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Chapter 306: Bonebreaker Marquis
Chapter 306: Bonebreaker Marquis
Having taken action, he couldn't just abandon them to their fate on the grasslands.
Chen Mu shook his head and approached the group of women and children captured by the foreign tribes. Although referred to as women and children, they were all females, with the oldest not exceeding thirty years and the youngest being around ten.
The foreign tribes captured women for pleasure and procreation. Only those of middle age had a chance to survive in their captivity.
As Chen Mu approached, over a thousand dispirited young women, girls, and female children stirred with excitement. They were all too aware of the fate that awaited them in the hands of the foreign tribes. Throughout their journey, they had been treated as less than human, and some had already lost the will to live. But Chen Mu's appearance, single-handedly defeating the foreign tribe's army, rekindled hope in many of their hearts.
A chorus of grateful voices, sobs, and other chaotic sounds filled the air, creating a scene of chaos.
"Silence!"
Observing the situation, Chen Mu shook his head slightly and spoke in a calm tone. Although his voice lacked harshness, it carried a hint of authority that resonated in everyone's ears, drowning out the multitude of noises.
"Is there anyone who can lead them?"
As the crowd quieted down, Chen Mu continued, "Among you, is there anyone who can take charge?"
After his words, the women looked at each other, and amidst the chaos, several young women stepped forward. Many of them bore injuries, yet their steps remained steady, indicating some martial arts training.
"Thank you, sir."
The woman with the highest cultivation, whose inner energy was almost at the peak of the Muscle Training Realm, had a penetrating wound on her shoulder, hastily wrapped with rough cloth, still seeping blood. Her face was slightly pale, but her gaze remained steady as she respectfully bowed to Chen Mu.
"I am Lu Yun, the inspector of East Frost Village in Cold South County..."
"Hmm."
Chen Mu nodded slightly at the woman and stepped forward to examine her shoulder wound. He then raised his right hand, releasing a strand of inner energy that harnessed the wood and water spiritual energy between heaven and earth, transforming it into a surge of vitality.
The bleeding from Lu Yun's shoulder wound quickly stopped, and her injury was temporarily suppressed, though not fully healed. After all, the Heaven Earth Path, even when harnessing the power of all things, couldn't bring the dead back to life or heal broken bones; that was the realm of the immortals. Chen Mu merely sealed her wound and slightly adjusted the energy within her body.
Lu Yun felt her injury suppressed and her weakness alleviated. She relaxed and bowed to Chen Mu again, her eyes filled with gratitude.
Chen Mu said to her, "In Cold Province, there is no safe place. This is the closest to Sha Prefecture, but it's still nearly six hundred li away. I'll take you there. You lead them and organize a headcount, especially those who are injured and unable to travel."
"Yes, sir."
Lu Yun was slightly taken aback when Chen Mu mentioned Sha Prefecture, but upon hearing the distance of six hundred li, she hesitated. Still, she respectfully acknowledged and led the women with martial arts training back to count the numbers and maintain order.
Six hundred li... For someone with martial arts training like her, it was manageable, and she could reach there in a few days. But for this group, it was a different story. Most of them were weak women, and some were even as young as ten years old.
However, as Chen Mu said, there was indeed no safe place in Cold Province, especially for this group. They could only find a place to live and survive in Jade Province.
After all, with the foreign tribe losing such a large number of elite cavalry soldiers, they wouldn't give up easily. Even if they didn't know what had happened here for a short time, they would eventually find out. There would undoubtedly be pursuers.
When that time came, the situation would become even more dangerous. Having narrowly escaped the foreign tribe's clutches by heaven's fortune, none of them wanted to be captured again. Many would rather die on the grasslands than be taken beyond the pass and reduced to livestock.
...
In a certain area of the grasslands, numerous camps were set up.
In the central tent, various foreign tribe leaders gathered, led by a middle-aged man with a dignified aura and an abyss-like energy. He was a foreign tribe grandmaster in the Six Viscera Realm! Even beyond the pass, grandmasters held an extremely high status within the foreign tribes. They were influential figures, akin to 'Marquis,' and the leader of this gathering was the foreign tribe's 'Bonebreaker Marquis!'
With a calm tone, the Bonebreaker Marquis spoke, "So, there's no unusual activity in Frost Province for now."
"Although the Seven Mysteries Sect has occupied Frost Province, I believe their ambitions don't end with just one province. They will likely choose another county, either moving north to Snow Province or west to Cold Province..."
A leader below spoke in a deep voice, "Since we're so close to Sha Prefecture, and with the Celestial Demon Sect and the Heavenly Corpse Sect constantly harassing the borders, they probably won't directly confront the Seven Mysteries Sect in Frost Province. If they don't respond, it suits our revenge. If they move west to Cold Province, we, the Wumong Tribe, will have to intervene. We want to draw them into a battle on one front."
"Hmph."
Bonebreaker Marquis, known as the 'Bonebreaker Marquis', let out a cold huff.
