Chapter 434

"Yes!"

Got the card, checked quickly.

Equipment card, equipment card…

All equipment cards.

Contains a kind of toxic gas!

…

Below, the Siwei and Dajing Sect disciples saw only shadowy figures moving through the air, red flashes flickering—then the monstrous, demonic creatures fell one after another, dead. They stared in stunned silence, then erupted into cheers of survival and cries of awe.

Chen Mu descended slowly and spoke gravely to the regional supervisor and Dajing Sect's Liu Zhishi who came forward.

"The source of demonic corruption lies in the evil core at the heart; it must be shattered instantly by an extremely pure yang force or a power that dispels evil. Ordinary blades cannot harm it, and its blood contains deadly corrosive fluid—handle the corpses with extreme care, burn them collectively, and bury the ashes deep. All who came into contact must be examined immediately; if any anomaly is found, isolate and report without delay."

"Yes! Thank you, my lord, for your aid!"

Everyone quickly responded, their gazes toward Chen Mu's disguised middle-aged blade-master form now filled with even greater reverence.

This "mysterious elder" not only had unfathomable strength, but his methods against such demonic evils were ruthlessly effective.

Chen Mu did not linger. Solving this crisis was merely treating the symptom.

He had to find the source.

…

Back at the Zhenwu Bureau, Tang Bin waited anxiously.

"My lord, we found it!"

Tang Bin spoke rapidly, "Following your direction, we focused our investigation on the water sources and recent outsiders of the earliest affected villages and towns."

"In Qinglin Town, we found extremely faint, newly carved demonic patterns on the wall of the town's shared ancient well—patterns resembling those on the victims' bodies."

"According to elderly residents, about three or four days before the outbreak, a foreigner wearing a tattered gray robe—a traveling peddler—had lingered near the town and asked for water. He seemed to have trouble walking."

Limping!

Chen Mu's eyes sharpened.

The limping old servant who bought "blood of kin's heart" on the black market… the limping peddler spreading the "source of plague"…

Likely the same person!

"Where is Qinglin Town? How does it relate to the other early outbreak sites?"

Tang Bin immediately pointed to Qinglin Town's location on the map and drew connecting lines.

"Qinglin Town is here, about one hundred and twenty li northeast of Wulong Fucheng, and about ninety li southeast of Lingwu City."

"The other two earliest outbreak sites—Heiyu Gou and Zhangmu Bao—are located fifty to seventy li northwest and southwest of it respectively, forming an irregular triangle."

"And these three points precisely encircle a nameless hilly region on the southeast side of Luoying Xia."

The map's pattern became clear.

The Changsheng Mo Sect used Qinglin Town and the other three outer points as initial release sites, spreading the "source of plague" through possible water, contact, or aerosol transmission, gradually extending toward the central Wulong Fucheng and Lingwu City.

Simultaneously, they set a bloodline curse array in the Zhao ancestral hall and ambushed Zhao Zhishi at Luoying Xia—both locations also within the radiation range of this triangle.

This was a multi-layered, multi-pronged composite plan of revenge and probing.

"What's special about this nameless hill region?" Chen Mu pointed to the map's center.

"My lord, the terrain there is complex, riddled with karst caves and underground rivers, with chaotic spiritual energy. Ordinary cultivators avoid going deep, and there are no large villages."

"But I recall an old record—about a hundred years ago, a demonic cultivator once used a natural yin cave there to forge corpse puppets, later crushed in a joint operation by the Dajing Sect and the then-local government," Tang Bin recalled.

Natural yin cave, karst caves and underground rivers, chaotic spiritual energy…

Perfect for hiding a demonic array, forging dark poisons, even concealing oneself!

"The Changsheng Mo Sect is likely hiding there," Chen Mu declared.

They needed a concealed nest to remotely command, forge the "source of plague," and cast curses.

That nameless hill region met all conditions.

"Immediately mobilize elite forces, move stealthily toward the hill region, seal off major exits and entrances—but don't alert them."

Chen Mu ordered, "Also, notify the Dajing Sect. Ask them to send at least one Tiangong Realm elder to covertly support us. The enemy is a Tiangong Realm demon adept skilled in curse arts, likely with preparations—we must be fully ready."

"Yes!"

Chen Mu gazed out at the heavy night beyond the window, his eyes seeming to pierce the distance and land upon that dark hill region.

After passively responding for so long, it was time to strike first—to meet this treacherous, venomous Mo Sect expert.

Yet instinct told him, what awaited him in that yin cave was likely more than just one Tiangong Realm Mo Sect elder.

The Changsheng Sect's revenge was a chain—each link tied to the next. The true killing blow had yet to be revealed.

…

Orders for troop deployment unfolded silently under cover of night.

The Zhenwu Bureau of Wulong Fucheng had few capable hands to spare; Chen Mu selected only five of the most skilled, specializing in stealth and coordinated strikes—including Tang Bin.

The Dajing Sect, upon receiving Chen Mu's message through a special channel—his deduction that a Mo Sect expert might be hiding in the nameless hill's yin cave, and his request for joint clearance—reacted swiftly.

They did not send the two Tiangong Realm elders who had previously intervened, but instead dispatched a new one Chen Mu had never met: Elder Tie Tang.

Elder Tie Tang was not tall, even somewhat gaunt, his skin dark as iron, silent and reserved.

But his eyes, when opened or closed, radiated piercing brilliance; his aura, restrained yet unyielding, gave off the pressure of a sleeping volcano.

This elder's cultivation path clearly diverged from the Dajing Sect's signature brute-force style, leaning instead toward weight, resilience, and the steadiness of earth itself.

He brought only four disciples, all Ditan Realm cultivators, their qi sharp and disciplined, movements perfectly synchronized.

The two sides met at the agreed location.

At an abandoned mountain god temple, thirty li from the nameless hill region.

"Chen Xuncha Shi?"

Elder Tie Tang's voice rasped like two rocks grinding together; his gaze swept over Chen Mu's disguised middle-aged knife-wielder appearance, offering little scrutiny, only a slight nod. "The Sect has already sent word to me. This time, you are in command. I and my disciples stand ready to follow your orders—must eradicate that demon, and purge this evil plague."

An Elder of the Heavenly Palace Realm… follows my orders?

Chen Mu froze.

Instantly, he made no pretense, bowing with clasped fists. "Thank you, Elder Tie. The demon is cunning, hiding in a dark lair—likely with traps. I suggest I lead the Town Martial Corps through the suspected main entrance to infiltrate and scout, drawing attention."

"Elder Tie and your sect's elite cultivators, with your profound cultivation, may seek hidden exits or weak points on the opposite side, strike when the moment comes, form a pincer, and prevent his escape."

Elder Tie Tang paused briefly, then nodded.

"Agreed."

He said no more, immediately leading his four disciples—like stones merging into the night—slipping soundlessly toward the other side of the hill.

Chen Mu, meanwhile, led Tang Bin and the other five, suppressing their qi, moving like ghosts toward the hill region described in the intel—the one with the heaviest yin energy and the most concealed cave entrance.

The closer they drew, the heavier the cold, damp air became, laced with a faint, elusive sweetness of decay—same origin as the sick's stench, but far stronger.

Insects and birds had vanished here; only the wind moaned through jagged rocks and deep cave mouths, like the wailing of spirits.

The main entrance lay hidden behind an unremarkable rock fissure, tangled vines knotting over it, appearing entirely natural.

But Chen Mu's spiritual sense swept over it—and instantly detected an extremely subtle, out-of-place yin energy fluctuation.

A small array—combining surveillance and illusion!