Chapter 281

Tiangong Realm!

Liu Xianbo and Liu Xiankang actually brought in a Tiangong Realm expert.

If it were a complete Earth Weapon, it would indeed be enough to stir such a level of expert—even a top-grade Xuan Weapon would warrant their intervention to seize it.

But what Chen Mu and the others obtained were merely fragments shattered from the Earth Weapon!

Under this vast, ocean-like pressure, Zhang Shaochong, Di Chunlei, and Shi Yilan felt their blood freezing, their hearts filled with boundless fear and despair.

Facing a Tiangong Realm expert, they could barely summon a single thought of resistance.

Di Chunlei clenched his teeth so hard that blood seeped from his gums; he forced his trembling body upright, lifting his gaze toward the divine figure hovering in the air, his voice hoarse from the crushing pressure.

"S-senior! This humble disciple Di Chunlei is a core disciple of the Giant Spirit Sect! My master…"

He tried invoking his sect's prestige, hoping to make the other hesitate.

Yet Gao Xingde, standing midair, showed no expression on his gaunt face; his cloudy eyes didn't even glance at Di Chunlei, as if the Giant Spirit Sect's name meant nothing to him—like a passing breeze.

He remained silent, but the terrifying pressure solidified like weight, silencing Di Chunlei's words, turning his face even paler.

"Hehe…"

A triumphant laugh echoed from the Mechanized Tiger, "Di Chunlei, stop wasting words! Before Elder Gao, invoking your sect is useless! Wise up—hand over the Earth Weapon fragments now!"

"Yes! Hand over everything!"

Liu Xiankang also shouted, emboldened by the presence, "And you, Chen Mu—don't think being on the Qianlong List makes you special! Before Elder Gao, even a dragon must coil!"

Facing a true Tiangong Realm expert, Chen Mu's mind raced—he knew resisting was like an egg striking a rock.

He deliberately showed a flicker of "reluctance" and "fear," without hesitation, reached into his robe, and pulled out the five Earth Weapon fragments he had obtained, speaking gravely.

"This humble disciple is willing to surrender the fragments. Please, Senior, show mercy."

With a flick of his wrist, five fragments glowing faintly with spiritual light shot from his hand toward Liu Xianbo and Liu Xiankang.

Seeing Chen Mu "submit" first, Zhang Shaochong, Shi Yilan, and Di Chunlei—though seething with humiliation—dared not delay; they gritted their teeth, pulled out their own Earth Weapon fragments, and hurled them out.

Liu Xianbo and Liu Xiankang manipulated their Mechanized Beasts, frantically catching all the fragments, counting them, then grinning with wild delight.

But they were clearly insatiable; Liu Xianbo shouted again, "Good of you to cooperate! But fragments alone aren't enough! Hand over all your pills, weapons, and valuables—everything! Whoever dares hide anything, don't blame Elder Gao for being merciless!"

They wanted to strip them of everything they owned?

This was outright robbery!

Hearing this, Di Chunlei and the others were stunned and furious, trembling with rage—but under the absolute pressure of the Tiangong Realm, they dared not show their anger too openly; they swallowed their fury whole, hands shaking, preparing to hand over their belongings.

Suddenly—

Chen Mu, who had appeared "submissive," suddenly flashed a sharp gleam in his eyes.

His internal Qi erupted at an unprecedented speed—not to attack, but forming a supple yet immense aura of protective energy that instantly enveloped Di Chunlei, Zhang Shaochong, and Shi Yilan, who were utterly unprepared.

"Go!"

Chen Mu barked. In the stunned gazes of the three, the ground beneath their feet instantly turned to flowing water; their bodies sank into it without resistance, vanishing underground.

Earth Submersion!

"Die!"

Gao Xingde, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.

A low, thunderous roar of fury echoed through the entire valley, shaking the Mechanized Beasts.

Gao Xingde's cloudy eyes blazed with sharp light; his powerful spiritual sense surged like an invisible net, piercing through the earth to lock onto Chen Mu and the other three, speeding through the underground.

"Hmph! Earth Submersion Secret Art?"

Gao Xingde sneered, motionless—yet instantly appearing above the direction where Chen Mu had fled, his spiritual sense clinging tightly, his speed nearly matching Chen Mu's underground velocity!

On the surface, only Liu Xianbo and Liu Xiankang remained, controlling their Mechanized Tigers, faces filled with shock and disbelief.

"D-digging through the earth?" Liu Xianbo's voice shrilled, "He knows this high-level secret art?"

Liu Xiankang first panicked, then forced calm, his voice harsh but hollow, "Don't fear! Under Elder Gao's spiritual sense, no escape art works! They can't get away!"

…

Deep underground, Di Chunlei, Zhang Shaochong, and Shi Yilan, wrapped in Chen Mu's Qi, felt the soil and rock pass through them as if non-existent, filled with awe and the thrill of barely escaping death.

"Brother Chen, you…" Di Chunlei began to speak.

A cold, ancient voice, as if echoing directly within their souls, suddenly pierced their minds.

"Youngsters, you cannot escape!"

The voice carried the spiritual pressure unique to a Tiangong Realm expert; Di Chunlei and the others were instantly shaken, their fleeting hope darkened once more.

Chen Mu's gaze remained calm; he pushed the Earth Submersion skill to its limit, speeding through the earth.

He soon spotted a narrow natural cave on one side of the underground passage; without hesitation, he dragged Di Chunlei and the others into it.

"Wait here—I'll draw him away!"

Chen Mu transmitted his words via Qi, speaking rapidly.

Before Di Chunlei and the others could respond, Chen Mu's body merged again into the rock wall, continuing deeper into the earth, into more complex tunnels.

In the air, Gao Xingde's spiritual sense clearly "saw" Chen Mu leave the others behind and depart alone.

But his target was clear—he had no interest in Di Chunlei and the other three "minnows." The Earth Weapon fragments were already secured; what he truly cared about was whatever other secrets Chen Mu might hold—especially this exquisite Earth Submersion technique!

Thus, Gao Xingde's spiritual sense remained locked onto Chen Mu; his body streaked through the air like a beam of light, relentlessly pursuing.

Now alone, Chen Mu had no restraints—he pushed the Earth Submersion skill to its peak, moving through the strata like a fish in water, nearly twice as fast as when carrying the others!

Yet the Tiangong Realm expert's spiritual lock clung like a parasite; no matter how Chen Mu twisted, turned, or plunged into labyrinthine earth veins, the prickling threat at his back never faded.

…

Inside the cave, Di Chunlei, Zhang Shaochong, and Shi Yilan felt the suffocating spiritual pressure vanish abruptly; they gasped for breath, drenched in cold sweat, as if they had just escaped the gates of death.

But the next instant, overwhelming worry and fury replaced their brief relief.

"Damn Liu Xianbo! Liu Xiankang!" Zhang Shaochong roared.

"Brother Chen... he drew away the Tiangong Realm cultivator for us!" Shi Yilan's voice trembled with tears, her eyes red-rimmed.

"A Tiangong Realm pursuer... Brother Chen..." Zhang Shaochong's face was grim, unable to bear thinking of the consequence.

Boom~

Di Di Chunlei slammed a fist hard against the nearby rock wall and growled, "We can't just wait around! We must find a way to save Brother Chen!"