Chapter 58: Young Patriarch
The courtyard grew more crowded, with people of all shapes and sizes from every walk of life, all looking up. The first wooden building had become riddled with holes, battered and broken beyond recognition.
Finally, the Wood Hall Master was knocked down from the top floor, and the wooden building collapsed with a thunderous roar.
Amidst the flying splinters, Qin Mu, with a green dragon coiled around his body, deflected the chunks of wood hurtling toward him and strode toward the second wooden building.
Boom, boom, boom...
That building trembled incessantly, as if a giant beast was slamming against the walls inside. Its fate was no better than the first building's—walls burst open one after another, and figures were sent flying out.
Qin Mu's pace grew faster and faster. He was clearly absorbing combat experience, sharpening his battle instincts. Whether wielding a sword, throwing punches and kicks, or using saber, hammer, or spear techniques, he defeated the hall masters guarding room after room.
With a crash, the second wooden building collapsed, dust and smoke billowing.
Then Qin Mu walked toward the third building.
...
Night fell. In the Demon Sect village, stone basins atop stone pillars were filled with oil and set ablaze, turning the village bright as day. Beyond the village, darkness reigned. The light from within seemed to be swallowed by the blackness at the edge, creating two separate worlds—inside and out.
In the firelight, over three hundred hall masters of the Demon Sect stood in the courtyard, all looking up at the last wooden building.
The Demon Sect village had nine wooden buildings in total, each housing forty hall masters guarding forty rooms. Now, Qin Mu had reached the ninth building and was about to ascend to its top.
"Has Young Master Mu been fighting for a day and a night without rest?" the Green Chamber Hall Master murmured.
"He started from morning, entering the building to fight, and has been at it ever since. Apart from stopping for lunch and dinner, he's been fighting nonstop," the Wind Riding Hall Master nodded. "Dawn is almost here, and he's about to reach the top floor of the ninth building. His energy and vitality are astonishingly abundant—it's as if he hasn't expended anything at all. And his physical endurance is terrifying! But the four on the top floor of the ninth building won't be easy to deal with."
The four on the top floor were the pillars among the three hundred and sixty hall masters: Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, and White Tiger. These four halls corresponded to the four spiritual bodies, so their hall masters were carefully selected, outstanding talents.
The Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, and White Tiger halls represented the highest combat power among the three hundred and sixty halls. The other hall masters had their own specialties, each overseeing a trade, but these four halls were solely focused on combat.
In the history of the Demon Sect, most of the Protector Elders (Hu Jiao Zhang Lao) came from these four halls, and even a few sect leaders had emerged from them.
Qin Mu had now entered the room of the White Tiger Hall Master. White Tiger qi was known for its sharpness, capable of cutting through anything.
Back when the sect leader Li Tianxing died tragically on his wedding night, and the sect leader's wife vanished with the sect's sacred demonic tome, the four hall masters were groomed as the next sect leader. The Demon Sect's founder personally guided them, hoping they would grow strong enough to control the sect. While they weren't expected to expand the Demon Sect's power, they were at least meant to prevent it from being swallowed by the Yankang Kingdom.
Though the four hall masters never lived up to the founder's expectations, their strength had improved remarkably.
Now, even though the White Tiger Hall Master had sealed her other divine treasures and only opened her Embryo Divine Treasure, she was still an unprecedented challenge for Qin Mu!
This woman refined her qi into threads, turning her qi into incredibly tough strands, but she didn't use the technique of controlling swords with qi. Her qi threads were her swords.
Her qi threads were nearly invisible. After Qin Mu stepped into the room, the White Tiger Hall Master wove countless qi threads between her fingers, crisscrossing them throughout the room, making it impossible for Qin Mu to move an inch.
Yet her body moved like a demonic spirit from the Great Wasteland—supple and boneless—gliding freely through the room. From her fingertips, qi swords shot out, extending like her nails or like flexible long swords of varying lengths, striking at Qin Mu with lethal intent!
This woman moved like a cat or a tiger, scaling walls and ceilings with incredible agility, as if walking on flat ground.
The battle was grueling. Qin Mu used his butcher knife to cut the nearly invisible qi threads in the room, but each thread was incredibly tough and hard to sever. Moreover, the White Tiger Hall Master casually laid down new threads, catching him off guard.
Meanwhile, she moved through the room with ease, even using her hands and feet to stand on the threads she had woven, darting around like flying.
She used her qi as swords, her soft swords twisting at strange angles, even bending into eighteen curves. Her swordsmanship was formidable!
Qin Mu was wounded repeatedly. He had to be careful of both the qi threads and her qi swords, making the fight extremely difficult. Neither Ma Ye's fist techniques nor Cripple's leg techniques could be fully utilized, and Butcher's saber techniques were hampered by the obstacles, keeping him on the defensive.
In the end, Qin Mu thrust his sword forward. Though his wooden sword was split in two by the White Tiger Hall Master's qi threads, it still struck her chest, pinning her to the wall. The wall exploded, and the White Tiger Hall Master was sent flying out of the building!
