Chapter 413: Holy Feast Ground

Jin Ao appeared to be around forty, his face square and stern, eyes like lightning, now furrowed with intense anger and anxiety; the black flame qi swirling around him revealed his inner turmoil.

In his hand he held a simple, ancient black longsword, its blade faintly marked with swirling dark red patterns—his famed mysterious weapon.

The instant he landed, Jin Ao's piercing gaze swept across the entire scene like a blade.

The three highly decayed, unrecognizable corpses of Li Huo Men disciples made his pupils contract sharply, tendons bulging on his grip of the sword.

When his eyes fell upon the two pools of foul-smelling, murky pus at the cave entrance, and the scorched insect corpses and battle traces scattered around, a flicker of shock and suspicion passed through his gaze.

He saw the massive rock where Chen Mu hid, and sensed the aura of a Ditan-level cultivator there.

But he did not strike immediately; instead, he suppressed his rage, voice low as distant thunder: "Who is here? Did you slay my disciples?"

Jin Ao's gaze locked firmly on the rock, his black flame sword slightly raised, its intent coiled and ready to strike.

Clearly, he suspected Chen Mu of being the killer or an associate of the Shishen Sect.

Chen Mu knew he could no longer hide; he stepped slowly from the shadow of the rock.

Under the moonlight, his disguised ordinary face was clearly visible, his aura controlled to the Sanhua Zhuding level, he bowed respectfully without subservience.

"Lord Jin, please calm yourself. I am Qin Shuang, a lone cultivator. Tonight, I passed through here and happened upon your three esteemed disciples battling Shishen Sect demons—unfortunately, they perished."

"Seeing this horror, I was attacked by the two Shishen Sect leaders and had no choice but to defend myself—I have slain both fiends."

He spoke concisely, establishing his identity as a passerby, clarifying his stance, and implying he had eliminated the killers, positioning himself as one who acted out of righteous necessity.

Jin Ao's gaze burned as he scrutinized Chen Mu for a moment, then examined the battle traces on the ground.

The scorch marks left by Yang energy sword qi burning through the insect swarm, the residual aura of Yin-Yang sword qi clashing with bone spines, and finally the two pools of pus containing self-destructive seals…

All signs indicated a fierce battle had indeed occurred here, between this man and the Shishen Sect demons.

Though his three disciples were no weaklings, the speed of their decay and the lingering aura suggested they died from the Shishen Sect's poison and bizarre methods—completely unlike the pure Yang, forceful style of this man's attacks.

More importantly, this man carried none of the nauseating, foul stench of the Shishen Sect; instead, he radiated a faint aura of righteous grandeur.

"Shishen Sect…"

Jin Ao's fury burned brighter, yet he forcibly suppressed it; his wariness toward Chen Mu lessened slightly, though he did not fully relax, "You say those two pools of filth were the Shishen Sect leaders who killed my disciples? Is this their base?"

"Precisely."

Chen Mu nodded, pointing to the cave entrance: "This cave is their dug-out den, guarded by strange barriers and poisonous insects. Your three disciples must have come here to investigate, been discovered, and slain. When I arrived, they were already… and those two demons were about to attack me, hence this battle."

Hearing this, Jin Ao strode to the cave entrance and activated his spiritual sense to probe carefully.

Though the foul barrier at the entrance had weakened after the leaders' deaths, the lingering Yin poison aura and the faint rustling from deep within the cave still tightened his brow and darkened his expression.

"Such strange demonic energy! It interferes with spiritual sense and corrodes true qi!"

Jin Ao said grimly, then turned to Chen Mu, clasping fists in gratitude, his tone slightly softened: "Thank you, Brother Qin, for avenging my disciples. I am deeply indebted. Do you know how many of them are here, and what they intend?"

"I stumbled upon this by chance."

Chen Mu paused briefly before replying: "From my observations and my fight with the two leaders, this base is clearly a major Shishen Sect stronghold in northern Shannan Dao—not some minor operation."

"They have a so-called 'Holy Feast Ground' plan—likely targeting Wulong Fucheng."

"As for numbers, besides the two leaders I killed, deeper within this cave there must still be remnants, possibly hiding something even more dangerous."

"Their techniques are vile, specializing in controlling poisonous insects and miasmas; they carry self-destructive seals within their bodies—triggered upon capture or mortal injury, making interrogation impossible."

Chen Mu selectively revealed to Jin Ao the information he had gleaned from Xie Antu's memories and the recent battle.

Jin Ao's face grew darker with every word.

"Holy Feast Ground"

To treat an entire prefecture as "food"?

Only a heartless, inhuman demon sect like the Shishen Sect could conceive such a mad scheme!

No wonder they dared hide so close to Lingwu City.

"What you say aligns with some of my own intelligence. The Shishen Sect has recently been active with strange movements across multiple regions of Shannan Dao—they're clearly plotting something vast. I never imagined their claws had reached right beneath Wulong Fucheng's nose!"

Jin Ao's eyes flashed with cold light: "This demonic den must be eradicated! Brother Qin, will you join me in entering this cave, uncovering the truth, and wiping it out completely?"

He saw Chen Mu's strength and shared stance, and thus extended the invitation.

An extra strong ally would increase their chances against this strange and unpredictable Shishen Sect nest.

Chen Mu had the same intention.

He needed to confirm the cave's condition, assess the threat level, and seize this opportunity to gather more intelligence on the Shishen Sect.

Teamwork with Jin Ao was indeed safer.

"The Shishen Sect brings calamity upon all living beings—everyone has the right to slay them. I shall accompany Lord Jin, and together we shall explore this demonic den!" Chen Mu did not hesitate, clasping fists in agreement.

"Good! Brother Qin, you're decisive!"

Jin Ao's face showed a trace of approval, then he turned serious: "This cave is treacherous—we must proceed with caution. I'll lead the way; you follow behind and provide cover, agreed?"

"As Lord Jin wishes." Chen Mu nodded.

Jin Ao's cultivation was visibly higher, his experience greater, and he willingly bore the risk—Chen Mu had no reason to object.

The two said no more; Jin Ao drew a deep breath, his black flame qi coalescing more densely, forming a faintly flowing flame armor over his body; his black flame sword glowed with flickering light as he stepped forward toward the cave entrance.

The foul barrier rippled upon their approach, seemingly repelled by Jin Ao's blazing true qi, yet it did not attack—perhaps because its master was dead.

Jin Ao let out a low roar and swung his black flame sword forward!

"Ssshhhh~"

A concentrated blade of black flame struck the barrier, emitting a violent corrosive hiss.

The barrier quaked violently, cleaved open by a gap several feet wide.

Jin Ao's figure flashed forward, slipping through the gap.

Chen Mu followed closely, summoning a faint aura shield around himself, heavily reinforcing fire-element qi to guard against possible miasmas and insects, swiftly entering through the slit carved by the blade.