He was equally disgusted by the actions of the Celestial Demon Sect and the Heavenly Corpse Sect. Even though he knew these two sects had ulterior motives, and wanted to drag them into the fray, it was not possible to turn against them at this moment. After all, the Ice Absolute Palace and the Seven Mysteries Sect were indeed common enemies.
"The plundering must be faster, and the four groups heading east should be recalled as soon as possible."
A commander spoke in a low voice.
Currently, they were ravaging Cold Province, but with their forces dispersed, the current situation suggested that it was no longer advisable to continue the plunder. Whether it was quickly escorting the captured women to the Outlying Tribes or transporting the gathered resources to the Ice Province, it was crucial to swiftly consolidate the scattered forces in Cold Province and put an end to the rampant pillaging.
Although the forces were not overly dispersed, with each group consisting of thousands of infantry and elite cavalry, enough to dominate Cold Province, encountering a Grandmaster-level figure would make this dispersal extremely dangerous, posing a risk of total annihilation.
"Yes, let's consolidate our forces quickly. Where are the four groups heading east now?"
Bonebreaker Marquis turned to a commander and asked.
The commander promptly replied, "The first group is about a hundred li from here and will arrive soon. The second and third groups are still four hundred li away. As for the fourth group... contact was lost yesterday, and their situation is unclear. I've already dispatched scouts to investigate."
Upon hearing that one group had lost contact, Bonebreaker Marquis's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and he asked, "When was the last time we heard from them?"
"It was the day before yesterday. They went to the farthest location and captured two to three thousand people. They're doing their best to return."
The commander responsible for intelligence and communication spoke in a low voice.
"So, it's been two days since we last heard from them..."
Bonebreaker Marquis murmured.
Although the Seven Mysteries Sect in Frost Province hadn't shown any unusual activity, if they were indeed planning to move west, it was possible for a Grandmaster-level figure from the sect to quietly enter Cold Province.
With the dispersed troops, although each group had over a thousand men, if they encountered Grandmasters like Shi Zhenyong and Feng Hongsheng from the Seven Mysteries Sect, it would be nearly impossible to stop them. They would likely be slaughtered without resistance.
This wouldn't do!
He had to personally investigate.
A thousand infantry was not a small number for the Wumong Tribe, and they couldn't afford to lose them easily.
"You all continue consolidating the forces. I'll go there myself."
With this thought, Bonebreaker Marquis stood up, spoke in a low voice, and took a step out of the tent. He headed in the direction of the fourth group's route, from which contact had been lost, and soon disappeared from the main tent.
As a Grandmaster of the Wumong Tribe, Bonebreaker Marquis moved swiftly. In less than half a day, he covered nine hundred li and reached the area where the fourth group was supposed to be, but there was no sign of them.
"..."
Bonebreaker Marquis's eyebrows furrowed as he followed the predetermined route, searching along the way.
After nearly half a day of searching, he finally discovered something unusual on a stretch of grassland. The frozen ground seemed to have large-scale cracks.
Boom! Bonebreaker Marquis stared at the strangely cracked frozen soil and suddenly drew a curved blade, slashing at the ground. He tore open the earth, leaving a ten-zhao long crack.
Then, looking down through the crack, his face immediately turned grim.
Bodies and flesh were buried beneath the cracked ground, and the shapes of the bodies made it easy to identify them as the missing troops!
Bang! Bonebreaker Marquis, with a somber expression, stomped on the ground, causing it to shatter and reveal dozens of zhang of frozen soil beneath, exposing numerous bodies that were difficult to identify.
It was now clear that this group of a thousand troops had likely been annihilated and buried here!
"A Grandmaster from the Seven Mysteries Sect?"
"No... this trace..."
Bonebreaker Marquis's eyes narrowed as he examined the buried remains, which were mostly destroyed beyond recognition. But as a Grandmaster, he could still discern some clues.
"The Celestial Octagram, the Heavenly Wheel Seal?"
Bonebreaker Marquis narrowed his eyes.
Chen Mu? The third Demon Lord of the Celestial Demon Sect, rumored to have been killed by Chen Mu, was also known as an unparalleled genius of Cold Province, a once-in-a-lifetime talent. Chen Mu had mastered the Heaven and Earth Martial Path, and now he was ranked third on the Gale Wind Rankings.
Bonebreaker Marquis was somewhat familiar with the strengths of those on the Gale Wind Rankings. A thousand elite troops, along with hundreds of cavalry, would not be easily defeated by anyone in the top ten of the rankings. But if they encountered one of the top three, annihilation was a real possibility.
"You killed my men, and now you won't get away so easily."
Bonebreaker Marquis glared coldly into the distance.
Although the traces were a few days old, this group had captured thousands of women and children, and they couldn't have just disappeared into thin air.
Chen Mu, ranked third on the Gale Wind Rankings, might have his methods, but it was impossible for him to make thousands of people vanish within a short time. They couldn't have escaped far in such a brief period.
If Chen Mu had escaped alone, Bonebreaker Marquis might have let it go. But if Chen Mu intended to rescue all these women and children...
Swish.
Bonebreaker Marquis let out a cold huff, then vanished with a flash, heading in the direction of the fourth group after identifying their location.
(End of Chapter)
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