The sun rose. Qin Mu stood up, sheathing the Sword of Carefree into the scabbard he had carved the previous night. He nudged the Dragon Qilin and awakened the two white bats.
The Dragon Qilin scrambled to its feet, its eyes bright. "Cult Master, today's rations?"
Qin Mu rummaged through his glutton bag. The Red Fire Spirit Pills were running low, but he still filled the beast's belly.
The two white bats released their claws and dropped from the eaves. The three demon monks also opened their eyes, taking out water and flatbread from their packs. Their food was cakes made from crushed bugs.
The monks of the Little Thunderclap Monastery were all demons by origin, eating both meat and vegetables without fuss, unlike the many rules of the Great Thunderclap Monastery. These three demon monks were birds and strange beasts, and they still liked eating bugs. For convenience, they had pressed the bugs into cakes.
Dingjue broke off half a bug cake and gave it to Qin Mu. Qin Mu tasted it and found it surprisingly good, quite fragrant and crisp.
The beast horde began to move. The group in the ruins followed the horde outward, each on guard. Qin Mu, however, was somewhat distracted. They were now close to the western edge of the Great Ruins. He was very eager to see where the Darkness vanished.
Since the Darkness of the Great Ruins surged from the west, there must be a source. Finding the origin of the Darkness might reveal the source of the catastrophe that had befallen the Great Ruins.
The beast horde left the ruins. Qin Mu looked back and was slightly stunned. He saw the fragrant carriage also heading their way, but the woman with the black-tied braid and little red flower, and the man with the white cloth wrapped around his head, were no longer visible. Only a male and a female deer with plum-blossom spots pulling the carriage could be seen.
The male deer's antlers were wrapped in white cloth, while the female deer's ears were bound with a black silk scarf. She wore some gold and silver necklaces and pendants on her chest, with a small red flower attached. Above her front hooves, she wore over a dozen gold, silver, and jade bracelets.
"So they were demons."
Qin Mu blinked. Last night, he hadn't realized that young couple was a pair of exotic beasts. They had no demonic aura on them. He hadn't expected them to be two deer who had cultivated into human form.
"This technique is rather extraordinary. It should be an orthodox cultivation method. Are they guests from the Western Territories?" Qin Mu thought to himself.
The hundred or so alien cultivators silently followed behind the carriage. Qin Mu looked over. A small head popped out of the carriage, with two small braids, looking back. It was then pulled back by two pale hands, and the carriage door closed.
Qin Mu withdrew his gaze and sat on the Dragon Qilin's back. The Sword of Carefree was ready to be drawn at any moment, and the flying swords in the glutton bag were also stirring restlessly.
The two white bats flew up silently, weaving through the beast horde. The three demon monks, with their sleeves fluttering and bird claws treading the ground, took a step and covered a great distance.
Ban Gongcuo's eyes flickered as he looked around. They were currently in the midst of the beast horde. The exotic beasts of the Great Ruins included many exceptionally powerful ones, and the beasts had their own rules. If they started a fight here and enraged the horde, it might attack them as well.
Finally, the beast horde began to disperse.
Suddenly, the two deer pulling the carriage broke into a gallop, speeding away. The hundred or so cultivators behind immediately accelerated, chasing with whoops and shouts.
"Don't run, Princess Mui!"
The carriage surged with qi. Instantly, countless plants and trees grew wildly, becoming immensely thick. A woodland area of over ten acres seemed to come alive.
The ancient trees of the Great Ruins uprooted themselves, transforming into tree giants. They strode forward with their thick roots, making the earth tremble. Their trunks became incredibly mighty fists, thudding and sending the pursuers flying!
The trees of the Great Ruins were originally very large. Many grew dozens of zhang tall, with some rivaling the height of hills. Under the wonderful divine ability of the woman in the carriage, they grew even more colossal and possessed boundless strength!
Meanwhile, the vines in the forest seemed to turn into demons. Thick green vines, like snakes, coiled around the cultivators and strangled them to death!
Qin Mu's eyelids twitched. This kind of divine ability was rare. It was somewhat similar to the Creation Earth Origin Technique, but more domineering!
For a time, the earth shook and mountains trembled as the tree giants ran rampant.
However, the remaining alien cultivators reacted with extreme swiftness, each activating their own abilities. From within the trees and vines came piercing cries, and beams of white light—neither spirit nor soul—flew out. Then the tree giants collapsed, and the vines withered.
One of the cultivators waved his hand. A hillside rumbled and shook, and countless rocks rolled across the ground. In an instant, they transformed into a Mountain Giant, swinging a colossal fist toward the carriage.
