"Uncle Xiong was murdered?"
Mu Chen was startled, his eyes wide, holding his breath, his hands clenched. The five city lords of Mu Domain had been extremely loyal and devoted for many years, always following Mu Feng in his campaigns, and their contributions were indispensable in forming the Mu Domain of today. Mu Chen himself had been cared for by them on many occasions, and their relationship had long been like that of blood relatives. Now, suddenly hearing the news of Chen Xiong's murder, he became extremely enraged.
Mu Chen took a deep breath, suppressing the surge of anger and killing intent, his face grim as he quickly walked to the council hall. No matter who had done this, he would show absolutely no mercy!
Mu Chen arrived at the council hall, where people were already gathered outside, their faces all burning with fury. City Lord Chen Xiong was an upright and courageous man, respected by many. Now that he had been suddenly killed, his friends in Mu Domain were endlessly enraged upon hearing the news.
"The Young Lord is here!"
Seeing Mu Chen arrive, everyone quickly bowed and made way for him. They held great respect for this Young Lord; his defeat of Liu Mubai in the previous battle for the quota had displayed astonishing strength, his combat power even surpassing several city lords like Duan Wei.
Mu Chen entered the council hall. The atmosphere in the hall was extremely oppressive, filled with lingering resentment and indignation. Mu Feng sat in the main seat, his face so grim it looked as if he could devour someone. Closest below him, Zhou Ye also exuded a terrifyingly sinister aura.
"Duan Wei, what happened?"
Mu Feng glanced at Mu Chen as he entered, but asked him nothing, instead looking at the pale-faced Duan Wei and asking.
Duan Wei gritted his teeth and said,
"According to our intelligence, it was Mang Yin Mountain that acted."
"Mang Yin Mountain?"
Mu Chen also raised an eyebrow. In the Northern Spiritual Realm, besides the nine domains, there were many other forces. Mang Yin Mountain was a notorious dark force among them, and its military strength was not much different from that of the nine domains.
"We and Mang Yin Mountain have never interfered with each other. Why would they suddenly attack us?"
Zhou Ye's killing intent soared to the sky as he growled.
"Mang Yin Mountain still has secret connections with Liu Domain. Although there's no evidence this time, I suspect it's hard to avoid their involvement."
Mu Feng narrowed his eyes, his voice cold.
"Liu Domain? It's those bastards again! Do they really think they can bully my Mu Domain?"
Zhou Ye angrily slapped the small table next to him, sending it flying backward.
Mu Chen's eyes were also as cold as ice. If it was related to Liu Domain, then this was definitely an assassination in revenge for losing the seed quota to him. With Liu Qing Tian's personality, it was natural for him to pull strings in such matters...
"What do we do now? Mang Yin Mountain has attacked Mu Domain, even killing a city lord. If we remain inactive, what will become of Mu Domain's reputation?"
Zhou Ye said in a deep voice.
Mu Feng slowly picked up a teacup, then suddenly crushed it. The crisp sound of the breaking teacup blended with his cold, sharp, knife-like tone:
"How can I sit idly by? This Mang Yin Mountain, I, Mu Feng, am determined to utterly destroy it!"
"Mang Yin Mountain has its leader, Yang Gui, who is at the early stage of the Spirit Soul Realm. Under him, there are also two capable subordinates who have reached the late stage of the Spirit Wheel Realm. If we want to act, I'm afraid I'll have to lead the men myself."
Zhou Ye said.
Mu Feng heard this and hesitated slightly but still nodded. He wanted to personally lead the expedition, but Liu Region already harbored ambitions like a hungry tiger stalking its prey. Mu City could not be left without him to hold the fort and restrain Liu Region, to avoid falling for a feint. If all of Mu Region's elites left, they might return to find no home left.
Zhou Ye also possessed the strength of an early-stage Spirit Manifestation Realm expert, and leading a portion of Mu Region's elites meant there was no need to be overly afraid of Mang Yin Mountain.
"Father, I want to go with Uncle Zhou."
