Chapter 313

Almost at the very moment Chen Mu stepped through the gates of Zhenwu Bureau—

In a secret private residence, Tang Ji, Du Yuansheng, and He Xiaoming received word from their spies.

"What's going on? Did Ximen Fenghua not fight Chen Mu? Or did that madman, corrupted by dark qi, flee on his own when he saw things turning bad?" Du Yuansheng was stunned and furious, his tone brimming with resentment.

"He might have been killed by Chen Mu."

Tang Ji's face was solemn as he voiced the worst possibility.

"No way?"

He Xiaoming frowned tightly, unable to believe it. "Chen Mu is strong—Bù Nántiān died at his hands—but how long has he been in the Earth Altar Realm?"

"That Ximen Fenghua may be insane, but in a place like Huya Mountain, using terrain and miasma, his burst power could rival Earth Altar Realm's Three Flowers Converging! How could he be so easily dispatched without even scratching Chen Mu?"

"Then what do you think happened?" Tang Ji glared at him.

"I… I…" He Xiaoming opened his mouth, then let out a helpless sigh. "I don't know."

"Don't know? This can't just be dropped!"

Du Yuansheng lowered his voice, his tone vicious. "Chen Mu must be eliminated—or at least crippled! As long as he's in Weizhou, we'll never have peace!"

"Then what do you suggest we do now?" Tang Ji looked at him, his tone irritated.

A cold, sinister glint flashed in Du Yuansheng's eyes; a cruel smile curled his lips.

"I have another plan… this time, we'll definitely drag Chen Mu into it!"

…

…

Catch the thief red-handed.

Chen Mu knew Du Yuansheng was suspicious, but without solid evidence, he chose to hold his ground.

Stirring the nest to flush out the snake was not the best strategy.

Chen Mu merely observed Du Yuansheng from afar, waiting to see what moves he would make.

…

That night, the moon was dark, the wind howled.

More than two hundred li beyond Weizhoucheng, within a vast expanse of Shenshan.

This was a crucial iron mine under Jiuxuan Sect's control.

After a day of intense labor, the miners in their crude barracks had long fallen into deep sleep, their snores rising and falling.

Most of the Jiuxuan Sect disciples assigned to guard the mine were also asleep; only two on night watch trudged listlessly along the camp's edge, holding dim lanterns, muttering complaints about this miserable duty.

Unaware that the shadow of death had already crept upon them.

"Swoosh! Swoosh!"

Under the night sky, two figures, as if merged with darkness, glided soundlessly forward.

"Puh~ Puh~"

The faint sound of blades severing throats was nearly drowned by the wind.

The two patrol disciples stiffened instantly, their eyes widening in terror and confusion—yet not a single groan escaped them as they collapsed limply.

Their corpses were swiftly dragged into the nearby shadows by the two dark figures, vanishing without a trace.

Immediately after, dozens of shadowy figures emerged silently from the trees and rocks surrounding the camp.

They moved in perfect unison, disciplined as wolves of the night, slipping precisely to each wooden hut and stone chamber where miners and disciples slept.

No command was given—only silent, instinctive coordination.

The next instant, all shadowy figures struck simultaneously!

They smashed through doors and windows, surging into the rooms like a black tide.

Before they even entered, a storm of poisoned crossbow bolts rained down upon the beds!

"Puch! Puch!"

Many miners and Jiuxuan Sect disciples, still asleep, were killed instantly by the bolts, dying on their cots without awareness.

"Intruders!!"

"Who are you?!"

The sudden attack finally roused some alert disciples; they grabbed their weapons in haste and roared into battle.

Yet the attackers each wielded claws forged of fine steel, their blades a deep blue—clearly coated in deadly poison. As they swung, the claws were not only razor-sharp but could easily tear through protective qi, inflicting devastating damage.

Instantly, screams, clashing weapons, roars, and dying wails erupted throughout the camp; fire blazed amid chaos, illuminating a scene of hell.

Hua Lingfeng, the mine's overseer and a Fully Cultivated Primordial cultivator, burst out of the largest stone chamber in nothing but a white nightgown, sword in hand, roaring.

He caught sight of the attackers' strange claws and ruthless techniques, stunned and furious. "You're from Shenying Gate?! How dare you attack Jiuxuan Sect's mine!"

But his question was met only with even fiercer attacks.

All the black-clad figures remained silent, ignoring his accusations entirely.

Especially the leader—a burly man whose qi surged powerfully, clearly at Earth Altar Realm's Divine Bridge stage!

He wielded a uniquely shaped curved blade—but strangely, he used it with his left hand!

Though his movements seemed slightly uncoordinated, slightly hindering his full power, the sheer suppression of his Earth Altar Realm cultivation still crushed Hua Lingfeng with suffocating pressure.

"You're not 'Brother Guan Xu'! Who are you?!"

Hua Lingfeng, stunned and enraged, fought desperately while screaming his question.

Brother Guan Xu was a senior elder of Shenying Gate, famed for his left-hand sword.

Yet this man, though also using a left-hand blade, felt utterly different to him.

The leader remained silent, his assault growing even more ferocious; relying on his overwhelming cultivation advantage, his blade flashed like a waterfall, forcing Hua Lingfeng into constant retreat, his blood surging, blood already seeping from his lips.

Meanwhile, the battle within the camp was nearing its end.

The remaining Jiuxuan Sect disciples, besieged by the numerous and ruthless black-clad men, had all fallen into pools of blood.

Of the entire mining camp, only Hua Lingfeng alone still held on in a desperate struggle.

He knew something was wrong; fighting as he retreated, he sought a chance to break out and escape.

But the leading black-clad man clung to him like a maggot on bone, his blade-light weaving a net of death that sealed off every path of retreat.

"Boom!"

With a dull thud, Hua Lingfeng ultimately failed to fully evade a heavy cleave from his opponent. His protective true Qi was forcibly shattered, his chest felt As If Struck Heavily, and his whole body was sent flying backward, violently crashing through a stone shed used for storing tools. Half his body was buried beneath the shattered stone slabs.

"Whoosh!"

The leading black-clad man moved like a bolt of lightning, instantly appearing atop the ruins, coldly gazing down at the figure below.

Hua Lingfeng struggled to rise, but the movement aggravated his internal injuries, and he coughed up another mouthful of fresh blood.

The leading black-clad man offered no idle talk. His left-hand curved blade rose high, true Qi condensing along its edge, carrying the chill of death, and he slashed it down without hesitation!

"Rumble!"

Gravel and debris flew.

The violent blade Qi not only shattered every stone slab pinning Hua Lingfeng down, but also carved a deep gouge into the ground.

Hua Lingfeng's chest bones were utterly smashed; his whole body was embedded deep into the earth like a broken rag doll. His face was deathly pale as paper, his eyes bloodshot and bulging, filled with unwillingness and despair.

"You... who exactly... are you..."