Chapter 550

Chen Mu spoke in a clear voice, his tone steady.

The movement vanished instantly.

A moment later, the thick vines were carefully pulled open from the inside to create a gap, and a pair of vigilant eyes peered out through the gap.

When they saw that the person standing outside was indeed a familiar face, the owner of the eyes clearly relaxed, and then said with joy.

"Senior Brother Chen, it really is you. Quick, come in."

The vines were completely pulled aside, revealing two young faces wearing coarse cloth garments that could not hide their delicate, youthful features; they were the surviving Yaoyue Sect disciples.

Chen Mu nodded at them, a gentle smile appearing on his face, and stepped into the cave.

The two disciples quickly pulled the vines back into place, restoring them to their original state, and then excitedly rushed ahead to lead the way.

"Senior Brother Chen is back! Senior Brother Chen is back!"

One disciple, while jogging, couldn't help but shout excitedly toward the depths of the cave.

Inside the cave, it was initially very narrow, but after walking a few dozen steps, it suddenly opened up.

Embedded in the cave walls were many fluorescent stones emitting a soft white light, illuminating the winding downward passage.

The deeper they went, the larger the space became, and the air grew fresher, clearly indicating hidden ventilation shafts.

Finally, they arrived at a natural cavern about a few dozen zhang in circumference.

On the rock walls around the cavern, more than a dozen small caves of varying sizes had been excavated to serve as dwellings for the disciples.

At this moment, hearing the shouts from outside, young male and female disciples poked their heads out one after another, or walked out quickly.

Seeing Chen Mu, their faces all showed sincere joy and closeness; they gathered around, greeting him in a clamor.

"Senior Brother Chen!"

"Big Brother Chen, you’ve finally returned."

"Senior Brother Chen, how is the situation outside?"

"Is there any news of the Sect Master?"

These young disciples were mostly dressed in simple clothing.

They were able to escape with their lives because of Chen Mu’s initial assistance. Therefore, they were extremely trusting and grateful toward Chen Mu.

Just as everyone was crowding around Chen Mu, and the atmosphere was becoming slightly noisy, a woman wearing a plain-colored long dress, with a beautiful but sickly pale face, walked over.

It was Xu Xu Qingyin, the only surviving Heavenly Palace Realm Elder of the Yaoyue Sect.

Her injuries had not yet healed, and her aura was somewhat unstable, but her eyes remained clear.

"Young Master Chen, you’ve returned."

Xu Xu Qingyin nodded slightly at Chen Mu, her voice gentle.

As soon as she finished speaking, her gaze suddenly froze, staring fixedly at the long sword held in Chen Mu’s hand.

"This... this..."

Xu Xu Qingyin’s voice carried an unbelievable tremor.

As if in response to her gaze, the Moon Shadow Flowing Light Sword in Chen Mu’s hand suddenly rose into the air on its own.

The dark blue blade, under the faint light of the cave’s fluorescent stones, flowed with a warm and bright moonlight brilliance, shrouding the entire cavern in a hazy and sacred halo.

In an instant, the entire cavern fell into dead silence.

All the Yaoyue Sect disciples, including Elder Xu Xu Qingyin, were like people struck by a binding spell, staring blankly at the sect-protecting divine weapon hovering in mid-air.

Tears slid silently from the corners of Xu Xu Qingyin’s eyes.

Other disciples also had red eyes; some covered their mouths and sobbed, while others clenched their fists tightly, their bodies trembling slightly.

The destruction of the sect, hiding and dodging, being saved and then hiding in the deep mountains, living a life of humiliation...

All the suffering, despair, and unwillingness seemed to have found an outlet for release at this moment.

The Moon Shadow Flowing Light Sword was not just an Earth Weapon; it was the soul of the Yaoyue Sect, their root, the witness to their former glory, and their only hope for future revenge and revival!

And now, it had returned.

Appearing before them again in such an unexpected way.

The Moon Shadow Flowing Light Sword hovered quietly, moonlight flowing, as if silently comforting these descendants of the sect who had survived the catastrophe.

