Chapter 33 Slaughtering All

The young man seemed to be reminded by the Old Woman's words, his eyes fixed firmly on Chen Mu, filled with resentment.

Even that little boy shrank back, imitating his father's fierce gaze as he glared over.

Liu Ziming was stunned, his hand held out to help frozen in mid-air; he simply could not believe his ears.

They had just saved the three of them, and instead of receiving thanks, they were being extorted for money by the other party?

What kind of world is this!

Chen Mu's footsteps also stopped at the doorway; he turned slowly, with no surprise on his face, as if he had long anticipated the scene before him.

Looking at the Old Woman's greedy eyes, then at the middle-aged man's undisguised hatred, he suddenly grinned.

"It seems..."

Chen Mu spoke softly, as if talking to himself, or perhaps to Liu Ziming.

"The cultivation of this Cat Demon is indeed not shallow; after possessing the villager, it was actually able to fully manifest a human form, hiding all its claws and fur."

"It almost fooled us too..."

Before the words had faded, the sword light rose again.

This time it was faster, colder, and more resolute.

The sounds of wailing, complaining, and calculating came to an abrupt halt.

The three heads still bore expressions of disbelief and shock as they hit the ground, while the headless bodies swayed for a moment before collapsing one after another.

Liu Ziming was dumbfounded, his fingers trembling slightly.

Looking at the small courtyard that had instantly turned into a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, his throat went dry, and he couldn't utter a single word.

Yet Chen Mu merely shook the blood droplets off his sword, his expression indifferent.

"They are a family, after all."

"They should be together, neat and tidy."

He sheathed his sword and turned to walk out of the courtyard, his pace steady as he stepped through the pool of blood, leaving several bloody footprints in the yard.

"Let's go."

He said to Liu Ziming, who was still standing stiffly, "There are a few families left; once we finish clearing them, we will head to the Mass Grave."

Liu Ziming jolted awake as if from a dream. Looking at Chen Mu's back, and then at the corpses filling the courtyard, he felt a chill rush from the soles of his feet straight to his crown.

But he only gritted his teeth, leaned on his branch, and hobbled after him.

[Killed walking corpse, plundered three years of Lifespan!]

[Killed walking corpse, plundered three years of Lifespan!]

[Killed walking corpse, plundered three years of Lifespan!]

The sun hung high; the last courtyard in Sangye Village hiding demonized villagers was also cleared amidst the sounds of blades, and the System notifications rang non-stop.

When the last demonized villager was dragged out by Chen Mu, its vertical pupils were filled with resentment and unwillingness, emitting strange, cackling sounds mixed with indistinct human speech.

"Wait for the full moon... Old Ancestor will awaken... revenge... you... all must die!"

Chen Mu remained expressionless; as his hand rose and the sword fell, black blood splattered against the mud wall, and the voice came to an abrupt halt.

[Killed walking corpse, plundered three years of Lifespan!]

The cold notification sound rang in his mind; by this point, all the demonized villagers in the village had been completely exterminated.

Chen Mu glanced at the System panel; the plundered Lifespan had actually reached three hundred and twenty-five years!

Yet his expression remained solemn, showing no joy.

"It's all resolved..."

Liu Ziming leaned against the edge of the courtyard, panting heavily.

Chen Mu nodded, but his gaze was cast toward the distant Mass Grave.

The matter was not over yet; the source was still there.

The two did not delay; dragging their weary bodies, they headed straight toward the Mass Grave.

Although the sunlight was still intense, the Mass Grave remained undiminished in its eeriness, with crooked tombstones, fluttering white banners, and white bones exposed in the wild.

Chen Mu and Liu Ziming searched separately without a moment's rest, almost turning over every suspicious corner.

Half-collapsed graves, the deep Death-Abandonment Kiln, and twisted old gnarled trees.

Apart from a few skeletons that had been gnawed on by demonic creatures, they gained nothing.

There was no sign of the Cat-Faced Old Woman, and they couldn't even catch a trace of the Demonic Qi belonging to her.

"This old hag really hides deep during the day."

Liu Ziming leaned on his branch and said in a low voice.

Chen Mu stood on a higher earthen slope, pondering secretly, and then understood the crux of the matter.

"That Cat-Faced Old Woman is most skilled at dreams and hiding; during the day, the solar Qi is strong, so her power is limited, and naturally, she will hide."

