The mutated sable demon killed the antelope and then rose into the sky.
Just moments before, in the direction of Fengqing Village, amidst the eerie night, two men rode horses.
One was burly and wielded a great axe, while the other was clad in luxurious robes with a pale complexion, moving at great speed.
They were clearly looking for Xu Mu.
"Faster, faster!"
Liang Jue's face was a mask of flesh, his voice tinged with anxiety.
Following behind him was naturally his son, Liang Chen, a student from Bu Luo City and an extraordinary student from the Jin Yin merchant guild.
"Father, we've been chasing for so long without stopping, and still no sign of that brat. Could he have already reached West Mountain?"
Liang Chen sat on his horse, his expression filled with panic. Although he believed Xu Mu was doomed, Liang Jue did not share this certainty. Upon arriving at Fengqing Village non-stop, they discovered that the source of the pollution had been cleared.
It was then that Liang Chen realized with shock that Xu Mu truly possessed the ability to clear the pollution source on his own.
That was a perfect opportunity to fight side-by-side and bury the hatchet, but he had missed it and abandoned him!
No matter how much regret he felt, it was useless. Thus, they began searching for Xu Mu, intending to silence him.
However, after a thorough search, they found that Xu Mu had already left the village.
Following a more detailed investigation, Liang Jue discovered a shallow footprint on the ground, leading towards West Mountain.
Xu Mu might have gone to West Mountain.
Why would a first-stage ability user brave the eerie night and head to West Mountain?
Liang Jue dared not imagine. Had the other party guessed he would return for revenge and immediately gone to West Mountain to report him?
Liang Chen was also terrified, for he knew the situation at West Mountain. Almost all the ability users in Bu Luo City were there, with the Demon Eradication Division mobilized, and several magnates from the Jin Yin merchant guild had also rushed over, contributing both money and effort.
One of the reasons he came to Fengqing Village was to evade conscription.
It wasn't just to save people. Liang Jue knew clearly that the reason the Jin Yin merchant guild was willing to send ability users to guard was primarily out of fear of impacting their business.
With the abnormal spirits of West Mountain rampant and causing devastation, who would still do business with their guild?
Although profiting from national disaster was common, the Great Xia system was well-established, and the Demon Eradication Division was present. If it reached the point of widespread suffering, not only would they be unable to profit, but their guild would likely have to distribute grain for free. Otherwise, the Demon Eradication Division would annex them.
If Xu Mu were to appear now and explain the entire sequence of events to the magnates, even embellishing it a bit, how would those merchant guild magnates deal with it?
The answer was obvious. They would undoubtedly be very willing to help him vent his anger, thereby currying favor with the magnates of the Demon Eradication Division.
If that were to happen, where would their Liang family stand? Would they be ostracized, sanctioned, exiled, or even... exterminated?
This was not impossible. In this chaotic era, if they, relying on the Jin Yin merchant guild, could not generate value for the guild, they would be discarded without mercy at any moment. Complete annihilation would be the most brutal, yet the most effective, solution.
Thinking of such consequences, Liang Jue became several times more anxious. Disregarding his ability consumption, he immediately sped up to pursue Xu Mu, vowing to kill him before he reached West Mountain.
As for the informants in Fengqing Village, they could be dealt with later. It wouldn't be too late to return and kill them after Xu Mu was dead.
Therefore, those villagers narrowly escaped death.
The two of them, consequently, also escaped death.
—Liang Jue had originally intended to slaughter the entire village and then set it ablaze to destroy the evidence.
However, Xu Mu's home contained a large quantity of gunpowder.
That alone was enough to blow the entire Fengqing Village to smithereens.
…
The night grew darker. The fog brought by the eerie night obscured the horses' vision, slowing their speed considerably. This filled both of them with despair.
After chasing for so long without seeing so much as a trace of Xu Mu, was this truly the night their Liang family would be annihilated?
"Look quickly, what is that!"
At this moment, Liang Chen suddenly noticed a giant figure in the sky ahead, piercing through the mist, and then abruptly charging towards a hillside.
"There is only one village near West Mountain, that's a second-stage sable demon from Heya Village!"
Ability surged into Liang Jue's eyes, granting him exceptional vision in the darkness.
He could then clearly see the situation: Heya Village was half destroyed, with the corpse of a great demon lying there. The air was filled with the fluctuations of ability, clearly indicating that a battle had just occurred.
"No, the battle isn't over yet. There's a person standing below where that sable demon is attacking!"
Hearing Liang Jue's words, Liang Chen also quickly used his ability and followed the direction of the sable demon's charge, spotting the young man standing on the hillside.
Compared to the sable demon in the sky, the man's figure was tiny. Moreover, his ability was not as strong as his father's, so he couldn't discern Xu Mu's face clearly, only his silhouette.
But even the silhouette was enough for him to confirm that it was Xu Mu.
The black clothes were nothing unusual, and the saber at his waist was normal. The key was that on his back, he carried a long pole...
