Chapter 186: Convergence
Chapter 186: Convergence
Meanwhile, Chen Mu was making his way along the riverbank.
He advanced, relying on the Earth Mountain Concept as much as possible to discern the turmoil within the earth vein. However, during this time of great tides, the earth vein's movements were extremely chaotic, and this was his first time attempting to investigate such phenomena, leaving him rather unfamiliar with the task.
On several occasions, he mistook the signs as indications of an impending earth vein eruption, but after rushing to the location and waiting for a while, the sedimented earth vein quickly calmed down, leaving him with a fruitless trip.
"This earth vein is truly unpredictable," Chen Mu muttered to himself.
He contemplated silently, "But it's also because my sensing range is too small, only allowing me to capture faint traces. It's like a blind man touching an elephant, making it difficult to discern the whole picture."
Despite this, his efforts were not entirely fruitless. After several attempts, he at least understood that the sedimentation was a sign of an impending eruption, but this didn't guarantee an eruption. Moreover, if the sedimentation wasn't intense enough, an eruption wouldn't occur.
Chen Mu continued forward through the mist.
After taking a few steps along the muddy riverbank, Chen Mu's eyes flickered with a subtle movement.
From the chaotic flow of the earth vein beneath him, he detected an unusual sign!
Swish! Chen Mu immediately took a step forward, following the trail of the disturbance. He hurried along the riverbank for several hundred steps before making a rough assessment and leaping into the river.
The turbulent river threatened to sweep him away, but he remained steady like a heavy boulder, sinking to the bottom as his feet sank into the muddy riverbed.
Almost immediately, Chen Mu had only taken a couple of steps when a faint light appeared in his eyes.
"Here it is!"
This time, it wasn't a false alarm. In the next moment, as Chen Mu sensed it, the sedimented earth vein finally erupted with a mighty blast, transforming into a muddy torrent that exploded from the water's surface, sending mud soaring over ten zhang high!
Just as the muddy torrent was about to subside and a hole appeared in the mud, Chen Mu, without hesitation, dove into the hole like an eel, swimming deeper.
In an instant, he followed the muddy passage within the earth vein, quickly descending several dozen zhang until he reached a narrow cavity with a diameter of only about one zhang.
Chen Mu surveyed his surroundings, noticing that the mud walls were covered in various materials and colors, just like the previous time.
However, this time, Chen Mu was more experienced and prepared. He didn't bother with detailed inspections or sensing. Instead, he took out a bag from his body and, with a series of swift hand gestures, caused the mud walls to explode, revealing various disorderly items mixed with mud and water. He then collected everything into the bag and leaped back along the same path he had come.
This earth vein eruption was smaller than the previous one, and the mud cavity was tighter. Chen Mu swiftly swam through the muddy passage, returning to the riverbed in no time, while the mud cavity behind him visibly contracted.
"Not bad," Chen Mu nodded slightly, then grabbed the bag and leaped back to the riverbank.
At this moment, the sky began to brighten.
The white mist still enveloped the water's surface, making it impossible to see even a finger in front of one's face.
As Chen Mu carried the bag, still dripping with mud, and started to climb onto the shore, the white mist beside him suddenly parted, revealing a sharp blade that silently emerged from the mist, aiming for his throat!
Chen Mu, however, remained calm and composed, unfazed by the sudden attack. He didn't even draw his sword but instead, with his right hand holding the bag, casually swept his left hand, sending a stream of mud from the bag toward the blade.
Clang!
The stream of mud collided with the blade, creating a heavy impact and deflecting it!
Within the scattered water droplets, faint arcs of lightning intertwined. After deflecting the blade, they instantly transformed into a surging wave of lightning, extending and enveloping the blade.
The mist exploded in the lightning, revealing a figure clad in a black robe and wearing a blood-red mask. The figure was surrounded by lightning, emitting a muffled grunt, and their eyes showed a hint of surprise.
Whoosh! Another stream of water droplets rushed forward, and the black-robed figure, weakened by the lightning strike, couldn't avoid it. They could only watch helplessly as the muddy stream pierced through their chest, like a sharp blade, leaving a trail of blood on their back.
"Is the Blood Concealment Tower's intelligence so outdated?" Chen Mu asked, his eyes still calm. He shook the bag of mud and water, approached the figure, and removed the mask, revealing a face of a man in his thirties or forties, with blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. The man's eyes held a hint of shock as he looked at Chen Mu, then slumped to the ground, his life slowly fading.
Chen Mu shook his head slightly at the Blood Concealment Tower assassin's corpse. He had revealed the second step of the Gale Wind and Blaze Fire Concepts to save people earlier, but it seemed that the Blood Concealment Tower hadn't updated their intelligence on him, or perhaps Yu Jun had concealed it, doing an excellent job of keeping it hidden for a while.
However, Chen Mu hadn't specifically asked Yu Jun to hide this information, as it held little significance by now. The Heavenly Sword Sect had witnessed his Gale Wind Concept, and Hua Nongying knew about his Thunder Quake Concept... Even if their intelligence hadn't yet been exchanged, it was only a matter of time.
