Da Xuan Martial Saint

Hua Nongying blinked her eyes, sizing up Chen Mu with a look of surprise, as if she had stumbled upon some great secret. Hearing Chen Mu's words, her amber-like eyes shimmered, and she let out a smile,

"It was not intentional to detain Lord Chen's sister. There really was a coincidence involved, and I hope Lord Chen will not take offense."

"A coincidence?"

Chen Mu asked indifferently.

Hua Nongying covered her mouth with a light laugh, "The Hehuan Sect has settled in Yu County for development. The policy of open doors and recruiting disciples has been agreed upon with the Seven Profound Sect. We are also scouting for talents every day. Coincidentally, among your sisters, there is one who possesses 'Charming Bones', a natural gift.

So, we invited her over, not realizing she was your sister."

"I thought since your sister had already been invited, why not take this opportunity to meet with you, Lord Chen, and also to convey Lingling's gratitude for saving her life."

This explanation was somewhat reasonable.

However, Chen Mu was not about to directly believe the lies of the bewitching woman from the Hehuan Sect. He calmly said, "If that is the case, my sister should now be sent over. You know she cannot possibly join the Hehuan Sect."

No matter whether Hua Nongying was referring to Chen Yue or Yu Ru, it made no difference. Setting aside the fact that Chen Mu would not possibly allow Chen Yue or Yu Ru to enter a sect like the Hehuan Sect, their identities alone, belonging to the Yu Family and being his sisters, would not allow for any connection with the Hehuan Sect.

After all, the four major families of the Inner City were factions aligned with the Seven Profound Sect.

Anyone who dared to play both sides was not far from extermination. Your next chapter is on empire

After all, the four great families were not the kind of powerhouses that could compete with the likes of the Seven Profound or the Hehuan, and would be just a minor force that could be crushed in an instant before any of the Four Sects or the Seven Profound.

If the Seven Profound Sect were to completely abandon Yu County, then they could indeed try to change allegiances, but the arrival of Inspector Yan Jingqing from the Seven Profound Sect meant that they still intended to exert control over Yu County, and the four families must obey Yan Jingqing's commands.

"My lord, don't be in a rush. If it was just for this small matter that I had you come all the way here, wouldn't it be a bit rude?"

The voice of Hua Nongying was soft and melodious, her eyes brimming with a smile. Suddenly, she slightly opened her mouth, her lips moving without making a sound, but the following words resonated directly by Chen Mu's ear.

Hearing the subsequent words from Hua Nongying, Chen Mu's gaze grew more solemn.

It had to do with the lingering remnants of the Heavenly Corpse Sect.

It was not something she wanted to tell him, but rather some information she wanted him to convey to Yan Jingqing.

Clearly, since the Four Great Sects had stationed themselves in Yu County, they had finally clashed with the remnants of the Heavenly Corpse Sect. This was probably what the Seven Profound Sect wanted to see—a test for the Four Sects against the remnants of the Heavenly Corpse Sect entrenched in Yu County.

The Four Great Sects were not foolish. The Hehuan Sect had clearly realized this point and understood why the Seven Profound Sect had set Yu County as the boundary.

But now Yan Jingqing had almost completely opened up the resources of Yu County, allowing the disciples of the Four Great Sects to claim them, including demonic beasts in the mountains, Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, etc., clearly keeping a detached stance and not taking action against the Heavenly Corpse Sect.

And as the disciples of the Four Great Sects move through Yu County, vying for various resources, they would inevitably clash with the hidden remnants of the Heavenly Corpse Sect. After a couple of confrontations, it was natural they would become sworn enemies.

Knowing that the Seven Profound Sect had orchestrated this, they still could not stand idly by and let the remnants of the Heavenly Corpse Sect use their disciples for Corpse Refinement.

Moreover.

All the Four Great Sects were dominant powers in the State Government Offices, and concerning the Heavenly Corpse Sect, which had declined for several hundred years and had only started to show signs of revival in the current chaos, they had no intention of yielding.

It was just that the Hehuan Sect hoped to cooperate with Yan Jingqing to a certain extent. When it comes to intelligence, although the Hehuan Sect is not the worst among the Four Sects, it's just slightly better than the Heavenly Sword Sect but far from the capabilities of the Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion and the Blood Hidden Pavilion.

