Chapter 482: What Realm Is Senior Brother Chen Really In?

With the card in hand, Chen Mu turned and left.

"Let's go."

Chen Mu walked slowly out the gate.

As for the rest of the Zhao family, whether to kill them or not doesn't matter.

All the experts are dead; the survivors, even if alive, are no better off.

Zhao's enemies and foes will make them wish they were dead.

…

Xue Xue Ranran followed Chen Mu, walking down the street as if in a dream.

"How much does Sister Xue know about Shen Ge's condition?" Chen Mu asked casually as they walked.

"…"

Xue Xue Ranran gave no reaction; her mind was still dazed.

Chen Mu asked again, and only then did Xue Xue Ranran snap back, shaking her head, her eyes reddening again.

"I don't know if my senior brother is alive or dead."

"On the day the sect gate was breached, I was in the back mountain doing penance. When I heard the commotion and rushed over, the gate was already broken. Everywhere was shouting and blood…"

"I saw my master surrounded by three black-robed men, fall down, and never rise again. I ran desperately to find my senior brother, but everyone was killing—there was no way to find him…"

She lowered her head, her voice growing fainter: "Later, two protectors shielded me and broke out, fleeing north. But soon after, we were hunted down. One by one, the protectors fell defending me… In the end, only I remained, hiding and escaping all the way to Kuizhou Prefecture, and then…"

Chen Mu fell silent for a moment, then said softly, "As long as you're alive, there's hope."

Xue Xue Ranran lifted her head, tears glistening in her eyes, but nodded firmly.

…

Early the next morning, the two left Kuizhou Prefecture, heading south.

Chen Mu took Xue Xue Ranran, avoiding main roads and choosing only remote backpaths.

At every town they reached, Chen Mu made her hide while he disguised himself and blended into the crowd to gather information.

The fall of Yaoyue Sect remained the hottest topic; rumors flew everywhere, yet none confirmed Shen Ge's whereabouts.

Three days later, the two entered a county town.

At dusk, Chen Mu was about to find a place to rest when he suddenly heard distant shouts and fighting.

He swept his spiritual sense—three li away on a mountain path, seven or eight men were chasing two young men and women.

Both were wounded, stumbling, yet clung tightly to the bundle in their arms as they fled desperately.

Their pursuers wore black robes and masks, striking with ruthless precision, each blade aimed at vital points.

Chen Mu did not hesitate; he raised his hand and swept it.

Several invisible sword qi pierced the air; the seven or eight pursuers never even cried out before collapsing together.

The two young people froze, watching warily as Chen Mu approached.

When they saw Xue Xue Ranran behind Chen Mu, the young woman suddenly widened her eyes and cried out, "Senior Sister Xue!"

Xue Xue Ranran recognized them too, tears bursting forth: "Xiao Yue! Senior Brother Zhang!"

These two were indeed disciples of Yaoyue Sect.

The man was Zhang Cheng, the woman Qin Yue—both outer sect disciples, familiar with Xue Xue Ranran.

Qin Yue flung herself into Xue Xue Ranran's arms, weeping uncontrollably. Zhang Cheng, eyes red, bowed to Chen Mu in thanks.

They too had escaped from Yaoyue Sect, hiding and surviving on wild fruits and stolen food.

Today, they'd finally dared to approach the area seeking food, but were recognized and hunted down.

"Have you seen Senior Brother Shen Ge?" Xue Xue Ranran asked urgently.

Both shook their heads.

Zhang Cheng whispered, "That day the sect gate fell, it was chaos. I saw Senior Brother Shen Ge lead several inner sect brothers toward the back mountain, trying to protect the masters' retreat. After that… I never saw him again."

Xue Xue Ranran's heart sank.

Chen Mu said nothing more; he led the three onward.

News of Yaoyue Sect's destruction spread across the land; everywhere, survivors were being hunted.

In the days that followed, they encountered two more groups of scattered Yaoyue Sect disciples—

One group of five, hiding deep in the wilderness, starving and weak.

One group of three, being hunted by a band of rogue cultivators; when Chen Mu arrived, the three were barely alive.

Chen Mu saved them.

Thus, the group grew larger.

From the original two, it became over a dozen.

Chen Mu led this band of broken remnants, hiding by day, traveling by night, choosing only desolate mountains and wild trails.

At every safe spot, he let everyone rest for several days while he went out alone to gather information and fetch food and healing pills.

Xue Xue Ranran gradually became the temporary leader of this small group.

Though young, she was an inner sect disciple with the highest cultivation, and with her connection to Shen Ge, everyone willingly followed her.

Chen Mu spoke little, but whenever he opened his mouth, all fell silent to listen.

No one knew his realm, but anyone who chased them—when he acted—never survived.

A month later, the group quietly crossed the border between Shannan Road and Jiannan Road, entering Jiannan Road territory.

This area was closer to Yaoyue Sect—and far more dangerous.

But the most dangerous places were often the safest, and the easiest to gather news.

The group took shelter in a ruined temple deep in a desolate mountain, barely enough to shield them from wind and rain.

Chen Mu settled everyone down, as usual preparing to go out alone to gather information.

"Senior Brother Chen, let me go."

A young man stepped forward—Zhou Yi, one of the second group of Yaoyue Sect disciples rescued, sharp-witted and quick-moving.

He scratched his head and smiled sheepishly, "It's not right to always leave you doing all the work—we feel guilty. Plus, I'm small and agile; errands are my specialty."

Chen Mu glanced at him and nodded: "Be careful."

Zhou Yi grinned, tucked the silver and a forged travel permit Chen Mu had given him into his sleeve, and vanished around the corner.

……

The night wind swept through the broken temple's window frames, carrying the chill of early winter.

Xue Xue Ranran pulled her thin robe tighter, sitting in the corner, staring blankly at the figure standing outside the temple door with hands clasped behind his back.

A faint footstep came from behind.

Xue Xue Ranran turned—there stood a round-faced girl.

"Senior Sister Xue," the round-faced girl crept closer, whispering, "Is Senior Brother Chen still standing outside?"

Xue Xue Ranran nodded.

The girl hesitated, then whispered, "Senior Sister Xue, what realm is Senior Brother Chen? That day when he saved us, I only saw him raise his hand—and those dozen or so Innate Realm cultivators all collapsed… That's beyond what someone just entering the Earth Altar Realm could do."

Xue Xue Ranran fell silent for a moment, then spoke softly: "I don't know."

The girl's eyes darted, then murmured, "Could he possibly be Earth Altar Realm, Unbreakable Divine Form?"

"Probably more than that?" mused a male disciple behind her.

"Senior Brother Chen ranks sixtieth on the Master List; over two years ago he was Earth Altar Realm, Three Flowers Converging. Now he should be Earth Altar Realm, Five Qi Ascending."

"Too low—definitely Unbreakable Divine Form!"

"…"

The group whispered among themselves, arguing.

Xue Xue Ranran said nothing.

She didn't know how to explain.

She only knew that Chen Mu was a friend of Senior Brother Shen Ge, and had traveled all this way, rescuing so many of them, to find Shen Ge.

Outside the temple door, Chen Mu suddenly tilted his head slightly, his gaze turning toward a direction in the night.

Moments later, a figure dashed from the darkness, panting as it stopped before Chen Mu.

It was the male disciple who had volunteered earlier that afternoon to gather information.

"S-Senior Brother Chen!"

Zhou Yi gasped for breath, his face flushed with uncontrollable excitement.

"I found out news about Senior Brother Shen!"