As dawn broke, Mu Yun arrived outside the inn, covered in dust from his journey. The main door was slightly ajar, and the inn was eerily silent, with only the wind chimes hanging from the dilapidated eaves swaying with the breeze, emitting mournful sounds.
Mu Yun's heart sank to rock bottom. If he hadn't fled from here several hours ago, anyone else in this situation would probably think the place had been abandoned for a long time. Mu Yun observed for a moment, and seeing no one entering or leaving, he used the terrain to conceal himself from the side and approached the inn.
"Everyone... gone?"
Inside, the room was exceptionally desolate. Mu Yun stood in the room, looking around. As far as his eyes could see, there were only a few shattered tables and chairs, with no obvious signs of a struggle. There was no blood on the floor, which gave off an eerie feeling.
Mu Yun cautiously made his way to the second floor. Just as he entered the room, he saw a man dressed in the same martial attire as the Zhong brothers, lazily sitting high up, with a half-smile on his face. He was a martial arts expert in the late Body Tempering stage.
"I didn't expect a mere mid-stage Body Tempering practitioner to escape the Zhong brothers' pursuit, and even have the guts to return here..."
As he spoke, the man sized up Mu Yun. When he saw the steel saber in Mu Yun's hand, his smile instantly froze, and his expression seemed somewhat astonished.
"You killed them?"
Mu Yun was indifferent and did not answer. Instead, he said, "Why does your Yinsu Sect slaughter mortals in this place?"
A sharp glint flashed in the man's eyes. "So you know our sect's name. What sect are you from? Since we are fellow cultivators, you must know how our Yinsu Sect operates."
"Yinsu Sect? A minor sect, never heard of it," Mu Yun pretended to ponder for a moment, then shook his head seriously.
"You..." The man was so enraged he almost laughed, believing Mu Yun was mocking him. "Among the surrounding sects, who dares not give way when the Yinsu Sect is mentioned? Let alone killing a few mortals, even if we hunt down a few disciples from minor sects, who would dare seek revenge?"
"Could it be that you belong to the Huayang Sect?" The man muttered to himself in doubt, but moments later, his eyes still flashed with murderous intent. "The Young Master ordered me to stay here and rendezvous with the Zhong brothers when they returned to report. Since the Zhong brothers died by this rogue's hand, no matter what sect this rogue belongs to, I must capture him first."
"Even if it's the Huayang Sect, when have we, the Yinsu Sect, ever been afraid?"
Thinking this, the man roared and was the first to charge at Mu Yun.
Seeing the opponent's murderous intent, Mu Yun did not hastily meet the attack. With a flick of his wrist, a white blade flashed, a chilling white gleam streaked across the room's rafters, and then he tapped his toe on the ground, his entire body leaping backward.
At this moment, the rafter, struck by the white gleam, suddenly broke, and the unsupported roof collapsed with a crash. The man who had been charging was stopped by the sudden collapse of the roof, his body momentarily pausing.
However, the man was still a martial artist in the late Body Tempering stage. After his momentary pause, the force in his legs did not diminish; instead, he infused even more power into his feet, propelling himself forward like a cannonball. His right hand, moreover, was filled with power, like a swinging sledgehammer.
With that kick and punch, the man charged out of the collapsed house like a mad bull, wood splinters flying everywhere. Apart from that brief pause, the collapsing house seemed to have no effect on him whatsoever.
Mu Yun, who had been thrown backward, remained calm in this situation. He took a deep breath, and as his feet landed, he casually picked up a large rock and threw it at the man.
The man, who had just rushed out of the collapsed house, saw the sky darken and a huge rock already before his eyes. Without time to think, he rolled on the ground, narrowly dodging. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that where the huge rock landed, it had actually created a deep crater.
"What immense power?! Is he truly a mid-stage Body Tempering martial artist?" As the man was astonished, he suddenly felt a sharp pain. A smaller rock, a size down from the first, had already struck him.
The black-clad man felt a sharp, twisting pain all over his body, and was then struck down by the giant rock. After that, various sized rocks flew at him, dense as a rain of stones.
"Despicable rogue!" the man gritted his teeth and cursed loudly. Aside from the first rock that hit him, the other rocks did not cause any substantial damage. Unexpectedly, just as he struggled to get up, a chilling white blade stopped at his neck—it was Mu Yun, who had arrived in front of the man at some unknown point.
"You only get one chance."
"Speak, why is your Yinsu Sect here? What is the true identity of your so-called Young Master?"
