Chapter 52 Fierce Battle and Testing of Moves

They reformed a defensive formation, ceasing their attacks, but still kept Chen Mu surrounded in the center.

The leader stepped forward and cast his gaze upon Chen Mu, observing him carefully. His eyes held undisguised surprise, with a faint hint of appreciation.

His name was Qi Huan, a Banner Officer dispatched by the Prefecture Demon Suppression Division, and he had seen many young talents.

But to have reached such a Realm in movement techniques at Chen Mu's age was truly rare.

"To be so young and yet have trained your movement technique to such a degree—where reality and illusion are hard to distinguish and afterimages remain—it is no wonder you are so arrogant; you truly have some capital to back it up."

He stepped forward, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger.

Head Constable Wang, standing to the side, felt anxious, fearing that the other party would ruin his plans, and hurriedly spoke up.

"Chief Qi… this kid…"

Qi Huan waved his hand, cutting him off, his gaze fixed intently on Chen Mu.

"No matter. Their movement techniques are mediocre, and having too many people only gets in the way. I will handle this myself."

After speaking, he stepped forward, unbuckled the saber at his waist and tossed it to his subordinate. He then assumed a starting stance with empty hands, his five fingers shaped like eagle claws, with currents of Qi faintly swirling between them.

Chen Mu's heart tightened; the feeling this man gave him was far more dangerous than the others.

The opponent had clearly discerned the mysteries of his Divine Void Step and had voluntarily called off the encirclement. Either he was relying on his own status, or… he simply wanted to personally test Chen Mu's mettle.

Chen Mu cupped his hands slightly, his tone firm.

"Senior, you flatter me. I only wish to enter the residence to investigate the case. There is truly no need for everyone to make things so difficult for me."

"Kid, stop wasting your breath. Let me see if your skills can match your tone."

"If you can last a few moves under my hand, I will pretend I didn't see anything today, and you may investigate however you wish."

"If you cannot hold on, then obediently get lost and stop being an eyesore to us."

Chen Mu did not reply. He pointed his long sword diagonally at the ground, the tip trembling slightly.

He knew that this battle was unavoidable.

This concerned not only whether he could enter the Zhao residence to investigate but also his future situation.

If he were easily defeated here by these experts from the Prefecture, he would have no place left in the Yunmeng Demon Suppression Division, and Xu Changze and Head Constable Wang would no longer fear him and would suppress him even more ruthlessly.

Conversely, if he could demonstrate sufficient strength and win the respect of these Prefecture experts, his situation would improve significantly.

Thinking of this, Chen Mu secretly pushed his Taibao Horizontal Training to the limit. His Protective Aura formed a faint halo around his body, almost condensing into a solid form.

Qi Huan sensing the gradually rising Aura on Chen Mu, the look of appreciation in Qi Huan's eyes grew even stronger.

"Be careful!"

Qi Huan let out a low roar and his figure suddenly shot forward, his speed not much slower than Chen Mu's Divine Void Step.

At the same time, his right hand reached out like an eagle claw, aiming straight for Chen Mu's throat.

This strike looked simple, but in reality, it instantly blocked the space for Chen Mu to dodge left or right.

Chen Mu dared not meet it head-on and hurriedly urged his Divine Void Step, his figure splitting from one into three, dodging in three different directions.

But Qi Huan was not flustered in the slightest. It was as if he could see through the illusions; he slightly adjusted his attack direction, completely unaffected by the phantoms, and consistently aimed his attacks at Chen Mu's true body.

Chen Mu constantly changed directions, his afterimages shifting as he maneuvered and dodged in the small space. However, Qi Huan followed him like a shadow, consistently launching precise attacks. The two fought with speed against speed, leaving the onlookers dizzy.

Head Constable Wang's complexion was ugly to the extreme. He had not expected Chen Mu to be able to last so many moves under an expert sent by the Prefecture. This Chen Mu's strength… was truly not to be underestimated!

The more they fought, the more alarmed Chen Mu became, and cold sweat began to trickle down.

Although the opponent's movement technique was not as refined as the Divine Void Step, it was exceptionally agile, and his combat experience was extremely rich. His plan to use phantoms to confuse the opponent and strike when vulnerable had failed, so he had to change his strategy.

He could not just defend; he had to launch an attack!

Thinking of this, Chen Mu narrowly dodged a throat-locking eagle claw from the opponent. His figure suddenly paused, and he concentrated all his Sword Qi at the tip of his sword, charging forward violently.

This sword strike had no frills, but wherever the blade passed, the air was torn apart, emitting a sharp, explosive sound.

"Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique!"

Qi Huan's expression changed for the first time. Daring not to be arrogant and fight empty-handed anymore, he reached for his waist, and a soft sword immediately sprang out, slashing violently against the sword light.

"Clang—"

The two swords collided, emitting a crisp sound. The soft sword coiled around Chen Mu's blade, and with a violent pull, the long sword in Chen Mu's hand was sent flying out of his grasp, pinning itself to the vermilion gate of the Zhao residence!

Everyone thought the outcome had been decided, but unexpectedly, Chen Mu did not retreat but advanced instead. Clenching his right fist and infusing it with Protective Aura, he smashed it fiercely toward Qi Huan's face!

This punch came very suddenly, closing the distance in the blink of an eye. It was impossible to block with his sword in time, so in his haste, Qi Huan could only raise his fist to meet it.

"Bang!"

The two fists met, producing a dull thud, and both men retreated three steps.

Chen Mu only felt a powerful force invading his body through his arm, shaking his internal organs until they ached faintly. However, he forcibly endured the discomfort and tried hard to maintain a calm expression.

Qi Huan looked down at his own hand; his index finger was still trembling slightly, and a sharp pain radiated from his finger bones.

This move had actually caused him to suffer a hidden loss.

The scene was deathly silent.

Everyone was shocked by this head-on collision. No one had expected that this seemingly weak young constable could actually clash with an expert dispatched by the Prefecture to this extent!

"Stop fighting, you two!"

It was only then that Zhao Qinghe seemed to come to his senses. Just moments ago, Chen Mu's sword had flown out and pinned itself directly into his own gate, grazing his throat; he had been so scared he almost screamed.

Standing between the two, he bowed repeatedly with a fawning smile on his face, though that smile was even uglier than crying.

"Two officers, we are all on the same side, why go to the trouble of harming our relations! It's a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding!"

Qi Huan slowly exhaled a breath of stale air and exercised his left hand, hiding his slightly trembling fingers in his sleeve. He looked at Chen Mu with a complex gaze, and after a long while, suddenly cupped his hands and said.

"Demon Suppression Division's Qi Huan. Brother Chen, what great skills, what great courage!"

Chen Mu also cupped his hands in return. "Chen Mu. Chief Qi, you flatter me."

On the surface, he was calm and composed, but in reality, his blood was already churning within him. If he hadn't been forcibly suppressing it, he would have already vomited blood.

But he had to pretend.

Not only pretend, but pretend as if he were perfectly fine.

Qi Huan was from the Prefecture Demon Suppression Division, and his evaluation would likely be passed directly to the superiors. Chen Mu needed this opportunity to let those above know that there was a young man in Yunmeng named Chen Mu.

Gifted with extraordinary talent, and possessing formidable strength.

Therefore, even if he had to force it, he had to keep up the act to the end.

Qi Huan nodded, said nothing more, and turned to Zhao Qinghe, his tone business-like as always.

"Squire Zhao, since Brother Chen insists on investigating and there are indeed suspicious points, let him go in and take a look."

"The Demon Suppression Division is handling the case; uncovering the truth is a good thing for everyone."

"It also saves us from being gossiped about for no reason…"