Chapter Seventy-Five: Return to Great Xia

While Chishan and Song Miao were locked in a fierce battle, Su Ang had already shattered the defensive formation of the Nether Ghost Sect. The followers of the Nine Nether Sacred Land surged forth and began a ruthless slaughter. The elders and disciples of the Nether Ghost Sect, now overwhelmed by terror, abandoned any thought of resistance and desperately scattered in all directions once their defenses fell.

Those disciples who fled were mercilessly hunted down by the Nine Nether Sacred Land’s followers. The Nether Ghost Sect, once arrogant in their assault against the Sacred Land, should have anticipated the consequences of revenge; now, regret was futile. Su Ang entrusted the task of purging the Nether Ghost Sect’s members to Chen Mu, who led the operation while Su Ang moved to assist Song Miao in resolving the battle with Chishan.

Chen Mu directed the cleansing with meticulous precision. Mounted atop his majestic eagle beast, he personally pursued and slew any escapees who slipped past the encirclement.

Once the disciples of the Nether Ghost Sect were utterly eradicated, Song Miao and Su Ang joined forces to kill Chishan. Henceforth, the Nether Ghost Sect ceased to exist.

Naturally, the next step was to ransack the sect. The crowds rushed in, seizing cultivation manuals, rare treasures, and magical weapons without reserve. Chen Mu immediately dashed toward the storage of medicinal herbs, claiming all the blood-tonic treasures for himself and paying no mind to the rest.

Having swept through the Nether Ghost Sect, their next destination was Crow Fortress.

The grandeur with which the Nine Nether Sacred Land annihilated the Nether Ghost Sect drew attention from other forces. Crow Fortress, upon hearing the news, promptly dispersed its members. The White Crow Daoist, seeking vengeance, allied himself with the Bright Moon Empire as a guest minister.

The now deserted Crow Fortress was stripped of anything valuable, much to the chagrin of Song Miao and the others. Had they possessed more manpower, a simultaneous siege from both sides might have prevented the escape of the fortress’s members.

Although there were no gains, it didn’t stop them from venting their frustration. After reducing Crow Fortress to ruin, Song Miao and his companions returned to the Nine Nether Sacred Land.

At present, among the two major forces with Nascent Soul-level power in the Bright Moon Empire, only the Nine Nether Sacred Land and the Empire itself remained. Friction between them persisted, with imperial troops constantly attempting to suppress the Sacred Land’s headquarters. However, the Sacred Land’s followers were formidable, and both sides suffered numerous casualties, locked in an unyielding stalemate.

Since the great battle at the imperial capital, the top combatants from both sides were recuperating from their injuries, each openly and covertly seeking healing elixirs to restore their strength.

Gongsun Qingyang suffered internal injuries from the Blood Fiend poison, but after Rou’er’s diagnosis, corresponding herbs were being gathered to refine the Purifying Fiend Pill, capable of expelling the blood poison.

Fortunately, seventy percent of the pill’s ingredients had been collected, though some rare herbs remained elusive.

After returning from the campaign against the Nether Ghost Sect and Crow Fortress, Chen Mu shut himself away from worldly affairs, immersing himself in cultivation. Using the blood-tonic treasures obtained from the Nether Ghost Sect, he advanced his body refinement realm to the late Forging Body stage. Then, he consumed Rou’er’s Essence Stabilizing Pills, elevating his energy cultivation to the late Foundation stage, and continued his training until year’s end.

Upon emerging, Chen Mu felt vigorous, his blood surging with power. His usual combat strength now allowed him to defeat late-stage Core Formation cultivators, and his defenses could withstand the full force of those at the peak of Core Formation. By activating the secret art “Blood Ignition Transformation,” his strength for the duration of a stick of incense rivaled the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm.

During this period, all materials for the Purifying Fiend Pill were finally assembled. Song Miao had repeatedly visited Chen Mu’s residence to inquire about his emergence, and now, upon Chen Mu’s return, he solemnly handed over the ingredients, hoping Rou’er, the spirit within Chen Mu’s beast bracelet, could refine the pill to purge the blood poison from their leader, Gongsun Qingyang.

Taking the herbs, Chen Mu gave them to Rou’er, who yawned, gathered the materials, commandeered Chen Mu’s bedroom, activated a barrier, and began her alchemy.

With nothing pressing, Chen Mu went to the leader’s mansion to inform his foster mother of his future plans. Now possessing brief Nascent Soul-level power, and with the war against the Bright Moon Empire deadlocked, he could no longer rely solely on the Sacred Land for vengeance.

He now felt capable of facing Nascent Soul cultivators without fear. Thus, he intended to return to the Great Xia Empire, both to hinder the Three Sects and royal members, and to build his own influence.

Upon arriving at the mansion, the steward led Chen Mu to the garden where his foster mother, Zhao Qingqing, often sat. She was enjoying the winter plum blossoms with her daughter, Gongsun Lin.

