Chapter 1201: The Wave That Dares to Rise Must Be Broken (Third Update)
Qin Mu lifted his teacup, bringing it to his lips and gently blowing on the tea leaves, a faint smile on his face. "I've been causing trouble in the Heavenly Court for so many years and haven't been done in yet. Surely I wouldn't meet my end just by coming to your little Dao Sect, would I?"
Lin Xuan Dao Lord drank his tea in one gulp. Qin Mu also drained his cup. They set their cups down simultaneously, the cups embedding deeply into the stone table until their rims were flush with the surface.
This was the art of Creation!
They both used the Creation Divine Ability simultaneously, altering the material structure of the stone table and the teacups, fusing the cups and the table into one seamless whole!
In the distance, several Daoists watched from afar, whispering and discussing among themselves.
"The Dao Lord is usually as calm as a gentle breeze and as lofty as the clouds. Though young, his cultivation is unfathomably deep, with the serene detachment of a carefree spirit. Ever since the Dao Ancestor arrived here, the Dao Lord has become even more unfathomable, his cultivation and strength like a vast ocean or a deep abyss."
A young Daoist asked, puzzled, "Why is he so agitated today?"
The older Daoist beside him laughed. "That's because you don't know who this visitor is. This guest is the famous Mu Heavenly Venerable, a scourge upon the world. Back in the day, the Dao Lord suffered no small number of defeats at his hands!"
The young Daoist was even more confused. "Mu Heavenly Venerable? How could a Heavenly Venerable be mixed up with the Dao Lord? And how could he make the Dao Lord lose his composure and get angry?"
"Ah, you wouldn't know about this. Those old-timers have quite a sordid history. Back then, Mu Heavenly Venerable was known as Cult Leader Qin, a great demon lord, the leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult. The Dao Lord's first defeat was at his hands, where his Dao Sword was broken."
The other Daoists chimed in, exposing all of Lin Xuan Dao Lord's old secrets. "Besides Immortal Wang of Little Jade Capital, Xu Shenghua of the Western Lands, Zhe Huali of the Central Lands, and the Tathagata of Sumeru Mountain, there are truly few in this world who can match the Dao Lord. There's also that Qi Jiuyi fellow, who is very formidable, but he hasn't been around much lately. However, the one the Dao Lord most wants to fight is still this Mu Heavenly Venerable. Now that he's come to him, they're bound to have a brawl!"
At the stone table, Qin Mu spun his teacup. The cup rotated back out of the stone table, leaving the surface completely undamaged. He said calmly, "It's been a long time since I've given you a beating. It seems you've started to think of yourselves as the Dominator Body."
Lin Xuan Dao Lord also spun his teacup, his tone equally calm. "Whether it's the dominant or the submissive, doesn't the Cult Leader know in his own heart?"
His teacup also floated up, leaving no trace on the stone table.
"In recent years, I've used Micro-Mathematics to reconstruct the Dao runes of the gods and saints of the heavens. I've also learned Macro-Mathematics from the Dao Ancestor. In terms of mathematical attainment, we are as different as clouds and mud. I am the cloud, you are the mud."
Lin Xuan Dao Lord drew his sword and, with a *ding*, stabbed it into the stone table. He smiled faintly. "The Kai Emperor also visited the Dao Sect and taught me swordsmanship, allowing me to glimpse the ultimate mysteries of the Dao realm. The Village Chief also came here, expressing great disappointment in you in his words, but heaping praise on me. They believe you have gone lame, that your path has deviated."
Qin Mu stared at his sword, then drew his own broken blade and stabbed it onto the table, sneering, "It's not me who has gone lame, but the Village Chief and the Kai Emperor! I am the one on the right path! Those two cripples, I've beaten them both!"
Lin Xuan Dao Lord's eyes gleamed, but his aura became even more restrained. "That's what all heretics and demons say. After all these years, you haven't changed one bit!"
Qin Mu laughed heartily. "If I don't give you a thrashing, you'll still think you're the dominant one. Do you think you can steal my Dominator Body's fortune?"
Lin Xuan Dao Lord stood up, his Daoist robe rustling as if he were about to ride the wind and depart. "Words are useless. Whether one is dominant or submissive, we'll see the truth through our skills!"
