Martial Arts: Starting with Upgrading the Dilapidated Temple

Chapter 149 Bitter Water Gully (3K)

The Mu family, Cuiwei Pavilion.

Mu Chenyuan looked at Mu Fang, who was lying paralyzed on the ground.

Mu Fang's left shoulder wound was so deep that the bone was visible, the flesh was torn and rolled up, and it emitted a nauseating stench.

Mu Yunchuan strode into the room.

He was in his early thirties, dressed in a well-tailored brocade outfit, with a long sword inlaid with gemstones hanging at his waist.

"Father." Mu Yunchuan glanced at Mu Fang on the ground, his brows furrowing. "How did you get into this state?"

Mu Chenyuan ignored him and stared at Mu Fang: "Did you see clearly who did it?"

Mu Fang trembled all over, his teeth chattering: "—A young man. Dressed in black, carrying a dark gold longsword. He kicked—just one kick—and pinned a Qi Refining Realm monster to the ground, the monster couldn't even move."

Mu Yunchuan sneered, "Mu Fang, have you been brainwashed by death energy? In this place of Yongzhou, where did a young man come from who could crush a Qi Opening Realm cultivator with a single kick? Strange, my foot! When did the high-level exotic beasts from the Myriad Poison Forest go to the Mushroom Valley?"

"Young Master, I didn't lie!" Mu Fang kowtowed violently. "He not only stole the crystal, but he also produced a letter! A letter—stamped with the seal of the Celestial Surveillance Bureau! It was for the Wusheng Sect! He knew everything! He even asked me if I was working for the Emperor of Daheng!"

Mu Yunchuan's expression changed.

The person from Canglu Mountain had mentioned this to him, as proof that the Wusheng Sect was in contact with the Mu family.

How did this secret letter to the Wusheng Sect end up in the hands of an outsider?

Mu Chenyuan's gaze swept across Mu Yunchuan's face.

"Wusheng Sect was wiped out?"

"Impossible." Mu Yunchuan broke out in a cold sweat. "I once met the contact person of the Wusheng Sect. He was a top expert in the mid-stage of the Tongqiao Realm. I personally saw him lead people into the Ten Thousand Poison Forest."

"Then why is the letter in someone else's hands now?" Mu Chenyuan's voice was icy cold. "The Wusheng Sect members are all dead, and their things have been taken. This person not only destroyed the Mushroom Valley, but also traced the clues back to the Mu family."

Mu Yunchuan swallowed hard. "Father, what do we do now?"

"The crystal is gone. We can't explain this to Heron Mountain." Mu Chenyuan closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and said, "Take men to Heron Mountain immediately. Tell that living immortal everything. Tell him that a tough guy has appeared in the Myriad Poison Forest, who not only stole the crystal but also killed members of the Wusheng Sect. Make him take action personally."

"Shall we go now?"

"Go now." Mu Chenyuan opened his eyes, a ruthless glint in them. "Take Lin Keqing and Zhao Keqing with you. Prepare several fast horses. We must reach Canglu Mountain before dawn. Only by stabilizing the situation there will our Mu family have a chance to survive."

Mu Yunchuan dared not delay and turned to leave.

Mu Fang collapsed to the ground, letting out a sigh of relief.

Mu Chenyuan glanced at him: "You did a good job. Go and collect your reward."

The butler came in and dragged Mu Fang up.

As they reached the door, the butler pinched the back of Mu Fang's neck.

With a crisp crack, Mu collapsed limply to the ground.

"Clean it up." Mu Chenyuan turned around and continued looking out the window.

The dead are the best at keeping secrets.

In the eastern part of Yongzhou, there is a place called Kushuigou.

The night was dark.

The area is surrounded by steep cliffs on three sides, with only a narrow opening, just wide enough for two riders to pass side by side, leading outwards.

A wooden watchtower stands at the narrow opening.

Six Qin family guards were gathered around a bonfire at the foot of the watchtower, roasting half a sheep, with several empty wine jars scattered nearby.

"This damn weather is getting colder and colder." A man rubbed his hands together, tore off a piece of mutton and stuffed it into his mouth. "The head of the family is really strange. He spends so much money to buy a bunch of broken iron lumps, and he won't let them be put in the city's warehouse. He insists on stuffing them in this bitter ditch."