"Only at night will demonic creatures appear, and on the night of the full moon, the Yin Qi is stronger, which is also when such demonic creatures are at their strongest."

"It seems the Cat Demon's threat before it died was not empty words; we can only prepare and wait for her to come to us."

"Wait for her to come..."

Liu Ziming's heart tightened.

"Yes, we must be prepared."

Chen Mu's voice was decisive. He then ignored Liu Ziming, sat cross-legged on a clean stone, closed his eyes, and let his consciousness sink.

The System panel appeared deep within his consciousness.

[Chen Mu: 17 years old, Remaining Lifespan: 11 years, (Plundered Lifespan): 325 years]

[Mastered Martial Arts: Broadsword Technique Perfection! Taibao Horizontal Training Perfection! Sword Drawing Technique Perfection! Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique Perfection! Divine Void Step Perfection!]

[Special Item: bear paw gloves. Skill: Flying Bear Dream Entry (Can be infused)]

Flying Bear Dream Entry can also be infused?

His gaze fell on the words "bear paw gloves".

This exotic treasure from Zhao Xiong had already demonstrated great Divine Ability when saving Liu Ziming and peeking into the old dog's memories.

But Chen Mu vaguely felt that the potential of these gloves was far more than this.

Dreams were the Cat-Faced Old Woman's home turf, and also her most powerful weapon.

If he wanted to defeat it in the field it was most skilled at, or even eradicate the entire root of the disaster, these gloves were likely the key.

He immediately infused Lifespan to upgrade Flying Bear Dream Entry.

[Infusing...]

[First year: You nurture the gloves day and night with your Qi and blood, perceiving the residual Flying Bear spirituality within, and gradually establish a deeper connection with it.]

[Tenth year: You actively begin to try and stimulate the spirituality within the gloves, no longer satisfied with passive dream entry or peeking. In the quiet of the deep night, you meditate while wearing the gloves, your consciousness seemingly transforming into an Incarnation of a bear, roaring in the mountains and forests, intimidating all beasts. The spirituality of the Flying Bear gloves gradually awakens, and its resonance with your mind and spirit becomes increasingly intense.]

[Thirtieth year: You are now able to initially control the "Dream Entry" power of the gloves; not just being guided or peeking, but being able to actively construct relatively simple dream barriers, and even slightly influence the dream fragments of others at extremely close range. You begin to realize that the "Flying Bear" is not an ordinary bear, but an ancient exotic beast that controls dreams, breaks illusions, and its power can connect to the netherworld.]

[Sixtieth year: During a deep meditation, your consciousness completely fuses with the sleeping remnant spirit of the Flying Bear within the gloves. In an instant, you seem to transform into an Incarnation of an ancient Flying Bear, roaring at the sky, the sound shaking the nine netherworlds. Countless profound insights regarding dream manipulation, consciousness offense and defense, and the transformation between reality and illusion flood into your heart. You realize the higher Realm of the "Flying Bear Dream-Entering Technique"; not only can you enter and peek into dreams, but you can also use your own dream as a foundation to construct a "Dream Domain" and forcibly drag targets of the same Rank into it! Thus, "Flying Bear Dream-Entering Technique": Major Achievement!]

[Infusion successful! Flying Bear gloves Realm upgraded to: Major Achievement! Unlocked abilities: Dream Domain Construction (small range), Forced Dream Dragging (effective against targets of the same Rank or lower)]

[Restriction: Must be close to the target, and the success rate is highest when the target's mind fluctuates or their defenses are weak.]

Decades of plundered Lifespan were consumed in an instant; Chen Mu opened his eyes abruptly, a faint ghostly light seemingly flashing and vanishing in his pupils.

Dream Domain Construction, Forced Dream Dragging.

Chen Mu carefully contemplated the newly acquired abilities, and a bold and risky plan gradually took shape in his mind.

Didn't that Cat-Faced Old Woman love invading others' dreams, devouring souls, and playing with human hearts?

Now he also had the ability to invade dreams, and even create a dream battlefield.

You want to kill in dreams, fine, then I will duel you in a dream.

Cold light flashed in Chen Mu's eyes.

Let's see if your Hundred-Phase Soul Devouring is stronger, or if my Flying Bear Dream Entry is superior.