Qingluo Leads the Way, Shadows in the Dense Forest

Chen Mu ran at full speed all the way until he reached the shallows upstream of the Grass River, where he finally stopped.

The girl on his back was as light as a bundle of dry straw. He untied the cloth straps and laid her down on the riverbank.

After confirming that the surroundings were safe, Chen Mu sat cross-legged and took out a Blood-Qi Pill, swallowing it.

Tonight's battle had truly been perilous. He had first slain a Corpse King by force, then toyed with that old ghost.

Chen Mu was injured inside and out, and his chest still throbbed faintly.

Fortunately, as the medicinal power spread, a warm current flowed through his meridians. His cracked bones completely healed, and the stabbing pain vanished.

"Phew..."

He closed his eyes and regulated his breathing for half an incense stick's time, then exhaled a mouthful of foul air and opened his eyes again.

His injuries had healed by seventy or eighty percent.

Just then, midnight arrived.

Chen Mu's eyelids twitched as a panel suddenly appeared before him.

[Slaughter Register · Today's Settlement]

[Exterminated evil at Clear River, personally slew a Corpse King. Toyed with the Yin Formation today, protected fellow disciples, slew demons and banished fiends. Karmic Slaughter greatly increased. Fairly good.]

[Evaluation: Bing Mid · Middle Rank]

[Reward: One hundred taels of patterned silver, five Bone-Strengthening Pills. Granted Yellow Grade Mid-Tier body-tempering martial art, "Iron Cloth Shirt".]

"Hm? A body-tempering external art?" Chen Mu's eyelids twitched, and the corners of his lips curled upward of their own accord.

He had just been regretting that he had not picked up the Golden Bell Shield Yan Rong practiced. Now, he had obtained the tough art known as Iron Cloth Shirt.

If he had a chance to fuse and refine these two martial arts later, what kind of cultivation method could he derive?

It seemed he would still need to find an opportunity to probe the Red Whale Gang and shear some wool from the sheep.

But now was not the time to stop and practice martial arts.

Chen Mu glanced at the panel.

Tonight's battle had brought abundant gains. His Blood Essence had risen to 2,380, while his total Karmic Slaughter had reached 130 points!

All he needed was to return to the city and find a safe place, and he could greatly increase his strength!

Chen Mu waved his hand and closed the panel without immediately claiming the rewards.

He was not completely safe yet. He had to find Liu Qingcang first.

But Qin Tieya had only told him it was in the direction of the Grass River, without clarifying whether it was upstream or downstream.

After thinking briefly, Chen Mu looked toward the unconscious girl beside the pile of rocks.

Only now did he have time to examine her carefully.

The little girl was fifteen or sixteen, with bruises staining her oval face and Corpse Venom still lingering in her body.

Her willow-leaf brows were tightly furrowed, as though she were caught between dream and wakefulness.

Her blue cloth clothes had been soaked through with blood and mud. Her hair was slightly disheveled, three bloody marks crossed her face, and her lips were pressed tightly together.

Even unconscious, she still clutched that short sword to her chest.

When Chen Mu had set her down earlier, he had already fed her two Blood-Qi Pills.

Now, as the pills took effect, the bluish bruising on her face slowly faded, and the Corpse Venom was temporarily suppressed.

"Are you awake?" Chen Mu crouched and patted her face.

"Cough, cough..."

Her throat moved, and after several violent coughs, her eyes opened into a narrow slit.

Her first reaction upon waking was to curl up; her second was to reach for her sword.

Chen Mu stepped aside and stood at a safe distance, asking flatly, "Can you stand?"

The girl sat up and stared at him for two seconds, her expression guarded.

"Who... are you?"

As she spoke, her hand secretly tightened around the sword hilt.

Chen Mu shook his head inwardly. If he had harbored ill intent, would he have waited for her to wake up and reach for her sword?

She seemed like a simple-minded little girl.

He could not be bothered with nonsense, so he quickly explained the situation.

"My name is Chen Mu. I'll explain the details on the way. First, tell me which direction the master went..."

He showed her the disciple badge at his waist, stated that he was a newly admitted disciple of the martial academy, then mentioned Qin Tieya's instructions.

Upon hearing Qin Tieya's name and seeing the Azure Dragon Token, the girl finally lowered her guard.

"Before I lost consciousness, I saw my adoptive father heading toward Ghost-Crying Forest. The Rakshasa Gate's evil cultivators are there too. We need to hurry over!"

Calling him adoptive father, she pointed in a direction, braced herself on her sword, and ran upstream with Chen Mu.

It was a dense forest halfway up the mountain, where streams flowed into the Grass River. It was not far from here.

Along the way, Chen Mu learned her identity.

