Chapter 176

Outside Wulong Fucheng, in a hidden cave.

"Phew~"

Chen Mu exhaled slowly and ceased his cultivation.

In the dantian space, at the center of large clusters of Duan Tianhe true qi, four dark, icy swords slowly spun.

Having advanced to the Seventh Stage of Heaven, the Two Yin-Yang Sword Qi could now condense four and a half dark swords, hidden within the dantian.

Only, the half-sword, Chen Mu had not yet formed.

"Time to return to the Black Dragon Society's Xiangzhou branch!"

The Fang family was wiped out; the news had spread.

Return to hand in the mission, exchange for the Sword Armor Bracers!

…

A small town built against the mountain.

Beneath the northernmost row of houses.

Chen Mu, disguised as "Li Dashun," walked with steady steps into the spacious hall.

His appearance immediately drew many glances.

"Oh! Isn't this Old Li? Heard you pulled off the Fang family job?" A man with a scar across his face laughed roughly, tone laced with disbelief.

"Tsk tsk, a single night's raid across three prefectures, wiping out six collateral branches, and even Fang Ronghe of the Earth Altar Realm fell! Old Li, you've made a name for yourself this time!" Another slender assassin swirled his cup, eyes gleaming with envy and wariness.

"Old Li, impressive. Either you don't do it, or you do it big!" A seductive woman tossed him a flirtatious glance, yet dared not draw closer.

Facing these half-true, half-fake teasing and praises, Chen Mu merely nodded slightly, his face bearing just the right touch of fatigue and quiet pride, his voice low and muffled: "Just luck."

"You lucky dog, Old Li! Finally your fortune turned! The bounty and credits from the Fang job will keep you living well for a while!" Old Cai walked over, grinning with genuine delight, as if he himself had gained the reward.

"You're imagining things."

Chen Mu shook his head.

Without further words, he walked straight to the Mission Office, completed the handover, collected his payment, and settled his credits.

Then he headed to the exchange point nearby, picked up the catalog, and directly named the "Sword Armor" bracers he had seen in Li Dashun's memories.

After waiting a cup of tea's time, the bracers were brought out and placed before Chen Mu.

This was Chen Mu's first time seeing a part of the Sword Armor.

Unlike common bracers that only covered the forearms, the Sword Armor bracers were astonishingly long—connected to specially made gloves, their armored section extending from wrist to upper arm, all the way to the shoulder.

Entirely a smooth, dark silver hue, with elegant lines and faint, nearly invisible engravings, emitting a subtle yet solid energy fluctuation.

Looking at the bracers, Chen Mu kept his heartbeat steady, paid three thousand credits, and calmly picked them up.

They felt slightly heavy in hand, cold to the touch; when he slid his arms in, they fitted perfectly, seamlessly.

Old Cai leaned over, curiously touching them. "Old Li, you spent so many credits just for these iron arms? Sure, their defense is good, but in our line of work, we rely on one-strike kills—why need such heavy defense?"

Chen Mu slipped the bracers on, moved his arms, and replied vaguely, "Getting older, afraid of dying. Extra protection never hurts."

Old Cai shook his head, clearly not understanding.

No one noticed—in the shadowed corner of the hall—a killer wearing a fox mask, codenamed "Shadow Fox," whose real name was Cheng Feng, stared fixedly at Chen Mu's dark silver bracers, his masked eyes filled with envy and hatred.

He had hoarded credits for a long time, his sole goal being these unique bracers—just about to reach the total—only to have them snatched away by Li Dashun, the impulsive, overreaching fool!

…

With the Sword Armor bracers in hand, Chen Mu did not linger. After chatting briefly with Old Cai, he left the underground space of the Black Dragon Society's Xiangzhou branch, returned to the surface, distanced himself from the town, and walked along a rugged mountain trail.

Though his steps appeared calm, his "Listen to the Wind" skill was already active—every rustle and breeze within hundreds of meters lay under his control.

As he reached a secluded mountain hollow, an extremely faint whistling sound suddenly erupted behind him.

A jet-black, poison-coated short dart shot forth like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, aimed straight at his spine!

It was "Shadow Fox" Cheng Feng!

He relied on his elusive movement and mastery of assassination, determined to reclaim the bracers.

Yet, the instant he struck—

Chen Mu, as if seeing behind him, did not turn his body; instead, his footwork shifted in a strange twist, and the poison dart skimmed past his sleeve, embedding deep into the tree trunk ahead.

Cheng Feng's heart tightened, but the arrow was already on the string—he lunged from the shadows like a phantom, twin daggers in hand, glowing with eerie blue frost, aimed at Chen Mu's throat and waist.

"Been waiting for you."

Chen Mu's cold voice rang out.

In the next instant, he spun around, facing Cheng Feng's charge—not retreating, but advancing. On his arms, the Sword Armor bracers glowed faintly; the Five Elements Spirit Transformation Scripture activated, pouring sharp Metal true qi into his fists!

Hateheart Fist—

Hateheart Cage!

Both fists struck out—not directly at Cheng Feng, but at the empty air to his left and right.

Boom~ Boom~ Boom~

Vast, sharp Metal fist qi exploded, transforming into countless razor-thin golden threads that instantly wove into an invisible net, sealing every possible escape route.

Cheng Feng's face paled—he felt as if he had crashed into a cage bristling with swords and knives; no matter which way he dodged, the razor threads would slice him!

Forced to abruptly halt his charge, he poured all his strength into blocking with his daggers.

In the instant his old force expired, new force had not yet formed, and his mind wavered from the sudden loss of escape—

Chen Mu's eyes flashed with cold light!

Shocking Spike!

An invisible, intangible mental spike, ignoring physical distance, pierced instantly into Cheng Feng's mind.

"Aaaah—"

Cheng Feng let out an agonizing scream, collapsed to the ground, curled into a shrimp-like ball, blood oozing from all seven orifices, his consciousness nearly drowned in searing pain—but he clung to it, gasping out.

"Wait… wait! I know where the leg guards are!"

Hmm?

Chen Mu, who had been about to throw one more punch to finish off the assassin who had been tailing him, froze at those words.

"Leg guards? You mean you've seen custom-made leg guards whose design is exactly the same as this pair of arm guards?"

Chen Mu did his best to keep his voice calm.

"Y… yes!"

Cheng Feng endured the stabbing pain and answered with difficulty, "I've seen leg guards whose patterns and design are completely identical to the arm guards—also a pair of two!"

"Where?" Chen Mu said evenly.

"Huff~ puff~"

Cheng Feng took great gulps of breath to ease the throbbing pain in his head, and his curled-up body slowly stretched out.

Afraid that Chen Mu would lose patience, he bore the pain and quickly said, "Take me back to the branch first, and I'll tell you alone!"

Back to the Black Dragon Society's Xiangzhou branch?

A cold glint flashed in Chen Mu's eyes, and he said casually, "No problem."

As the words fell…

Whoosh~

True Qi condensed into a fist seal, sharp aura surging forth, tearing the air, instantly covering Cheng Feng's head.

"Bam!"