Feng Rensong smiled upon hearing the words, "If Brother Xiao were to conduct the investigation, he would surely be able to discover the whereabouts of the Life and Death Sect. I wish Brother Xiao a successful return."

In his words, there was full confidence in Xiao Mu's abilities.

Xiao Mu modestly demurred before smiling, "What about Brother Feng? How do you plan to handle these incidents created by the Life and Death Sect?"

Feng Rensong didn't boast, "I plan to report the activities of the Life and Death Sect to the great leader and ask him to arrange for people to search the entire Great Tang Ruins. We must locate all the Life and Death Sect Mutated Beings active within the ruins and prevent them from creating a Sculpted Image and founding a temple for the Undying Divine Sovereign."

"Brother Feng's arrangements are even better than I had imagined."

Xiao Mu praised, then stood up, "I'm going to investigate the back mountain passage of Foding Mountain to find traces of the Life and Death Sect."

"If there's anything you need help with during the affair, Brother Feng, just let me know. I am also a member of the task force, and it's only right for me to serve the task force."

Feng Rensong said with joy, "If there is truly a need, I will certainly notify Brother Xiao. For now, I wish Brother Xiao a smooth return."

Xiao Mu bid farewell to Feng Rensong and went back to his residence to prepare before heading straight to Foding Mountain in the Bodhi Domain.

The Bodhi Domain was adjacent to the Great Tang Ruins, and Foding Mountain was not too far from the ruins. Xiao Mu used the Five Elements Escaping Technique, and within two to three hours through the Five-in-One Escape, he arrived at his destination.

Foding Mountain, a new mountain range that emerged after the World Mutation, featured a peculiar shape that from a distance resembled a Pagoda greatly.

This mountain was steep and not very large in area, stretching for only about a hundred square kilometers or so.

Xiao Mu arrived at the foot of Foding Mountain and looked up carefully at it.

The mountain surface of Foding Mountain was uneven, and due to the rich presence of Mutated Metal deposits within, the slopes were dotted with one deep mine after another.

At the base of the slope, numerous tents were set up, with low-level Mutants frequently entering and exiting the mines.

A man, who looked to be in his thirties with dark skin and was in the mid-Fourth Stage of Mortal Realm, approached Xiao Mu, clasped his hands together in greeting, and asked respectfully, "Are you Mr. Xiao from the Ruins?"

"I am Xiao Mu." Xiao Mu nodded in response, his gaze resting on the Mortal Realm Fourth Stage Mutant, "Are you Li Yi, the person in charge of the mine?"

"That's me, Mr. Xiao."

The dark-skinned man Li Yi quickly responded, then hurriedly explained, "I should have gone out to meet Mr. Xiao, but I'm really too busy with the mine's affairs to leave. Please don't take offense, Mr. Xiao."

"There is no need for courtesy," Xiao Mu waved his hand, indicating that he didn't mind, but then went straight to the point, "The newly discovered passage, is it at the back mountain?"

"Yes, Mr. Xiao, please follow me. I'll take you there."

Li Yi beckoned Xiao Mu to enter the mine.

The mine was dark and stretched long and winding into the distance, and with the low ceiling inside, it immediately conveyed a sense of oppression to those who entered.

However, Xiao Mu was unconcerned; even if the mine were to collapse, it wouldn't harm him in the slightest. With his current Realm and abilities, if he were to use Divine Powers, he could even uproot the entire Foding Mountain.

Riding a minecart, he followed Li Yi deep into the mine. The tunnel was long and reaching, and after several hours, the minecart came to a halt at the end of the track, which was a messy mining area.

The area was chaotic, marked all over by signs of excavation, looking pit-ridden and irregular. Especially the ceiling of the mine, due to rampant digging, conveyed a sense of danger, as if the mine could collapse at any moment and large stones could fall from the top at any time.

"Mr. Xiao, look, this is the place. If it were our mining, we would definitely not dig like this. Such a method of excavation could cause the mine to collapse at any time," Li Yi indicated the haphazardly dug pit, his tone filled with indignation.

Xiao Mu did not respond to Li Yi, instead scanning the mine pit and could not help but nod inwardly.

In the mine pit, he sensed a faint Power of Life and Death.

Undoubtedly, Mutated Beings from the Life and Death Sect had been active in this mine pit.

Moreover, Xiao Mu suspected that this chaotically excavated mine pit might be the work of low-level Mutants from the Life and Death Sect.

