Chapter 146: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, the Oriole Waits Behind

Boom~

Boom!

……

On the mountain summit platform, the battle raged fiercely.

Chen Mu held the Lone Star Sword, his gaze locked on the seven-hued Sacred Spirit Pearl; though his Qi was suppressed, his peerless Realm of Perfect Mastery of the "Strive Heaven Sword" and his formidable physical strength still made him like a tiger among sheep.

Sword light erupted!

No longer simple slashes, stabs, or parries, but infused with a mysterious rhythm.

Swish-swish-swish~

The blade gleamed, qi surged in all directions.

Each strike seemed to carry the will to battle the heavens—simple, sharp, efficient!

Puch!

A Fourth Stage Innate warrior attempting to block raised his long saber, but his throat was pierced by a single point of cold starlight; his eyes filled with disbelief as he collapsed.

【Corpse detected. Collect?】

"Yes!"

……

Chen Mu's form moved like a phantom, his peak-level lightness skill fully revealed.

He danced like a death spirit amid the chaos, always evading attacks from all sides at the last possible instant, while the Lone Star Sword in his hand acted like a death warrant—each flash meant another opponent bled and fell.

His sword techniques flowed like clouds and water, utterly seamless. Sometimes fierce and unmatched, forcibly breaking defenses; sometimes cunning and bizarre, striking vital points from impossible angles; sometimes solemn as a mountain, blocking and rebounding the weapons of his attackers.

Almost no one could stand against him a single round!

Warriors blocking his path to the stone platform—whether Early Innate or Mid Innate—all cried out and fell, dead or wounded.

Wherever he passed, he carved out a brief vacuum, collecting card after card.

The central stone platform was now less than three zhang away—

"Boom!!"

Suddenly, a deafening explosion erupted.

Not from any attack, but from someone hurling dozens of pitch-black spheres—

Thunderbolts!

These items were immensely powerful, and in this environment where Qi could not be used, their lethality was staggering.

Dozens of warriors near the epicenter had no time to react—they were instantly blown apart, flesh and limbs flying everywhere.

Those farther out were thrown off balance by the shockwave, screaming in agony!

Almost simultaneously, "pup-pup-pup" several small pellets shattered, releasing thick, acrid, black-gray smoke that instantly obscured vision, like a heavy curtain engulfing the entire summit platform.

"Cough! Cough!"

"Who?!"

"Coward! My eyes!"

"The Sacred Spirit Pearl!"

"……"

Chaos, fury, coughing, and screams instantly replaced the earlier battle cries.

In the instant the smoke spread, Chen Mu held his breath and activated his "Listen to the Wind" skill to its full extent.

Amid the noise of chaos, he sharply detected two extremely faint, ghost-like sounds streaking toward the central stone platform!

Then came an almost imperceptible scraping sound, like jade being taken away.

"Go!"

A low, excited voice rang out.

Two figures, moving far faster than ordinary Innate warriors, seized the chaos caused by the explosion and smoke, and dashed toward the mountain's base.

"Thief, don't run!"

"Give back the Sacred Spirit Pearl!"

Guan Shanhai, Zhou Tong, and two other Earth Altar Realm experts, though covered in soot and weakened by the blast and smoke, still possessed their experience and perception—they immediately sensed the Sacred Spirit Pearl had been stolen, roared, and used their powerful physical strength and keen senses to smash through the crowd, chasing furiously after them.

Many other warriors, eyes red with rage, followed in pursuit, their shouts of "kill" and "catch" fading quickly.

Chen Mu stood where he was; the smoke gradually cleared, revealing his calm face.

He slowly sheathed the Lone Star Sword.

Those two had coordinated perfectly, acted decisively, clearly planned in advance, and moved with astonishing speed—intercepting them now was difficult enough, let alone with three Earth Altar Realm experts chasing after them.

"Forget it."

Chen Mu shook his head, without hesitation, and vanished in a flash, retreating to Qin Liangjing's side at the edge of the battlefield.

Soon, Shen Ge and Pang Yunrui also emerged, looking disheveled.

They had been slightly closer to the explosion, shaken so badly their blood and Qi churned—but luckily, they were unharmed.

"Damn it, who the hell threw those Thunderbolts!" Pang Yunrui cursed, wiping black soot from his face.

Shen Ge looked at the ruined summit, littered with over twenty corpses, and sighed, "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind—turns out we were just pawns in someone else's game, fighting for nothing."

Qin Liangjing sighed, "Cultivation is like this—endless tricks arise for the sake of opportunity."

Chen Mu gazed toward where the Sacred Spirit Pearl had vanished, and said softly, "It's fine. At least we witnessed it. This place has no more value—let's descend."

"There's nothing else we can do," Pang Yunrui sighed.

The four of them quickly gathered themselves and descended the mountain via a path on the opposite side.

No one spoke along the way; the atmosphere was heavy, for everyone had watched a treasure slip from their grasp—no one could feel good about it.

When they returned to the ruins at the entrance of the ancient site, they found it surrounded by many people, noisy and chaotic.

In the center of the scene, Guan Shanhai was locked in fierce combat with Zhou Tong.

Both unleashed their full power, stirring up dust and stones, with continuous roars and explosions.

In Guan Shanhai's grip was a pearl emitting a seven-colored aura—one of the three Sacred Spirit Pearls!

Clearly, he had caught up with one of the raiders and successfully reclaimed one pearl.

Zhou Tong, like a mad dog, clung tenaciously, determined to seize it.

Dozens of martial artists formed a circle around them, watching with hungry eyes, yet none dared intervene in the battle between two Earth Altar Realm experts.

Boom!

A crumbling ancient wall, already on the verge of collapse, was toppled by the residual shockwave of Guan Shanhai's punch.

Crack!

Zhou Tong swept his leg and shattered a Shi Zhu.

The battle was extraordinarily brutal; both were wounded, yet neither would yield.

Just as Zhou Tong's cruel grappling hand seized Guan Shanhai's wrist and his other palm slammed toward his chest, Guan Shanhai's strength was spent—he seemed about to fall—

Sudden change!

A blood-red shadow glided soundlessly from behind a broken wall, moving at astonishing speed.

Amid a familiar, eerie laugh, a razor-thin crimson blade slash tore through the air, striking straight at Zhou Tong's back!

"Nie Renchou!"

Zhou Tong's face changed; he had no choice but to abandon his perfect chance to cripple Guan Shanhai, rolling desperately to the side to evade.

The crimson blade grazed his body, carving a deep trench into the ground where he had stood.

In that split second, Nie Renchou twisted his wrist, the blade's path shifting cleverly—not toward Guan Shanhai, but precisely targeting the hand clutching the Sacred Spirit Pearl!

Guan Shanhai had just dodged Zhou Tong's killing move and had no time to react…

Puff!

A flash of blood, and two fingers, along with the Sacred Spirit Pearl, flew into the air!

Nie Renchou laughed eerily, snatching the Sacred Spirit Pearl with ease; without even glancing at the furious and horrified Guan Shanhai and Zhou Tong, his form turned into a blood-red shadow, streaking toward the ancient site's exit—faster than anyone present could comprehend.

"Hahaha! Thank you both for the generous gift! This pearl is mine!"

His brazen laughter echoed in place, leaving Guan Shanhai and Zhou Tong staring at each other in stunned silence, faces ashen, and the surrounding martial artists frozen in dead quiet.

Chen Mu and his three companions watched this sudden turn from afar, speechless.

Nie Renchou had truly brought the saying "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind" to its ultimate extreme.