The text on this scroll was sparse. Qin Mu skimmed through it, absorbing much of the knowledge regarding the cultivation of the soul and spirit.
Dutian Demon King had told him the book contained arts of Youdu, which turned out to be another lie to lure him in.
"When I speak, at least one out of ten sentences is true. When Dutian Demon King speaks, only one out of a hundred is true."
Qin Mu thought to himself: "Of all the things he told me, only that one sentence about the Youdu language was true. The rest were all lies!"
He pondered deeply. If he could fully grasp the mysteries written in this scroll, he could indeed comprehend some arts related to the soul and spirit. But more importantly, the text in this scroll strengthened the soul itself—the spirit arts were merely secondary.
Qin Mu committed the text to memory, closed the scroll, and meditated, contemplating the mysteries within to try and comprehend a spirit art.
The Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra contained arts concerning the soul. The great shamans of the Barbarian Kingdoms also possessed such arts. The Eight Thunder Sound Forms passed down by Old Ma, and the Great Freedom Seal of the demon race—all contained profound techniques targeting the soul.
The Nine Nether Gate's Soul-Snaring Guide was particularly outstanding among them.
If he could cross-reference and validate it with the text in this scroll, he could make its power even greater!
Qin Mu meditated for a long time, then began to walk slowly around the courtyard, gesturing as he walked. He was attempting to integrate the principles from the Youdu text into the Solar Spirit Refining in Midair form.
Solar Spirit Refining in Midair was one of the Eight Thunder Sound Forms, the supreme combat technique of the Tathagata Mahayana Sutra. Its power was supremely fierce and potent, and had been evolved to its absolute limit by successive Buddhas, leaving almost no room for further improvement or modification.
Yet now, Qin Mu was improving this very technique. He had never cultivated the Tathagata Mahayana Sutra himself, but ever since he had merged the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra with the Overlord Body Three Dan Art, unifying his cultivation methods into one, the power of the Eight Thunder Sound Forms had grown ever stronger, not one bit inferior to the Tathagata Mahayana Sutra.
He practiced the move repeatedly, striking out with fist after fist. The fist's core was the Heart Seal, and the Heart Seal was the Great Sun. With each punch, thunderous sounds rumbled forth, and a brilliant sun blazed with intensity, refining the solar soul. The power gradually increased.
The Solar Spirit Refining in Midair technique had no effect on the physical body. Despite its magnificent display, it only attacked the soul and spirit.
As Qin Mu practiced repeatedly, a thread of fire began to emerge from his fist seals. This flame was different from ordinary fire—it was the Karma Fire that burned souls.
With each punch, the Karma Fire grew more intense, gradually coalescing into a crimson blazing sun around his fist.
The more he practiced, the more proficient he became. He couldn't help but let out long howls of power. Suddenly, he threw a punch, and the great sun in the air exploded, sending raging flames spreading in all directions. Karma Fire covered the courtyard.
Qin Mu withdrew his stance and exhaled a breath of turbid air. Suddenly, he sensed something and opened the door to see the Sword Hall Master approaching briskly.
"Sword Hall Master, what's the rush?" Qin Mu invited him in and asked.
"Lord Lu has been injured."
The Sword Hall Master's expression was grave. "He's currently at my place. Lord Lu wishes to see the Cult Master. His condition... is very grim!"
Qin Mu's heart skipped a beat, and he headed toward the Sword Hall Master's courtyard with him.
"Cult Master, this old man is ashamed. I come to you wounded, and my injuries are severe. I cannot properly pay my respects." Lord Lu lay on the bed, struggling to rise but unable to do so, his face filled with shame.
Qin Mu waved his hand dismissively and stepped forward to examine his injuries, frowning slightly. Lord Lu's clothes were torn and tattered, and there were still bloodstains on his white hair and beard.
Lord Lu's injuries were even more severe than those of the State Preceptor of Yankang. He must have fought several opponents at the Cult Master level and been struck down!
His injuries were not merely physical. His divine stores were also damaged, and the injuries to his soul were extremely grave!
All seven of his divine stores had suffered near-catastrophic damage. The Spirit Womb had turned to stone, three of the Five Elements Gods had been destroyed, and only two pillar gods remained in the Six Harmonies divine store. The Seven Stars divine store, the Heaven-Human divine store, and the Life-Death divine store were all in ruins. And the flying bridge in the Divine Bridge divine store was already broken.
If it were just these injuries, it would be one thing. But the critical issue was his advanced age—his body was far weaker than before, making it difficult for his physical form to restrain the soul that was on the verge of dissipating.
Lord Lu took a deep breath and said, "Cult Master, I have discovered Lord Qian's whereabouts..."
"Don't speak."
Qin Mu took out two vials of dragon saliva to treat his physical wounds, then made him drink another vial. After a moment's thought, he wrote down a string of medicinal herb names and had the Sword Hall Master go to the storehouse to prepare the prescription. Whether these medicines could heal Lord Lu, he had no certainty. The best outcome would be a cripple, and the worst...
The Sword Hall Master departed swiftly. Lord Lu's physical injuries improved somewhat, but the damage to his soul and divine stores worsened. Gasping for breath, he said, "Lord Qian is dead. When I investigated his trail, someone used his clothing to lure me into pursuit, and I fell into an ambush..."
Qin Mu frowned. "Who set the ambush for you?"
"They didn't show their faces, but I recognized their divine arts."
Lord Lu's body spasmed—the soul injuries had erupted, causing him intense pain. He gritted his teeth and endured, his white hair trembling along with his body. With a raspy laugh, he said, "They were after our Holy Cult's Transmission Technique... Cult Master, I can no longer assist you. I have failed the Ancestor's trust—"
"Don't worry. You won't die, and you won't be crippled."
