Chapter 21: The Furious Green Serpent Gang

A realm never represents combat power!

A martial artist's combat power includes realm, cultivation method, martial technique, weapon, combat awareness, combat experience, and all internal and external factors.

Judging a martial artist's strength depends on overall combat power!

Chen Mu employed the Spirit Serpent Step at the Apex realm, combined with the Heart-Piercing Sword at the Mastery realm, to ambush the unprepared Liang Feng. Though the latter sensed the danger and dodged in time,

that was all he could do!

The Third Stage Acquired realm is not the Third Stage Innate realm. Whether in control of his body or feedback of his spirit, he could not resist, let alone counterattack.

Until death, Liang Feng never saw Chen Mu's face clearly!

He couldn't even tell whether the attacker was male or female.

Because when Chen Mu circled him, the darting and weaving of the Spirit Serpent Step appeared to Liang Feng as nothing but afterimages!

So Liang Feng, despite all his skill, never had a chance to use it.

The same went for the remaining three gang members. Before they could even see what Chen Mu looked like, sword light engulfed them, blood sprayed from their necks, and they collapsed almost simultaneously.

【Corpse detected. Pick up?】

"Yes!"

【Corpse detected. Pick up?】

"Yes!"

……

Five cards in hand, Chen Mu turned and left.

Only after he had walked far away did cries of shock and screams erupt on the street.

……

Liang Feng eliminated.

Gains: two Energy Cards, one Stamina Card, one Power Card, and one Internal Force Card with one and a half months of cultivation!

Not bad.

Next target: Zhang Baohua!

Like Liang Feng, a big boss of the Green Serpent Gang, at the Second Stage Acquired realm.

He did the same thing by rote.

Chen Mu first hurried to the street under Zhang Baohua's jurisdiction, grabbed a Green Serpent Gang member, and asked where Zhang Baohua currently was—a gambling den!

Just as Xu Chong was lecherous, Zhang Baohua was a gambling addict!

Chen Mu headed straight there, entered the smoke-filled gambling house, and found Zhang Baohua with his neck stiff, shouting loudly.

To his left, right, and behind were six Green Serpent Gang members.

Without hesitation, Chen Mu walked straight over. Before a gang member could block his path and question him, his figure flickered. His feet stepped the Spirit Serpent Step to bypass the man, closing in on Zhang Baohua, and at the same time thrust a sword.

Fast!

Too fast!

Zhang Baohua, whose eyes were fixed dead on the gambling table, only felt an abrupt chill on his back. A wave of fear surged into his heart, then pain shot through the back of his neck, and his consciousness plunged into darkness.

"Puh~!"

The sharp sword tip pierced through Zhang Baohua's neck, spraying a burst of fresh blood across the gambling table.

When Chen Mu withdrew his sword, he swept it left and right as well.

Puchi~ puchi~

Three strange sounds, three streaks of blood spurted.

【Corpse detected. Pick up?】

"Yes!"

……

Four cards in hand!

Chen Mu did not kill all of Zhang Baohua's trusted subordinates. He left three people standing dumbfounded on the spot, then turned and strode away.

After a moment of silence, the gambling den exploded into chaos.

"D-dead... someone's dead!"

"Boss Zhang is dead, dead!"

"It's over, it's over!"

"Who was it? Who was that person who just struck? Why does he look a bit familiar to me?"

"I also feel he's familiar!"

……

……

In a small alley.

Chen Mu hurried toward his next target, the location of Wang Gui, also a big boss of the Green Serpent Gang. He reached into his pocket to check the newly picked-up cards.

Two Stamina Cards, one Power Card, one Internal Force Card with one month of cultivation!

Both Liang Feng and Zhang Baohua were martial artists.

Only when a martial artist dies can an Internal Force Card possibly be picked up.

But these two cards were clearly still not enough for Chen Mu to break through to the Fourth Stage Acquired realm.

So, he had to take the initiative!

……

Same old routine: first hurry to Wang Gui's territory, grab a Green Serpent Gang member, and ask where Wang Gui currently was.

Learning that Wang Gui was hosting guests at home, Chen Mu went straight to his door!

