Martial Arts: Starting with Upgrading the Dilapidated Temple

Chapter 150 Chess Pieces

Two heavy solid wood doors flew in like pieces of paper, smashing against the wall of the back room and shattering into a pile of wood chips.

The mute servant wearing a bronze mask flew in backwards, his chest caved in, and he was already dead when he landed.

The masked man turned his head.

There was a person standing outside the door.

Black clothes, long sword.

The dark gold scabbard gleamed with a cold, hard luster under the moonlight.

Xu Hao stepped over the threshold and into the courtyard.

He glanced at Mu Yunchuan, whose neck was being choked, and then looked at the person wearing a demon mask in front of him.

"Are you the living god they're talking about?"

Xu Hao's hand rested on the hilt of the knife.

"Quite an appetite! Eating so much ley line crystal, aren't you afraid of overeating?"

The masked man casually tossed Mu Yunchuan onto the ground like trash.

He stared at Xu Hao, his eyes behind the mask gleaming with an eerie green light.

"So you're the ant who ruined my plans?" The masked man's voice was hoarse and grating. "A mere early-stage Qi Refining Realm cultivator dares to cause trouble at Canglu Mountain. Do you even know who I am?"

Xu Hao did not respond.

He simply pulled out the Devourer's Abyss slowly.

Dark gold patterns lit up on the blade, and the power of the earth veins flowed into the blade from the wrist.

I don't care who you are.

Xu Hao took a step forward.

Startling Waves Step.

His figure vanished from the spot in an instant.

When it reappeared, it was already above the masked man's head.

Hold the knife with both hands and raise it high.

The bones resonate, and the power of the earth's veins is compressed to the extreme.

"The Abyss".

The space within a radius of ten zhang suddenly sank.

The masked man's pupils suddenly contracted.

He felt an irresistible pressure descend upon him, his internal energy and blood circulation instantly stopped, and even his proud movement technique was completely sealed off.

How is that possible?!

He's at the half-step Divine Transformation Realm!

The weight of the knife increased exponentially the moment it was used to suppress a target at the half-step Divine Transformation Realm.

Xu Hao's arm muscles bulged high, and the dark gold veins looked like they were about to burst.

He gritted his teeth and, using the terrifying weight, brought the blow down hard.

The blade flashed like a bolt of lightning.

The masked man let out a fierce roar, raising both palms upwards in an attempt to withstand the blow.

laugh-

There was no earth-shattering collision.

Only the soft sound of a sharp blade cutting through flesh and bone.

The dark gold blade light sliced ​​through the masked man's palms and shattered the hideous demon mask in the process.

The mask broke in two and fell to the ground.

He revealed an old, sinister face.

This face has no eyebrows, only a pair of upturned triangular eyes.

On his forehead was a dark red brand.

One vertical pupil.

The mark of a death squad member from the Observatory.

Xu Hao's blade stopped in front of the masked man's nose.

The extreme cold and malevolent energy on the blade froze the blood on the masked man's face.

The masked man stared intently at Xu Hao, his eyes filled with resentment and fear.

"You—you dare kill me—the Observatory—will not let you get away with this—"

Xu Hao flipped his wrist.

The blade makes a horizontal cut.

The masked man's head flew off.

The body fell to the ground.

Xu Hao wiped the blood off the blade and turned to look at Mu Yunchuan, who was lying on the ground, and the two trembling retainers.

"The Mu family."

Xu Hao walked to the masked man's corpse and squatted down.

Mu Yunchuan's throat was still emitting hoarse breathing sounds.

The masked man nearly crushed his trachea when he choked him.

He knelt on the ground, staring at the headless corpse beside him, his mind still reeling from the scene he had just witnessed.

Half-step Divine Transformation Realm.

This "living deity," whom the entire Mu family had treated with utmost respect for two years, died in less than three breaths from the moment he made his move.

Xu Hao ignored him.

He squatted down next to the masked man's corpse and searched it very carefully.

The black robe had a hidden pocket inside, with three pockets sewn on.

The first pocket contained the Xuan character token.

The second pocket contained a roll of thin silk, which unfolded to reveal a diagram—highly similar to the pirated guidance array in the Mushroom Valley shaft, but more detailed, marking the positions of seventeen nodes.

Seventeen.

Mushroom Valley only used one of them.

In other words, this formation can set up seventeen blood-drawing points throughout the entire Wan Du Sen Hai area, while simultaneously drawing essence from the Ze Zhou earth veins.

The Mu family is just one well among many.

The third pocket contained a palm-sized black metal piece.

The front is engraved with densely packed small characters, while the back features a miniature map.

Xu Hao brought the metal sheet closer to his eyes.

The smaller print is the list.

Eleven names, each followed by a code and a date.

Some names have been crossed out and marked "Received" or "Discarded". There are four names left that haven't been crossed out.

The first name listed is: Mu Yunchuan. Code name: "Dog". Side note: Early stage of the Inner Strength Realm, already fed with an incomplete cultivation technique, and is controllable.

Second on the list: Qin Wang'an. Code name "Crane". Side note: Not contacted. A line of small print in the remarks section reads: "Greedy for money and life, can be lured with benefits. Cold iron as bait."