If they could obtain the intelligence controlled by the Inspectorate under Yan Jingqing, the actions of the Hehuan Sect would undoubtedly become much more composed.

Even.

This intent of cooperation was not solely directed against the remnants of the Heavenly Corpse Sect, but also had a subtle intention of countering the other three families. After all, the Four Sects were never a united force. Their joint venture into Yu County was just to capture the resources of Yu State.

Currently, the situation among the various sects in Yu City appears stable, but the conflict outside never ceased.

Otherwise, true inheritors of the sect like Hua Nongying and Gu Hong would not be in a place like Yu County.

As for the intentions of the high echelons of the Four Great Sects, Chen Mu could guess a bit. He estimated that for the sake of the resources of a mere county, it was unlikely that the big figures from the upper levels of the sects would personally step in, making Yu County more like a place for the disciples of each sect to hone themselves while capturing resources and steadily developing.

The only unexpected factor was the remnants of the Heavenly Corpse Sect, which may have already taken a toll on the disciples of the Four Sects, but none of the families were willing to deal with the remnants of the Heavenly Corpse Sect alone; thus, the situation had temporarily fallen into a strange standstill.

This stalemate would not last long.

Once the various forces reached a consensus, it would be time to join forces against the remnants of the Heavenly Corpse Sect.

"..."

Chen Mu did not respond but just gave Hua Nongying a look, indicating that he understood.

Getting involved in the struggles of the Four Sects was indeed a dangerous matter, but it ultimately depended on Yan Jingqing's decision, or rather, on what the Seven Profound Sect behind Yan Jingqing planned.

In fact, the Seven Profound Sect could not remain spectators forever. Interests and resources were limited, and ultimately, there would be forces eliminated from the game. It's just that currently, he did not have access to the upper echelons of the sects, nor did he know their plans.

Hua Nongying smiled enchantingly, beautiful and inviting. Her natural allure seemed effortless as she raised her hands lightly and clapped, and soon someone led Chen Yue, Yu Ru, and some of the Yu Family's Protectors over.

"Brother."

Upon spotting Chen Mu in the crowd, Chen Yue immediately ran over.

Chen Mu nodded slightly at her and asked, "Are you and little Ru alright?"

"We're fine."

Chen Yue whispered, "All these sisters have been very kind, and even practiced swordsmanship with Xiao Ru and me for a while."

Chen Mu turned to look at Yu Ru, only to see her little face flushed. As she walked over, she waved goodbye to a woman from the Hehuan Sect, and then, seeing the scene here, she couldn't help but lean close to Chen Mu and asked, "Brother Mu, what's happened?"

"It's nothing."

Chen Mu patted Yu Ru on the head.

With a smile, Hua Nongying said, "This younger sister's constitution is quite good. It's a pity that she cannot cultivate in the Hehuan Sect. If she were to practice ordinary cultivation techniques, she would not be able to utilize the special characteristics of her Charming Bones, and would be no different from an ordinary martial artist."

Chen Mu replied indifferently, "You needn't concern yourselves with this. Even setting aside differences in standing, I would not have my sister study the cultivation techniques of the Hehuan Sect."

Hearing this, Hua Nongying couldn't help but giggle and said, "Lord seems to have quite a grudge against our Hehuan Sect, but we are not a sect that wallows in carnal pleasure. The way of Hehuan comes from the differentiation of 'Yin Yang,' and sensual pleasure is just a method to aid cultivation, not a pursuit of wantonness.

If one can directly grasp the great path of Yin Yang, then they need not concern themselves with the superficial essence… Would Lord like to find out if I'm still a virgin?"

This statement, heard by the seductive women of the Hehuan Sect, seemed nothing unusual to them, but Yu Ru's face flushed red at once, like a ripe apple, and she stared at Hua Nongying in astonishment.

Good heavens.

What is this sister talking about?!

Even Chen Yue's cheeks reddened unnaturally as she walked over to Yu Ru's side and covered Yu Ru's eyes with her hands.

"Yue'er, Xiao Ru, let's go."

Chen Mu gave Hua Nongying a displeased glance. The enchantresses of the Hehuan Sect, shameless to the core, would say anything they pleased, but with both his sisters present, discussing the doctrine of Yin Yang and Hehuan would only lead the young astray.