Not to mention, the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion would surely sense something amiss if they noticed the disappearance of Cheng Houhua and the others, leading them to pay even more attention to Chen Mu. The Blood Concealment Tower's intelligence capabilities were extraordinary, and it was impossible to hide for long after he had displayed the Blaze Fire Concept in front of so many commoners.
Perhaps the Blood Concealment Tower wasn't unaware; the news simply hadn't reached this unfortunate assassin yet.
In fact, this assassin wasn't weak, having reached the full level of the Bone Forging Realm and likely mastering the Silent Assassination Concept. In this misty environment, they had the advantage of timing, and any Bone Forging cultivator could easily fall to their silent strike.
Evidently, the assassin had arrived a bit late and, seeing Chen Mu return with samples from the erupting earth vein, developed murderous intentions. They relied on the mist to conceal their presence and struck when Chen Mu relaxed after reaching the shore, but the vast disparity in strength made this lethal attack seem like a joke to Chen Mu.
If a true executive from the Blood Concealment Tower had been lying in wait, they might have posed a more significant threat.
Upon inspecting the Blood Concealment Tower assassin's body, as expected, Chen Mu found nothing of value.
"Pathetic," Chen Mu shook his head.
Chen Mu then took the muddy bag and briefly rinsed it in the river, washing away most of the mud and sand. He proceeded to inspect the contents of the bag.
The harvest of mystic iron ore, black gold ore, and frost jade ore... This time, the most valuable was a small piece of flowing silver ore, from the river, which was slightly better in quality, but still not as high as before.
However, even a small piece of flowing silver ore could forge a treasure, though a pity it was not as high-quality as the earth essence pearl, yet its value still surpassed many.
...
Accompanied by the rising sun.
The thick fog between heaven and earth finally gradually dispersed.
But the dense water vapor did not dissipate, only condensed under the scorching sun, forming a layer of dark clouds, then transforming into a drizzling drizzle of fine rain fell.
Downstream of the Qingping river.
Or perhaps Pingyu County's Pingnan Township, at this moment, the entire low-lying area was already a vast expanse of water, but here was also the end of the flood, the water surface significantly more stable than upstream, no longer so turbulent.
In fact, this place was not merely the downstream of Qing Ping River, but also the downstream of 'Jins ha River', located at the confluence of two river basins, now almost a hundred miles of land was a vast expanse of watery water.
At this moment.
On the outskirts of this watery area, a large number of figures appeared.
There were inner disciples of major sects, including Demon Slayer Bureau, Surveillance bureau, and representatives of the Xue family, even some from the Yu family, all gathered in various directions of this watery area.
Most of the gathered figures had no reason, because from Qing Ping and Jinsha two rivers downstream, would all reach the watery land, and precious artifacts would be washed out by the surging floodwaters, some unnoticed by various sect figures, or not overly precious, would all be washed downstream.
This watery area was quite extensive, all figures and horses gathered, occupying various spots, or explored in the water, or carefully observed the distant flowing river.
Xue Lin's figure appeared at a corner of the watery area.
"The Young Master has arrived."
Xue Family representatives greeted xue lin a bow.
home.
home.
Xue lin, who did not look much, approached a middle-aged person beside, the middle-aged person was tall and imposing, with a resemblance to xue but his younger brother, xue huai Kong, at this moment saw xue lin and asked, "How was your harvest, Lin?"
Xue huai kong, standing beside, whispered, "How was your harvest?"
xue huai kong's expression did not reveal any regret, only smiled and said, "The precious artifacts upstream are not easy to grab, even the disciples of the mystic mechanism, the harmony sect, even if not true transmissions, some ranked in the inner circle, were also not easy to bully, even if I, an elder brother, also had to be very careful."
"En."
xue lin slightly nodded her head.
He went to investigate upstream also looking for opportunities, since the Qing Ping River is vast and wide, the sects with true transmissions nearby were just a few, not everywhere, with his ability, there still would be some opportunities. This investigation had little gain, he also planned to rest a while in the downstream.
But just as he surveyed the area, suddenly felt a tremor in the water, accompanied by a splash of water, but as the bone strengthening realm, could not lose balance.
"Here.
En the disciples of the mystic mechanism coldly responded, the artifact in hand suddenly snatched and fell, hitting the ground.
In an instant, Wu Zisheng's expression changed.
His heart felt a surge of emotions, and even though he was aware of the impending danger, he couldn't muster any thoughts of resistance. Suddenly, he was hit by something, causing him to fly backward, his eyes seeing stars as he spat out a mouthful of blood.
At the spot where Wu Zisheng had been standing, a girl stood gracefully, adorned in a purple gossamer dress, her lotus arms slender. She seemed to possess no formidable aura, appearing like an ordinary, pitiful mortal girl. However, in the eyes of Wu Zisheng and the numerous Mystic Mechanism Pavilion disciples, she was a figure to be feared.
From a distance, Xue Huaiyi narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixed intently on the suddenly appearing girl.
"Hua Nongying..."
Hua Nongying, the True Transmitter of the Joyful Union, held a position in the Six Organs Realm that was not to be underestimated. Even Xue Huaikong, the Young Master of Yu City, would have to retreat three steps if faced with her!
