Chapter 161: Chapter 160: A Paper Tiger That Breaks With a Poke
"The Token..."
In the end, Chu Mu had no choice but to suppress his regret and fix his gaze on the Token.
He hadn’t forgotten that this whole affair had started because of this very Token.
The Token was diamond-shaped and dark gold in color. The front was inscribed with the two words "Blood Kill," written in blood-red characters that exuded an indescribable, gory aura. The back was engraved with the image of an ancient pavilion half-hidden in the clouds.
Chu Mu tentatively probed it with his Divine Sense. The instant his Divine Sense made contact, a stream of information flooded into his mind.
Chu Mu stared blankly at the Token in his hand. A moment later, he finally processed it all and let out a long breath. As he looked at the Token, his expression grew uncertain.
The Token was no ordinary object. It was a symbol of membership for an organization called the Blood Killing Pavilion.
If that were all, the Token wouldn’t be of much use. But according to the information stored within it, this Blood Killing Pavilion recognized the token, not the person.
In other words, whoever held the Blood Killing Order could become a member of the Blood Killing Pavilion, carry out tasks for them, and receive rewards in return.
This Token was equivalent to a membership pass with no identity restrictions.
And according to the information it contained, there was a contact point in the Fengming Mountain Black Market.
Chu Mu frowned, lost in thought.
Things seemed to be clearing up. The Token’s original owner was probably on some kind of mission and didn’t dare carry it, so they hid it in room fifty-six.
But then they were killed by that enraged Foundation Establishment Powerhouse from Jade Emperor Valley. And since he just happened to rent room fifty-six, the black-robed man must have known about the Token’s existence, which was why he had targeted him.
’Recognizes the token, not the person... Fengming Mountain Black Market...’
As he murmured to himself, he looked at the Token again, an inscrutable glint in his eyes.
With this Token and the Illusionary God Mask, a trip to the Fengming Mountain Black Market was now a must.
’It’s just a shame about those dozens of Magic Experiment Scrolls,’ he thought. ’I wonder if I can ever go back to the Jade Emperor Valley Marketplace...’
With that thought, Chu Mu put away the Token, took out a Broken Spirit, sat cross-legged, and began his Breathing exercises.
The fight had damaged his Divine Soul, but his body hadn’t suffered any major injuries. His superficial wounds, nourished by his Magical Power, were mostly healed after a night’s rest.
Next, he would have to wait for his Divine Soul Injury to completely heal under the influence of that illusory Long Saber before he could set out for the Fengming Mountain Black Market.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t dare run around while injured.
However, the healing speed of his Divine Soul was far slower than he had anticipated.
A full half-year passed before his Divine Soul Injury finally healed.
It was late autumn. A mournful wind blew, sending fallen leaves scattering.
Chu Mu slowly walked out of the cave.
After half a year of braving the elements, combined with the fact that he’d fled Jade Emperor Valley in such a hurry he hadn’t even brought a change of clothes, Chu Mu once again looked like a wild man.
His hair was disheveled and his clothes were in tatters, but his eyes remained bright and profound.
[Name: Chu Mu.]
[Skills: Basic Blade Technique (Peak of Perfection) 2356/10000, Fireball Skill (Peak of Perfection) 12/10000]
[Body Refining Technique (1000/1000)]
[Flame Decision First Layer (678/1000)]
[Alchemy: Dragon and Snake Soup: Refined Skill (1300/2000), Grain Avoidance Pill: Beginner’s Practice (96/100)]
[Spiritual Radiance Value: 2003.3%]
After half a year of cultivating the first layer of the Flame Decision day after day, he had finally passed the halfway mark.
The progress of his Basic Blade Technique cultivation had slowed considerably with the appearance of that illusory Long Saber.
His Fireball Skill cultivation, however, continued to advance at a high speed. After all, the Fireball Skill was only constructed from three Magic Inscriptions, and it hadn’t developed any mysterious anomalies like his blade technique.
He had long since mastered every aspect of the Fireball Skill.
It was only natural that his progress was so fast.
Now that he had reached the Peak of Perfection, he could cast Fireball Skill almost instantaneously, and its power had increased significantly. Chu Mu estimated that a normally cast Fireball Skill had a power of about 0.5 degrees.
If he pushed himself to the limit, he could probably reach 0.8 or even 0.9 degrees of power.
But it was a mixed blessing. His Magical Power at the Qi Cultivation First Layer was ultimately a limitation. As his Fireball Skill improved, its Magical Power consumption also increased. Even though his Qi Cultivation First Layer was now more than halfway complete, the growth in his Magical Power had only just compensated for the increased cost, leaving him with no surplus to spare.
Even so, Chu Mu estimated that with his Peak of Perfection Fireball Skill, dealing with ordinary Cultivators at the Qi Cultivation First and Second Layers would be no difficult task.
After all, even the black-robed man from before hadn’t seemed to possess any other Magical Artifacts besides the Illusionary God Mask.
The vast majority of Cultivators used Magic for both attack and defense.
Since everyone was basically starting from the same point, victory came down to who had the higher realm, who was more skilled with their Magic, and whose spells were more powerful.
’I still need to buy a Defense Magic...’
Chu Mu mused. During his fight with the black-robed man, the golden glow that had covered his opponent’s body and left him helpless must have been some kind of Defense Magic.
