Chapter 121: Encounter on the Narrow Road
Chapter 121: Encounter on the Narrow Road
After slaying a Rockscale Snake, Chen Mu didn't linger for long and quickly departed, continuing his patrol along the route.
Those with weaker strength were assigned to fixed observation posts as sentries, responsible for transmitting signals, while those with greater strength naturally patrolled the entire line, with Chen Mu in charge of reducing the number of demons in the Wilderness Mountain area as much as possible.
After patrolling along the way and killing several demons, Chen Mu reached a hilltop and sat down. He took out a piece of grilled demon meat from his bag and ate it, then retrieved a water flask containing demon blood and drank most of it.
During times of severe drought, it was difficult to find water, but for martial practitioners, demon blood was also drinkable.
The taste, however, was rather ordinary.
Holding the flask of blood, Chen Mu stood up and gazed into the distance at the Wilderness Mountains. Suddenly, he grinned, feeling for a moment that his current appearance gave him a sense of wandering the world and roaming the heavens, a fleeting feeling of freedom.
But just as Chen Mu lifted the flask to drink the remaining demon blood, a muffled rumble echoed from the distant Wilderness Mountains, accompanied by a faint tremor that spread towards them.
"Hmm?"
"What's that...?"
Chen Mu put down the flask, his eyes narrowing as he looked towards the Wilderness Mountains.
...
West Hong Village.
Despite its name, West Hong Village was located to the east of East Hong Village. It was called West Hong because it was situated at the westernmost part of Huaiyu County, bordering East Hong Village with the Wilderness Mountains as the dividing line.
At this moment, in a certain area of West Hong Village, several figures had gathered, and anyone from Yu Prefecture would be surprised to see them. These individuals were not unknown in Yu City, and their presence here was significant.
He Guangzong, the newly appointed Chief Enforcement Officer of the South District!
The outstanding member of the fourth generation of the He family, He Mingxuan's older brother, and a member of the Demon Slayer Bureau's White Guard, He Mingzhen!
Zhang Heng, the Vice Commander of the City Guard Corps in the Inner City!
...
It could be said that any one of the five or six people gathered here was more than capable of handling the demon-slaying duties in West Hong Village.
"You've all worked hard," He Guangzong said with a slight smile, addressing Zhang Heng and the others.
Zhang Heng chuckled and replied, "It's nothing much, just burying some small objects... But He, will this really have the effect you mentioned?"
He Guangzong smiled and said, "To be honest, I'm not sure either. It's something the head of the family gave me to try out. Even if it doesn't work, it's just an extra trip for us. But if the unique 'Corpse Qi' it contains is released, and it really makes the demons over there more frenzied, then the Yu Clan's demon hunt will be quite fruitful."
He Mingzhen's eyes turned cold as he looked west towards the still-visible Wilderness Mountains. His voice was heavy as he said, "Mingxuan's death was unjust. The Yu Clan will have to pay for this."
He Guangzong looked at He Mingzhen and shook his head. "Most likely, Mingxuan's death wasn't at the hands of the Yu Clan... But if it weren't for them, there wouldn't have been a reason for anyone to kill him."
"And there's also Xu Hongyu..."
He Mingzhen's voice turned cold. "I hope she survives this time and doesn't die in the demon chaos. That way, I can personally take her life and offer it at Mingxuan's grave."
He Guangzong glanced at He Mingzhen and said, "Alright, we're done here. Let's get out of here before the Yu Clan notices us."
Zhang Heng and the others exchanged glances, nodding in agreement.
However, just as they were about to turn and leave, a thunderous roar erupted from the distant Wilderness Mountains, as if the mountains were collapsing. A strong tremor followed, spreading towards them.
He Guangzong, He Mingzhen, and the others were all startled, their gazes turning towards the Wilderness Mountains.
Soon, they saw a corner of the Wilderness Mountains where a raised mountain body had a pitch-black crack running through its middle, extending upwards. The entire half of the mountain began to crumble and collapse.
Although they were still at a distance, the sight of the mountain's collapse was awe-inspiring.
Zhang Heng quickly recovered and his eyes flashed with insight. "The Wilderness Mountains are already dry during the drought, and the unstable earth veins caused this collapse..."
As Zhang Heng's words fell, He Guangzong and the others also realized the implications.
The collapse of a section of the Wilderness Mountains meant that the earth veins in that area were unstable, and within it, there were likely to be some high-quality rock jade and other heavenly treasures.
"Let's go!"
He Guangzong's eyes flashed with determination, and without hesitation, he headed straight towards the Wilderness Mountains.
Seeing this, He Mingzhen and the others quickly followed. There was no time to return for more reinforcements; they only brought a few Green Robe Guards from the Demon Slayer Bureau and some sword masters from the He family who had entered the Sinew Transformation Realm.
As they were already close to the Wilderness Mountains, it didn't take long for the group to reach the edge of the mountain range. They ventured deeper, encountering and effortlessly slaying several frenzied demons along the way.
Among them were five practitioners who had reached the perfection of Sinew Transformation.
He Mingzhen, a top talent among the younger generation of the He family, had even caught up with Xue Lin's progress and entered the Bone Forging Realm, capable of effortlessly slaying even third-stage demons.
