Chapter 368

Not long after, the flames dispersed, leaving only a pile of ash on the ground.

Yet, within the ash lay a round bead, about the size of a thumb, entirely black-brown in color, its surface covered in fine spiral patterns.

Chen Mu's gaze sharpened slightly; he did not reach out to touch it directly.

Instead, he guided his true qi outward, forming an invisible palm that drew the bead through the air to his front.

The bead felt slightly heavy in his hand, cold to the touch, and emitted a faint, peculiar aura—mingling sweetish decay with the scent of plants and wood—that seemed to stir subtle life energies around it.

"Is this bead some essence condensed by Wei Liao from years of associating with poisonous insects and cultivating poison arts? Or is it the core of some special insect-controlling treasure?"

Chen Mu speculated in his mind.

He could sense the bead was tied to insect control—perhaps useful in some way.

But now was no time for detailed investigation; he casually tucked it into his palm space.

Having tidied up the aftermath, Chen Mu oriented himself and immediately set off for the provincial capital where "Wan Jian Manor" was located.

Along the way, he pushed his speed to its limit, becoming a streak of light invisible to the naked eye as he darted across the mountains and rivers of Yuanlong Road.

With his Earth Altar Realm's Five Qi Convergence cultivation fully unleashed, ordinary mountains and rivers felt like flat ground, granting him exceptional travel efficiency.

One day later, Chen Mu arrived at a city of modest size but stern, imposing aura.

The city sat atop a vast plain, its walls towering—not built of ordinary blue bricks, but of gray-white stone shimmering with a metallic luster; from afar, the entire city resembled a drawn giant sword, piercing straight toward the heavens.

Above the city gate, three bold, sharp characters were engraved with piercing sword qi…

Wan Jian City!

Just as Lingwu City was a vassal city of the Giant Spirit Sect, Wan Jian City had, over a thousand years, gathered the sect's disciples, family members, friends, and countless others drawn to the sword Dao and seeking refuge under the manor's protection.

It stood outside the imperial court's local administrative system, directly governed by Wan Jian Manor, hailed as one of the world's "holy sites" for sword cultivators, drawing countless sword masters and warriors pursuing the sword Dao.

On ordinary days, though heavily guarded, Wan Jian City was still accessible to those sincerely seeking the sword or with prior ties to the manor.

But now, with the holy-dark war erupted and panic spreading, Wan Jian City—as a core outer bastion of the righteous sword faction's leadership—had raised its alert level to maximum.

From afar, Chen Mu saw multiple checkpoints set up at the gate, guarded by disciples clad in Wan Jian Manor attire, their qi sharp and formidable, rigorously inspecting every entrant—verifying identity, origin, and purpose—with a deadly atmosphere.

Chen Mu made no effort to conceal himself; long before reaching the gate, he landed on the ground, restored his original handsome appearance, donned a plain blue long robe, and did not wear his conspicuous Town Defense Bureau official attire.

At the city gate, two gate guards, swords strapped to their backs and eyes sharp, immediately blocked his path.

"Who are you? State your name, origin, and purpose for entering!" one guard barked.

Chen Mu remained calm, spoke no extra words, and simply pulled out his "Town Defense Bureau Patrol Envoy" token, handing it over.

The "Patrol Envoy" token was known to many, especially disciples of major sects.

One of the gate guards took the token, examined it closely; when he read the inscription and sensed the unique forbidden aura within, his expression shifted slightly, he looked up at Chen Mu, and a flicker of surprise flashed in his eyes.

"Are you Chen Mu?"

The other gate guards nearby, along with several warriors waiting in line to enter, all turned their gazes toward him; murmurs rippled through the crowd.

"Chen Mu? Which Chen Mu?"

"Bai Chi, who else could make the gate guards react like that? Of course—the youngest Patrol Envoy of the Town Defense Bureau, former Qilin prodigy!"

"Gasp… He really is young!"

"Town Defense Bureau? Imperial court? Why is he here in Wan Jian City? Any official business?"

"With the holy-dark war raging, is the court planning to ally with Wan Jian Manor?"

"…"

Chen Mu's reputation had grown even louder after the holy-dark war began and news spread that he had escaped from a suspected Celestial Realm demon lord outside the Qilin Armory.

Wan Jian Manor had excellent intelligence; its disciples naturally had heard the rumors.

"That is correct," Chen Mu nodded slightly.

The gate guard snapped back to himself, quickly returned the token respectfully to Chen Mu, stepped aside to clear the path, and spoke with greater courtesy, "Lord Chen, please enter! Should you need assistance, seek the steward at the 'Sword Pavilion' within the city."

"Thank you."

Chen Mu retrieved his token, bowed slightly, and stepped into Wan Jian City.

The interior scene differed slightly from the tense, oppressive atmosphere outside.

Streets were wide and clean, buildings mostly constructed of stone and hard wood, with rigid, minimalist lines radiating the sharpness of swords.

The streets were crowded with people; though their faces bore worry and their steps hurried, order was maintained.

Most strikingly, nearly everyone—men, women, young, old—wore swords of various sizes and styles: some ancient and plain, others ornate and lavish; sword qi lay hidden but not absent, converging into an invisible, deadly sword atmosphere.

No wonder this was a city of sword cultivators!

Chen Mu walked while scanning the surroundings.

Soon, he spotted a patrol unit in uniform leather armor, each carrying standard long swords, marching in perfect formation, eyes alert, ensuring the city's safety.

Overall, despite the shadow of the holy-dark war, Wan Jian City still maintained considerable order and security.

Chen Mu did not linger; after entering, he headed straight for the city's central administrative body—the Sword Pavilion.

It was a vast, black stone pavilion shaped like a sword case.

Chen Mu approached, announced his identity, and soon a steward hurried out to meet him.

The man wore the robes of a Wan Jian Manor elder, around sixty years old, with a refined appearance, but his eyes glowed with piercing light when opened or closed; his aura was deep as the ocean—he was clearly also a Fifth Qi Convergence Earth Altar Realm expert.

He was one of the chief stewards responsible for managing Wan Jian City's daily affairs, surnamed Xu.

"I am Xu Mingyuan, honored to meet you, Envoy Chen!"

Master Xu bowed, his demeanor neither subservient nor arrogant, bearing the directness and sharpness unique to sword cultivators, "What brings Lord Chen to Wan Jian City? Is the Town Defense Bureau seeking cooperation?"

"It has nothing to do with official business."

Chen Mu cut through formalities, delivering a bombshell without preamble.

"Master Xu, I have come for a personal matter—one that also concerns the fate of the righteous path."

His gaze locked onto Xu Mingyuan, each word spoken clearly.

Chen knows the exact location of a hidden branch nest of the Mo Sect within the Yuan Long Dao region!

What!?