Chapter 400

Qin Liangjing's injuries were stabilized by Chen Mu's true qi; he caught his breath, still bowing deeply with fists clasped, his tone utterly sincere.

His heart swelled with countless emotions: over a year ago, Chen Mu had just ascended the Potential Dragon List, his brilliance just beginning to show, yet his cultivation was still at the Primordial stage—similar to his own, even slightly inferior.

But now…

Watching how effortlessly Chen Mu had slain that Yin Kui Gate's Divine Bridge elder, it was clear his cultivation had reached the Earth Altar Realm's Three Flowers Converging at the Crown.

This pace of cultivation was simply inconceivable.

"Merely intervening in an injustice."

Chen Mu waved his hand, refusing credit; his gaze swept over the Mo Sect disciples and the corpses of the elders. "Brother Qin, who are these people? Why did they chase you here?"

At this, Qin Liangjing's gratitude vanished, replaced by fierce grief and hatred.

He drew a deep breath, suppressing his surging emotions, and rasped, "These beasts are scraps of the Yin Kui Gate!"

"Yin Kui Gate?" Chen Mu frowned slightly; the name stirred a memory—it was a dark sect known for cultivating yin poison arts based on corpses, vicious and despised by the orthodox, yet usually hidden from view.

"That's right!"

Qin Liangjing's eyes turned red, his voice trembling with uncontainable pain: "Just half a month ago, these beasts took advantage of the chaos in the orthodox-martial war to ambush my wife's family."

"They slaughtered every last soul in the village—men, women, children, the elderly, none spared. My wife… my wife, married less than half a year… she…"

He choked, fists clenched so tightly his nails dug into his palms, drawing thin threads of blood. "She fought to the death to shove this… this jade tablet—useless in practical terms, merely a symbol of her family's lineage—into my hands, telling me to flee… I… I watched her die… and I could only run!"

Qin Liangjing pulled from his robe a palm-sized jade tablet, glowing with a warm, blood-red hue, engraved with intricate flame-cloud patterns, still faintly warm to the touch, clutching it as if it were his last tether to hope.

Though faint spiritual light shimmered on its surface, its aura was weak—its value lay mostly in symbolism and a faint nurturing effect.

"Yin Kui Gate… annihilating a family to seize treasure?" Chen Mu's eyes flashed.

Such opportunistic annihilation and plundering of resources was a common tactic among dark sects.

"Exactly! They coveted this Warm Jade, passed down through the Liu family's generations—rumored to have extraordinary efficacy for cultivating certain yin poison blood-spirit arts. When the Liu family refused to hand it over, they… they slaughtered them!"

Qin Liangjing gritted his teeth. "I barely escaped. They hunted me relentlessly—had I not met Brother Chen…"

Chen Mu fell silent, placing a hand on Qin Liangjing's shoulder.

"Control your grief."

He offered no empty comfort—this kind of loss, the annihilation of family and the death of a wife, could only be eased by blood for blood.

Qin Liangjing nodded heavily, drew several deep breaths, and struggled to calm his turbulent emotions.

He knew sorrow and rage were useless now—only by surviving, by growing stronger, could he hope for revenge.

Yet just as his emotions began to settle, his face turned deathly pale; another dark red clot of blood spewed from his mouth with a "whoosh," his body swaying precariously.

The Yin Kui Gate elder's Corpse Poison Claw had not only damaged his internal organs but also driven a venomous yin poison into his meridians, steadily devouring his life force.

Seeing this, Chen Mu immediately pulled a jade vial from his robe, poured out a green pill the size of a dragon's eye, emitting a fresh herbal fragrance, and handed it to Qin Liangjing.

"Brother Qin, take this healing pill first—stabilize your injuries, expel the poison."

Qin Liangjing did not refuse; he swallowed the pill, sat cross-legged, and began circulating his qi to dissolve its power.

Chen Mu stood guard beside him, his spiritual sense extended outward, alert to the surroundings.

After roughly one incense stick's time, Qin Liangjing's complexion regained a hint of color, his breath steadied considerably; he opened his eyes and thanked Chen Mu again.

"This place is unsafe to linger. If Yin Kui Gate members could track you here, they may have other plans. Brother Qin, let me take you to the nearest Wulong Fucheng to heal." Chen Mu suggested, seeing Qin Liangjing's condition temporarily stabilized.

Qin Liangjing had no objection.

He was severely wounded; traveling alone was too dangerous.

Chen Mu supported Qin Liangjing, confirmed the direction, and leapt into the air, becoming a streak of light heading toward the nearest Wulong Fucheng.

About half an hour later, they landed outside the city, walked in, and found a relatively clean, still-open inn to stay at.

Chen Mu booked two premium rooms and ordered the innkeeper to summon the city's best physician.

After settling Qin Liangjing in, watching him sink into deep, restorative sleep under the pill's power and his own cultivation, Chen Mu returned to his own room.

…

Less than an hour after Chen Mu and Qin Liangjing left the valley.

"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!"

Dozens of figures clad in uniform black-and-red combat attire, their auras cold as winter, appeared silently on the valley floor like hyenas drawn by blood.

At their head stood a tall, stern-faced middle-aged man, his eyes sharp as a hawk's.

His aura was deep and restrained—clearly at the Earth Altar Realm's Five Qi Converging level.

His gaze, icy, swept over the corpses, lingering a moment on the severed remains of the Divine Bridge elder.

One of his subordinates knelt to examine each corpse, especially the lingering traces of energy in the wounds.

After a moment, he rose and approached the leader, bowing respectfully with Solemn tone: "Lord Hallmaster, Elder Mi and the others were slain by a sword art of utmost yang purity, infused with pure yang true fire. The sword qi was refined, brutally overpowering, each strike lethal, with no wasted motion."

"Judging from the residual sword intent and the nature of the wounds… it is almost certainly one of Zhenwu Sect's core techniques: The Zhenwu Cleansing Demon Sword Art!"

"Zhenwu Sect?!"

At these words, the other Yin Kui Gate disciples gasped sharply, faces filled with shock and uncertainty.

Zhenwu Sect—one of the Qidawu Sect!

A top-tier sect with ancient lineage and profound depth, famed for its ferocious, yang-dominant power that suppresses demonic forces.

How could its disciples suddenly appear in this remote border region of Shannan?

And why did they intervene to save Qin Liangjing and kill their own?

The atmosphere turned Solemn, silent.

Even these rogue Mo Sect members could not ignore the weight of Zhenwu Sect's name.

The stern man called "Hallmaster" wore a face as dark as storm clouds.

His eyes flickered, weighing risks and gains.

After a moment, he clenched his fist, a ruthless gleam flashing in his eyes, and barked coldly.

"No matter who it is, no matter whether they are a member of Zhenwu Sect or not!"

"That 'Boiling Blood King's Jade' must be obtained!"

His gaze was like a blade as it swept across every disciple present, his voice cutting resolutely.

"Find them for me. Dig three feet into the ground if you have to, but you must locate Qin Liangjing, and the person who saved him!"

"Anyone who dares to obstruct — kill without mercy!"

"Yes, sir!!"