Xu Mu and the others stood there, waiting quietly.
Finally, two figures in black robes appeared within Xu Mu's perception range.
He immediately led the group to hide in the opposite direction.
Before long, the two black-robed figures walked toward the manor at the top of the mountain.
Song Nuanyang looked at Xu Mu and asked, "Are you sure they are from the Jiuli Tribe?"
"I'm not sure. Not everyone who plays with bugs is from the Jiuli Tribe. Take me, for example."
Xu Mu pondered for a moment and said with a smile, "Let's go, we're heading back."
What he wanted was absolute safety. If Xia Chuan really colluded with foreign tribes, he might attack him in the future.
Wouldn't all his efforts this time be in vain?
Therefore, he decided to go over there one more time.
The others around him didn't say anything.
As for Meng Wanyue and Dai Xingluo, they were eager to show off. Coming here this time, they didn't even get a chance to make a move.
The group returned to the manor. Upon seeing Xu Mu, the guards here did not dare to stop him.
They were inside just now and saw with their own eyes how strong this man's senior sister was.
Xu Mu led the group and stepped back into the ruins.
He immediately swept the surroundings with his perception and found that Xia Chuan and the two black-robed figures were walking deeper into the area.
Xu Mu said to the people beside him, "Don't let these people make any rash moves."
After saying that, he quickly followed, maintaining a distance of several hundred meters from Xia Chuan and the others.
At this distance, Xu Mu could hear their conversation.
The people at the entrance of the ruins originally wanted to report the news, but were stopped by the four women.
"You saw our strength just now. Don't move. Whoever moves, dies."
Dai Xingluo looked around with a smile on her face.
It was clearly the smile of a beautiful woman, but everyone present felt a chill run down their spines.
...
"Zhengdefaxie Sect? I've never heard of it."
One of the black-robed figures in front shook his head slightly upon hearing Xia Chuan's question.
Judging by the voice, it was an old man.
"Just now, they broke into our sect and severely injured the First Elder."
Xia Chuan looked at the black-robed figure beside him. "Senior, I have been stuck in the middle stage of the Mortal Shedding Realm for many years. I urgently want to break through to the late stage now."
"To tell you the truth, your Demon Sword Sect only has you as an expert. The heavenly materials and earthly treasures you need are dreamed of by countless people. I certainly cannot just give them to you for free."
The black-robed figure said with a smile.
"What exactly does Senior want me to do in order to give me the treasures?"
Xia Chuan asked in a deep voice.
"I know of an Inner Realm, but it requires an expert in the Mortal Shedding Realm. As long as you accompany me there and help me obtain the treasure, I will give you the heavenly materials and earthly treasures you need."
The black-robed old man suddenly stopped in his tracks. "I keep my word."
"Senior wouldn't play the same trick as last time in the Valley of Ten Thousand Races, right? Luring me there just to kill me."
Xia Chuan asked with a smile.
"If it were like the Valley of Ten Thousand Races, why would I seek you out specifically? I would only need to expose the location of the Inner Realm, and plenty of experts would go in to explore."
At this point, the black-robed old man turned around. "Of course, you can choose not to go. I won't force you."
"I'll go! Everything carries risks. I believe I will get along very well with Senior."
Xia Chuan nodded heavily.
"In that case, I will take my leave first. Two days from now, go to this address, and we will head there together."
The black-robed old man took out a piece of paper from his person and handed it to Xia Chuan.
Then he turned and left.
Xu Mu stood in place, pondering whether he should alert them.
Ultimately, he decided to take the initiative, which would also allow him to see Xia Chuan's attitude toward him first.
He walked forward briskly and finally appeared in front of the two.
When Xia Chuan saw Xu Mu come back in, his eyes immediately narrowed into slits. Before he had time to speak, Xu Mu spoke first.
"Sect Master, I didn't expect to run into you here. Quickly, take a look at the new cultivation technique I just learned!"
As Xu Mu spoke, he swung his arm, and a dark red phantom sword shot toward a distant mountain peak.
Boom!
With a loud bang, a massive boulder on the mountain peak violently exploded, blasting a hole four to five meters in diameter inside it.
