Chapter 560: A New Direction

After a pause, Xu Qingyin's gaze swept over Shen Ge and the other disciples, and she said in a deep voice.

"More importantly, cultivating this secret technique means forging an irreconcilable enmity with the 'Sword Worship Sect'. Because this method involves the core mysteries of the 'Sun-Chasing Sword', the Sword Worship Sect regards it as their exclusive property and will never allow it to be spread."

"Once it is discovered that someone has stolen or cultivated it, they will inevitably be hunted down by the entire Sword Worship Sect until death!"

Inside the cave, there was dead silence.

Only Xu Qingyin's voice echoed in everyone's hearts.

Quick to master, powerful, but the price is a shortened lifespan and becoming a mortal enemy of the Sword Worship Sect—one of the six great sword sects, possessing a sect-protecting divine weapon and experts in the Heavenly Palace and Myriad Phenomena realms!

Chen Mu understood.

This was indeed a path—a dead end that was slightly better than sacrificing oneself to the Moon Shadow Flowing Light Sword to become a "Sword Puppet," but one that equally severed any future.

Cultivating this method could grant the power for revenge in the short term, but afterward, one would face the endless pursuit of the Sword Worship Sect, and one would not have many years left to live.

"Elder Xu, do you know the specific content of this secret technique?"

Chen Mu asked the most critical question.

If the method was unknown, everything else was just empty talk.

Swish!

Everyone's gaze focused on Xu Qingyin once again, filled with tension and anticipation.

Shen Ge finally raised his head, his bloodshot eyes staring fixedly at Xu Qingyin.

Under the gaze of dozens of eyes, Xu Qingyin nodded slowly, her voice calm.

"I know."

She knew!

She actually knew the non-transferable secret of the Sword Worship Sect!

Inside the cave, a chorus of suppressed gasps arose. Even the Moon Shadow Flowing Light Sword seemed to vibrate slightly.

In Shen Ge's eyes, a terrifying brilliance suddenly erupted—a light mixed with despair, madness, and a final glimmer of hope.

He sprang up from the ground, roaring hoarsely, his voice like that of a wounded lone wolf, "As long as I can kill that traitor Gu Sansheng! To avenge my Yaoyue Sect! I can pay with my life to the Sword Worship Sect!!"

Gu Sansheng, the former Great Elder of the Yaoyue Sect, at the late Heavenly Palace Realm, was the very culprit who betrayed the sect, invited the wolves in, and led to the Yaoyue Sect's destruction!

He was also the object of the most bone-deep hatred in the hearts of Shen Ge and the others.

"No!!"

Just as Shen Ge's voice fell, a female voice filled with tears yet brimming with determination came from the tunnel on the other side of the cave.

Two female disciples were seen supporting a young woman with a heavily protruding abdomen, pale-faced yet still unable to hide her beauty, as they walked over quickly.

It was none other than Xue Ranran.

She held her large belly, her tear tracks still wet, her eyes filled with pain and anxiety as she stared fixedly at Shen Ge, shouting excitedly.

"I won't allow you to go and die! I won't allow it!!"

Shen Ge's body stiffened, and he turned abruptly, his back to Xue Ranran, his shoulders trembling slightly, but he no longer looked at her or spoke.

Only his tightly clenched fists made a clicking sound in his knuckles.

"Junior Sister Ranran, don't get excited, watch your health," the female disciple supporting her urged quickly.

"Senior Brother Shen, the Elder and Senior Brother Chen are both here, let's plan this carefully, let's plan carefully..."

Other disciples spoke up one after another, and the cave became somewhat chaotic for a moment.

Chen Mu watched this scene, sighing inwardly.

Hatred, responsibility, love, an unborn child, the hope of the sect, his own decadence and unwillingness...

All kinds of complex emotions and choices were intertwined in this small cave, pressing down until one could barely breathe.

He had no intention of interfering too much in the internal affairs and grievances of the Yaoyue Sect.

