Chapter 74: One Against Two!

Boom!

The battle erupted at once.

Xie Chenglin and Xu Siyou attacked Zhao Fuzhou from the left and right.

Whoosh~ whoosh~

Zhao Fuzhou's figure flickered as he dragged the two of them farther away, away from the main gate of the Iron Spear Sect.

The Innate martial artists who had come out with Xie Chenglin—the majority of them, spurred on by the shouts of Xie Chenglin's son—launched attacks on Chen Mu and the other Zhenwu Division guards.

"Kill!"

"The Zhenwu Division has gone too far! Fight them to the death!"

"Kill them all!"

"..."

Roars and battle cries echoed across the mountainside.

In numbers, Chen Mu's side held no advantage, but in strength they were superior by a third.

The key was that none of the people Liu Qinghu had brought made a move; instead, they retreated nervously.

"What do we do, Elder Liu?"

"Should we help?"

"Help... help which side?"

"What do you think?"

"..."

"Shut up!" Liu Qinghu's head throbbed with pain as he roared, "No one is allowed to make a move! Fall back, fall back immediately!"

"And you lot—if you don't want to die, drop your spears!"

Liu Qinghu pointed at the few Iron Spear Sect disciples who had followed Xie Chenglin out but hadn't fought. Those few, terrified and stiff on the spot, heard Liu Qinghu's shout, immediately tossed aside their long spears, retreated to a corner, and waited anxiously.

Everyone's head was buzzing.

It had all happened far too suddenly!

Xie Chenglin joined the Longevity Cult?

Xu Siyou, an Innate guard of the Zhenwu Division, ambushed Zhao Fuzhou?

The two of them joining forces could actually suppress Zhao Fuzhou?

Every single thing was shocking, leaving them still in a daze.

Compared to the disciples below, Liu Qinghu—one of only two Innate elders of the Iron Spear Sect—endured the throbbing pain in his head, forcibly suppressing his panic. He neither helped Zhao Fuzhou nor led anyone to attack Chen Mu's side, nor did he flee.

Xu Siyou suddenly ambushed, Xie Chenglin attacked Zhao Fuzhou.

It proved the two had colluded in private—nailed to the iron board!

If it were only collusion, so be it.

What was feared was that Xie Chenglin and Xu Siyou had both joined the Longevity Cult, were spies planted by the Longevity Cult in Nanyun Prefecture—then the trouble would be enormous!

The Iron Spear Sect would be finished too!

Realizing this, Liu Qinghu had thought of fleeing, but he held back.

Because fleeing would truly leave no way out!

Stay, surrender, await Zhao Fuzhou's final judgment—only then would there be a slim chance of survival!

Even if caught and thrown into prison, it was better than being hunted and wanted!

As for Xie Chenglin and Xu Siyou joining forces to suppress Zhao Fuzhou?

Liu Qinghu sneered inwardly.

Others couldn't tell, thinking Xie Chenglin and Xu Siyou's combined strength was formidable—how could he not see through it?

This was clearly Zhao Fuzhou doing it on purpose!

The purpose was simple: to make the Iron Spear Sect people who were in league with Xie Chenglin jump out on their own!

And indeed, that was how it turned out.

Seeing Xie Chenglin and Xu Siyou joining forces and pressing Zhao Fuzhou back,

the Iron Spear Sect disciples who had come out of the mountain gate split into two groups.

One group attacked Chen Mu and the others; the other stood around Liu Qinghu, waiting tensely.

Clang clang clang~

Buzz~ buzz~!

Chen Mu held his long sword, executed the "Sweeping Cloud Sword" to deflect spear after spear, and tangled in a deathmatch with two Iron Spear Sect martial artists of the ninth layer of Post-Heaven.

An inch longer, an inch stronger.

The long spear held an advantage in weaponry; as long as the spear art was outstanding and cultivation kept pace, its killing power would exceed that of the same level by several points.

Both were ninth-layer Post-Heaven, and their spear arts were flawless.

Two joining forces—anyone else would have no choice but to retreat.

But Chen Mu didn't need to.

His horizontally-tempered One-Tripod Body, whether in defense or strength, far exceeded the ninth layer of Post-Heaven.

