Chapter 90: Primordial Cloud Gathering

A clear voice rang out, and a white-gold sword light suddenly descended from the sky, piercing between the knife qi and sword qi, forcibly severing the two men engaged in combat.

Hu~ Hu~

Strong winds blew.

Above the city wall, Zhao Fuzhou hovered in midair, expressionless, gazing down at the two men who had ceased fighting.

"Ha!"

The white-clothed man tapped his toe, leapt into the air, and landed on the wall, looking at Zhao Fuzhou and laughing loudly, "Zhao Fuzhou, long time no see. When did you come to this backwater?"

"None of your business." Zhao Fuzhou replied coolly.

"Fine, fine."

Shi Kuangsheng sheathed his sword and waved his hand, "I was just curious—wherever Zhao Fuzhou wants to go, he goes. But as an old friend, aren't you going to buy me a drink tonight?"

"Huh~"

Below the wall, the black-clothed man sheathed his knife, sneered coldly, "Licking a cold ass with a hot face—typical Shi Kuangsheng."

"Huang Keqin!"

Shi Kuangsheng's eyes flashed with icy light; he glared down at the black-clothed man and roared, "Don't push your luck! If you're not satisfied, I'll fight you again!"

"Not fighting makes you a woman."

Huang Keqin snorted, then tapped his toe and shot off toward the distant forest.

"Zhao Fuzhou, I'll find you for a drink after I teach Huang Keqin a lesson." Shi Kuangsheng stepped through the air, using a stepping technique to glide after him.

The two, one ahead and one behind, rushed into the forest, where knife qi and sword qi once again crisscrossed wildly.

"Boom!" "Boom!" The muffled crashes rang out continuously.

Freed from restraint, Shi Kuangsheng and Huang Keqin unleashed their full strength; the surging external qi stirred up vast clouds of dust and gravel, flinging them into the air—a scene that stunned everyone inside and outside the city gate.

So!

Chen Mu flickered forward, took several arrow-like strides to reach the base of the wall, then shifted his body and stepped up onto it.

"My lord Zhao."

He bowed respectfully to Zhao Fuzhou first, then asked, "Who are those two men?"

"Shi Kuangsheng of the Worshiping Jianmen, Huang Keqin of the Jiuyou Sect." Zhao Fuzhou answered calmly.

Worshiping Jianmen?

Jiuyou Sect?

Chen Mu was stunned upon hearing this.

The Worshiping Jianmen, one of the Six Great Sword Sects, a force with a lineage stretching over a thousand years.

The Jiuyou Sect, one of the Qidawu Sect, equally ancient, with deeper roots than the Worshiping Jianmen.

Chen Mu had last read about these two factions.

Everyone in the Worshiping Jianmen, from top to bottom, was insane.

Fearlessness of death was their hallmark.

Once entangled, they were nearly impossible to shake off.

The Jiuyou Sect, a top-tier force that straddled good and evil, trained its disciples to walk the world with no lingering resentment in their chests.

Once provoked, they would kill without hesitation—no matter how powerful your background or connections.

Neither of these factions was easy to deal with.

"What are they doing in Nanyun Prefecture?" Chen Mu steadied his composure and asked curiously.

Neither the Worshiping Jianmen nor the Jiuyou Sect were forces from Hengzhou or Hannan Circuit.

Traveling thousands of miles to come to Nanyun, they must have a purpose.

"Looking for someone."

Zhao Fuzhou said calmly, "In these past three days, disciples from more than just Huang Keqin and Shi Kuangsheng have arrived in Nanyun—Tianxia Hui, the Fang family of Hannan—all seeking the same person! The same individual!"

"Four major factions, jointly searching for one person? Who is he?" Chen Mu grew even more curious.

Tianxia Hui, another top-tier江湖 force, headquartered in Hannan Circuit.

The Fang family of Hannan, a local great clan with a five-hundred-year lineage; though not among the Eight Great Families, their ranks brimmed with experts, and they had a Tiangong cultivator holding court.