Almost at the next moment, another voice carried over from the distant river.
"As the esteemed True Transmitter, who dares call you a weak woman... However, could you please spare your Junior Brothers and Sisters? Otherwise, I might have to take action against your Young Ladies, which would be quite unsightly."
As the words fell, the crowd looked up and saw a figure on the distant river. A person, clad in a pale golden Daoist robe, carrying a bamboo basket, was none other than Han Guang, the True Transmitter of the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion!
Hua Nongying smiled lightly, saying, "I'm just teaching Han Brother a lesson for disciplining his unruly Junior Brothers. Han Brother, don't blame me. A night with me should be enough as an apology."
"Of course, of course. I've longed for Flower Sister, and a night is more than enough as an apology."
Han Guang leaped from the river's end, landing in the lake.
Hua Nongying remained unbothered by his words, only smiling and saying, "I don't mind, I just hope Han Brother comes."
Han Guang took out a gourd from his bamboo basket and drank from it, saying, "Forget it. I don't want to deal with your demoness ways. I heard you fought with Gu Hong and lost in one move? How strong can he be?"
Hua Nongying blinked at these words.
"Hmph!"
A cold huff came from across the river.
On the distant riverbank, a white-clothed figure walked along the water's edge, taking only a few steps to reach the lake's shore. Without saying a word, they stared coldly at Han Guang.
Han Guang's movements froze, and he awkwardly scratched his head.
"Haha, Brother Gu has really arrived."
The True Transmitters of the Joyful Union, Mystic Mechanism Pavilion, and Heaven Sword Sect had suddenly appeared, causing the entire lake area to fall into silence.
"Hua Nongying, Han Guang, and even Gu Hong... How did they all end up here?"
Xue Huaiyi's gaze grew serious as he observed this scene.
Just then, Xue Lin beside him spoke in a low voice, "It's not just them."
Xue Huaiyi's expression changed, and his eyes quickly scanned the surroundings. Soon, he noticed a Daoist-robed figure standing not far from the lake's edge. It was Meng Danyun, the True Transmitter of the Seven Mysteries Sect.
With the True Transmitters of the four sects gathered, it seemed that even the True Transmitter of the Blood Concealment Tower was nearby. The thought that a Blood Concealment Tower True Transmitter might be hiding in the shadows nearby made everyone's hearts skip a beat. However, the True Transmitter of the Blood Concealment Tower probably wouldn't have any interest in killing them, but with all the True Transmitters present, there must be something unusual about the recent earth pulse movement.
As the True Transmitters of the various sects appeared, not only the disciples of the Heaven Sword Sect and Mystic Mechanism Pavilion, but also the people of the Xue and Xie families, all fell silent, quietly stopping their treasure-hunting activities in the lake. Those who were closer began to discreetly move away.
Just then, there was movement on the distant river surface again. Another indistinct figure stood on the river, walking along the river in the light rain, approaching them.
The gazes of those in the lake focused on this new figure.
Who was this time?
Just as everyone's attention shifted, the figure from the river gradually became clearer. Standing on a dead tree trunk, they wore not the clothing of the various sects' disciples but an Inspector Bureau official uniform.
"Is it him?"
Xue Lin was slightly taken aback.
Although they had only met a few times, he couldn't forget the other's appearance. During those brief encounters, he hadn't really paid attention to the other, but somehow, step by step, the other had surpassed him, replacing him as the most talented young figure of Yu County—the Inspector General, Chen Mu!
But in a situation with so many True Transmitters gathered, he still dared to strut down the river, drawing everyone's attention. It was quite arrogant and overbearing.
Everyone's gaze, including Xue Lin, Gu Hong, and Hua Nongying, also turned to Chen Mu.
Han Guang narrowed his eyes slightly.
Hua Nongying's lips curled into a faint smile.
Gu Hong glanced at him indifferently and then averted his gaze, not paying him much attention.
A splash!
Chen Mu finally reached the river's end, standing on the dead tree trunk, and then leaped into the lake. He didn't look at Han Guang and the others but took a few steps and approached the group of Inspector Bureau and Demon Slayer Bureau officials nearby. In a deep voice, he said, "This place's earth pulse will soon change. You all should quickly arrange for the nearby villages and townsfolk to evacuate."
With the True Transmitters of the various sects gathered here, he wasn't surprised. Along the river, he had also sensed the unusual earth pulse, vaguely feeling it gathering and moving towards this area, indicating an extraordinary change.
"Yes."
Some of the Inspector Bureau and Demon Slayer Bureau members, upon hearing Chen Mu's command, were all startled and understood why the various True Transmitters had gathered here. They quickly took action.
It wasn't until then that Chen Mu had the chance to observe the situation. He noticed that Hua Nongying, Gu Hong, and others were no longer standing in the center of the lake but had moved to the outskirts. Meng Dan Yun had been on the outskirts from the start and, upon noticing his gaze, nodded slightly from a distance.
Chen Mu wasn't surprised to find her here, as she was responsible for the Qingping River area. However, being able to sense the unusual earth pulse and rushing here, her perception was indeed remarkable.
(End of Chapter)
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