Liu Qingluo, Liu Qingcang's adopted daughter and the youngest true disciple of the martial academy. Judging from her strength, she was in Body Tempering, though he did not know which level.

With Corpse Venom in her body, she could not keep up with Chen Mu's running speed.

Finding her too slow, Chen Mu simply grabbed her and said, "Hold on tight. I'll carry you."

Liu Qingluo's entire body tensed in fright, but Chen Mu was broad-shouldered and powerfully built. With a grab of his fan-sized palm, he lifted her as easily as a kitten.

He slung her directly onto his shoulder, placed her on his back, then unleashed the leg technique of Grass-Top Flight and shot forward like an arrow.

Liu Qingluo only felt the fierce wind howling against her face, nearly making it impossible to open her eyes.

"To the west! Into the woods! I can sense my adoptive father's aura!"

She had no time to worry about anything else. Pressed close against Chen Mu's back, she shouted directions into the wind.

Following her guidance, Chen Mu raced along the babbling stream and plunged deep into the forest after half a cup of tea's time.

"Rustle—"

As they broke through several thorn bushes, a flock of black birds suddenly burst out overhead.

"Careful. There's movement ahead."

Chen Mu immediately slowed his pace, set Liu Qingluo down, and signaled for her to crouch and conceal her breath.

Liu Qingluo did not dare neglect his warning. She tightly gripped her short sword, stayed close beside Chen Mu, and slowly crept through the woods.

Chen Mu heard water ahead, growing louder and louder, while the ground trembled slightly.

It sounded like there was a waterfall, and people were fighting.

Chen Mu heard several thuds, like corpses hitting the ground, but they were soon swallowed by the sound of water.

"We're almost there. It's right ahead."

Liu Qingluo nervously leaned close and spoke beside Chen Mu's ear, her warm breath brushing his face.

Chen Mu was somewhat unaccustomed to an unfamiliar woman standing so close. He immediately moved farther away and said,

"You hold the line. I'll take a look."

As he spoke, he activated his movement technique, lowered his body, and flashed several times before darting to the edge of the dense forest.

Moonlight shone ahead. It was midnight, and the bleak white radiance revealed a rocky shore.

Hiding behind a boulder, Chen Mu saw a waterfall like a ribbon of white silk crashing down from five or six zhang above, filling the air with mist.

"They really are here!"

His heart jolted as he saw two groups facing each other beside the pool beneath the waterfall.

Liu Qingcang stood prominently on the rocky shore, his green robe snapping in the wind. Astral Force surrounded him like transparent glazed glass, pulsing in and out of brightness.

At the edge of the pool before him, several black-robed corpses lay strewn in all directions.

Blood mixed into the pool water, diluted pale by the spray.

They were people from the Rakshasa Gate!

It seemed the two sides had already fought.

No one knew what method Liu Qingcang had used to kill these evil cultivators, but every one of them had broken bones and snapped tendons, their deaths miserable to behold.

More than a dozen black-robed people still stood by the pool, each with a Refined Corpse standing beside them.

Chen Mu's heart tightened abruptly, and he held his breath.

There were no ordinary Corpse Fiends among them. Every single one was a tall, formidable Corpse King!

With a rough glance, Chen Mu counted no fewer than ten Purple-Scaled Corpse Kings!

The two standing at the far left had scales gleaming with silver light, and their bodies were a full head taller than the Purple-Scaled Corpse Kings.

"Silver-Armored Corpses!"

Liu Qingluo had crept over from behind. When she saw them clearly, she cried out, "Adoptive Father..."

"Shut up!"

Chen Mu barked low, clapped a hand over her mouth, and forcibly pressed her down.

"If you don't want to die, stay quiet!"

Liu Qingluo struggled violently.

Chen Mu did not dare let go and could only hold her down with all his strength.

His back was drenched in sweat.

Besides those two Silver-Armored Corpses, there was an even more monstrous creature behind the leading black-robed man, standing over three meters tall!

Layers of scales across its body glimmered with a dark golden sheen.

It was a Golden-Scaled Corpse King!

It required the sacrificial deaths of ten thousand people and the fusion-refinement of their vital blood!

Even from nearly a hundred paces away, the sinister, baleful pressure it exuded still made Chen Mu's breathing tighten.

He did not doubt that if that thing threw a punch, he would not even have a chance to raise his blade.

Yet even facing such a terrifying formation from the Rakshasa Gate, Liu Qingcang's face remained indifferent, as calm as drifting clouds and a gentle breeze.

"You plotted to kill my disciple and injured my people. Then repay it with your lives."

As he spoke, he pressed forward step by step, treading across the bloodstained rocky shore toward them.

The Rakshasa Gate disciples, meanwhile, were all tense-faced, ghostly green fire burning in their eyes. The battle was on the verge of erupting.