Chapter Sixty-Seven: The Blossom Grove Sect

Seeing the old man so formidable, Li Mu felt a surge of admiration and silently vowed in his heart that one day, he too would stand so tall—and be even stronger.

After traveling for a while, he spotted Sun Qi and Sun Sanjiu running across the open ground. Neither of them had cultivated their spiritual veins, and could only move swiftly on foot. Though they had set out long before, Li Mu still managed to catch up with them.

Li Mu descended from his flying cloud and called out to them. Upon seeing Li Mu and Li Ying, Sun Qi and Sun Sanjiu were overjoyed.

It was their first time riding a magical flying treasure, and they soon turned pale, visibly uncomfortable. Sun Qi, in particular, could not stop vomiting once he climbed onto the cloud, feeling extremely unwell.

After retching for a while, Sun Qi mustered the strength to speak, "Brother Mu, how did you make it out?"

He could hardly believe it—Li Mu appeared without so much as a scratch. He had even prepared himself to risk his life if Li Mu never returned.

Li Mu's expression softened slightly. "Ying'er pleaded for me. I'll explain everything later."

Sun Qi nodded. Though he had many questions swirling in his mind, he refrained from asking.

"Brother Mu, are we going to Flower Grove Sect?" As for what lay ahead, he was uncertain. All he knew was that as long as he followed Li Mu, he could not go wrong.

Li Mu nodded firmly. "Let's go."

He was determined. He wanted to save Apothecary Shen. Now that Wang Qi was dead, the Flower Grove Sect had lost its leader—this was the perfect time to act.

The Flower Grove Sect was nestled between two mountains, the slopes covered in rocks marked by unusual patterns, from which the sect drew its name. As Li Mu and his companions made their way along the path, they encountered no resistance. This was not surprising—he had already investigated, and knew there were only a handful of cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage in the sect. In recent months, several had vanished without a trace, leaving the sect in disarray.

Without a cultivator at the Pulse Training stage to hold the sect together, it was difficult for any major sect to survive. Even with Wang Qi running rampant before, now that he was gone, chaos reigned in the Flower Grove Sect.

"What do you think you're doing, barging into our Flower Grove Sect?"

As they walked straight into the mountains, a cultivator appeared, riding a leaf-shaped magical treasure. Even from a distance, he shouted at them.

"Where is Apothecary Shen?"

Li Mu felt nothing for the people of Flower Grove Sect except for Shen. He saw no need for politeness, his gaze sharp as he looked the man in the eye.

The man was startled, his eyes darting before they fixed on Li Mu, and his expression changed immediately. "You—are you Li... Li Mu? How could you be here?"

This was Zhao Yue, whom Wang Qi had once ordered to keep an eye on Shen Bingxue. After Wang Qi left to join the Jade Iron Society, Zhao Yue had been left behind to guard the mountain. As for Li Meng, who had refused to follow Wang Qi's orders and was stripped of his spirit, he had already perished.

Li Mu said nothing more. A fire gourd appeared in his hand. Since the man recognized him and spoke in such a tone, it was clear he sided with Wang Qi.

"You advanced to Foundation Establishment this quickly?"

Zhao Yue was visibly shocked. When he had last watched over Shen Bingxue, Li Mu was still in the Qi Condensation stage and hadn't been worth a second glance.

"Where is Apothecary Shen?"

Li Mu pointed the fire gourd at Zhao Yue from afar. He did not wish to waste time; after rescuing Shen, he would flee the Cloud Mountain Realm as quickly as possible.

Zhao Yue lowered his head without a word, maneuvering his flying treasure to draw closer to Li Mu. When only a few meters separated them, a small, cold dagger suddenly appeared in Zhao Yue's hand, which he hurled at Li Mu.

He knew Li Mu was Wang Qi's enemy, and he could not let this opportunity slip by.

