Chapter 78: Young Hero Chen Returns to the Fray!

To the east of Nanyun Prefecture lies Huaiyang Prefecture.

Between the two prefectures stretches a vast stretch of mountain forest known as Wuji Ridge.

The peaks of Wuji Ridge are not high, but due to geographical factors, fog shrouds the mountains year-round, giving rise to bands of bandits.

Over the years, one gang after another has taken its turn on the stage.

Until today, a rogue cultivator of the Innate realm—no one knows where he came from—unified all the bandits of Wuji Ridge, gathering a force of nearly a thousand.

Any merchant passing through Wuji Ridge had to hand over half his profits.

Anyone who paid less was slaughtered to the last man.

Intimidated by the Innate cultivator's might, every merchant caravan and escort team passing through Wuji Ridge paid up obediently.

The bandits holding Wuji Ridge lived very comfortably off it.

But today, this gang of nearly a thousand bandits has met its doom.

"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" "Whoosh!"

Arrows pierced the air with shrill whistles, as if they had eyes of their own, cutting through the hazy fog and striking a bandit patrol with deadly accuracy.

"Thud~"

"Ah!"

"Run!"

"……"

Screams, cries, and shouts rang out through the fog-shrouded forest.

Of the twelve-man squad, ten dropped in the blink of an eye; the remaining two fled with ashen faces and terror in their eyes.

But they had only run a few steps…

"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!"

Two more sharp whistles split the air.

"Thud~" "Thud!"

After the strange sounds, blood sprayed out, and the two fleeing bandits toppled to the ground, silent.

【Bodies discovered. Loot?】

"Yes!"

……

Twelve cards in hand, Chen Mu gripped his iron-core bow, flickered into motion, and darted over to retrieve his arrows.

Then, tapping off with a toe, he followed the sounds carried on the mountain wind toward the next patrol's location.

The moment he drew close, he nocked and loosed, sending sharp arrows flying.

"Whoosh~ whoosh~ whoosh~"

"Ah!"

"It's an ambush!"

"……"

After a burst of screams and cries, twelve corpses were left on the ground.

Recovering the arrows still usable, Chen Mu headed on to the next spot.

All for the sake of looting more Inner Force cards.

Chen Mu had left Wulong Fucheng yesterday, reached the county bordering Wuji Ridge, and entered Wuji Ridge at dawn today to hunt bandits.

His palm-space was stocked with a large quantity of arrows and ten iron-core heavy bows.

Wipe out the bandits, rid the people of a scourge.

Today, Chen Mu once again plays the part of a wandering hero of the jianghu!

……

"Whoosh~" "Whoosh!" "Whoosh~"

The whistle of arrows rang out through the forest from time to time.

In the bandits' ears, though, it was a death knell—hear it and you die, hear it and you die.

One patrol after another was the first to fall.

By noon, Chen Mu, listening to the wind, arrived at a stockade in the mountains.

The bandits holding Wuji Ridge had four leaders; aside from the chief, who was an Innate rogue cultivator, the other three were all at the ninth layer of the Acquired realm.

The chief held the central stockade, while each of the other three commanded his own Shanzhai, with over a hundred men under him.

The stockade Chen Mu sought out first was led by the Third Boss.

The Third Boss was skilled in a long-handled saber art. Hearing the commotion, he burst out of his wooden hut brandishing his great saber, his bellowing roar shaking the forest.

"You gutless, cowardly runt—show yourself!"

Whoosh~ whoosh~ whoosh~

Sharp whistles pierced the air at once.

Keen arrows sliced through the hazy fog and reached the Third Boss.

Whoosh~ whoosh~

The Third Boss swung his great saber and knocked the arrows aside.

"Found…"

Whoosh~ whoosh~ whoosh!

The shrill whistles rang out again as fierce arrows tore through the air toward him.

Once more, ten arrows arrived almost simultaneously.

But the direction of the shot was different from before, heading straight for the Third-in-Command from the side.

Whoosh~ Whoosh~

The Third-in-Command swung his broad blade, knocking away all the arrows once more.

