Chapter 78 The Waist Tag Locks the Tracks

His entire aura had lost some of its sharp, flamboyant edge, replaced by an indescribable weight and pressure. On the surface, he was calm and waveless, but underneath, undercurrents surged.

He had been reborn.

"Hoo──"

He gently exhaled a breath of stale Qi, stood up, and stretched his limbs.

He swept a glance at the System, and the data on the panel truly surprised him.

[Chen Mu: Seventeen years old, Remaining Lifespan: Forty-two years, (Plundered Lifespan): Eight hundred fifty-three years]

It seemed that refining the Ghostly Creature's essence not only allowed him to successfully achieve a Breakthrough in his cultivation but also added an extra forty years to his original Lifespan.

Although he was still far behind those ancient monsters who lived for hundreds of years, at least he was no longer in the precarious state of living day to day.

Chen Mu breathed a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, Qi Huan, who had been quietly acting as his Protector, looked at him with a complex expression.

"Brother... are... are you alright?"

His voice was a bit dry, but his expression carried an unconcealable shock.

Although he was severely injured, his discernment remained. He could clearly perceive that the person before him was no longer the same Chen Mu who had fought bitterly against the Ghostly Creature not long ago.

He was at least a powerhouse who had stepped into the Late Stage of the Dao Entry Realm!

Where the hell did this monster come from!

Chen Mu nodded, "Mm, a slight improvement."

Qi Huan's mouth twitched violently.

This is what you call a slight improvement? Jumping directly from the Middle Stage of the Dao Entry Realm to the Peak of the Late Stage, with an aura that had deepened more than twofold.

If this is a slight improvement, then what is the decades of bitter cultivation of others?

Turtle crawling?!

But he was sensible and didn't ask further.

Everyone has their own secrets and Opportunities, and the strength and methods Chen Mu had just displayed had completely convinced him.

Qi Huan immediately cupped his fists.

"Brother Chen's Divine Might, I admire it! This life-saving grace is truly unforgettable! If there are any instructions in the future, I, Qi, will have no objections!"

This was spoken politely, but it was also sincere.

Being able to befriend someone with such innate talent and unfathomable methods was only beneficial to him.

Besides, it seemed this person was quite righteous.

Chen Mu waved his hand and scanned the courtyard.

Zhao Qinghe was nowhere to be found; presumably, seeing that the situation was unfavorable, he had already fled.

Suddenly, he noticed that the pitch-black Demon Suppression Division waist token at his waist seemed to be continuously emitting a faint fluctuation of a specific frequency.

This was not ordinary information transmission; it was more like a positioning sensor.

Chen Mu's eyes narrowed. He immediately took off the waist token, held it in his hand, and sensed it carefully.

Sure enough!

Besides being an identity marker, this Demon Suppression Division waist token actually hid such a mechanism.

It stood to reason that Qi Huan was able to accurately find his residence and leave the blood message because of this.

Immediately, he held the waist token and looked at Qi Huan.

"Chief Qi, this waist token... seems to have some hidden mysteries?"

Qi Huan was stunned, then a hint of embarrassment appeared on his face, and he could only laugh dryly twice.

"Brother is indeed sharp. That is correct; the Demon Suppression Division's waist token is not just for identification but is a specially made positioning token with sensing runes embedded inside."

"As long as it is within a certain range and not blocked by special means, I can roughly sense its location through the master token."

"Last night, it was by this token that I sensed your location and sent the message using the Blood Talisman secret technique. I did not inform you of this beforehand; that is my fault."

Chen Mu rubbed the waist token, understanding in his heart.

A fine Demon Suppression Division, indeed. This waist token, while convenient for colleagues to support each other, was likely also a form of subtle surveillance.

It seemed the Demon Suppression Division's surveillance of its subordinates was even stricter than he had imagined.

"No matter."

He shook his head slightly and hung the waist token back up with a calm expression. Since he knew about this matter, he would have ways to deal with it in the future.

"By the way, brother, what about Liu Ziming? Isn't he with you? Why isn't he here?"

Qi Huan suddenly asked, his face showing obvious confusion and unease.

Chen Mu's heart sank, but his face showed nothing. He said in a deep voice,

"I told him to wait near the city gate first. I originally intended to find a way to leave the city and go to the Prefecture to seek reinforcements."

"Near the city gate?"

Qi Huan's brows furrowed even tighter, and the look of confusion on his face grew stronger.

"But I sense his waist token is not in the city at all, nor is it on the road to the Prefecture... After leaving the city, he went straight to the northwest. This location should be... the Mass Grave of Black Wind Ridge!"

Chen Mu's pupils suddenly contracted.

The Mass Grave of Black Wind Ridge?

That was another famous ominous place outside Yunmeng City, even more sinister than the Mass Grave of Sangye Village, shrouded in Yin Qi fog all year round, with strange things happening from time to time.

How could Liu Ziming have gone there?

"Are you sure?" Chen Mu's voice sank.

"Of course."

Qi Huan struggled to stand up and pulled a palm-sized bronze compass from his bosom, the needle pointing northwest.

"Every Banner Officer directly under the Prefecture can track the location of their subordinates' waist tokens through the Life-Command Compass. Liu Ziming's waist token signal is right near the Mass Grave."

Chen Mu frowned and pondered.

The two had clearly agreed to meet at the city gate to leave the city and seek reinforcements.

Now it seemed that either he had encountered some mishap and was forced to change direction.

Or, from the moment they parted, he had already lost control of his own actions.

Chen Mu's expression changed suddenly, and he instantly realized the key point.

Since Xu Changze and Head Constable Wang had already decided to make a move against them, how could they possibly let Liu Ziming, who was alone, go?

His leg injury had not healed, and his strength was limited; if he encountered an ambush, he would have no power to resist.

"Let's go!"

Chen Mu erupted, his figure flashing as he rushed out of the Zhao residence gate.

Qi Huan didn't understand why, but he knew something had happened, so he didn't ask further, put away the compass, and followed.

The two, one after the other, sped along the streets.

Chen Mu pushed the Divine Void Step to its limit, his figure turning into a blur, his speed astonishingly fast.

Qi Huan tried his best but was still left far behind, his heart filled with shock.

Chen Mu's movement technique was even faster than when they fought before!

This person's strength could definitely not be underestimated.

...

West of Yunmeng City, on Black Wind Ridge.

Although this place was also called a Mass Grave, it was completely different from the one near Sangye Village.

The Mass Grave of Sangye Village was a wasteland where villagers spontaneously buried nameless corpses and children who died young; although it also gathered Yin Qi, its scale was ultimately limited.

But this place was different.

It is rumored that during the wars of the previous Dynasty, this place was an ancient battlefield. It was even a place where a rebel army slaughtered tens of thousands of surrendered soldiers and civilians.

Later, as the Dynasty changed and natural and man-made disasters occurred, those unclaimed corpses, refugees who died violently, and even some corpses of unknown origin with bizarre deaths were all carelessly discarded here.

As time passed, the resentment increased, so much so that ordinary plants found it difficult to grow here.

The place was deathly silent during the day, with no insects chirping or birds calling, only the wailing and strange noises made by the harsh, mournful wind passing through the withered bones.

And at night, this place was a Shura field where a hundred ghosts walked.

Phosphorus fires drifted, and ghost shadows loomed.

From time to time, shrill wails and strange laughter could be heard.

Even for the Demon Suppression Division, if there was no necessity, they rarely ventured deep into the core of this place, only erecting a few warning stone tablets on the periphery, just to do their duty.

Therefore, this place was also known as the "Yangu Pit."