Chapter 175: Breakthrough, Seventh Stage of Heaven!

"Not bad."

Chen Mu's eyes lit up slightly as he put away the card.

Immediately, he looked toward the nearest battlefield.

With Fang Hongtu dead, Sun Chengye led his men in swiftly cutting down the remaining Fang family members.

The shouts of battle and roars of fury from the other three directions carried from afar; though the fighting was fierce, it was still within controlled bounds.

Whoosh~!

His figure flickered, and Chen Mu moved swiftly, rushing toward the combat zone at the south city gate.

Just as he drew near—

【Corpse detected. Pick up?】

"Yes!"

……

With a large handful of cards obtained, Chen Mu continued to sprint, rushing toward the combat zone at the Xicheng gate.

【Corpse detected. Pick up?】

"Yes!"

……

Another large handful of cards in hand; along the way, Chen Mu helped the Han family head ambush and kill Fang Hongdao, completely shattering the Fang family team.

Whoosh~!

He continued to sprint, rushing toward the combat zone at the north city gate, helping to deal with Fang Hongyi.

【Corpse detected. Pick up?】

"Yes!"

……

A quarter of an hour later, the sounds of slaughter ceased.

The battles in all four directions came to an end.

All five of the Fang family's dispersed squads died miserably.

Chen Mu had picked up a total of over a hundred and twenty Internal Force cards, the shortest being three months, the longest nine months.

Eleven Skill cards, nine Power cards, five Cultivation cards, three Equipment cards, and some Stamina and Energy cards.

Nine True Qi cards!

Adding to what he had accumulated before, the total number of True Qi cards reached fifteen, the shortest being five months, the longest a year and six months.

This wave was a fat profit.

Adding Fang Ronghe's True Essence card, he could attempt a breakthrough to the Seventh Stage of Heaven!

However, before leaving, Chen Mu found Sun Chengye.

"Patriarch Sun, all of the Fang family has been wiped out; the follow-up handling is left to you all." Chen Mu spoke calmly.

"Rest assured, my lord, we guarantee a clear division!"

Sun Chengye's body and face were covered in fresh blood, his breathing a bit ragged, but his eyes were full of smiles, his voice full of vigor.

"Oh right, my lord, the Fang family treasury has quite a few good things. Would my lord like to go pick a few to take away?"

"No need." Chen Mu said indifferently, "A friendly reminder—it's best you all don't touch the things in the Fang family treasury either."

"Uh…" Sun Chengye was puzzled.

"The Fang family disciples in Xiangzhou have indeed all been eliminated, but the Fang family still has a Fang Rongxue."

Chen Mu narrated calmly, "Fang Rongxue is also at the Earth Altar realm, and a stronger existence than Fang Ronghe. She's currently in Jiangbei, still unaware of the news that the Fang family has been wiped out. When she returns…"

Chen Mu did not finish the rest of his words.

Nor did he need to.

Sun Chengye's expression had already changed!

That's right, there was still one Fang Rongxue out on a trip!

Chen Mu was an assassin; he'd pat his butt and leave, and would almost never show himself again afterward.

The Sun family, Han family, Whirlwind Martial Hall, and other forces were still in Changlong Prefecture!

Wiping out the Fang family and dividing their assets was a gamble won, but these assets still had to be held.

However, as long as this Earth Altar realm Fang Rongxue remained, they wouldn't have a single peaceful day!

When Chen Mu had been inciting them, Sun Chengye and the others had overlooked Fang Rongxue.

Now that he was reminded, the joy of annihilating the Fang family instantly dissipated completely.

Sun Chengye's face was bitter, his lips trembling, his eyes flickering rapidly; he wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say.

Chen Mu said no more, turned, flickered, and swiftly departed.

The Fang family treasury?

Too conspicuous!

Letting Sun Chengye, the Han family head, and the others handle it could save him troublesome matters.

As for whether they swallowed it directly, or used it to hire an assassin to deal with Fang Rongxue, it had nothing to do with Chen Mu.

Fortune favors the bold.

Chen Mu had given them the chance and offered the advice; what happened afterward, he no longer cared.

……

Leaving the city, he arrived at a hidden mountain cave.

Chen Mu took out all the True Qi cards, as well as the True Essence card.

First, use the True Qi Card; a vast surge of energy spontaneously arises within the body, propelling the Duan Tianhe Scripture to circulate, continuously refining and transforming into one's own True Qi, elevating cultivation.

From opened pores, streams of heat continuously leaked out, condensing into mist that swirled around Chen Mu and spiraled above his head.

Huhuh~

The energy vortex spun, the True Qi transformed.

The surging energy from the True Qi Card took nearly half an hour to fully absorb.

Without pause, Chen Mu took out all his Inner Power Cards and used them at once, then used True Qi Card after True Qi Card.

The energy gained from these pushed the Duan Tianhe Scripture to continue circulating, converting into his own True Qi, elevating cultivation, and relentlessly striking at the bottleneck.

Boom~ Boom~ Boom~

One after another, like actual sounds, echoing in his ears.

The leaked energy wandered through the meridians, stimulating flesh, muscle, and bone to undergo refinement, continuously strengthening.

When more than half of the energy from the last True Qi Card was consumed, Chen Mu heard an odd sound beside his ear; accompanied by a tremor in his body, the True Qi in his dantian suddenly boiled.

Like burning flame, it reached the peak of gaseous state—its purity and vitality surpassed all previous levels.

True Qi like fire—Seventh Stage Innate!

Broken through!

The New Realm, the increasingly expanded True Qi, stimulated the body to grow stronger, which in turn spurred spiritual growth.

The enhancement of essence, energy, and spirit fed back into perception, fully amplifying all five senses.

Seventh Stage Innate—firmly stepping into the Late Innate Realm.

……

As Chen Mu contemplated the changes brought by the New Realm.

Outside, daylight blazed bright.

In Wulong Fucheng, the news of the Fang family's annihilation spread like wings, reaching every corner of the city and rapidly extending beyond its borders.

"Holy mother! That's terrifying! The Fang family just vanished?"

"Yes, the Fang family, with centuries of lineage, was wiped out like this. Sun Chengye and the others were ruthless—united, they swallowed the Fang family!"

"Swallowed? Pfft! The Fang family still has Fang Rongxue, a Ground Altar realm expert, away from home. Until Fang Rongxue is dealt with, Sun Chengye and the others are as good as dead!"

"I just want to know why the Fang family's ancestor didn't appear? Was his Heaven Palace realm seclusion a death seclusion? With all this commotion outside, he didn't sense a thing?"

"Exactly! What's going on with the Fang family's ancestor? The family's gone—still in seclusion?"

"Hey, does anyone know which hero hired the 'Black Dragon Society' to eliminate the Fang family?"

"…"

Inside and outside Wulong Fucheng, the city buzzed with chaos and noise.

The Wulong Fucheng branch of the "Black Dragon Society" quickly received the news.

In the spacious underground chamber.

Assassins who had not yet left, upon learning the Fang family was truly annihilated, were all stunned, horrified, and incredulous.

"Unbelievable!"

"Did 'Plum Blossom' actually succeed? How did he do it?"

"Yes, the psychological tactics, inciting others, and coordinated siege are understandable—but how did Old Li deal with Fang Ronghe, the Ground Altar expert?"

"Used poison beforehand? Anyway, he's incredibly powerful—Old Li stole the spotlight this time."

"Too bad 'Plum Blossom' didn't leave his own mark."

"…"

The assassins debated among themselves.

In the corner, Old Cai, "One Drop of Red," just returned to hand in his mission, stared wide-eyed and murmured softly.

"Did Old Li take off?"