Da Xuan Martial Saint

If they kidnap the entire population of a million in the Outer City as leverage and bargaining chips, it could indeed force the major forces of the Inner City to make some concessions. After all, although the aristocrats of the Inner City might not care about a few lives in the Outer City, the entire Outer City was a completely different concept.

Moreover, this method was something that mere martial force could hardly prevent. Even the existences at the Tendon Changing or Bone Tempering levels were unable to completely annihilate all the gray-skinned rats roaming around the entire Outer City.

Hongyu also realized the severity of the problem. She could no longer care about the situation and mechanisms within the underground passage. It was imperative to kill the Black Crow Sect's delusion in the cradle before things became unmanageable.

Whoosh!

Hongyu was the first to rush into the underground passage; immediately afterward, someone carrying a torch followed, along with Min Baoyi and a group of people from the Ninth District City Defense Division, as they boldly entered the tunnel.

The passage was not too narrow, comfortably accommodating two people walking side by side, but the entire tunnel was filled with a putrid, bloody stench. After hurrying along for a while, soon some bodies appeared in the tunnel.

These were members of the Black Crow Sect who had gone down earlier to explore the passage and had been struck by several sharp arrows.

Hongyu merely glanced briefly and ignored them, continuing forward. After advancing further, two divergent paths appeared ahead; Min Baoyi immediately said, "Left, the right is a trap and a dead end."

This had been found out at the cost of lives in the past while.

Based on the partially explored conditions of the tunnel, the group avoided many traps, but because Hongyu's pace was very fast, they soon reached an entirely unfamiliar section.

Hiss!

Unknown what mechanism they triggered, a sudden whooshing sound came from the front, accompanied by a burst of cold light rushing towards them.

"Be careful!"

Someone shouted a warning.

However, Hongyu, leading the group, did not retreat; with a flick of her wrist, her soft sword unsheathed, displaying bursts of sword light within the cramped tunnel, forming a semi-circular barrier like countless converging raindrops.

The sound of metal clinking filled the air as all the incoming darts were knocked down by Hongyu.

With a Tendon Changing Realm expert clearing the path, ordinary traps were almost negligible; whether flying darts or secret arrows or mechanisms spewing poison water and fog, many were cut off by Hongyu's swift sword before they could activate. Even poison water sprayed directly at them was completely blocked by her deft swordplay, clearing the way forward.

Thus, they advanced further.

Finally.

A very spacious stone chamber appeared ahead, still with some scattered footprints — clearly, people had just been here, but had now completely evacuated.

Besides the passage they entered from, the chamber had four other diverging paths leading to different directions.

"We should already be near their Main Altar," Min Baoyi said gravely, as he had been estimating the distance they had covered all along.

Each of the four paths showed clear, messy footprints, obviously leading to different internal areas.

"Don't delay, split up to act; anyone who resists, kill without mercy!"

Hongyu spoke firmly, her figure flashing as she dashed alone into the leftmost tunnel.

As Little Lotus was about to say something, seeing that Hongyu had already disappeared, a hint of helplessness flashed through her eyes, but she quickly looked at the others and said sternly, "Prefecture Chief Xu, you take people down the second path; Prefecture Chief Min, you split some people to take the third path."

The one addressed as 'Prefecture Chief Xu' was the Chief Officer's prefecture chief and belonged to Hongyu's forces. He immediately responded and led his people into the second tunnel; following that, Min Baoyi also quickly said, "Wang Gong, Zhong Chang, you take your men with me; Chen Mu, Qin Bei, you follow Deputy Officer Lotus."

As he finished speaking, he led people into the third passageway.

Qin Bei evidently knew of Xiao He's identity, who was not some junior officer but Xu Hongyu's personal maid, holding a status even higher than Min Baoyi and with strengths no less formidable. Thus, he had no objections, and Chen Mu was even more certain.

Xiao He, too, had a serious expression at this moment; with a wave of her hand, she took Qin Bei, Chen Mu, and the others into the fourth passageway. After walking several tens of steps forward, they came upon a suddenly expansive area, only to find it was a dim dungeon.

Gaunt and half-dead prisoners could be seen moaning in the dungeon.

"Those people who have gone missing these past few months are probably all here."

Such thoughts flashed through Chen Mu's mind.

Although it was still unclear what the Black Crow Sect specifically wanted with these people, judging from the current scene, they were likely using these individuals to cultivate those gray-skinned rats, either by drawing their blood or some other brutal means.

But just as Chen Mu's gaze was scanning each cage in an attempt to find someone familiar, suddenly a squeaking noise rang out. It quickly grew into a continuous sound, merging into a rustling wind-like noise that sent shivers down one's spine.

Everyone's expressions changed instantly.

Their gazes all turned toward the depths of the dungeon ahead.

But just as everyone's attention was focused on the dungeon, a sudden loud 'bang' echoed from the passageway behind them, as if something heavy had fallen, accompanied by a muffled sound. When they turned to look, they saw a large rock had fallen, blocking their way back.

Some officers began to panic at this sight.

"Don't panic!"

Qin Bei and Chen Mu spoke at the same time.

Both voices were calm and powerful, showing no signs of panic.

Qin Bei, an old head constable who had served many years in the City Defense Division and was the only other person besides Chen Mu among the head constables who mastered Blade Momentum.

Although Qin Bei was now over thirty-five and his Body Tempering Method could go no further than Minor Achievement in Body Refinement, hindering his chances of promotion to Prefecture Chief, his strength still made him one of the strongest in the Ninth District's City Defense Division, second only to Min Baoyi.

With realms of Body Refinement and mastery in Blade Momentum, seasoned in numerous battles, he naturally did not panic amidst changing situations.

Needless to mention, Chen Mu's strength was his greatest confidence. Like earlier in the corridor, if he had been leading the way instead, he might not have been able to bulldoze through all the traps as Xu Hongyu had, but most of the traps posed no threat to him at all.

With skin as tough as copper-steel and a Major Achievement in Body Refinement, he was nearly impervious to hidden weapon triggers and virtually immune to poisonous waters. Poisonous gases were more troublesome, but with his skills in Blade Technique, he could disrupt the source of the spray before it dispersed.

Traps all along the tunnels posed little threat to him, let alone in such an open area.

Both head constables spoke up, immediately stabilizing the panicking officers behind them, while Xiao He remained silent, her eyes reflecting a hint of approval as she observed the reactions of Chen Mu and Qin Bei.

Qin Bei was fine, after all, an experienced head constable of the Ninth District with strong capabilities, whose background she knew well. However, for Chen Mu of such a young age to remain composed under change showed a stable temperament, aligning closely with Min Baoyi's evaluation.

Given time,

he would surely become a reliable subordinate.

If there was even a slight possibility of breaking through the constraints of the Tendon Changing and stepping into the Third Realm of Body Refining, Tendon Changing Level, then he could hope to become crucial to Xu Hongyu, a significant force to be reckoned with.

"That must be the 'Protector God' that the Black Crow Sect refers to."

Xiao He said slowly, looking ahead.

As her words fell, a large number of gray-skinned rats surged out from deep within the dungeon, with sizes great and small, the largest nearly twice as large as any rat Chen Mu had seen before, no longer resembling the size of regular rats.

These gray-skinned rats surged like a tide, completely overwhelming the cells. The half-dead prisoners barely had time to scream before they were submerged, accompanied by a disturbing chorus of crunching and gnawing sounds, sending chills down anyone's spine.