Qin Mu also stood up, his tone leisurely. "You all underestimate me. Even if you continue the Yongkang Reformation, I am not far behind. In terms of cultivation, I am still the strongest. In swordsmanship, I am still the strongest. In combat power, I am still the strongest. In mathematics, I am still the one standing at the summit."
Lin Xuan Dao Lord swept his sleeve, and a sky full of sword light erupted, but vanished in the next instant.
Replacing it was a grand cosmos of stars, with planets appearing as if within the small confines of the Dao Sect, displaying a magnificent beauty.
And if one looked closely, every grain of sand, every blade of grass, every drop of water within those stars revealed an endless microscopic structure, showcasing the beauty of the microcosm!
Qin Mu's expression changed slightly, and he muttered to himself in doubt, "It seems that in mathematics, I really can't claim to be the strongest anymore..."
Lin Xuan Dao Lord's Macro-Mathematics and Micro-Mathematics had both reached the level of the Dao!
His swordsmanship perfectly combined the macro and micro, even deconstructing various different Daos through mathematics, where changes in mathematics caused changes in the Dao.
This, in turn, caused changes in his swordsmanship.
In terms of mathematics, Qin Mu felt he was far behind.
And Lin Xuan's swordsmanship, besides the Dao Sect's Dao Sword, also bore the shadows of the Kai Emperor and the Village Chief.
Both the Kai Emperor and the Village Chief were beings who had forged a Sword Domain, with extremely high attainments in swordsmanship. Lin Xuan Dao Lord's original talent in swordsmanship was also extremely high, and with the guidance of two great sword masters, his swordsmanship achievements had reached an astonishing level!
The only question was whether Lin Xuan Dao Lord had learned the Twenty Styles of the Sword.
"Xu Shenghua has visited him several times, and Lin Xuan lost every time. Doesn't that mean that Xu Shenghua's strength is even greater?"
Thinking this, Qin Mu pulled his broken sword from the stone table. "But you are all the submissive ones!"
As he drew his broken sword, his Sword Domain burst forth. The Grand Mathematical Dao Domain and the Tribulation Sword Domain collided with a thunderous impact, causing the massive planets surrounding the Dao Sect to collapse within his Tribulation Sword Domain!
Lin Xuan Dao Lord let out a long cry, activating his cultivation technique to reverse the situation. The collapsing stars began to contract, then rapidly expanded and ignited, transforming into suns composed of heavenly fire!
From within the suns, Great Sun Star Lords flew out, transforming into three-legged Golden Crows that charged at Qin Mu from all directions, carrying the might of innate Dao!
The stars shifted, and the group of suns formed a sword formation, with each Great Sun Star Lord acting as the formation's core!
This was the sword formation of the Great Sun Divine Sword!
Lin Xuan originally cultivated the Innate Taixuan Art, a technique passed down by a renegade from the Heavenly Court's Dao Sect, which was a part of the Dao Ancestor's Taixuan Dao Art.
When the Dao Ancestor came to visit, he taught Lin Xuan the complete Taixuan Dao Art.
His cultivation was truly profound, and combined with the Grand Mathematical Dao Domain, it displayed an ultimate beauty of mathematics that was intoxicating.
This scene appeared to be him using innate Dao to set up a formation, but it was actually swordsmanship. It appeared to be swordsmanship, but it was actually a formation. It appeared to be a formation, but it was actually mathematics!
Everything, layer upon layer, ultimately boiled down to mathematics—this was the essence of the Dao Sect's techniques and divine abilities!
Qin Mu's broken sword rapidly restored itself to its full form. He unfolded his Sword Domain, using his sword to break the formation, shattering the Great Sun Divine Sword!
"Impressive skills!"
He praised inwardly. As he broke the formation, he felt the power transmitted from within the sword array. "Lin Xuan's cultivation is far inferior to mine, but his Macro and Micro Mathematics have compensated for his lack of magical power. His progress over the years has been considerable!"
Unexpectedly, the moment the sword formation was broken, the constellations shifted, and the stars moved. Lin Xuan Dao Lord's sword light swept out, transforming into ancient Star Gods that, without any hesitation, formed the Heavenly Fiend and Earthly Fiend Grand Formation!
The stars in the sky suddenly multiplied. Ancient Star Gods, looking as if they were composed of countless suns, with ancient, ferocious, and malevolent features, appeared. As the grand formation emerged, it immediately froze Qin Mu's Sword Domain in place.