Mu Chen, who had been listening all this time, suddenly spoke up.
Mu Feng frowned and replied, "It's very dangerous."
"Father, with my current strength, unless I encounter a Spirit Manifestation Realm powerhouse, no one can threaten me." Mu Chen smiled faintly.
Mu Feng's eyebrows brightened as he suddenly remembered that Mu Chen was now also an elite powerhouse of Mu Region. Compared to the combat strength of the elites gathered here, apart from himself and Zhou Ye, it would indeed be difficult for anyone to gain an advantage against him.
"Little Mu has a good heart, so let him come with me. His current strength is quite outstanding, and he is also proficient in spirit formations, which can greatly assist the army." Zhou Ye analyzed seriously.
Mu Feng pondered and eventually decided to allow it. Mu Chen's combat strength was not much weaker than people like Duan Wei; having him with the army would be a huge help.
"Then you shall follow Uncle Zhou, but you must remember that Uncle Zhou is the commander. If you disobey military discipline and charge recklessly, I will certainly not forgive you!" Mu Feng solemnly reminded him. Mang Yin Mountain was a notorious den of villains, even more savage and brutal than the Blood Butcher. If one harbored any contempt for them, one might lose one's head before even realizing it.
"Yes." Mu Chen nodded, his eyes sharp. "Mang Yin Mountain, you dog-thieves dared to provoke our Mu Region, so don't blame me for a bloody purge!"
Zhou Ye worked with the speed of thunder and wind. Once a decision was made, it was immediately executed. In less than two hours, he had assembled several hundred elite experts, bringing along the two city lords, Duan Wei and Tie Lang, to accompany Mu Chen as they set out. They left Mu City and headed straight for the western part of Mu Region.
Mang Yin Mountain was the highest main peak in the Mang Yin Mountain Range, bordering the western side of Mu Region. Since Xiong City in the west was garrisoned by Chen Xiong, it had been a strong fortress, occasionally fighting against the raids of the Mang Yin Mountain bandits, protecting the western lands of Mu Region. Unexpectedly, due to the disparity in strength, it was personally led by Mang Yin Mountain's leader, Yang Gui, who brought his troops to cut down Chen Xiong.
When the Mu Region army reached Xiong City, it was already late afternoon, almost evening. The once bustling and prosperous city was now tragically dilapidated, and the guards on the city walls looked terrified, constantly vigilant and observing any movement outside the city.
Zhou Ye directly led the large contingent of troops into the city, where a desolate and bleak atmosphere met their eyes. As they entered the city, the people inside were startled to see Zhou Ye. It seemed that the Mu Region Lord was extremely angry, even dispatching a Spirit Manifestation Realm powerhouse.
Zhou Ye led his troops directly to Chen Manor. A middle-aged man was already waiting outside the manor gate and hurried forward when he saw them arrive.
"Lord Zhou, Young Master!"
The person who came was Cheng Yong, the deputy city lord of Xiong City. Now that Chen Xiong had been killed, he was temporarily managing Xiong City. Looking at his heavily bandaged body, he had clearly suffered considerable injuries during the Mang Yin Mountain attack.
Zhou Ye waved his hand and entered the guest hall of the manor, his eyes cold as he spoke, "Are there any movements from Mang Yin Mountain currently?"
"Since that day, we have consistently dispatched scouts to monitor them closely. However, after killing the City Lord, they all retreated to Mang Yin Mountain and have made no further movements."
Cheng Yong reported hastily.
"It seems that coward Yang Gui also knows that Mu Region will not let him off easily. Is he now playing the role of a turtle retracting its head?"
Zhou Ye snorted coldly in anger.
"Master Zhou, Yin Mountain is extremely steep, easy to defend and difficult to attack. The treacherous mountain paths are all occupied by those bandits with heavy troops. If we force our way in, I'm afraid the cost will be considerable," Cheng Yong said.
