Chapter 322

「Ah? 」

He Xiaoming was utterly stunned, his mouth opening and closing as if to argue further, but under Chen Mu's icy, tangible gaze, every word was choked back.

In the end, he could only grit his teeth and squeeze out a few words.

「... Yes! Your subordinate accepts the order! 」

Chen Mu snorted coldly, casting not another glance at He Xiaoming's ashen face, then his form blurred as he leapt into the air, becoming a streak of light that swiftly departed from the bloody, chaotic scene.

…

Returning to the Zhenwu Office's main hall, Chen Mu sat upon the head seat and dismissed all attendants.

With a flick of his palm, a stack of collected cards materialized.

He swiftly inspected them.

Internal Qi card, Strength card, Cultivation card…

Soon, he found the first Memory card.

He used the card, read the memory: images flickered, mostly trivial recollections of family life and social exchanges—the card's owner appeared to be a distant relative of the Liang family, with little connection to them.

Chen Mu's expression remained unchanged as he continued inspecting.

He found the second Memory card, used it, and browsed the memory.

The owner of this card was a guard sent by another family to attend Liang Fu's birthday celebration; his memories were likewise filled with patrols and watch duties, unrelated to the Liang family.

He continued inspecting and found the third Memory card.

He used it, read the memory.

「Lucky break! 」

A flash of sharp light gleamed in Chen Mu's eyes.

The former owner of this memory card was none other than Liang Zhongshi!

Immediately, Chen Mu calmed his mind and rapidly scanned Liang Zhongshi's memories from the past three years.

Information flashed past like a spinning lantern—mostly Liang family affairs, cultivation insights, and some illicit dealings.

Soon, Chen Mu precisely seized several key memories.

One concerned the Weizhoucheng Canal Guild branch chief, Cao Cao Liangxing!

In the memory, a middle-aged man with a sharp face and sinister eyes appeared repeatedly, meeting secretly with Liang Zhongshi.

The second was the «Shoushen Pill»!

Liang Zhongshi had received five «Shoushen Pills» from Cao Cao Liangxing in total.

After consuming them, his stagnant cultivation advanced, his blood and qi surged, his white hair turned black, his wrinkles faded, and his physique and appearance reverted to that of a young man.

This made him utterly convinced of Cao Cao Liangxing and the «Shoushen Pill», regarding it as a divine opportunity.

The third was collusion with the Canal Guild to smuggle salt.

The memories confirmed that the Liang family had conspired with the Canal Guild branch to smuggle salt on a large scale for massive profits.

Smuggling salt or iron held no interest for Chen Mu.

He swiftly filtered out useless information and focused on the key points.

What Cao Cao Liangxing held was not the «Shoushen Pill» at all—it was the «Shoushen Pill» that turned people into half-human, half-beast monsters!

«This 'Beast God Pill' undoubtedly has varying grades. The one Liang Zhongshi took was likely a high-grade variant with a long incubation period—or one requiring specific conditions to activate. Lower-grade versions probably trigger immediately upon ingestion, turning users into mindless killing beasts. »

«Cao Cao Liangxing…»

Chen Mu murmured softly, his eyes gleaming.

…

That night.

No stars, no moon.

The Weizhoucheng Canal Guild branch, situated beside the eastern city canal docks, occupied a vast area, its lights sparse, most of its grounds drowned in darkness and silence.

A shadow, like a ghost woven into the night, descended soundlessly onto the darkest ridge of the branch's tallest building.

The figure wore a wide robe seemingly woven from night and starlight, its surface dotted with faint glimmers like a flowing river of stars; his face was covered by a plain, featureless black mask, revealing only a pair of deep, icy eyes like frozen pools.

His aura was suppressed to absolute stillness, as if he were an inanimate stone—Chen Mu, disguised in his «Star God» attire.

He gazed down at the sprawling branch courtyard, the «Listen to the Wind» skill activating silently: every sound within hundreds of meters—the distant waves at the docks, the footsteps of night patrols, the muffled voices inside buildings—all flowed into his ears like clear, gentle streams.

Combined with his night vision, the dark landscape was as clear as daylight to Chen Mu.

His gaze, sharp as a hawk's, swept across courtyards and halls, quickly locking onto a middle-aged man sipping wine alone in a pavilion.

The man was around forty, with a sharp face and dark skin, dressed in the official brocade robe of a Canal Guild branch chief, a black iron token hanging at his waist, engraved with the character «Cao».

His aura was steady, reaching the Earth Altar Realm's Three Flowers Converging peak—Cao Cao Liangxing, the branch chief!

«I've never encountered a formal member of the 'Beast God' organization yet. »

Chen Mu mused, «Whether Cao Cao Liangxing is truly a 'Beast God' remains unconfirmed. »

Given the mystery of the «Beast God» organization, he must investigate thoroughly!

«Cao Cao Liangxing's publicly known cultivation is Earth Altar Realm's Three Flowers Converging. If true, my current strength is sufficient to handle him. If false, and he's hiding his true level…»

Chen Mu's eyes flashed with cold light, «It doesn't matter! »

With his resolve set, he hesitated no longer.

His form glided down from the ridge like a phantom, landing without a sound; using shadows of corridors and rockeries, he moved swiftly and silently toward the pavilion.

Inside the pavilion, Cao Cao Liangxing raised his wine cup, sensing a faint, elusive threat; his brow furrowed as he began to look around—

Whoosh!

Chen Mu struck instantly.

His body shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, while his right hand opened its fingers and pressed forward with a hollow gesture.

The Great Luo Heaven-Overturning Palm at the peak of its realm!

Boom!

Vast, pure true essence burst from his body in an instant, transforming into a pale-gold visible qi barrier that, in the blink of an eye, condensed in the void into a massive palm—nearly a zhang across, its lines crisp and clear, as if imbued with the will to suppress the universe and overturn heaven and earth.

The instant the giant palm appeared, it whipped the surrounding air into a frenzied reverse vortex and, bearing a terrifying momentum that crushed everything in its path, slammed down toward Cao Liangxing inside the pavilion!

Its speed had reached the absolute limit!

Its ferocity had reached the absolute limit!

Cao Liangxing's face twisted wildly. In his haste, he could only push his Three Flowers Gathering cultivation to its limit, crossing his arms above his head to block. Thick, earth-yellow qi surged out frantically as he tried to build a defense.

"Boom—!"

A deafening, earsplitting roar exploded.

The seemingly sturdy pavilion, the instant the massive palm slammed down, collapsed and shattered with a thunderous crash like paper and clay. Bricks, stones, and wood chips flew and scattered in all directions.

Crack~

"Puh—"

Cao Liangxing's crossed arms let out a teeth-grinding sound of bone splintering. The condensed earth-yellow qi shattered inch by inch like fragile glass. The immense force struck him without the slightest mercy, and he spat out a huge mouthful of fresh blood on the spot. His whole body flew backward like a kite with its string cut, smashing through the wall of a building behind him and crashing into the rubble.

With a single strike, Cao Liangxing, a Three Flowers Gathering cultivator of the Earth Altar realm, was wounded and collapsed to the ground.

Chen Mu withdrew his hand and stood still. His Star Robe swayed gently in the night wind, and beneath the mask his brows knitted slightly.

"That fragile?"

"Was he hiding too deeply, or… did I overestimate him?"