Qin Mu raised his knife, cutting through the qi threads in the room, then retrieved the medicine from the room and applied it to his wounds, bandaging them.
He sat down, regulating his breath, and slowly ate the food provided in the room. When his pain eased a little and his stamina recovered slightly, he broke off a few wooden planks, carved them into wooden swords with his butcher knife, and strapped them to his back before rising to head to the next room.
Three hundred and sixty rooms—he had fought through three hundred and fifty-seven, with only three left.
His stamina and willpower had reached their limits. His mind buzzed, as if a thousand people were clamoring inside.
He had never been so exhausted. He wanted nothing more than to lie down and sleep soundly. Even his spiritual embryo had lost its former vitality, listless and sluggish.
He was no longer fighting with willpower alone; he was moving mechanically, fighting on instinct.
Only one belief drove him: he couldn't let these people take away Granny Si, who had raised him. His parents gave him life, but Granny Si had saved his life, raised him with all her heart. She was his mother, his dearest person!
In the next room, the Azure Dragon Hall Master saw Qin Mu approaching and frowned slightly. "Young Master Mu, your condition doesn't look right. You don't have to rush—rest a bit first..."
Before he could finish, Qin Mu raised his sword and thrust. The wooden sword flashed like lightning to the Azure Dragon Hall Master's chest, sending the man flying!
Qin Mu turned woodenly, mechanically lifted his foot, and slowly shuffled toward the next room.
Boom!
The wooden wall of that room exploded. The Black Tortoise Hall Master blocked Qin Mu's wooden sword with his Black Tortoise Shield but couldn't withstand the terrifying force within the sword and was sent flying!
Qin Mu slowly walked out of that room, his steps unbearably heavy, dragging himself to the next room.
"Young Master Mu, I can wait until you've rested..."
Boom!
Qin Mu thrust his sword, and the Vermilion Bird Hall Master flew backward.
"Is it over?"
Qin Mu blinked, then suddenly felt his strength give out. His legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud. He heard the clucking of the chicken-dragons from Cripple Village, the sound they made after laying eggs.
But the boy was too tired. He quickly fell into a deep sleep. At that moment, his spiritual embryo frantically absorbed the golden light from his Embryo Divine Treasure, then fell silent as well.
Qin Mu slept for an unknown time, waking groggily. He seemed to see Village Chief and the Pharmacist, hearing their voices as if from far away: "Nothing serious, just exhausted..." Then he drifted back to sleep.
He woke several times, sometimes seeing Granny Si, sometimes the young founder of the Demon Sect. Many faces flickered around him. He wanted to speak but had no energy, sinking back into sleep.
When Qin Mu woke again, every muscle in his body ached, but his mind was clear. The wounds on his body had scabbed over and were beginning to peel, likely because the Pharmacist had come to reapply medicine.
He sat up and looked around, finding himself still in the room where he had defeated the Vermilion Bird Hall Master. It was silent, with no sound at all.
"My spiritual embryo has fallen asleep again."
Qin Mu checked himself, found no major issues besides the dormant embryo, and forced himself to stand despite the pain. He held the railing and slowly descended the stairs. Every step felt like his muscles were tearing.
When he finally managed to drag himself to the first floor and step out of the wooden building, he looked up and froze.
The Demon Sect village was packed with people. Most were familiar faces—the three hundred and sixty hall masters he had met, all present in the crowd.
Beyond the hall masters, there were unfamiliar faces: towering giants over ten zhang tall, white-haired elders, solemn left and right Dharma Protectors (Hu Fa Shi), the four Town-Guarding Heavenly Kings (Zhen Jiao Tian Wang), and the eight Supervisors (Du Cha Shi).
They sat or stood in silence, waiting without making a sound.
When they saw Qin Mu emerge from the building, one by one they stood up, their gazes fixed on him, expressions solemn.
The young founder of the Demon Sect stood at the village entrance, along with Village Chief, the Pharmacist, Ma Ye, and the others. Granny Si was also there, her gaze on Qin Mu, her expression complicated.
Suddenly, four elderly men bowed, their voices booming, shaking the skies: "The Holy Sect's Four Town-Guarding Heavenly Kings pay respects to the Young Patriarch!"
Qin Mu was stunned, at a loss. Then several voices rang out in unison: "The Holy Sect's Left and Right Dharma Protectors pay respects to the Young Patriarch!"
"The Holy Sect's Eight Supervisors pay respects to the Young Patriarch!"
"The Holy Sect's Twelve Protector Elders pay respects to the Young Patriarch!"
Then came an even louder voice, the voices of the three hundred and sixty hall masters, speaking as one, deafening.
"The Holy Sect's Three Hundred and Sixty Hall Masters pay respects to the Young Patriarch!"
Qin Mu had never seen such a scene. His heart fluttered, and he looked helplessly toward Village Chief, Granny Si, and the others. But they didn't come forward, watching from a distance.
The cowherd boy from Cripple Village steadied himself, showing a composed demeanor. He slowly raised both hands and said unhurriedly, "Rise."
"Thank you, Young Patriarch!"