Chapter 410

The entrance to the Shishen Sect's secret base!

Chen Mu did not rashly approach the cave mouth.

Hiding in the shadow of a massive boulder thirty zhang from the entrance, he condensed his spiritual sense into a thin thread and cautiously probed toward the cave mouth, attempting to sense the conditions inside the cavern.

Yet, as soon as his spiritual sense penetrated just a few zhang into the cave, it encountered an invisible barrier imbued with filth and devouring power!

This barrier was not a pure energy seal, but rather composed of countless tiny, sentient, venomous lifeforms—cultivation insects or special fungi—that could disrupt, devour, and even corrupt any spiritual sense that intruded!

Chen Mu immediately retracted his spiritual sense, his heart chilling.

The Shishen Sect was indeed bizarre; the defenses of this cavern targeted not only physical intrusion but also spiritual probing with extreme vigilance.

As he pondered how to further investigate the cavern's interior without alerting the enemy,

Suddenly, Chen Mu's acute hearing caught an extremely faint, deliberately muffled footstep, coming from the pile of scattered rocks behind him!

Someone!

And not just one!

Chen Mu instantly held his breath, fully merging his form into the shadows, his heartbeat nearly ceasing.

Although he dared not rashly extend his spiritual sense toward the cave entrance, enveloping the dozens of zhang around himself posed no problem.

Chen Mu "saw" three figures clad in dark gray, form-fitting suits nearly indistinguishable from the night, moving like lynxes, silently flanking the cave entrance from three different directions!

These three had their qi completely suppressed; their cultivation levels were unmistakably at the Earth Altar Realm's Divine Bridge tier.

Their movements were perfectly synchronized, their gazes sharp—they were clearly well-trained, far from ordinary hermits or Mo Sect followers.

Who were these three?

Secret sentinels of the Zhenwu Bureau?

Or some other faction interested in the Shishen Sect—or with a grudge against it?

Chen Mu's thoughts raced, yet he remained motionless, silently observing.

He watched as the three quietly neared the cave entrance; one of them made several complex hand gestures, and the other two nodded in understanding.

Immediately, each drew from their robes a palm-sized, jade-like disc resembling a compass, and gently turned them toward the cave entrance.

The discs glowed faintly with different-colored lights—blue, red, yellow—flowing in patterns, as if resonating with or opposing the invisible filth barrier at the cave mouth.

After roughly ten breaths, the invisible barrier at the cave entrance trembled slightly, like ripples on water.

At that moment, the one who had signaled flashed a sharp gleam in his eyes and sharply nodded to the other two!

All three erupted simultaneously.

Their speed surged to its peak, becoming three blurred afterimages like three arrows shot toward the cave entrance!

Their goal was clear.

Forcefully breach the barrier and storm into the cavern!

Yet, just as their bodies entered the cave's threshold, as the filth barrier violently rippled and seemed on the verge of being suppressed or pierced by the glowing discs they held—

"Hum!"

From deep within the cavern, a low, eerie sound erupted—like countless insects flapping wings or hissing in unison.

Instantly, thick streams of viscous, foul-smelling dark green mist burst forth from the ground near the entrance and even from cracks in the surrounding rocks.

The mist seemed alive, rapidly spreading and engulfing the several zhang around the cave mouth in an instant.

The three attackers had not anticipated this change; caught off guard, their forms were swallowed by the dark green mist.

"Ssshh—ssshh—ssshh—"

A grating corrosion sound and three brief, muffled groans rang out simultaneously.

Within the mist, faint human shapes writhed violently, their protective qi shields flickering rapidly, dimming.

"It's 'Shi Gu Du Zhang'! Retreat quickly!"

One of them cried out from within the mist, voice filled with pain and fury.

But it was too late!

"Shii! Shii! Shii!"

Whistling sounds shot out from deep within the cavern.

They were slender, pale-white spikes, as if carved from some creature's bones!

The spikes glowed with eerie green phosphorescence, moving at astonishing speed, striking precisely at the three writhing figures within the mist.

"Plop! Plop! Ah—!"

Two muffled thuds of blades piercing flesh and one abruptly cut-off scream echoed.

The dark green mist churned violently, then rapidly contracted and dissipated.

The scene at the cave mouth was revealed.

Two corpses lay on the ground, their skin a strange bluish-black, as if corroded by extreme poison, "sizzling" with bubbling decay.

The third knelt half-bent, a bone spike piercing his left shoulder; the flesh around the wound was visibly blackening and necrotizing.

His face was deathly pale; he gritted his teeth, yanked out the spike, sealed the meridians, but his qi was already drastically weakened, his eyes filled with despair.

At the cave entrance, two figures had quietly appeared.

One man, one woman.

The man was tall and thin, his face sinister, his skin a sickly bluish-white; his eyes glowed an eerie red in the dark, like beasts hunting prey.

In his hand, he idly twirled several pale-white bone spikes still dripping green slime.

The woman was voluptuous, clad in a dark red form-fitting leather armor that accentuated exaggerated curves; her face bore a seductive yet icy smile, her eyes an eerie green, her lips blood-red.

She lightly licked her lips, her gaze sweeping over the corpses and the wounded survivor, as if viewing delicious food.

They were precisely the two Shishen Sect leaders from Xie Antu's memories!

Moreover, from the aura they now emitted, the man was unmistakably at the peak of the Earth Altar Realm's Five Qi Convergence.

The woman is also at the Earth Altar Realm's Three Flowers Converging Peak.

Standing together, the mingled stench of blood, rotting flesh, and evil desire grew denser by more than tenfold compared to before!

"Gigglegigglegiggle… Another overconfident little insect has come crawling to us."

The red-clad woman let out a tinkling laugh, her voice cold as ice, "The Li Huo Sect's 'Three Talents Break Array Disc'? It seems Jin Ao, that brute, isn't entirely foolish—he sent someone to scout. Too bad, they're nothing but trash."

"Kill them. Feed the babies."

The tall, thin man's voice was hoarse and dry, as if he hadn't spoken in years; his tone held no emotion, only utter indifference to life.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a dense rustling echoed again from the depths of the cave—as if countless things were surging forth!

The wounded Li Huo Sect disciple's eyes flashed with resolve; he slammed his chest hard, as if about to activate a suicide technique!

But the red-clad woman moved faster.

Her figure flickered, appearing like a ghost before the disciple; her crimson fingernails extended several inches, sharp as daggers, lightly slicing across his throat.

"Ugh…"

The disciple froze, his eyes dimming rapidly as he collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

【Corpse detected. Retrieve?】

"Yes!"

The card in hand, Chen Mu showed no reaction.

"Clean it up."

The red-clad woman retracted her hand, not a single drop of blood clinging to her fingertips, and ordered the tall, thin man, then her gaze—like a venomous serpent—swept toward the boulder where Chen Mu hid, her lips curling into a cruel smile.

"Little mouse hiding over there—you've watched long enough. Aren't you ready to come out?"