Although the Defense Magic’s impenetrability was likely due to the black-robed man’s Cultivation being far higher than his, it was clear that Defense Magic was indispensable for a Cultivator.
Lost in thought, Chu Mu walked out of the cave. His Divine Soul was healed, so there was no longer any need to remain on Jade Pillar Mountain.
It was time to put the trip to the Fengming Mountain Black Market on the agenda.
He sprinted through the mountains. Though he hadn’t learned any specific Body Technique for flitting between treetops, his inhuman physical conditioning and control over his body’s Power made him no slower than someone using a worldly movement art.
Chu Mu had already memorized the surrounding terrain. As he sprinted through the mountains, his direction was clearly set toward Fengming Mountain, a hundred miles away.
A journey of over a hundred miles was nothing to a Cultivator. Their bodies, nourished by Spiritual Energy and Magical Power, were already Extraordinary. Traveling a hundred and fifty miles in a day was an easy task.
If they traveled without rest, covering over three hundred miles in a day was not impossible for a Cultivator.
After traveling for a day and a night, Fengming Mountain—the place he had been thinking about for the better part of a year—finally appeared in his sights.
Chu Mu took out the card that Wang Mazi had given him. Now that he was on Fengming Mountain, a small arrow had appeared on the card, as if pointing the way.
Staring at the card, Chu Mu pondered for a moment. He glanced at the sky, checked the disguise provided by his Illusionary God Mask, and then followed the arrow’s guidance deeper into Fengming Mountain.
The moment he stepped onto Fengming Mountain, the long-absent sensation of being watched washed over him.
Chu Mu pursed his lips and nonchalantly glanced around, but he didn’t spot anything out of the ordinary.
But it was obvious he was being targeted.
The areas outside a Marketplace were already a Land of Chaos. Outside a Black Market, it was bound to be utter, unrestrained anarchy.
Chu Mu had no doubt about that.
For now, he could only hope the disguise from his Illusionary God Mask would be enough to intimidate the Cultivators watching him from the shadows.
Under the Illusionary God Mask’s disguise, his Cultivation aura was completely concealed. Who could tell if he was at the Qi Cultivation First Layer or a Foundation Establishment Powerhouse?
Everyone wanted to get rich by robbing and killing, but you had to be absolutely certain of your target. A reckless fool wouldn’t survive long, especially not in a place like the Black Market, teeming with saints and sinners alike.
Chu Mu remained calm, or at least he appeared to be, strolling as casually as if he were in his own backyard. He even activated his "Spiritual Radiance Blessing," using the charm of the Spiritual Radiance to make his disguise even more convincing.
Just as he’d hoped, the threat of the unknown seemed to have intimidated the onlookers. The hidden gazes soon dispersed.
With every step he took, another wave of hidden gazes would fall upon him. For Chu Mu, it felt like he was walking back and forth across death’s door.
His back was soaked with sweat, but his expression remained placid. Inside, however, his heart was churning like a stormy sea.
Although he had mentally prepared himself before coming, to actually experience being watched like this, time and time again...
Fear!
There was only fear.
It was painfully obvious. If he didn’t have the Illusionary God Mask and had come here hoping to take a gamble, he probably wouldn’t have even made it into Fengming Mountain before being casually slaughtered.
Even with the mask, he was just putting on a mysterious front to intimidate people. He was a paper tiger—imposing to look at, but in reality... he would fall apart at the slightest poke!
BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A series of explosions rang out. Not far from Chu Mu, the sound of desperate pleas for mercy reached his ears.
"Spare me! I’ll give you all my Spirit Stones!"
"Spare me! Please, spare me!"
Chu Mu glanced over just in time to see a head roll across the ground. A gory scene unfolded as a murderous-looking man collected his spoils of war, then shot into the sky and vanished from sight.
The rumbling of such Battles seemed to be a continuous presence all around him.
’Is it like this everywhere?’ he wondered.
Chu Mu did his best to stay calm and continued to walk slowly, following the arrow’s guidance.
After about fifteen minutes, Chu Mu finally stopped.
"I’m here..."
The arrow was pointing toward a mountain peak, at a sheer cliff that shot straight up into the sky.
Just as Chu Mu arrived, he saw several Cultivators dressed in black robes with their faces covered by cloth emerge one after another from within the cliff face.
Behind him, in the mountains, he could still faintly hear the rumbling of Battles. The noise seemed to have been non-stop from the moment he entered the mountain range.
"Hand it over!"
"Don’t think I don’t recognize you!"
"Don’t run!"
Right before his eyes, the situation changed abruptly.
One of the first Cultivators to emerge from the cliff shot into the sky the moment he was out. The two Cultivators who followed right behind him let out angry shouts, mounted their Magical Artifacts, and gave chase.
A scene of pursuit and escape unfolded suddenly before him.
The other Cultivators who came out after them were clearly used to such sights. Some took the opportunity to follow, while others departed on their own, unconcerned.
However, several gazes landed on Chu Mu as well.
Chu Mu glanced back, forcing himself to remain calm. His expression was normal, and with the "Spiritual Radiance Blessing" active, his eyes held an intimidating and indescribable depth.
Under the disguise of the Illusionary God Mask, it was obviously difficult to spot anything unusual.
Within a few steps, under the scrutiny of several pairs of eyes, Chu Mu walked calmly toward the rock wall. As he moved forward, his figure slowly sank into it...
...
