Chapter 112: Are You Really Chen Mu?

Seven silver corpses, all annihilated with one blade!

Despite the fact that there were still as many as thirteen silver corpses remaining, this was no longer a matter of numbers. The power of that single blade had already been displayed, and mere silver corpses posed no threat to Chen Mu!

Xu Hongyu was stunned.

Xiao He was also slightly dazed.

Then, gazing at Chen Mu’s back, her eyes sparkled with a bright light… That was the Xun Wind Artistic Conception, there was no mistaking it, absolutely! That meant, the person by the Zhengxin Bridge that day was really Chen Mu!

Having finally confirmed this, Xiao He didn’t have time to ponder how Chen Mu had comprehended the Xun Wind Artistic Conception. Her shock was more due to the might Chen Mu had just displayed with that blade, which was not just the power of the artistic conception alone. Its force, and the precision of its control, had reached an indescribable level. Even Xu Hongyu, with her mastery of Tendon Transformation, could not compare!

Such a blade.

Was not something a martial artist with small success in Tendon Transformation could unleash, even if they had mastered an artistic conception!

Chen Mu… His Body Tempering realm was not just limited to small success in Tendon Transformation. It had probably reached great accomplishment, and possibly, like Xu Hongyu, he had even reached the peak of Tendon Transformation!

How did he do it?

Xiao He’s heart was full of shock.

In comparison, Xu Hongyu was completely stunned. The blade she had just witnessed was so different from her usual impression of Chen Mu that, for a short time, she almost felt as though she were hallucinating.

Was that really Chen Mu?

From the first time she met Chen Mu, when she realized that he had not yet practiced the Body Tempering Method, although her method of measuring natural aptitude and physique was not precise, it could not be too far off. Chen Mu’s physique should not have been a special type. Later, when Chen Mu was able to train Skin Grinding to its limit, she was a little surprised by her initial judgment.

After that, Chen Mu trained his Flesh Training to its limit, creating a toughened body, which made her even more doubtful. But she kept all of this hidden in her heart. After all, everyone in this world was different. Maybe Chen Mu really had a special physique that she hadn’t discovered.

But now.

The power of that blade was so concentrated, so terrifying, and so outrageous… In her mind, even a martial artist with mastery in Tendon Transformation would have difficulty unleashing such a blade. This was a blade comparable to the Bone Forging realm.

Not to mention, the mystery of that blade was, without a doubt, the power of an artistic conception!

Only such a terrifying blade could so easily annihilate seven silver corpses, almost with a mere flip of the hand.

In a daze.

Xu Hongyu felt that Chen Mu’s figure was a little blurry, as if it were overlapping with another figure. That was her father, Xu Yichuan, who, back in Yu City, with his own strength, had made all the third-generation descendants of the inner city families pale in comparison.

"Escape?"

Amidst the rustling of wind, Chen Mu finally spoke. His tone was very calm as he looked at the withered figure under the old tree and said, "When did you get the illusion that I needed to escape?"

The withered figure’s face was a little stiff.

His pair of shriveled eyes were now staring fixedly at Chen Mu, as if they were hooks, trying to pierce into Chen Mu’s body and see him inside and out.

"You’re not a Blue Uniform Guard from the Demon Slaying Division… Who are you?!"

He opened his mouth with a hoarse voice, his tone already revealing an unprecedented solemnity.

A toughened body?

No! No!

This person in front of him was a master of the Bone Forging realm, who also had mastered the Xun Wind Artistic Conception from the Qian Kun Eight Phases!

A Blue Uniform Guard from the Demon Slaying Division?

What a preposterous joke!

With such a realm and strength, he would at least be a Deputy Commander in the Demon Slaying Division, and most likely a Chief Commander!

Looking at the entire Yu Prefecture, there were not many people he was wary of, but Chen Mu was definitely one of them.

"Me?"

Chen Mu held his saber and slowly stepped forward: "I am just a swordsman, a Blue Uniform Swordsman from the Demon Slaying Division."

Chiii!

Another blade was swung out.

The closest silver corpse, before it could even make any movement, was frozen in place. A black line spread from its forehead all the way down, and then the entire body split in two from the center, breaking into two halves!

"Stop!"

The withered figure spoke in a deep voice, raising the infant skull in his hand, causing the nearby silver corpses to quickly retreat.

He stared intently at Chen Mu and said, "Since you have such strength, I was mistaken. The three of you can leave, and do not kill my silver corpses. Otherwise, even if you can leave, those two women will be hard-pressed to survive."

As his voice fell, another heavy figure slowly emerged from the old trees behind him. It stood beside him, its skin glowing with a faint golden color. Although it was not tall, it was, without a doubt, another golden corpse!

The withered figure, who had summoned two golden corpses, did not command the corpses to attack, but instead just looked at Chen Mu with a grim face.

He could not keep a figure like Chen Mu.

