Da Xuan Martial Saint

In the turbulent river, Chen Mu, holding the Silverstream Saber, pierced through Cheng Houhua's body, his gaze coldly tearing through the currents. Accompanied by the bursting Yuan Gang Force of wind, thunder, and fire, he pressed his whole person from the surface of the water down to the riverbed.

Finally, the surging Yuan Gang Force erupted inch by inch along the blade of the Silverstream Saber, vibrating Cheng Houhua's toughened body into countless fragments that scattered and washed away with the river.

Watching Cheng Houhua die, unable to be any deader, Chen Mu finally exhaled slowly in his heart.

"After all, it's a true inheritance of a Great Sect, extraordinary."

He shook his head slightly.

Not to mention that Cheng Houhua's strength was far superior to the other three, he also had uncommon methods at his disposal. The elixir he took, which suddenly increased his Yuan Gang Force by a large margin, was still unknown to Chen Mu, almost doubling the force!

If Cheng Houhua had been stronger, or if he had comprehended the second step of the Cold Winter Artistic Conception, then under the effect of that elixir, even if it wouldn't be enough to completely reverse the situation, he would definitely have been able to contend with him.

Unfortunately, Cheng Houhua was not strong enough.

However, such a mysterious elixir made Chen Mu take the true inheritances of these Great Sects more seriously. Even after extinguishing the vitality of Cheng Houhua, it wasn't enough; he had to completely shatter his body to prevent any chance of a feigned death.

At this moment.

Chen Mu stood at the bottom of the river, the raging currents strong enough to sweep away heavy cattle and horses, but unable to shake his foothold. He stood there firmly, like an immovable rock on the riverbed.

At this point, Chen Mu's gaze had moved away from Cheng Houhua's body and turned to what was in front of him. He saw the sword emanating a chilling aura, which Cheng Houhua had previously used, now standing straight, plunged into the silt at the bottom of the river. However, it hadn't sunk into it. Instead, it had frozen the silt and a small portion of the nearby water, encasing everything in ice.

"Nice item."

Chen Mu reached out and gently tapped it, a thread of the Separating Fire Artistic Conception shattered the ice seal. He took the sword into his hands to inspect it, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

Cheng Houhua didn't have anything else on him, Chen Mu had clearly seen when his body had been shattered. The bamboo basket was also empty. The only thing worth mentioning was this sword, which indeed was not ordinary, likely forged from millennium cold iron, near the top quality among treasured artifacts.

This Cold Sword had significantly augmented Cheng Houhua's abilities, boosting his Cold Winter Artistic Conception by several folds. Otherwise, just the first step of the Cold Winter Artistic Conception wouldn't have been enough to create such a vast range of frost and ice with a mere wave of his hand.

"Too bad this item doesn't align with the artistic conceptions I practice."

If he had been cultivating the Kan Water or Dui Ze Artistic Conceptions, the addition of this Cold Clear Sword might not have been so significant, but it would at least have been usable. However, he had mastered the Three Phases of wind, thunder, and fire.

Apart from the Xun Wind Artistic Conception, which could barely harmonize, thunder and ice had no enhancing effect, and fire and ice were directly antagonistic, reducing the effect when he used these forces.

Nevertheless, it was still a top-quality treasured artifact, and even if it came from Cheng Houhua and wasn't easy to publicize, there would be a way to trade it for something more suitable in Yu State's State Government Office later on.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Whoosh.

Carrying the Cold Clear Sword, Chen Mu took a few steps on the riverbed and quickly arrived a yard away, picking up a plain-looking sword scabbard from the mud and sheathing the sword within. It fit snugly and, once enclosed, none of the cold air leaked out.

"If Cheng Houhua had used this Cold Clear Sword and the Cold Winter Artistic Conception to earnestly fight against the disaster, he could have indeed made a significant impact. But to expect these people to handle the flood disaster..."

Chen Mu shook his head.

Although Cheng Houhua's abilities were average, in combating the flood disaster, he could actually play a more prominent role. For instance, by using his freezing technique at the right terrain, he could temporarily change the course of the river.

Now that it was just the beginning of spring and the weather was not so warm, the river was cold, and the ice could last a long time, sparing many villages from flood disasters.

But to expect any help from Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion was wishful thinking; if they weren't causing trouble, that was already a blessing. These people probably hoped that Yan Jingqing would mobilize all the troops in Yu County to fight the disaster so they could take the opportunity to scour for various Heaven and Earth Spiritual Items.

After these thoughts flashed through his mind.

Chen Mu looked up, ready to leap out of the water.

The water was incredibly turbid and churning, to the point where ordinary people, or even Martial Artists in the Skin Toughening Realm, would hardly struggle out once submerged. But for Chen Mu, it was hardly an obstacle.

Having entered the Five Viscera Realm, the Inner World circulated on its own, allowing him to stay at the riverbed for a couple of hours without issue. However, he needed to hurry to the most important locations to examine the flood damage, leaving no time to survey the riverbed.

However.

Just as Chen Mu was about to step on the mud and ascend to the water's surface, suddenly a vicious presence rushed at him from the murky waters, bringing with it a strong, foul scent of blood.

