Whether it was the Heavenly Demon Cult, the leading sect of the demonic path, helping the State Preceptor of Yankang, or the Heavenly Demon Cult using the Transmission Banner to bring the Yankang army to slaughter disciples from various sects, either scenario would cause the hearts of these Cult Master-level existences to tremble, waver, and fall into chaos.
Although the duration of their mental turmoil was brief, losing composure in the presence of someone like the State Preceptor of Yankang was essentially a death sentence.
While Cult Master-level existences were often Great Experts at the Divine Bridge realm, there were still differences in strength within that realm. As the State Preceptor of Yankang himself had said, he was someone without any weaknesses in any realm. No matter how wide others' perspectives might be, their straight lines could never match his.
His cultivation surpassed others, and so did his strength.
In a sneak attack scenario, virtually no one could be his opponent, nor could they withstand even a single move from him.
Just like in Tianbo City, when the Dutian Demon King was battling The Mute, he was slain by a single sword strike from the State Preceptor—a strike that was also a sneak attack.
Qin Mu estimated that the State Preceptor of Yankang could, in that instant when these powerhouses were distracted, eliminate at least four formidable opponents. As for how many more he could wound, that depended on the State Preceptor's own abilities.
Although this battle was spectacularly brilliant, showcasing the pinnacle combat power of the current era, few could actually perceive the details of the fight. Among the hundreds present, only the Left and Right Envoy Protectors could clearly follow every movement of those in the battlefield.
Even among the masters of the Three Hundred and Sixty Halls, the moves they could discern were likely few.
Qin Mu focused his gaze on the battlefield once more, but still couldn't make out the details. He could only see afterimages from rapidly moving figures, along with the brilliant flashes of techniques, mystical powers, and sword arts exploding.
But every few moments, one of those flashes of light would vanish—signifying the death of another powerhouse.
Now, there were eight silhouettes remaining.
"Apart from the State Preceptor of Yankang, there are seven others."
Qin Mu's gaze flickered. Among these seven, they should all be relatively powerful. Which seven were still alive?
He could see flame-like divine silhouettes shifting and maneuvering there, but couldn't distinguish who was who.
"If I can't see the battle, I'm missing a tremendous opportunity. I wonder if I can open the Bixiao Celestial Eye?"
Qin Mu channeled his qi, directing more energy into his eyes, attempting to construct the formation patterns for the Bixiao Celestial Eye. His eyes already contained three layers of pupils: the first layer was his own natural pupil, the second was formed by the Shenxiao Heaven, and the third by the Qingxiao Heaven. If he could condense the Bixiao Heaven, it would form a fourth layer of pupil, allowing him to see even more.
Just as he was channeling qi into his eyes, he suddenly felt something unusual also enter along with his qi.
Qin Mu was stunned. Suddenly, everything in the battlefield became incredibly clear!
He shook his head and looked again at the battlefield—it was still perfectly clear!
And yet, he hadn't formed any of the Bixiao Heaven's formation patterns at all!
"There's another person's eyes within my own!"
Qin Mu's blood ran cold. He could now see every single move of the State Preceptor of Yankang and the others—every technique or sword art's level, the internal structure of each mystical power or sword technique!
Every person's movements, every expression—clear as day!
This wasn't something his own eyes could perceive. It was what another person's eyes were seeing. Or rather, another person was using his eyes to observe the battle!
Who exactly was borrowing his eyes to watch?
He suddenly recalled: when he had summoned the demon at Tianbo City, he had summoned the Dutian Demon King. The Demon King's consciousness and magical power had entered the demonic idol through his body, causing his forehead to erupt with lightning that flowed into the idol. At that time, he had been cultivating the Hegemon Body Three-Origin Technique.
During the technique's circulation, he had felt something enter his body along with the flow of qi.
