Chapter 233: A Desperate Gamble!

"Nonsense!"

Chen Liping's face darkened as he barked, "What's he rushing over for at a time like this? Does Chen Mu look like someone he can challenge?"

"Master, we must immediately bring Chen Ze back!" the gaunt elder cried urgently.

Chen Liping drew a deep breath, suppressing his anxiety and rage, and said firmly, "Notify the Law Enforcement Hall elders—descend the mountain at once and bring that disobedient son back to me!"

"Yes!"

……

The Law Enforcement Hall elder, under the master's stern order, dared not delay; he immediately activated his body technique and raced down the mountain, sprinting along the official road toward Zhenzhouzhoucheng, scanning his surroundings with keen perception as he searched for Chen Ze's trail.

Yet he failed to notice that, in a hidden corner beneath the mountain where trees grew thick and dense, a figure silently appeared.

The man was about twenty, with a pale complexion, sharp eyebrows and star-like eyes—he was none other than the eldest disciple of the Sword Storage Palace, Chen Liping's only son.

Chen Ze!

Watching the Law Enforcement Hall elder's retreating back, he smirked faintly, a confident curve forming on his lips as he murmured to himself.

"I'll see for myself just who this Chen Mu is—whether he truly lives up to the rumors."

With those words, his figure flickered away like a nimble monkey, slipping soundlessly into the dense forest beside him, choosing a more secluded and treacherous path as he sped toward Zhenzhouzhoucheng.

……

……

At dusk, inside the Zhenzhouzhen Martial Office, Chen Mu's furious shouts rang out once more.

"Useless! A bunch of good-for-nothings!"

Chen Mu stood at the center of the courtyard, his face as dark as water, pointing at the group of officers before him who cowered in silence, his voice icy.

"Three full days!"

"You've found not a single useful lead! Allowing me to be slandered by these petty scoundrels, my reputation tarnished!"

"Does the Town Martial Office pay you to sit around and eat?"

Chen Mu's gaze cut like knives across every lowered head; his overwhelming aura crushed them, leaving none able to breathe, none daring to raise their eyes or speak in their own defense.

"All of you—get out and investigate!"

"If you still can't uncover the truth, you'll all pack your bedding and leave!"

Chen Mu roared, appearing frantic and utterly out of patience.

The officers, relieved yet overwhelmed, quickly responded and prepared to head out again for what seemed like a futile search.

At that moment, a warrior of the Innate Realm rushed in through the main gate, dragging forward a thin, wiry middle-aged man with darting eyes and a sly, lecherous air.

"My lord! My lord! We've got a lead!"

The Innate Realm warrior shouted excitedly, drawing everyone's attention.

He pulled the thin man before Chen Mu and bowed deeply, "Your Excellency, this man is Ma Liu—he's a… a thief. He claims that on the night the Yangyang Gang was attacked, he was nearby 'working' and witnessed the killer commit murder!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Mu's expression instantly shifted from gloom to radiant joy; he pointed at the Innate Realm warrior and praised, "Good! Well done! I'll record this as a major merit!"

With that, he gestured impatiently toward the thin man Ma Liu.

"Quick! Come with me to the main hall—tell me everything you saw, in full detail!"

Ma Liu seemed fearful, shrinking his neck slightly, but still followed Chen Mu toward the main hall.

Just as the two turned and were about to cross the threshold of the main hall—

Sudden change!

"Shhh!"

A faint yet razor-sharp whistling sound pierced the air.

A jet-black spike, glowing with a deep blue sheen, shot forth like a venomous snake emerging from its hole—from a corner of the office's inner courtyard—faster than the eye could track, aimed straight at Ma Liu's back!

The attack came too suddenly, too ruthless; the other officers hadn't even reacted.

Yet Chen Mu seemed to have anticipated it!

Almost the instant the spike whistled through the air, he didn't turn his head—he flicked his finger backward, releasing a condensed finger aura; *ding! *—a crisp sound as he precisely struck the poisoned spike, sending it flying to embed itself in a nearby corridor pillar.

Simultaneously, Chen Mu's body shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, his internal Qi exploding violently, carrying a fierce gust of wind as he lunged toward the direction the spike had come from—a cluttered corner of the inner courtyard!

"Bang!"

The debris was blasted apart by violent aura, revealing a burly man clad in a Town Martial Office uniform, with a rugged face and a full beard.

This man was none other than Huang Kaiyuan—the second most powerful figure in the Zhenzhouzhen Martial Office, just below the temporary chief Yu Shoujiang, a Ditan Realm cultivator with a Divine Bridge cultivation level.

Huang Kaiyuan clearly hadn't expected Chen Mu's reaction to be so swift, his response so decisive.

Seeing his assassination attempt thwarted and Chen Mu charging at him like a tiger, his shock instantly turned to gloom and a flicker of panic; he thought inwardly:

"Damn! I've been tricked!"

Correct.

This so-called "eyewitness," Ma Liu, was entirely staged by Chen Mu.

His purpose? To test whether anyone within the Town Martial Office was connected to Zhang Tieli's death—or to the mastermind behind it.

And the result? Chen Mu was deeply "satisfied."

This hidden "big fish," the high-ranking Huang Kaiyuan, had indeed lost his patience and revealed himself.

"Huang Kaiyuan!"

Chen Mu halted several steps before Huang Kaiyuan, his gaze icy; his voice, amplified by Qi, echoed throughout the entire Town Martial Office.

"How dare you! Attempting murder within the Town Martial Office—to silence a witness?"

"…"

Realizing he had been fooled, Huang Kaiyuan fell silent, his mind racing for a way out or an excuse.

But Chen Mu stood right before him—his act of murder caught red-handed—and any excuse now rang utterly hollow.

Seeing that peace was impossible, Huang Kaiyuan's eyes flashed with sudden ruthlessness.

Better to fight to the death than sit and wait for doom!

If I kill Chen Mu here and deal with the aftermath later, there may still be a sliver of hope!

"Clang—!"

Making his decision, Huang Kaiyuan violently drew his blade, unleashing his full Earth Altar Realm's Bridge Formation cultivation, the vicious and dominant edge tearing through the air, unleashing a blinding, brilliant slash of light that seemed to illuminate half the sky, striking first like a thunderbolt descending with irresistible force straight at Chen Mu's head!

This slash contained all the power of his lifetime—he vowed to slay Chen Mu with this blade!

"Hahahaha~"

Facing this sudden, deadly assassination, Chen Mu did not panic—he laughed, his voice clear and bright.

"What, no more hiding?"

Before his words had even faded, the bladeless "Xian Long Sword" in his hand rose!

Duan Tianhe's true qi, instantly transformed by the "Five Elements Spirit Conversion Scripture," became a blazing, surging flame qi, flooding into the sword's body.

The "True Martial Cleansing Demon Sword Art" was immediately unleashed!

"Hum—!"

A mighty, yang-charged, righteous sword aura surged skyward, as if capable of purging all evil from the world!