Chapter 80: Emergence from Seclusion

As the spirit of battle surged, Yuan Shan and Chen Mu locked eyes, each breaking into a knowing smile before launching themselves into fierce combat. Chen Mu faced the old ape demon, Yuan Shan, relying solely on the strength of his own body. The exchange was brutal, each blow landing with a resounding impact.

Yuan Shan was surprised that Chen Mu had chosen to fight him in hand-to-hand combat, and even more astonished that Chen Mu’s physical strength was in no way inferior to his own. Qing and Chihuo watched with bated breath and pounding hearts as man and ape traded blows. They knew Yuan Shan was a battle maniac, but never imagined Chen Mu could match his pace, holding his own in the fight.

Qing and Chihuo had originally submitted to Chen Mu because of the superior bloodline he possessed, but seeing him display such overwhelming strength in the late Foundation Establishment realm left them thoroughly convinced and admiring.

Yuan Shan grinned widely, for he was still holding the advantage; after all, his strength did surpass Chen Mu’s. Chen Mu, battered and aching, was forced to activate his Draconic Scale Feather Garment technique, which allowed him to withstand Yuan Shan’s relentless barrage of fists.

When Yuan Shan saw the shimmering scales enveloping Chen Mu, he let out a strange howl—so it was true, Chen Mu possessed the bloodline of a flood dragon. The scales even crackled with threads of lightning, and every time Yuan Shan’s fists struck Chen Mu, a paralyzing jolt of pain shot through him.

Seeing Yuan Shan finally falter, Chen Mu felt a surge of satisfaction. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, he grinned and pressed forward, pummeling Yuan Shan with renewed vigor.

At this point, Yuan Shan recognized that Chen Mu truly possessed some ability; evidently, his earlier claims had not been mere boasts. Yet, to truly earn his recognition, Chen Mu would need to show far more.

Yuan Shan now fought in earnest, his aura swelling as he unleashed a flurry of blows from the "Mad Demon Ape Fist." Instantly, Chen Mu found himself completely overwhelmed.

Indeed, Chen Mu’s experience in unarmed combat was still lacking. In the past, he had always relied on brute force to crush weaker opponents, a strategy that had never failed him. But now he faced an adversary whose physical might matched his own, and whose mastery of fists and kicks far exceeded his. Chen Mu could do nothing but take a beating.

It was a humiliating experience—he could only cover his head and defend himself from Yuan Shan’s onslaught, unable to counterattack at all.

Qing and Chihuo sighed at the sight. Chen Mu was strong, but his youth left him at a disadvantage. Lasting this long against the old ape, Yuan Shan, was already impressive.

Driven by the flames of indignation, Chen Mu knew he had to win this formidable fighter over to his side. With no other options, he activated the secret art "Blood Ignition Transformation."

Yuan Shan was taken aback as Chen Mu’s aura surged higher and higher, crimson flames flaring from his body. For the first time, Yuan Shan sensed a hint of danger emanating from Chen Mu, and that sense only fueled his excitement.

Now Chen Mu’s power had soared to the middle Nascent Soul stage. Time was short—he had to bring Yuan Shan down quickly, or else his strength would revert and he would lose his chance.

Vital energy roared and gathered in Chen Mu’s fists. He skillfully controlled his force, ensuring Yuan Shan was suppressed but not seriously harmed, hammering him blow after blow until Yuan Shan could only howl in frustration.

No matter how fierce Yuan Shan’s martial skills were, before such a ferocious onslaught of pure Yang force, his defenses crumbled, and he could not keep up.

This reversal left Qing and Chihuo stunned. They hadn’t expected Chen Mu to have another trick up his sleeve. Now, Chen Mu was a full level above Yuan Shan, and even if Yuan Shan gave his all, he could not resist.

Yuan Shan was beaten black and blue, and under Chen Mu’s relentless assault, he was finally forced to admit defeat. Seeing this, Chen Mu breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn’t wanted to truly injure Yuan Shan, and the secret art “Blood Ignition Transformation” was time-limited—Yuan Shan conceding was the best possible outcome.

After withdrawing the secret art, Chen Mu slumped to the ground, exhausted. “Well? I won, didn’t I? Are you convinced yet?”

Yuan Shan bared his teeth and grumbled, “I’m convinced, I’m convinced. But you really don’t pull your punches. You’re not supposed to hit the face, yet every punch landed square on mine!”

Chen Mu, gritting his own teeth, retorted, “Well, who told you to start off beating me so gleefully? You were shouting and hollering the whole time!”

Man and ape lay side by side on the ground, silently recovering their strength. Qing and Chihuo wiped the sweat from their brows as they approached. Watching their duel had been painful—the two hadn’t dodged at all, taking each blow head-on.

But they could tell now: it wasn’t just Chen Mu’s bloodline that won them over, but his true strength, which was enough to subdue them.