"You know nothing," another scarred man spat. "This is called Xuan Yin Cold Iron. I heard it's a specialty of Shengzhou. The patriarch is hoarding it to speculate. He'll sell it when the price doubles, making a fortune."

"No matter how much money we have, it's not for us." The man took a swig of wine. "There isn't even a woman in this godforsaken place. I'm getting so bored."

"Stop complaining. Coach Yi is watching from inside. If he hears you, you're in for a beating."

The group lowered their voices.

A night breeze blew by, and the flames of the campfire flickered violently.

Scarface rubbed his eyes.

Across from the campfire, there was another person, someone I didn't know had appeared at some point.

He was dressed in black, with a long knife hanging at his waist.

The man stood ramrod straight, without even a sound of breathing, like a ghost emerging from the ground.

"Who goes there?!" Scarface suddenly stood up, his hand on the hilt of his knife.

The other five people also realized what was happening and drew their knives.

Xu Hao looked at them.

He didn't draw his sword.

He simply lifted his foot and took a step forward.

boom.

Dark Gold Heart throbbed.

A terrifying pressure emanated from him, instantly enveloping an area of ​​five zhang in radius.

Without the blessing of a blessed land or authority, it is merely the pure physical pressure of someone entering the Dirty Forging Realm.

The six guards, all at the Bone Forging Realm, were as if they had been struck by a massive boulder.

The sound of bones cracking rang out in rapid succession.

Before the six people could even scream, they were pinned to the ground, bleeding from all seven orifices, and died on the spot.

The fire was extinguished by the blast wave.

Xu Hao stepped over the corpse and walked into the depths of the bitter ditch.

Behind the narrow opening was a wide open space.

At the end of the open space are several natural caves, all with heavy iron railings at their entrances.

A gaunt old man in a gray long robe was standing in front of one of the caves, holding an account book in his hand to check.

Early stage of Yi Jin Jing (Muscle/Tendon Changing Realm).

Hearing the commotion outside, the old man turned around and frowned.

"What's all the noise about?"

He saw Xu Hao.

They also saw six pools of indistinct blood and flesh on the ground behind Xu Hao.

The old man's expression changed drastically, and the account book in his hand fell to the ground.

Instead of drawing his weapon, he turned abruptly and slammed his palm against a protruding rock next to the iron fence.

organ.

The iron fence emitted a screeching sound as it began to slowly descend.

At the same time, using the recoil, the old man's body swooped down into the depths of the cave like a large bird.

"Can they escape?"

Xu Hao's voice echoed in the open space.

Startling Waves Step.

His figure instantly left a blur, arriving before the iron fence that hadn't fully lowered yet.

The old man felt a chill run down his spine.

A hand was placed on his shoulder.

This hand wasn't thick, but it was as heavy as a mountain.

The old man unleashed his Yi Jin Jing kung fu instantly, attempting to shake off the hand.

Like a clay ox sinking into the sea.

The dark golden power of the earth veins surged into his body through this hand, tearing apart his meridians with overwhelming force and directly sealing off his vital energy.

The old man's legs buckled, and he knelt on the ground.

"Where is the Qin family's Cold Iron?" Xu Hao released his grip and looked down at him.

The old man trembled all over and pointed to the deepest part of the cave.

Xu Hao walked over.

There were more than a dozen large wooden crates piled up deep inside the cave.

He kicked open the lid of one of the wooden crates.

Inside, neatly stacked pieces of black metal ingots were arranged.

The surface of the metal ingot exuded a chilling aura, and a layer of white frost formed in the surrounding air.

Mysterious Yin Cold Iron.

Xu Hao reached out and picked up a piece, weighing it in his hand.

The portion is generous, and the cold energy is pure.

He summoned the scroll of consciousness in his mind.

[Mysterious Yin Cold Iron detected. Quantity: 120 jin.]

[Condition two for repairing the seal on the secondary nail in Zezhou has been met.]

Xu Hao nodded in satisfaction. One hundred and twenty jin was enough to rebuild the array base.

He swept all the cold iron from the dozen or so wooden boxes into the Sumeru Warehouse.

He turned around and walked towards the old man kneeling on the ground.

The old man's face turned ashen: "You—who exactly are you? You dare to steal from the Qin family?"

Xu Hao did not answer.