Approaching Chen Mu was a gaping maw, large as a water vat, lined with spiral rows of teeth, and with it, a formidable pressure that seemed to come from the abyss, striking terror in one's heart.

However, Chen Mu, the person he now was, naturally felt no fear. He just snorted coldly and, with his right hand forming a fist, he met that vat-like gaping mouth with a fierce punch.

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Crackling and bursting!

In an instant, the river erupted, startling a ten-foot wave on the surface.

Chen Mu's fist, wrapped in turbid muddy water and resembling a torrential flood, combined with visible strands of lightning, struck right into the giant bloody mouth.

That gaping maw clearly felt pain, involuntarily snapped shut, and retreated several feet.

At that moment,

one could see its entire body stretched across the river, thick as nearly two feet and about several lengths long, a monstrous creature slick and black, with long whiskers on the edge of its yawning maw, resembling an oversized catfish.

"A fourth rank demon, the Black Demon Catfish... No, this aura, it's not far from the fifth rank. Combined with the momentum of the water, no wonder my punch seemed to inflict little damage."

Chen Mu slightly narrowed his eyes.

He had a clear memory of all the Demon Records he had read, being able to distinguish any recorded demon with just one glance. This Black Demon Catfish before him was exceptionally large among its kind, and demons did not have a clear distinction of Bone Tempering and Five Viscera like martial artists do. The so-called fourth and fifth rank were determined according to their size and strength.

It is said that the Black Demon Catfish could only reach the fifth rank at most, and if it could further transform, it would have the chance to evolve into a 'Jiao', and it naturally carried the rare 'Black Jiao' bloodline. Once its essence blood was purified, it could be used to craft some inferior quality Tendon Changing Pills.

Some of the Tendon Changing Pills circulating in the black market of Yu County originated from this.

Moreover, the Black Demon Catfish was a very typical demon, where in many remote villages, some unenlightened fools even worship it as a river deity, offering incense and sacrifices. Even more extreme, they would present it with blood nourishment every year, in hopes of favorable weather for the crops.

But in fact, this was just a slightly more capable demon using its demonic power to manipulate some of the water, with no real ability to command the winds and summon the rain.

Gurgle gurgle!

The Black Demon Catfish, having failed to swallow Chen Mu and suffering from his punch imbued with the might of Thunderbolt, appeared to have a human-like rage in its huge scarlet eyes as it opened its giant maw again.

But this time it wasn't lunging at Chen Mu to consume him, but a surge of demonic power gathered and stirred the nearby river into a visible torrent, crashing towards Chen Mu's falling position.

With the Black Demon Catfish nearing the fifth rank, taking advantage of the natural disaster, and occupying the raging river for a tactical advantage, the strike of the gathered demonic power it unleashed was powerful enough to throw any ordinary Five Viscera Realm practitioner into disarray.

However, a flash of cold light sparked in Chen Mu's eyes.

Without much talk, he flipped his right hand and drew the Silverstream Saber. The Blade Qi interwove with the power of Wind Thunder as he gripped the handle with both hands, violently slashing down in front of him.

Whoosh!

But then, the river in front of Chen Mu, centered around the direction of his Silverstream Saber, was split open, creating a nearly ten-foot-wide dry area. The Blade Qi, fierce and swift, even tore through the river's surface.

The torrential attack spat out by the Black Demon Catfish was cleaved in two from the center by Chen Mu's Silverstream Saber.

Following that,

Chen Mu, standing in the water, stomped with great force, and water splashed around as he propelled himself, like a cannonball, against the fierce current to position himself directly above the Black Demon Catfish's head.

His hand holding the Silverstream Saber, now covered in Wind Thunder Light, thrust downwards, piercing directly through the Black Demon Catfish's heavenly spirit cover.

"Wuuuah!"

From the Black Demon Catfish's opened bloody maw came a bizarre cry like that of a baby. Even with its brain shredded by Chen Mu's Blade Qi, the creature, unlike humans, could still move after a fatal blow. With a violent flick of its tail, its massive body surged through the river at breakneck speed.

Chen Mu knew this to be the Black Demon Catfish's last struggle before death. His gaze cold and steady, he stood on the demon's head holding the Silverstream Saber, his footing solid as if rooted, unshaken despite the creature's frenzied thrashing in the river.

Boom!

Eventually, amid its piercing infantile cries, the Black Demon Catfish slammed into the muddy riverbed.

This collision might have been inconsequential, but Chen Mu's face instantly changed, and almost without thinking, he withdrew the Silverstream Saber, kicked out in the water, and wrapped in Wind Thunder Light, he shot out of the river.

Almost immediately following Chen Mu's exit, the riverbed where the Black Demon Catfish had struck suddenly caved inwards and erupted bursts of brownish-yellow radiance. With a loud boom, like a flash flood, a surge of Earth Pulse's Power burst forth, pulverizing the Black Demon Catfish's tough body into a bloody mess!

Splashing!

The water, mixed with dirt and sand, pierced through the river's surface, shooting dozens of feet high into the sky.

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