Although the Wilderness Mountains were inherently dangerous, the damaged area was on the outer region, not within the inner sanctum. The collapse had created a large opening, often causing demons to flee further away.
Soon, the group reached the damaged mountain body.
After a series of leaps along the cracked rock, they entered the mountain and immediately spotted a large, nearly ten-foot-wide area of yellow jade in the center of the thick rock layer.
These were all rock jade, and the quality was generally average. But He Mingzhen and the others' eyes lit up with excitement.
In the center of this vast expanse of low-quality rock jade, a massive, nearly three-foot-wide, seven-foot-long, red jade stone was condensed, appearing like a translucent glass... It was a huge piece of high-quality Flame Jade!
The high-quality Flame Jade itself was already valuable, and even a small piece made into a jade pendant would be worth over a hundred taels of silver. The piece before them was almost large enough to make a 'Flame Jade Bed,' its value was incalculably high!
Perfect!
He Guangzong's heart was filled with excitement, almost wanting to shout out loud.
However, what stopped him from speaking was the figure standing in front of them, amidst the shattered mountain rocks. It was also observing the large piece of Flame Jade.
Although the sunlight was blocked within the mountain cavity, he could vaguely make out that it was a person in green robes.
A White Guard from the Demon Slayer Bureau?
After recognizing the green-robed figure, He Guangzong's heart immediately relaxed. A mere White Guard was not a concern, and most likely, they were from the Yu family.
With this thought, He Guangzong glanced at Zhang Heng, signaling him with his eyes.
Zhang Heng immediately understood.
In this 16191 book, there's no mistake!
The Flame Jade Bed was such a valuable object that it was impossible for the Yu family to have a share. Regardless of who it was, they would have to be eliminated first.
Without a word, he silently held his short gun and quickly approached in the darkness.
However.
Before Zhang Heng could fully approach, the figure in the darkness stepped out from the shadows.
"City Guard Corps Zhang, it's been a while since we last met."
The figure in green robes looked towards Zhang Heng, who was walking in the shadows, and spoke with a light and detached tone.
Zhang Heng was taken aback.
As he looked at the figure in green, he felt a sense of familiarity. Then, he recognized the person:
"Who did I think it was? It's you?"
He stared at the figure in green with a peculiar gaze and suddenly exclaimed, "I remember you're Xu Hongyu, who was stationed in Dong Hong, right? So, it's not surprising to see you here. Last time, Xu Hongyu arrived just in time to save your life. I never thought you'd end up in such a predicament again, but this time, you've fallen into my hands."
The figure who emerged from the shadows was indeed Chen Mu!
When the mountain body shattered, his first thought was that some extraordinary demon creature had appeared. But soon, he realized it was due to an unusual earthquake, combined with the severe drought, causing a crack in the mountain body of the Wilderness Mountain.
Recalling some of the books he had read, like the 'Great Proclamation Anomaly Chronicles,' which described situations where treasures might exist within such collapsed mountains, he quietly approached to investigate.
Chen Mu didn't pay much attention to Zhang Heng.
He merely spoke in a flat tone and then continued to observe the large piece of Flame Jade, furrowing his brows slightly.
The high-quality Flame Jade before them was valuable due to its size rather than its quality. For him, it was not easy to carry or hide. If only it were a smaller type of heavenly treasure.
He didn't know if this world had storage items like the 'Infinite Jewel' or the 'Universe Bracelet.' At least, he hadn't heard of any, and he hadn't seen any similar records in some of the classics.
Zhang Heng noticed Chen Mu's gaze.
He assumed Chen Mu was captivated by the high-quality Flame Jade, unable to look away. In his heart, he shook his head, thinking that Chen Mu couldn't even discern the situation. If he couldn't survive, what was the point of being alive? He was supposed to be a talented individual cultivated by the Yu family, but he seemed no different. Last time, he didn't need to rush to Wutong Li.
But this time, we're right on your doorstep, and there's not much to say.
In his heart, he thought of Chen Mu, who had a cross-training body and had reached the Sinew Transformation Realm. Zhang Heng himself had achieved Sinew Transformation Perfection, but perhaps he couldn't achieve a swift and decisive victory. To avoid unnecessary complications, it was better for him to take action.
However.
He Guangzong had only taken a few steps when his entire body suddenly froze.
He looked towards Chen Mu, and his pupils constricted as if he had seen something unbelievable.
Behold!
Zhang Heng's fierce and powerful attack, containing two gun stances and unleashing the full force of his Sinew Transformation Perfection, was enough to pierce through copper and iron. Yet, at this moment, Chen Mu's raised right hand used his index and middle fingers to firmly clamp the gun's tip, stopping it just three inches from Chen Mu's brow. But Zhang Heng couldn't push the gun forward any further!
"You..."
Zhang Heng looked at Chen Mu in disbelief, managing to utter a single word. A stream of blood gushed from his mouth, and he felt his strength rapidly being drained. His body went limp, and he stumbled, collapsing onto a nearby piece of upright shattered rock.
Until the very last moment before his consciousness faded, his eyes still revealing disbelief.
This was impossible.
He was the deputy commander of the inner city, having achieved Sinew Transformation Perfection and mastering two gun stances. Yet, his full-force attack was caught by Chen Mu with just two fingers, and in the next moment, Chen Mu's counter-attack completely shattered his physical strength and sinews!
(End of Chapter)
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