Chapter 432: Pay the Price!

When the Zhenwu Bureau and the prefectural officials arrived, the fire had already been mostly extinguished by the Zhao family's guards and the neighborhood's martial artists.

But half of the Zhao family ancestral hall had been burned down, and more chillingly, during the cleanup of the ruins, they discovered the remnants of a newly set-up, small-scale evil array—damaged by the flames—with faint bloodstains still visible in the array patterns.

Almost at the same moment the Zhao family's fire broke out, fierce combat erupted seventy li outside the city, at "Luo Ying Gorge."

Zhao Zhishi's convoy transporting Chi Yan copper was ambushed there!

The ambushers were not a large force—only seven men—but each wielded bizarre, ruthless methods and moved with flawless coordination.

They avoided direct assault, instead using the terrain to release toxic mists, deploy tamed corrupted eagle corpses to disrupt, and set traps to slow the Juling Sect disciples guarding the convoy.

Their true killing move was three hidden evil arts masters who, using the remnants of the evil array at the Zhao ancestral hall as a catalyst, combined with Zhao Zhishi's bloodline aura—somehow obtained—to cast a vile bloodline-weakening curse from afar!

As Zhao Zhishi clashed with the masked leader, a peak San Hua stage Earth Altar realm cultivator, he suddenly felt his Qi stagnate, a tearing, stabbing pain lancing through his heart—his strength plummeted by thirty percent—and the enemy seized the opening, striking him with a crushing palm blow.

In the critical moment, a piercing, unmatched blade aura slashed in from the side, blazing like the sun traversing heaven, radiating vast righteous energy that suppressed evil spirits—it not only forced back the masked leader but also shattered the faint, lingering curse connection!

Chen Mu arrived.

He had not foreseen the ambush site, but after synthesizing all intelligence, he judged Luo Ying Gorge to be one of the most suitable ambush points—and the most likely route—for Zhao Zhishi's convoy.

So, half a day ahead, he had lain in wait there, suppressing all his aura, like a rock within the gorge.

Only when the curse activated and Zhao Zhishi was in peril did he strike with brutal force.

He did not strike unless he had to—but when he did, it was the Nine Yang Ba Tian Dao, a blade technique of utmost yang purity, specifically designed to shatter yin curses!

The masked leader, caught off-guard, was shaken by the blazing righteous power within the blade aura, his bloodline churning, eyes filled with shock.

"Zhenwu Bureau? No! Who are you?!"

His intelligence had stated that the Zhenwu Bureau's top experts in Wulong Fucheng possessed no such mighty, righteous, and imposing swordmaster!

Chen Mu, disguised as a stern-faced middle-aged blade master, said nothing, unleashing his blade technique like a setting sun over a vast river, descending to engulf his foe.

Pure, vast Qi propelled the technique, revealing overwhelming strength from the first strike.

The masked leader grew more alarmed with every clash—the opponent's blade style seemed simple, yet carried an indescribable grand will that clearly suppressed his Longsheng Jiao's venomous cultivation methods.

Seeing the situation was hopeless, he let out a piercing cry; the remaining ambushers hurled toxic smoke bombs and retreated swiftly, abandoning the fight without hesitation.

Chen Mu did not pursue. He glanced at the gravely wounded Zhao Zhishi and the shaken convoy guards, then his figure blurred and vanished into the dim, distant mountain shadows.

His goal had been achieved.

He had disrupted Longsheng Jiao's assassination, saved Zhao Zhishi—chasing down a few operatives was not the priority.

But Chen Mu did not know that, at the very moment he shattered the curse and repelled the masked leader, deep within a dark secret chamber somewhere in Wulong Fucheng…

On an altar, three soul lamps—fueled by Zhao Zhishi's and his closest kin's hair and blood—among them, the lamp representing Zhao Zhishi flickered violently, then did not extinguish; instead, it broke free from some restraint and burned steady once more.

Before the altar, a withered, skull-faced old man clad in dark green robes suddenly opened his eyes, green flames dancing within them, his voice rasping.

"The curse was broken… such pure, supreme yang energy! Not Juling Sect's 'Juling Zhen Gang'…"

"The plan has changed. An outsider intervened—his strength… suspected to be Earth Altar realm Wu Qi Qi Chaoyuan!"

Before him, a shadowed figure with an indeterminate voice slowly spoke, "Anyone who can break your bloodline yin curse must be at the peak of Earth Altar realm Wu Qi Qi Chaoyuan, and their cultivation method strongly counters our sect. Investigate! Did Juling Sect send reinforcements? Or did the Zhenwu Bureau secretly deploy a hardened expert?"

"Whoever they are, whoever ruined my plans, they will pay the price."

The old man's voice was icy, "Originally, I only intended to cripple Zhao Xun, seize the Chi Yan copper, and humiliate Juling Sect. Now, I want to see if this cowardly, masked fool can protect even more people!"

The revenge plot did not end with this failure; instead, with Chen Mu's unexpected intervention, it grew even more sinister and unpredictable.

The old man changed tactics, no longer focusing on any single target, but preparing to launch a more covert, more venomous, wider-ranging attack—to create maximum panic and force out the mysterious "blade master."

Or, to exhaust him, leaving him unable to guard anything.

…

When Chen Mu returned to Wulong Fucheng, he did not know he had been marked by a Longsheng Jiao elder skilled in curses.

He was reviewing the latest intelligence sent by Tang Bin, his brow slightly furrowed.

"My lord, the Luo Ying Gorge incident has been reported to Juling Sect as 'assistance from a mysterious passing master,' as you instructed."

"Zhao Zhishi is severely wounded but alive, and the Chi Yan copper was preserved. Juling Sect has increased its vigilance, but…"

Tang Bin's tone grew heavy, "Since last night, seventeen 'strange illness' incidents have been reported across the seven counties under Wulong Fucheng and three towns near Lingwu City."

"All patients are ordinary people or low-rank martial artists, with identical symptoms: persistent high fever, dark green net-like patterns beneath the skin, dimmed spiritual awareness, and contagiousness."

"The prefectural clinic has admitted several cases but cannot yet determine if it is an epidemic or a curse."

"Map of locations," Chen Mu said coldly.

Tang Bin immediately spread out the map, marking the sites of the "strange illness" outbreaks.

Chen Mu scanned the map, a chill rising in his heart.

The locations appeared scattered, but when observed with Lingwu City and Wulong Fucheng as centers, they vaguely formed a loose encircling ring, slowly spreading toward both cities.

"Where did the symptoms first appear? Investigate thoroughly—before the illness, were there any anomalies in these places? Water sources? Livestock? Or any suspicious outsiders?"

Chen Mu's voice was grim, "This is no ordinary epidemic. Issue orders: under the pretext of epidemic prevention, secretly detain and isolate all known patients for examination."

"Mobilize every skilled medic and poison expert in the Bureau to stand by. Also, request Juling Sect to send disciples proficient in herbalism and exorcism to assist—tell them this is likely the same group behind the Luo Ying Gorge attack, and they are targeting them."

Chen Mu was nearly certain this was another strike by Longsheng Jiao.

Using this venomous, wide-scale method to attack civilians and low-rank martial artists within Juling Sect's sphere, they aimed to create panic, drain Juling Sect and local authorities—including the Zhenwu Bureau's resources—and undermine their rule, while possibly testing or setting a larger trap!