Chapter 128: Cloud Trace and Sparrow Shadow
Qin Mu laughed heartily, shook his body, and sent Hu Ling'er flying away. He bent his knees, then suddenly leaped upward, both hands raised to the sky, charging straight at the massive Buddha image of the coiled dragon and seated elephant bearing down on him!
The sixth form of the Thunderclap Eight Forms, Ten Thousand Buddhas Return to the Ancestor, Thunder Coil!
Boom!
Thunderclaps clashed in midair, two figures—one soaring upward, one plummeting downward.
A wild gleam shone in Qin Mu's eyes as he looked up, waiting for the figure in the sky to descend. The moment Yun Que landed, thunderous roars filled his ears, and Qin Mu's fists came crashing toward him, each punch accompanied by bursting lightning—boom, boom, boom—shaking the soul.
Thump, thump, thump.
Qin Mu's footsteps were heavy, like a giant elephant stomping the earth. Every muscle in his body leaped, activating all his strength, pushing his power to the extreme.
Their fists collided. Yun Que's expression shifted slightly as he felt Qin Mu's surging vitality crush his own like a landslide.
He quickly stepped back, retreating while frantically blocking Qin Mu's punches. He found that all his refined techniques, all his exquisite moves, his perfectly executed forms—none of them could be brought to bear. He could only use his fists to meet Qin Mu's fists.
His techniques and spells had no time to be used, no chance to be cast.
"Lotus Seat Seal! Lotus Treasure Body! Treasure Vase Seal!"
Yun Que roared. Suddenly, golden light burst from his body. He struck out with a palm, and a lotus seat appeared beneath his feet. Sanskrit characters swirled around him, forming the shape of a treasure vase, with Yun Que hidden inside it.
Qin Mu punched forward. Thunder exploded. The golden bell, the lotus seat, the treasure vase—all shattered. Yun Que's fist was smashed open, blood splattering onto his white monastic robe like blooming plum blossoms.
But the blossoms quickly faded. His white robe was likely a treasure too, impervious to stains.
Yun Que's arms went limp, barely able to lift them. His movements slowed. He thought, *This is bad*, just as Qin Mu's fist slammed into his face. With a smack, he was plastered against the jade cliff wall, then slid down, unconscious.
"So the Imperial Academy does have experts."
Qin Mu felt refreshed. But he was a little disappointed that the white-robed monk had been knocked out before he could fully stretch his limbs after warming up. He mused, "A random monk can take that many of my moves. The patriarch wasn't wrong—some people in the Imperial Academy are quite skilled. I shouldn't look down on the natives of the Eternal Peace Kingdom."
"Master, it's over already?"
Hu Ling'er had only just steadied herself, not even getting a good look at the fight before it ended. Disappointed, she hurried over and began rummaging through Yun Que's belongings, trying to find something valuable.
After a moment, the little fox grumbled, "Stingy monk!"
"Ling'er, his robe looks valuable. It should be worth some money," Qin Mu kindly reminded her.
The little fox stripped off the monk's robe. Sure enough, it was spotless and couldn't be torn. She was delighted. "This monk will definitely pay a lot to get this robe back! By the way, master, what's his name?"
Qin Mu leaped onto the jade cliff and headed toward the Scholars' Residence, shaking his head. "How would I know? I asked him earlier, but he wouldn't say. Probably afraid of losing face if he lost. This monk does have some spiritual insight—he knows himself well."
Not far away, Yue Qinghong suppressed her shock and walked over with Wolf Slave. She looked down the cliff. Yun Que lay at the foot, wearing only a bloodstained white undershorts, still unconscious.
His undershorts weren't as valuable as his robe—just ordinary cloth.
"Yun Que was too useless. He couldn't even force Qin Mu to go all out. But this Qin Mu is indeed strong. Wolf Slave, how do you compare to him?" Yue Qinghong asked.
Wolf Slave's eyes flashed with sharp light. He spoke with a thick accent, "I have the Demon Blade Art, a blade of battlefield slaughter. I can force him to go all out! But I can only last ten moves. After ten moves, I will lose."
Yue Qinghong's eyes lit up. "Go."
Wolf Slave bowed and said, "Yes." He reached behind his back, and with two *shiiing* sounds, the two curved blades crossed on his back slid from their sheaths. They were pitch-black, without a trace of impurity, as if forged from the darkest metal.
Moreover, each blade was over three feet long, narrow and curved.
Wolf Slave strode forward, his pace quickening. Suddenly, he released his grip, and threads of vitality shot out, controlling the blades with his energy. The two demon blades flew silently through the air, slashing toward Qin Mu!
Just as the blades were about to strike Qin Mu, they suddenly flared with light—one blade swept low across the ground, the other slashed horizontally at his waist!
Qin Mu's back seemed to have eyes. His body twisted into an impossibly strange shape, flattening like a fish. One foot stepped on the low-sweeping blade, while the other kicked the upper blade away. It was hard to imagine a human body bending into such a posture.
The upper demon blade was kicked away; the lower one was stomped into the stone.
Wolf Slave was startled. Qin Mu moved like a ghost, charging toward him.
Wolf Slave's vitality threads twitched. The two demon blades howled back, black light crisscrossing around Qin Mu. He executed the Demon Blade Art of the Wolf Residence Kingdom to its fullest, but not a single blade touched Qin Mu—he dodged them by a hair's breadth.