In the bitter cold, the fragrance of these resilient blossoms filled the air, prompting Chen Mu to marvel at their hard-earned beauty, the product of hardship.

Gongsun Lin greeted Chen Mu with both delight and reproach—happy to see him, but annoyed that he hadn’t visited sooner.

Chen Mu respectfully greeted them. “Foster mother, Sister Lin, I was idle recently and came to see you both. Rou’er has begun refining the Purifying Fiend Pill; in a few days, foster father’s blood fiend poison should be eliminated, and once it’s gone, he can slowly recover on his own.”

“Really? That’s wonderful! Father can finally heal,” Gongsun Lin exclaimed with joy.

Zhao Qingqing beckoned Chen Mu to sit, and after he did, she patted his hand. “It’s all thanks to you and Elder Rou’er. If you hadn’t rescued your foster father, I might have become a widow. If Lin’s father were gone, the Nine Nether Sacred Land would surely splinter. Chen Mu, please thank Elder Rou’er for refining the pill for your foster father. Only with his recovery can we stand firm before the Bright Moon Empire.”

“Don’t worry, foster mother. Father will recover, I promise. I’ll relay your gratitude to Rou’er,” Chen Mu assured her.

He then shifted the topic, sharing his intention to return to the Great Xia Empire for revenge. Zhao Qingqing frowned, sighing at Chen Mu’s impatience, and advised, “Chen Mu, your enemies are formidable. Though you possess Core Formation-level strength, you’re still no match for Nascent Soul experts. Wouldn’t it be wiser to wait until your foster father recovers and we resolve the Empire’s troubles before pursuing vengeance?”

Chen Mu considered her words. “Foster mother, I obtained a secret technique in the trial ruins that temporarily boosts my strength; even against mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, I can protect myself. My return to Great Xia isn’t just for revenge—my missing father and elder brother, who is imprisoned by the Azure Heaven Dao Sect, need me. Knowing their suffering torments me. Rest assured, I won’t act recklessly or confront them openly. I’ll act from the shadows, targeting isolated elders and disciples.”

Zhao Qingqing sighed, realizing she could not dissuade her foster son. After much thought, she reluctantly nodded. “Very well, but always put your safety first. Promise me you won’t act rashly.”

Chen Mu nodded. Gongsun Lin looked at him anxiously, knowing his journey would be fraught with danger. Though reluctant to see him leave, she understood his resolve for revenge was too strong to sway, and could only wish him swift success and freedom from hatred.

After conversing with Zhao Qingqing and Gongsun Lin for a while, Chen Mu departed.

An hour later, Rou’er finished refining the Purifying Fiend Pill. Chen Mu returned home and, together with Rou’er, brought the pill to Gongsun Qingyang, who was attending official matters in the main demon hall.

Upon seeing the pill, Gongsun Qingyang earnestly thanked Rou’er, who waved her tiny paw in dismissal.

Gongsun Qingyang took a deep breath and swallowed the pill. As its effects spread, he keenly felt the blood fiend poison dissolving within him, and was able to slowly mobilize his energy to restore his injuries.

Excitement and joy overwhelmed him—the pill worked, and within half a year he would recover fully.

Just as Gongsun Qingyang rejoiced, Chen Mu informed him of his plans and revealed his current strength.

Although Gongsun Qingyang strongly opposed Chen Mu venturing alone to Great Xia for revenge, upon learning his strength could briefly reach mid-stage Nascent Soul, his expression was as if he’d seen a ghost.

He remembered Chen Mu’s current realm was only Foundation. Was such leapfrogging even possible? Had common sense been abandoned? Such monstrous talent left him at a loss for words—just two minor realms short of matching himself in combat. Where could he show his face?

Seeing Chen Mu’s resolve, Gongsun Qingyang could only advise him to “be careful.”

After bidding farewell to acquaintances, Chen Mu set out for Great Xia.

At this time, Great Xia was plagued by disaster and unrest. All across the empire, massacres of civilians occurred—not by handfuls, but by groups of a hundred or more at a time.

The victims were left as desiccated skeletons, their blood drained—a method only Blood Sky, who escaped from the trial ruins, could employ.

Blood Sky, having scattered his cultivation, began anew, relying on blood absorption to reach the mid-stage Foundation realm—having opened one hundred and eight meridians for advancement.

This meant Blood Sky’s leap in challenge was even greater than Chen Mu’s, since he possessed a profound second-stage demonic soul foundation. Now, at mid-stage Foundation, he could challenge mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, and that was without the support of any secret arts like Chen Mu’s “Blood Ignition Transformation.”

Previously, he could only fight across one major realm, but after restarting his cultivation and opening one hundred and eight meridians, he could now challenge opponents two major realms above himself.

Blood Sky now roamed unchecked in Great Xia, able to escape even when facing late-stage Nascent Soul adversaries.

Thus, he continued his crimes across the land, absorbing blood to advance his cultivation.