The Moon Shadow Flowing Light Sword had been returned, and his promise was fulfilled.

"Elder Xu."

Chen Mu bowed slightly to Xu Qingyin, breaking the somewhat noisy situation. "Since the 'Moon Shadow Flowing Light Sword' has been returned to its rightful owner, Chen will take his leave first. Everyone, take care."

Having said that.

Without waiting for Xu Qingyin to ask him to stay, and without looking at the others with their varied expressions, his figure flickered, turning into a faint green shadow, silent as when he arrived, passing through the vines at the cave entrance and disappearing beyond the mountain ravine.

The matter of the Moon Shadow Flowing Light Sword was now concluded.

Chen Mu knew that the Jiuyou Sect must be in a thunderous rage at this moment, and the entire sect was likely frantically searching for the daring thief who had infiltrated the secret realm and taken away their sect-protecting divine weapon.

Inside and outside the "Mingyuan Secret Realm," the atmosphere must be extremely tense, with security tightened to the extreme.

To try and infiltrate again now would be no different from throwing himself into a net, with risks far exceeding before.

"Since the Sword Soul has been hidden in the Jiuyou Sect for who knows how many years, waiting for another period of time is not impossible."

Chen Mu sped through the clouds, pondering in his heart. "By comparison, figuring out what this 'Sword Soul' actually is, is the top priority."

"Only by clarifying its essence, form, and characteristics can I formulate a more effective acquisition plan and take the initiative in future contests or refining."

And to figure out the essence of the "Sword Soul," tracing it back to its source, one inevitably could not bypass its original owner—

That legendary figure from over two hundred years ago, who could contend with Myriad Phenomena Realm experts while at the Heavenly Palace Realm: the "Heavenly River Sword Venerable."

Chen Mu's cultivation had been insufficient before, and although he was curious about such information involving Heavenly Palace Realm secrets, he dared not probe too deeply, lest he attract unnecessary attention or even bring about a fatal disaster.

But today is different from the past.

He had already stepped into the Heavenly Palace Realm and condensed the "Four Seasons Martial Domain."

He now had the qualifications and the foundation to contact and explore such high-level secrets.

"Records related to the Heavenly River Sword Venerable must certainly be preserved by those ancient forces, noble families, sects, and even the imperial court's secret archives that have been passed down for hundreds or thousands of years."

"Perhaps, in some special places that specifically sell intelligence, as long as one pays a sufficient price, one might also be able to obtain relatively complete information."

Chen Mu had a clear goal; he identified the direction and headed toward the most prosperous and well-informed core place in Jiannan Dao.

He flew toward the Dao City of Jiannan Dao.

The Dao City was towering, with crowds flowing like weaving fabric.

Chen Mu landed in an uninhabited area outside the city, once again performed the art of disguise, transforming into a middle-aged scholar with an ordinary face, a steady aura, and a cultivation base revealed to be around the Earth Altar Realm's "Five Qi Chaoyuan," paid the entry fee, and blended into the bustling crowd.

He did not head toward the Martial Bureau government office.

Instead, with a clear goal, he headed straight for the Hero Tower in the city.

The scale of the Hero Tower in Jiannan Dao City far exceeded that of border towns like Nanyun Prefecture.

The building was seven stories high, with carved beams and painted rafters, exceptionally grand.

The tower was permanently gathered with martial artists, merchants, rangers, and intelligence peddlers from all over the world; it was a place where all walks of life converged, and also the center for the circulation of all kinds of overt and covert news.

Chen Mu went straight up to the fifth floor of the Hero Tower.

This floor was no longer something ordinary martial artists could afford; the environment was much more elegant, with independent private rooms providing more secretive and high-end services.

This included purchasing information difficult to obtain on the market, involving martial arts secrets, and even internal intelligence of certain forces.

Chen Mu spent a significant amount of silver, rented a quiet room, and specifically requested to purchase the most detailed and all-searchable information regarding the life of the "Heavenly River Sword Venerable"! ===== CHAPTER 561 =====