"Hahaha! That black-robed guy is loaded with water and treasures. Kill him and you get both!"
The bald old man laughed, enjoying the farce. Go on, fight. The harder you fight, the more I take in the end.
A scar-faced man lunged at Xu Mu. Xu Mu merely flicked his hand—
a longsword flashed out.
Crack!
The blade punched through the scar-faced man's chest, the terrifying force ripping his body apart.
Boom!
Even after piercing him, the sword-Qi didn't stop, shattering a boulder in the distance before slowly dissipating.
Everyone around froze, eyes bulging, hearts quaking.
Those who had just been about to make a move all sat right back down.
What was that? What kind of power?
The bald old man's smirk vanished; his face turned grave.
A master!
From that one strike alone—at least late Gang Qi, maybe already in the Mystic Art Realm.
"I saved your lives with water, and you repay kindness with spite. I'm… very disappointed," Xu Mu sighed.
No one dared breathe too loudly now. No one had expected the black-robed man to be this strong.
Xu Mu turned to the bald elder. "From the look on your face, you're not very pleased with me."
"Heh heh… so what if I'm not? You think I'm the same as these ants?" the old man sneered.
"About the same. You're just a slightly bigger ant," Xu Mu said, walking toward him.
"Courting death!"
The old man thrust out a palm. In the darkness, yellow motes of light flickered within his released Qi.
Bang!
The ground under Xu Mu's feet collapsed—and his figure vanished.
The old man blanched, flinging off his sunglasses and scanning the area.
Bang! Bang bang!
In the night they couldn't see Xu Mu at all—only the earth caving in, footprints erupting, one after another.
"Behind you," Xu Mu's voice came from his back.
The old man dodged in panic, but a dagger still grazed his left ear—
slicing it clean off.
"So fast!" The elder's heart pounded. He was now certain: this opponent was Mystic Art Realm.
Xu Mu chuckled coldly. Fast?
He bore the title God of Assassins—and for assassins, nothing matters more than mobility.
The bald elder didn't dare trade blows. Clutching his ear, he bolted into the forest downhill.
Xu Mu started to give chase, then glanced back at the Golden Divine Wheat and chose to stay.
With this crowd, if he left it for even a second, it would vanish.
He hesitated briefly, then decided to wait it out.
The twinkling glow meant it was nearing maturity. There was a big difference between unripe and ripe.
He spread his perception—if anything changed, he'd snatch it at once.
The onlookers were terrified stiff.
No one dared covet the Divine Wheat while Xu Mu stood guard.
…
Time crawled. The sky lightened to fish-belly white.
Xu Mu had kept watch the whole night.
At last, the golden glow faded—the Divine Wheat was ripe.
Xu Mu uprooted it and disappeared.
In a secluded spot, he stored the Golden Divine Wheat away and stripped off the black cloak, tossing it aside.
He clapped his hands, smiling. A great haul—enough heavenly treasures to keep boosting his people.
Hands in pockets, he headed back the way he came.
Come to think of it, ever since arriving in this world, this was his first night not sleeping at home.
Along the way he saw new faces—their lips and skin weren't cracked with thirst.
They must've just entered. Some wore masks and hats to hide their identities.
Xu Mu only smiled. Once the noon sun hits, they'll ditch the disguises.
A middle-aged man in sunglasses passed him, a single-strap bag over his shoulder.
As they brushed by, the man suddenly flicked two steel spikes at Xu Mu.
Xu Mu slipped behind a tree—the whole time his perception had been spread to watch for ambushes in a place like this.
Thunk! Thunk!
Both spikes buried deep in the trunk.
"Who are you? Why are you trying to kill me?" Xu Mu called out, back to the tree.
The man said nothing, a steel spike in one hand and a short blade in the other, edging closer with care.
Xu Mu sneered. Whoever he was, he clearly wasn't going to let Xu Mu walk away.
Bang! Bang!
Xu Mu burst from cover, his Desert Eagle barking twice.
The man wasn't ordinary—at the sound he dove behind a boulder.
Bang!
Xu Mu fired another round into the distance—an empty shot.
Crouched there, the man reeled. He's got firearms?
"Hey. Time's up," Xu Mu said—
from right above his head.
The man went white as a sheet and looked up. Xu Mu stood on the rock he was hiding behind, muzzle leveled between his eyes.
Bang!
Before he could react, he was gone—
still disbelieving how Xu Mu had closed the distance so fast when that empty shot had sounded so far away.
But it was already too late.
"Old Zhao!" a roar thundered from afar.
Xu Mu looked toward the voice and understood.
The man in the distance was none other than Lin Yan, the Mercenary King.
They were together—so it made sense the dead man had tried to kill him.
"Xu Mu! You're dead!" Lin Yan bellowed, a dagger blooming in his hand as he lunged like a shadow.
Xu Mu slipped aside.
Boom!
Lin Yan landed where Xu Mu had just stood, the rock underfoot cracking wide.
He leapt down and shook the corpse's shoulders. "Old Zhao! Old Zhao!"
This man had been his earliest mercenary comrade.
After Lin Yan's return to the city, the guy had washed his hands of the trade to help him build an empire and enjoy life.
And now Xu Mu had killed him.
"Xu Mu! You deserve to die! Die!" Lin Yan's eyes burned with murder, a raging beast unleashed.
But this time, Xu Mu didn't run. After quietly building himself up, it was time to test his strength.
"I didn't even know him. He came at me first," Xu Mu shrugged. "I only fought back."
"You've ruined my plans again and again. He should have killed you!" Lin Yan advanced step by step.
"How domineering. The first time we met, the security guard stopped you—I was the one who brought you in," Xu Mu said coolly.
"From start to finish, you kept picking fights with me. I only struck back. You bully me, and I'm wrong even to resist?"
"When I bully you, you should take it. The weak ought to be ruled by the strong!" Lin Yan pulled another dagger—one forward grip, one reverse.
Boom!
He stomped, shattering the ground, and charged straight at Xu Mu.