Chapter 154: Kill on Sight!

After a brief pause, Chen Mu nodded. "My lord, you overstate it—this is my duty. I'll make brief arrangements, then accompany you to the Town Guard Office."

He had agreed to Tong Yuanshan's request.

Publicly, he was a member of the Town Guard Office's vast system; maintaining regional stability was his duty.

Privately, after the Pei Renguang case, the Tai'an Fuzhen Guard Office had undergone a purge and was now relatively clean—he was willing to lend a hand during this transition.

"Thank you, my lord!"

Upon hearing this, Tong Yuanshan cried out in excitement.

He had rushed over to summon Chen Mu not because of Chen Mu's status, but because of Chen Mu's strength!

The Inspector overseeing the Town Guard Office's personnel, appearing publicly, dampens the morale of the Town Guard Guards.

There's no need; they rarely show themselves.

No one inside the Town Guard Office likes seeing them.

Tong Yuanshan disliked them too.

But Chen Mu's strength was precisely the force desperately needed right now!

The Dragon Pool List's prodigies never judge by realm; those not yet at the Seventh Stage Innate often possess the power of a Seventh Stage Innate.

The Tai'an Fuzhen Guard Office has no shortage of Innate-stage cultivators, but few are Seventh Stage Innate.

Besides Tong Yuanshan, there was only one other Seventh Stage Innate.

Chen Mu's arrival made him the third.

Even if Chen Mu never stepped onto the streets, merely holding court at the Town Guard Office would be a tremendous boost!

…

Chen Mu guessed part of Tong Yuanshan's intent, but didn't call it out.

That afternoon, Chen Mu donned the black-and-ebony official robe of the Town Guard Inspector, its cuffs, chest, and collar embroidered with flame patterns, symbolizing the authority to inspect and purge.

Holding the Zhan Sha Dao, he stepped into the Tai'an Fuzhen Guard Office with a cold, stern expression.

"Hail, my lord!"

"Greetings, my lord!"

"..."

As he walked past, every Town Guard member he encountered—patrol soldiers, clerks, or hurrying Town Guard Guards—paused their tasks, bowed respectfully, and cried out.

Their gazes held reverence, curiosity, and a faint, barely perceptible hope.

The shadow of Pei Renguang's era had lifted; this young Inspector, rumored to have powerful backing and ruthless methods, might bring new order.

Chen Mu did not directly intervene in daily affairs, but went straight to the Office of Records.

Though he was holding court and held the highest rank, Chen Mu did not issue arbitrary orders—he had the chief clerk retrieve the Town Guard Office's key Juan Sect records from the past decade for review.

This was something he had wanted to do but never had.

Now, at last, he had the chance to examine them.

Tai'an Prefecture's martial culture ran deep; the "Heart-Swallowing Demon" was not the only scourge. Over the past decade, no fewer than a dozen skilled cultivators had died in incidents.

He sat in the Office of Records.

When subordinates came to seek guidance on matters they couldn't resolve, Chen Mu never intervened, merely responding calmly, "Handle it according to precedent."

Or: "Follow the Town Guard Code."

He held court like this for three days, spending most of his time poring over thick Juan Sect records. Though the city had grown slightly noisier due to the influx of wandering cultivators, no major disturbances occurred—the Town Guard's existing system still functioned.

Yet, on the third evening, as the setting sun dyed the sky orange-red, a rapid footstep shattered the quiet of the Office of Records.

A bronze-rank Town Guard Guard burst in, panting, knelt on one knee, and reported urgently, "My lord! Emergency report: Three streets from the office, on Changxing Street, two groups of outsider cultivators have engaged in a massive battle for reasons unknown."

"The leaders of both sides are Seventh Stage Innate experts; their fighting is fierce. They've destroyed over ten storefronts, harmed innocent civilians, and casualties are unknown. We tried to intervene but were outmatched—several of us were wounded! Please, my lord, give orders!"

Hearing this, Chen Mu slowly closed the Juan Sect record he had been reading, his eyes instantly sharpening.

Open street combat? Destruction of homes? Casualties among civilians?

Do they think the Town Guard doesn't exist?!

Chen Mu immediately rose, without a word, and ordered, "Lead the way. Gather nearby personnel. Evacuate civilians. Seal off the street."

"Yes, my lord!"

The bronze-rank Guard perked up, instantly rising to lead the way.

Chen Mu, accompanied by several Town Guard Guards who had rushed to join him, sprinted out of the office and raced toward the scene.

As they neared Changxing Street, they heard thunderous shouts, clashing weapons, and the terrified cries of civilians.

The air reeked of faint blood and wild Qi fluctuations.

【Corpse detected. Collect?】

"Yes!"

…

With the card in hand, Chen Mu remained expressionless, stepping swiftly toward the fighting crowd.

The entire street was in ruins. Dozens of cultivators were divided into two factions, locked in fierce combat—blades and swords flashed, sharp blade and sword Qi lashed out, shattering shop doors, banners, and railings.

The ground was pitted and littered with over a dozen corpses, including seven or eight ordinary civilians in plain cloth—clearly innocent bystanders, brutally slain.

Chen Mu's gaze swept over those civilian corpses, his face darkening.

"Town Guard on duty! Everyone, cease immediately!" a Town Guard Guard accompanying him bellowed with full internal force.

But the blood-maddened cultivators ignored him entirely; one even laughed wildly, "Town Guard? Get lost! Mind your own business!"

"You—"

"No need to waste words with them."

Chen Mu cut in coldly.

The next moment—

Clang!

The Zhan Sha Dao slashed out of its sheath.

The Five Elements Soul-Transmutation Scripture activated instantly, transforming Duan Tianhe's pure, vast true qi into ferocious, blazing fire energy!

Hum~!

Crimson flames coiled around the dark blade like living things; the terrifying heat warped the air, turning the Zhan Sha Dao into a blade of infernal fire.

"Obstinate and unrepentant, committing violence in the street, endangering the innocent—your crime merits death!"

Chen Mu let out a cold shout, his body shooting forward like an arrow released from a bow, plunging into the chaotic battle!

He made no distinction between the two factions; anyone still fighting fell within his strike range.

The flame blade qi surged, extending several meters in length!

Hu-hong~!

A horizontal slash, like a storm of fire sweeping through.

Three or four warriors locked in combat were caught off-guard—cut clean through at the waist, their bodies and weapons instantly swallowed by flame.

Shhh!

A reverse upward slash sent another blade-wielding warrior flying; mid-air, he turned to char.

Shhh! Shhh! Shhh~

Chen Mu moved like a tiger among sheep, unstoppable.

Where the flame blade qi passed, none could withstand a single blow!

【Corpse detected. Collect?】

"Yes!"

……

Piercing screams rose one after another; the once-chaotic battlefield was forcibly reordered into chaos by Chen Mu's single blade.

Yet Chen Mu's primary targets were the two late-stage Primordial experts locked in fierce combat at the heart of the fray!

These two were the leaders of their respective groups; suddenly sensing the sharp, deadly intent and the searing blade qi, they were stunned—forced to break apart instantly, staring in alarm at Chen Mu as he surged toward them.

"Zhenwu Bureau on official duty!"

Chen Mu stood with sword in hand, flame blade qi swirling around him, his cold gaze locked onto the two leaders.

"Drop your weapons and surrender. Otherwise—kill on sight!"