Chapter 175 Zi Ming and secretly helped

A cold notification tone rang in his mind, but Chen Mu's heart remained as still as an ancient well. He was like a red-hot blade slicing into butter; wherever he passed, the Yin officials scattered.

"Presumptuous!"

The Night Patrol God and the Day Patrol God roared in unison. Their forms flickered as they closed in from left and right. The mourning sticks and soul-snatching ropes in their hands stirred up Yin Qi, specifically targeting the Divine Soul.

Ox-Head and Horse-Face roared, their heavy footsteps causing the floor tiles to tremble. Their steel forks and chains had already blocked Chen Mu's path of retreat.

Chen Mu's eyes narrowed slightly. These Yin official leaders possessed strength far beyond ordinary ghost soldiers; their Realm was roughly around the Heart-Awakening Realm, and they also possessed strange divine arts.

His figure shifted abruptly. Chen Mu spun on the spot, and the soul-slaying blade quickly carved out an arc.

"Soul-Loss!"

Upon the blade, black light surged intensely. He exerted the Soul-Loss Art to its full potential, and the Dao intent of the soul-slaying blade, which specialized in destroying soul bodies, erupted with a roar.

When the Night Patrol God's mourning stick made contact, the staff itself emitted an unbearable cracking sound, its Yin Qi being frenziedly eroded by the soul-slaying blade. The Day Patrol God's soul-snatching rope was deflected by the arc of the blade and failed to get close.

A whistling wind flashed past his ears as the attacks from Ox-Head and Horse-Face arrived. Chen Mu clenched his left fist, covering it with Hunyuan Calamity Astral Qi. Without dodging or evading, he smashed his fist into the side of the steel fork Ox-Head was stabbing at him.

"Boom!"

Fist and fork collided with a thunderous sound. Ox-Head's body shook violently, and the steel fork was knocked to the side. Chen Mu, using the force of the rebound, floated backward, just in time to dodge the chain Horse-Face had swept toward him.

Although he was only using his Dao Entry Realm cultivation to fight head-on, the Foundation of his Hunyuan Wuji Calamity Body granted him terrifying strength comparable to a Body Cultivator of the Heart-Awakening Realm.

In the blink of an eye, Chen Mu had exchanged a round of Moves with the four Yin official leaders. It looked like a draw, but in reality, he was in constant danger.

On the other side, Qi Huan's situation was even more difficult. He was fighting one against five, facing the siege of the bearded man and four experts from the neighboring county alone.

Although the Five Cloud Hands were exquisite, the opponents worked with tacit understanding. Blades, swords, fists, and kicks attacked from different directions, leaving him barely able to hold his ground, and he had already sustained two bloody wounds.

Meanwhile, Liu Ziming and the dozen or so Demon Suppression Division bailiffs he had brought with him appeared exceptionally awkward at this moment.

They stood there gripping their blades, neither advancing nor retreating. Their gazes shifted back and forth between the desperate, fighting Qi Huan, the ghost-like Chen Mu, and the cold-faced Xu Changze sitting in the main seat.

A look of struggle appeared on many of their faces.

They had worked with Chen Mu and Qi Huan for a long time. Although they couldn't claim a deep friendship, watching their colleagues being besieged and killed was, in the end, an unsettling feeling.

Moreover, Xu Changze's collusion with the Five-Tailed Fox Demon tonight was clearly not the act of the Righteous Path.

Sweat rolled down Liu Ziming's forehead. He stared fixedly at the scene, his lips pressed into a straight line.

Seeing this, Xu Changze's expression turned as gloomy as water.

"Liu Ziming! Why aren't you acting yet? Could it be that you intend to defy orders?"

Liu Ziming shuddered and slowly drew his sword, the blade gleaming with a cold light. Seeing this, the bailiffs behind him had no choice but to grit their teeth and draw their blades, but their movements were slow and their eyes unfocused.

"Brothers..."

Liu Ziming's voice was hoarse as he turned to glance at his subordinates.

"Chief Chen... Chen Mu has colluded with evil demons, secretly harmed the City God, and attacked the guards of the Upper Palace. The evidence is conclusive. We eat the imperial court's salary, so we must... must follow orders."

These words were difficult to say, and before he had even finished, he had already lost his conviction.

Upon hearing this, the struggle on the bailiffs' faces intensified, and some even secretly took a half-step back.

Chen Mu stood with his blade, covered in blood. His gaze swept calmly over his former colleagues before finally landing on Liu Ziming's face.

Their eyes met.

A flash of complex emotions crossed Liu Ziming's eyes: struggle, helplessness, guilt, and a trace of pleading.