Chen Mu stood to the side, watching this scene quietly.

He could feel the complex and deep emotional fluctuations of the Moon Shadow Flowing Light Sword’s weapon spirit, and he could also understand the overwhelming excitement and sorrow in the hearts of Xu Xu Qingyin and the young disciples.

Inside the cavern, moonlight flowed, reflecting on every face that was excited, sorrowful, or incredulous.

Xu Xu Qingyin was the first to recover from the extreme shock and distraction.

She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her surging blood and emotions, moved her gaze away from the Moon Shadow Flowing Light Sword, and let it fall back onto Chen Mu, her voice still carrying a trace of imperceptible trembling.

"Young Master Chen... this, what is going on? You... how did you find the 'Moon Shadow Flowing Light Sword'?"

The Moon Shadow Flowing Light Sword still hovered in mid-air, its brilliance flowing, and the weapon spirit seemed to be listening quietly as well.

Chen Mu’s expression was calm as he spoke slowly, his voice clearly audible in the silent cavern: "I accidentally learned that the 'Moon Shadow Flowing Light Sword' had fallen into the hands of the Jiuyou Sect and was placed deep within their sect’s forbidden ground, the 'Xu Mingyuan Secret Realm.' I found an opportunity to sneak in and, taking advantage of the moment when the Jiuyou Sect was using the 'Yellow Springs Dark Current' to wash away the filth on the sword and was about to succeed, I snatched it back."

He briefly passed over the process, not mentioning the matter of the "Heavenly River Sword Soul," and also hid the secrets of the "Star Palace" and the "Star Token."

"Jiuyou Sect?!"

Xu Xu Qingyin and the surrounding disciples were all stunned upon hearing this, and then their faces showed astonishment and confusion.

They had originally thought that after the sect was destroyed, a sect-protecting divine weapon like the Moon Shadow Flowing Light Sword must have been firmly controlled by the Changsheng Demon Sect, the mastermind behind the destruction. How could it have ended up in the hands of the Jiuyou Sect, which was not entirely on the same path as the Changsheng Sect and even had gaps with them?

"How did the Jiuyou Sect get it from the Changsheng Sect?" a young disciple couldn't help but mutter in a low voice.

"Perhaps something went wrong within the Changsheng Sect, or they made some kind of deal with the Jiuyou Sect?" another speculated.

"Regardless of the process."

Xu Xu Qingyin shook her head, suppressing these temporarily unanswerable doubts, her gaze becoming firm and full of gratitude once more.

She took a step back, straightened her plain-colored long dress, and then, under the surprised gazes of the surrounding disciples, bowed solemnly and deeply toward Chen Mu.

"Young Master Chen’s kindness to my Yaoyue Sect is equivalent to a rebirth! If you hadn't risked your life to snatch back the 'Moon Shadow Flowing Light Sword,' the last thought and hope of my Yaoyue Sect would likely have sunk into the Jiuyou forever, never to see the light of day again! This kindness, the Yaoyue Sect will never forget for generations to come!"

"Elder!"

Seeing Xu Xu Qingyin kneel, the surrounding young disciples, male and female alike, reacted instantly, kneeling down one after another and shouting in unison.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Chen, for snatching back the divine weapon! This kindness will be remembered forever!"

Dozens of people knelt on the ground, their voices echoing in the cavern, filled with sincere gratitude and the excitement of surviving a catastrophe.

Chen Mu’s expression was calm, and he did not avoid it.

He had risked sneaking into the Jiuyou Sect’s forbidden ground, snatching food from the tiger’s mouth to retrieve the Moon Shadow Flowing Light Sword; while he had his own considerations, for these surviving Yaoyue Sect disciples, it was indeed an immense kindness that could never be repaid.

Accepting their bow was only right and proper.

"Everyone, please rise."

Chen Mu waited until everyone had finished their bow before raising his hand to support them.

Xu Xu Qingyin was the first to stand up, her eyes still red, but her gaze had returned to its usual clarity and determination.

Chen Mu looked at her at the right moment and asked.

"Elder Xu, how is Shen Ge?"