Da Xuan Martial Saint

"Brother Chen is too modest," he said. "At just twenty-six, you haven't even joined the Seven Profound Sect, and you've already figured out the second step of the Xun Wind Artistic Conception on your own. In the future, you're bound to be a formidable enemy of mine. No amount of caution is excessive.

If you were to join the Seven Profound Sect and step into the Five Viscera Realm, then cultivate three or four more types of Artistic Conceptions, wouldn't that be dreadful?"

Cheng Houhua chuckled as he drew out a sword emanating wisps of chill from the bamboo basket he carried on his back and said, "So, to prevent any long nights filled with dreams that could leave me restless, it's best for Brother Chen to depart this world sooner rather than later—better not to struggle and suffer."

As his voice faded,

he swept and swung the Cold Clear Sword in his hand.

In a flash, a wave of cold enveloped all directions, and the torrential rain pouring from the skies above stopped in mid-air, each drop turning into strands of frost, freezing together with the nearby mist.

Within moments, the rain and mist were frozen into a ten-meter square area, covered with a layer of ice where Yuan Gang True Essence flowed, sealing everyone within that narrow space.

"Be on your way."

Liu Su said indifferently.

When he was younger, he was as talkative as Cheng Houhua, a man of many words. But as he grew older, his words became fewer, especially since Chen Mu had mastered the second step of the Xun Wind Artistic Conception, surpassing expectations. It was better to kill him sooner rather than later.

As his voice trailed off, he effortlessly swung his sword, releasing a drift of Autumn Wind Artistic Conception. Amidst the desolation, it carried a hint of chill, each wisp a blend of Sword Qi and killing intent, rapidly morphing into thousands of blades raining down on Chen Mu.

Hisss! Hisss! Hisss!!!

Barely visible strands of invisible Sword Qi flew towards Chen Mu, each capable of piercing through steel, all carrying swirling Yuan Gang True Essence. Within the cramped ten meters, they nearly sealed off all of Chen Mu's escape routes.

Almost simultaneously as Liu Su made his move, He Wuyou also brazenly attacked!

He was, in fact, the one in the field who harbored the strongest killing intent towards Chen Mu. But he was aware that among those present, he was the weakest and that capturing Chen Mu, who had mastered the second step of the Xun Wind Artistic Conception, was not an easy task.

Therefore, he had continued to bide his time, unleashing his pent-up killing intent explosively only after Cheng Houhua had sealed off the surroundings and Liu Su had brazenly attacked.

Hum!!!

He Wuyou thrust his spear, standing firm as if he were Mount Tai personified, utilizing no fancy techniques. It was merely the simplest of strikes, like Mount Tai bearing down on its target, aimed at the back of Chen Mu's head.

The icy square that Cheng Houhua sealed off was already brimming with killing intent, as palpable as strands of cold air intertwining. With both Five Viscera Realm martial artists taking action, the frigid malice was all directed at Chen Mu, as if to designate his final resting place.

And in the next moment

Chen Mu made his move.

It was without any fancy techniques, just a simple slash.

This slash, entwined with the authority of the Xun Wind Artistic Conception, Blade Qi coiling but unreleased, hovering above the Silverstream Saber. Just one strike swept away all the Autumn Wind Sword Qi issued by Liu Su!

Clang!

This was the sound of the saber colliding with the spear.

The arc of Chen Mu's slash, which shattered all of Liu Su's Sword Qi, carried along the residual winds of the broken blades in a sweeping return, colliding with the spear thrust from behind by He Wuyou, sparking a clear, metallic ring.

At the same time, a pair of indifferent eyes, nearly devoid of emotion, gazed at He Wuyou.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Not good."

Almost instantly, He Wuyou felt an ominous sense of danger, yet at that moment he could do nothing but stand petrified, his expression one of shock.

Entwining Chen Mu's Silverstream Saber was not just the might of the Xun Wind Artistic Conception, but also genuine Yuan Gang True Essence. This man had long stepped into the Five Viscera Realm, taking that crucial step!

Boom!!

A sound reminiscent of a mountain collapsing rose from He Wuyou's spear.

The Yuan Gang True Essence displayed by Chen Mu at that moment was so incredibly dense in He Wuyou's perception that it was terrifying, immeasurably stronger than his own. With just one blow, it fiercely shattered his Yuan Gang True Essence!

Those who grasp the Gen Mountain Artistic Conception stand as mountains themselves, using the terrain to deliver a powerful blow like a landslide. But if their Yuan Gang True Essence is directly shattered, it's like a mountain crumbling. Their connection to the Earth's Veins becomes a burden, rendering them unable to perform any further action for a moment!

This pause was actually quite brief, not even a tenth of a breath's time. For martial artists in the Skin Toughening or Body Refinement stages, it might even go unnoticed. But in front of a Five Viscera Realm existence, that split second is enough to decide the outcome, even life and death!

Hum.

A glint of cold light flashed in Chen Mu's eyes, as if a thousand winds were converging.

Upon the edge of the Silverstream Saber, the coiled yet unleashed power of the Xun Wind Artistic Conception finally extended outward, manifesting into a visible Blade Qi that spanned a good ten meters. At the moment when He Wuyou's Yuan Gang was broken and he was briefly immobilized, it swiftly swept across his upper body and left a deep gash on the ice wall behind him!

"..."

He Wuyou was completely frozen in place, a fine line of blood running from his left chest to his right shoulder. His entire upper body was silently severed from the lower half, and although the cold in the air kept both halves frozen together, they would never again be joined.

