Coming

Xuanguo Estate.

The courtyard where Chen Mu lived.

Ren Yan and Xiao Mei were interrogating Xiao Feng, but with almost no effect. Whether they whipped or flogged her, or even used some of the more brutal punishments, Xiao Feng merely kept her eyes closed, her voice trembling as she repeatedly chanted those few Heavenly Born Cult scriptures.

It was as if those few scriptures could truly free her from all worldly suffering and send her to Rebirth Extremely Blissful.

Ren Yan and Xiao Mei were both secretly shaken. One of them was an exceptionally shrewd servant, while the other had trained in martial arts and witnessed the darkness of the world. Yet even they were unnerved by Xiao Feng's eerie appearance—she had become neither human nor ghost, but still continued chanting the scriptures.

Just as the two were interrogating her.

The dim sky suddenly seemed to tremble. A black curtain appeared to have been draped over it, making the already gloomy heavens abruptly darker.

It was not only the sky. All the lights throughout Xuanguo Estate seemed to dim slightly at once. Seen from above, every light had faded by at least thirty percent.

Because the sky was already so dark.

Xiao Mei and Ren Yan failed to notice the change.

But Xiao Feng, who had kept her eyes closed despite being covered in blood, suddenly opened them. Her dull, dead-fish eyes stared at the sky, and then she abruptly grinned.

The blood-smeared smile was terrifying, startling Ren Yan and Xiao Mei so badly that they both stopped what they were doing.

"It's here, it's here..."

Xiao Feng grinned as she muttered in broken fragments.

Ren Yan and Xiao Mei exchanged bewildered looks. A chill crawled up their spines, as if something terribly ominous had happened.

Elsewhere.

Inside the bedroom.

Chen Mu was holding a book while chatting with Ning Qiang about various stories.

At that moment, he suddenly froze. Sensing something unusual, he lifted his head toward the window, a faint glimmer flashing through his eyes.

"What is it?"

Ning Qiang noticed the change in Chen Mu and asked.

Before Chen Mu could say anything, a furious shout suddenly rang out from outside. It shook the eight directions, and though it came from far away, it still made their eardrums buzz.

"What scoundrels dare cause trouble in Xuanguo Estate!"

Ning Qiang instinctively covered her ears, a trace of shock appearing on her face. Someone actually dared to cause trouble in Xuanguo Estate!

Along with that furious shout, a suppressive aura spread over them. Ning Qiang felt as though even the air had grown heavier, while all kinds of chaotic noises erupted outside.

Shouts of slaughter and explosions intertwined.

Ning Qiang, who had never experienced anything like this, immediately went pale. The maid she had brought was frightened as well, hurrying to the window to peer outside.

Yet Chen Mu merely withdrew his gaze and smiled casually. "Don't panic. It's probably just some thieves breaking in. How could Xuanguo Estate fear a few scoundrels? Sister-in-law, just stay in the room and don't go outside."

As Chen Mu spoke.

The oppressive atmosphere in the room seemed to melt like snow beneath the sun. Even the shouts of slaughter and explosions outside seemed to grow much quieter.

Seeing how calm Chen Mu was—he had even lowered his head to continue reading—Ning Qiang quickly steadied herself as well. She nodded. "Mm. We just need to stay inside. The guards will handle it."

What Ning Qiang did not see was this.

A blue phantom silently floated out from above Chen Mu's head. With a slight sway, it rose straight upward, passed through the roof, and arrived outside.

Chen Mu's spirit roamed out of his body and hovered above the roof. Now that his Soul Points had risen further at the Fifth Rank level, his gaze could already cover the entirety of Xuanguo Estate.

The situation in every corner fell completely within his sight.

In the distance.

Bang!

A flare rose into the sky amid an explosion. It was a distress signal; once it exploded in the heavens, the entire Capital would be able to see it immediately.

But strangely, after rising into the sky, the flare slammed into a layer of pitch-black sky and merely burst into a few sparks before vanishing without a sound.

"Dao Technique... no, a magic artifact?"

Chen Mu gazed up at the heavens. His eyes swept across the edges of Xuanguo Estate in every direction, pierced through the earth, and saw the flow of the underground earth veins. He soon understood what was happening.

