Chapter 428: A Farewell

　　Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

　　Hou Sai Lei waved again and the summoned skeletons rushed out.

　　At his current rank and strength, the skeletons too were proportionately stronger as well.

　　Sho shoo…!

　　Using two bows formed from their bones, the skeletons shot large bone arrows at full speed.

　　Every bone arrow struck right at the men in purple robes. In just a few breaths, more than twenty of the slaves were killed on the spot.

　　The sharp-mouthed man’s face changed as he turned his head and whipped his horse to pick up the pace, fleeing into the distance.

　　The remaining people fled too. They quickly mounted their horses and rode as fast as they could. In the blink of an eye, they had reached more than ten feet farther than the bone arrows could reach.

　　Shi Mu waved his hand and a golden sword of light flew out. In mid-air, a figure and shadow of a dragon-snake appeared in golden light. It flew down at great speed and caught up with the escapee in a flash.

　　“Flying sword!” The sharp-mouthed man yelled.

　　The golden flying sword shook as several shadows were transformed. Each sword shadow wrapped around a few of the escapees.

　　Cha!

　　Blood spurted from the headless bodies of several of the riders, their disembodied heads falling helplessly to the ground.

　　The golden sword flashed and flew back, slashing a few of the prison carts.

　　The people inside looked at Shi Mu before they came out of the cart.

　　A middle-aged mayor also walked out of the room. His expression was full of fear, looking at Shi Mu with terrified eyes.

　　“You don’t have to worry. I won’t do anything to you,” Hou Sai Lei said.

　　“But, you killed the slain team of the Transcending Heaven Immortal Cult. The cult will come looking for you. How are we to stay alive?” The man’s face was filled with despair.

　　Hou Sai Lei heard as his brow wrinkled as if he had not properly thought through his plans.

　　“It’s alright. What we do will not hurt you. Just act like nothing ever happened today,” Shi Mu said faintly. With a wave, fireballs flew out and turned the bodies to ash.

　　“You have all escaped. Don’t be caught by the Transcending Heaven Immortal Cult,” Shi Mu said.

　　“Thank you, all three of you are our saviors.” The escapees bowed to Shi Mu and the others before leaving.

　　“Let’s go,” Shi Mu said as he turned around and walked toward the town.

　　The middle-aged man in the grey robe watched the three leave. His mouth moved as if he had something important to say but he held himself back.

　　“Brother Shi, I’ve thought about it and I am afraid that this will affect these townspeople,” Hou Sai Lei said with some annoyance.

　　“No problem,” Shi Mu said, looking in one direction.

　　“Brother Shi, don’t tell me you’re thinking of…” Yu Yi, who had been silent all this time, finally opened up.

　　…

　　After half an hour, a mountain in the White Feng Town…

　　Shi Mu and his party stood on one of the peaks.

　　Below them was another smaller mountain with several mines that had been cut into it, with some simple constructions built around it. It was none other than a mining house!

　　Hundreds of people were busy in the strongholds. Most were ordinary people with no skill in martial arts or charm magic. They had been tortured to the point that they emaciated and malnourished, yet were still driven to work by the supervisors of the Transcending Heaven Immortal Cult.

　　Shi Mu had been through so much at this point that nothing was able to shock him. He glanced at the situation in the base immediately understood what was going on.

　　Next to the mine was a pool filled with dead bodies, most likely from torture. It could be clearly seen from a distance as the rotten corpses exuded a foul smell and attracted flies. There were at least a hundred thousand bodies.

　　“The Transcending Heaven Immortal Cult is crueler than the Heterodox Idolatry Cult!” Hou Sai Lei scoffed in fury.

　　There was also a touch of anger on Yu Yi’s face.

　　“You don’t have to worry about anything. Just make your move!” Shi Mu’s tone was plain but with the intention to kill.

　　“Yes!” Hou Sai Lei’s voice fell. His body began to change and flew toward the base below.

　　Yu Yi was a little slow but he followed behind.

　　“Shi Mu, aren’t you going to do something?” Cai who had been standing over Shi Mu’s shoulder asked.

　　“It’s just a stronghold so I’ll let them do it. Cai, what’s your view on what the Transcending Heaven Immortal Cult are doing here?” Shi Mu asked.

　　“This world is how it is. The weaker always get overpowered by the stronger ones. If it was the Dark Moon Disciple who dominated, it wouldn’t be much of a difference. Only humans like you would have such strange beliefs about good and evil.” Cai said.

　　As Shi Mu heard the words, his expression was one of contemplation.

　　…

　　“How bold of you! Who do you think you are?!”

　　Hou Sai Lei immediately caught the attention of the people in the base when he flew down,

　　There were numerous disciples of the Transcending Heaven Immortal Cult in the base. Most of them were Hou Tian warriors and magicians. Among them was the de facto leader, obviously someone with formidable strength.

　　However, Hou Sai Lei and Yu Yi who had been training in the Western He Continent for several years had long advanced. They did not spend much time whipping out and slaughtering the enemies.

　　Both of them searched through the spirit stones that had been mined.

　　“Brother Shi, you found this on the leader that had records of the other spirit stone mining bases nearby,” Hou Sai Lei said as he placed the jade slip on Shi Mu’s palm.

　　Shi Mu took it but did not look at it. He hesitated for a moment before asking once again.

　　“You want me to go to the other mines and wipe the enemies out, do you?”

　　“The Transcending Heaven Immortal Cult is wicked and evil. I am filled with rage, anger, and disgust to the point that I want to teach them a lesson they will never forget!” Hou Sai Lei said cautiously as his face changed slightly.