Once rested, Chen Mu turned to Yuan Shan. “So? You lost fair and square. Will you come with me?”

Yuan Shan bellowed, “Lost is lost! I’ll go with you, boss, and help you make those humans wet themselves in terror!”

Chen Mu was speechless. It looked like “boss” was a title he’d have to accept now—he felt like a gang leader.

Chihuo, seeing Yuan Shan so thoroughly subdued, put on a senior air and said, “Yuan Shan, we’re colleagues now. I joined first, so you have to call me big brother.”

At those words, Yuan Shan bristled with indignation. “You little brat! When I was roaming these mountains, you were still in your mother’s belly. You should be calling me uncle, not big brother! Take this!”

At once, Yuan Shan and Chihuo fell to wrestling. The giant python Qing stood aside, thinking silently, “I was the first to follow the master. Does that make me the eldest sister?”

Fortunately, Yuan Shan and Chihuo couldn’t hear her thoughts, or the quarrel would only grow.

“All right, that’s enough. Now that we have enough fighting power, Qing, return to your lair and look after my sect’s disciples. I’ll take Chihuo and Yuan Shan to settle accounts with the Bright Moon Blade Sect.”

Qing hesitated and asked, “I can protect your fellow disciples, but are Chihuo and Yuan Shan really enough? Should we bring more help?”

“It’s enough. It’s not just Chihuo and Yuan Shan—I have two more companions in my spirit beast bracelet. Heh, the combined strength of you three couldn’t defeat one of them.”

The three demons exchanged glances, surprised that Chen Mu already had two demon beasts by his side. That he even possessed a spirit beast bracelet was a rare marvel.

At that moment, Yuan Shan hesitated before speaking up. “Boss, there’s something I need to make clear. I’ll go down the mountain with you to wipe out those humans, but that’s it. It’s not that I don’t want to follow you, but I have a whole troop of monkeys and apes to care for. I can’t leave for long, unlike that stupid tiger who roams free and alone.”

“I understand. I never intended to force you into submission—just to invite you to join me for this battle. Chihuo also follows me of his own will.”

Seeing Chen Mu’s lack of displeasure, Yuan Shan relaxed. “Don’t worry, during this time I’ll do my part and turn those humans’ sect upside down.”

With Chen Mu’s approval, Yuan Shan reluctantly bade farewell to his troop, signing and gesturing at length before departing the Star Ridge Mountains with Chen Mu.

...

Half a month later, Chen Mu had left the Star Ridge Mountains and arrived at a city near the Bright Moon Blade Sect’s headquarters.

By now, Chihuo and Yuan Shan had both been taken into the spirit beast bracelet, where they met the true boss, the little dragon fox Rou’er. In her presence, they didn’t dare make a sound, obediently hiding in a corner. The swift eagle beast, seeing the two cowed newcomers, retreated into its own corner as well.

To annihilate the Bright Moon Blade Sect, they would need to penetrate its protective grand formation. Although brute force could break the formation, the sect’s leaders and elite disciples would use secret escape routes, making it impossible to eliminate them all at once. The only way was to find a method to infiltrate the sect’s defenses.

As Chen Mu pondered how to sneak into the Bright Moon Blade Sect for a devastating attack, he caught wind of some news in the city of Chuanli: it was the season for delivering tribute to the Bright Moon Blade Sect. The Yan family had already assembled the tribute and would soon send an escort to the sect.

After a moment’s thought, Chen Mu realized this was an opportunity. The Yan family was recruiting wandering cultivators in the Foundation Establishment realm as guards. If he could join the tribute escort, he’d gain entry into the Bright Moon Blade Sect. Resolute, he decided to apply for the guard position.

Among the burly men vying for the job, a youth of about fifteen suddenly appeared, drawing curious glances. Not only was the youth’s appearance unusual, but he actually had the cultivation of Foundation Establishment—people whispered that he must have consumed some rare treasure to reach this level at such a young age, but doubted the solidity of his foundation. Clearly, he was no prodigy.

Chen Mu kept a low profile during the assessment, deliberately holding back his strength and performing at an average level. His results were neither high nor low, just enough to get him accepted.

His inconspicuous performance aroused no suspicion, and he smoothly joined the Yan family’s guard detail.

A fellow newly recruited Foundation Establishment cultivator approached Chen Mu with a friendly greeting, “Hey there, I’m Zhang Dali. You’re so young to be working as a guard—why not join a proper sect and become an inner disciple?”

Chen Mu glanced at the man and replied with a prepared story, “Nice to meet you, Brother Dali. I’m Mu Dong. To be honest, I missed the last round of sect recruitments by sheer bad luck, and I have no connections to help me. So I never joined a sect. Now that I hear the Yan family is delivering tribute to the Bright Moon Blade Sect, I figured I’d try my luck and see if they might accept me.”