Chapter 553 - 501: The Chu Mu Mystery

Chapter 553: Chapter 501: The Chu Mu Mystery

「East side of the city, Yun Ying Pavilion.」

Amidst the city-wide chaos, this multi-story shop, occupying several acres of land, had acted just like any other ordinary business. Its doors were shut tight and its Array Prohibitions were activated, sealing it off from the outside world to ensure its safety.

But inside, there was none of the panicked terror one would expect from an ordinary business. Instead, the scene was one of perfect order.

On the first floor, Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the standardized robes of the Overlord Saber Alliance were seated throughout the shop. They were silent, organized, and perfectly still.

On the second floor sat cultivators wearing the standardized robes of the Chen Family. They were also all in the Foundation Establishment Realm. However, the cultivation of these Chen Family Foundation Establishment Cultivators was clearly a level higher than those from the Overlord Saber Alliance downstairs. Most of them were at the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment, with some even at the level of Foundation Establishment Perfection, on the cusp of forming a Fake Pill.

If Chu Mu were here, he would surely recognize many of the Chen Family Foundation Establishment Cultivators he had befriended back in Chixia City during his own time in the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Compared to the solemn silence of the floor below, the atmosphere on the second floor was noticeably more relaxed, especially after the Twelve Blood Fiend Corpse Transformation Array had been activated in the city’s center.

Streams of Telepathy intertwined with hushed conversations. From time to time, their gazes would fix on the entrance to the third floor, a sense of irrepressible excitement in the air.

Meanwhile, the third floor of the pavilion was even more orderly.

The third floor, spanning several acres, had been cleared of all obstructions, forming a single, vast, open space.

Crisscrossing Array Prohibition Inscriptions spread across the walls like chains, ultimately connecting to a series of square Artifact Creation devices placed around the room.

Floating projection screens acted like a series of Celestial Eyes. Under the power of the array’s network, they displayed the entire city in near-perfect detail.

Unlike the crowded first and second floors, there were far fewer cultivators on the third. However, without exception, they were all Golden Core True Masters from the Chen Family and the Overlord Saber Alliance.

Over twenty Golden Core Cultivators were present, yet none of them seemed to be in charge. Instead, they stood clustered around a young woman, their eyes fixed on the screens that monitored the entire city, as if awaiting her command.

The floating screens cycled through various images, clearly displaying the chaos unfolding within the city.

Some were in despair, others fled in a frenzy, and still more frantically attacked the City Defense Array. After tens of thousands of cultivators had suddenly disintegrated into nothing, it was clear no one would believe the Overlord Saber Alliance’s lies anymore.

All that remained was the desperate chaos of an apocalypse, as if the very heavens were collapsing!

The cultivators showed no emotion, indifferently watching the masses struggle like ants.

Then, one of the screens froze. It showed several dozen cultivators gathering in an orderly fashion, clustered around a man emanating a sinister Ghost Qi. Their location was unmistakably the Nine Heavens Sect’s base in the city.

Only then did a flicker of interest appear in the onlookers’ eyes.

One by one, the other cycling screens also froze. Without exception, each displayed a gathering of cultivators from the city’s various non-Chen Family powers. The focus of the surveillance was on the Golden Core True Masters from each of these factions.

After several screens had locked onto their targets, the rest continued to search, but no more were found. It seemed that aside from these few, all the other Golden Core True Masters who had gathered in the city for the celebration had vanished.

Finally, Chen Jun of the Overlord Saber Alliance, who was operating the surveillance projections, seemed to grow anxious. The cycling screens began to flicker with increasing speed.

But in the end, with the search proving fruitless, Chen Jun had to abandon his efforts. He turned to Qing Ling, bowed with his hands clasped, and reported:

"Fairy, Li Huatian and Li Huayu, the two Golden Core Cultivators from the Profound Nether Alliance, are nowhere to be found."

"As for the Nine Heavens Sect, only Extreme Yin True Master’s junior martial brother has appeared. The True Master himself is missing."

"Cang Lan True Master of the Righteous Alliance is missing. The True Inheritor from the Longevity Sect is trapped in the Corpse Transformation Array, and their other Inner Sect Golden Core Cultivator has also vanished."

"The Celestial Demon Sect’s..."

"As for the Loose Cultivator Golden Core True Masters, we’ve only located the brothers Mu Yun and Cang Sea. The Alliance’s surveillance system can’t find a trace of any others..."

Qing Ling’s expression remained calm, as if she had anticipated this. She gave a slight nod. A Chen Family Golden Core Cultivator at her side acknowledged the unspoken command and, with a flick of his sleeve, presented a fist-sized, Deep Blue Crystal Stone to Chen Jun.

"This Celestial Trace Crystal Stone contains the Divine Soul Aura of every Golden Core Cultivator currently in Bazhou City."

"The Nine Palace Bagua Formation has a Soul Lock effect. Using their Divine Soul Auras as a guide, they’ll have nowhere to hide!"

"I understand."

Chen Jun’s heart tightened. He impassively accepted the Celestial Trace Crystal Stone and turned back to the floating projection screens. With a flick of his sleeve, he embedded the crystal into a square, silver box.

