Chapter 261

Facing this sudden attack, Su Donglai was slightly drunk, but years of combat had forged instincts that let him react with lightning speed.

A sharp "clang!" rang out as his waist-long blade drew instantly, a condensed slash of blade light like a white ribbon slicing through the air, tearing apart the incoming sword qi and meeting head-on with two black figures whose aura reached the Eighth Stage Innate.

Boom!

The clash of metal on metal exploded instantly.

At the same time, Chen Mu moved!

He did not reveal his true cultivation, maintaining the facade of Eighth Stage Innate, yet his strike was ruthless and unmatched.

Ssshh~

Chen Mu curled his right hand into a claw, unleashing the foundational ultimate technique of the *Red Water Dragon Slaying Art*—"Blazing Dragon Claw"!

"Huhhong~"

With the Fire Intent amplified, pure flame qi transformed via the *Five Elements Spirit Conversion Scripture* erupted forth, forming a massive, grotesque phantom dragon claw wreathed in roaring flames, tearing through the air with a hissing sound, shattering several incoming sword qi attacks at once!

Then, momentum unbroken, it clamped down directly onto the head of a hooded assassin whose aura also reached Eighth Stage Innate.

Puch!

The assassin never even screamed—his entire body was ripped apart under the monstrous power of the dragon claw, limbs shattered, blood and organ fragments spraying everywhere!

【Corpse detected. Collect?】

"Yes!"

……

One strike, one kill. Card acquired.

Chen Mu's left hand was not idle—he rotated his palm inward, gathering the fierce killing technique of the *Red Water Dragon Slaying Art*—

Blazing Sun's Ultimate Realm!

A fireball no larger than a fist suddenly appeared, blazing with blinding light and radiating terrifying heat, vanishing and reappearing like teleportation to engulf another hooded assassin.

The assassin's eyes had just widened in horror when his protective qi melted like snow under extreme heat; next, his entire body, along with his weapon, was instantly burned and carbonized, collapsing into a charred husk smoking with greenish fumes.

The entire process was as swift as lightning—occurring within a single breath.

Chen Mu alone, with thunderous force, eliminated two assassins both at Eighth Stage Innate.

On the other side, Su Donglai's blade swung wildly—he had already slain one, and now fought fiercely against the last assassin.

……

"Huh?!"

Tang Haishan, who had been lounging casually on the rooftop, certain he need not lift a finger and merely watching the show, saw Chen Mu instantly kill two Eighth Stage Innate assassins—his expression changed instantly.

"Good kid! You've hidden your depth well!"

Tang Haishan growled low, no longer hesitating—his body shot down like a giant night owl.

Hoo~

The night wind tore apart, qi currents surging.

The overwhelming pressure of his Earth Altar Realm's Three Flowers Converging peak erupted like a mountain crashing toward Chen Mu!

Three Flowers Converging means essence, qi, and spirit all perfected and fused into one—its explosive power far surpasses Earth Altar Realm's Divine Bridge.

Tang Haishan slammed his palm down; his true qi condensed into a protective aura that seemed to shatter the air itself, producing a deafening roar. Violent air currents formed visible waves, slamming into the alley walls, instantly cracking them, sending shards of stone flying like hidden weapons in all directions.

Facing this terrifying blow, Chen Mu did not dodge or evade—he unleashed the same "Blazing Dragon Claw," driving the Fire Intent to its peak, the crimson dragon claw colliding head-on with the overwhelming palm force!

Boom-lung~!

In the thunderous crash, the Blazing Dragon Claw exploded—then was instantly shattered and dissolved by Tang Haishan's unstoppable palm power.

The terrifying residual force continued, descending upon Chen Mu's head.

Chen Mu summoned his dantian's true qi, activating his cultivation method—the killing techniques of the *Red Water Dragon Slaying Art* erupted again.

Combining the power of the Water and Fire Intent.

Dragon Fang Pierces Heaven!

"Roar~!!"

