Chapter 534 - 485: Follow-up

Chapter 534: Chapter 485: Follow-up

The mountains stretched endlessly, crisscrossed by ravines. Deep within the Cangmang Mountain Range, bordering the land of Great Chu, the terrain abruptly changed, transforming into a flat basin encircled by a ring of mountains.

Although Bazhou was a vast territory, the core of the entire region was concentrated within this mountain-ringed Bazhou Basin.

The Overlord Saber Alliance, which was currently stirring up storms in the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World, had its core territory, Bazhou City, located right in this basin.

Surrounding Bazhou City, within this basin that could be considered immense, large and small cities and Marketplaces were scattered like stars, forming the core region of Bazhou’s entire cultivation world.

In the past, this nearly isolated Bazhou Basin was not considered noteworthy in the entire Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World; it could even be regarded as a barbaric, uncivilized land.

After all, in the past, the center of the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World was the overseas archipelago with Chixia as its hub.

But with a millennial celebration and the appearance of a Tier Four True Cultivator of Sword Intent, this Bazhou Basin had undoubtedly shot to fame.

As the celebration drew near, more and more Cultivators gathered from all directions. The once-placid Bazhou Basin, and even its core, Bazhou City, grew visibly more boisterous.

The Longevity Sect, the Righteous Alliance, the Vast Sea Chen Family, Great Chu, the Vast Sea—a large number of powers, big and small, as well as countless Loose Cultivators who had caught wind of the news...

Cultivators from all over could be found within the Bazhou Basin and its city.

The major powers coming to Bazhou to offer congratulations might exercise considerable restraint, but the many Loose Cultivators who followed them would obviously not have as many scruples.

Amidst such a turbulent situation, it was undoubtedly very difficult for the Overlord Saber Alliance, given its size, to maintain the original order in Bazhou.

Ever since the news of the celebration was announced and Cultivators from far and wide poured into Bazhou, the peace was shattered. What emerged was not just bustling prosperity, but chaos bordering on a total loss of control.

Across the entire Bazhou Basin, only Bazhou City, the core territory of the Overlord Saber Alliance, still maintained a relatively stable order.

But today, it seemed even Bazhou City was not so peaceful.

The scorching sun hung high in the sky. The deep winter chill seemed not to have yet penetrated the mountain-ringed Bazhou Basin, and the midday heat lingered. Yet at this moment, the entire Bazhou City was shrouded in a bone-piercing cold.

"Who was it!"

A furious roar, like rolling thunder, echoed throughout the city. A bone-chilling sharpness, as if an incomparably sharp blade was pressed against the neck of every Cultivator in the city.

Fortunately, this bone-chilling sharpness did not last long. Immediately after, a flash of brilliant white Sword Intent shot up from the city center, streaking across the sky like a meteor before vanishing in an instant.

When the chill dissipated, the entire city was left shaken. Naturally, discussions erupted everywhere, with everyone wondering why this Tier Four True Cultivator of Sword Intent was so enraged.

"Interesting..."

「West side of the city. The Longevity Sect’s residence.」

Xu Lingtian watched the flash of Sword Intent fly away and couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

Xu Changqing stood to the side and asked, puzzled, "Father, what happened?"

"Just now, someone slaughtered his grand-disciple."

Xu Lingtian chuckled.

Xu Changqing was taken aback. He frowned and said, "A Golden Core, even if ambushed, should at least have had time to send a message for help, right?"

"Besides, this happened within Bazhou’s borders. Father, could a Nascent Soul Cultivator have been involved?"

"I doubt it."

Xu Lingtian shook his head. His gaze seemed to pierce through the rolling rooftops of the city, settling on an ancient-looking building in the south—the temporary residence of the Vast Sea Chen Family in Bazhou City.

"There’s no benefit to doing so."

"And right here in Bazhou’s territory, framing someone else would be nearly impossible."

"It was probably a dispute over some benefits."

"Hasn’t the Overlord Saber Alliance been looking for that kid who embarrassed them so badly? Greed moves the hearts of men. I’d guess someone else got involved."

Xu Changqing hesitated. "That person... he must be a Great Chu Cultivator, right?"

"Who knows? Over the years, our sect has destroyed countless powers, big and small. It’s impossible to say which ones might have remnants left, or what secret legacies and escape routes they prepared."

"Even I owe my current standing to the legacies left by my predecessors..."

...

At the Chen Family’s residence, and indeed at the residences of all the other powers gathered in Bazhou City, everyone’s attention was now drawn to this sudden turn of events.

This upheaval could not be hidden from the many Great Divine Power Cultivators in the city. In an instant, through word of mouth, news that a Golden Core True Master of the Bazhou Alliance had fallen spread like wildfire, throwing the entire city into an uproar.

As for the perpetrator behind it all...

Amidst the endless mountains, a Sky-Breaking Flying Boat tore through the air, flashing by in an instant. The Flying Boat did not travel far from the Bazhou region. Instead, it did the opposite, circling around before revealing itself in the sky and slowly heading back toward Bazhou City.

The Array Prohibition on the Flying Boat flowed, sealing it off from the outside. The Zhao Shuang sisters lay collapsed on the deck, while Wangcai stood nearby, eyeing the two women like a tiger stalking its prey. The terrifying aura of a Tier Three Demon Beast, even a wisp of it, would have been difficult for the two women to withstand even if they were uninjured.

