Chapter 248: The Fall of Cangjian Palace

Jia Youyang let out a cold laugh, his armored figure shooting upward first.

Swoosh!

The sound of tearing wind sliced through the sky.

Jia Youyang, like a hawk spotting its prey, moved so fast not even a single afterimage remained—he lunged straight at Liang Tianzong and the others trying to flee!

"Stop them!"

At the same moment, Zhao Fuzhou's icy voice rang out; he and several other Earth Altar experts in the army instantly unleashed their aura, like swords drawn from scabbards, following Jia Youyang upward to strike at Xiong Zengming and the others.

In an instant, the air above Cangjian Palace was thrown into chaotic turmoil.

The clash of Earth Altar experts shook heaven and earth.

Violent true qi collided with deafening roars, shockwaves spreading outward like tangible ripples, sweeping across the surroundings.

The air warped in large patches, visibly expanding into concentric rings.

Boom!

A stray slash of blade qi struck a nearby peak, instantly shattering a boulder taller than several men, filling the air with dust.

Bang!

A sharp sword brushed past an ancient forest, cutting through trees as thick as two arms could embrace like straw—wood chips flew everywhere.

Boom—

Boom! Boom! Boom!

…

Jia Youyang's swordsmanship was vast and open, utterly tyrannical—each slash seemed capable of cleaving mountains and tearing the sky.

His main target was Liang Tianzong, shielded at the center.

Though Liang Tianzong had once been an Earth Altar expert of the "See the Divine, Unbreakable" realm, his old wounds festered and his primordial qi was shattered; now facing Jia Youyang, whose state was at its peak and cultivation had reached Earth Altar Ascended Altar, he was utterly crushed in just two exchanges, barely surviving as blood continuously spilled from his mouth.

On the other side, Zhao Fuzhou's sword intent pierced the heavens, his figure moving like a phantom; with each swing of his longsword, razor-sharp sword qi descended like the moon itself, locking Xiong Zengming in place.

His sword technique was not only swift but carried a piercing sharpness that could pierce through empty space, forcing Xiong Zengming to roar in fury while only managing to defend passively, new wounds appearing constantly on his body.

The other several army experts each engaged one of the two Supreme Elders—the battle raged fiercely.

…

Outside the mountain gate of Cangjian Palace, on an unnamed peak, Chen Mu stood still.

Watching the figures clashing in the air, sensing the heart-stopping energy fluctuations, he gained a more direct understanding of Earth Altar power—especially that of high-tier Earth Altar experts.

"Is this the strength of the top names on the Master List?"

Chen Mu's gaze burned.

Jia Youyang's tyrannical swordsmanship and terrifying sword intent struck Chen Mu deeply.

Early Earth Altar and late Earth Altar were incomparable.

Frankly speaking, they were beings of two different tiers.

…

The battle did not last long.

Just around fifteen minutes later, accompanied by Xiong Zengming's desperate, final roar, Zhao Fuzhou pierced his heart meridian with one sword—the sword qi exploded, freezing him midair, then he fell like a bird with broken wings.

The other two Supreme Elders were likewise slain by army experts, their blood staining the sky.

And the core figure, Liang Tianzong, under Jia Youyang's ferocious assault, was finally slashed apart his protective true qi, his limbs' sinews severed by blade qi, his dantian and qi sea shattered by a follow-up palm strike—his cultivation utterly destroyed, left dangling like a ragged sack in Jia Youyang's grip.

The rest of the others escaped none—they were all surrounded and slaughtered.

On the ground.

Chen Liping, under guard, watched this scene, closed his eyes in pain, his body trembling slightly.

Chen Ze and the other disciples, meanwhile, turned ashen-faced, their eyes filled with despair and terror.

The dust settled.

Swish~

Chen Mu's figure flickered, gliding down from the peak toward the Cangjian Palace gate.

But halfway, he casually passed by the corpses of Xiong Zengming and the others, nearly a hundred meters away.

【Corpse detected. Collect?】

"Yes!"

【Corpse detected. Collect?】

"Yes!"

…

All the dead yielded their cards.

Chen Mu casually revealed his identity and approached Zhao Fuzhou, who was directing the battlefield cleanup.

