Chapter 361: Storming the Dragon

"Found it!"

Seeing the familiar figure in the memory footage, Chen Mu's heart instantly eased, then swelled with joy.

He had assumed finding Long Tutu's whereabouts would be like searching for a needle in a haystack, requiring immense time and effort to investigate and track—yet by sheer coincidence, he directly uncovered a crucial lead from the memory of a Demon Flame Sect disciple.

"This girl was kidnapped by the Demon Flame Sect?"

Chen Mu's brow furrowed again as he rapidly analyzed, "Did they spare her life out of fear of the Long family's power and retaliation, choosing instead to abduct her?"

The Long family, though not as illustrious or sprawling as the "Eight Great Clans," was still an ancient martial lineage with deep roots and long heritage.

Though their numbers were relatively few, their bloodline talent was exceptionally strong, with masters emerging nearly every generation—their strength could not be underestimated.

More importantly, according to Chen Mu's knowledge, the Long family harbored a Wanxiang Realm expert within its ranks!

As for the Demon Flame Sect, based on the deceased disciple's memories, their strongest figure—the former sect master, known as "Demon Flame Ancestor"—had only reached the Ditan Realm's "Ascended Soul Altar" level.

Though Ascended Soul Altar was the peak of the Ditan Realm, seemingly just one step away from the Tiangong Realm, that step was an impassable abyss!

If the Long family's Wanxiang Realm ancestor learned that his most outstanding direct bloodline had been abducted by the Demon Flame Sect and flew into a rage of vengeance, the Demon Flame Sect would be utterly annihilated.

"It's just a pity—the distance is too great, communication is cut off..."

Chen Mu sighed helplessly.

This place was more than a thousand li from Zhenzhou in Jiangnan Dao; conventional messaging methods were nearly useless.

Chen Mu could not immediately inform Zhao Fuzhou or notify the Long family.

"Though Tutu's life may be temporarily spared due to the Long family's deterrent, the Demon Flame Sect is cunning and cruel—no one can guarantee how they'll treat her."

"Will they use her as a hostage to pressure the Long family? Or do they have other plans? The longer the delay, the greater the variables, the higher the risk!"

At this thought, a resolve flashed in Chen Mu's eyes.

"No more waiting!"

Chen Mu decided to go alone, infiltrating the Demon Flame Sect's stronghold first.

As long as he could locate Tutu's exact prison, with his current Ditan Realm Wuqi Chaoyuan cultivation level and his "Earth Submersion" skill, he had ample confidence to rescue her without alerting the sect's high-ups—stealthily, unseen and unheard!

Time was critical.

Chen Mu immediately rose, his figure flickering as he soared into the air.

Using the memory's information on the stronghold's location and general route, he identified the direction and shot toward the northeast of Lizhou at full speed!

Wind rushed past like lightning; mountains and rivers blurred beneath him.

About three hours later, a vast, undulating mountain range with steep slopes and black-brown main peaks appeared ahead.

This mountain range had no great fame, yet it was the stronghold of the Demon Flame Sect.

When still over ten li from the range, Chen Mu silently landed, suppressed his aura, and switched to stealthy approach.

According to the memory, the Demon Flame Sect's core base was hidden deep within the mountain range, inside the bellies of several towering, precipitous black peaks.

Originally a vast natural cave system, it had been artificially excavated and expanded by generations of Demon Flame Sect disciples, forming a labyrinthine, sprawling underground complex.

Inside, it housed living caves, meditation chambers, council halls, even alchemy rooms, weapon-forging workshops, and enclosures for breeding poisonous insects and ferocious beasts.

The only conventional entrance led beneath a sheer, treacherous cliff.

The entrance was cleverly concealed by thick, gnarled vines and natural rock formations—extremely hard to spot.

Within a several-li radius, sentries—both visible and hidden—were densely posted, with at least dozens of Demon Flame Sect disciples on constant, rotating guard.

Not to mention the countless deadly traps and mechanisms lining the path and near the entrance—its defenses were impenetrable.

Chen Mu would never be foolish enough to storm the heavily guarded main entrance.

He had a better plan.

"Earth Submersion!"

Far from the entrance, in a secluded mountain hollow, Chen Mu selected his spot and activated his intent.

The hard rock beneath his feet instantly turned into thick sludge; his body sank into the ground like submerging in water, leaving no trace.

Once underground, Chen Mu, guided by his memory's vague sense of the cave system's location, began moving through the earth.

Traveling underground consumed spiritual energy, moved far slower than aerial flight, and required careful avoidance of hard rock layers and possible interference from magnetic ore veins.

Fortunately, Chen Mu's mastery over earth energy had grown more refined with his cultivation advancement, and his memory provided a hazy sense of the cavern's layout—after about half an hour, he sensed a shift in the vibrations and geological structure above, as if approaching the edge of a vast hollow.

Immediately, he slowly rose, and just before breaking the surface, extended his spiritual sense like the finest filaments, confirming the area above was secluded, unoccupied, and piled with debris.

This matched the disciple's memory: a remote corridor end near the cavern's edge, used to store discarded ore and tools.

Soundlessly, Chen Mu "floated" up from the earth like a ghost, his body parallel to the ground, stirring not a speck of dust.

He swiftly scanned his surroundings, confirmed safety, then stood fully, vanishing into the shadows of the corner.

Chen Mu changed into a plain dark martial suit, held his breath, and activated his "Listen to the Wind" skill—a silent radar covering both ends of the quiet corridor.

The wait did not last long.

About a stick of incense later, a casual footstep echoed from one end of the corridor, accompanied by a faint hum of a tune.

A young disciple in the Demon Flame Sect's standard black martial attire, flame patterns on his sleeves, shuffled toward the corner, holding an empty wine flask—he'd just finished drinking and was coming to dump it here.

Now!

As the disciple, utterly unsuspecting, reached the edge of the corner and raised his hand to toss the flask—

Shhh!

Chen Mu's figure flickered, appearing behind the disciple.

His left hand shot out like lightning, clamping over the disciple's mouth and nose; a condensed true qi instantly sealed his throat and key meridians.

His right hand, fingers like a sword, struck precisely at the back of the disciple's skull—"Yuzhen Point"—a weak yet brutal sword qi obliterated his brainstem.

The disciple didn't even grunt; his eyes dimmed instantly, his body collapsing.

【Corpse detected. Retrieve?】

"Yes!"

Quick check, powerful card.

Chen Mu did not stop his movements, swiftly dragging the corpse to the deepest corner and covering it with debris.

Immediately afterward, he efficiently stripped the disciple's outer garment, carefully studying the other's facial features, height and build, even subtle habitual expressions and muscle patterns.

Then, Chen Mu cultivated qi, slightly adjusting the muscles and bones of his face, altering his skin tone slightly…

Soon, a face identical to the dead disciple's appeared.