Chapter 186: Smooth Progress

"Cough~ cough~"

After two light coughs, Chen Mu made his gaze deepen.

Then he stripped off Ge Qingsong's clothes, dragged the corpse deep into the forest to hide it properly, adjusted his disguised appearance, changed into the clothes, turned without expression, and walked back along the path toward the direction where Guo Zhanggui and his group were.

……

Guo Zhanggui's group pushed their cart, still shaken, advancing along the main road, planning to leave as quickly as possible.

Suddenly, a shadow flashed ahead—the returned "Ge Qingsong" blocked their path.

Guo Zhanggui and the others were startled, immediately stopping, their hearts filled with dread and uncertainty—how had this demon returned?

Guo Zhanggui forced a smile, bowed again, "Senior Ge, you… you have further orders?"

The "Ge Qingsong" glanced coldly over them, saying nothing.

What's going on?

Just as Guo Zhanggui felt his skin crawl under that gaze, "Ge Qingsong" moved!

Shh~!

His figure shot forward like a phantom, targeting Guo Zhanggui directly!

So fast, not even a lingering afterimage remained.

Guo Zhanggui turned pale with terror, had no time to draw his blade, and could only desperately gather all his true qi into his arms, crossing them to block!

"Bang~!"

A muffled, thunderous crash erupted suddenly.

Chen Mu unleashed his full physical strength and true qi, wielding the "Hate Heart Fist"—in an instant, the terrifying force shattered Guo Zhanggui's protective qi and slammed squarely into his chest!

"Crack!"

His breastbone shattered completely.

"Wah~!"

Guo Zhanggui's eyes bulged wildly; blood mixed with fragments of internal organs gushed from his mouth. His body flew backward like a torn sack, crashing hard into the cart, smashing it into splinters. He landed, twitched twice, then fell silent.

Without using "Startling Spirit Piercer," the Yin Blade of "Two Forms Sword Qi," "Six Harmonies Slash," or the "Spirit Blade" of "Reverse Fate Dao," he killed a Ninth Stage Innate with a single punch of pure physical and true qi power.

【Corpse detected. Collect?】

"Yes!"

A true qi card worth two years and one month of true qi!

"Run… run!"

The other Feisha Bandits, terrified beyond reason, screamed in panic and scattered, trying to flee.

Swoosh~

Swoosh!

Chen Mu moved like lightning, flashing through the crowd, palms dancing like shadows.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Like a tiger among sheep, each palm strike killed a Feisha Bandit with a cry, leaving them utterly defenseless.

In the span of a breath, only one man remained standing.

Chen Mu deliberately controlled his force, striking him with a palm that sent him flying into a tree trunk, spitting blood, unconscious but not mortally wounded—he would not wake for some time.

Only then did Chen Mu stop, collecting the cards.

First, he sensed his surroundings, confirming no one was left behind, then crouched to search Guo Zhanggui and the other apparent minor leaders, stripping them of all valuables, pills, and treasures.

As for the corpses, the unconscious survivors, and the hay-filled cart, he left them untouched, abandoned to the wilderness.

Having finished, he flashed away, vanishing into the dense forest beside the road.

……

"Ugh~~"

Searing pain dragged Hu San from unconsciousness; he groaned and opened his eyes to a scene of scattered corpses and congealed dark red blood.

The horrifying sight of Ninth Chief Guo Zhanggui's wide-eyed corpse, and the twisted deaths of his comrades, jolted him fully awake—fear and fury surged into his heart.

"Ge Qingsong!!"

Gnashing his teeth, enduring pain as if his body had shattered, he struggled to his feet, identified the direction, and limped toward the depths of Cang Mountain, toward Feisha Stronghold.

Every step pulled at his wounds, but he dared not stop—his mind held only one thought—

Return to the Stronghold and report!

……

Walking slowly, stopping often, until dusk, when the setting sun dyed the mountains crimson, Hu San finally saw the familiar silhouette of Feisha Stronghold.

With his last strength, he rushed to the Stronghold gate, grabbed a familiar bandit's arm, and rasped, "Quick… report to Third Chief… Ninth Chief… they're… all dead…"

Before he finished speaking, he collapsed, eyes rolling back, fainting.

"Hu San!"

"What? Ninth Chief is dead?"

A clamor erupted at the Stronghold gate; the crowd scrambled to lift Hu San and rushed him inside.

Several hundred meters away, hidden deep within the thick canopy of a great tree, Chen Mu blended into the shadows, coldly watching Hu San carried into the Stronghold, a faint, barely perceptible smile curling at his lips.

Step two of the plan—accomplished!

He quietly activated the "Listen to the Wind" skill, riding the breeze to eavesdrop on nearby Feisha Stronghold, catching every whisper within.

……

When Hu San awoke again, the window was pitch black; only a single oil lamp flickered with dim yellow light inside the room.

"Brother Hu San, you're awake?"

A maidservant stood watch by the bed, and seeing him wake, cried out in delighted surprise.

"Brother Hu San, wait here a moment. I'll go call the Third Master."

Having said that, she turned and ran out of the room.

Before long, a steady, powerful presence drew near.

Creak—

The door was pushed open, and a tall, broad-shouldered middle-aged man with a rugged face and hawk-like, piercing eyes walked in.

He was none other than the Third Master of Flying Sand Fortress, a top-tier Earth Platform realm expert—Wu Guanglin.

"Th-Third Master…" Hu San struggled to sit up.

Wu Guanglin waved a hand, gesturing for him to lie back, and said in a deep voice, "You're wounded, don't move. We've already found Old Nine and the others' bodies and brought them back to the fortress."

His tone was low, carrying a suppressed fury. "Tell me—who did this? What did you run into?"

On hearing this, grief and rage surged through Hu San. Summoning his strength, he recounted in detail the whole sequence of events surrounding "Ge Qingsong," stressing especially that it was Nightmare Tiger Fortress's Ge Qingsong who had returned and suddenly struck with lethal force, brutally and mercilessly.

"Ge Qingsong?"

Wu Guanglin's brows knit tightly, a look of doubt crossing his face.

Nightmare Tiger Fortress and Flying Sand Fortress did have a grudge between them, but Ge Qingsong, as an Earth Platform expert, by all reason should not have so disregarded his status and gone for the kill against a group like Guo Zhanggui's—unless…

There was some reason he had to silence them?

But the men were indeed dead, and Hu San was the sole eyewitness—he had seen it with his own eyes.

A cold glint flickered in Wu Guanglin's eyes. Whatever the reason, one of Flying Sand Fortress's Masters along with over a dozen elites had been killed—this vengeance could not go unanswered!

Otherwise, how could Flying Sand Fortress hold its ground in Cangshan?

"You just focus on recovering. The fortress will handle this matter its own way!"

Wu Guanglin said a few words to soothe Hu San, then turned and left, his eyes already gone utterly cold.

……

The next morning, just as the sky was lightening.

Wu Guanglin personally assembled over a hundred of the fortress's elites and, bristling with killing intent, marched straight at Nightmare Tiger Fortress.

Among the ranks, a plain-faced, utterly unremarkable-looking man quietly blended in.

It was Chen Mu, after his disguise!

Flying Sand Fortress's men had been drawn out.

The plan was proceeding smoothly…