Chapter 216

Boom!

Before his words had even faded, the ground beneath Cao Shaozu exploded into a shallow crater, and his body shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, charging at Chen Mu with a fierce, cutting-through-everything aura.

He unleashed his full power from the start!

The Thousand Blades Technique reached its peak; true qi surged, drawing in the air to form hundreds of transparent qi blades, engulfing Chen Mu like a storm of rain and wind.

In an instant, slashing blade qi crisscrossed, carving countless gashes into the ground, snapping trees on both sides, the scene wild and terrifying.

Facing this deadly assault, Chen Mu's gaze turned cold, and the Solitary Star Sword flashed out of its sheath.

Clang!

Swordlight blazed brilliantly.

Duan Tianhe's true qi, transformed by the Five Elements Spirit Conversion Scripture into blazing flame sword qi, met the attack head-on, infused with the sword intent of the Strive-for-Heaven Sword Art.

Boom—

The flame sword qi clashed violently with the hundreds of qi blades, unleashing a deafening explosion.

A violent shockwave erupted from between them like a tangible ripple, flattening every tree within a radius of more than ten zhang, hurling earth and stones everywhere, leaving the area in ruins.

In that instant of direct collision, an invisible ripple flickered across Chen Mu's third eye—the Shocking Spirit Piercer activated silently, striking straight at Cao Shaozu's mind!

Yet, a soft white light suddenly flared on Cao Shaozu's chest; a palm-sized circular mirror's phantom flickered and vanished, followed by a crisp "Crack!" as the light dimmed.

Cao Shaozu merely staggered slightly, a flash of shock and fury crossing his face—clearly, the mirror had intercepted that lethal strike.

"So he has a soul-protection treasure!" Chen Mu understood.

Cao Shaozu was both shocked and furious—he hadn't expected Chen Mu to possess such a devious technique—and his killing intent surged even higher, his true qi raging wildly as he prepared to unleash an even deadlier move.

At the exact moment his old force had just spent and new force had not yet formed, his spirit momentarily unsettled by the shattering of his treasure!

Chen Mu's eyes blazed with icy light, and the Yin Blade of the Two-Principle Sword Qi, stored within his dantian space, erupted suddenly—

Shh! Shh! Shh!

Three invisible, intangible, colorless, traceless dark blades—purely extreme sharp and icy—spurted silently from Chen Mu's chest, moving faster than thought!

The first dark blade pierced through Cao Shaozu's hastily formed defensive qi, piercing his left chest.

The second dark blade tore through Cao Shaozu's attempt to block with his arm, piercing his neck.

The third dark blade, in Cao Shaozu's terrified, disbelieving gaze, struck precisely into his third eye!

Cao Shaozu's forward charge froze instantly; his surging true qi collapsed completely.

Eyes wide, he stared fixedly at Chen Mu, his lips twitching as if to speak—but not a single word escaped, and he toppled backward with a heavy "Thud," lifeless.

Cao Shaozu, the rising star of the Tianxia Hui, ranked forty-ninth on the Potential Dragon List, was dead!

【Corpse detected. Retrieve?】

"Yes!"

Card acquired.

Chen Mu sheathed his sword and inspected the body.

Nine-month true qi card!

Not bad…

Chen Mu muttered silently, tucked away the card, then approached Cao Shaozu's corpse and found a small bronze circular mirror, now cracked all over and devoid of spiritual energy, on his chest.

"So it was a 'Heart-Protecting Mirror'—a soul-defense treasure…"

Chen Mu understood, and collected the mirror fragments.

Then, he looted every valuable item on Cao Shaozu's person—including pills, silver notes, and his identity token.

Having done all this, Chen Mu channeled his true qi and unleashed blazing flames, incinerating Cao Shaozu's corpse and all traces of the battle, erasing every sign completely.

Having cleaned up all loose ends, Chen Mu did not linger, continuing his rapid dash toward Changlin Prefecture.

Upon reaching Wulong Fucheng, Chen Mu carefully circled both inside and outside the city, activating his "Listen to the Wind" skill—but found no trace of any Baihuo Sect or Chi Jiao Hui members.

He then had an idea—a way to lure the snake out of its hole.

At a quiet spot outside the city, neither too close nor too far from the official road, Chen Mu lit a bonfire; the flames stood out clearly against the darkening sky.

Around the fire, he deliberately arranged crude items resembling sacrificial offerings, creating the illusion of a secret sect's secret meeting or ritual.

Indeed, about an hour later, a group of menacing figures arrived, following the trail.

There were over a dozen of them, each radiating lethal aura, their chests bearing a uniform embroidered mark: a ferocious crimson serpent.

They were the Chi Jiao Hui!

Their leader was a burly, wild-haired giant whose aura fluctuated around the Third Stage Innate level; his name was Wu Dafu.

Wu Dafu surrounded Chen Mu with his men, glaring at the bonfire and the "Sacrifices," a cruel smirk spreading across his face.

"Didn't expect there'd be a fish that slipped through the net…"

He had no patience for words; he simply waved his hand and barked.

"Capture him! Alive!"

The dozen Chi Jiao Hui elites immediately brandished their weapons and charged at Chen Mu, howling like beasts.

Chen Mu's expression didn't change; he didn't even shift his stance.

With a thought, several shards of cold light shot out silently.

They were willow-leaf daggers!

Shh! Shh! Shh!

Pfft~ Pfft!

Aaah!

The willow-leaf daggers moved like living things, darting through the crowd with lethal precision, slicing every charging man's throat or heart!

In the blink of an eye, all dozen elites collapsed dead, barely managing to utter a few cries.

【Corpse discovered. Pick up?】

"Yes!"

……

The vicious grin on Wu Dafu's face instantly froze, transforming into shock and fury.

"You're asking for death!"

With a furious roar, he unleashed the full power of his Third Stage Innate cultivation, brandishing a pair of heavy water-parting spikes, and charged at Chen Mu like a raging beast.

Whoooosh~

The sound of piercing air exploded.

Chen Mu still did not draw his sword.

Those few deadly willow-leaf flying darts traced eerie arcs through the air, moving so fast they were nearly invisible to the naked eye.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Puchi~ puchi~ puchi~

A flash of cold light swept past, accompanied by a string of strange sounds.

Wu Dafu suddenly let out a piercing scream—his tendons at the wrists and ankles had been severed in an instant. Like a man with his bones pulled out, he crashed heavily to the ground, blood rapidly staining the floor red.

Chen Mu's expression remained unchanged, his voice flat.

"Where are the people from the Baihuo Sect?"

Wu Dafu was first terrified by the agony and the destruction of his cultivation. Upon hearing Chen Mu's question, he was stunned at first, then seemed to understand something, and a twisted, crazed smile actually appeared on his face.

"Hahaha... hahahaha! So you're not one of the Baihuo Sect! You want to save them? In your dreams!"

A flash of resolve crossed his eyes, and he bit down hard.

Chen Mu sensed something was wrong and tried to stop him, but it was already too late.

A stream of black blood seeped from the corner of Wu Dafu's mouth. The light in his wide-open eyes rapidly dimmed. The next instant, his head lolled to one side, and he died on the spot.

The people from the "Red Jiao Society" are this loyal?

Seeing the situation was hopeless, he immediately killed himself.

【Corpse discovered. Pick up?】

"Yes!"

Chen Mu pondered as he examined the card he had just picked up.

The next moment, the corner of his mouth curved up.

Memory card!