Chapter 412: Self-Destruct!

Fresh blood gushed out, was absorbed by the bone spurs, which instantly turned blood-red, emanating an even more violent, sinister aura.

He swung the blood-colored bone spurs and charged ferociously at Chen Mu!

Deep within the cavern, the hair-raising rustling sound reached its peak.

Countless black shadows surged forth like a tide.

They were thumb-thick, pitch-black, hundred-legged monstrous insects with grotesque mouthparts, along with some pale flesh-worms resembling enlarged maggots, their bodies dripping with viscous fluid.

The insect tide blotted out the sky and earth, reeking of a thick stench of blood and death, surging to engulf Chen Mu!

Facing the joint attack of two people and a swarm of insects, Chen Mu's gaze was ice-cold.

True Demon-Slaying Sword Art—

Heavenfire Sweeps the Plains!

The Dragon-Subduing Sword swept out; the crimson sword qi no longer condensed into pillars, but transformed into a sea of sword-qi flames covering an area several zhang across!

Blazing true qi burned and leapt within the sword qi, the aura of utmost hardness and yang erupting with a thunderous force, as if to incinerate all evil in the world.

The sea of sword-qi flames collided head-on with the insect tide!

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle—"

The teeth-grinding sounds of searing and bursting merged into one.

Those grotesque insects and flesh-worms, under the burning of pure yang sword qi and true fire, were like snowflakes thrown into raging flames, turning to charcoal, bursting, and becoming ash in swathes.

The stench of blood was replaced by an even more searing smell of charring!

The terrifying phantom behind the red-clothed woman let out a soundless roar, opened its mouth bristling with fangs, and spewed out great gushes of dark-green poisonous fog, attempting to corrode the sea of sword-qi flames.

The tall, thin man's blood-colored bone spurs transformed into a streak of blood-light, like a venomous dragon boring into a heart, stabbing straight at Chen Mu at the center of the sea of flames.

Chen Mu's figure weaved through the sea of flames, like a spirit within the fire.

His left hand formed a sword seal, and a condensed yin-yang sword qi shot out, meeting that blood-colored bone spur!

His right hand's Dragon-Subduing Sword traced a mysterious trajectory, sword intent pushed to the extreme; the crimson sword-light suddenly contracted and condensed into a thin crimson thread, as if capable of slicing through space, ignoring the corrosion of the poisonous fog, precisely slashing toward the core of the terrifying phantom behind the red-clothed woman!

"Crack!"

"Hiss—"

The blood-colored bone spur collided with the yin-yang sword qi, producing a piercing screech; the cracks on the blood-colored bone spur widened, and the tall, thin man groaned again, blood overflowing from the corner of his mouth.

That crimson thread-like sword-light, like a hot knife through butter, easily sliced through the dark-green poisonous fog and struck the core of the terrifying phantom!

The phantom let out a piercing shriek, as if from the depths of the soul, twisted violently, faded, and finally collapsed with a thunderous crash.

The red-clothed woman was As If Struck Heavily, spat out a large mouthful of fresh blood with a "wah," her face instantly turning paper-white, her aura wilting, her eyes filled with terror.

The insect tide, under the burning of the sea of sword-qi flames, had already suffered near-total casualties, with only scattered remnant insects wriggling on the ground.

Seeing the situation turn bad, a flash of red light glinted in the tall, thin man's eyes; he fiercely hurled the crack-covered bone spur in his hand at Chen Mu, while his figure violently retreated, actually intending to flee back into the cavern alone.

"Want to leave?"

Chen Mu snorted coldly; with a turn of the Dragon-Subduing Sword's light, he easily knocked away the incoming bone spur.

At the same time, his left hand made a grasping motion in the void toward the direction the tall, thin man was fleeing!

The tall, thin man was instantly bound in midair, unable to break free.

Chen Mu's gaze turned to the red-clothed woman, heavily wounded and wilted, attempting to crawl toward the cavern as well.

His figure flashed, appearing before the red-clothed woman; the tip of the Dragon-Subduing Sword gently tapped her brow.