A guest of noble status might warrant avoiding suspicion, but a few wandering martial artists? Chen Mu feared them not — especially since he was currently wearing another man's face.

Arriving at Wang Gui's residence, he climbed over the wall and went in.

Following the direction the laughter and chatter drifted from, he strode forward.

The Spirit Serpent Step unfurled; the servants he passed on the way simply couldn't see his figure.

Reaching the outside of the wide-open great hall, Chen Mu didn't slow his steps and walked straight into the room.

"Who are you?"

Wang Gui, who was just then holding a wine cup, glanced at Chen Mu entering from the corner of his eye, his face showing puzzlement.

"Is this one also here to see Brother Wang?" a rough-featured big man at the side asked, twisting his head to inquire.

Wang Gui's pupils suddenly contracted, and the name burst from his lips, "Wu Sihai!"

"Wu Sihai, you show up in the dead of night, what are you trying to—"

Whoosh!

Chen Mu, who upon entering the room was still five meters from Wang Gui, abruptly erupted with internal force; with one burst of speed, he swept to Wang Gui's front.

A sharp sword tip, trailing cold light, tore through the rushing air and thrust straight at Wang Gui's neck.

Wang Gui, who had recognized "Wu Sihai" and was thus somewhat on guard, barely dodged the strike, his body tilting to the right.

Chen Mu's heart-piercing thrust stabbed into empty air, but at the same instant, Chen Mu twisted his wrist, and the hand gripping the sword hilt pushed forward to the right.

"Spurt~!"

Blood sprayed. Wang Gui, who had dodged the strike, had no time for a second evasion; the wildly throbbing premonition of danger turned his face pale, his whole body icy, and his brain told him to dodge, to fall—

But!

His body refused to obey him!

Or rather, his body's control couldn't keep up with his brain's warning!

So Wang Gui watched helplessly as sword-light drowned his vision, and finally his neck throbbed with pain as he lost consciousness.

A bloodstained head flew spinning into the air.

【Corpse discovered. Pick up?】

"Yes!"

With the card in hand, Chen Mu's figure retreated.

Whoosh whoosh~

The Spirit Serpent Step unfurled; his form flickered once, out of the great hall, flickered again, and vanished into the darkness.

Leaving only the few guests in the room, dumbstruck, frozen in place.

Fast!

Too fast!

From the moment Chen Mu entered the room, to killing Wang Gui, to leaving — it took only three breaths of time.

They simply couldn't react in time.

Especially since Wang Gui had called Chen Mu "Wu Sihai," they thought Chen Mu was Wang Gui's rival.

Yet right under their noses, Chen Mu's single sword stroke lopped off Wang Gui's head!

……

……

Liang Feng, Zhang Baohua, Wang Gui!

Three big leaders in a row, dead one after another.

The news raced to the Green Snake Gang's headquarters, and the place immediately exploded.

"Bang~!"

Green Snake Gang leader Han Qing slammed a palm onto the table, shattering the long table; killing intent radiated from his whole body, fury bursting from his eyes. "Li Xiangyang has a death wish, doesn't he!? Someone, gather every man we have — we're going to war with the Blood Wolf Gang!"

"Yes!!"

Two hall masters equally enraged cupped their fists in reply, then strode away to muster their men.

"Gang leader, this subordinate feels something isn't right."

Li Wenzhong at the side frowned and said, "Although that 'Wu Sihai' is fairly capable, according to the eyewitnesses on the scene, the killer's lightness-skill attainment was extremely high — it had reached the realm of perfection! When has 'Wu Sihai' ever had that kind of ability?"

"And even setting aside lightness-skill attainment, 'Wu Sihai' consecutively assassinating three of our big leaders is highly abnormal. The Blood Wolf Gang should, like us, be resting and recuperating at this time, at most carrying out a small retaliation against the Broadsword Gang, not starting—"

"Enough!"

Han Qing roared and cut him off. "Whether 'Wu Sihai' has gone mad or not, the fact is he killed Liang Feng, Wang Gui, Zhang Baohua and the others! I've lost three big leaders — Li Xiangyang must pay the price!!"