Chapter 374: Would you like something to drink?

Thinking of this, Chen Mu no longer paid attention to the battle above, his figure turning into a blurred green shadow as he darted swiftly through the valley's complex terrain.

Based on prior observations and the old man's hints, Chen Mu quickly identified a region deep in the valley where buildings were relatively orderly, constructed of dark stone and hard wood.

There, pavilions stood in rows, and faintly visible were several small palace-like structures—the very quarters and key institutions of the Mo Sect's core members.

This area now appeared eerily empty and silent.

The fiercest battles had erupted at the valley entrance, outer encampments, and in the sky; this place had been temporarily forgotten.

Most doors and windows were tightly shut; within his perception, almost no one remained—presumably, the Mo Sect's core members were either holding the front lines or had slipped away secretly.

Chen Mu moved like a phantom between buildings, his sharp gaze sweeping every door and window while pushing his "Listen to the Wind" skill to its limit.

Here, Chen Mu slowed his pace, spreading his perception like mercury spilling across the ground, carefully distinguishing any unusual movement within this silent zone.

Suddenly, as Chen Mu neared the most isolated, modest three-story building of dark red wood and stone in the corner, his "Listen to the Wind" skill caught a sound.

"Aren't you leaving yet? If you don't go now, it'll be too late."

"Sigh, I can't do anything with you—all this time, still clinging here."

"Big brother, big sister, would you like something to drink?"

"…"

That was Long Tutu's voice!

Chen Mu would never mistake the tone or timbre of that girl's voice.

After so long apart, the little girl still spoke with the same old-fashioned boldness, fearless as ever.

"Finally found you!"

An indescribable surge of joy and relief instantly swept away the gloom and anxiety in his heart.

Chen Mu's spirit lifted sharply, his gaze locking onto the three-story building.

He forced himself to calm down, refusing to rush over immediately.

The invisibility card's duration had not yet expired; Chen Mu, like an invisible shadow, glided silently toward the building, concentrating all his perception.

There were no large guard detachments around the building, but Chen Mu soon sensed two strong auras.

One inside the main door on the third floor, the other behind a heavy curtain on the second floor.

The auras were deep, concealed, radiating the Mo Sect's signature cold, viscous qi—both had reached the Third Bloom of Earth Altar Realm!

These were undoubtedly the core guards watching over Long Tutu, their strength far surpassing that of the Yanlong Cave disciples.

"One inside the door, one behind the window… the one behind the window has a wider view, likely monitoring both inside and out, but his position is relatively fixed. The one inside the door is more mobile, but his line of sight is blocked by the door…"

Chen Mu's mind raced, weighing pros and cons.

His invisibility was his greatest advantage—he must exploit it fully, aiming for a single lethal strike, or at least instantly crippling one, to avoid prolonged combat that might alert others or give the other guard a chance to harm Tutu.

In an instant, Chen Mu made his decision—

Kill the one by the window first!

The window guard's position was fixed, his back turned to the room, facing outward to watch—perfect for a silent rear ambush.

Eliminating him first would reduce the risk of being attacked simultaneously.

With decisive resolve, Chen Mu held his breath, suppressing his surging true qi to the utmost, retaining only the purest thread at his fingertips.

Then, leveraging his invisibility, he moved like a top-tier assassin, gliding soundlessly along the building's shadows until he reached the wall beneath the window.

The wall was dark red stone, slightly warm to the touch.

Chen Mu pressed against it like a gecko, then, with exquisitely refined qi control, dispersed his body's weight, floating upward as if weightless—without a single sound.

Soon, Chen Mu reached the side of the window.

The heavy curtain was not fully drawn, leaving a narrow gap.

Through the gap, Chen Mu saw dim interior light: a slender Mo Sect expert in dark purple combat attire stood with his back to the window, slightly tilting his head as if listening intently to the outside, one hand resting on the hilt of his curved blade.

He stood three steps from the window—a standard alert posture.

Now!

A flash of lethal intent crossed Chen Mu's eyes; his pent-up true qi erupted instantly.

He used no flashy techniques—channeling all his essence, qi, and spirit into his right index and middle fingers.

The Two Yin-Yang Sword Qi—

Yin-Yang Sword!

This was the complete Two Yin-Yang Sword Qi, the most penetrating and internally destructive technique.

Two slender threads of qi—one black, one white—shot from his fingertips, finer than hair, condensed to perfection!

These two qi threads did not fly straight; the moment they left his body, they twisted and spiraled together, forming a faint yet devastating vortex of energy, moving faster than the eye could track.

"Ssshh—!"

A faint sound, almost negligible, like a hot knife slicing through grease.

The spiraling Yin-Yang sword qi pierced precisely through the curtain's gap, drilling into the back of the Mo Sect Earth Altar expert's neck before he could sense a thing.

The instant the qi entered his body, Yin and Yang exploded: the black qi's "Deathly Annihilation" essence instantly corroded his vitality and meridians; the white qi's "Furious Purification" force detonated within him.

The Mo Sect expert's body stiffened violently; his hand never even drew half an inch from his blade's hilt, his eyes instantly dimming and losing focus.

He felt only a terrifying alternating surge of extreme cold and extreme heat rushing from his nape, obliterating all defense and consciousness in an instant.

He emitted no groan—his body slumped forward, limp.

At the very moment he unleashed the sword qi, Chen Mu's form slipped like a phantom into the room, catching the corpse before it could hit the ground and make a sound, gently lowering it to the floor—all seamless, noiseless.

【Corpse detected. Retrieve?】

"Yes!"

Card acquired, Chen Mu swiftly scanned the room.

It was a sparsely furnished room, evidently a temporary guard post.

Apart from this corpse, there was no one else.

Chen Mu's gaze immediately shot toward the doorway leading inside, and toward another Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown aura he sensed on the inner side of the main entrance upstairs.

Whoooosh~

Under the stealth state, he stirred up an airflow that swept through the room.

Chen Mu slipped out of the room soundlessly and drifted upward toward the upper floor.

"Old Cheng, is something the matter?"

A hoarse woman's voice rang out.

Chen Mu did not respond.

"Old Cheng?"

The hoarse woman's voice sounded again.

Whoosh!

Chen Mu's figure flashed; erupting at top speed, he was midair when the Startling God Spike activated first, blasting out the instant he saw his target upstairs.

"Ah!"

A woman in her forties guarding the third-floor doorway immediately shrieked and retreated.

Shhhk~!

The Dragon-Subduing Sword left its sheath; a crimson sword-qi slashed through the air, trailing a dazzling streak of light, and vanished in a flash.

Puchi!

Blood splattered; the woman's shriek cut off abruptly as a head tumbled into the air.

【Corpse discovered. Pick up?】