Even with the two golden corpses his master had left him to control, he could at most protect himself. He could not pose any threat to the other party, and the silver corpses in his hand were all painstakingly refined, and losing even one was a loss.

If it were not for Xu Hongyu and Xiao He, he wouldn’t even have the basis to threaten Chen Mu, but now, with the two women’s lives as a threat, he had the confidence to face Chen Mu directly. After all, although Chen Mu was strong, his two golden corpses were not weak either.

However.

Hearing the withered figure’s threat, Chen Mu sighed.

"You still don’t understand."

With those words, he walked towards the withered figure step by step.

A coldness flashed in the withered figure’s eyes. He slightly raised the infant skull in his hand, and the golden corpse, which was over two meters tall and whose body was as robust as a small mountain, immediately blocked Chen Mu’s path.

But Chen Mu only shook his head.

Then.

He leaped up and suddenly swung his blade.

The golden corpse reacted quickly, not attacking Chen Mu, but instead immediately raising its two thick arms, which shimmered with a faint golden luster, and placing them in front of its neck and head, blocking its vital parts.

But there was no change on Chen Mu’s face. Deep within his eyes, amidst that pitch blackness, a wisp of wind appeared, lightly attaching itself to the edge of the refined iron saber. Then, in between a thousand winds, a flash of lightning suddenly appeared. A ray of lightning illuminated his eyes, causing a beam of lightning to immediately rise from the interwoven wind on the edge of the refined iron saber.

A blade of surprising wind and thunder!

Chii!

The wind and thunder intertwined and struck in a flash.

Chen Mu’s figure passed through the golden corpse, appearing directly behind it and continuing towards the withered figure.

Behind him.

The golden corpse froze in place. A black line appeared on each of the two arms it had raised to block its neck, the black lines spreading backward, until they crossed its neck. Then, the entire head, along with its two arms, slowly slid forward along the black lines.

Thump, thump thump.

A huge head and two severed arms landed on the ground, making a dull thumping sound. The cross-sections were neat and tidy, and they shimmered with a faint golden light, as if they were not human, but rather human sculptures made of gold and iron.

The headless golden corpse stood in place, not falling, but no longer moving. Only Chen Mu’s figure, still moving with calm steps, continued forward step by step.

A deathly silence.

Whether it was Xiao He or Xu Hongyu, both were frozen in place, looking at Chen Mu’s figure as if it were a statue.

Apart from the rustling of the wind in the forest, only the sound of Chen Mu’s footsteps could be heard, as he calmly stepped forward.

Actually, at the beginning.

He felt that Xu Hongyu’s judgment was not wrong. There was no need to get entangled with unknown enemies in the silent, late-night depths of the old forest. He was unclear about their numbers, their origins, or if there were any other ambushes.

It was only until the twenty silver corpses appeared, including a golden corpse, that he had to step in to help. Then, everything had come to an end… He had always been one to never hold back once he made a move.

Golden corpses were strong.

According to the records in the scriptures, even a martial artist with small success in Bone Forging might not be able to defeat them, and at least a martial artist with great accomplishment in Bone Forging would be able to match them.

But they were only that strong.

Corpse puppets had no techniques, no momentum, and no artistic conception. Even if their physique was as strong as a Bone Forging master with toughened body, in Chen Mu’s eyes, they were just passive targets. The only difference was whether he could break through their defense.

And the answer was obvious. Perhaps the other party could block his one blade imbued with the Xun Wind Artistic Conception, but they could not block his move that combined the Xun Wind and Thunder Artistic Conceptions, "Surprising Wind and Thunder."

This was also the strongest blade technique he had created so far.

He had always wanted to test its power with a suitable target, and today he had finally got his wish. A golden corpse whose physical strength was comparable to a Bone Forging master with toughened body could still not withstand this blow!

"Thunder?"

The withered figure’s dry and sunken eyeballs were now almost protruding from their hollow sockets. A look as if he had seen a ghost appeared on his withered face.

Xun Wind! Thunder!

The person before him, who was very young and not more than thirty years old, had not only practiced the Body Tempering method to such an extent but had even mastered two artistic conceptions from the Qian Kun Eight Phases! What kind of monster was he!

Not to mention Yu Prefecture, even across the entire Yu Prefecture, he would be a true talent and could be listed as a direct lineage disciple of the Seven Profound Sect!

Cold sweat instantly soaked his back. Now, looking at Chen Mu, who was walking towards him step by step, he suddenly reacted. Without any hesitation, he turned and desperately fled into the old trees behind him.

In a moment of horror.

He had run hundreds of feet in the darkness of night.

Then, his speed began to slow down, and he started panting… Corpse Refiners use their blood to refine and control corpses. Therefore, their own blood and qi were naturally weak.

"Those silver corpses must attack the two women. He has to go to save them. I still have a golden corpse. He cannot directly pass through to kill me. As long as I can delay him slightly, I can escape. I am familiar with this mountain, and it is night. He will have a hard time finding me.”