"If I follow this mining tunnel, can I reach the back mountain?"

Xiao Mu suddenly turned his head and asked Li Yi.

Li Yi was at first startled, then nodded, "Yes, Mr. Xiao."

Before he could finish speaking, a five-colored brilliance flashed before his eyes and the sound of the Five Elements Escaping Technique echoed in his ears; Xiao Mu's voice followed closely, "You go back on your own, no need to wait for me."

In Li Yi's astonished gaze, Xiao Mu used the Escape Art, heading all the way to the back mountain through the tunnel. A few minutes later, he emerged from the mining tunnel and appeared on the back mountain.

The pathway on the back mountain directly faced a deep valley, emerging on the edge of a cliff. The exit was narrow, and at this constricted exit, Xiao Mu also sensed a faint Two Forces of Life and Death.

"Where have the people of the Life and Death Sect hidden themselves?"

Xiao Mu murmured to himself, while he adeptly used the Escape Art to exit the mine and quickly reached the mountain top, where he looked around at the surrounding area.

The clouds and mists of Foding Mountain were vast, and the peaks convened, but he couldn't immediately find his target.

"What would I do if I were them?"

Xiao Mu murmured softly, placing himself in the shoes of a member of the Life and Death Sect to make a judgment, "Because the task I need to perform is very secretive, and must not be discovered by humans, secrecy is paramount."

"So, I would find a way to hide, in a place where humans cannot find me."

"But what good hiding places are there near Foding Mountain?"

As Xiao Mu pondered, he suddenly deployed the Escape Art and began to circulate around the mountainous region near Foding Mountain.

While moving swiftly, he opened his mind in search of a possible Space Gate.

Unfortunately, after several hours, even though Xiao Mu had searched around the mountainous region of Foding Mountain, he failed to discover any Space Gate.

"It seems there isn't a Space Gate nearby, so the possibility that the Life and Death Sect is hiding within the inner space of a Space Gate can be ruled out."

"If not in a Space Gate, where else could they hide?"

Xiao Mu's gaze quickly fell again on the belly of Foding Mountain, followed by his eyes sweeping over the mountain flanks, moving across those of nearby mountaintops.

After a moment, Xiao Mu frowned lightly, "The people of the Life and Death Sect might well be hiding inside one of these mountains. But if they cover their tracks with the Power of Life and Death, just plug the entrance and deal properly with the remaining traces, outsiders will not find it."

However, Xiao Mu's face soon revealed a smile, "Perhaps I should try this. I have already become a City God, and as a Divine Spirit of the True Gods, I hold dominion over the life and death fate of all beings in this land. As long as it's not of True Stage, under my authority, fate and life and death are within my control."

Omm!

With a thought from Xiao Mu, golden light burst forth from his body, followed by a Sculpted Image of a City God surging from within him and instantly appeared above his head.

The City God extended both hands, revealing the Book of Life and Death and the Judge Pen respectively.

As Xiao Mu's thoughts moved again, sacred divine authority began radiating in rings from the whole body of the Sculpted Image above his head, starting to spread out from Xiao Mu's position towards all directions.

The sensation of controlling the life and death fate of all beings in the region surged in Xiao Mu's heart. Under his domain, the City God authority covered the vicinity, making those nearby creatures as easy to manipulate as turning his palm.

"Hmm, this is a Mutated small bird, this is Li Yi, this is a miner from the mining site, this is another..."

At this moment, Xiao Mu could clearly sense the presence of any nearby creatures and even easily control the life and death of any beings below the True Realm.

Below the True Realm, even Variants in the Mortal Realm haven't transcended life and death, possessing no ability for immortality; against a City God with dominion over an area and mastery over life and death, one could say they would live or die at the divine will.

Ignoring the miners digging inside Foding Mountain, Xiao Mu continued to use the Five Elements Escaping Technique to move to other peaks, meanwhile, utilizing his City God authority to cover each mountaintop, trying to trace the whereabouts of the Craftsmen abducted by the Life and Death Sect.

"There are people inside the belly of this mountain too, one... two... three, three Mortal Realm Variants, among them two with slightly lower levels, both in the Second Realm. Hmm? This Fifth Level Mortal Realm person has the Two Forces of Life and Death, a Mutant Being of the Life and Death Sect, haha, found you!"

In the belly of a mountain separated by two other peaks from Foding Mountain, Xiao Mu successfully found the trace of the Mutated Beings of the Life and Death Sect and was overjoyed.

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