Azure-Robed Daoist

Chen Mo looked at everything before him. If he hadn't been sure he'd started the fire, he would have suspected everything he'd just seen was an illusion.

Ma Cai stared blankly at the situation, as if he'd been scared stiff.

In reality, his composure was quite good. Among the other new recruits, some had collapsed onto the ground in fear, while another was screaming incessantly, seemingly on the verge of madness.

"Mo-ge, what do we do?" Ma Cai's voice trembled slightly. Although terrified, he could still suppress his fear and act.

"Move!" Chen Mo ordered. He didn't blame the new recruits for being so scared.

What was happening before them couldn't be explained by common sense; it was simply too shocking to imagine.

Even though he'd known beforehand that this world was definitely not as peaceful as it seemed, and that there were bound to be some strange things, he still felt a chill run down his spine when faced with this situation. And that was without even considering these completely unprepared new recruits.

The group left in a hurry, and in a blink, they were dozens of yards away.

They could still faintly see the shadow of the makeshift shelter, but the group no longer cared about their previous terror, though they were still shaken.

"Mo-ge, what was that just now? Did we run into a monster?" Ma Cai's face was pale, his expression full of confusion.

He had heard storytellers talk about monsters and ghosts in the wilderness that harmed people's lives, but this was the first time he'd encountered one.

The monster's strength wasn't great, but what it displayed was truly terrifying.

"Don't overthink it, let's go," Chen Mo said sternly.

Since that thing couldn't be killed, he had no intention of studying it further.

He just needed to quickly finish what he had to do and then leave this place as soon as possible.

There were no more living people in Qing Province. Clearly, in places without living people, more bizarre things tended to happen.

This was Chen Mo's guess. He didn't know if it was correct, but he had this premonition.

The group hurried onward for dozens more yards, and only then did Chen Mo order them to rest, taking out water and rations to share.

Despite their fear, seeing Chen Mo's composure gradually calmed their own nerves.

"Mo-ge, someone's coming!" After resting for only two or three quarters of an hour, a new recruit suddenly shouted.

Ma Cai called Chen Mo "Mo-ge," so they all followed suit.

"What?" Chen Mo frowned, stood up, and looked into the distance. Indeed, he saw an Azure-robed Daoist approaching.

"Alert," Chen Mo loudly warned everyone, taking his Five-Stone Strong Bow from the carriage and nocking an arrow.

There were few living people in Qing Province now, and what they had just encountered couldn't even be called human.

And now, an Azure-robed Daoist suddenly appeared. It just didn't feel right no matter how he looked at it, so caution was definitely not a mistake.

As long as the other party showed the slightest abnormality, Chen Mo would definitely draw his bow and shoot.

The principle of striking first was never wrong.

Ma Cai and the other new recruits also took out their spears, guarding as if facing a great enemy.

The Azure-robed Daoist, seeing them armed on the open plain, didn't avoid them at all and walked straight towards them.

As the distance closed, Chen Mo finally got a clear look at the person.

The man had a pale face and no beard, appearing to be around thirty or forty years old. He wore a brand-new set of blue silk robes and held a whisk, giving him a detached, otherworldly aura.

"Halt! Who goes there!" Chen Mo shouted loudly, trying to intimidate the other party.

At the same time, he drew his bow and shot. The fact that the other party showed no fear in their eyes was enough to indicate something was wrong.

No matter what the problem was, even if he couldn't kill them, he had to beat them half to death first before asking questions.

As for what to do if they died, there was no need to consider it. He'd rather others die than himself.

Chen Mo wasn't surprised that his arrow missed.

Mo Dao had told him when teaching him archery that the most important thing was to shoot; even if you missed, you could still intimidate the opponent.

As expected, when the Daoist saw Chen Mo shoot without a word, he slipped and dodged the arrow.

Immediately, the Daoist reached out and grabbed his left arm, dislocating the entire limb.

The connection between his arm and body was smooth and flat, with only a layer of skin, and not a drop of blood was visible.

The Daoist formed a hand seal and threw his arm at Chen Mo.

The arm moved like a blue afterimage, instantly reaching him. He rolled to the side to dodge it.

The arm grazed his left waist, tearing his clothes and scraping off a large piece of flesh.

Then, it pierced through the chest of a new recruit behind him. Blood gushed out like rain, staining the dry, dead earth.

Chen Mo was inwardly horrified. He hadn't expected the Daoist's methods to be so bizarre. Fortunately, he had been vigilant and struck first; otherwise, if the Daoist had ambushed him, he might not have been able to react in time.

Seeing that his attack had failed, the Daoist was about to use his arm to attack again.

Chen Mo flipped up, grabbed his steel spear, and charged directly at the Daoist.

He had observed carefully that the Daoist couldn't move freely when using his own arm as a weapon.

His current strength was more than a thousand catties. With his full power unleashed, a distance of over ten yards was covered in an instant.

The Daoist quickly controlled his arm and attacked Chen Mo from behind again.

Chen Mo didn't dodge. The opponent's methods were strange, and he had to kill him while he had the chance.

If he dodged, he might never find another opportunity.

So, even if he was seriously injured, or even risked his life, he had to kill the opponent first.

As the distance between them closed, the Daoist inwardly cursed. He had initially thought these people were only slightly stronger than ordinary folk, but he hadn't expected to encounter such a tough opponent.

He was only in the early stages of Qi Refining. While he could manage surprise attacks from a distance, he was no match for a martial artist in close-quarters combat.

Without bothering with his severed arm, he twisted his body, formed another hand seal, and fled at full speed.

As for the discarded arm, he wouldn't worry about it now. He could always find someone to chop off another one for him later.

Seeing him try to escape, Chen Mo suddenly hurled his spear forward, aiming for the opponent's right waist.

Although the blow didn't fully connect, it still tore off a good chunk of flesh.

"Ah!" The Daoist cried out in pain but didn't dare to look back, continuing to flee at full speed.

Chen Mo pursued relentlessly. He believed in going all out. Since he had already offended the opponent, it was better to finish him off now rather than constantly having to guard against him later.

Moreover, the opponent's appearance here was suspicious, and he might even be one of the bandits.

Retrieving his weapon, Chen Mo continued the chase. In just a short while, he found himself back near the makeshift shelter.

However, unexpectedly, as he approached the shelter, the Daoist's speed gradually decreased.

"Since you've come here to seek death, don't blame me," the Daoist stopped, panting heavily. Clearly, the hand seal he had just cast had consumed a considerable amount of his energy.

"If you leave now, I might spare your life. Otherwise, don't blame me." The Daoist's bluster seemed to betray his nervousness.

Chen Mo naturally wouldn't retreat because of a few threatening words. However, upon reaching this place, the opponent suddenly seemed to have gained some confidence.

It appeared that the strange situation here, even if not entirely his doing, was definitely connected to him.