At the same time, the crisscrossing Array Prohibition Inscriptions flared with light again. This time, as if following a clear trail, the projection screens flickered. Within a few breaths, the flashing screens began to lock onto targets one by one.

Some were disguised as ordinary Low-Tier Cultivators, hiding among the crowds. Others had gathered in small groups inside houses, seemingly in discussion. A few were meditating in quiet rooms, their auras completely retracted, as if they didn’t exist.

Guided by the Divine Soul Auras, the tracking system locked onto one target after another. The Golden Core Cultivators who had gone into hiding due to the chaos appeared on the screens, one by one.

As their images were frozen on the screens, some of the cultivators seemed unaware and remained hidden. Others, however, had drastic changes in expression. After a series of Spiritual Light flashes, their corresponding projection screens went dark.

But almost immediately, the relentless tracking system, as persistent as a shadow, locked onto them again. The screens lit up, marking their new positions.

Chen Jun was overjoyed. As his Magical Power surged, the projection screens flashed rapidly. The system tracked and locked on to target after target. Throughout Bazhou City, one non-Chen Family Golden Core True Master after another, all of whom had decisively gone into hiding, were now being hunted down and displayed on the screens.

In a matter of moments, over a dozen screens were active, displaying the every move and every word of more than ten Golden Core True Masters.

Only the final three projections continued to flicker, having not yet located their respective targets.

At this, everyone present fixed their gaze on these last three screens.

The screens flickered, showing no trace of a target, but the name of each corresponding Golden Core True Master was clearly displayed at the top.

The first: Inner Sect Elder Chen Guangwu of the Longevity Sect. The second: Extreme Yin True Master of the Nine Heavens Sect. The third... Chu Mu of the True Understanding Pavilion!

"Fairy, we can’t find any trace of these three."

Chen Jun hesitated, glancing cautiously at Qing Ling.

"The Five Elements Formation can detect spatial fluctuations. Mobilize it and see if those three are using a Spatial Treasure to hide."

Qing Ling’s brow twitched slightly. She glanced at the Chen Family Golden Core Cultivator who had spoken, but her expression quickly returned to its usual calm.

Chen Jun accepted the order and mobilized the Grand Array. As the Array Prohibition Inscriptions flashed, a miniature of Bazhou City appeared before them, like a sand table map.

The Bazhou City on the sand table was exquisitely detailed, as if the real city had simply been shrunk down many times over.

In the city’s center, the ongoing Nascent Soul battle sent out spatial ripples. Every single fluctuation was displayed with pinpoint accuracy on the sand table.

Meanwhile, in residential areas to the north and south, two extremely faint spatial fluctuations were pulsing. Even though they were shielded by Array Prohibitions, they were laid bare and displayed with perfect clarity under this level of scrutiny.

Simultaneously, the flickering projection screens rapidly focused, and in the blink of an eye, locked onto the two locations where the spatial fluctuations originated.

Two screens locked on. They showed different scenes, but both seemed to have tracked down their respective Golden Core targets.

The screen for Extreme Yin True Master settled on a Secluded Meditation Chamber. The room was empty save for a single, palm-sized cloth pouch floating in mid-air. It was surrounded by a dense web of Array Prohibitions, which both protected the pouch and attempted to conceal the spatial fluctuations constantly leaking from the masterless Spatial Treasure.

The screen for Inner Sect Elder Chen Guangwu of the Longevity Sect locked onto a pavilion on the north side of the city, near the central battle. The space around a figure flickered. The person stood there, shrouded in what looked like a thin veil, their form hazy and indistinct as they observed the battle in the city’s center.

Now, all the cultivators present turned to look at the very last projection screen.

Everything in the city, down to the smallest detail, was being laid bare.

Only this one person remained unseen.

True Understanding Pavilion... Chu Mu!

The title of Pill and Artifact Dual Proficiency was certainly not unfamiliar to the cultivators present.

In fact, quite a few of them had crossed paths with him before.

One Golden Core Cultivator spoke up, "This Chu Mu... is it possible he’s already left the city?"

"Impossible."

Before any of the other Chen Family cultivators could speak, Chen Jun cut in, his tone firm. "When the ceremony in the main hall began, the Alliance sealed off Bazhou City as planned."

"Chu Mu attended the celebration, and we have traces of him at the auction. With the entire city under lockdown, there is absolutely no way he could have left without a sound!"

"Then tell us, where is he now?"

Qing Ling cut them off. She looked at Chen Jun and commanded, "That’s enough. First, pull up all records of his activities in the city before this."

Chen Jun obeyed. In just a moment, the screen that was supposed to be tracking Chu Mu began to flicker.

The footage replayed Chu Mu’s arrival in the city and his stay at the True Understanding Base, where various cultivators came to visit. Many of the Golden Core Cultivators currently in the room could be seen in the recordings.

Next, it showed Chu Mu touring Bazhou City before he abruptly vanished, only to reappear later. It showed the celebration, the auction, and then... a streak of sword light shot into the sky from the True Understanding Base and descended upon the city center. Xu Changqing’s sword light flashed as he forcefully attacked the central council hall...

When this scene appeared, the expression on every cultivator in the room changed dramatically.

Some looked shocked and suspicious, others confused, and still others stared in utter disbelief...

...