"Brother Zhao, how will the imperial court deal with Chen Liping and the others?"

Chen Mu asked, looking at the group of Cangjian Palace members gathered under guard, their faces gray as death.

Zhao Fuzhou sheathed his sword, his breath steady; he replied, "Chen Liping showed sense—he didn't resist, preserving most of the disciples. If he cooperates fully during interrogation and reveals his ties to Jing'an Wang Fu and Liang Tianzong, the imperial court won't exterminate them all."

"He and the core elders will likely be imprisoned for a time, to observe their conduct. As for the ordinary disciples, after verification, most will be disbanded."

He paused, glancing at the ruined rear mountain, his tone tinged with sorrow, "But from today onward, Cangjian Palace—a lineage spanning hundreds of years—is officially erased."

Chen Mu fell silent.

The fall of a sect, happening overnight, stirred unavoidable regret.

Liang Tianzong had cursed Chen Liping for refusing to act, preferring to destroy the centuries-old foundation of the Sword Pavilion—yet he never examined himself: this was the consequence of his own greed for life!

Yet he never examined himself — all of this was the consequence of his clinging to life!

Standing from an outsider's perspective, one could see just how correct Chen Liping's choice was.

If they had truly helped Liang Tianzong resist the great army,

at least ninety percent of the Hidden Sword Palace, top to bottom, would have died.

Now that Chen Liping surrendered, ninety-nine percent of the people were preserved, and even if the Hidden Sword Palace was later gone, there would still be a chance to rebuild the "Iron Jianmen" and "Hidden Jianmen"…

……

"Don't overthink it."

Zhao Fuzhou patted Chen Mu's shoulder, a faint smile on his face. "Being able to uncover the collusion between Prince Jing'an and the Hidden Sword Palace so smoothly this time — your contribution was indispensable. If you hadn't transmitted the key information in time, we would probably have had to go through a lot more trouble, and they might even have destroyed the evidence ahead of time."

"I was just lucky."

Chen Mu smiled. "Someone took the initiative to deliver a lead."

"Haha." Zhao Fuzhou laughed. "That person, like Chen Liping, is a smart one!"

"Should be said to be a smart person with a clear head," Chen Mu added.

"Right, right." Zhao Fuzhou nodded repeatedly.

The two exchanged a glance and burst into laughter.

Amid their chat and laughter,

Jia Youyang, clad in armor, strode over with great steps.

Tall of stature, his killing aura not yet faded, his gaze fell on Chen Mu like a bolt of lightning. His voice boomed like a great bell: "So you're Chen Mu? Thirtieth on the Hidden Dragon List — no, should be in the top twenty now, right? Indeed, a hero emerges from youth! How about it — any interest in serving in the army? I guarantee it'll be more satisfying than staying in the Zhenwu Division!"

"General Jia is too kind with his praise."

Hearing this, Chen Mu bowed with cupped fists, neither humble nor overbearing: "I, Chen, still have unfinished business at the Zhenwu Division and have no plans to join the army for now. I hope the General will understand."

"Haha."

Jia Youyang didn't press the matter, laughing heartily: "No matter! If you change your mind in the future, come find me anytime at the Jiangnan Dao main camp!"

Zhao Fuzhou quietly breathed a sigh of relief at the right moment.

After a few more pleasantries, Zhao Fuzhou reminded him: "General, we must hurry to Zhenzhoucheng to capture Prince Jing'an, lest the situation change overnight."

"That's the right reasoning."

Jia Youyang nodded. "Here's what we'll do — you take a thousand men to go make the arrest. Be careful not to harm Prince Jing'an!"

"Understood!"

Zhao Fuzhou cupped his fists, and at once assembled a contingent of a thousand elite soldiers.

These soldiers were clearly veterans of a hundred battles — swift in movement, their killing aura chilling. Under Zhao Fuzhou's lead, like an unsheathed sharp sword, they left the Hidden Sword Palace and raced toward Zhenzhoucheng at extreme speed.

Chen Mu followed alongside.

On the way, he checked the card he had obtained.

He hadn't expected the very first card to give Chen Mu a pleasant surprise!