Chapter 442: The New Liu Xianbo

This card contained Liu Xianbo's decades of experience and insights in mechanical arts, especially in assembling, tuning, and basic control of mechanical beasts.

Though not a high-level mechanical blueprint or core secret technique, it excelled in solid fundamentals and rich experience—valuable to Chen Mu, who had never systematically studied mechanical arts, enabling him to quickly master controlling these ready-made mechanical beasts.

"Not a bad find."

Chen Mu tucked away the card, his gaze sweeping over the dozens of silent crouching mechanical wolves, two imposing mechanical tigers, and the newly assembled mechanical fish "Yuanxing Jiao," still humming faintly as it glided.

These mechanical beasts were of fine quality and formidable combat power, especially the mechanical tigers and the mechanical fish, sufficient to handle many situations.

Unfortunately, his storage space was limited and could not accommodate such a large number of mechanical beasts; forcibly collecting them might trigger unpredictable changes.

"A pity."

Chen Mu shook his head slightly and made no further hesitation.

First, he took off Liu Xianbo's clothes, then raised his hand and slashed through the air—two pure streams of true qi transformed into blazing flames, landing on the corpses of Liu Xianbo and Liu Xiankang.

Ssshh…

The flames spread rapidly, engulfing the two corpses, emitting faint burning sounds and the stench of charred flesh.

Chen Mu controlled the flame's temperature to ensure complete cremation without igniting any other items inside the cave.

After finishing this, he took Liu Xianbo's original satchel and turned toward the cave entrance.

He carefully rearranged the vine curtain at the entrance and used broken stones and dry branches for simple concealment, ensuring no obvious anomalies could be seen from outside.

These mechanical beasts inside the cave would remain here for now—perhaps useful for other purposes later.

Standing at the cave entrance, Chen Mu gazed toward the northeast, where Shenshan lay; two hundred li farther east was Duan Chang Valley.

The ruins of the ancient Hanhai Sect's branch…

Did it truly contain an "abnormal entity" that had survived since antiquity?

If he could kill it, would he obtain a precious "Break Through Realm" card?

And the scheming between Tianqi Men and Qishan Valley—the treasures and dangers within the ruins…

"Worth a trip," Chen Mu murmured, a flicker of interest in his eyes.

Of course, not by revealing his true face and getting entangled in this mess.

With a thought, his facial bones and muscles subtly yet miraculously adjusted, and his skin color gradually changed.

A few breaths later, the figure standing at the cave entrance had become "Liu Xianbo"—a lean face, slightly rough skin, even his gaze and demeanor mimicking the man's habitual focus on mechanical creations and a hint of elite Tianqi Men arrogance.

He put on Liu Xianbo's clothes.

After confirming everything was correct, Chen Mu flashed forward, becoming a faint blue shadow that merged into the night forest, racing toward the northeast, toward Duan Chang Valley.

…

Night was ink-black, mountain winds howling.

Chen Mu, disguised as Liu Xianbo, moved with his cultivation technique, like a ghost woven into the night, speeding through the forest.

He did not fly at full speed, to avoid drawing unnecessary attention; instead, he relied on his formidable physical strength and refined lightness techniques, leaping between treetops and cliff faces—speed undiminished, yet far more concealed.

As he traveled, he mentally organized the detailed information he had gleaned from Liu Xianbo's memories regarding "Duan Chang Valley" and this "ruin exploration."

Duan Chang Valley was a treacherous, rarely visited deep gorge.

Its bottom was perpetually shrouded in thick mist and moisture, breeding miasma, venomous insects, and ferocious beasts, compounded by complex waterways and hidden currents—ordinary cultivators, even if aware of its existence, dared not enter lightly.

Tianqi Men had only accidentally deduced the possibility of an ancient Hanhai Sect branch ruin here, combining an ancient fragmentary scroll with fengshui divination techniques.

This exploration was ostensibly a "cooperation" between Tianqi Men and Qishan Valley.

Qishan Valley's team was led by "Wan Laozhang," a Tiangong realm expert skilled in poison arts and arrays, accompanied by four Di Tan realm adepts.

Tianqi Men's side was overseen by "Han Laozhang," the mastermind behind this trap, also of Tiangong realm, proficient in mechanical arrays and strategy, assisted by two Di Tan realm disciples.

Both sides agreed to rendezvous at the "Wuyin Beach" on the periphery of Duan Chang Valley, waiting for the ruin's restrictions to periodically weaken before entering.

Liu Xianbo and Liu Xiankang's task, besides assembling "Yuanxing Jiao," was to carry a batch of specially prepared "Bizhang Qingxin Pills" and several sets of simple underwater breathing gear.

These pills and gear had been specially treated to superficially resist the valley's common miasma and water toxins—but in reality…

According to Han Laozhang's secret orders, some of these pills had been laced with an extremely subtle "catalyst" that slowly triggered the ancient ruin's chronic deadly toxin!

Once Qishan Valley's people ingested these pills and entered the ruin, under specific conditions, the toxin's onset speed and potency would multiply!

"Cruel calculation," Chen Mu thought silently.

Han Laozhang didn't just want to use the ruin's environment to trap his enemies—he had turned even the "aid" into a lethal trap.

Tianqi Men, to protect themselves, had resorted to any means necessary.

As for the ruin's interior, Liu Xianbo's memories held little detail, only that survey results indicated an enormous internal space divided into land and water sections, with labyrinthine waterways, suspected guardian arrays and mechanisms, and possibly ancient lifeforms that had adapted to the miasma.

The danger level was rated "extremely high"—non-Tiangong cultivators entering faced near-certain death.

"Ancient lifeforms…" Chen Mu's eyes flashed with sharp light.

This was his true target.

Two hundred li was not far for his current speed.

As dawn approached but had not yet broken, a vast canyon fissure—completely shrouded in thick white mist, as if a giant dragon had been severed at the waist—appeared at the horizon's end.

Even from several li away, he sensed the heavy moisture and a faint, unsettlingly cold aura.

Chen Mu slowed his pace and carefully sensed his surroundings.

He detected no obvious surveillance or alert arrays.

Following the path from Liu Xianbo's memories, he found a narrow stone crevice, cleverly concealed by vines, on the side of a seemingly sheer, impassable cliff face—just wide enough for one person.

He squeezed through the crevice, descended dozens of zhang, and the view suddenly opened up.

Here was a natural platform on the mid-cliff of Duan Chang Valley—substantial in area, relatively flat ground, backed by the cliff, fronted by a bottomless, mist-churning gorge.

Several simple tents had been erected on the platform, with a few bonfires burning outside, dispelling some chill and dampness.

At this moment, seven or eight figures were moving about on the platform.

Chen Mu suppressed his aura, mimicking Liu Xianbo's natural gait and posture, walking toward the platform…