Chapter 1415: The Supreme Sword Dao of the World
"Grandpa Butcher, where are we going?"
"To visit the strongest person in the world's blade dao."
Several dozen days later, they arrived at the Yong River. On both banks of the Yong River were beautiful and magnificent landscapes, and on the river surface, fishing boats came and went, drifting amidst the waves.
It was already noon, and the sun was blazing hot. Those fishing boats sailed toward the shore to avoid the scorching sun.
The two stood on the river surface. Qin Mu's hands were empty, and he couldn't help but wonder. This time, the Butcher hadn't asked him to forge a blade. Could it be that he wouldn't need to use a blade this time?
Moreover, wasn't the strongest person in the world's blade dao the Butcher himself?
Just then, a loud voice suddenly came from the riverbank, laughing heartily: "Hey, Qin, you're back to mooch off the old folks in Yankang again?"
Qin Mu looked toward the sound and saw a young general clad in divine armor, carrying a demonic blade on his back, appear on the riverbank. The young general suddenly stepped through the void, leaped into the air, and tens of thousands of blade lights surged beneath his feet, carrying him as he flew over!
Shua—
The tens of thousands of blade lights beneath his feet suddenly converged, forming a demonic blade that swam like a dragon, slashing toward Qin Mu!
Qin Mu raised his hand, gently pinched with his index and middle fingers, caught the blade light, and with a snap, severed it. He said calmly, "Zhe Huali, long time no see."
Zhe Huali landed heavily on the river surface, the water exploding, splashing Qin Mu all over. He laughed loudly, "You're having a good time up in the heavens, being the Mu Heavenly Venerate, your reputation quite intimidating. But every time you come back, you shamelessly mooch off the old folks! What are you here to mooch this time?"
Demonic Blade Zhe Huali had been responsible for guarding a divine city on the western front of Yankang over the years, the Tianyuan Divine City at the source of the Yong River, and had become a remarkable general.
Qin Mu's face darkened, and he said awkwardly, "Mooch off the old folks? You guys stay in Yankang and mooch off them every day. I only come back to do it once in a while, and you're calling me out on it..."
Zhe Huali laughed, "Yankang's techniques and divine abilities are no longer what they were when you left. Now there are countless talented individuals and experts. I'm really afraid you've fallen behind."
Despite his words, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and he seemed eager for a fight. The demonic blade Long Ya on his back also let out a low, dragon-like hum, appearing very excited, as if it couldn't wait to start a brawl and teach Qin Mu a lesson.
Back in the day, when Qin Mu had taught Zhe Huali a lesson, the Long Ya blade had also been disciplined more than once.
This demonic blade was sentient, having become a demon from the tooth of the Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon. It was very spiritual and held grudges.
After another moment, blade lights suddenly flashed in the sky—one layer of blade light, one layer of heaven, totaling eighteen layers of heaven.
These eighteen layers of heaven's blade light cascaded down, heading straight for Qin Mu in the middle of the river!
Qin Mu seemed not to notice. Suddenly, a blade aura shot up from the top of his head, transforming into a blade dao heavenly palace. His blade dao primordial spirit stood within the Nine Nether Platform, gathering energy into a blade and slashing upward against the blade dao's eighteen layers of heaven.
Dang—
A great sound echoed through the air. The chaotic blade lights scattered, then suddenly all the blade light converged into a divine blade that bounced upward.
Above, an arm reached out and grabbed the divine blade. A one-armed figure landed heavily on the river surface, the splashing water turning into blades, scattering in all directions like flying jade and pouring pearls.
Zhe Huali stood motionless on the river surface, blade lights swirling around him like ribbons, severing all the water-turned-blade lights.
That one-armed divine being was none other than Divine Blade Luo Wushuang.
Luo Wushuang greeted the Butcher and Zhe Huali. The Butcher returned the greeting, while Zhe Huali lowered his hand slightly, saying, "Greetings, Brother Luo."
He had severed his master-disciple relationship with Luo Wushuang, who had expelled him from the sect. Therefore, he could only address Luo Wushuang as "Brother," but because of his former status as a disciple, he lowered his hand slightly.
Luo Wushuang greeted Qin Mu, saying, "Qin, the Overlord Body."
