Chapter 360: Found the Target!

This statement, though direct and even harsh, was the truth.

Given the power and ruthlessness displayed by the Demon Flame Sect in annihilating Han Family Fortress, those dozen or so men of the Golden Knife Pavilion would most likely have died too if they had been present at the time.

"What are you talking about!"

Behind Zhang Sheng, a young disciple, seemingly in his early twenties and brimming with youthful vigor, could no longer hold back—he pointed at Chen Mu on the wall and roared, "Who are you? Talking flippant words here! I find your behavior suspicious—you might even be a demon…"

"Xiao Qi! Shut up!"

Zhang Sheng's face darkened; he whirled around and barked sharply, cutting off the youth's even more disrespectful words.

He knew well the dangers of the martial world—this man who called himself "Nie Feng," standing alone calmly amidst this mountain of corpses and pools of blood, composed and unruffled, was no ordinary person.

Provoking enemies at a time like this was sheer folly.

After rebuking his junior, Zhang Sheng quickly turned back to Chen Mu, bowing again with an apologetic tone, "Brother Nie, I sincerely apologize—my junior is young and impulsive, speaking without restraint. Please forgive him and don't hold his words against him."

"Does youth justify arrogance?"

Chen Mu glanced casually at the youth named "Xiao Qi," neither angry nor inclined to care.

He had seen too many warriors like this—untested by true storms, acting solely on blind passion.

In this coming chaos, if one cannot quickly recognize reality and learn to read the situation, such "arrogance" will only bring utter ruin.

Chen Mu directly ignored the youth's furious glare and turned to Zhang Sheng, the leader, to ask about the matter at hand.

"Brother Zhang, have you seen or heard of a little girl around seven or eight years old? Her eyes are large, her features exceptionally delicate and lovely, yet her speech often carries a precocious, cunning air—mischievous and clever beyond her years."

He described Long Tuantu's most distinctive traits.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Sheng furrowed his brow, thought carefully for a moment, then slowly shook his head, "A little girl seven or eight years old? Delicate features, speaking like an elder… I'm sorry, Brother Nie, I've never seen or heard of such a child."

He then turned to his junior disciples behind him and asked, "What about you? Has anyone seen or heard of such a girl?"

The Golden Knife Pavilion disciples exchanged glances and all shook their heads.

"No."

"I haven't seen her."

"Sorry, Brother Nie."

Zhang Sheng turned back and bowed again in apology, "Brother Nie, it seems we cannot help you."

"It's fine."

Chen Mu replied calmly, unbothered by the lack of response.

This was merely a casual question—he never expected an immediate lead.

He glanced at the devastated ruins of Han Family Fortress and warned, "This place isn't safe to linger in—the Demon Flame Sect may return. Since you arrived too late to aid them, leave quickly and return to your sect. In today's world, holding your gates tight and staying vigilant is the wisest course."

With that, Chen Mu made no further stay.

He lightly tapped the wall's parapet with his toe, his body rising as effortlessly as a feather with no weight, then transforming into a blurred cyan afterimage that shot northward at astonishing speed, vanishing from Zhang Sheng's sight in the blink of an eye.

"This… who is this man? Such speed! What an incredible lightness technique!" One of the Golden Knife Pavilion disciples stared at the direction Chen Mu had vanished, unable to hold back his exclamation.

"He just levitated into the air… That's only possible for someone at the peak of the Innate Realm, right? No—his speed and distance… his cultivation can't possibly be just peak Innate Realm!"

Another, older female disciple chimed in, her eyes filled with shock and doubt.

Zhang Sheng's solemn look fixed on the now-empty sky, and he slowly exhaled.

"Far beyond that."

"Huh? Big Brother, what do you mean?" Everyone stared at him in astonishment.

"Could he be a Terracotta Realm cultivator?!" Someone blurted out.

"But… but he looks barely in his early twenties!"

Another countered in disbelief.

Chen Mu's demeanor was calm and restrained, giving the impression of someone around thirty, yet his youthful face made it nearly impossible to associate him with a Terracotta Realm powerhouse.

Zhang Sheng himself felt the same disbelief, deeply shaken.

The Terracotta Realm—against the backdrop of cultivators like them still struggling in the Innate Realm—was a presence to look up to, the level of sect elders or sect masters!

A Terracotta Realm cultivator this young?

Only someone who had once appeared on the Dragon Ascension List could be such a prodigy!

Zhang Sheng had always trusted his instincts; years of martial world experience had honed his perception, rarely leading him astray.

The way this mysterious man calling himself "Nie Feng" had departed—effortless, composed—was impossible for someone of the Innate Realm!

"This man is very likely a Terracotta Realm cultivator!"

Zhang Sheng said gravely, his voice thick with awe and lingering dread.

Fortunately, he had stopped Xiao Qi's reckless words in time—if they had truly offended such a young powerhouse, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

Hearing this, all the Golden Knife Pavilion disciples drew in sharp breaths, exchanged uneasy glances, and now, when they looked again at the corpses littering the fortress, their hearts held even greater dread and fear of the coming chaos.

Even a cultivator of that caliber is running around—this world truly is falling apart!

…

On another front, after leaving Han Family Fortress, Chen Mu did not go far.

Following the Shopkeeper's directions, he quickly found another devastated outpost—"Yuquan Shanzhuang."

The scene here was identical to Han Family Fortress, even more horrific.

The villa stood beside a spring, once a place of beautiful scenery, now turned into a slaughterhouse.

The spring water had been dyed red with blood; corpses littered the grounds—men, women, old and young—all mutilated, clearly having fought fiercely and been slaughtered with cruel brutality; blood had pooled into streams, slowly flowing toward lowlands, the stench of blood far stronger than at Han Family Fortress.

【Bodies detected. Collect?】

"Yes!"

Chen Mu's face remained expressionless as he collected card after card.

Then, moving swiftly among the corpses, he examined the cards he had acquired.

Most were still Qi cards, Stamina cards, Strength cards…

Until he examined the card obtained from the corpse of a man dressed in black, resembling the robes of a Moya Men disciple from Han Family Fortress's memory fragments, with a flame pattern on his chest — though the body was mutilated — and his spirit perked up.

Memory card!

And it was a memory card belonging to a Moya Men disciple!

Chen Mu immediately activated the card and began viewing the deceased disciple's final memories.

The man's memory fragments were filled with the thrill of slaughter, a craving for blood, and the agony and confusion of death.

Chen Mu swiftly filtered for useful information, skipping meaningless scenes of slashing and killing, searching for fragments concerning the purpose of the attack, the route taken, and whether any special individuals had been captured or seen.

Suddenly, among a group of captives dragged into Moya Men, Chen Mu spotted a familiar figure.

The person still had twin buns, bright large eyes, and a determination on their face that defied their age.

It was Long Tuti!