Not to mention they were now completely spent; that faint, leaking aura was enough to make them feel utterly immobilized.

After some time, the Flying Boat’s Array Prohibition rippled, and Chu Mu passed through it, returning to the vessel.

Sensing the movement, the two subconsciously tried to look, but under the pressure of the aura, they could barely react.

At that moment, Chu Mu looked at the Zhao Shuang sisters, but his expression held none of the sentimentality of a reunion with old acquaintances. A smile played on his lips. "It seems I’ve saved Miss Zhao’s life again today."

Only then did the aura suppressing the two of them finally dissipate.

Hearing the somewhat familiar voice, Zhao Shuang struggled to turn her head. Seeing Chu Mu looking at her with a smile, she seemed not to have processed it yet. After a long moment, she hastily struggled to her feet. "This junior greets Elder! Thank you, Elder, for saving my life!"

"Zhao Yu thanks Elder for saving her life!"

The two women bowed one after another, standing unsteadily.

"There’s no need for formalities."

Chu Mu smiled and, with a wave of his hand, helped the two women up. At the same time, two Jade Bottles shot out and hovered before them.

"Your injuries are severe. Heal yourselves first."

"You’ll be safe on my Flying Boat."

After those two light sentences, Chu Mu took a step and entered the cabin, with Wangcai following close behind. At the same time, the cabin’s Array Prohibition rippled, once again sealing it off from the outside.

Seeing this, the two women subconsciously glanced at each other, the unconcealable worry visible in each other’s eyes.

"Let’s heal first."

Zhao Shuang’s expression was complicated. She glanced toward the cabin, then sat down cross-legged. She swallowed an Elixir and closed her eyes to meditate and regulate her breathing.

Zhao Yu stared blankly for a moment and couldn’t help but look toward the cabin as well. But with the Array Prohibition sealing it, it was impossible to peek inside.

She timidly averted her gaze, glanced at Zhao Shuang who was already meditating, and then sat down beside her to begin healing as well.

Inside the cabin, Chu Mu leaned back against a soft couch. The smile had vanished from his lips, and his gaze was indifferent as he watched the Zhao Shuang sisters begin their recovery through the isolating Array Prohibition.

After a long while, his gaze slowly shifted to the wooden window of the cabin. Roughly five thousand li to the east, if nothing had gone wrong, that Tier Four True Cultivator of Sword Intent should have already arrived at the scene of the incident.

Chu Mu carefully reviewed his actions throughout the entire affair. ’Barring any surprises, the possibility of my exposure should be zero.’

’First, when I killed Luo Hao and several Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Overlord Saber Alliance, I was never exposed. I simply controlled the Blade Battle Puppet and completed the slaughter in just a dozen breaths.’

’I also made a point of cutting off all sound transmissions between the scene and the outside world.’

’Second, after killing Luo Hao, I set up a Grand Array to wash the scene with the Power of Water Qi, eliminating all traces.’

’And I intentionally left a flaw in that Grand Array. The Water Qi would build up, and once the array reached its load limit, it was bound to collapse.’

’Once it collapses, the pent-up Power of Water Qi within the Grand Array will erupt in an instant. The resulting Mighty Power will surely sweep across a radius of several hundred li, obliterating any unexpected factors.’

’Furthermore, after rescuing the Zhao Shuang sisters, to prevent any accidents involving them, the Flying Boat’s isolation effect has remained active from start to finish, precluding any possible mishaps.’

’Unless that Tier Four True Cultivator of Sword Intent can turn back time, as things stand now, it’s basically impossible for me to be exposed.’

’Of course, that impossibility is limited to the current situation. I still have one major vulnerability.’

Chu Mu looked at the two Zhao Shuang sisters again, his gaze becoming inscrutable.

’I took such a huge risk. There has to be a payoff...’

After just a moment, Chu Mu suppressed all these thoughts. ’Based on my past dealings with her, Zhao Shuang... is a very smart woman.’

Then, Chu Mu looked at Wangcai, who was lying beside him—the true instigator of this whole affair.

If it weren’t for the sudden emergence of Wangcai’s Bloodline Divine Technique, he wouldn’t have run into the Zhao Shuang sisters, and he certainly wouldn’t have slaughtered that Luo Hao.

"You and your dog nose, you actually still remember her?"

Chu Mu ruffled Wangcai’s head, unable to stifle a laugh.

He himself had almost forgotten, but Wangcai, who had only interacted with the woman a few times, still remembered her so clearly.

"WHIMPER WHIMPER WHIMPER..."

Wangcai let out a couple of low whimpers, a hint of excitement in its beastly eyes.

"You silly dog!"

Chu Mu’s mouth twitched as he cursed good-naturedly.

"You think everyone thinks with their lower body like you do?!"

"WHIMPER WHIMPER WHIMPER..."

Wangcai shrank its head back, but refused to be outdone.

"That was in the mortal world! How can you compare that to the Cultivation Immortal Realm?"

"Alright, alright, I’m done talking nonsense with a silly dog like you. Come here. Show me that Bloodline Divine Technique again, let me take another look."

Chu Mu’s face darkened. Utterly speechless, he grabbed Wangcai by the scruff of its neck and pulled it in front of him. A "Spiritual Radiance Blessing" descended as his Divine Sense plunged straight into Wangcai’s body to observe the extremely profound tracking Divine Technique...

...