Mang Yin Mountain soared into the clouds. Even a Spirit Soul Realm expert like Zhou Ye could not fly over it, unless accompanied by Mu Feng or an expert who had refined a spirit beast's essence and possessed the ability to fly, like that old man. That was merely the limit for an individual; to bring many people along like this was simply impossible.
"Moreover, that's not the only trouble. The area around the Mang Yin Mountain Range is the most active region for the underworld of the Northern Spirit Realm. Besides the scoundrels of Mang Yin Mountain, there are many other underworld forces. They are not very welcoming to people from the Nine Regions. If we forcefully intrude, we might provoke their enmity, and Mu Region will be very troubled," Cheng Yong sighed, continuing his report.
Mu Chen, who was beside him, listened to the situation, his brows furrowed tightly. It seemed this matter was not as easy as he had thought.
"Besides Mang Yin Mountain, which underworld force there is the most formidable?" Zhou Ye pondered and asked.
"It's the Nine Dragons Stronghold. Their combat power is almost on par with Mang Yin Mountain, and their rallying power within the underworld is also significant. If we can get them to agree to speak up, we can smoothly cross the Mang Yin Mountain Range and head straight to the Mang Yin Mountain lair," Cheng Yong reported clearly.
"Nine Dragons Stronghold... who is their leader?"
"Lei Shan, also an early-stage Spirit Soul Realm expert."
"Lei Shan, huh..." Zhou Ye nodded slightly. This name did leave a slight impression; he was considered a well-known figure in the Northern Spirit Realm. He had met him a few times in the past, but they did not share the same aspirations, so their relationship could not be called good.
"Tomorrow, I will lead people to Nine Dragons Stronghold to check it out," Zhou Ye said thoughtfully. The current situation was quite complex. If they could borrow a path through Nine Dragons Stronghold, it would be much easier and avoid a lot of headaches.
Early the next morning, Zhou Ye led Mu Chen, Duan Wei, and a dozen elites on horseback directly to Nine Dragons Stronghold. There weren't many people or horses; after all, underworld forces were extremely cautious, and bringing too many people would only arouse their suspicion.
Nine Dragons Stronghold was established in the northern part of the Mang Yin Mountain Range, occupying important trade routes. They usually collected tolls from passing merchant caravans. For those merchant caravans who knew to pay up, they didn't bother to make things difficult. Although they were an underworld force, they didn't want continuous conflict, and they also had to guard against their "sweet cake" being coveted and snatched by others nearby, so no one was foolish enough to provoke more enmity.
Zhou Ye galloped quickly towards Nine Dragons Stronghold. Two hours later, they appeared at the stronghold gate. However, they were greeted by a closed gate and countless wary eyes.
Zhou Ye saw the tightly shut main gate from afar, his brows furrowing. It seemed Nine Dragons Stronghold had long anticipated Mu Region's arrival. Doing this, would it be considered helpful?
"Friends of Nine Dragons Stronghold, please inform Leader Lei. Zhou Ye of Mu Region requests an audience!" Zhou Ye sat on his saddle, cupped his fists, and shouted loudly, his voice imbued with powerful spiritual energy echoing through the air.
"My father is in secluded cultivation and is not receiving guests. Please return."
After Zhou Ye's shout, a cold voice unexpectedly responded from above the camp gate. Everyone looked up. Standing on the gate was a tall, slender girl in a cyan dress. Her flowing attire made her appear even more graceful. Her beauty was extraordinary, and her short, heroic hair gave her the valiant posture of a warrior. She stood with her arms crossed, looking down at the people from the Mu Territory.
Zhou Ye heard this and chuckled faintly, "I apologize, but if I don't meet the Great Chieftain Lei today, I'm afraid I won't leave. Please open the camp gate, young lady."
"You want to be stronger than thunder? You'll have to ask me first!"
Her willow-like brows furrowed, and the girl clenched her fist. Spiritual seals emerged from her palm.
When Mu Chen saw those spiritual seals, his eyes immediately widened in surprise. This female bandit was actually a Spirit Array Master?