Da Xuan Martial Saint

After killing a Rockscale Snake.

Chen Mu did not linger long, quickly leaving to continue his patrol along the line.

Those with weaker strength observed from fixed points serving as sentinels responsible for communication, while the stronger ones naturally patrolled along the line, tasked with reducing the number of demons in the Wilderness Mountains as much as possible, preventing any from slipping by.

While inspecting along the way, after killing a few more demons, Chen Mu sat down on a high slope, pulled out a piece of roasted demon meat from his pack, and ate it. Then, he took out a flask filled with demon blood and drank most of it down.

During severe drought, it was difficult to find water, but demon blood was a viable alternative for martial artists to drink.

It just tasted average.

Chen Mu stood up, holding the blood flask, and looked out at the distant Wilderness Mountains. Suddenly, he cracked a smile, and for a moment, he felt as if he embodied the very essence of those that roamed the Martial World, leading a nomadic life, which made his heart throb with satisfaction.

But just as Chen Mu was about to drink the remaining demon blood, a dull roar emanated from the distant Wilderness Mountains, accompanied by slight tremors, spreading its way here.

"Hmm?"

"What's that…"

Chen Mu set down the flask, his gaze sharp, looking in the direction of the Wilderness Mountains.

...

Donghong Township.

Although it was called Donghong Township, it was actually located to the east of Donghong Township, named such because it lay on the westernmost edge of Huaiyu County, adjacent to Donghong Township, with the Wilderness Mountains acting as a dividing line.

At this moment, in a certain place in Donghong Township, several figures gathered. Anyone from Yu County would be surprised at the presence of these individuals as they were not unknown in Yu City.

The newly appointed Chief Constable of the South City District, He Guangzong!

A prominent member of the fourth generation of the He Family, elder brother to He Mingxuan, a White-Clothed Guard of the Demon-Slaying Office, He Mingzhen!

Deputy Governor from the City Defense Division of the Inner City Area, Zhang Heng!

...

It could be said that any of the five or six people gathered here were significant enough to be in charge of the demon-slaying matters in Donghong Township.

"Everyone has worked hard," He Guangzong said with a faint smile to Zhang Heng and the others.

Zhang Heng chuckled and responded, "It's nothing, just burying some trinkets… But Brother He, can this object truly be as effective as said?"

He Guangzong laughed, "Actually, I do not know either. It was given to me by the family head, just for a trial. Even if it doesn't work, it only means we took an extra trip, but if the unique 'corpse energy' within it does act up and truly causes the demons over there to become more frenzied, then this time the Yu Family's demon hunting will be well worth it."

He Mingzhen's expression was cold as he looked westward. Not far in the distance, he could still see the Wilderness Mountains, and said with a grave voice, "Mingxuan's death was unclear, and this debt is eventually owed by the Yu Family."

He Guangzong watched He Mingzhen and shook his head, "Actually, Mingxuan most likely wasn't harmed by the Yu Family… But to say he died because of the Yu Family is also not wrong. Without the Yu Family, no one would have killed Mingxuan."

"And Xu Hongyu…"

He Mingzhen coldly said, "I hope she survives this time and doesn't die amidst the demon chaos, so I can personally take her life later and pay respects in front of Mingxuan's tomb."

He Guangzong looked at He Mingzhen and then said, "Alright, the job is done; we should also leave to prevent the Yu Family from noticing."

Zhang Heng and the others exchanged glances, nodding to one another.

However.

Just as the group was about to turn around and leave, a sound like thunder erupted from far away in the Wilderness Mountains, resembling a mountain collapsing and an earth-shattering event, followed by a strong sensation of shaking that spread.

He Guangzong, He Mingzhen, and the others all looked stunned, hastily turning their gazes towards the Wilderness Mountains.

Soon.

They saw a corner of the Wilderness Mountains where one of the elevated parts of the mountain showed a pitch-black crack running up its side, followed by the collapse and crumbling of that portion of the mountain.

Although it was still some distance away, the sight of a mountain crumbling was still strikingly impactful.

Zhang Heng quickly reacted, a spark of realization flashing in his eyes, "Under the great drought, Wilderness Mountain is already dry, and its unstable earth veins caused the collapse…"

As the words fell.

He Guangzong and the others also came to the same realization.

The collapse of part of the Wilderness Mountain indicated instability in that mountain's earth veins. This situation could easily lead to the production of high-quality Rock Jade and possibly other heavenly materials and earthly treasures.

"Let's go!"

He Guangzong's eyes flashed as he spoke immediately, without hesitation, heading straight towards the Wilderness Mountain.

Seeing this, He Mingzhen and the others swiftly followed. There was no time to go back and call for more people. They just brought a few Green-Clothed Guards from the Demon-Slaying Office and a few Blade Masters from the He Family who had stepped into the Tendon Changing Realm.

Because they were already not far from Wilderness Mountain, the group soon arrived at the edge of the mountain range, then delved deeper. Along the way, they encountered some frenzied demons attacking, and everyone casually took them down, one by one.

Among them, there were five at Tendon Changing Perfection.

As a top talent of the younger generation of the He Family, He Mingzhen could even be said to be the first in terms of talent, having already caught up to Xue Lin's progress, stepping into the Bone Tempering Realm. Even some Third Rank demons could be easily killed by him.

Although Wilderness Mountain itself was quite dangerous, the area of the mountain's break was not deep within its interior, merely on the outer area. Moreover, the extensive damage often caused many demons to flee far away.

Soon.

The group reached the periphery of the damaged mountain.

After a series of leaps along the fractured rock layer, they arrived inside the mountain, immediately noticing, embedded in the solid rock layer in the middle of the mountain, a massive yellow jade nearly several meters in radius.