With that, he turned and walked out, while Yu Ru scrambled after Chen Mu as if fleeing from calamity. Only at that moment did she realize that those 'sisters' were all no decent people. Chen Yue had understood this long ago, and after stepping out of the courtyard with Chen Mu, she too breathed a sigh of relief.

She had been worried that her presence with Yu Ru might bring a great deal of trouble to Chen Mu.

The disciples of the Hehuan Sect did not see them off. They whispered among themselves, while Hua Nongying's smile gradually faded, and a thoughtful look appeared in her eyes as she watched Chen Mu's retreating back.

...

"The Hehuan Sect..."

On the way back with Chen Yue and Yu Ru, Chen Mu was deep in thought.

He had imagined many versions of the Hehuan Sect: some accepted both men and women, some only female disciples; there were sects with brutal infighting, where life-and-death struggles were common, and there were those which were unified internally.

Based on what he knew about the Hehuan Sect so far, it fell into the latter category.

The Hehuan Sect preached passion without attachment. Regardless of their sensual activities on the outside, it was all transient, and all actions were for the sect itself – it was not just detachment, but also a form of 'brainwashing.'

Of course.

Perhaps 'brainwashing' wasn't the right word; for those orphans with no home or shelter, about to freeze to death by the roadside, joining the Hehuan Sect was like finding a family. Willingness to do anything for the sect can be understood within reason.

And it was precisely because the disciples, apart from their utter loyalty to the Hehuan Sect, were 'heartless' towards everything external that the sect was also categorized as a Demon Sect. Much like the Blood Hidden Pavilion, they didn't hesitate to kill or steal.

Acting like an innocent girl to infiltrate a wealthy family, manipulating through desire to plunder wealth and ruin was just an ordinary affair for the Hehuan Sect, even during times of prosperity.

"Actually, during times of chaos, there's no clear distinction between Demon Sects and the righteous path."

Chen Mu thought to himself, shaking his head slightly.

To him, whether it was a Demon Sect or a righteous path didn't really matter. He had no place in meddling with the larger fate of the world. For now, what he could do was to seek survival and development within Yu County, perform his duties well, and step by step, increase his strength.

In a chaotic world, might makes right. With sufficient strength, one could do anything they wished. If he could replicate the strength and authority of Da Xuan's founding Emperor Lord, then calming the chaos and resetting the landscape would be simple as flipping a hand.

"The Twin Flowers of Hehuan, Hua Nongying, in terms of the potency of Artistic Conception, I best her by quite a bit. But if it came to a real fight..."

Chen Mu recalled the earlier clash of Artistic Conceptions.

Hua Nongying had not stepped into the second phase of her Artistic Conception. Concepts like Blood Fiend and Pleasure Artistic Conception were stronger than any single phase of the Qiankun Eight Phases, but that also meant they were more difficult to comprehend, to delve deeper into, and harder to reach the second phase.

In fact, with just his Thunderclap Artistic Conception in the second phase, he could easily suppress Hua Nongying's Pleasure Artistic Conception, and he hadn't even used his Separating Fire Artistic Conception, which was also in the second phase. He was far ahead on the level of Artistic Conceptions.

However, she was, after all, a being who had stepped into the Five Viscera Realm, completing the circulation of the Five Viscera Inner Breath, connecting with the world outside, and cultivating the Yuan Gang True Essence. If they were to truly battle, the tactics she would display would be out of the ordinary, and Chen Mu believed the outcome would be unpredictable.

"Next, I should go to the Demon-Slaying Office to practice the Xun Wind Artistic Conception. Once all three Artistic Conceptions have reached the second phase, the Bone Tempering Realm should also be at its limit. Once I refine the Jade Bone, I can try to link the Five Viscera, transform the nature of the Qi-Blood, and evolve the Yuan Gang."

Chen Mu let out a breath.

A major conflict between the Four Great Sects and the remnants of the Heavenly Corpse Sect is unavoidable, and the extent of the impact will surely be vast. The Seven Profound Sect, despite wishing to remain neutral, may not be able to just watch from the sidelines.

Before that happens, the stronger he becomes, the better. At the very least, he should be able to handle a true disciple of the Four Sects like Hua Nongying with ease and not just be at an ambiguous state where the outcome of a fight is uncertain.