The dagger gleamed with a crystalline green light—a single glance revealed its deadly intent. This was Zhao Yue's own crafted magical weapon. Though only of lower grade, it had been coated with potent poison; even a touch could inflict grave harm.

Li Mu showed no concern. He cast a spell, and a long arc of violet fire coiled around the oncoming dagger.

It was merely a lower-grade magical weapon. In moments, the dagger disintegrated within the purple flames, leaving not a trace behind.

Zhao Yue's face twisted in terror and he tried to flee on his flying treasure.

But Li Mu was swifter still; the fiery arc, like a serpent, wound around the leaf-shaped treasure. In just a few heartbeats, Zhao Yue was engulfed in flames and plummeted from the sky.

Li Mu put away the gourd, suddenly remembering something. He realized with a jolt that he had become so absorbed in the battle, he had forgotten his little sister was watching.

He turned to Li Ying, apologetic. "Ying'er, I shouldn't have shown you such things."

Li Ying shook her head. Though her face was pale, her gaze was resolute. "I'm not afraid, big brother. People like that deserve what they get. Many elders in our village suffered at the hands of such men. I despise them."

Li Mu nodded. "Forget the village now. Let it stay in the past."

With that, he guided the flying cloud downward.

"Sun Qi, you two watch over Ying'er. I'll be back soon." Finding a secluded spot, Li Mu stopped the cloud and disembarked alone.

"No, I'm coming too," Li Ying insisted, stubbornly following him down.

"I am about to kill," Li Mu said, his tone stern. "You shouldn't see this."

"I'm not afraid. I want to see how you deal with villains. Someday, I want to do the same," Li Ying replied, her voice clear and determined.

Li Mu pondered for a moment, unable to find a reason to refuse. He finally nodded.

"All of you, stay close and protect Ying'er."

Li Mu led the way, with Sun Qi and Sun Sanjiu flanking Li Ying protectively.

As they trekked through the mountains, they kept to the main paths. Any cultivators still at the Qi Condensation stage gave them a wide berth. Along the way, Li Mu caught several and questioned them. From them, he learned that Shen Bingxue was held in the Green Fragrance Pavilion.

The Green Fragrance Pavilion was a pale green bamboo structure, but now it was shrouded in a sinister mist, dark and foreboding.

This mist was clearly a binding formation. Li Mu shook his head, thinking that if Li Mie were here, perhaps he could decipher and dispel it. But as things stood, he could only rely on his own strength.

"Apothecary Shen, are you inside?"

Li Mu called out in a booming voice, his words rolling into the fog like thunder.

"I'm here. Is that Manager Li?"

A voice, laced with joy, floated out from inside the pavilion. Good—the formation did not block sound.

"Yes, I've come to rescue you," Li Mu replied, relieved to hear Shen Bingxue sounded unharmed.

"Do you know how to dispel the formation outside?" he asked eagerly.

Shen Bingxue sighed. "If I knew, I wouldn't still be trapped here. The formation is most peculiar, seemingly crafted by the wicked to counteract cultivators' spiritual energy. My power is immediately drained by the mist, leaving me unable to cast spells or wield magical tools. Escape is impossible."

"I should have realized," Li Mu muttered, chiding himself for his foolish question. "Don't worry, Apothecary Shen. I'll find a way."

"Don't fret, Manager Li. I have survived here for months already—I can endure a while longer," Shen Bingxue replied softly. "What of Wang Qi? You must be careful of him if you've come here."

Li Mu smiled. "You can rest easy, Apothecary Shen. Wang Qi is dead—he was killed within the Jade Iron Society."

"What?" Shen Bingxue exclaimed in delight. "With Wang Qi's strength, he was unmatched among Foundation Establishment cultivators. I feared he would seize control of the Jade Iron Society. Who managed to kill him?"

Li Mu answered frankly, "I did."

A brief silence fell. Then, Shen Bingxue spoke slowly, "Manager Li, you are truly no ordinary cultivator. I am in awe."