Chapter 441: Use Another

Where is the ancient ruin?

Chen Mu's voice was calm and level, as if asking about something trivial, but his gaze pierced like ice needles, making Liu Xianbo and Liu Xiankang's souls tremble.

The two brothers exchanged a glance, each seeing the struggle in the other's eyes.

The searing pain in their knees reminded them that refusing to tell the truth might be worse than death.

Liu Xianbo took a deep breath, gritting his teeth against the pain, and rasped, "My lord, the ancient ruin lies two hundred li east of Shenshan, in a hidden gorge known locally as Duan Chang Valley. The valley floor is perpetually shrouded in mist and saturated with moisture; ordinary cultivators cannot penetrate it, and few even know it conceals something extraordinary."

"Our sect's Elder Wan has already taken a contingent of advance scouts and established a temporary camp near the ruin's entrance, waiting for us to join him."

Liu Xiankang hurried to add, afraid of speaking too slowly, "We were ordered to come to Wulong Fucheng to procure this batch of special materials for assembling the 'Yuan Xing Jiao,' to handle potential deep-water zones inside the ruin. Elder Wan knew we were coming and set a time to rendezvous."

"Oh? Elder Wan…"

Chen Mu's lips curled into a faint, mocking smile. "If you two don't return within two days, won't Elder Wan come looking for you himself?"

Both Liu Xianbo and Liu Xiankang's faces twitched unnaturally; they lowered their heads, avoiding Chen Mu's gaze.

Liu Xianbo forced himself to speak: "My lord, forgive us, we—"

"Swoosh—!"

Before he finished speaking, Chen Mu suddenly reached out.

Without any visible motion, he merely reached out with a single, distant grasp toward Liu Xianbo!

An invisible, overwhelming force instantly enveloped Liu Xianbo; his already severely wounded body offered no resistance as he was snatched midair, as if gripped by an unseen hand, yanked violently to Chen Mu's front!

Chen Mu's other hand, fingers slightly spread, pressed firmly onto Liu Xianbo's crown!

"No! My lord, spare me! I'll tell you, I'll tell you everything—!" Liu Xianbo screamed in mortal terror—but his voice cut off abruptly.

Chen Mu's eyes were icy, without a trace of hesitation; his spiritual sense surged like a dam breaking, launching the Soul-Searching Technique without mercy!

"Ugh… Aaahhh—!"

Pain a hundred times worse than shattered knees instantly engulfed Liu Xianbo's soul.

His eyes bulged, veins crisscrossing his sclera; his throat emitted a monstrous, rasping sound like a broken bellows; his body convulsed violently, limbs thrashing wildly, foam uncontrollably spilling from his lips.

A ruthless, cold, and merciless spiritual force forcibly invaded his mind-sea, violently rifling through and tearing apart his memories!

Liu Xiankang, watching this horrifying scene beside him, was paralyzed with terror; he tried to scramble away but, with both legs broken, could only frantically claw at the ground with his hands, leaving bloody trails, his face etched with utter dread and despair, his mouth emitting meaningless, guttural gasps.

The soul-searching did not last long—but to Liu Xianbo, it felt like centuries of hellish torment.

When Chen Mu slowly withdrew his hand, Liu Xianbo collapsed like a hollowed-out sack, bones and soul both drained, limp on the ground, eyes wide open, pupils dilated, all luster gone.

Saliva dripped from his lips; his face held only the vacant, infantile blankness of a mind erased.

He had become a Bai Chi—completely devoid of memory, frozen in thought.

Chen Mu closed his eyes for a moment, swiftly organizing the information extracted from Liu Xianbo's memories.

Ruin location: two hundred li east of Shenshan, Duan Chang Valley. Correct.

Ancient Hanhai Sect branch ruins. Correct. Internal records of Tianqi Men contained vague references, confirmed after months of surveying.

Ruin interior: reconnaissance indicates vast water areas and complex waterways; the "Yuan Xing Jiao" is essential for exploration.

The air inside contains a colorless, odorless, slow-acting poison that corrodes meridians and spiritual essence; only those of Tiangong Realm strength can resist it long-term or detect it early—special antidote pills or treasures are required.

The core area of the ruin has a seal, which appears to weaken periodically at a specific hour two days from now—this is the optimal time to enter.

Key figure: the one waiting at the ruin's entrance is not Tianqi Men's "Elder Wan," but Elder Wan of Qisha Valley!

Qisha Valley, a morally ambiguous, secretive, and formidable faction; its leader is a late-stage Tiangong Realm cultivator who plays both Mo Sect and orthodox factions against each other.

Over the past year, Qisha Valley, for reasons unknown, has set its sights on Tianqi Men—a sect renowned for its mechanical arts, immensely wealthy, yet lacking in high-end combat strength—and has repeatedly pressured it, openly and covertly, seeking to make it a vassal to supply machinery and wealth.

Tianqi Men's leadership naturally refused to become a subordinate, but lacked the raw power to confront Qisha Valley head-on.

So they devised a strategy: "Drive the Tiger to Eat the Wolf," and "Use Another's Knife to Kill."

They offered the "Ancient Hanhai Sect Ruin" as bait!

The ruin is real; the treasures inside may be real—but so are the dangers.

Their plan was to "invite" Elder Wan of Qisha Valley to explore together—ostensibly as a cooperative treasure hunt, but in truth, to use the ruin's deadly environment, the slow poison, and possible ancient seals to trap and kill this key Qisha Valley figure, or at least cripple him, thereby crushing Qisha Valley's arrogance and buying Tianqi Men time to respond.

Liu Xianbo and Liu Xiankang were merely insignificant pawns in this scheme.

They were assigned to procure materials and assemble the mechanical fish; the true orchestrator and core figure was Tianqi Men's "Elder Han"—a calculating, ruthless man.

This Elder Han will arrive at the ruin's entrance tomorrow, personally "overseeing" the trap against Qisha Valley.

"A clever ploy—diverting the floodwaters, using another's knife to kill," Chen Mu opened his eyes, a cold sneer flickering in them.

Tianqi Men's scheme was well-calculated—but they've met him.

His gaze turned to Liu Xiankang, still frozen in terror on the ground.

He likely knew less than his brother, but keeping him alive served no purpose—only risk.

"Spare me… spare…!" Liu Xiankang, seeing Chen Mu's gaze turn toward him, felt as if plunged into an icy abyss, weeping and begging uncontrollably.

Chen Mu's face remained expressionless; he raised his hand and flicked his finger.

"Shhh!"

A refined sword qi shot forth, striking Liu Xiankang's forehead with perfect precision.

"Puff!"

A soft sound—and Liu Xiankang's pleas ceased. A tiny blood hole appeared on his forehead; his eyes dimmed rapidly, his head slumped sideways, breath gone.

Immediately, Chen Mu's fingers moved again; another sword qi shot out, ending the life of Liu Xianbo, now a Bai Chi, limp and lifeless on the ground.

【Corpse detected. Retrieve?】

"Yes."

Two cards appeared in his hands; his mind swept over them.

One was a Soul-Enhancing Card—useful nourishment for Chen Mu, who was accumulating spiritual energy and preparing to ascend the Ascend-Soul Altar.

The other was an Experience Card!