Chapter 33: Breakthrough, Sixth Layer of the Postnatal Realm!

Storage Card!

As the name suggests, this is a card with a storage function.

Put plainly, it's a storage space, similar to a storage ring!

The space's dimensions are two meters long, wide, and high!

"What a fine treasure!"

Chen Mu was delighted and silently recited the activation.

In the next instant, the card transformed into a streak of flowing light and sank into the palm of his right hand.

As the light vanished, Chen Mu's consciousness sensed a small space had appeared in his palm.

The Storage Card didn't store things within the card itself, but linked to another dimension.

The connection point between that other dimension and the present world was determined by Chen Mu's consciousness.

Chen Mu chose the center of his palm, for easy access!

Swoosh~

The longsword in his hand vanished, entering the storage space.

Swoosh!

In a flash before his eyes, the longsword reappeared in his hand.

If used for a surprise attack, it could absolutely catch a target off guard.

……

"Boom!"

"Rumble~!"

Muffled crashing sounds and explosions kept ringing out.

The battle between the giant serpent and Zhao Jinhu grew ever more intense.

The giant serpent's massive body was sliced open with bloody gashes, fresh blood spraying, chunks of flesh flung into the air.

Zhao Jinhu wasn't faring much better either; the vigorous qi and blood on his body surged and fluctuated, steadily declining with the fighting, or as time wore on.

Every now and then, his whole body would be struck by the giant serpent's tail, slamming into and shattering trees and boulders.

Whenever this happened, the giant serpent would immediately pounce and bite, opening its bloody maw wide, trying to swallow him whole in one gulp.

Zhao Jinhu scrambled to dodge, erupting with blade light, vicious sharp force, encircling and attacking the giant serpent.

If he could maintain that momentum, he really might have won in the end and killed the giant serpent.

Unfortunately, the power on Zhao Jinhu's body came from popping pills. As time passed, the drug's efficacy was fading.

Strong as this power was, by Chen Mu's estimate, it should rival the Innate Realm!

A single pill, and he had the combat power of an Innate Realm martial artist!

Clearly a high-grade great pill.

If there were only one giant serpent, Zhao Jinhu, relying on this temporary power, could also have won.

Unfortunately……

"Hiss-roar~"

With a low roar, the giant serpent once again sent Zhao Jinhu flying with its tail. This time, even the great saber in Zhao Jinhu's hand slipped from his grasp and was flung away, its sharp edge slicing clean through the waists of two "Red Turban Bandits."

Zhao Jinhu himself went "boom" as he slammed hard into a stone wall, the impact point forming a crater, the surrounding area covered in cracks.

Swoosh!

The giant serpent, drenched in blood, darted forward like lightning, opened its bloody maw wide, and swallowed Zhao Jinhu whole.

Down the hatch in one gulp!

But……

Zhao Jinhu wasn't dead!

Swallowed by the giant serpent and plunged into darkness, he pulled a dagger from his waist and slashed viciously at the serpent's belly.

"Hiss-roar~!"

The giant serpent immediately let out a pained howl, its massive body rolling on the ground.

It crushed and toppled wooden houses one after another, crushing to death the "Red Turban Bandits" who couldn't escape in time.

Chen Mu watched, clicking his tongue in admiration.

"This Zhao Jinhu is ruthless enough."

Swallowed whole, yet launching an attack from within.

With this move, the giant serpent's speed and strength had nowhere to be used, leaving it only able to roll on the ground and coil itself up into a tangled mass.

Trying to use that to suffocate Zhao Jinhu to death.

In the end, Zhao Jinhu died, and the giant serpent died too!

Right under Chen Mu's gaze, the man and the serpent stopped about ten meters from him, devoid of any sound.

【Corpse detected. Loot?】

"Yes!"

【Corpse detected. Loot?】

"Yes!"

Two cards obtained.

Chen Mu immediately began inspecting them. One was still a Storage Card, but its storage space was considerably larger than the previous one—three meters long, wide, and high.