As if a dragon's cry echoed, Chen Mu's fist forged a phantom dragon's gaping, grotesque maw—woven with Water and Fire Intent, roaring upward like it would devour the heavens—colliding head-on with Tang Haishan's ultimate killing palm.

Pong—

An even more violent explosion erupted; the shockwave spread outward like a solid force, utterly destroying the already ruined alley walls, hurling rubble and bricks into the sky.

Even Su Donglai and the assassin fighting nearby were thrown backward by the qi surge, forced to retreat swiftly to avoid the blast.

Amid swirling dust, Chen Mu staggered back five steps, qi swirling around him, clothes flapping violently—but he deftly channeled most of the impact into the rubble on either side, and with his Cross-Linked Three Cauldrons Body, he stood firm, face unchanged, eyes sharp as a hawk's, locked unblinkingly on Tang Haishan, who was also forced back two steps by the recoil.

Zzzz~!

Without pause, Chen Mu concentrated invisible force at his third eye—"Shock the Spirit Piercing" launched silently, stabbing directly into Tang Haishan's spiritual consciousness!

Tang Haishan, still stunned that Chen Mu had blocked his full-power palm strike with only Eighth Stage Innate cultivation, was caught off guard—he felt a sudden, searing pain in his skull, as if a steel needle had pierced his brain!

The white light of his automatic defense flickered violently; the heart-protecting jade talisman hanging on his chest cracked with a sharp "crack!"

"Spiritual attack?!"

Tang Haishan instantly realized—shocked and furious—he had never imagined the opponent possessed such an unpredictable weapon.

Forcing through the spiritual shock, he gathered all his power, ignoring the broken talisman, lunging again like a cannonball at Chen Mu, pushing his Earth Altar Realm's Three Flowers Converging power to its absolute limit, determined to crush Chen Mu into dust with his palm!

"Blazing Sun's Ultimate Realm!"

Chen Mu showed no fear—he raised his hand and fired another high-temperature fireball to block Tang Haishan's charge.

"Die~!"

Tang Haishan roared, his palm wind like a tidal wave, forcibly shattering the fireball.

Yet, in the instant his true qi swirled and his focus fractured—due to the Shock the Spirit Piercing and his rage—Chen Mu struck again!

The Yin Blade of the *Two Yin-Yang Sword Qi*.

Silent, invisible, traceless—six streams of yin-cold sword Qi in a single volley, like venomous serpents hidden in shadow, arriving without warning!

But Tang Haishan was, after all, a peak expert of the Earth Shrine realm, his spiritual perception keen; the instant the sword Qi reached his body he sensed it, his form twisting rapidly to dodge.

The first four hidden swords he evaded by a hair's breadth, perfectly; the fifth he could not fully avoid—"Pfft!"—his right arm was pierced through, a spray of blood blooming.

And the sixth, because his body was hampered by the wound, he could no longer dodge, and it drove straight through his abdomen!

"Ugh~"

With his dantian's vital point struck, the violent aura on Tang Haishan's body instantly grew chaotic and withered like a deflated ball; he let out a muffled grunt and had to stagger back.

This was the very opening Chen Mu had been waiting for!

At once, his body flashed like lightning as he gave chase, and another killing move of the "Red Water Dragon Slaying Dao"—"Boiling Water Dragon Tornado"—was unleashed with devastating force!

Whoooosh—!

The air churned, letting out a roaring sound.

Scorching water vapor fused with flame true Qi, transforming into a savage, roaring flood dragon; bearing the aura of boiling destruction, it instantly "swallowed" the heavily wounded Tang Haishan!

"Boom—!"

Accompanied by a strange sound.

Tang Haishan's protective true Qi completely shattered, and his whole body flew backward uncontrollably, As If Struck Heavily, a wild spray of fresh blood bursting from his mouth.

But before he could hit the ground, Chen Mu's figure had already closed in like a phantom; his right hand shot out the "Blazing Flame Dragon Claw" in rapid succession, empowered by the Intent of Fire, delivering twenty claws in one breath.

In an instant, claw-shadows filled the sky, sealing off every vital point around Tang Haishan's body!