Ji Qingge's Mother

Ye Chen's expression shifted, and he immediately glanced around, only to find Xu Mu and Wu Chao attacking him simultaneously from both sides.

He reacted swiftly, lunging toward Wu Chao instead.

In his judgment, Wu Chao, despite being at a higher cultivation level, was actually the easier target.

As he closed in on Wu Chao, electric currents suddenly shot out from Ye Chen's eyes.

Wu Chao's body stiffened, and all his attacks veered toward Xu Mu instead.

This was a spiritual attack technique Ye Chen had found earlier in the ruins.

Whoosh!

The wave-like attack, upon touching Xu Mu, vanished instantly—only to reappear directly above Ye Chen's head a moment later.

"Damn it!"

Ye Chen cursed, looking up.

Boom!

A deafening roar tore through the sky, and Ye Chen's body plummeted uncontrollably from the air.

[Tribulation Power -20]

Xu Mu immediately gave chase—this could be a golden opportunity.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Just as Xu Mu was about to strike Ye Chen, another black-robed figure appeared in the distance.

The figure waved both hands, and two golden chains shot out from the palms, wrapping around Ye Chen's body at breakneck speed.

In an instant, Ye Chen was pulled to the side of the black-robed figure.

"You came at the right time—quick, help me kill Xu Mu! I want that brat dead!"

Ye Chen growled in frustration.

"We never said we'd kill anyone for you."

A woman's voice came from within the black robe, and golden chains materialized from her body once again.

The chains bound her and Ye Chen together.

Bang!

The chains shattered into golden fragments, and both she and Ye Chen vanished from the spot.

"That formation is rather sophisticated—it's fused with a cultivation technique. Another one of his harem girls?"

Xu Mu landed from the heights, and after sensing around, found no trace of Ye Chen's whereabouts—meaning he had already relocated to over two kilometers away.

"Xu Mu, thank you."

Ma Henggu walked over from a distance. "If it weren't for you, the Second Elder would likely have been injured as well."

He had once felt a hint of envy toward Xu Mu, but after everything that had happened today, only admiration remained. This man was truly formidable.

Even the Second Elder couldn't finish off that person quickly, yet Xu Mu handled him with ease.

"You're too kind. We're all comrades."

Xu Mu waved his hand dismissively.

Ma Henggu, in the storyline, was a decent person overall—even if he liked to show off at the Sanitation Bureau.

But after all, he was the Sect Master's son and the Fourth Captain, so a bit of superiority was only natural.

"You know that man?"

Ma Henggu asked.

"I do. His name is Ye Chen. That man has incredible talent and is extremely vengeful. You should watch your back in the future."

Xu Mu warned.

"Don't worry—the Taichu Hall isn't some third-rate sect."

Ma Henggu said with a smile. "Want to come with us?"

Xu Mu shook his head. "No need. I have my own companions here—I still need to wait for them."

"Alright, we'll be off then."

Ma Henggu naturally knew that Xu Mu had entered this place alongside Yang Lielan of the Xuantian Sect.

After bidding Xu Mu farewell, they left the area.

Xu Mu first had the Devouring Spirit Gu consume the corpses, then walked over to the boulder where Ye Chen had been standing earlier.

During his earlier perception, he had seen Ye Chen studying this rock, which was why he hadn't left.

Generally speaking, anything a protagonist fixates on must have some remarkable quality.

Xu Mu circled the stone and noticed tiny cracks at its base.

Around the cracks were faint traces of green—looked like residue left from plant matter rubbing against the stone.

"That ninth-grade heavenly treasure must have been here."

Xu Mu stroked his chin thoughtfully.

It was clearly a rock, yet something like a heavenly treasure could grow from within. Ye Chen had probably been trying to figure out exactly that.

Xu Mu released his Qi energy and punched the spot where the crack was, but it didn't leave a single mark.

He glanced around—even with a Void-Breaking Second Stage battle happening earlier, not a scratch had appeared on the mountain peaks.

Clearly, within this formation, it was nearly impossible to damage the terrain.

"With such a tiny crack, looks like there's no way in."

No sooner had Xu Mu said that than his eyes lit up, and he activated the Divine-grade technique, "Phantom Slash."

A pitch-black shadow slithered into the crack.

Sensing the environment below, Xu Mu was taken aback—it really was a hidden space.

So he transferred himself into the shadow and entered a pitch-black cavern.

He looked up at the ceiling and casually shot a burst of refined Qi upward.

Boom!

Rocks and soil from above came crashing down.

Xu Mu then looked down at the ground—the floor beneath him had shifted to real earth as well.

He extended his perception and followed the tunnel ahead, walking for nearly fifteen minutes until the space in front suddenly opened up.

There was a stone path only two meters wide, stretching over a hundred meters long.

At the far end stood a stone gate.

Flanking the stone path were massive pits.

They were piled high with bleached bones—layer upon layer filling the pits completely.

Xu Mu walked along the stone path, glancing at the skeletal remains on both sides. He couldn't even guess how many people lay there.

"These bones—do they interest you?"

Xu Mu suddenly raised his left hand, and a faint, dark-golden glow slowly emerged.

But the Soul-Devouring Sacred Gu worm crawled back inside, clearly uninterested in corpses that had been dead for who knows how many years.

Xu Mu walked straight across to the opposite bank and arrived at the stone gate.

He pushed hard against the stone door, forcing a crack open, and a cool breeze immediately blew out from within.

Having come this far, Xu Mu certainly wasn't going to turn back, so he stepped inside alone.

The pitch-black scene flashed by, and the next moment, he found himself on a patch of grassland.

In the distance stood some white stone palaces, though most of them had crumbled, leaving only upright walls remaining.

He looked around and spotted a figure in a black robe sitting cross-legged on the ground beside a collapsed stone wall.

Xu Mu walked over step by step, crouched down in front of the robed figure, and reached out to touch the robe.

It had long since weathered away; the slightest touch caused it to shatter completely.

He gave a forceful wave, kicking up a gust of wind.

Not just the robe—even the garments underneath were blown to ashes.

What came into view was a woman's body.

She sat cross-legged, her long black hair loosely scattered. Since she was seated on the ground, her hair spilled out around her.

Her fair skin was coated in a thin layer of dust, and in front of her chest was something rivaling that of Dai Xingluo.

An eighth-grade heaven-and-earth treasure, the Fire Date, also vivid and bright.

Because she was sitting cross-legged, Xu Mu naturally caught a glimpse of something below.

"Damn! Isn't she…?"

Before Xu Mu could finish his sentence, the woman before him suddenly opened her eyes.

She glanced down, and fury instantly erupted across her face.

Boom!

Her power burst forth, blasting all the dust off her body, leaving her skin even smoother and whiter.

"You lecherous brat! You're asking for death!"

Flames erupted from her body, wrapping around her like a dress and covering up everything that was exposed.

"Beautiful lady… no, wait—Auntie, it's a misunderstanding! Are you Ji Qingge's mother?"

Xu Mu said quickly.