On the peak of Low Mountain, Lin Su stood grim-faced upon an old tree with peeling bark, intensely staring at the dark courtyard below.
“What on earth is Yang Huan doing?!”
“Such a good situation, how could he just give it up like that!”
“The Condense Aperture Secret Method…”
Thinking of the possible outcomes, Lin Su felt inward frustration but was powerless.
It took a long while to regain his composure.
“Could Chen Mu have been affected by the earlier chaos?”
He was now worried that Chen Mu had been killed by the disciples of Zhongshan Path in the attack, allowing someone else to reap the benefits.
“Most likely not,” Lin Su thought of the other’s cultivation at the Spirit Armor Realm.
As long as one didn’t get too close to the center of the fight, there shouldn’t be any problems.
“He must be hiding,” Lin Su felt somewhat relieved.
“With the Condense Aperture Secret Method in trouble, the White Jade Plate absolutely cannot have any issues!” Lin Su’s right hand clenched into a fist suddenly.
…
At the Lower Courtyard of Jilong Road, in the Yihai District.
The six siblings of Wu Mountain stood in front of a gazebo.
This was the gathering point of the Yihai District.
Every year, the Lower Courtyard collected land rent, traded Yellow Bud Rice, and issued collective notices here at this gazebo, which was the central location for each district.
Shi Xian held up her right hand, leveling it in front of her eyes.
A pitch-black sphere the size of a fist emerged in the palm of her hand.
“Truthful Listening!”
The Soul Strength black sphere swelled rapidly like an air-filled balloon, sweeping past the group and expanding towards the distant horizon.
As it spread, its color grew fainter until it became invisible in the far distance and suddenly dispersed.
“There have been conflicts at five locations with bodies present.”
“The closest is five li to the southwest, two people,” said Shi Xian with a cool tone.
“That’s…”
“Something’s wrong?” Lu Ku turned his head to ask.
“There’s a bald bear still alive,” said Shi Xian coolly.
“Bald bear? What kind of nonsense is that!” Ai Ji frowned and grumbled.
“It’s probably someone from Zhongshan Path,” Wu Ruo realized and then asked softly, “Standing or lying down?”
“Lying down,” replied Shi Xian calmly.
An injured disciple from Zhongshan Path? The group’s eyes lit up.
One dead, one injured – their belongings were likely still on them, perhaps a large bounty was at hand!
“Let’s go!”
…
The six moved swiftly, covering the five or six li distance in no time.
Two and a half of the three surrounding walls had collapsed and the roof of the building was blown off, with thick smoke billowing from within the courtyard and flames soaring into the sky.
The group eagerly turned the corner of the wall.
There, they saw a bald man, his arms covered in fine brown hair and built like a bear, barely alive on the ground.
At that moment, a towering figure cloaked in a black robe with a white mask on his face was squatting in front of the man.
“Save me,” begged the bald man.
Despite his gruff voice, the masked man sounded unexpectedly gentle, filled with pity: “Your heart is shattered, there’s no hope for rescue.”
“Save me!” the bald man continued to plead.
“I know you can’t let go of your path, but there truly is no saving you,” the voice of the masked man became even more sorrowful and heavy: “Go in peace, your dreams will be carried on by me!”
Then he swiftly punched the man’s bald head, collapsing it.
He skillfully took a grey cloth bag from the victim’s embrace and stuffed it into his sleeve.
Then he slowly rose to his feet, pressed his hands together in front of the body, bowed slightly as a sign of respect.
After that he turned his head towards the six siblings of Wu Mountain.
“I am Lu Zhishen, the Heavenly Lone Star, known as the Dream Fulfiller.”
“Do you have dreams that require me to bear the burden as well?”
Hearing the gentle voice of the man in the mask,
And glancing at the half-collapsed skull of the bald strongman,
The six siblings of Wu Mountain felt their hair stand on end!
This must be a madman!
To carry on dreams?
I think you’re really out to rob and kill!
“You and Mr. Gongsun?” Lu Ku, seeing the man dressed in familiar garb, couldn’t help but speak.
“You actually know Gongsun Sheng?” Disappointment filled the voice of the man in the mask.
Lu Ku’s eyelids twitched involuntarily.
If we hadn’t known Gongsun Sheng, would you have just killed us outright?
