Chapter 295

"After my injuries and realm stabilized, I returned to headquarters."

"Unexpectedly, on the way, I encountered Bu Nantian chasing down one of our bureau's guards."

"..."

Chen Mu naturally omitted all mention of the "Star God" organization, the Star Mandate, and the rescue by Ju Men Star.

This account mixed truth with falsehood—explaining his escape and breakthrough while attributing the unverifiable parts to "luck" and "coincidence," making it sound plausible.

Zhao Wencen nodded slightly upon hearing this, not pressing for details.

Warriors each have their own fortunes; some secrets are not to be probed. As long as he returned safely and his strength surged greatly, it was the best outcome for the Zhenwu Division.

"Surviving great peril guarantees good fortune. Your ability to break through now stems from your deep accumulated foundation."

Zhao Wencen said gravely, "Since you've advanced to Earth Altar realm, according to bureau regulations, your rank and permissions must be upgraded accordingly. Someone will brief you on the specifics shortly."

"Yes, thank you, my lord!"

Chen Mu bowed in gratitude.

For Chen Mu, this promotion in rank was, for now, largely nominal.

He was already a Bing-class Patrol Envoy; the next rank, Yi-class Patrol Envoy, required not only sufficient merit but also Heaven Palace realm cultivation. As for Jia-class Patrol Envoy, it demanded the terrifying power of Myriad Phenomena realm.

In the entire Zhenwu Division, the number of Jia-class Patrol Envoys was few enough to count on one hand; each man's identity was a mystery, and outsiders only knew the Chief Patrol Envoy must be one of them.

Chen Mu's real gain lay in expanded permissions—now he had access to classified Juan Sect records of higher secrecy, containing secret histories of the martial world and even imperial court secrets.

Coincidentally, Liu Xianbo and Liu Xiankang had vanished without a trace, and Gao Xingde had also disappeared. Though Chen Mu harbored vengeance, he could not locate his targets and had to suppress his urge for now.

Thus, Chen Mu temporarily remained at the Southeast Dao Zhenwu Division headquarters, spending his days buried in the vast sea of classified Juan Sect records, absorbing knowledge and information previously inaccessible.

At night, he devoted himself to cultivating the newly acquired supreme technique, "Da Luo Fan Tian Shou."

This supreme technique, inherited from Wu Quxing, was profoundly mysterious.

Chen Mu first sat in stillness, contemplating—from day to night, then to dawn—remaining motionless for a full day and night.

When the horizon turned pale with dawn and clouds began to churn, a sudden insight struck him—he finally caught that faint "turning heaven" meaning and successfully entered the technique.

After entering, Chen Mu immediately used his accumulated cultivation cards, leveraging their miraculous effects to rapidly master the energy manipulation and movement variations of "Da Luo Fan Tian Shou."

As each card was consumed, its light swirled, flooding his mind with vast cultivation insights, accelerating his mastery of the technique.

Yet, when his mastery reached the "Mastery of Integration" level, the cultivation cards lost their effect.

Subsequent levels—"Flawless Proficiency," "Peak Perfection," and beyond—required personal insight and slow, patient cultivation; this was a matter of gradual refinement, impossible to rush.

"Mastery of Integration" level "Da Luo Fan Tian Shou" was sufficient for now.

The true power of this supreme art lay in controlling the forces of heaven and earth.

Chen Mu currently possessed only Earth Altar realm; he could only wield true qi. To unleash its full power was utterly impossible.

Thus passed half a month.

Chen Mu had roughly finished reviewing the classified Juan Sect records that interested him, and his further understanding of "Da Luo Fan Tian Shou" had temporarily hit a bottleneck.

He immediately ceased delay and decided to leave the Zhenwu Division headquarters first, heading to Yazhou to complete the "Star God" organization's initiation trial.

Destroy the "Golden Money Gang"!

Since the trial required eliminating a subordinate force of the "Beast God," it was far more than merely killing a few high-ranking members—it demanded uprooting their core elites and utterly dismantling the organization.

For this, Chen Mu considered carefully and decided to first obtain the Golden Money Gang's elite member roster.

Upon arriving in Yazhou, Chen Mu did not act immediately. Instead, like an ordinary martial artist, he frequented taverns and teahouses, quietly gathering all manner of information about the "Golden Money Gang."

Combined from various sources, the Golden Money Gang's influence was deeply entrenched.

The strongest was the boss, Chen Yuesheng, who possessed Earth Altar realm's Divine Bridge cultivation, making him a dominant force in Yazhou.

Below him were four senior elders, all at Innate realm's peak.

Below them were ten hall masters, with cultivations ranging from Eighth to Ninth Stage Innate.

There was no vice-boss; all authority was concentrated solely in Chen Yuesheng's hands.

The Golden Money Gang's headquarters was located in Santan Prefecture under Yazhou, and its sphere of influence covered the four prefectures: Santan, Sandong, Sanshui, and Sanlin.

The gang boasted five thousand elite members, each a post-heaven martial artist, and all at least Fifth Stage Post-Heaven or higher.

To eliminate so many elite members, an accurate roster was essential.

Chen Mu pondered briefly and selected a target.

Zhang Yao, one of the ten hall masters stationed in Sandong Fucheng.

He cultivated Ninth Stage Innate, held considerable status, and likely possessed partial core roster data.

That night, Wulong Fucheng.

The Zhang family mansion had scattered lights; most areas had fallen into slumber.

A shadow, like a phantom, silently scaled the high wall, avoided several patrol squads, and precisely infiltrated the inner courtyard's main residence.

From the master bedroom, faint, Coarse and Heavy breathing of man and woman could be heard.

After a long while, silence settled, leaving only post-coital languor and faint snores.

Chen Mu merged into the shadows, evading two guards dozing against the doorframe. His form flickered, slipping soundlessly through the slightly ajar window lattice, appearing inside the spacious bedroom, standing beyond the gauze curtains of the luxurious canopy bed.

Moonlight filtered through the paper window, casting a hazy glow over the three bodies on the bed.

Zhang Yao lay bare-chested, chest rising and falling, each arm wrapped around a young, alluring concubine, both fast asleep.

Chen Mu's gaze was calm, as if observing three objects awaiting disposal.

He raised his hand slightly, an invisible qi strike pierced the air, precisely striking the sleeping acupoints of the two concubines, deepening their slumber.

Then, a chilling killing intent, as tangible as ice, enveloped the sleeping Zhang Yao in the center.

Zhang Yao suddenly felt a bone-chilling cold in his sleep, his eyes fluttering open half-consciously; in the dim light, he faintly saw a dark shadow standing beside his bed, appearing there without warning.

Shocked, he opened his mouth to scream—

But before the sound could leave his throat, Chen Mu's fingers shot out like lightning, a refined stream of true qi piercing through the air to strike the major acupoint on his chest.

Zhang Yao instantly froze, unable to speak or move, his eyes wide with terror and dread.

Chen Mu's face remained expressionless as he reached out, grabbing Zhang Yao's collar as if lifting a sack of goods.

The next instant, the space around them rippled with faint waves, their figures blurring abruptly, as if swallowed by an invisible force, vanishing silently from the room.

Only the two concubines, their sleeping acupoints sealed and unaware of all that had transpired, remained on the bed, along with the lingering scent of decadence in the air…