Entering the Inner World

Xu Mu looked into the distance, surprised to see that nearly a hundred people had already gathered here.

Many of them were disguised, wearing black robes, hats, or sunglasses.

Those sect members, however, had revealed their true appearances.

For instance, Ma Henggu was standing over by the Taichu Hall side.

In that area, Xu Mu spotted a familiar military tent, with two elderly men dressed in cleaner uniforms sitting beside it, drinking tea.

Xu Mu knew both of them.

He had met one of them before—it was Hu Qingyun, the senior cleaner he had encountered during his first battle against Chi Ting.

The man had long white hair and wore an eye patch over one eye.

The old man sitting next to him was none other than the senior cleaner who had handled the Baishi Clan case earlier—Zhao Qian.

Before Xu Mu could even approach, Hu Qingyun, who had been sitting, stood up first. "Hahaha! Xu Mu! Chen Xuan! Long time no see!"

Hearing this, the surrounding onlookers all turned to look at the figures approaching in the distance.

"That's Xu Mu."

A woman in a black robe whispered.

"Of course I know. He's your idol."

Another woman in a black robe said with a grin.

Ye Chen was also staring hard at Xu Mu. He gripped his black cloak, hesitated for a moment, then let his hand fall.

What was mere Xu Mu, anyway?

He had no reason to fear him—why should he hide his identity?

"Senior Hu!"

Xu Mu walked over with a smile.

"Greetings, Senior!"

Chen Xuan nodded as well.

"Hahaha!"

Hu Qingyun grabbed both of their hands and led them over to Zhao Qian. "Old Zhao, let me introduce you to these two. These lads are no ordinary men—they've both saved my life!"

"As it happens, I know them both."

Zhao Qian waved his hand with a laugh. "During the Baishi Clan mission last time, I was standing guard outside."

"I see."

Hu Qingyun let go of the two and sat back down in his chair. "Then I won't overdo the introductions."

"Greetings, Senior."

Xu Mu and Chen Xuan both gave Zhao Qian a slight nod.

Yang Lielan, meanwhile, simply found a seat and sat down as if it were his own home.

Zhao Qian smiled, then looked at Hu Qingyun. "I know about Xu Mu, but how did Chen Xuan save you?"

"You wouldn't know this, but after I was badly wounded, it was Chen Xuan who treated me. His medical skills are remarkable—he got me back on the battlefield in the shortest possible time."

Hu Qingyun explained.

"I see."

Zhao Qian then looked at Chen Xuan. So the man beside Xu Mu was formidable as well.

"Xu Mu, long time no see."

Just then, a slender, effeminate-looking man dressed in leather armor walked over from the distance.

His hair was tied up in a topknot.

It was Ma Henggu, the Fourth Captain of the Sanitation Department.

Xu Mu smiled and nodded. "Why aren't you wearing your cleaner uniform today?"

"Because today, I represent my sect."

Ma Henggu raised a hand. "I'd like to set down three ground rules with you."

"Oh? What do you mean?"

"Right now, you're a contracted cleaner, and I'm a cleaner too. In a sense, we're colleagues. If we spot a treasure at the same time, then the capable one takes it."

Ma Henggu explained. "If one of us puts a treasure into a spatial ring, then it can no longer be fought over. I don't want to damage our rapport."

"Of course."

Xu Mu nodded.

He naturally had no fear of Ma Henggu's strength, but behind him stood the experts of the Taichu Hall.

More importantly, both he and Ma Henggu shared a common enemy.

This time, he wanted to see if he could take care of Ye Chen once and for all.

As long as Ye Chen was alive, Xu Mu felt that Ye Tong, Ye Yu, and Xu Ningbing would never be safe.

Ma Henggu nodded with a smile.

Hu Qingyun glanced at the watch on his wrist. "One more minute. You newcomers who've never been here before are about to witness something."

Xu Mu asked, "Witness what?"

Yang Lielan stood up from his chair and pointed at the desert beyond the tent. "Look ahead—you'll know in a moment."

Xu Mu and Chen Xuan both turned to look at the distant desert.

There was nothing but rolling sand dunes, bare and empty. But suddenly, the space in the distance changed.

Above the desert, what appeared to be an endless chain of mountain peaks emerged, like a mirage.

The peaks grew visibly closer, approaching at a speed that could be seen with the naked eye, and the towering mountain range became taller and taller.

Watching the peaks grow larger gave one the illusion that it wasn't the mountains approaching them, but rather that they were flying toward the mountains.

Whoosh!

At that moment, the space in the distance suddenly twisted, and a terrifying storm erupted all around.

Countless grains of sand shot into the air. Everyone unleashed their power to keep the sand from pelting their bodies.

Once the sand settled, Xu Mu stepped out of the tent and looked into the distance.

Where there had been nothing, now stood a stone mountain range stretching beyond sight.

The peaks towered into the clouds, bare rock with not a trace of vegetation. Turning back, he saw only desert behind him.

It was truly a breathtaking sight.

Seeing this, Hu Qingyun rose and walked out of the tent.

He looked around at the crowd. "According to the unwritten rules between us and the Inner Realm, on the land of Dragon Country, no one is allowed to cause trouble. Of course, the ruins are also our territory, but the Inner Realm is not."

"Exactly right."

Zhao Qian also stepped forward. "Whatever you do inside, that's none of our business. But if you come out of the Inner Realm—even if it's an ordinary person carrying a treasure—you're not allowed to snatch it."

No one in the surrounding crowd answered. The No. 9 Inner Realm opened roughly once a year, and most of the people here knew the rules well.

After all, the exploration window only lasted six days, and they still had to factor in the return trip. So the golden time for cracking formations and hunting for treasures was even shorter than that.

With only that much time, they couldn't possibly finish exploring everything. Most of the people here had been before, and this time they'd continue where they left off on their last visit.

One of the black-robed figures took out a Boundary Flame, slowly pressed it against the barrier in front of them, and then a few people stepped through. That same black-robed figure followed along and retrieved the Boundary Flame after entering.

They immediately ran toward the rocky hill ahead.

Ye Chen also took out a Boundary Flame from his person and pressed it against the barrier.

Xu Mu raised an eyebrow—he hadn't expected Ye Chen to have gotten his hands on one of those too.

A Boundary Flame couldn't be stored in a spatial ring, so he could just snatch it directly when they met up later.

What surprised Xu Mu even more was that as Ye Chen opened the passage, three black-robed figures went in ahead of him, and only then did Ye Chen follow, taking the Boundary Flame back.

Clearly, those three were Ye Chen's helpers.

The members of the Taichu Hall under Ma Henggu followed in as well.

Yang Lielan took out a Boundary Flame. "Let's head in too."

Xu Mu and Chen Xuan nodded in unison.

After the three stepped inside, Yang Lielan first pulled out her phone and said to the two beside her, "Keep track of the time. This Inner Realm lasts six days—at the latest, we head back in four."

Xu Mu and Chen Xuan also pulled out their phones.

"Sister, I'll inscribe a formation on you. Within a ten-kilometer radius, we can send each other voice messages."

Xu Mu grabbed Yang Lielan's hand and traced a formation on the back of it.

Yang Lielan's expression seemed offhand, but her body was completely stiff and tense.

[Affection +10]