Xu Hao narrowed his eyes.

The Qin family's acquisition of Xuan Yin Cold Iron from Shengzhou was not Qin Wang'an's own idea.

It was all a setup by this masked person.

They used cold iron as bait to lure the Qin family into their trap.

Qin Wang'an thought he was hoarding goods for speculation, but in reality, he was being led by the nose.

He didn't recognize the third name.

Xu Hao's fourth finger stopped.

"Bai'e".

Code name: "Moth".

Side note: The Tongqiao Realm is strange and mysterious; it has been incorporated into the army.

Notes: The control method is the "Abyss Navel" fragment.

If out of control, the fragments will self-destruct, thus crippling one's cultivation.

Bai'e is not a wild monster.

She was a pawn who had been recruited.

However, he had already been killed by Xu Hao with a single blow.

Xu Hao flipped the metal sheet over to the other side.

The miniature map depicts the entire Yongzhou region, marked with seven red dots.

Canglu Mountain is one of them, while the other six are scattered throughout Yongzhou.

Seven strongholds.

A dark web covering the entire territory of Yongzhou.

The masked man is just one node in this network.

There are people above him.

Xu Hao put away the metal sheet and stood up.

Mu Yunchuan finally recovered, but when he saw Xu Hao's gaze as he approached, the color that had just returned to his face vanished completely.

The two guest advisors stood motionless behind Mu Yunchuan.

They were seasoned veterans at the mid-stage of the Inner Strength Realm, knowing when to be assertive and when to remain silent.

It is clearly the latter now.

"Mu Yunchuan." Xu Hao handed the list to him.

Mu Yunchuan glanced down and saw the character "犬" (dog) after his name, and his facial muscles twitched.

"In his eyes, you're worth only one word." Xu Hao took back the list. "What was the name of that incomplete cultivation technique I gave you two years ago?"

Mu Yunchuan opened his mouth.

"The Gathering Essence Technique." His voice was hoarse. "It only has the first three levels; it stops once you reach the Inner Strength Realm. He said he'd give you the rest once you've collected enough crystals."

"You believed it?"

Mu Yunchuan did not answer.

Xu Hao looked into his eyes and saw not only fear but also a trace of resentment.

A common problem among scions of prominent families.

Having been treated like a dog for two years, he was well aware of his situation, but he couldn't bear to give up the benefits this cultivation technique brought him.

What does the Inner Stronghold mean in Yongzhou?

This means that the position of the next head of the Mu family is secure.

People die for money.

Martial artists die for their techniques.

The principle is similar.

"You have two choices," Xu Hao said, holding up two fingers.

Mu Yunchuan raised his head.

"First, I'll put your head on your father's desk. The Mu family will be in an uproar, the Qin and Gu families will take advantage of the chaos, and the balance of power among the three families in Yongzhou will collapse. The foundation built by your Mu family for six generations will be wiped out overnight."

Mu Yunchuan's Adam's apple bobbed violently.

"Second condition." Xu Hao slammed the Devourer to the ground, the tip of its blade embedding itself in the stone slab. "You will work for me."

"What are you doing?"

"Continue to manage the estate on Heron Mountain. Arrange the seventeen nodes marked on this array diagram accordingly. The masked man is dead, and his superiors will send a new contact person sooner or later. When that happens, you will make contact and report as usual, but all information will be synchronized with me."

Mu Yunchuan understood.

Let him be a double agent.

"What if the other party finds out?" Mu Yunchuan asked.

"What you should be more worried about now is discovering your tricks." Xu Hao drew his Devouring Abyss, the tip of the blade slicing across Mu Yunchuan's collar, severing a strap. "The masked man is dead. The Surveillance Bureau's undercover agents won't be sending anyone above the Qi Refining Realm to Yongzhou anytime soon. You have time to make arrangements. Whether you use it or not is your choice."

Mu Yunchuan knelt on the ground and remained silent for ten breaths.

Then he kowtowed.

"Understood."

Very pragmatic.

Xu Hao swung his sword and, without uttering any further words, the two guest elders of the Mu family fell to the ground.

He searched the masked man's manor again.

A batch of supplies was found in the cellar in the backyard—three well-sealed jars of high-purity medicinal bath liquid, two boxes of blood crystals, and a dried-out corpse chained to the wall.

The corpse was wearing dark armor in the style of the Dragon Roar Guard.

Duan Heng.

Ji Sanjin's old partner.

Xu Hao remained silent for a moment before untying Duan Heng's body from the chains.

Inside the inner layer of the dark armor, there was a Dragon Roar Guard iron plaque exactly the same as Ji Sanjin's.

The writing on the back of the sign was blurred by bloodstains, but it was still legible.

He tucked the iron plate into his pocket.

"Give this body a proper burial," Xu Hao instructed Mu Yunchuan without turning his head.

Mu Yunchuan dared not hesitate and immediately responded.

Xu Hao walked out of the manor gate.

The east was already turning white, and the morning breeze blew down from the mountain ridge, carrying the scent of pine resin and cold stone.