Chapter 486

Shen Ge suddenly looked up, complex emotions flashing in his eyes; he opened his mouth as if to say something.

Chen Mu raised a hand to cut him off: "No more words. You? Even if you found the 'Moon Shadow Flowing Light Sword,' you couldn't reclaim it. It's a Earth Weapon, understand? Earth Weapons have spirit cores—though corrupted, they're still beyond the reach of a mere Primordial Completion cultivator. At best, you won't even be able to touch it, let alone sacrifice yourself for it."

Shen Ge fell silent.

He knew Chen Mu spoke the truth.

The gap between Primordial Completion and an Earth Weapon was greater than that between an ant and an elephant.

Without Chen Mu, he wouldn't have had the chance to even approach the Moon Shadow Flowing Light Sword.

After a long while, Shen Ge took a deep breath, stepped back one pace, solemnly straightened his robes, then clasped his fists and bowed deeply to Chen Mu.

This bow was deeper than any before.

Chen Mu did not dodge—he accepted the bow, then waved a hand and turned to leave.

"Bad luck."

He tossed it over his shoulder without looking back.

Behind him, Shen Ge straightened up, staring at his retreating back, eyes slightly red.

Under the moonlight, that silhouette grew distant, finally vanishing into the shadows of the ruined temple.

At dawn, the party set out.

Chen Mu walked at the front, Shen Ge followed closely behind, Xue Xue Ranran and the other disciples trailed after them; the group advanced southward through the morning mist.

They took back trails, avoiding main roads and crowded places.

Chen Mu extended his spiritual sense, constantly alert to movements around them.

Shen Ge occasionally turned back to count heads, ensuring no one fell behind.

Along the way, everyone remained silent, save for footsteps and occasional coughs.

Xue Xue Ranran walked beside an elder sister, yet her eyes never left the tall, straight back ahead.

She didn't know what her senior brother had discussed with Chen Mu last night, but she'd seen him return with half his face swollen and blood on his lips.

She dared not ask, yet a quiet unease stirred in her heart.

At midday, a commotion of fighting suddenly erupted ahead.

Chen Mu raised a hand, signaling the group to halt; then he flashed forward, vanishing behind a massive boulder to peer out.

On the mountain path, seven or eight men were surrounding five ragged youths.

All five wore Yaoyue Sect robes, though tattered beyond recognition, the pale moon-white fabric still faintly visible.

They stood back-to-back in a circle, desperately fending off attacks from all sides.

"Yaoyue Sect disciples!" Xue Xue Ranran cried out.

Shen Ge's face changed; he moved to rush forward, but Chen Mu raised a hand to stop him.

"Don't move," Chen Mu said calmly. "I'll handle it."

The moment he spoke, he flashed into the center of the battle.

Before the attackers could react, their vision blurred—and an overwhelming force surged from every direction.

They were as if gripped by an invisible hand, lifted into the air, then slammed violently to the ground—dead on impact.

【Corpse detected. Collect?】

"Yes!"

……

The five Yaoyue Sect disciples stood frozen, staring dumbfounded at the young man who had suddenly appeared.

"What are you waiting for?" Chen Mu said coolly. "Follow me."

The five snapped out of their shock and scrambled after him.

Back with the group, Xue Xue Ranran rushed forward and recognized one of the female disciples as her senior sister; the two embraced and burst into tears.

Shen Ge, grim-faced, counted the numbers and admitted the five into the party.

The party's numbers increased.

For the next three days, it remained the same.

They traveled only remote backpaths, marching by day, camping by night.

Every night, Chen Mu extended his spiritual sense to cover several li, ensuring no pursuers drew near.

Shen Ge managed food and water rations, arranged watch shifts, and kept everything orderly.

On the third evening, the party halted at the edge of a dense forest, preparing to camp for the night.

As usual, Chen Mu extended his spiritual sense—then frowned.

Deep within the forest, fighting was occurring.

And not ordinary fighting—the energy fluctuations reached at least Earth Altar Realm.

"Stay here," Chen Mu said, then vanished into the woods with a flash.

Deep in the forest, on a clearing, three masked men surrounded a middle-aged woman.

She wore a pale moon-white long dress, now soaked through with blood.

Clutching a longsword, her technique was sharp—but clearly spent; her steps staggered, her face as white as paper.

The three masked men were all Earth Altar Realm, Heaven Soul Altar cultivators; they moved in perfect sync, each strike aimed at vital points—clearly intending to kill her.

"Senior Xu!"

A cry came from behind.

Chen Mu did not turn—he knew Shen Ge had followed.

The middle-aged woman heard the cry, looked up, and upon seeing Shen Ge, her eyes flickered with relief—then instantly turned to panic.

"Run!"

She shouted sharply, "Leave me alone!"

Three masked figures seized her moment of distraction and struck in unison, three sharp blades of swordlight descending upon her.

Elder Xu fought with all his strength to block them, but was blasted backward several steps, blood spurting from his mouth.

Shen Ge's eyes turned bloodshot, and he was about to rush forward when a hand pressed down on his shoulder.

"I'll handle it."

Chen Mu's voice was calm.

He did not command the forces of heaven and earth—only drew forth the Submerged Long Jian.

Chen Mu gripped the sword and took one step forward.

With that single step, a fierce, unmatched sword intent suddenly rose from his body.

The sword intent was pure and razor-sharp, like an invisible blade piercing straight toward the heavens.

The sword intent of the Third Heaven had solidified into substance; the air around began to warp slightly.

The three masked figures halted simultaneously, their gazes fixing on Chen Mu, eyes flickering with shock and doubt.

They could not discern the young man's cultivation level, but that sword intent made them instinctively sense danger.

Chen Mu gave them no time to think.

He raised his hand and slashed.

True Martial Cleansing Demon Sword Art!

This strike held no flourish—only pure sword intent, razor-sharp sword momentum.

The Submerged Long Jian became a streak of light, carrying the edge to cleave through all, striking straight at the nearest masked figure.

The man's pupils shrank sharply; he unleashed all his power, true qi surging to form a shield, desperately raising his sword to block.

Hss~

"Clang!"

Amid the strange sound, the shield tore apart—then came a crisp snap, and the masked man's sword shattered.

The Submerged Long Jian's momentum did not waver; it swept past his neck.

A head shot upward, blood gushing like a fountain.

The other two masked figures turned pale, retreating in unison, trying to flee.

Chen Mu gave them no chance.

His form flashed, appearing before the second man, swordlight sweeping horizontally.

The man strained to block, qi surging wildly, true qi raging in all directions.

Yet beneath the crimson sword qi, it shattered piece by piece.

Finally, a chill struck his chest—

The Submerged Long Jian had pierced through his heart.

The third man had already fled dozens of zhang away, his true qi shield swirling, a compass floating and circling around him.

Chen Mu raised his hand—the Submerged Long Jian flew from his grip, becoming a streak of red light, instantly catching up to the man, first tearing through his shield, then piercing through the defensive compass, finally entering from his lower back and exiting through his chest.

"Plop!"

The man collapsed face-down, twitched twice, then lay still.

Three swords. Three men.

All were Earth Altar Realm, Ascended Soul Altar.

Chen Mu retrieved the Submerged Long Jian; not a single drop of blood marred its blade.

The entire process took no more than three breaths.

【Corpse detected. Collect?】