Chapter 534: New Card: Life Span Card!

Its wounds multiplied, and its healing could no longer keep pace with the new injuries forming.

Though Chen Mu had taken several impacts, blood trickling from his lips, his eyes grew brighter, his sword intent stronger, as if unaware of fatigue or pain, each strike fiercer and heavier than the last.

"Roar!!"

The Ink Jade Horned Snake let out a roar filled with resentment and terror, finally realizing that this human's close-combat prowess and fighting will were even more terrifying than its own.

If this continued, death was certain!

Its crimson slit pupils flickered with cunning and ruthlessness; it suddenly opened its massive maw—not to attack Chen Mu, but to aim at the spiritual lake below, and the ancient tree at its center.

It intended to detonate the dense wood-elemental spiritual energy here and part of its own essence, creating a catastrophic explosion to severely injure Chen Mu, even destroy the "Spring Key"!

Yet, at the very moment it distracted itself, its internal energy surged violently, preparing for this suicidal act—

A faint, nearly imperceptible ripple in space quietly spread behind its fearsome skull.

Immediately, a tiny gray glow, like a venomous snake's fang, silently pierced from the void, pinpointing the exact junction between the back of its skull and spine—the core node covered by thick scales, yet the weakest point connecting its soul and body.

Though unremarkable in appearance, this gray glow carried an aura so terrifying it froze the Ink Jade Horned Snake's very soul.

It was the terrifying power of perfect fusion between absolute yin and absolute yang, transformed into chaos and the void of return.

The Yin-Yang Sword Qi of the Twin Aspects Sword Qi!

Amid the fierce close combat, Chen Mu, using an exquisite body technique and mastery over space, secretly split off a sword qi imbued with the essence of the Twin Aspects Sword Qi, hiding it in the void, waiting for the perfect moment to deliver this lethal strike.

This was not a fair duel—it was the most ruthless, most deadly ambush in combat.

The timing was flawless, precisely when the Ink Jade Horned Snake's old force had exhausted and new force had not yet formed, and its attention was diverted.

Puff!

A soft sound, like a hot needle piercing ice.

The gray glow passed through the seemingly indestructible scales and bone at the back of its skull without resistance, sinking into its body.

Time seemed to freeze for an instant.

The Ink Jade Horned Snake's massive body stiffened abruptly, its crimson slit pupils widening in endless shock, confusion, and incomprehensible terror.

Its gaping mouth remained frozen in a roar, the violent energy within still unexploded.

The next instant, the gray glow exploded within its skull, spreading wildly along its spine, eroding and annihilating everything.

The Ink Jade Horned Snake's soul was extinguished!

Its massive body fell from midair with a thunderous "Boom—," crashing to the ground, shaking the earth like an earthquake, kicking up countless clouds of dust that filled the sky.

【Corpse detected. Collect?】

"Yes!"

With the card in hand, Chen Mu quickly checked it.

Life Span Card!

Another new card.

As the name suggests, this card could instantly increase one's lifespan.

The Life Span Card obtained here could grant an immediate increase of twelve hundred and fifty years of life!

The problem was, Chen Mu was only in his early twenties.

The lifespan of a Tiangong realm cultivator was five hundred years.

Just the lifespan granted by his own realm was enough for Chen Mu to live for centuries.

Life Span Card…

He had no use for it at all!

…

In the heavens, the chaotic energy currents and destructive shockwaves, deprived of their source, rapidly calmed.

The spiritual lake's waters slowly receded; the celestial anomalies faded, leaving only a devastated land and the lingering stench of burning and destruction, proof of the epic battle that had just occurred.

Chen Mu hovered in midair, retracting the Dragon-Trapping Sword into his palm-space.

His face was slightly pale, his breath uneven—clearly, the intense battle and the final sneak attack using the Twin Aspects Sword Qi had drained him greatly.

He exhaled a slow, turbid breath, his gaze calmly sweeping over the thousand-zhang ancient tree and altar below.

Zhu Qing Dao Ren and Ning Zhi Xi remained frozen in place, eyes hollow, staring at the Ink Jade Horned Snake's corpse, then at the green-robed figure in the sky whose aura was now calming.

Shock.

Silent shock drowned all their thoughts.

Close combat, directly confronting a Tiangong beast, channeling heavenly and earthly forces, finally delivering the decisive kill, ending it all…

Chen Mu's displayed strength, combat wisdom, and ruthless decisiveness had utterly shattered their limits of imagination.

Both remained silent for a long time, as if they had lost the ability to speak.

Only when Chen Mu swayed slightly and landed on the shore before them did they snap out of their daze.

"Chen… Young Master Chen…"

Zhu Qing Dao Ren's voice was dry; she bowed deeply, nearly pressing her head to the ground—her reverence could no longer be expressed in words.

Ning Zhi Xi also hurriedly bowed, her slender frame trembling, her beautiful eyes filled not only with shock but also with complex, indescribable emotions—reverence, gratitude, perhaps even a faint, unconscious yearning and stirring for absolute power.

Chen Mu waved his hand, signaling them to rise; his gaze had already turned toward the altar in the lake's center.

"The residual waves are calming. Go retrieve the token."

The three approached the altar again.

The soft blue-glowing orb still floated, the "Spring" token now fully solidified.

This time, there was no further obstruction.

Ning Zhi Xi stepped forward and carefully extended her hand.

The blue orb, as if sentient, floated gently into her palm, its light dimming into the smooth, jade-green "Spring" token.

The moment she grasped the "Spring Key," the token trembled slightly, and a clear stream of mental information directly entered her mind.

"The Four Season Keys: three have been found. The final key, 'Autumn,' lies deep within the Jin Fenggu, in the far west, beneath the Sunset Ruined Stele. Bring the Spring, Summer, and Winter Keys here, and the ruined stele will reveal its entrance. When all four keys are united, on the day of Frost's Descent, you may sense the location of the Four Seasons Secret Vault and open it with the keys."

The message was simple and clear: it revealed the location of the "Autumn Key" and instructed that, once all four keys were gathered, one must sense and open the secret vault on the day of Frost's Descent.

Ning Zhixi informed Chen Mu and Bamboo Green Daoist of the information.

"Jin Fenggu... the far west... it must refer to the Western Heaven Dao."

Bamboo Green Daoist paused, then spoke slowly, "The Wood Core of Jia Wood responds weakly to the western metal calamity qi, but the general direction is discernible. Once we reach the Western Heaven Dao, we can lock onto the precise location. Frost's Descent... this year's Frost's Descent falls in late September, still several months away. We have ample time."

Chen Mu nodded.

"Since the clue is clear, let's first leave the ancient ruins and head to the Western Heaven Dao to retrieve the 'Autumn Key.' Then we'll decide our next move."

He looked at the thousand-zhang ancient tree, which had also been affected by the residual shockwaves of the earlier battle—some branches and leaves broken, yet its main trunk still stood tall, its vitality intact.

"Let's go."

Chen Mu turned and shot off toward the entrance of the ancient ruins.

Bamboo Green Daoist and Ning Zhixi hurried after him.

They emerged from the Donglin Ancient Ruins.

Chen Mu and the others did not linger at the secret realm's entrance; after confirming the direction, they raced westward...