His blade art wasn't ordinary swordsmanship. It was a killing technique from the battlefield, with no wasted moves, only the goal of slaying the enemy!
Yet even such fierce blade techniques couldn't touch Qin Mu's form.
Still, the blade light forced Qin Mu to halt his advance. Not only could he not advance, but he was also being pushed back.
Qin Mu's retreat traced a winding path like a coiling dragon. Wolf Slave's pupils contracted. This wasn't retreat—it was coiling!
A dragon can be large or small, stretch or coil. When a dragon coils, it's preparing for a lethal pounce.
Wolf Slave had once been a man of status in the Wolf Residence Kingdom, captured in battle by Yue Qinghong. By the laws of the Wolf Residence Kingdom, he became her wolf slave, serving her. But his strength was not much weaker than Yue Qinghong's.
Moreover, he had long experience on the battlefield, having survived countless life-and-death struggles. His combat instincts were extremely sharp.
Qin Mu's retreat gave him a dangerous feeling, as if he were being targeted by a ferocious primordial beast!
His demon blade art grew faster, but Qin Mu had reached the limit of his buildup. Suddenly, Qin Mu threw a punch, breaking through the limit. Dragon roars echoed through the air. The two demon blades went out of control, hurtling back toward Wolf Slave!
Along with the blades came Qin Mu's overwhelming punch, its intent forming a fierce, vicious great dragon charging straight at him.
Wolf Slave roared. His vitality exploded, and a fierce aura like a bloody sun over a desert desert burst from his body. His clothes shredded, and dragon-wolf patterns emerged on his skin. He pushed both palms forward, pouring all his vitality into them!
*Thud.*
A violent shockwave spread. Wolf Slave's body slid backward flatly, the two demon blades piercing his ribs. He slid dozens of yards before crashing into a boulder, finally stopping.
"Ling'er, no need to loot him. Leave him some money for treatment."
Qin Mu called back Hu Ling'er, who was about to scavenge the spoils. He shook his head. "He used weapons, so I hit a bit harder. His injuries aren't light. Healing will cost a fair amount."
Hu Ling'er clicked her tongue. "Too bad. Those two blades were nice..."
Qin Mu shook his head and walked away. "They're a bit inferior to my blade. But his strength isn't bad—his combat awareness is better than that monk's."
Yue Qinghong waited until Qin Mu was far away before revealing herself and approaching Wolf Slave. Blood trickled from the corner of Wolf Slave's mouth. The two demon blades had pierced through his ribs and were embedded in the boulder behind him, pinning him in place.
"Master, I miscalculated."
Wolf Slave showed a look of shame. "I used ten moves. He only used three... Watch out!"
The moment he said this, Yue Qinghong suddenly felt warmth at her back. A body pressed tightly against hers from behind. Her heart trembled.
Someone was pressed against her back, back to back. When had he arrived? She hadn't noticed at all.
Then Qin Mu's voice came from beside her ear, very close. "Senior sister, is he your servant? You had your servant attack me. Do you think I wouldn't dare kill someone in the Imperial Academy?"
Cold sweat beaded on Yue Qinghong's forehead. Suddenly, she moved her feet rapidly, shifting her body quickly. But Qin Mu's body still clung to her back, his voice in her ear. "Senior sister, shouldn't you give me an explanation?"
Yue Qinghong's scalp tingled. She moved like a ghost, her steps swift, executing the Cloud Trace and Sparrow Shadow footwork. But no matter how she moved, Qin Mu remained stuck to her back, following like a shadow!
Cloud Trace and Sparrow Shadow was the best movement technique she had learned. Though she couldn't yet use it as a full divine ability, she could still tread through the air like a cloud or skim low like a sparrow. Yet even such a formidable technique couldn't shake Qin Mu off.
Suddenly, Yue Qinghong felt the muscles of the big boy behind her writhe like snakes under his skin. A chill ran down her spine, and goosebumps rose on her delicate skin. "A combat flow killing move!"
Qin Mu began to shift his steps. Yue Qinghong suppressed her fear and followed his movements.
She knew that the combat flow school's killing moves were executed at close range. As long as she stayed pressed against Qin Mu's back, preventing him from turning around, his killing move would be hard to unleash.
Earlier, Qin Mu had been clinging to her. Now, she was clinging to Qin Mu, chasing his steps, not daring to leave him for an instant.
If she left, she would likely be decapitated on the spot!
Being stuck this close to a combat flow expert was basically a death sentence!
The two moved back-to-back, swiftly traversing the Imperial Academy's mountain like a dancing butterfly, flitting here and there. Many scholars stopped to watch them, full of admiration.
Qin Mu was in brocade, Yue Qinghong in blue. They looked like two wings of a butterfly, pressed tightly together, easily sparking imagination.
A scholar sneered, "A pair of dogs and bitches, giving off a nauseating stench even in broad daylight!"
Suddenly, with a thunderous crash, Qin Mu leaned back, slamming into a pillar of the Azure Sun Hall.
"Ling'er, let's go!"
Qin Mu called to Hu Ling'er. "Don't think about looting her. You'd have to pry her out of the pillar first. She's not bad—she managed to keep up with my steps. She's a real expert."
Hu Ling'er quickly followed him, looking back reluctantly. She saw Yue Qinghong embedded in the pillar of the Azure Sun Hall, face-first, stuck in the wood.