The man's eyes flickered with uncertainty. After a moment, he spoke, "We only obey the Young Master's commands. We arrived here over a year ago, but we never knew the purpose. As for the Young Master's background, it's not something we are privy to. We only know that he is one step away from shedding his mortal coil and becoming a cultivator."
"Oh? Peak Qi Condensation?!" Mu Yun was startled, not expecting that the young man who appeared to be his age was actually a powerful Qi Condensation expert, even a grand master at the Kaiyang Realm, the final stage of Qi Condensation. It was said that such experts were no longer considered mortal martial artists and could use some immortal methods.
Mu Yun asked in a deep voice, "What about the others in the inn? Where did your group go?"
"Those in the inn displeased the Young Master, so they were all killed."
Mu Yun's heart trembled. "The innkeeper's family too?"
"What? Do their family have ties with you?" Although the black-clad man was restrained, he constantly observed Mu Yun's expression. Now, seeing Mu Yun unsettled, he suddenly roared. Then, his body slid sideways, out of Mu Yun's attack range, and he pushed off the ground with his right hand, kicking furiously at Mu Yun.
In his daze, Mu Yun's mind couldn't help but flash back to the scenes of him and his grandfather conversing with the innkeeper every time they passed through. The innkeeper also had a granddaughter, roughly his age. Whenever Mu Yun and his grandfather stopped by the inn for a bowl of water, the little girl would always giggle and call Mu Yun "big brother." Although they hadn't met many times, hearing this sudden tragic news, all those past memories flooded his mind, leaving him in a trance.
Mu Yun was kicked in the body, the immense force sending him flying several zhang. Although he immediately got up, his left hip felt a sharp pain; several ribs were likely broken.
"Hehe... The waiter's service was poor, kill!"
"The chef's cooking was bad, kill!"
"The surrounding guests were too timid, kill!"
"A few constables tried to fight beyond their means, kill!"
"Oh, and there was a pretty little girl at the inn. If she had just submitted to the Young Master, she wouldn't have died, and might have even risen to prominence. But she vowed not to yield, and the old innkeeper, seeing his own granddaughter being bullied, swore to protect her, so they were all killed together."
"Mere chickens and dogs!!"
The man's voice was not loud, but it felt like heavy punches slamming into Mu Yun's chest. Mu Yun's face was pale, and his eyes gradually turned cold.
"You all deserve to die!" Mu Yun murmured, boundless rage filling his chest. He raised his saber and charged at the man, covering a distance of several zhang almost in the blink of an eye. Without any specific move, Mu Yun gripped the saber with both hands and chopped straight down.
"Bamboo Chopping Technique!!"
The man had thought that under his verbal provocation, Mu Yun would lose composure and fighting power. But he hadn't expected Mu Yun to suddenly attack, and at such speed. In haste, the man's hands flashed with a faint glow, guarding his front. He had used a defensive technique. Mu Yun's saber strike was like chopping hard stone; the blade collided with the faint glow, producing a crisp "ding" sound, sparks flew, and a strong rebound force came back. Mu Yun felt a faint pain in his tiger's mouth (the web between thumb and forefinger).
The man was also not well. Under Mu Yun's fierce strike, his legs sank into the earth, and the faint glow actually showed signs of dissipating slightly.
Before the man could react, Mu Yun swung his saber down again, and then again, and again. After more than ten times, Mu Yun took a deep breath, his entire body's muscles tensed, his hands gripping the saber hilt tightly, and a violent force poured out.
The faint glow dissipated. Even though it had blocked a fatal blow, the residual force after the saber light shattered the glow remained. The saber blade cut through the man's blocking arm like cutting mud, then continued to slice into the man's right shoulder. The man's entire body was engulfed by the immense force, deeply embedding into the ground, with only his terrified head exposed, eyes wide open in disbelief.
Several mouthfuls of fresh blood spurted from his mouth. The man struggled for a moment, then lost all signs of life.
Seeing the man die, Mu Yun's entire body gradually relaxed. He staggered back a few steps, then sat down heavily on the ground, gasping for breath. A moment later, he clutched his left hip and stood up, clearing the traces of the fight, and then looked around.
He discovered that not far from the inn, there was a pile of white dust, surrounded by obvious charred marks from a large fire. Mu Yun's heart trembled. He came to this spot and remained silent. His fingernails, from tightly clenched fists, were deeply embedded in his palms, oozing crimson blood.
At this moment, his hair stood on end with rage!