These four factions had all appeared simultaneously in Nanyun Prefecture, all searching for the same person!

"Not yet clear."

Zhao Fuzhou shook his head, "Shi Kuangsheng and the others arrived one after another, all chasing the same person—so this person must be no ordinary figure. He likely possesses a treasure. Is it because of this treasure that Shi Kuangsheng and the others are pursuing him relentlessly?"

"This is truly..." Chen Mu said, astonished and intrigued.

To flee to Nanyun carrying a treasure—that man had guts.

What kind of treasure could it be?

Something that made disciples of four major factions covet it—could not possibly be Mortal Grade.

Chen Mu had just acquired a medicine cauldron, hadn't even entered the city, and now heard news of another treasure.

"Tianxia Hui and the Fang family arrived earlier; several gangs in the outer city have already been mobilized."

Zhao Fuzhou said, "When you return, you can inquire within your gang."

"Understood."

Chen Mu nodded, "Then I'll take my leave first."

"Wait." Zhao Fuzhou called out, "Your official appointment has come through—remember to collect it at the Zhenwu Bureau tomorrow morning."

"Understood!" Chen Mu was overjoyed.

With his official status confirmed, he was now a formal imperial court official.

Even as a Ding Zi Inspector at the Zhenwu Bureau, he was still an official.

……

Filled with excitement, Chen Mu returned to the eastern district of the outer city and entered the branch of the External Affairs Hall.

"Greetings, Hall Master!"

"Hall Master, you're finally back."

"……"

The moment Chen Mu appeared, his subordinates hurried over.

"One at a time." Chen Mu raised a hand, sat down in a chair, casually picked up a teacup, poured some tea, and slowly sipped it.

"Yes!"

Several members of the External Affairs Hall steadied themselves and took a deep breath.

Then, they reported in turn.

"Hall Master, headquarters issued an order to find an outsider martial artist."

"This is what that person looks like."

"……"

As they spoke, they handed Chen Mu a portrait. Looking at the wretched expression of the man in it, his face remained impassive.

"Who at headquarters issued the order?" Chen Mu asked.

"Well…"

The few members exchanged a glance and said cautiously, "They say it was issued jointly by the four Hall Masters. The Gang Leader is in closed-door cultivation and won't come out, so the four Hall Masters gave the order."

"A brother over at headquarters said it seems someone from the Gao family came, went straight into headquarters, and the four Hall Masters went to greet them together."

"……"

Knew it was the Gao family!

Chen Mu kept his expression unchanged, muttering to himself.

After thinking it over, he said, "Just go ahead and search freely. Put the branch's affairs on hold for now—it won't matter."

"Yes!"

The reporting members breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

……

His subordinates withdrew. Chen Mu looked at the portrait again and drank a cup of tea.

Then, he rose and went home.

People from the four great powers had gathered in Nanyun Prefecture.

No matter who they were looking for, it was necessary to keep one's distance.

Chen Mu went home because he wanted to have a word with Huang Feiyang.

But when he got home, he saw a man and a woman—two martial artists of equally burly build.

The man was one meter nine, nearly two meters tall, his entire body covered in thick, knotted muscles, his qi and blood vigorous as a furnace.

The woman was also one meter eighty tall, her muscles not obvious, but she looked equally strong, her aura deep and powerful.

The moment the two saw Chen Mu, their eyes also lit up slightly.

"Brother Huang, this is the genius cousin you mentioned?" the burly greatman, one meter nine tall, rumbled.

"Yes, yes."

Huang Feiyang breathed a sigh of relief, looked at Chen Mu, and introduced the two to him, "Huzi, these two are disciples of the Juling Sect. They say they want to… want to take me as their disciple."

What?

Chen Mu was stunned.

The Juling Sect, like the Yaoyue Sect and the Jiuyou Sect, was one of the Qidawu Sect!