The cold sword intent made her whole body stiffen, unable to move.

"Now, can you properly answer my questions?"

Chen Mu's voice was calm, "How many of you are there in Wulong Prefecture? Besides here, where are your other strongholds? What exactly is this so-called 'Holy Communion Grounds' plan? Speak, and perhaps you can die a little more swiftly."

The red-clothed woman felt the razor-sharp sword intent at her brow that nearly pierced her skin, and the emotionless coldness in Chen Mu's eyes; she knew she had absolutely no hope of survival today.

As a member of the Mo Sect, she was inherently ferocious; a flash of venomous resentment and madness crossed her eyes.

"Hehehe... You want to know? Go down to hell and ask!"

She bit down fiercely, and the remaining true essence within her body along with some sinister poisonous restriction was instantly triggered.

Chen Mu's gaze sharpened, and a wisp of true qi shot from his sword tip!

But he was still a step too late.

"Boom!"

The red-clothed woman's head, like an overripe watermelon, suddenly exploded.

Red and white splattered outward, but eerily, there wasn't much smell of blood; instead, an even thicker cloying sweet-rotten stench permeated the air.

The headless corpse collapsed limply, its skin rapidly shriveling and turning black, as if all its essence had been drained in an instant.

Almost at the same time, the tall, thin man bound in midair also let out a desperate howl, his body swelling up as if being inflated.

Chen Mu did not hesitate; with a flash of sword-light!

"Pfft~"

The tall, thin man's head flew off, his swollen body going limp like a deflated ball, likewise rapidly shriveling and rotting.

Both had clearly been implanted with some vicious self-destruct restriction within their bodies; once captured or facing a desperate situation, it would trigger automatically, preventing the leakage of secrets, and even the corpses would rapidly decay, leaving nothing of value for the enemy.

【Corpse discovered. Pick up?】

"Yes!"

The card was in hand; he quickly inspected it.

True Essence Card!

Skill Card!

Not a Memory Card; the thought of obtaining information was cut short.

Chen Mu looked at the corpses on the ground rapidly turning into two puddles of filthy pus, his brows tightly furrowed.

The ruthlessness and cunning of the Shishen Sect exceeded expectations.

He strode quickly to the entrance of the cave and cautiously extended his spiritual sense inside.

The filthy barrier at the cave mouth had weakened considerably since the two leaders' deaths, yet deep within the cave, unsettling rustling sounds and sinister qi still emanated—clearly, something remained inside.

Chen Mu did not rashly venture deeper.

The situation inside was unknown; there might be even stronger entities, or more dangerous traps laid out.

The immediate priority was to relay the situation here as quickly as possible.

He turned around, preparing to deal with the scene, when suddenly, from afar across the sky, came a rapid tearing sound!

A blazing, domineering, space-searing terrifying sword intent was hurtling toward Heifeng Ao at an astonishing speed!

"Black Flame Sword Lord" Jin Ao?

Chen Mu's eyes flickered as he swiftly weighed his options.

Jin Ao's arrival was clearly motivated by his three slain disciples and the need to investigate the Shishen Sect's outpost.

If he left now, he could avoid unnecessary contact and explanations of his identity, but he needed a suitable channel to convey the severity of the Shishen Sect's activities here.

As the master of Lihuo Sect and a renowned expert on the Master Rankings, Jin Ao was undoubtedly a suitable choice.

In an instant, Chen Mu made his decision.

He did not leave immediately; instead, he swiftly suppressed most of his own qi, retaining only the level of Ditian Realm's Three Flowers Converging on the Crown.

At the same time, he retracted the Xianlong Sword into his Weapon Case and silently retreated into the shadow of a large, weathered boulder, waiting to observe.

A few breaths later, a towering figure wrapped in black flame-like true qi descended like a falling meteor, crashing down into the center of the Heifeng Ao rocky field.

The powerful impact shattered the ground into a shallow crater, sending waves of shattered stones and dust flying outward.

It was Jin Ao!