Combined with the peak-level "Spirit Snake Steps" and the transcendent "Sweeping Cloud Sword,"

Chen Mu completely reversed the situation, pushing the two of them back and even had the leisure to assist the others.

Zhao Fuzhou being jointly suppressed by Xu Siyou and Xie Chenglin—Chen Mu saw it too.

At first he was somewhat stunned, but quickly realized Zhao Fuzhou's purpose.

To draw out Xie Chenglin's accomplices!

Thinking of this, Chen Mu didn't rush to kill his opponent, but instead stalled for time.

Fortunately, he had previously killed Gao Zhengyang in Xuan County and picked up an internal force card, which he used to restore his consumed internal force.

Only at this moment could he engage in a tug-of-war with two Iron Spear Sect disciples at the Ninth Stage of Heaven.

Until...

Boom!

"Ah!"

Accompanied by an explosion and a scream, Xu Siyou and Xie Chenglin died one after another.

Xu Siyou was beheaded with a single sword strike; Xie Chenglin's entire body was severed in two, dying in agony.

【Corpse detected. Pick up?】

"Yes!"

From seventy or eighty meters away, two cards were obtained.

Ninth Stage of Heaven, pickup range eighty-one meters!

Xu Siyou and Xie Chenglin were dead!

Chen Mu decisively increased his force. As his figure flickered, he endured the long spear thrusts piercing his body. With two strange hissing sounds, the sword edge swept across one opponent's neck, spraying a line of blood.

Then he leaped into the air. Mid-flight, he swung his sword to slash at the other stunned opponent.

Clang!

Hum~

The clash of metal rang out. The shockwave numbed the opponent's arms; he could no longer grip his long spear, and it flew from his hands.

Swish swish~

Chen Mu's figure spun. As the sword light refracted, he closed in on his opponent. With a "puchi" sound, the blade sliced across the neck, and a head flew high into the air.

【Corpse detected. Pick up?】

"Yes!"

Whoosh~

Whoosh!

Chen Mu picked up the cards while charging toward the Iron Spear Sect disciples still attacking the Zhenwu Division team.

Swish!

Hiss~ hiss~ hiss!

His figure darted forward, sword light cold and fierce.

With Chen Mu joining the fight, the battle quickly tilted. One by one, the Iron Spear Sect disciples putting up a last-ditch resistance were killed and fell.

With Xie Chenglin and Xu Siyou already dead, the remaining few, terrified and panicked, threw down their weapons and knelt on the ground to surrender.

"Kill them all."

Zhao Fuzhou walked back unhurriedly and spoke calmly.

"Y-yes, my lord!"

The Zhenwu Division guards, still catching their breath, rushed over with blades and cut down the surrendering men on the spot.

The battle ended, and Chen Mu picked up a few more cards.

At the main gate of Iron Spear Sect, corpses lay strewn across the ground, fresh blood flowing, releasing a thick stench of blood that drifted through the air.

On the Zhenwu Division's side, everyone was wounded, yet miraculously not a single person had died in battle.

When Chen Mu noticed this, he glanced at Zhao Fuzhou.

"Clatter~"

"Clatter!"

The sound of weapons hitting the ground rang out. Liu Qinghu, who had retreated into a corner, along with the Iron Spear Sect disciples standing around him, threw down their long spears. Panicked and uneasy, they stared tensely at Zhao Fuzhou.

"What does Elder Liu mean by this?" Zhao Fuzhou's gaze fell on Liu Qinghu.

"......" Liu Qinghu's face was pale. In a hoarse voice he said, "Lord Zhao, I swear to heaven regarding Xie Chenglin's defection to the Longevity Cult — I truly did not know, and I never took part! The disciples behind me, they also didn't know!"

"This old man earnestly begs my lord to show leniency and leave us a way out!"

After speaking, Liu Qinghu dropped straight to his knees with a "bang," his knees smashing onto the stone-paved ground.

Seeing this, the other Iron Spear Sect disciples, some trembling, some stiffly, knelt down along with him, lying prone and not daring to move.

Seeing this, Chen Mu looked at Zhao Fuzhou.

The Zhenwu Division members catching their breath also looked at Zhao Fuzhou, awaiting Lord Zhao's command.

Kill them?

Or capture them?