Kuang Nie's gaze froze, a conflicted expression appearing on his face.

"Speak plainly!" Chen Zheng's voice was like a piercing north wind, chilling the heart.

Only then did Kuang Nie steel himself to speak. "Lord Chen Zheng, I am deeply sorry. I intended to go to Yuan Qian Mountain to collect Luohuangdi, but I was discovered by Fu Qiu and failed. Therefore, I was unable to obtain the Luohuangdi."

Chen Zheng grasped the gravity of the situation. "Has the Luohuangdi fallen into that person's control?"

"More or less," Kuang Nie nodded, then explained in detail how the Gu Master, Chimu, had occupied Yuan Qian Mountain.

Chen Zheng's brows furrowed deeply as he listened. If that was the case, he had to deal with Chimu and Shanhuan Stockade. Otherwise, he would have to personally go to Yuan Qian Mountain to collect Luohuangdi in the future.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for successfully triggering a choice mission.]

[Option One: Trail Fu Qiu and subdue Chimu. Reward: Gu Refining Technique.]

[Option Two: Trail Fu Qiu and kill Chimu. Reward: 1,000 Luohuangdi.]

Chen Zheng chose option two. The art of Gu refining was too cruel for his tastes.

Seeing Chen Zheng's tightly furrowed brow, Kuang Nie felt a surge of panic. He said urgently, "Lord Chen Zheng, please rest assured! I will find a way to enter the mysterious Yuan Qian Mountain and collect the precious Luohuangdi for you, no matter the cost!"

Hearing this, Chen Zheng gently waved his hand. "There's no need for such trouble. I'll handle the matter of the Gu Master Chimu."

The words had barely left his mouth when, under the astonished gazes of everyone present, Chen Zheng's figure shot upward like an arrow loosed from a bow, vanishing into the horizon in an instant.

Everyone was astounded. "Did he just fly?"

Huang Hua's eyes widened. Although his Shanhai Stockade also possessed ancient traditions, their power was not in things like True Qi, but in the medical arts. He had very little understanding of something like flying.

Kuang Nie and the people of Nanhai Stockade, however, had an understanding of Sky Control that was bone-deep. Yet, at this moment, their hearts were shaken by an intense sense of awe. They couldn't imagine Chen Zheng had become so powerful. He had surpassed their wildest imaginings, like a brilliant star they could only gaze up at in awe.

Chen Zheng was unaware of the stir his actions had caused. He streaked through the void like a bolt of lightning.

Within just two minutes, he caught sight of Fu Qiu in the mountain forest.

Chen Zheng slowed his pace, following silently from the sky like a hawk tracking its prey.

Unaware that he was being followed, Fu Qiu struggled onward, cursing angrily as he went.

SPLURT!

As Fu Qiu cursed, a mouthful of fresh blood sprayed from his mouth, streaking through the dark night sky like a meteor. At that moment, his condition was utterly pathetic. His entire body was soaked in blood, like a maple leaf scorched by fire. A constant, throbbing pain reminded him that he had at least ten bleeding wounds.

Though the wounds were small, they were enough to make him bleed to death. He didn't dare stop. Gathering what little strength he had left, he fled, circulating his True Qi to stanch the flow of blood.

Fu Qiu passed through Shanhuan Stockade and entered the silence of the deep mountains and old forests. On a verdant mountainside, he found a cave hidden in the dense woods and ducked inside without hesitation.

"Lord Chimu, Lord Chimu!" his voice echoed through the cave.

"Why are you in such a panic?" a hoarse yet powerful voice responded.

Soon after, a hunched figure emerged from the darkness. His face was marked by the passage of time, and dark red patterns covered his visage like mysterious totems. Although Fu Qiu had faced this man countless times, each encounter still filled his heart with endless dread.

"Lord Chimu, please save me!" Desperation saturated Fu Qiu's plea for help.

"Save you? Heh… Weren't you aware of the eyes watching you from behind? And you still have the audacity to ask me for help?" Chimu's cold snort echoed through the air.

Fu Qiu froze. A bolt of lightning seemed to flash through his mind, and suddenly, he understood everything. He had been puzzled before. Chen Zheng could have easily killed him, yet he had only been severely injured and allowed to escape. At the time, he was fleeing for his life and had no time to ponder it. But now that Chimu had pointed it out, he instantly understood. Chen Zheng hadn't wanted to spare him; he had wanted to use him to find this place.

Chimu was like a specter, hidden from the world, with Fu Qiu handling all his affairs. Thus, as the years passed, Fu Qiu was the only one who knew of Chimu's existence.

"Lord Chimu, I was wrong! I know my mistake now!" Realization dawned on Fu Qiu. He hurriedly kowtowed, his forehead striking the ground with dull, repetitive thuds.

"Hmph. If you weren't still of some use, I would have turned you to dust long ago," Chimu snorted coldly. With a wave of his sleeve, countless tiny Gu insects burst from his cuff and burrowed into Fu Qiu's flesh.

In the blink of an eye, Fu Qiu's wounds healed, and the pain vanished completely.

"Thank you, Lord Chimu, thank you!" Fu Qiu breathed a sigh of relief, kowtowing once more in gratitude.

"Now, come! Let's go meet this mysterious guest you've brought back," Chimu's voice was suddenly as warm as the morning sun.

Fu Qiu immediately leaped up and followed closely behind.

At that moment, Chen Zheng had already descended from the sky. He stood atop a towering tree, his eyes fixed on the mouth of the cave.

Chimu's figure emerged slowly from the cave like a character from an ancient legend, with the loyal Fu Qiu following close behind him.

"You are an outsider?" Chimu tilted his head slightly, his gaze settling on Chen Zheng.

"Lord Chimu, his name is Chen Zheng!" Fu Qiu explained hastily, his eyes flickering with barely concealed hatred. "He's the one who cured the Gu poison afflicting Kuang Nie of Nanhai Stockade! The She Yin Gu you bestowed upon me was also destroyed by his hand!"

A Gu Master... interesting, Chen Zheng thought, his gaze lingering on Fu Qiu for a moment. His eyes were as sharp as a hawk's, and he instantly discerned the man's physical condition. The injuries he had inflicted earlier had almost completely vanished.

Chimu's ghostly voice drifted out. "Friend, you harmed my servant, killed my She Yin Gu, and have now trespassed on my territory. Don't you think that's a bit presumptuous?"

Chen Zheng stepped lightly from the treetop, his figure drifting down like the wind. Locking his gaze onto Chimu's face, he asked indifferently, "You occupy Yuan Qian Mountain. What I need is inside the mountain, so I had no choice but to come."

Chimu's eyes narrowed slightly. "Aren't you afraid of death?"

"Afraid? Of you?" Chen Zheng asked quietly. "Or perhaps... of that thing?"

His gaze dropped to the ground, but it was empty.

Despite this, Chimu's complexion instantly turned deathly pale. The moment he had stepped out of the cave, his blood-fed Lifespan Gu had followed him like a shadow, quietly burrowing underground to prepare for a surprise attack. He had never imagined that Chen Zheng would see right through his plan.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.