The other was a Skill Card, recording a martial art called "Eight Gates Jade-Severing Saber," at the realm of Perfected Mastery!

From Zhao Jinhu!

Chen Mu decisively used the card.

Instantly, the contents of "Eight Gates Jade-Severing Saber"—comprehension, insight, experience—flooded his mind and became thoroughly familiar.

Streams of heat, like little snakes, wove through his palms and arms, reinforcing fascia, flesh, and bone.

"Eight Gates Jade-Severing Saber" was a top-grade martial art among Postnatal techniques.

The saber technique was broad and sweeping, yet extremely variable—the greater the force, the stronger the might unleashed.

"Another martial skill!"

A saber technique at the realm of perfection, picked up for free.

Chen Mu savored the subtleties within.

Around him lay a field of "Red Turban Bandits"—half dead, the rest with severed hands and feet or shattered breastbones, groaning and shrieking without end.

As for the other "Red Turban Bandits," they had all fled.

Of course, they hadn't gone far, merely watching from outside the Shanzhai.

Seeing the giant snake lying motionless on the ground, they still didn't return, continuing to watch from afar.

Whoosh~

Having regained his composure, Chen Mu shifted his figure, pushing "Spirit Snake Steps" to the limit, his long sword slicing across the throats of the surviving "Red Turban Bandits" one by one.

Finishing blows!

Then, he collected the cards one after another.

With the cards in hand, Chen Mu lingered no longer, picked an unoccupied corner, and left the Shanzhai.

Activating "Wind Listening," he avoided everyone along the way and descended Little Cool Mountain.

Taking the mountain path, he quickly put distance behind him.

Zhao Jinhu was dead, but the "Red Turban Bandits" were not wiped out.

The Second Master and Third Master had both escaped the Shanzhai at the first opportunity.

These two were also experts of the Seventh and Eighth Stages of Postnatal.

For this reason, Chen Mu did not pursue the fleeing "Red Turban Bandits"—the remaining ones could be left for the officials and soldiers below the mountain to deal with.

Chen Mu cared more about the cards, especially the number of inner-force cards.

With "Eight Gates Jade-Severing Saber" as a skill card, the harvest was abundant.

The number of inner-force cards, apart from the fourteen previously collected from corpses, had gained another eleven afterward.

Only, the inner-force cultivation periods weren't very high—half a month, less than a month, made up the majority.

Even so, twenty-five inner-force cards in total were the greatest harvest since Chen Mu had begun collecting cards.

With so many inner-force cards, Chen Mu refused to believe he couldn't break through to the Sixth Stage of Postnatal!

Immediately.

Chen Mu left Little Cool Mountain far behind, found an unnamed hill, and climbed to its peak.

Then, he activated the "Wind Listening" skill, listened to the entire mountain, and confirmed there were no people or beasts that could threaten him.

He swiftly took out the inner-force cards one by one, used them, and they transformed into streams of light that surged into his body, generating clusters of energy.

Driven by this inner force, he ran "Rolling Cloud Art" to assault the bottleneck of the Fifth Stage of Heaven.

Inner-force card after card, the inner force in his dantian spiraled round after round, new inner force continuously sprouting and growing.

The aura around Chen Mu grew increasingly powerful.

His blood boiled, as if his very blood had been set alight.

Wave after wave of stimulation penetrated through flesh and bone, reaching straight into the marrow.

At a certain moment, Chen Mu even heard the sound of marrow flowing.

Sizzle sizzle~

Crack! Crack!

His bones trembled, his heartbeat like a great drum.

Chen Mu's spiritual power surged as never before, his mind crystal clear.

Suddenly, the inner force in his dantian gathered into one stream, struck his heart, then violently dispersed, spreading to his limbs and every vessel, as well as his brain.

Snap~!

A crisp sound seemed to ring by his ear.

Chen Mu opened his eyes; mist rose from the crown of his head like a flower.

Marrow sang strangely, a flower bloomed atop his head.

Sixth Stage of Postnatal!