His eyes were fixedly staring at Chen Mu, filled with disbelief.

Chen Mu, at only twenty-six years of age, had been reported to have broken through to the Bone Tempering Realm within a year. Even if his progress had been exaggerated to forcefully charge through the threshold of the Five Viscera Realm, it would inevitably mean that his foundation was unstable. How could he have cultivated such formidable Yuan Gang True Essence, far surpassing his own?!

One must know that in the encounter just before, Chen Mu had used pure Yuan Gang True Essence to completely obliterate Liu Su's Autumn Wind Sword Qi in one strike, and then collided head-on with the spear behind him, breaking through his opponent's Yuan Gang, before finally unleashing the mighty power of the Xun Wind Artistic Conception.

In the moment when his opponent had exhausted his move and his Yuan Gang was forced out, leaving no room for turnaround, he delivered a fatal blow!

Although as a powerful practitioner of the Five Viscera Realm, his vitality and consciousness did not vanish in an instant, it was quickly fading. The light in He Wuyou's eyes swiftly dimmed, and in the last moments before his consciousness disappeared, it still carried a trace of bewilderment.

Him.

He Wuyou.

A towering existence in the Five Viscera Realm, once standing at the pinnacle of Yu City.

When Chen Mu rose to prominence years ago, he was just a lowly junior officer, not even worthy of He Wuyou's attention. Where exactly did things go wrong for the He Family to fall into oblivion in such a short few years, leading to his demise here?

Where exactly had he gone wrong?

Who could give him an answer?

Once one of the four major families that supported Yu County, standing at the zenith, He Wuyou departed this world filled with confusion, his consciousness utterly dissipating into the heavens and earth.

Only leaving behind the three from the Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion, each with a solemn expression, their gazes shifting.

At this moment.

There was nothing but silence, apart from the sound of rain.

Within the frozen area of ninety feet around, including Cheng Houhua who was initially taking things lightly, everyone's expression had become unprecedentedly grave.

Killing He Wuyou with a single blade was not the issue; after all, He Wuyou himself wasn't that powerful, being almost at the bottom of those within the Five Viscera Realm.

He had barely crossed the threshold and, being over eighty without mastering the second step of the Gen Mountain Artistic Conception, he was far inferior to people like Liu Su, even Cheng Houhua was confident he could kill him with a single sword strike.

The key lay in the Yuan Gang True Essence displayed by Chen Mu with that previous blade, which was astonishingly robust!

Considering Chen Mu's age and the information known about him before, even if there were errors in the intelligence gathered, he couldn't possibly have been in the Five Viscera Realm for many years; it was certain that he had only stepped into it recently.

Having only recently stepped into the Five Viscera Realm, possibly not even having undergone the Five Viscera Tempering more than a few times, to possess such vigorous and fearsome Yuan Gang True Essence, there could only be one reason, and that was that Chen Mu's foundation in the previous four realms was honed to an extraordinary degree!

Copper Skin and Muscle Strength, toughened Bone Tempering?!

No!

It was definitely more than that!

"Jade Bone..."

Liu Su's expression turned somewhat ugly.

Even if one had trained to the limit in Skin Toughening, Body Refinement, and Tendon Changing realms, reaching the height where Tiger and Leopard Thunder Sound is achieved, to have such robust and terrifying Yuan Gang True Essence shortly after breaking through to the Five Viscera Realm wouldn't be possible.

There was only one possibility, that Chen Mu had reached the Five Viscera Realm using the Jade Bone method!

Only by pushing the Bone Tempering Realm to its limit could one have Yuan Gang True Essence comparable to someone who had undergone eight or nine temperings in the Five Viscera Realm right at the initial steps and could rival the combined power of two ordinary second-step Artistic Conceptions!

"Brother Chen really is full of surprises. Entering the Five Viscera Realm with Jade Bone status, even I have not achieved this step. I fear Brother Chen's current strength may even slightly surpass my own," Cheng Houhua said with gravity, his voice low as he looked at Chen Mu.

Currently having undergone Seven Viscera Tempering seven times, his Yuan Gang True Qi quality was roughly on par with Chen Mu's. However, his Cold Winter Artistic Conception had not yet stepped into the second phase, which made it inferior to Chen Mu's second-phase Xun Wind Artistic Conception.

If he hadn't taken it upon himself to come and see, with just Liu Su and Cai Jiusheng, it would have been absolutely impossible for them to detain Chen Mu, and even together, they might not have been sure of victory.

At this time.

Chen Mu finally shifted his gaze from He Wuyou's body, glanced indifferently at Cheng Houhua and the others, and without much talk, his blade once again rose abruptly, descending directly toward Liu Su, who was closest!

He had no interest in engaging in more pointless chatter with the people of the Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion. The Mysterious Disk Pavilion had turned a blind eye to the disaster, even tracking and attempting to assassinate him. How could such actions be considered those of a Righteous Sect, worthy of ruling a state or county?

"Hmph."

Seeing Chen Mu's blade strike approach, Liu Su let out a cold snort.

He swung his sword in the air, tracing a graceful arc, and in an instant, the essence of late autumn thickened, forming a visible Sword Qi on the blade's edge, aiming straight at Chen Mu's slashing blade.

"Youngster, don't think you can dominate the world just because you've stepped into the Five Viscera Realm. There are levels of strength within the Five Viscera Realm, and I am certainly not a decrepit waste like He Wuyou!"