Swoosh~ Swoosh~ Swoosh!

Before the Third-in-Command could catch his breath, the third volley of arrows descended, the firing direction having changed again.

Swoosh~ Swoosh~ Swoosh!

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

……

Separated by a hundred meters, Chen Mu's figure weaved, rising and falling, arrows shooting from his hand one after another, continuously without pause.

He circled around the Third-in-Command's surroundings, moving so fast that an arrow rain even formed.

The Third-in-Command swung his broad blade in defense.

From initial fury, to shock, to vexation, to panic, and finally impatience.

"Aaaah!"

"Come out! Get out here for me!"

Thud~!

The first arrow struck the Third-in-Command, hitting his shoulder, blood spraying out.

Then the second, the third, the fourth…

Soon, the Third-in-Command stopped swinging his blade, frozen in place, his body bristling with arrows, bloodshot eyes bulging outward, fresh blood continuously welling from the corner of his mouth, dead on the spot.

Died with eyes unclosed in resentment!

Around him lay the corpses of the remaining bandits strewn across the ground.

The mountain wind blew, the smell of blood assaulting the nostrils.

Chen Mu stopped shooting, tossed aside the damaged iron-bone bow, and walked toward the Third-in-Command.

【Corpse discovered. Pick up?】

"Yes!"

【Corpse discovered. Pick up?】

"Yes!"

……

A wave of cards obtained.

Chen Mu collected the still-usable arrows, turned and left, hurrying to the next Shanzhai.

Several forest wolves rushed swiftly into the scene, joyfully devouring the corpses.

……

Swoosh~ Swoosh~ Swoosh~

Outside the Shanzhai where the Second-in-Command was, the piercing sounds of slicing wind swept in from every direction, felling fleeing bandits one by one.

The Second-in-Command was skilled with dual swords, and his lightness skill and body movement were also quite remarkable, his figure moving while simultaneously blocking arrows.

Clang clang clang~

Swish! Swish! Swish!

The sounds of cutting wind and whistling rose one after another without pause.

Chen Mu moved rapidly, arrows shooting from his hand one by one, but all were knocked away or dodged by the Second-in-Command.

Compared to the Third-in-Command, the Second-in-Command was clearly smarter.

Dealing with this kind of smart person, archery alone would be hard to take him down.

Chen Mu decisively put away the iron-bone bow, drew out his refined steel longsword, and charged straight on.

Swish!

Slicing sound~

"Clang clang clang~"

The ringing of metal on metal, along with sparks, blossomed in the hazy mist.

"You've finally shown yourself."

The Second-in-Command, with a vicious knife scar on his face, swung his twin swords and spoke with a cold laugh, "I thought…"

Hum~

A trembling hum suddenly rose, cutting off the Second-in-Command's words.

The longsword in Chen Mu's hand thrust out, the shock force sweeping through, first sending the longsword in the Second-in-Command's hand flying.

Then…

"Squelch~!"

The blade stabbed straight into the Second-in-Command's throat, blood spraying out.

"You…"

The Second-in-Command froze in place, his constricting pupils filled with disbelief.

He opened his mouth wanting to say something, but only managed to utter a single word before dying on the spot.

【Corpse discovered. Pick up?】

"Yes!"

……

Another big handful of cards obtained.

The bandits of Wuji Ridge who fell were mostly ordinary people without cultivation or internal force.

But martial artists were not few.

Chen Mu had uprooted two Shanzhai in succession, killing nearly four hundred people, and picked up forty Internal Force Cards — the shortest half a month, the longest six months.

"Enough to break through to Innate Realm?"

The Wuji Ridge bandits had gathered nearly a thousand men; he had killed half of them, and the rest had already received word. There were still two leaders, and especially the Great Leader was at the Innate Realm — if he ran into them, it would be quite the trouble.

Forty Internal Force Cards — use them first before anything else!

Thinking of this.

Chen Mu turned and left, swiftly exiting Wuji Ridge, found a remote corner, and broke through to Innate Realm!