Looking farther into Xuanguo Estate, he saw chaos everywhere, with battles raging in every direction.

"Three Fourth Rank Martial Artists, nineteen Fifth Rank Sorcerers, and they even used a magic artifact to temporarily separate the Spirit Vein and isolate the inside from the outside, preventing news from escaping. No wonder they dared to strike Xuanguo Estate."

Chen Mu's gaze remained calm.

He had thought the Paradise Cult was already audacious enough, daring to reveal themselves in broad daylight and attack Chen Yao near Yuan Wu Alley. He had not expected the Heavenly Born Cult to go even further.

Such a large-scale operation to attack a duke's estate—regardless of the final outcome, it would surely shock the court and send the world into an uproar tomorrow!

Without a sound.

Chen Mu vanished from where he stood.

Not far away.

Above another rooftop.

A person stood on the roof, gazing from afar at several places where battles raged. She was petite and graceful—the very Chen Yao.

"Fourth Rank... more than one. And Fifth Rank as well... That black curtain should still be a Sorcerer's technique, cutting off the Cloud Fire Bullet's transmission of information..."

Chen Yao listened to the commotion from all directions, her gaze growing extremely solemn.

This was the Capital—Xuanguo Estate!

On ordinary days, no scoundrel would dare cause trouble here. Thus, once something truly happened, it would be an extremely serious and vicious situation. There was no doubt that the enemy had come fully prepared!

Now that the inside and outside were isolated and no messages could get out, Chen Yao could sense at least three surging waves of blood energy shooting into the heavens. All three belonged to Fourth Rank Martial Artists!

Three Fourth Rank Martial Artists!

The Attendant Zhao Li could handle one at most. Even if Old Meng from the Martial Arts Academy forcibly raised his blood energy, he could barely hold off another. The remaining one would be enough to overwhelm the situation.

However.

Although Chen Yao was solemn, she was not panicked.

Because she knew that there was one more person who could break this balance and influence the situation: Chen Mu!

Judging from the enemy's actions, they clearly did not know that Xuanguo Estate had a Fifth Rank Sorcerer named Chen Mu. Otherwise, they would not have sent only three Fourth Rank Martial Artists; their forces would have been even more despair-inducing.

At this moment.

Chen Yao's heart was filled with admiration for Chen Mu.

If it had been an ordinary person, they would have been unable to contain themselves after awakening as a sorcerer and would have proclaimed it everywhere.

But Chen Mu had never changed in the slightest from beginning to end. Even now, he still lived in that small courtyard. That was why the enemy knew nothing about his existence, leaving a huge flaw in tonight's deadly ambush!

This temperament and foresight were precisely what made her admire and look up to her elder brother.

If not for that, Xuanguo Estate would probably have had no means of fighting back against this calamity today.

Just as Chen Yao was thinking this, Chen Mu's voice reached her ears.

"Don't move around."

Chen Yao's figure stopped. She abruptly turned around, but saw no sign of Chen Mu. Knowing that this was probably Chen Mu's Soulmind transmission, she immediately nodded. "Mm, I understand."

The chaos in Xuanguo Estate truly was not something she could interfere in. If she had Sixth Rank cultivation, she might have been able to help, but with her current strength, all she could do was stay obediently in the courtyard.

She did not ask how Chen Mu was doing.

There was no point in asking. It would only waste Chen Mu's time for nothing. At a time like this, the only thing she could do was avoid causing trouble.

"Second Brother..."

Chen Yao murmured softly.

Among the enemies invading Xuanguo Estate, at least one Fourth Rank Martial Artist remained without anyone to restrain them.

A Fifth Rank Sorcerer belonged to the Dao Technique Realm, transcending the mortal world. But Fourth Rank Martial Artists were likewise beyond the human level. There were very few examples throughout history of Fourth Rank Martial Artists truly clashing with Fifth Rank Sorcerers. Most of those battles involved interference from additional martial artists, making the victor difficult to predict.

However.

Even if Chen Mu could not withstand a Fourth Rank Martial Artist, as a Fifth Rank Sorcerer, he could at least break through the curtain isolating the inside from the outside and send out news that Xuanguo Estate had been attacked by the Heavenly Born Cult.

As long as the outside received the message, there would still be a chance to turn the situation around.