Da Xuan Martial Saint

Outside the door.

A butler covered in blood stumbled in.

"Master, it's bad, the soldiers are attacking our base, and there are people from Yu Family too..."

Only after he had finished speaking did he notice Chen Mu, dressed in the official attire of the Metropolitan Commander of the Inspectorate, standing in front of He Zhengya and He Guangxun. Then his voice abruptly halted, as if someone had choked him.

Shocked, the man then fell to the ground, unable to stand up, continuously kicking back and shuffling.

Chen Mu didn't look at the butler beside him; he hardly even noticed him, turning his gaze instead to He Zhengya.

"You have won."

"The Yu Family has won."

"It's all over."

Leaning on a cane, He Zhengya's usually erect back now leaned back against the chair, his voice seemingly laden with endless fatigue and sighs.

Chen Mu said indifferently, "No, the He Family still has forces outside, He Wuyou is still alive, and perhaps the Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion has already found a way to detain them. To say it's over is still a bit premature."

He Zhengya laughed mockingly and said, "What use is that? They are merely cannon fodder for the Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion now. To build up such a foundation again is impossible, a foundation of over a hundred years, ah..."

He clearly understood.

From the moment Chen Mu appeared in the main hall of the He Family, everything had already ended.

This meant that the He Family's final assassination attempt on Chen Mu had failed; even with the help of the Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion, they could no longer succeed. The Pavilion had also completely abandoned their faction in the city, as the He Family in this city no longer had any forces worth preserving: all that was left were the younger generation and the elderly, women, and children.

The forces led by He Wuyou, even if they lucked out and escaped under the Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion's protection from Yan Jingqing's grasp, eventually just became a disposable force the Pavilion could easily manipulate.

The Seven Profound Sect would never allow any branch of the He Family to continue developing in other parts of Yu State, and the Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion also had no interest in allowing the He Family to seek any development in Xuan State, simply treating them as a disposable force.

Although.

He Wuyou, being of the Five Viscera Realm, remained alive, but it was meaningless.

After today, He Wuyou would have nowhere to go; he couldn't escape the pursuit of the Seven Profound Sect in Yu State nor gain protection from the Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion in Xuan State. Regardless of his Five Viscera Realm strength, all he could do was obey the Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion's orders and cling to survival.

At this moment, He Zhengya stared at Chen Mu and said, "The Yu Family is lucky, picking up Xu Yichuan and then fishing you out from the bottom. If it had been the He Family rather than Xu Hongyu who had met you that night, perhaps the outcome would have been different."

"There are no 'ifs' in this world."

Chen Mu said indifferently, "Even if there were, the endpoint would be the same, only the journey might be slightly different."

The He Family and Yu Family are different.

Yu Family, struggling in adverse circumstances, desperately sought talented people. Xu Hongyu's initial reaction to him was that he was good, a talented individual worth nurturing, someone who might one day become a Prefecture Chief, helping her alleviate some troubles.

But the He Family at that time, how could they care about a mere Prefecture Chief?

Back then, nearly all the Prefecture Chiefs in the South City District were from the He Family.

Not caring even about a Prefecture Chief, not to mention him at that time, who only seemed somewhat talented and hopeful that after some time cultivating, might take on a role of a Prefecture Chief, requiring some investment and cultivation.

And given the way the He Family conducted its affairs, if it had been He Mingxuan instead of Xu Hongyu he encountered on that night when he killed Tang Quan, He Mingxuan might have simply killed him on the spot to prevent any information about Tang Quan from leaking out.

So it was destined.

The He Family's ship could never carry him.

By the time he truly demonstrated his talent, reaching the point worth the He Family's allegiance, it was already too late for the He Family.

"Mingxuan, MingZhen, Light Sect... they're likely all killed by your hands. While I couldn't recruit you under my command, I should have paid attention to you earlier, to avoid today's disaster."

He Zhengya's gaze slightly lowered.
Continue your journey on empire

Chen Mu slowly said, "Alright, we've said so much unnecessary stuff, it's about time. I only have one question..."

He Zhengya looked up at Chen Mu and said softly, "Are you asking about Xu Yichuan? You should have guessed already."

"..."

Chen Mu sighed.

Suddenly drawing his knife, he swung it forward, generating a burst of knife-light where wind and thunder converged.

He Zhengya swiftly lifted his cane, which shattered into countless splinters, revealing a long, straight sword inside. It clashed with Chen Mu's knife in midair, only briefly locking before the sword began to crack inch by inch from the tip, eventually exploding into fragments.

Spurt!

The knife-light pierced through his chest, broke the chair behind him, and penetrated the wood column in the rear of the Hall Office.

He Zhengya still sat there without getting up, blood streaming from the corner of his mouth. He looked at Chen Mu, showing one last look of puzzlement, and asked with some difficulty, "Just what is your strength?"

"A bit stronger than yours."

Chen Mu slowly turned away, no longer looking at He Zhengya.

As Chen Mu's back faced him, He Zhengya's eyes gradually dimmed, blood continued pouring from the chest wound, staining the crystalline floor tiles red. Eventually, his head drooped down, and all signs of life faded as he sat there, turning into a corpse.

Chen Mu walked slowly out of the Hall Office.

At that moment, He Guangxun seemed to realize something and struggled to speak towards Chen Mu, "Spare my life... I have never planned your assassination. It serves Mingxuan right to die by your hands, I can serve the Yu Family…"