He did not address Qin Mu as Heavenly Venerate but as Overlord Body. Although the enmity between the two had been resolved and Luo Wushuang had broken free from the constraints of his own blade dao, they had once been enemies. Luo Wushuang still harbored a grudge, so he called him Overlord Body.
"Divine Blade Luo." Qin Mu returned the greeting.
"Divine Blade Luo" was Qin Mu's name for Luo Wushuang. They had gone through life-and-death situations together in the Tai Xu, fighting side by side. Qin Mu deeply admired his blade character and personal integrity.
Especially when Luo Wushuang drew his blade and mercilessly killed the avatars of Lady Yuanmu and Empress Di—Yunchu Xiu and Lian Hua Hun—showing no hesitation or mercy. No beauty was more important than the blade. He was, in Qin Mu's eyes, a peerless ruthless figure!
Luo Wushuang said, "Heavenly Blade, those who have come today are all blade dao masters of Yankang. Can we begin?"
The Butcher shook his head, "Not yet. We still need to wait for one more person. I sent someone to invite him several months ago."
He took a small boat from his Taotie pouch. On the boat were jars and pots, all sealed with fine wine.
Zhe Huali was visibly moved, saying, "Didn't that person go to the Land of No Worries? Will he really come?"
He glanced at Qin Mu and continued, "I heard that person owes a great debt to the Mu Heavenly Venerate and a great debt to Yankang. He swore never to set foot in Yankang again in this life, so he hides in the Land of No Worries."
The Butcher laughed, "He arrived long ago. When the Heavenly Court's army occupied the Tai Xu and sealed the Void Bridge, he broke through the encirclement and sneaked into Yankang. Besides him, many others passed through the three rooms of the Void Bridge and entered Yankang, lying low. It's true that he's bound by his oath not to enter Yankang, so he operates around the northern territories. But a drunkard's oath is as good as a fart."
He smiled slightly, his voice loud and resonant, saying leisurely, "This wine of mine is extraordinary. It was stolen by the Thief God from the deities of various great heavens, including wine offered to the Heavenly Emperor by the Heavenly Court, brewed by the number one Wine God of the Heavenly Court!"
"The Wine God of the Heavenly Court's wine—of course I have to come!"
A grand laugh came from the sky. Tian Shu, one of the Four Heavenly Kings under the Kai Emperor, the Nether Capital Heavenly King, opened his arms wide, carrying the Di Que divine blade on his shoulder as he strode over, reeking of alcohol. He laughed heartily, "The Heavenly Blade knows me well, knowing I love this stuff. To be honest, I was bound by my oath and didn't dare set foot in Yankang. But before I came, I got myself drunk. A few jars of horse piss down the hatch, and all those damn oaths are useless!"
He landed on the small boat, reached for a jar of wine, and drank deeply, finishing it in one go. He praised, "This is Buddha wine brewed in the Great Brahma Heaven of the Buddhist realm! It has a strong flavor of enlightenment!"
He opened another jar, drank it down, and praised again, "This is wine from the Dao Gate's Qingyun Heaven. After drinking it, my head is full of strange mathematical runes! And this jar is the Wine God's wine, offered to the Heavenly Emperor—truly different!"
The fine wines from various great heavens each had their own unique flavors.
Soon, Tian Shu was dead drunk, his eyes bleary, but he kept drinking.
"Is this drunkard still capable?" Luo Wushuang frowned.
Tian Shu glanced at him sideways and chuckled, "The number one divine blade of the Heavenly Court—too much of a craftsman's air, lacking the demeanor of a blade dao grandmaster. My blade cuts souls and seizes spirits, something you can't compare to. I have to drink to unleash its maximum power."
Luo Wushuang snorted, saying calmly, "In terms of realm, I'm inferior to you. But when it comes to blade dao, you're far behind."
Qin Mu looked at these old acquaintances, his heart surging with emotion. Some of these people were his elders, some had once been his enemies, and some were his friends. Now, they were all gathered together.
"Mu'er, your blade dao—the first layer, breaking through the Southern Heavenly Gate, is about unleashing the blade user's boldness and passion. The second layer is the blade of law and order, establishing rules and quelling grievances. The third layer is the blade of protection, embodying the will of unity."
