Chapter 364

Under his powerful spiritual perception, Lü Lingling was not lying.

This eased Chen Mu's heart slightly—at least Long Tutu had not been killed immediately during his time at Mo Flame Sect, but was transferred elsewhere due to his unique bloodline.

"Are you Mo Flame Sect a subordinate affiliate of the Sun-Moon Mo Sect?"

Chen Mu asked again, his tone unreadable.

"Y-yes."

Lü Lingling nodded frantically, forcing a pleading smile onto her face, her voice trembling with tears and supplication, "Great hero… Esteemed elder, I… I've never killed anyone, I've only bullied fellow disciples using my status. Please… please spare me? I swear, I won't say a word to anyone! I… I'm willing to do anything for you…"

Speaking, she endured the agony of her dantian's destruction and her shoulder wound, feigning a pitiful, delicate posture, her eyes exuding seduction.

Her one intact hand reached again to unfasten her robe, trying to trade her last asset for survival.

"Enough."

Chen Mu interrupted her clumsy performance with a blank expression, his voice flat and unrippled, "As long as you answer truthfully, I'll let you go."

Hearing this, Lü Lingling's eyes blazed with desperate hope; she immediately stopped moving, afraid to make another gesture.

"Yes! Yes! Esteemed elder, ask anything—I'll answer without holding back!"

"Tell me about Elder Wei," Chen Mu began questioning the key figure, "His cultivation realm, physical features, daily habits, preferences, usual haunts… everything you know, leave nothing out."

"Yes!"

Lü Lingling dared not conceal anything; despite the pain, she spilled every detail she knew about Elder Wei like beans pouring from a bamboo tube.

"Elder Wei's full name is Wei Liao—he's an elder of the Sect's Punishment Hall, a Spirit Bridge cultivator in the Earth Altar realm…"

"He looks about fifty, with a hooked nose, triangular eyes, and a scar on his left cheek from years ago… His nature is cruel and ruthless; he oversees punishments, and all disciples fear him…"

"He also collects rare poisons and venomous insects, raising many toxic creatures… He usually stays in the Punishment Hall or his private poison cave in the back mountains…"

Chen Mu listened silently, committing every detail to memory.

This Elder Wei was the key figure who contacted and transferred Long Tutu; finding him might yield more information about the Sun-Moon Mo Sect's reception location and purpose.

When Lü Lingling finished, Chen Mu nodded, indicating he understood.

Seeing this, Lü Lingling's face lit up with relief, forcing a weak smile, "Elder… I've told you everything… you… you…"

"Mm, done," Chen Mu replied coolly.

The next instant, his right index finger twitched imperceptibly forward.

Chiiis!

A condensed, solid-like sword qi, moving too fast for the eye to track, pierced Lü Lingling's forehead in an instant!

The relief on Lü Lingling's face froze; her eyes exploded with disbelief, shock, and despair, fixed on Chen Mu as if accusing him.

You… you said you'd let me go…

She opened her mouth but emitted no sound; her body swayed, then thudded heavily backward to the ground, life extinguished.

【Corpse detected. Retrieve?】

"Yes!"

The card in hand, Chen Mu's expression remained blank.

To speak of righteousness or keep promises to Mo Sect members?

Too naive.

These Mo Flame disciples have blood on their hands—when they slaughtered Han Family Fortress and Jade Spring Villa, when did they ever hesitate?

Lü Lingling was arrogant, cruel, and quick to kill fellow disciples—how could she possibly be virtuous?

Letting her go would only expose his whereabouts and intentions, inviting endless trouble.

Eradicate evil thoroughly, cut the grass and remove the roots—especially in this chaotic era of righteous vs. demonic war. To be merciful to enemies is to be cruel to oneself and those you seek to save.

Huuu~

His right hand lifted slightly, palm again surging with true qi, transforming into roaring flames that engulfed Lü Lingling's corpse.

The fire burned swiftly, reducing all traces to ash.

Having finished, Chen Mu gazed toward the mountain range, his eyes deep and unreadable.

Wei Liao… Sun-Moon Mo Sect…

It seems he must return to Mo Flame Sect once more.

But this time, his target is clear—directly toward the Punishment Hall elder who delights in poisons!

…

Without hesitation, Chen Mu activated "Earth Tunneling" again, sinking beneath the ground.

Familiar with the route, he passed through dozens of li in silence, stealthily re-entering the mountain's depths and bursting from the earth at a secluded corner of Mo Flame Sect's old lair.

He still wore the disguised face of Xu Dajin, dressed in the worn outer-disciple robes of Mo Flame Sect.

According to Lü Lingling's information, Wei Liao's private cave lay in the rear-central section of the mountain, a relatively isolated and heavily guarded area near his poison research cave.

Chen Mu kept his head down, mimicking the timid, hurried gait of an ordinary outer disciple as he moved through the labyrinthine corridors.

He deliberately avoided the busy main roads, choosing quieter paths to approach the approximate location of Wei Liao's cave.

Along the way, he occasionally encountered other Mo Flame disciples.

Some cast casual glances, but upon seeing Xu Dajin's ordinary, even timid face, most lost interest and hurried past.

Within the Mo Sect, hierarchy was rigid; outer disciples held low status, and inner disciples or direct disciples of elders typically ignored them.

More importantly, Mo Sect disciples had thin bonds—mutual suspicion and scheming were common; no one cared about the affairs of a seemingly utterly ordinary fellow disciple.

This gave Chen Mu great advantage.

After winding through several caverns and narrow passages, the atmosphere around him clearly changed.

The corridors became cleaner, walls adorned with simple bas-reliefs—clearly, the residents here held higher status.

Ahead, a passage noticeably wider than before, its sides lined with denser glowing fluorite, appeared before him.

At the entrance stood two guard disciples, their qi sharp and their eyes piercing.

They wore black leather armor finer than that of ordinary disciples, the flame patterns on their cuffs embroidered with silver thread—clearly elite troops of the Punishment Hall or an elder's personal guard.

Chen Mu did not slow his pace; he walked straight toward the passage entrance.

"Stop!"

Just three zhang from the entrance, one of the guard disciples stepped forward sharply and raised his hand to block his path.

His gaze, like a hawk's, scanned Chen Mu up and down, his tone harsh and bristling with suspicion.

"Which elder do you serve? What brings you here?"

Chen Mu halted, lifted his head, and wore just the right expression of nervous respect, about to fabricate an excuse…

Tap… tap… tap~

At that moment, steady footsteps echoed from within the passage.

Then three figures emerged from the shadows deep inside the passage.

The lead figure was around fifty, tall and thin, with a grim face, a hooked nose, triangular eyes, and a slanted scar across his left cheek.

It was Wei Liao, elder of the Punishment Hall!