The female deer at the front of the carriage lifted a hoof. Over a dozen gold and silver rings flew from her hoof, lassoing the Mountain Giant's oncoming fist. The rings constricted, snapping the stone fist. The Mountain Giant's other fist swung down, and the female deer grunted.
The male deer stamped a foot. Countless blades of green grass surged from the earth. The grass blades, sharp as swords, pierced into the gaps of the Mountain Giant's stones, taking root and sprouting. The Mountain Giant instantly disintegrated and collapsed.
The two deer immediately pulled the carriage and bolted forward.
"What kind of divine ability is that?"
Qin Mu was astonished. These people seemed to borrow the power of heaven and earth, amplifying natural forces to transform them into divine abilities. It was different from the techniques of Yankang and its neighboring states.
"It's the divine ability of the True Heaven Palace in the Western Territories," the Dragon Qilin rumbled. "I once went to the Western Territories with the Ancestor. The True Heaven Palace is a sacred site there. Their techniques are somewhat different from those of the Central Regions. They believe that all things possess spirit, all things possess deity. Even plants and stones have spirits, with deities hidden within them. So their divine abilities follow the path of universal spirit and universal deity. The Ancestor said it was quite good."
"All things possess spirit, all things possess deity?"
Qin Mu marveled. The Western Territories had developed a unique path with their techniques, one worth borrowing from. To receive praise from the Junior Ancestor as "quite good" indicated that the True Heaven Palace truly lived up to its reputation as a sacred site.
The technique that catalyzed the Mountain Giant was especially stunning. An entire mountain coming alive to fight as a giant was earth-shaking. In terms of destructive power, it had achieved something incredible. It was truly eye-opening!
"It's just too destructive!"
Cult Master Qin grew excited. "I wonder if they have any houses left in the Western Territories? I'm afraid not even a single mountain remains? If I could learn this, it would be perfect for demolishing mountains to build roads!"
"Strike!"
Suddenly, Ban Gongcuo gave the order. Instantly, all his subordinates erupted. Blade pills filled the air, and countless sword-light rained down toward Qin Mu. At the same time, the three Shaman Kings moved in a coordinated attack, using shamanic arts to pull the two white bats from the sky.
Qin Mu laughed and flipped his robe over his body. His figure vanished, and the next moment he appeared beside the great shamans and Barbarian Di Kingdom soldiers. The Sword of Carefree flew up, and countless sword-light burst from the glutton bag, shooting in all directions.
Whoosh—
Eight thousand swords plunged into the ground, covering an area of a hundred zhang. Blood dripped continuously from the sword hilts. Only two Seven Star Realm great shamans escaped the calamity. They withstood the barrage of sword-light, not being pierced through the heart, but they were still shaken.
"Transmission Robe?"
Ban Gongcuo was startled. Qin Mu's attack had been too fast, using the Transmission Robe to teleport directly to their side and strike a lethal blow.
Qin Mu raised a finger. The Sword of Carefree soared, and countless streams of sword-light orbited around it before slashing down at one of the Seven Star Realm great shamans.
Golden wings appeared behind the great shaman, flapping rapidly. Countless golden feather-swords shot out, colliding with Qin Mu's strike. Qin Mu was immediately overwhelmed and sent flying. In mid-air, he flipped his robe again and vanished.
In the next instant, Qin Mu appeared behind the great shaman. His palm spread with five fingers, and the Sword of Carefree, along with the eight thousand swords, whirled toward him.
At that moment, Ban Gongcuo's figure spun, and he disappeared.
Qin Mu hastily slapped his palm backward. With a loud bang, their palms collided, and both landed on the ground.
Ban Gongcuo had once entered the Heavenly Demon Cult and cultivated the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra. He had even vied for the position of Cult Master. He had also learned the Transmission Art of the Heavenly Demon Cult. Although the Transmission Art required extremely high mathematical skill, with his foundation from the Dao Gate's Calculation Sutra, his attainment in the Transmission Art surpassed even Qin Mu's.
The Dragon Qilin and the three demon monks charged over. The two Seven Star Realm great shamans took to the air, only to be caught up by the three demon monks. The three monks shook their bodies and transformed into three Golden-Winged Great Pengs, pouncing on the two great shamans.
The Dragon Qilin roared, and a pillar of fire surged toward Ban Gongcuo.
Ban Gongcuo didn't dare to block it head-on. His figure flickered, disappearing and reappearing beside the three Shaman Kings.
