Azure-robed Daoist

Chen Mo looked at everything before him. If he had not been certain that he was the one who had lit the fire, he might even have suspected that everything he had just seen was an illusion.

Ma Cai stared blankly at the scene before him, looking as though he had been scared stupid.

In truth, his reaction was already considered relatively good. Among the other recruits, one had been frightened into collapsing on the ground, while another kept shrieking wildly, seemingly on the verge of madness.

"Mo-ge, what do we do?" Ma Cai's voice trembled slightly. He was naturally afraid, but he could still force down his fear and get things done.

"Go!" Chen Mo ordered. He did not blame the recruits for being so terrified.

What had happened before them could not be judged by common sense at all. It was simply too great a shock to the imagination.

Even though he had known beforehand that this world was absolutely not as peaceful as it appeared, and that there must be some strange things lurking within it,

he still felt a chill run through him when faced with this situation, let alone these recruits who had been completely unprepared.

The group hurriedly left, covering dozens of zhang in what felt like the blink of an eye.

They could still just barely see the shadow of the shelter, but they were no longer as terrified as before. Even so, lingering fear remained in their hearts.

"Mo-ge, what do you think that was just now? Did we run into a demon?" Ma Cai's face was pale, and he looked utterly perplexed.

He had heard storytellers speak of demons and ghosts in the wilderness that were skilled at taking human lives, but this was still the first time he had encountered one.

That demon's strength was not great, but what it had displayed was simply far too frightening.

"Don't overthink it. Let's go." Chen Mo gave them a stern instruction.

Since that thing truly could not be killed, he had no inclination to study it further.

He would hurry to finish what he needed to do, then leave this place as quickly as possible.

There were no longer any living people in Qing Province. Clearly, strange things were liable to emerge in places without any living people.

That was Chen Mo's guess. He did not know whether it was correct, but he had such a premonition in his heart.

The group hurried onward for another dozens of zhang before Chen Mo finally ordered them to rest and took out water and dry rations to distribute.

They were still frightened, but seeing how composed Chen Mo remained, their emotions gradually settled.

"Brother Mo, someone's coming!" The group had rested for only two or three quarter-hours when a recruit suddenly shouted.

Ma Cai addressed Chen Mo this way, so the others had followed his example.

"What?" Chen Mo slightly furrowed his brows and rose to look into the distance. Sure enough, he saw an Azure-robed Daoist walking toward them.

"Stay alert." Chen Mo loudly reminded the others, then took his Five-Stone Strong Bow from the cart and nocked a feathered arrow.

Qing Province now scarcely had any living people left, and the thing they had encountered moments ago could not be called human at all.

Now an Azure-robed Daoist had suddenly appeared as well. No matter how one looked at it, something was wrong. There was absolutely no harm in being careful.

As long as the other party displayed even the slightest abnormality, Chen Mo would draw his bow and shoot without hesitation.

The principle of striking first had never been wrong.

Ma Cai and the other recruits each took out their spears as well, standing on guard as though facing a great enemy.

On the vast, open plain, the Azure-robed Daoist saw the armed group, yet neither avoided them nor slowed down, walking straight toward them.

As the distance closed, Chen Mo finally saw the other party clearly.

The man had a fair, beardless face and appeared to be in his thirties or forties. He wore a brand-new blue robe with a silk surface and held a horsetail whisk in his hand, giving him a touch of transcendence and worldly detachment.

"Stop! Who goes there?" Chen Mo shouted, attempting to intimidate him.

At the same time, he drew his bow and fired. The other party had seen them yet shown not the slightest fear in his eyes, which was enough to prove that something was wrong.

Whatever the problem was, even if he could not kill him, he had to beat him half to death first and ask questions later.

As for what to do if he accidentally killed him, there was no need to consider it. He would rather let someone else die than die himself.

The arrow missed, but Chen Mo was not surprised.

When Mo Dao had taught him archery, he had said that the most important thing about shooting arrows was shooting. Even if the arrow missed, it could still frighten the opponent.

Sure enough, when the Daoist saw Chen Mo fire without a word, he slipped and dodged aside.

The Daoist immediately reached out and grabbed his left arm, directly detaching the entire limb.

The place where the arm had connected to his body was smooth and even, covered only by a layer of skin, without the slightest trace of blood.

The Daoist formed a hand seal, then hurled the arm toward Chen Mo.

The arm was like a blue afterimage, reaching him in an instant. Chen Mo rolled across the ground and dodged it.

The arm grazed past his left waist, tearing open his clothes and scraping away a large patch of flesh.

It then pierced straight through the chest of a recruit behind him. Countless streams of blood burst free, spraying down like rain and staining the dry, dead earth crimson.

Chen Mo was horrified. He truly had not expected the Daoist's methods to be so bizarre. Fortunately, he had remained alert and struck first; otherwise, if the man had attempted to ambush him, he might not have been able to react in time.

Seeing that his first attack had failed, the Daoist immediately prepared to control the arm and launch another assault.

Chen Mo flipped to his feet, seized his steel spear, and charged straight at the Daoist.

He had watched carefully. When the other party used his own arm as a weapon, he could not move freely.

Chen Mo now possessed far more than a thousand jin of strength. When he unleashed himself with all his might, the distance of a dozen or more zhang was crossed in an instant.

The Daoist hurriedly controlled the arm, sending it once more at Chen Mo from behind.

Chen Mo neither dodged nor avoided it. The other party's methods were bizarre, and he had to seize this chance to kill him.

If he dodged, he might never find another opportunity.

Thus, even if it meant suffering severe injuries or gambling his life, he had to kill the man first.

As the distance between them rapidly closed, the Daoist inwardly cried out, This is bad. He had originally thought these people would be only slightly stronger than ordinary men at most, but he had unexpectedly run into a tough opponent.

He had only just entered the Qi Refining stage. Long-range ambushes were still possible, but how could he possibly defeat a martial artist like this in close combat?

He immediately abandoned the arm, twisted around, formed another spell seal, and fled with all his strength.

As for the arm he had thrown away, he would ignore it for now. Once he found someone later, he could simply cut off another arm and attach it to himself.

Seeing him attempt to flee, Chen Mo suddenly hurled the spear in his hand forward, stabbing straight toward the man's right waist.

Although the strike did not pierce him completely, it still tore away a sizable chunk of flesh.

"Ah!" The Daoist cried out in pain, yet he still did not dare look back and continued fleeing at full speed.

Chen Mo pursued him relentlessly. If one did something, one had to see it through to the end. Since he had already offended the man, rather than remain wary of him afterward, he might as well resolve the matter while he had the chance.

Besides, the other party's appearance here was abnormal no matter how one looked at it. He might even be one of that band of bandits.

After retrieving his weapon, Chen Mo continued the pursuit. Yet after only a short while, he found himself back near that shelter.

Unexpectedly, as they approached the shelter, the Daoist's speed gradually slowed.

"Since you came here of your own accord to seek death, you can't blame me." The Daoist stopped and panted heavily. Clearly, the spell seal he had just formed had consumed quite a lot of his strength.

"If you leave now, this venerable one can spare your life. Otherwise, do not blame me." The Daoist's voice was stern but lacked force, and he seemed somewhat lacking in confidence.

Chen Mo naturally could not retreat because of one or two threats from the other party. Yet upon reaching this place, the man had suddenly gained some confidence.

It seemed that even if the strange circumstances here had not been caused by him alone, they were definitely connected to him.