The Butcher looked at Qin Mu and said solemnly, "This is all I can teach you. Your three-style dao-entering blade techniques have already exhausted my fifteen layers of blade dao. From now on, you'll have to walk your own path."
Qin Mu felt a warmth in his heart. No matter how great the difficulties he faced outside, how much criticism and blame he endured, when he returned here, to Yankang, he was always the child of the nine elders of the Crippled Village.
When he came back, the Butcher and the others would do everything in their power to help him, guide him, without any selfishness, without any refusal!
"The courage, the law and order, the responsibility required by the blade dao—you already understand them. What remains is tempering and strength."
The Butcher said, "And the simplest way to increase strength is still to contend with blade dao masters. Zhe Huali, that kid, is a master of blade dao. He entered the dao through the blade, combining the blade dao's strangeness and eeriness of the demon race with its grandeur. Luo Wushuang is the number one divine blade of the Heavenly Court, a blade dao grandmaster. His blade techniques are unparalleled in skill and law, while also incorporating the courage and strength to strike at the heavens—even a Heavenly Venerate, he dares to cut!"
"King Tian Shu's blade is the most powerful blade in the world."
Upon hearing this, the drunkard Tian Shu chuckled.
The Butcher continued, "The divine blade is indestructible, its name is Di Que. When drunk, Tian Shu becomes the emperor of blades, his blade dao capable of cutting off the horn of Tu Bo! His blade embodies the spirit of the Kai Emperor era! And my blade..."
The Butcher slowly drew his blade and said calmly, "Is the Heavenly Blade. This Heavenly Blade is not the blade of the Heavenly Dao, but a blade that strikes at the heavens. My blade dao does not rely on the Heavenly Dao, nor on the great dao of heaven and earth. My blade is the spirit of defiance and unyieldingness in the human heart!"
He shook his blade, and the blade's aura shot up from the center of the river like a long ribbon, splitting the sky!
"The blade nurtures the spirit. You must first surpass us before you can hope to overcome the Execution Platform in the Ancestral Court!"
The Butcher said solemnly, "Mu'er, are you ready?"
Zhe Huali flipped backward and leaped, the next moment standing high in the sky, his movements strange and demonic. He laughed, "I'm honored that the Heavenly Blade thinks so highly of me, letting me guide this kid. I won't disappoint the Heavenly Blade's expectations!"
Though he was wild and unruly, he held great respect for the Butcher.
In the current world, there were two people he respected. One was Divine Blade Luo Wushuang. Luo Wushuang cherished talent and knew that his own blade technique was a one-armed style. Since Zhe Huali had both arms, learning from him would either require cutting off his arm like the other disciples or forging his own path.
Thus, Luo Wushuang sent him to the demon race's Fu Ri Luo to become his disciple. His magnanimity and spirit were admirable.
The second person Zhe Huali respected was the Heavenly Blade.
Zhe Huali had long been pondering the blade dao but could never enter its gate. His blade techniques came from Luo Wushuang, whose techniques were strict and orderly, emphasizing composure, which had always constrained his temperament.
Fu Ri Luo, on the other hand, was a demon race powerhouse with sinister and eerie techniques. Although Zhe Huali had learned some, he couldn't integrate them.
It wasn't until he met the Butcher and witnessed his Heavenly Blade that, with a single glance, he had an epiphany, his mind cleared, and he stepped through the gate of blade dao.
Although the Butcher hadn't accepted him as a disciple, Zhe Huali regarded him as another master and thus respected him.
Tian Shu laughed heartily, smashed all the empty jars, and held his blade horizontally, spraying a mouthful of alcohol onto the Di Que: "I'm honored that the Heavenly Blade thinks so highly of me. Today, we meet as blade friends! Mu Heavenly Venerate, do you have horns?"
Qin Mu's chest swelled with boundless pride. He smiled faintly, "I may not have grown horns, but the horns of my dao heart are prominent."
"Stick your head out!" Tian Shu swung his blade.
Luo Wushuang raised his single arm, holding his blade like embracing the moon, and said softly, "Qin, the Overlord Body, the sword is your forte, but when it comes to the blade dao, you are far inferior."
Qin Mu laughed heartily, channeling a surge of primal energy into the azure sky, transforming it into a long blade. He bowed deeply, "I ask all fellow daoists for your guidance!"