Perhaps it was some kind of weapon?
Liang Chen didn't know, but he only knew that in his twenty-plus years of life, he had only ever seen such peculiar attire on Xu Mu. Therefore, that person must be Xu Mu.
"Yes!"
Liang Chen responded loudly, his eyes burning with surprise and delight.
Past Heya Village was the outskirts of West Mountain. He had initially thought they wouldn't be able to catch up to Xu Mu tonight, but unexpectedly, a glimmer of hope appeared. Heaven helps those who help themselves!
"Father, that sable demon seems quite powerful. If Xu Mu has provoked it, do we still need to act?"
As he spoke, Liang Jue was less than two hundred meters from Xu Mu. The axe in his hand was already covered in a dense, earthy-yellow ability. His horse's hooves pounded relentlessly, parting the white mist as it went, as if fearing the energy emanating from the axe.
"Even a lion hunts a rabbit with all its might!"
Liang Jue's face was filled with ferocity. He had been filled with dread all the way here, and now it was finally time for resolution!
"Xu Mu, I've finally found you!
…
Seeing the sable demon charging towards him, Xu Mu's grayish-white pupils flickered slightly.
He hadn't expected the sable demon to abandon the flesh and blood in the village and come to attack him proactively.
And those two weaklings in the distance seemed to be looking for him as well, approaching menacingly, even calling out his name?
The young man remained expressionless, but inwardly he sighed.
Whether it was the sable demon or those two people, he was merely passing by.
"Why do you come to die on your own?"
With his white pupils fixed on the sable demon plummeting from the sky, the distance between them was less than ten meters.
For anyone else, at such a short distance, they would be pierced by its sharp beak in the next second, but unfortunately for it.
Bai Tong was slightly faster.
*Swish!*
The young man drew his saber with one hand, then soared into the sky, unleashing a slash under the vast moonlight.
*Crack!*
Time seemed to freeze. The hunting saber returned to its sheath in mid-air. The sable demon hadn't even let out a scream, nor had it had time to bleed, before its head was severed.
At this moment, Liang Jue had already reached the mountainside, less than fifty meters away from Xu Mu.
The man held his great axe, which was covered in potent ability. As he moved, the very veins of the earth trembled, as if a miniature giant was running.
But Bai Tong's gray-white eyes merely narrowed slightly.
He used the air for leverage, lifted his slender legs slightly, then tensed his calves and smashed downwards with a roar.
*Thump!*
A dull, heavy impact echoed. The power of this kick was even more terrifying than the hoof of the antelope great demon.
Instantly, the dozens of iron feathers remaining on the sable demon's body overlapped, but they were mercilessly broken. Many of its bones were snapped, and its entire body bent into a U-shape.
This kick was a weight that life could not bear, and it was delivered in mid-air.
Thus, the mutated sable demon, at a speed ten times faster than its previous flight, descended like a cannonball, crashing towards the ground.
"Hmph?"
As if sensing the terrifying aura of the person in the air and hearing the sound of breaking bones, Liang Jue, in his bloodthirsty state, instinctively looked up.
In that instant, countless emotions flashed through his eyes: confusion, shock, fear, bewilderment…
He didn't understand what was happening but could sense immense danger.
However, no one would give him a second glance. The cannonball, with the sable demon as its core, had already smashed into his face.
Liang Chen reined in his horse behind him, for he too had seen a blurry silhouette.
In an instant, the black figure seemed to move at a speed beyond normal human comprehension, almost teleporting as it descended.
He didn't know what it was, but he had enough time to react because he was significantly slower than his father.
Liang Jue wasn't as fortunate.
The only thing this second-stage guest elder of the Jin Yin merchant guild could do was widen his eyes, his pupils shrinking in terror.
He didn't have time to swing his right-handed axe.
*Rumble!*
The cannonball landed with a deafening crash, and the sable demon gouged a pit of unknown depth into the mountainside.
Liang Jue, the second-stage ability user of the Jin Yin merchant guild, bore the full brunt of this impact.
And the horse beneath him was instantly crushed into a paper-thin mess.
"Father!"
Liang Chen's smile froze on his face. Because he was slightly slower, he was not affected, but he had witnessed his father, like an ant, being smashed into the ground by the sable demon, his fate unknown!
And the cause of all this seemed to be Xu Mu, standing on the hillside?
Liang Chen looked up in horror and then discovered something that filled him with unfathomable dread.
It was common knowledge that regardless of how strong one's awakened ability was, only ability users of third-stage or higher could achieve flight. Yet, the figure in black was no longer standing on the hillside. He leaned against the bright moon, suspended in the air, with a faint smile on his lips.
Effortlessly, as if the thunderous kick just moments ago had nothing to do with him.
Xu Mu looked down, revealing his grayish-white pupils, which seemed to contain the sun and moon.
He looked at Liang Chen and gave a mechanical smile:
"Gentlemen, what business do you have with me?"
…