Chen Mu understood and nodded slowly.

Only then did Liu Ziming breathe a sigh of relief. He turned and bowed to Xu Changze.

"My Lord, your subordinate will apprehend the traitor now."

After saying this, he turned back, gave a look to the bailiffs, and waved his hand.

"Attack!"

The bailiffs bit the bullet and charged, but their movements were stiff and their Moves were weak; rather than a siege, it was more like they were just going through the motions.

Someone accidentally bumped into the elite from the neighboring county, disrupting their formation. Someone missed their strike and slashed at empty air, and others slipped, nearly knocking over their comrades.

Liu Ziming was even leading the charge, swinging his blade at Chen Mu. The blade light flashed, and the momentum was impressive, but at the critical moment, it always deviated by three points. The blade edge grazed past Chen Mu's ear, not even cutting a single hair.

"Liu Ziming, what are your men doing!"

The bearded man forced Qi Huan back with a strike and turned to roar angrily.

Liu Ziming quickly cupped his hands, his face full of apology.

"Apologies, apologies! The brothers have never seen such a battle before, they are a bit flustered."

After speaking, he turned his head and hurriedly commanded his subordinates.

"You few, go left! No, that's right! Ouch, be careful not to bump into your own people!"

His chaotic commands only made the mistakes of the Demon Suppression Division bailiffs more frequent.

One Demon Suppression Division bailiff slipped, bumping and misdirecting a spear that an elite from the neighboring county was using to ambush Qi Huan. Another bailiff couldn't pull back his strike in time, and his blade edge happened to slice across a Yin official's arm, causing its Yin Qi to dissipate.

Xu Changze glanced coldly at Liu Ziming, a flash of murderous intent passing through his eyes.

How could he not see that Liu Ziming was playing tricks? But the overall situation had not yet been decided, so he endured it for the time being.

At this moment, the Five-Tailed Fox Demon finally chuckled and stood up, walking gracefully into the hall. Her five fox tails swayed gently, and charm flowed within her eyes.

"These pieces of trash are useless. It is better to let me handle it."

Having said that, she looked at Chen Mu and licked her red lips.

"Little gentleman, you are truly impressive. I like you more and more. Why not come back to Beimang Mountain with me and become my male concubine? That is better than dying here."

Chen Mu forced the Day Patrol God back with a slash and tightened his grip on the blade.

He could feel that the Five-Tailed Fox Demon's aura was as deep as the sea. What was more troublesome was that Xu Changze had not moved yet.

That official seal representing the imperial court's legal authority, along with the stolen faith of the people, were the biggest variables.

Qi Huan obviously thought of this too; while maneuvering against the experts, he remained vigilant of Xu Changze at all times.

But Xu Changze just watched coldly, not making a Move.

What was he waiting for?

Seeing that Chen Mu did not answer, the Five-Tailed Fox Demon was not annoyed. She chuckled softly, and her figure suddenly blurred. The next second, she appeared at Chen Mu's side, her five fingers forming claws, aiming straight for his heart.

So fast!

Chen Mu's heart tightened. He activated the Divine Void Step with full force, narrowly dodging sideways. The fox claws grazed past his ribs, leaving five bloody marks on his skin.

At the same time, the five tails behind the Five-Tailed Fox Demon moved in unison, as if they were living things, attacking the vital points all over Chen Mu's body.

Chen Mu's pressure increased sharply. The soul-slaying blade danced into a mass of black light, protecting his vital points. The "clang, clang, clang" of impacts was as dense as rain. He blocked several attacks in succession, but two still penetrated the blade net, leaving shallow bloody marks on his shoulder.

If not for the Hunyuan Calamity Astral Qi protecting his body, he would likely have been seriously injured by now.

What was more troublesome was that the Yin official leaders, such as the Day Patrol God and the Night Patrol God, seized the opportunity to intensify their attacks. Mourning sticks, soul-snatching ropes, steel forks, and chains attacked from all directions, forming an inescapable net along with the Five-Tailed Fox Demon's claw shadows and fox tails.

Chen Mu fell into a bitter struggle, his figure dodging to the limit within the narrow space, constantly in danger. He cast a glance at Qi Huan; the situation there was equally unfavorable.

Under the siege of the five, Qi Huan was already showing signs of defeat. A deep gash had been cut into his left leg, and his movements were beginning to slow down.

The battle continued, and the smell of blood grew stronger.

Chen Mu's breathing began to grow heavy. Facing the combined efforts of the Five-Tailed Fox Demon and the Yin officials after continuous high-intensity fighting, his consumption was immense.