　　“No problem at all. I am too very uncomfortable with the actions of the Transcending Heaven Immortal Cult. Go now, do what you must.” Shi Mu said while handing back the jade slip to Hou Sai Lei.

　　“Thank you Brother Shi,” Hou Sai Lei was overjoyed.

　　…

　　After half a day, a blue light flashed outside a canyon and all three of them appeared.

　　Among the canyons was a spiritual stone base. There were more than a dozen tall buildings in the canyon that drilled in and out. From time to time, people would enter and exit the mine.

　　“The size of this stronghold is not small!” Hou Sai Lei looked around and said.

　　In the past half-day, the three of them had already destroyed five strongholds. This was the last place to complete the job.

　　“Well, there are four or five people who have been cultivated. It seems that the Transcending Heaven Immortal Cult is obsessed with achieving power,” Yu Yi said while scanning the surroundings.

　　As soon as Hou Sai Lei’s body began to flash, it was time to attack.

　　“Wait!” Shi Mu suddenly raised his hand, stopping Hou Sai Lei from making a move.

　　In one of the largest mines in the canyon, a cart measuring seven or eight feet long was seen slowly being transported out. It was pulled by several black horses.

　　The cart was covered with a piece of yellow cloth. The top began to flash. It turned out to be a spirit weapon.

　　Several talismans were placed around the cart, giving off a faint glow. It was obvious out of the ordinary. Next to the cart was a young man in a purple robe riding on one of the black horses. He looked like he may be a Xian Tian Warrior.

　　“Brother Ge, I apologize for burdening you on this journey. The head urged for this batch of spirit stones to arrive in twenty days,” The middle-aged man in the purple robe said with a dignified demeanor.

　　“Brother Fang, rest assured you can count on me,” The youth smiled confidently and pat his chest in reassurance.

　　With a word, the youth waved and walked out of the canyon. A team of more than thirty people followed closely behind him escorting the big cart.

　　Over the canyon, Shi Mu and his party had a panoramic view of the situation below. Even the dialogue between the two of them could be heard clearly.

　　“Although the car is covered with instruments, below it is filled with spirit stones,” Yu Yi blinked and said eagerly.

　　Shi Mu watched the team slowly walk out of the canyon. His eyes flashed. No one could tell what he was thinking at this point.

　　Both Yu Yi and Hou Sai Lei were anxious as they witnessed the team walking out of the canyon.

　　“Brother Hou… Brother Yu, thank you for all the help you’ve provided for the past few years. I am truly grateful,” Shi Mu let out a sigh and said with relief.

　　Hou Sai Lei and Yu Yi’s faces changed as they heard this.

　　“Brother Shi, what are you trying to say here?” Yu Yi asked quickly.

　　Shi Mu did not answer. He waved his hand and took out two beads of spirit weapons. It was none other than the Spirit Imprisoning Bead.

　　Shi Mu began to chant and with a wave of his hand, the beads began to flash and absorbed both Hou Sai Lei and Yu Yi’s body.

　　Hou Sai Lei and Yu Yi’s body jerked a little as the imprisoned souls returned to the body.

　　Shi Mu waved again and a golden handgun appeared in one hand while a red longsword appeared in the other. He immediately handed the weapons to both of them.

　　Both weapons sparkled and had an amazing aura. Both were spirit weapons so their strength was not to be trifled with.

　　Both of them looked blankly at Shi Mu. They were clueless as to what his actions were leading to.

　　“Both of you, I’m afraid I will not be able to continue the journey with you anymore, nor can we ever travel together again. From this onward, you are each your own person. Your freedom is yours, and yours only. I’ve gifted you these spirit weapons to help you defend yourselves,” Shi Mu said.

　　Yu Yi and Hou Sai Lei heard the words and their faces changed.

　　“Brother Shi, is something wrong?” Yu Yi hurriedly asked.

　　During this time, Shi Mu’s grievances and strengths were rare. This was the reason why both of them made the decision to follow Shi Mu on his journey. His choices turned out to benefit him more than putting him at any disadvantage.

　　“The two of you know that this isn’t good, and the danger would only get worse. It is better for you to leave now before you get involved in something you don’t want to,” Shi Mu waved his hand and said.

　　Hou Sai Lei and Yu Yi locked eyes with Shi Mu. They were as calm as water. Obviously, they had already made up their minds. They looked at each other and let out a sigh.

　　“What are your plans for the future?” Shi Mu asked.

　　Hou Sai Lei looked at the sky as his eyes teared up a little, but he quickly regained himself.

　　“The Xixia Country, after all, is Hou Sai Lei’s hometown. I wished to stay here even if I can’t confront the Transcending Heaven Immortal Cult. I wished the same for all of us too,” Hou Sai Lei said firmly.

　　Shi Mu’s eyes moved slightly and nodded. He said nothing.

　　“Yu Yi has no such a noble sentiment. I intend to travel to the Dongzhou mainland first then to the Western He Continent. After all, the resources there are far richer than in Dongzhou mainland,” Yu Yi said quietly.

　　“Since the two of you already have your plans made out, I won’t say much. I’ll hand the mission of the stronghold to the both of you. Regarding the cart, I have my own plans. May we meet again in the future!” Shi Mu said.

　　Before the last word had left Shi Mu’s mouth, he had already turned into a gray shadow and flew toward the distant team.

　　Hou Sai Lei and Yu Yi both looked at Shi Mu’s light as it got further and further. They were both left feeling confused and speechless.