens of meters ahead, the stone pillars no longer stood erect — instead, a flight of steps appeared.

Once they broke through these last few dozen meters, they could clear the trial.

"Hehehe~"

A wild, arrogant burst of laughter suddenly rang out.

"Buzz~!"

A terrifying, brutal blade momentum, thick with the stench of bloodthirst, erupted abruptly head-on!

A colossal blood-colored blade shadow, a hundred meters long, condensed and concentrated, formed entirely of viscous, blood-like true Qi, surged ferociously toward Chen Mu, Pang Yunrui, and Shen Ge, bearing down on them from the front.

"Nie Renchou!!"