And when the disciples of Hongshan Sect arrived and employed the Demon Repelling Decree, although the decree failed to drive the Dutian Demon King back, when its light shone upon the Demon King, Qin Mu had felt the summoning being interrupted. The magical power and consciousness that had been flowing from his body toward the demonic idol were severed.
In other words, a portion of the Dutian Demon King's consciousness and magical power had been trapped within Qin Mu's body!
"So the one lurking inside me now, borrowing my eyes to watch the battle, is the Dutian Demon King!"
Qin Mu felt a chill of fear. This demon king's consciousness was hiding within his body—but where exactly? Why had he not noticed anything unusual during all this time of cultivating the Hegemon Body Three-Origin Technique?
What was the Dutian Demon King scheming?
Inside Grandma Si's body lurked the demon cult master Li Tianxing. If he himself also had a Dutian Demon King inside him, that would be quite the predicament.
Qin Mu kept his composure. Having the Dutian Demon King use his eyes to observe the battle was actually beneficial for him—it allowed him to see the battlefield clearly, and witnessing the techniques and mystical powers deployed by these masters would greatly broaden his horizons.
"What I've intercepted is merely a portion of the Dutian Demon King's consciousness and magical power. Even if it's powerful, it can't be too strong. Once I find him, I can definitely deal with him. For now, I shouldn't alert the enemy—it's best to pretend I don't know."
He could now finally see the battle clearly.
The State Preceptor of Yankang's sword was not a physical blade, but sword qi manifested from his own energy—transforming endlessly, dispersing and condensing at will.
His body blazed with radiant light, like a divine being. Qin Mu had seen this same kind of radiance on the Village Chief before.
When swordsmanship was wielded by his hands, even the most basic sword forms presented states of incredible complexity and profound mystery.
Moreover, his swordsmanship wasn't limited to basic forms—it incorporated even more intricate calculations and variations.
"The Taoist sect's Dao Sword?"
Qin Mu was startled. Within the State Preceptor's swordsmanship, he caught glimpses of the Daoist sect's Dao Sword technique—those incredibly complex mathematical calculations. For example, the Taiji pattern: a circle was something anyone could draw, but the ratio between the circle and the arc that divided it was something no one could calculate.
This involved the secret of the first Dao Sword technique: the principle of reversing yin and yang within the Two Modes. How to achieve this reversal was crucial when calculating with the Taixuan Arithmetic Sutra.
To maximize the power of reversing yin and yang within the Two Modes, one needed to calculate down to the ambiguous digits after division became impossible. To reach an even higher level, one needed to calculate further into the digits of emptiness and clarity.
"The State Preceptor of Yankang has achieved extraordinary mastery in mathematics!"
Qin Mu thought to himself: "If I had known earlier, I should have consulted him about the Taixuan Arithmetic Sutra when we traveled south together!"
The ones clashing with the State Preceptor of Yankang were the three elders—Old Man Qiong, the Scattered Scholar Li, and True Lord Tian. They were worthy of being the supreme powerhouses of the old era. The radiance emanating from their bodies made them appear like three ancient divine beings, and their respective methods were quite different.
The great brush in Old Man Qiong's hands resembled a writing brush but had very long bristles, making it more like a whisk—yet with fewer variations than a fly-whisk.
The Scattered Scholar Li was a sword cultivator, practicing the way of the sword. His swordsmanship was extremely refined, but obviously inferior to that of the State Preceptor of Yankang. His sword technique was composed of the Fourteen Foundation Sword Forms. Though profound, it had already fallen behind the times.
The times had progressed, yet he remained stagnant.
True Lord Tian practiced gu sorcery. She had refined gu insects into various strange dragons: the Heavenly Centipede Dragon stretching hundreds of yards in length, the Dragon Silkworm refined from heavenly silkworms, the Azure Jiao Dragon refined from green serpents—each with bizarre forms.
These poisonous creatures, though powerful, were continuously falling from the State Preceptor's sword arts, being slain one after another.
Qin Mu estimated she wouldn't last much longer.
