Chapter 335

【FOUND A CORPSE. PICK IT UP?】

"YES!"

……

Two companions fell instantly; the remaining two "Jin Sha Ghosts" were terrified out of their wits, with not a shred of fighting spirit left.

They exchanged a glance, ignoring the severely wounded middle-aged man with the square face, and screamed in perfect unison—each bolting in opposite directions like startled rabbits.

They had trained together for years; they knew their joint-strike technique was shattered, two were dead, and staying meant certain death—splitting up might still offer a sliver of hope.

"Try to run?"

Chen Mu's eyes turned icy, his body flickering as he prepared to chase one of them.

Suddenly, his mind flashed with an idea.

His gaze swept over the churning river below and the air thick with moisture left over from the fierce battle—a thought surfaced.

"The Crimson Water Dragon Killing Path—Boiling Water Tornado!"

Chen Mu let out a low roar, his true energy surging along the mysterious pathways of the Crimson Water Dragon Killing Path, while pushing his control over the Water Intent, third realm, to its absolute limit!

Hum—

The air within a thousand-meter radius around his body violently trembled.

Countless water vapors in the air, along with the mist rising from the river below, as if summoned and scalded by an invisible force, instantly turned searing hot.

"Sssss—"

Vast clouds of white, superheated steam erupted into existence and began spinning rapidly.

In the blink of an eye, a colossal steam tornado, spanning over a kilometer, stretched from the river's surface up into the clouds.

This tornado was not natural—it was meticulously controlled by Chen Mu's refined Fire and Water Intent, filled with violent rotational tearing forces and steam hot enough to cook flesh.

The tornado's outer edges howled with ferocious winds, while its center remained relatively calm—but the scorching steam permeated everywhere, forming a death trap.

The two fleeing "ghosts," along with the square-faced middle-aged man nearby, who was stunned and enraged—all three were instantly engulfed by the sudden, massive steam tornado!

"Damn it!"

The two "ghosts" and the square-faced man were caught off guard, instantly swept into the tornado's outer zone.

The violent tearing forces destabilized them; the scorching steam penetrated every gap, burning their skin, eyes, and even seeping through their protective qi barriers!

They were forced to halt their escape, desperately channeling true energy to form shields, resisting this indiscriminate area attack—now utterly disheveled.

Chen Mu stood within the relatively calm core of the tornado, yet clearly sensed the positions of all three.

While maintaining the "Boiling Water Tornado," his right hand gripped the Sunken Long Jian, his body darting like a fish through the blazing white steam—silent, yet swift as a phantom.

His first target: the square-faced middle-aged man, whose aura was the most violent and filled with hatred.

Sensing the deadly threat closing in, the square-faced man roared in terror and fury like a beast.

"Chen Mu! I'll fight you to the death!"

He knew he had no chance in his normal state—his eyes flashed with madness and resolve as he pulled a blood-red pill, radiating eerie malevolence, from his robe and shoved it into his mouth.

"Gulps~"

The pill dissolved instantly upon entering his belly.

"Aaaahhh—!"

The square-faced man screamed—a mix of agony and savagery—as his body swelled rapidly, muscles bulging, tearing his clothes apart.

Dark green, metallic-gleaming scales erupted across his skin.

His head twisted and deformed instantly—nose and mouth jutted forward, fangs pierced his lips, transforming into a grotesque, scaled serpent head.

His body retained its roughly human shape, now entirely covered in scales, his hands turned into razor-sharp claws!

It was the "Beast God Pill" again!

And a reinforced variant—capable of forcibly unleashing latent potential, inducing partial beast transformation, and massively boosting power in a short time.

"That damned thing again!"

Chen Mu's gaze hardened, his speed unchanged—the Sunken Long Jian became a streak of crimson light, slashing straight down upon the half-man, half-serpent monster!

"Roar~"

The beast-form man bellowed, crossing his scaled arms to block—dark green qi surged forth, carrying a stinking toxic mist.

Boom~

The crimson sword qi struck the serpent arms, ringing like metal on metal—scales shattered and flew, the serpent-man was slammed back over ten meters, deep charred gashes left on his arms—but he had barely withstood the blow, his defense now stronger than his human form by several times!

Yet Chen Mu's strike was never meant to be a killing blow—it was meant to create an opening!

In the instant the serpent-man was thrown off-balance, Chen Mu shifted his footwork, his body twisting like a phantom—he abandoned the hard-to-kill serpent-man and lunged toward the nearest "ghost," who was barely holding on within the steam tornado.

The "ghost," fully occupied resisting the steam and tearing forces, suddenly sensed lethal danger—he looked up in horror to see a crimson blade already before his eyes.

Frantically raising his claws, he tried to grasp the sword light with gray-black claw shadows.

"Split!"

Chen Mu softly commanded—the Sunken Long Jian's momentum instantly split into two!

One weaker sword qi met the claw shadows, holding them back; the other, denser and swifter, struck like a venomous snake's tongue, slipping through an undefended gap at an impossible angle!

Pfft~

Blood sprayed!

The "ghost's" protective qi barrier had already been weakened by the steam—now, Chen Mu pierced it precisely; the sword qi tore through his chest, spraying a mist of blood mixed with organ fragments—he screamed, his aura plummeted, teetering on death.

Chen Mu didn't glance back—he flashed again, lunging toward the last member of the Jin Sha Four Ghosts!

Their joint-strike technique shattered, three comrades dead—this final "ghost" was utterly broken; seeing Chen Mu charge, he panicked and only wanted to flee beyond the tornado's range.

He wildly slashed his claws, scattering the surrounding steam, trying to break out.

"Go!"

From a distance away, Chen Mu flicked his sword-fingers in rapid succession, sending three concealed, yin-cold Yin Swords of the *Two Forms Sword Qi* shooting out in a triangular formation — silent and soundless — aimed straight at the three vital points of the opponent's back, hindbrain, and waist!

The "ghost" sensed the danger and had no choice but to turn and parry, claws flashing through the air. It barely shattered two of the Yin Swords, but the third grazed its ribs, carving out a gash of blood and causing its movements to falter.

That single falter was all it took!

Chen Mu's true body had already closed in for the kill.

"Die!"

The Dragon-Trapping Sword, without any flourish, came chopping straight down with an overwhelming, irresistible force and blazing killing intent.

"No—"

The last "ghost" only had time to let out a desperate howl before being utterly swallowed by the crimson sword-light.

Ssslit!

The sword-light swept past, and the remains — along with the protective body qi — were split clean in two.

Blood and entrails sprayed out, only to be instantly vaporized for the most part by the scalding steam all around, giving off the foul stench of burnt flesh.

The "Four Ghosts of Jin Sha" — all wiped out!

【Corpse detected. Loot?】