The withered figure was panting heavily, but dared not stop. He forced himself to continue on, his mind already in a mess.

After running a while longer.

He slowed to a halt, covering his rapidly heaving chest, and turned back to look behind him.

He saw only darkness behind him, with no sign of a figure.

He breathed a sigh of relief and turned back around.

Then, his whole body froze in place.

He saw.

In between the old trees less than three feet in front of him, a face was illuminated by the dim moonlight. The expression on that face was indifferent and calm as it stared at him. It was Chen Mu.

"You mentioned your master earlier, so it seems that you are indeed a remnant of the Heavenly Corpse Sect. How many people are there in your branch, and who else is there besides your master?” Chen Mu spoke slowly.

The withered figure’s withered face, which looked like tree bark, twitched slightly. Hearing Chen Mu’s words, a look of terror suddenly appeared in his sunken eyes, as if he had recalled something extremely frightening.

"I…"

He looked at Chen Mu and squeezed out a single word with great difficulty, and then black blood suddenly flowed from his mouth.

His whole body instantly collapsed onto the ground, and his life rapidly dissipated.

Chen Mu’s figure flashed and arrived in front of him. He leaned over to take a look, his brow furrowing slightly.

Dead.

He did not know what method he had used to kill himself, but it seemed to be some kind of poison.

Such a person who could command two golden corpses and twenty silver corpses could claim to be a king in any small place, yet he had revealed an expression of fear just by hearing Chen Mu ask two questions, and had committed suicide so cleanly. He wondered what kind of terrifying figure his master was.

But, thinking of the cruel methods of the Heavenly Corpse Sect, he roughly understood.

After briefly pondering.

Chen Mu still reached out and picked up the withered figure’s corpse. He quickly traversed the dense forest and returned to the open space, throwing the withered figure’s corpse amidst the golden and silver corpse puppets.

"He’s dead, a suicide. I couldn’t get anything out of him."

Chen Mu shook his head and said, looking at Xu Hongyu and Xiao He.

There was silence.

Both Xu Hongyu and Xiao He were speechless at this moment. They only opened their big eyes and stared straight at him.

Seeing this, Chen Mu picked up the refined iron saber in his hand, walked towards Xiao He, and sighed.

"You have discovered my secret. In order not to have it spread, it seems that I have no choice but to silence you."

Whoosh.

A gust of wind from the blade swept past, knocking down a tree branch above Xiao He’s head.

“!”

Xiao He was so frightened that she took two steps back, showing a shocked look that said "You’re serious?"

Chen Mu sheathed his saber and chuckled.

Xiao He secretly hid behind Xu Hongyu, looking at Chen Mu and blinking her eyes, still not speaking.

Chen Mu turned to look at Xu Hongyu. Xu Hongyu was also looking at him. For a moment, he couldn’t discern the meaning in her eyes, whether it was doubt, shock, or something else. After a long pause, Xu Hongyu finally said in a low voice:

"He Mingxuan… Did you kill him?"

"Yes."

Chen Mu looked very calm.

Perhaps his progress in strength was too astonishing, but now, he was no longer a person without the power to protect himself. Moreover, in front of Xu Hongyu and Xiao He, there was nothing that he needed to deliberately hide.

"Then, Yu Yao too…"

"I saved her."

Xu Hongyu stared at Chen Mu and muttered, “Also, Xiao He was in danger before. You were also the one who saved her. No wonder these few things happened so abruptly and yet didn’t seem to be connected. So it was you. That makes sense…”

Chen Mu carefully looked at Xu Hongyu and then turned around and said, “This is not the place to talk. We should get out of the mountains as soon as possible tonight. This person is most likely a remnant of the Heavenly Corpse Sect, and there may be other accomplices.”

"…Okay."

Xu Hongyu lowered her head slightly and responded.

Chen Mu briefly inspected the withered figure’s corpse, but there was nothing on his person. Only the strange infant-skull-shaped object, which was suspected to be made of some material, was probably the device used to control the corpse puppets. He then collected it.

Throughout the entire process, Xu Hongyu kept her head down, not knowing what she was thinking, while Xiao He stayed by Xu Hongyu’s side, secretly looking at Chen Mu. It was not until Chen Mu finished tidying up and was walking into the distance that she could not help but say her first words in a soft voice:

“You… are you really Chen Mu?”

"Maybe."

"Uh, you’re not really going to silence us, are you?”

"I’ll consider it.”

It’s already the third watch, but there are still more than 10,000 words. This part is really difficult to write. I spent the whole day writing it. After all, it’s not just about showing strength. The key is to link all of the previous plots.

Like Tang Quan, the Evil Gang, the Corpse Poison Jade, the Heavenly Corpse Sect, and so on, were all things that I had planned from the beginning and were all part of an interconnected plot line. This kind of complete and coherent writing is indeed more difficult than I had imagined. The main thing was that I had to maintain a certain output of updates, but I still managed to do it after working ten or so hours.