All these jade stones belonged to Rock Jade. The lower quality Rock Jade had a pretty average value, and at a glance, this Rock Jade spanning several measures essentially had poor quality. However, the eyes of He Mingzhen and his comrades lit up at this moment.

Because.

In the center of this large expanse of inferior Rock Jade, there was a huge, nearly three feet wide and seven feet long, piece of red jade that looked like glass... It was indeed a large piece of superior quality Flame Jade!

Superior Flame Jade alone was quite valuable; even a small piece made into a jade pendant could be worth hundreds of Silver. And this piece in front of them could almost be made into a 'Flame Jade Bed,' making it incredibly valuable and difficult to estimate!

Good!

A cry of joy nearly escaped He Guangzong's heart.

What stopped him from speaking out loud was that directly in front of them, amidst the shattered rocks, stood another figure also closely examining the large piece of Flame Jade.

Though the sunlight was blocked inside the mountain belly, one could faintly discern that he was dressed in green.

Demon-Slaying Office Green-Clothed Guard?

After recognizing the green clothes, He Guangzong instantly relaxed. A mere Green-Clothed Guard was nothing to worry about, and most likely belonged to the opposition Yu Family.

With this in mind, He Guangzong immediately gave Zhang Heng a meaningful glance.

Zhang Heng caught on quickly.

A treasure as valuable as the Flame Jade Bed could not possibly be shared with the Yu Family. No matter who it was, they would deal with them first.

Silently, carrying a short spear in his hand, he quickly advanced through the darkness.

However.

Before Zhang Heng could get close, the figure in green stepped out of the shadows at a leisurely pace.

"City Defense Division Commander Zhang, it has indeed been a while since we last met."

The figure in green looked toward Zhang Heng, who walked in the shadows, and spoke in a somewhat light tone.

Zhang Heng was startled.

He then looked at the figure in green, feeling a certain familiarity with the face, and soon recognized:

"Who could it be but you?"

His eyes stared oddly at the figure in green. He suddenly chuckled and said, "I remember that Xu Hongyu was supposed to be guarding Donghong, so your presence here is not surprising. Last time Xu Hongyu arrived just in time to save your life, but it seems your luck has run out; today you've fallen into my hands again."

The person emerging from the shadows was Chen Mu!

Initially, when the mountain shattered, his first reaction was to wonder if some earth-shattering demon had appeared. But he quickly realized that it wasn't the case; it seemed to be due to unusual earthquakes and severe drought, causing a part of the Wasteland Mountain to fracture.

Recalling some books he had read, such as accounts in 'Da Xuan Chronicles' describing similar situations of mountain collapses possibly revealing heavenly treasures, he then approached quietly to investigate.

Chen Mu didn't give Zhang Heng much attention.

After a brief word, he continued to examine the large piece of Flame Jade and then slightly furrowed his brows.

This large piece of superior Flame Jade, although precious in quantity rather than quality, was not easy for him to carry or hide. If it were some smaller type of heavenly material and earthly treasure, it would have been better.

He wondered if there were things like the 'Sumeru Ring' or 'Qiankun Bracelet' in this world, storage items he hadn't heard about or seen mentioned in any texts so far.

Zhang Heng noticed Chen Mu's gaze.

Thinking Chen Mu was captivated by the large piece of superior Flame Jade and not paying attention to the situation, he shook his head internally. People unable to discern the situation might not even manage to return alive, yet he was still fixated on the treasure in front of him.

It seemed the Yu Family's so-called talents were nothing special after all; his last trip to Wutong Grove District had been unnecessary.

But this time, running into them was uncomplicated.

His thoughts drifted.

Zhang Heng could no longer bother to mock or even torment Chen Mu. With a flip of his right hand, his long spear pierced through the air towards Chen Mu, flashing a streak of silver brilliance in the darkness.

The rest of the He family, some were admiring the piece of superior Flame Jade, yet some were watching Zhang Heng's side, like He Guangzong. He knew that Chen Mu possessed a Horizontally Trained Body and had now reached the Tendon Changing Realm. Although Zhang Heng had achieved Tendon Changing Perfection, a swift resolution might not be possible.

To avoid complications, it seemed more appropriate for him to act too.

However.

He Guangzong had just taken a couple of steps when he suddenly stopped.

He looked in Chen Mu's direction, his pupils suddenly contracting as if he had seen something unbelievable.

Only to see!

Zhang Heng's fierce and wild thrust, containing Dual Momentum and fully unleashing the power of Tendon Changing Perfection, which could penetrate even metal and iron, was now shockingly clamped between the index and middle fingers raised by Chen Mu. The spear tip was less than three inches from Chen Mu's forehead, yet it could not advance a fraction further!

"Sigh…"

Chen Mu's sigh echoed through the mountain belly.

Bang!

In Zhang Heng's eyes filled with shock and disbelief, Chen Mu's two fingers suddenly twisted, forcibly distorting the entire spear body. He then released it.

Zhang Heng could no longer hold the spear handle. Startled, he tried to dodge but was too close to react in time. Accompanied by a spray of fresh blood, the twisted spear shaft pierced through his chest, leaving a clear blood hole right in the center!

"You…"

Zhang Heng looked at Chen Mu in utter disbelief, barely managing to utter a word before a gush of blood poured from his mouth, feeling his strength rapidly drain away. His body went limp, stumbling a few steps before collapsing onto a vertical rock nearby.

Even as his consciousness completely faded away, his eyes still showed an incredulous expression.

This is impossible.

He was a notable Deputy Governor of the Inner City Area, with Tendon Changing Perfection, mastering two types of Spear Momentum. His all-out strike was astonishingly intercepted by Chen Mu with just two fingers, and with a counterattack, crushed all his physical strength and bone structure completely!