"The Qin family purchased cold iron from the black market in Shengzhou and transported it to Yongzhou in three batches." Xu Hao looked at the old man. "The first two batches are here. Where is the third batch?"

The old man gritted his teeth and remained silent.

Xu Hao pulled out the Devouring Abyss.

The dark gold blade traced a cold arc in the dim cave.

The old man's arm was severed at the root.

Fresh blood gushed out.

"Ah—" The old man clutched his severed arm and rolled on the ground.

Xu Hao pressed the tip of the knife against his forehead.

"Where is the third batch?"

"On the way—" The old man's face contorted in pain, "By water—the day after tomorrow—the day after tomorrow at Sunset Ferry."

Chenzhou, Sunset Ferry.

Xu Hao paused for a moment.

On the banks of the Shuilan River in Chenzhou, at the sunset ferry crossing.

That was the place he stayed when he first came into this world.

The Qin family's goods were transported by the Grand Canal shipping companies.

Xu Hao sheathed his knife.

"You can die now."

99

He threw a punch.

The dark gold fist energy pierced directly through the old man's chest.

Xu Hao walked out of the bitter ditch.

The night wind carried away the smell of blood.

The cold iron is in hand; only one condition remains to be met for repairing the secondary nail.

Re-engraved the inscription.

This matter needs to be handled underground in the Ten Thousand Poisons Forest.

But before that, there is one more thing to do.

Xu Hao looked towards the northwest.

Heron Mountain.

Mu Yunchuan should already be on his way.

Calculating the distance, I should be able to arrive before dawn.

Xu Hao hung the Devouring Abyss back on his waist and activated the Surging Waves Step with all his might.

He transformed into a streak of dark golden light and vanished into the night.

Heron Mountain.

The mountains are steep and rugged, with jagged rocks.

There is a secluded manor halfway up the mountain, with a sign outside that reads "Mu's Private Cellar".

Mu Yunchuan, accompanied by two guest retainers, rode swiftly to the manor gate.

The horse was foaming at the mouth, clearly exhausted from running.

Mu Yunchuan dismounted, not even bothering to wipe his sweat, and strode to the manor gate.

The door was closed tightly.

He took a deep breath and, following the agreed-upon rhythm, knocked three times on the door, paused, and then knocked twice more.

The door opened a crack.

A masked, mute servant poked his head out, glanced at Mu Yunchuan, and opened the door.

Mu Yunchuan led two guest retainers inside.

We passed through the front yard and came to the back hall.

The back room was dark, with no lights on.

A person was sitting on the grand master's chair in the very center.

The man was dressed in a large black robe and wore a hideous demon mask on his face.

"It's not even fifteen yet." A hoarse, unpleasant voice came from behind the mask, like two pieces of sandpaper rubbing together. "Young Master Mu, have you forgotten the rules?"

Mu Yunchuan knelt down with a thud.

Two guest advisors stood behind him, bowing their heads slightly, not daring to look directly at the masked man.

"Please forgive me, senior!" Mu Yunchuan's forehead touched the ground. "Something has happened. The Mushroom Valley stronghold—has been raided. All of this month's crystals have been stolen."

The air in the lobby instantly dropped to freezing point.

The masked man did not speak.

However, the aura emanating from him made the two guest elders, who were at the mid-stage of the Inner Strength Realm, feel suffocated.

The Realm of Opening the Mind.

Moreover, it's definitely not as simple as just entering the initial stage of the Qi Opening Realm.

"Who did this?" The masked man's voice was unreadable.

"A young man dressed in black, carrying a dark gold longsword." Mu Yunchuan quickly repeated Mu Fang's words, "He also obtained the letter you gave to the Wusheng Sect and learned about the matter of the Surveillance Bureau."

The masked man suddenly stood up.

The armrests of the grand master's chair turned to dust without a sound.

"waste."

The masked man took a step forward and instantly appeared in front of Mu Yunchuan.

A pale, withered hand grabbed Mu Yunchuan's neck and lifted him up.

Mu Yunchuan kicked his legs wildly, his face turning purplish-red.

The two retainers were terrified and tried to draw their swords, but they were firmly suppressed by the aura emanating from the masked man and could not move.

"You lost your things and even led people here." The masked man looked coldly at Mu Yunchuan. "The Mu family has no reason to exist anymore."

Just then.

boom!

The manor gate was kicked open.