Besides these three, four others still survived. Among them was Qi Dayou of the Beggar's Sect, whose "Hundred Poverty Mystery Art" was quite unique—his form alternated between intangible and solid, appearing and disappearing unpredictably. "Hundred Poverty" meant possessing nothing, and the Hundred Poverty Mystery Art was truly distinctive.
The other survivor was Daoist Quanzhen. His strength was the weakest among them. Whether the State Preceptor of Yankang was showing him mercy or simply considered him no threat, he had consistently held back and not killed him.
The third was Zen Master Zhikong of the Great Hero Temple. The Four Seals of Buddhism—Formation, Dwelling, Decay, and Void—were remarkably powerful. But under the State Preceptor's sword, this accomplished monk was now covered in wounds and had little combat strength remaining.
The fourth was the man wearing the bronze mask. His attacks were the most fierce and domineering, and he was also the person who puzzled Qin Mu the most.
His cultivation was primarily technique-based. When his mystical powers erupted, they manifested as the Nine Dragons phenomenon—like nine true dragons churning and roiling, with tremendous power!
These nine dragons had countless variations: various offensive techniques, defensive techniques, control over water and fire, manipulation of yin and yang. His offensive power was supremely fierce—both overwhelming and domineering, yet endlessly adaptable. Whether for attack, defense, or refinement, all was at his command.
Moreover, these nine dragons had been cultivated by him to a near-substantial state.
The Nine Dragons Imperial Art.
This was the cultivation method of the Imperial Family's Ling clan. Only those of the emperor's direct bloodline within the royal family could practice it—even princes and princesses were absolutely forbidden to do so.
This bronze-masked man was clearly someone from the royal family. And judging from his level of cultivation, he was among the highest echelons of the royal family's leadership.
Though his attacks were incomparably domineering, the State Preceptor of Yankang had not delivered killing blows against him. Whether this was due to some reservation or concern, Qin Mu couldn't tell.
"Who is this person?" Qin Mu was deeply shocked.
Just then, he suddenly sensed something and turned to look westward. There, he saw the imposing phantom silhouette of majestic mountains approaching.
Qin Mu was momentarily stunned. The mountain was inconceivably vast, yet it was only a phantom—not a solid entity. It was composed of the collective aura and presence of countless monks of bizarre appearances.
Mount Sumeru.
That phantom mountain, with peaks large and small, had monks sitting in lotus position on some peaks, others standing at the summits holding jade vases, and some seated in halls with chests bared in laughter.
And atop the golden peak of the highest summit, a great Buddha radiated golden brilliance as if cast from pure gold. Behind his head, ten thousand rays of light emanated—majestic beyond measure!
"The Great Thunderclap Monastery! The Tathagata Old Buddha!"
Qin Mu's heart shook violently. The Great Thunderclap Monastery had come! The Tathagata himself was leading the monastery's protectors, venerables, bodhisattvas, and arhats to this location!
What did he intend to do?
At that moment, the State Preceptor of Yankang seemed to sense something as well. He suddenly struck with lethal force, slaying Zen Master Zhikong of the Great Hero Temple with a single sword stroke!
Following this, the Heavenly Demon Cult powerhouses on the mountain also turned one after another to gaze at the approaching phantom of Mount Sumeru.
"Bald donkey!" The Left Envoy Protector sneered.
"Bald donkey!" the crowd echoed in unison.
When Monk Yunque saw everyone shouting "bald donkey," he gritted his teeth and joined in with the same cry. After all, he was now a member of the Heavenly Demon Cult—despite being a monk himself.
The phantom of Mount Sumeru drifted to the sky above their mountain. On the mountain, one protectors, venerables, bodhisattvas, and arhats looked down in unison, saying coldly: "Demonic path evildoers!"
Qin Mu's expression turned peculiar. "The relationship between my Heavenly Sacred Cult and the Great Thunderclap Monastery seems rather... frosty..."