Chapter 315: You

It's becoming more interesting.

Chen Mu's lips curled into a cold smile; if Du Yuansheng wanted to play, he'd play him to the end!

He immediately rose, stepped out of the Zhenwu Bureau's main hall, made no effort to conceal his form, and shot straight upward, becoming a dark streak of light that raced across the sky above Weizhoucheng, heading toward the Jiuxuan Sect's mine, over two hundred li west of the city.

His aura remained restrained but radiated an unsettling, terrifying presence.

……

Two hundred li west of the city, the Jiuxuan Sect's mine.

The blazing sun hung overhead, casting the once lush valley in a bleak, lifeless glow.

On the open ground at the mine's entrance, white cloth covered countless corpses—over three hundred at a glance—silently testifying to the brutality of last night.

The air reeked of faint blood and damp earth, mingling into a suffocating oppression.

The thirty-odd Jiuxuan Sect disciples left behind wore plain white martial attire, black armbands wrapped around their arms, their faces filled with grief and vigilance, scattered around the mine's perimeter.

Suddenly, a faint tearing sound echoed from the sky.

All disciples instinctively looked up—saw a figure plummet like a falling star from the clouds, moving with effortless grace, landing without a sound, not even stirring a speck of dust.

The newcomer was young, strikingly handsome, but the cold, commanding aura radiating from his brow, combined with the official robe of the Zhenwu Bureau's Inspector, instantly tightened every Jiuxuan disciple's nerves.

"Who are you!"

"Stop!"

Amid shouts, the thirty-odd disciples swiftly surrounded him, swords half-drawn, eyes tense and wary.

Chen Mu's gaze was calm as he scanned the disciples, most lingering in the Post-Heaven Realm, then settled on the bodies covered in Bai Bu, his eyes narrowing slightly.

【Corpse detected. Retrieve?】

"Yes!"

……

Dozens of cards in hand, Chen Mu temporarily did not inspect them, but turned his gaze to a wooden house to his right.

At that moment, a powerful aura surged from within the house, followed by a middle-aged man in Jiuxuan Sect Elder robes, exuding an air of distinction, striding out swiftly.

The man's face was heavy with sorrow, his eyes sharp, his aura pulsing at the Earth Altar Realm's Bridge Layer—though slightly unstable and less refined than typical for his level, he was still a formidable expert in Weizhou.

When the man's gaze fell upon Chen Mu's official robe, especially the golden-thread embroidered Xiezhi emblem on his chest, his pupils contracted, his expression instantly turned Solemn, and he hurried forward, bowing from three zhang away, his tone cautious yet respectful.

"May I ask, sir, are you Chen Mu of the Zhenwu Bureau, my lord?"

Chen Mu nodded coolly, his gaze still fixed on the corpses. "I am. You've investigated all night—confirm these dead were killed by the Divine Eagle Clan?"

The middle-aged man was Gu Yongquan, one of Jiuxuan Sect's Elders in charge of mining operations.

Hearing Chen Mu's blunt question, a flicker of hesitation crossed his face, his lips moved, yet he fell silent.

Behind him, the surrounding disciples' expressions turned complex—some still furious, some embarrassed, some eyes darting with resentment—but not one dared loudly declare, "It was the Divine Eagle Clan!"

Chen Mu observed every reaction, then slowly turned his head, his gaze blazing as he locked onto Gu Yongquan. "It seems you've already realized something's wrong. These dead were not killed by the Divine Eagle Clan. The true killer merely wants to use your hands to kill, provoking a deadly feud between your two sects so he can hide in the shadows and reap the benefits."

"But… but the Divine Eagle Clan has been too cruel!"

A young, hotheaded male disciple couldn't hold back, his neck stiff as he shouted, his face twisted with frustration.

"Too cruel?"

Chen Mu's gaze instantly swept over him, cold as a blade. "If my intelligence is correct, it was your Jiuxuan Sect this morning, without warning, storming the Divine Eagle Clan's outpost and severely injuring their Elder Guan Xu—wasn't it you who started this conflict?"

The young disciple felt a chill race from his soles to the crown of his head at Chen Mu's gaze; his words died in his throat, his face paled, he shrank back, and dared not speak again.

Seeing this, Gu Yongquan stepped forward quickly, bowing again, attempting to shift the topic. "My lord, please calm down. May I ask… what brings you here in person?"

Chen Mu snorted, his voice low but clear to every ear. "I came to investigate the truth of this murder, to confirm whether it was truly the Divine Eagle Clan's doing, so I could handle it fairly. Now it seems I've wasted my time."

"Your Jiuxuan Sect already knows the killer is someone else, yet you still seek personal revenge, launching an unprovoked attack on the Divine Eagle Clan, sparking a full-scale war that has thrown Weizhou into chaos and harmed the people!"

Here, his tone turned sharp, his voice swelling like a physical wave, shaking the disciples' eardrums.

"Do you think the Zhenwu Bureau's people are blind and deaf, unable to see or hear your reckless actions?!"

"This… my lord, is your accusation not too severe?" Gu Yongquan's face changed, trying to defend himself. "Our Jiuxuan Sect is also a victim—our disciples have been brutally killed…"

"How severe it is, you know better than anyone!"

Chen Mu cut him off with a sharp shout, his voice rising with undeniable authority and icy coldness. "I don't care who the hidden killer is—stop all conflict with the Divine Eagle Clan, now and immediately!"

Shhh~

Gu Yongquan snapped his head up, anger flashing in his eyes as he stared directly at Chen Mu. "You—"

"What?"

Chen Mu stepped forward, his aura exploding violently—though he made no move to attack, a crushing, mountain-and-hill-like pressure slammed down, dimming the surrounding light, filling the air with a terrifying, suffocating pressure.

"You're not convinced?"

His gaze, sharp as a hawk's, locked onto Gu Yongquan. "If you're not convinced, strike first. If you can defeat me, then Weizhou is yours to do as you please!"

"…."

Gu Yongquan's throat rolled, his mouth opened, his face flushed crimson then pale, yet not a single word came out.

Defeat Chen Mu?

Only bitterness filled his heart.

Though both were at the Earth Altar Realm's Bridge Layer, he knew his own strength—artificially boosted by sect resources, pills, and treasures—his foundation was shaky. He could handle ordinary peers, but against Chen Mu—the former top-ranked prodigy on the Qianlong List, champion of the Dragon-Tiger Gathering, who had slain the infamous Bu Nantian—fighting him was like an egg smashing against a rock!

Those terrifying feats had spread far and wide—who dared challenge him?

The scene fell deathly silent, save for the mountain wind sweeping through the mine, whispering mournfully.

All Jiuxuan disciples held their breath, utterly cowed by Chen Mu's overwhelming aura.

Seeing no one dared speak, Chen Mu slowly retracted his aura, yet his gaze remained icy.

"I've delivered my message. Whether you obey it is up to you."