Chapter 166: One Night, Three Families Annihilated!

Xiangzhou governs seven prefectures.

Changlong, Changwei, Changkang, Huahua…

The main branch of the Fang family, overseen by Fang Ronghe, is located in Changlong Prefecture.

Six collateral branches are scattered across the other six prefectures.

After some thought, Chen Mu first headed to Huahua Prefecture.

…

Deep night, the Fang family mansion in Huahua Prefecture had only sparse lights.

Chen Mu crouched like a shadow bat beneath the eaves of the main hall, his cold eyes locking onto the patrolling guards and occasional Fang family youths below.

In hand, the Wo Hu Bow, a plain iron-piercing arrow nocked on the string.

Shh—!

The arrow tore through the night, piercing a guard's throat; his scream cut off mid-cry.

But this was only the beginning—

Shh! Shh! Shh!

The bowstring thrummed repeatedly, every arrow finding its mark!

Plain iron-piercing arrows in Chen Mu's hands became scythes of death.

In the courtyard, beneath the corridors, Fang family guards and youths fell one after another, pierced by arrows; cries, shouts, and wails shattered the mansion's silence.

"Intruder!!"

"Where? Where's the killer?!"

The Fang mansion erupted into chaos; fires flared, illuminating countless terrified faces.

Nearby cultivators were roused, leaping onto their rooftops to gaze at the blazing, chaotic Fang mansion, sensing the chilling killing intent and thick stench of blood—every one paled.

"Who has the Fang family provoked?"

"It's a divine archer! The attacker uses a bow! To shoot with such lethality in darkness—this man is unquestionably a divine archer!"

"The Fang family is finished."

"…"

Murmurs rose continuously, yet not a single person dared approach the Fang mansion.

…

"Who dares attack the Fang family?!"

From within the Fang mansion, a roar exploded into the sky—Fang Fang Hongmin, a collateral branch patriarch of Fourth Stage Innate, brandished a long blade, his furious aura erupting; in a flash, he burst from the house, scanning left and right.

The next instant, his gaze locked onto Chen Mu atop the roof.

"Little brat, die!"

Fang Fang Hongmin's eyes bulged with rage; he leapt into the air like a great bird, hurtling toward Chen Mu, his blade aura razor-sharp, vowing to tear this assassin into pieces.

Chen Mu's face remained expressionless; he drew the Wo Hu Bow again.

This time, ten iron arrows nocked simultaneously; the Five Elements Spirit Transformation Scripture activated, Duan Tianhe's true qi transformed into invincible sharp-metal true qi, coating the arrows!

Zzzz~!

Ten arrows instantly glowed with a faint golden edge, emitting a faint hum.

Shh—

Ten arrows fired together!

Not scattered, but guided by invisible force, they curved slightly midair like a golden venomous serpent, striking Fang Fang Hongmin's front with astonishing speed!

Fang Fang Hongmin turned pale with shock, swinging his blade with all his strength, pushing his protective true qi to its limit.

Ding ding dang dang!

Sparks flew wildly, force rippled outward.

The first few arrows were barely deflected, but the sharp-metal true qi embedded in them effortlessly tore through his protective qi!

The following arrows clung like bloodsucking parasites, instantly piercing his chest, arms, and thighs.

Puch! Puch!

Blood blossomed in midair, drawing the eye.

Fang Fang Hongmin's charge halted abruptly; like a bird with broken wings, he plummeted heavily from the sky, arrows embedded in his body, eyes wide with disbelief—dead.

【Corpse detected. Collect?】

"Yes!"

…

Card acquired, Chen Mu didn't even glance at the corpse; his form drifted down into the courtyard.

The "Listen to the Wind" skill fully deployed, capturing every faint breath and heartbeat within the mansion.

He moved as if through his own backyard; every hidden figure in every corner was exposed.

Shh~ Shh~ Shh!

Sword flashes flickered; screams echoed continuously.

Whether crouched beneath beds, hidden behind rockeries, or feigning death on the ground—none escaped; all were slaughtered.

After fifteen minutes, the Fang mansion fell utterly silent; thick bloodstained air rose, choking the sky.

Chen Mu entered the main hall, a thread of true qi shooting from his fingertip, carving a snarling, grotesque black dragon sigil onto the white wall.

Then his form shot skyward, vanishing like a phantom into the boundless night.

Only after a cup of tea had passed did a bold cultivator cautiously slip into the Fang mansion.

The slaughterhouse before them left them pale with horror; the ground littered with corpses testified to the brutality just witnessed.

"It's… it's the Black Dragon Society! Look at that mark!" someone cried out, pointing at the black dragon emblem on the wall.

"Assassins from the Black Dragon Society? How did the Fang family end up crossing them?"

"Wiped out overnight… how ruthless!"

"Weren't they supposed to be incredibly powerful? The one who struck was only a single person!"

"Right, right, I saw it too. The Black Dragon Society assassin who came was only one."

"One person wiped out the Fang residence — worthy of a Black Dragon Society assassin!"

"……"

The chatter spread swiftly through the dead-silent residence and fanned out beyond its walls.

……

Before the news of the Fang family's annihilation in Changhua Prefecture had a chance to spread, Chen Mu had already raced like a gale to Changkang Prefecture.

The same night curtain, the same branch of the Fang family.

The Crouching Tiger Bow once again sounded the prelude to death.

Ordinary iron arrows picked off the guard disciples, sowing chaos.

The Changkang Fang family head, Fang Hongyin of the Third Stage Innate, roared as he charged out — yet the outcome was no different.

Several iron arrows infused with sharp metal true Qi easily pierced his defenses and pinned him dead on the training ground.

Search, silence the witnesses, leave behind the Black Dragon emblem.

Chen Mu's figure, like a death-summoning messenger of the netherworld, melted once more into the night and hastened toward the next target.

……

A sliver of fish-belly white had already risen at the horizon's edge; Changwei Prefecture lay silent in the darkest moment before dawn.

This was the third branch of the Fang family.

Family head Fang Hongwu, Third Stage Innate peak, was slightly stronger — but under Chen Mu's Crouching Tiger Bow and sharp metal arrows, he still couldn't last three volleys before being shot into a sieve, collapsing in a pool of blood.

The resistance within the residence was negligible; before absolute strength and precise slaughter, every struggle was futile.

By the time Chen Mu tracked down and slew the last core Fang family disciple hiding in a secret passage, the east had only just revealed the first light of dawn.

The cold black dragon emblem was once again branded onto the walls of the Changwei Fang family.

Chen Mu stood amid the corpses carpeting the ground, not a single drop of blood staining him, his gaze still calm and unruffled.

In a single night, covering over a hundred li, he wiped out three branches of the Fang family!

The card harvest, however, was not great.

Three true Qi cards, one hundred and twenty-four inner force cards, nineteen skill cards, eleven cultivation cards, twelve power cards, five equipment cards — the rest were either stamina cards or energy cards.

Relatively speaking, wiping out the three branches of the Fang family was more about intimidating the Fang main line!

……

Changlong Prefecture, the Fang family's main line.

Daylight had fully broken; sunlight dispelled the chill of the long night, and within the Fang family's sprawling residence, laughter and chatter rose from every corner from time to time.

Suddenly!

A terrified, pitch-shattered scream shattered the morning's tranquility.

"Family head! Bad… bad news! Something terrible has happened!"