The three Shaman Kings were beating the two white bats. The white bats were incredibly tough. Despite being pummeled by one Life and Death Realm and two Celestial Realm shamans, they were still jumping around, truly thick-skinned and sturdy.
"Gongmu, you deal with these two white bats! The other Shaman Kings, kill those three bald donkeys!"
Ban Gongcuo's voice was sharp. "We must eliminate them!"
Shaman King Gongmu was a great expert of the Life and Death Realm, more than enough to suppress the two white bats. Although he couldn't kill these two strange white bats, he could prevent them from supporting Qin Mu.
Meanwhile, the two Celestial Realm Shaman Kings plus the two Seven Star Realm great shamans should be more than enough to deal with the three demon monks and the Dragon Qilin. After all, neither the three demon monks nor the Dragon Qilin had cultivated to the Celestial Realm!
Just as Ban Gongcuo finished speaking, he suddenly saw Qin Mu take out his glutton bag and produce a black jar. His scalp went numb, and he shouted, "Run!"
He activated the Transmission Art, and his figure vanished. Although his cultivation had reached the Six Harmonies Realm, he couldn't teleport very far—only about six or seven hundred zhang.
Ban Gongcuo looked back and saw Qin Mu, with the air of smashing a broken jar, crash the black jar to the ground. Instantly, a dense black smoke spread in all directions, enveloping an area of over a hundred zhang within moments.
Shaman King Gongmu and the other two Shaman Kings quickly dodged, escaping the black smoke and avoiding the catastrophe. They were left with lingering fear.
Ban Gongcuo's eye twitched. That was the shamanic poison he had refined in his past life, extremely potent. If it touched a soul or primordial spirit, it would corrode them. Even a great expert of the Life and Death Realm would perish within a few breaths!
Qin Mu had smashed the jar, clearly intending to perish together with them, to all go on the final journey together.
"No! This black smoke doesn't look like my shamanic poison!"
Ban Gongcuo's heart suddenly jolted. Although the black smoke resembled his shamanic poison, as a master of shamanic poisons, he quickly saw the difference. The black smoke was just smoke, not shamanic poison!
Obviously, that scoundrel surnamed Qin hadn't been idle last night. He had probably sneaked around and made a black jar, filling it with black smoke.
He had two glutton bags. When refining something inside a glutton bag, no one could tell what he was refining.
"Damn it, I've been tricked!"
Ban Gongcuo's face turned iron-blue. He was about to charge back, but the two Seven Star Realm great shamans had already been finished off by the three demon monks, and the two white bats were bouncing around again.
He was about to charge back when he saw Qin Mu take out another black jar from the glutton bag. He hesitated.
Qin Mu laughed heartily and called out, "Brother Ban, shall we part here?"
Ban Gongcuo snorted coldly, flicked his sleeves, and looked toward the three demon monks. Suddenly, he called out, "Monk Dingming!"
The three Golden-Winged Great Pengs each folded their wings, transforming back into the three demon monks who landed on the ground—bird claws, human bodies, draped in loose black robes. Monk Dingming looked up and said, "I am here."
Ban Gongcuo bowed, and suddenly a divine demon phantom appeared behind him, standing within an altar. The phantom also bowed toward Monk Dingming.
Monk Dingming cried out involuntarily, forced to reveal his true form as a Golden-Winged Great Peng. Within his body came a series of bangs as his three souls and seven spirits shattered. He collapsed and died!
Even Qin Mu felt his hair stand on end. Monk Dingming was a great expert of the Seven Star Realm, yet he had been bowed to death. Was this the divine ability that the Great Venerable knew, which could kill by knowing a name—the very ability that made even the Butcher dare not reveal his true name?
"How do I counter it?"
Just as this thought crossed his mind, Ban Gongcuo, looking somewhat pale, called out again, "Monk Dingzhi!"
Monk Dingzhi remained silent. Ban Gongcuo bowed, and the divine demon phantom on the altar behind him also bowed. Monk Dingzhi screamed and died on the spot.
Ban Qingcuo coughed up blood from the corner of his mouth, sneered, and looked at Monk Dingjue. Dingjue was horrified. His wings spread behind him, and he took flight.
"Dingjue!"
Ban Gongcuo bowed. Dingjue, still in mid-air, had his soul scattered. The body of the Golden-Winged Great Peng plummeted.
Ban Gongcuo spat a mouthful of blood, glaring fiercely at Qin Mu. He turned and said, "If you weren't using a false name, killing you would be as easy as flipping my hand! Let's go!"
The three Shaman Kings hurried to follow him, vanishing into the mountain forest.