The masked man looked over them with regret three times, his hesitant gaze and movements rendering the six utterly stiff.
As if making a momentous decision, the man in the mask sighed heavily, then ceased to pay them any further attention.
Invisible forces emerged, digging holes and burying the dead of their own accord.
Once busy, they disappeared into the swirling black smoke.
…
“This person…” Yu Lin wore a worried expression.
“I think I heard Shang Huan mention him, probably associated with Gongsun Sheng,” mused Lu Ku thoughtfully.
“Gongsun Sheng has a secret faction backing him?” Wu Ruo’s brow furrowed deeply.
“It seems we’ll have to be even more cautious and vigilant regarding Gongsun Sheng,” Yu Lin reminded, looking at Lu Ku.
Lu Ku nodded calmly.
Just one Gongsun Sheng could easily control their fates.
If he had a faction behind him…they were really at the mercy of others!
…
Busy all night until a faint light appeared in the sky,
Chen Mu then rode the Five Ghosts Black Smoke, drifting slowly toward Low Mountain.
Looking at the pile of items in the Five Ghosts Bag, Chen Mu’s face was filled with sorrow.
White Jade Coins covered in mud, Mustard Seed Talismans stained with blood, and porcelain pill bottles with broken seals.
“This dream is indeed too heavy!”
“But I will certainly not let down the trust of my fellow practitioners.”
“No matter how heavy, I will definitely carry it!”
…
With the morning mist still light, Chen Mu slowly approached Low Mountain, sending the Five Ghosts Yin Spirit into the sky to scout.
After confirming there were no disciples of Zhongshan Path hiding, he then entered the courtyard of Low Mountain.
Pouring a cup of cool tea, Chen Mu took a seat in the rocking chair under the wooden arbor, not resting but waiting for dawn to head to the gathering spot at the pavilion in Gengyin District.
“Who knows how this calamity will end up,” Chen Mu mused silently.
Sadly, he could only passively accept, with no ability to influence the outcome.
“If even one of Yunzhou’s seven paths, Jilong Road, cannot ensure safety and stability,”
“where else can I survive?”
Chen Mu felt lost for a moment.
It took a good while before he sighed and looked at the treasures inside the Five Ghosts Bag.
“With these gifts from my fellow practitioners, even if a disaster strikes, I’ll have enough to hold on for a while,” Chen Mu comforted himself.
“If it gets too bad, I’ll just take refuge in the Heavenly River Water Mansion.”
“Just six hundred White Jade Coins for a free status!”
“Buy!”
He was gleefully planning for the future.
Suddenly, a faint mist enveloped the courtyard.
“The mist is this thick?”
As he wondered, the Spiritual Armor black smoke suddenly appeared two meters behind him, followed immediately by a flash of Spiritual Light.
Almost simultaneously as they appeared, a series of black arrows burst from the shadows of the corner wall.
They pierced through the mist in an instant, striking the Spiritual Armor black smoke fiercely.
Thud, thud, thud…
The Spiritual Armor black smoke was nearly penetrated in an instant!
Pop, pop, pop…
Experience tales at empire
Sounds of bursting like popping beans exploded.
The Spiritual Light shook violently, quickly filled with cracks, becoming extremely fragile!
“Five Ghosts Possession!”
Chen Mu suddenly transformed into a two-and-a-half-meter-tall, indigo-colored, muscular man.
His muscles swell as strands stretched out, and a silver light flowed between his brows.
“Qi Forbidden Hundred Miles!”
Buzz!
As countless black arrows shattered the Spiritual Light, nearing him, they suddenly slowed down drastically, as if falling into a quagmire.
Eventually, they stopped a palm’s distance from his back, unable to move forward any further!
“Who’s there?!”
Chen Mu darted forward suddenly, distancing himself from the black arrows.
With Qi Forbidden Hundred Miles activated, the scenery within a hundred meters instantly came to mind.
Mist!
Dense fog everywhere, so thick that not even five fingers could be seen!
“Spiritual Armor, Spiritual Light, Chen Mu, you’ve hidden your abilities quite deeply, haven’t you!” a deep voice suddenly echoed from all directions.
“The Exquisite Jade Plate is quite useful, right?”
White Jade Plate? Chen Mu’s face suddenly changed.
What was bound to come had still come!