Xia Chuan's face was filled with shock.
He wasn't shocked by the power; after all, the phantom sword he executed himself was much more powerful than Xu Mu's.
What he found incredible was Xu Mu's mastery over this move.
Whether one had mastered the phantom sword could be seen from just one point: the clarity of the sword's body.
What ordinary people executed was merely the outline of a sword; the more proficient they were, the more refined it became.
He had seen it very clearly just now. On the phantom sword Xu Mu executed, even the patterns on the hilt were distinctly visible.
This was obviously above his own level.
"Sect Master Xia, who is this person?"
The black-robed old man looked at Xu Mu with curiosity.
"He is... the most outstanding talent of our sect's younger generation."
Xia Chuan hesitated for a moment before speaking.
Xu Mu was somewhat surprised. He didn't expect that this person really wouldn't make a move against him.
This old man's strength was obviously extraordinary.
If he had directly said he was an enemy, this old man would definitely have helped him.
"I see."
While the black-robed old man was speaking, Meng Wanyue, Dai Xingluo, and the others hurried over from a distance.
Just now, they had felt the tremors from deep within and thought Xu Mu had started fighting.
The black-robed old man glanced at the few people who followed, revealing a faint smile. "I didn't expect the young female disciples of the Demon Sword Sect to be so pretty. No need to see me out."
After saying that, the black-robed old man and the black-robed figure beside him left together.
Through his perception, Xu Mu saw them walk far away before he looked at Xia Chuan with a smile. "That old man from the Jiuli Tribe just now has extraordinary strength. If you had told the truth, he might have helped you kill me."
"Just what kind of sacred existence is this sect of yours? How did you know he is from the Jiuli Tribe?"
Xia Chuan was becoming increasingly shocked by the Xu Mu before him.
"We are just a bunch of farmers, keeping a low profile. It's normal that you don't know."
Xu Mu smiled and walked toward Xia Chuan. "Let's talk about what's on your mind first. Why didn't you reveal my identity?"
"There are two reasons. First, being able to execute the phantom sword to such a degree, you must know Wu Anning, right?"
Xia Chuan looked at Xu Mu and said, "He used to be the First Elder of our Demon Sword Sect. Before I even reached the Mortal Shedding Realm, he was already in the Mortal Shedding Realm. He is also my daughter's master, but he went missing."
Xu Mu remembered that back then, when Xia Sihan saw him execute the phantom sword, she had also mentioned this name.
"There was once an old man who did guide me, but he wore a black robe, so I don't know what he looked like."
"I knew it! He's not dead!"
Xia Chuan's face was full of excitement. Then he continued, "The other reason I didn't reveal your identity is that I want you to help me."
"That Inner Realm he mentioned?"
Xu Mu asked.
"You actually heard that?"
Xia Chuan's face turned pale. He had originally thought that his two senior sisters were the experts.
Now it seemed that this man was even more terrifying. He was clearly right nearby.
Yet neither he nor the leader of the Seventh Tribe of the Jiuli had sensed him.
No wonder his two senior sisters in the Mortal Shedding Realm felt like his followers.
Now he was certain that the faction behind this man was absolutely terrifying.

transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”

u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.

pression Bureau] Transported to a fantasy world overrun by demons and monsters, Gu Qingfeng becomes a jailer in the Demon Suppression Prison of the Great Yan Dynasty's Demon Suppression Bureau. From this point on, bizarre cases frequently occur in the Demon Suppression Prison, once known as hell on earth and infamous for its gloomy, terrifying atmosphere! Why do the demons and monsters in the prison wail miserably every night? Why has the corpse demon, capable of transforming into various beauties, donned black stockings and switched careers to become a foot massage therapist? Why has the eye demon, expert in soul-snatching and illusions, turned into a VR headset? Why is the fox spirit performing otaku dances? Are all these occurrences a twisted expression of demonic nature, or a descent into moral depravity? After peeling away layer upon layer of mystery, all clues ultimately point to a jailer named Gu Qingfeng. Gu Qingfeng: "Hehehe... My dear demons and monsters, whose card shall we flip today?"

e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.