Qin Mu's eyes twitched as he said sternly, "Even if you die, I will drag your soul back from Youdu!"
"The person who injured me—one of them is an official of the first rank in the imperial court!"
Lord Lu's body calmed slightly. "I recognized his cultivation method. It's the Lingbao Immovable Zen Art. Among the court officials of the first rank, the Guardian of the Hereditary Prince, Sun Nantuo, has cultivated this art to its utmost, manifesting as a thousand pagoda towers, the Lingbao immovable."
Qin Mu moved swiftly, his hands dancing as he struck points on Lord Lu's body. His ten fingers moved with blinding speed, leaving phantom afterimages in the air as he sealed Lord Lu's soul within his body in an instant, preventing it from leaving.
He was using the Creation Heavenly Demon Art. This art was employed by Heavenly Demon Cult experts to skin people and make clothing, but in his hands, it became a life-saving technique.
Lord Lu had his three souls and seven spirits sealed by Qin Mu, yet it was still difficult to halt the trend of his soul's disintegration.
"Cult Master, even if you are a divine physician, you cannot save a man destined to die."
Lord Lu smiled and, trembling, rose from the bed and sat down in the front hall. A flush of color appeared on his face as he said, "There's no need to waste your efforts. My soul is about to scatter, and the divine bridge is broken. I cannot hold on any longer. I had thought that after the Ancestor left, I could assist the Cult Master in restoring the Holy Cult to glory. I never imagined I wouldn't live to see that day."
From within his body came rumbling sounds of collapse—his Divine Bridge divine store, no longer supported by the bridge, was caving in.
The collapsing Divine Bridge store crushed the Life-Death store beneath it, which in turn crushed the Heaven-Human store. Layer after layer, the divine stores collapsed.
Qin Mu felt a pang of grief. Now, even if the Sword Hall Master returned with the medicine, it would be too late to save him.
Raging flames ignited on Lord Lu's body. His soul tore apart—a tearing that was irreversible. His injuries were too severe, and the damage to his soul was catastrophic. His soul was on the verge of dispersing completely.
If a soul dispersed, it could not enter Youdu. Once scattered, one could not even become a ghost.
"Blazing holy fire, burn my remains..."
Lord Lu murmured within the flames. "Life and death are impermanent. Farewells are inevitable. I will not live to see you become a Sage. I long to return to Holy Descent Mountain and see that Sage Tree once more... I hear the woodcutter's axe falling..."
The old man shivered in the fire, then smiled. "Cult Master, I'm so cold..."
Qin Mu reached out his hand, wanting to grasp the old man's hand, but all he touched was a handful of burned ashes.
The raging flames gradually died down, leaving behind ash-gray embers.
Outside, the footsteps of the Sword Hall Master approached, carrying medicine packages large and small. Qin Mu turned around and said woodenly, "Sword Hall Master, it's no longer needed. Lord Lu has passed on..."
The medicine packages fell from the Sword Hall Master's hands. The nine-foot-tall man fell to his knees with a thud, bowing deeply, his shoulders heaving continuously, yet no crying sounds were heard.
A long time passed.
Qin Mu swept Lord Lu's ashes into a green jar and stood blankly before it.
He had been thrust into this role unwillingly, sold to the Heavenly Demon Cult by Grandma Si, and had become its Holy Cult Master in a daze. He had no deep feelings for the Heavenly Demon Cult. If he felt anything, it was his affection for Grandma Si and the young Ancestor.
Yet as he learned more about the Heavenly Demon Cult, he had slowly come to love its teachings, to appreciate the diverse people within it, to admire their character and their ways.
He had come to see himself as a member of the Heavenly Demon Cult, striving to become a worthy Holy Cult Master.
Lord Lu had not been with him long. Perhaps the old man had never truly seen him as the Holy Cult Master—only as a mischievous disciple, bustling about Holy Descent Mountain to clean up his messes, picking up the wreckage he left behind.
He was more like an elder who cared for the younger generation, his reproachful gaze tinged with indulgence.
And now, he was dead, reduced to a handful of ashes in a green jar...
"Sword Hall Master..."
A sharp glint appeared in Qin Mu's wooden eyes as he spoke slowly, "Order all disciples of the sect to mobilize every resource. I want a complete investigation—I want everything on Guardian of the Hereditary Prince Sun Nantuo. His life history, his family, his sect, his disciples—everything about him!"
The Sword Hall Master rose. "As the Cult Master commands!"
Qin Mu continued, "Take Lord Lu away as well. He wished to be near the Sage Tree. Lay him to rest there."
The Sword Hall Master departed with the green jar.
Qin Mu left the Sword Hall Master's residence and found Si Yunxiang, who had already returned from the Celestial Records Tower to the scholar's quarters. He retrieved his book token and headed to the Celestial Records Tower.
Within the tower, he came to the third floor. There were not many texts here—only about a hundred scrolls. Many white-haired secretaries were studying the various cultivation methods within, innovating and developing new approaches.
Qin Mu located the Lingbao Immovable Zen Art and studied it thoroughly. He remained without rest for two full days, then left the Celestial Records Tower and returned to his quarters for a long sleep.
The next day, the Sword Hall Master arrived with thick dossiers.
Qin Mu examined them carefully, spending half a day to read through every piece of information concerning Guardian of the Hereditary Prince Sun Nantuo. Then he closed his eyes.
The Sword Hall Master waited quietly beside him. After a long while, Qin Mu opened his eyes and said, "Nantuo Temple... Sun Nantuo... Lingbao Immovable Zen Art... Wiping out his entire clan in the capital would have too great an impact. Better to do it outside the city."