Chapter 1433: Masked, No One Knows Who You Are (Fourth Update)
Qin Mu's sea of qi and blood above his head boiled over, the demonic qi of the Netherworld dyeing the blood sea pitch black. The skin on the surface of his physical body even cracked and popped, barely able to contain his own primordial spirit.
The two bowed again, each bearing even heavier injuries!
"Receive my bow!"
"Receive my bow!"
...
Boom!
A deafening, earth-shattering roar erupted as Qin Mu was jolted, the Heavenly Earth Mystic Gate behind him exploding apart. His physical body could no longer withstand it, and streams of soul black sand sprayed from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth!
Across from him, separated by the formation, the Netherworld Emperor's physical body suddenly exploded, bowing into a mass of chaotic qi. Even the Netherworld Heavenly Gate behind him was bowed into dust, massive fragments of divine artifacts trailing wisps of chaotic qi as they plunged into the Nether Sea.
Qin Mu's body swayed unsteadily but he stood firm. Suddenly, he activated the Soul-Pulling Art, restraining his dispersing soul black sand. His divine ability churned, reshaping his soul!
The Butcher was about to support him but saw that he had already recovered. Though his aura was weakened, he was no longer in danger, so the Butcher withdrew his hand.
"Is the Netherworld Emperor dead or not?"
The Butcher raised his Heavenly Saber, gazing at the blade surface as he swept his gaze around, searching for the Netherworld Emperor's whereabouts.
Tian Shu also raised his Imperial Que Divine Saber, staring at the blade surface, seeking the Netherworld Emperor's primordial spirit.
Luo Wushuang likewise raised his divine saber, scanning the surroundings.
Zhe Huali raised the demon saber Dragon Fang, but Dragon Fang was made from the tooth of the Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon, and its blade surface was not bright, unable to illuminate the depths of the void.
However, the hilt of Dragon Fang bore a demon eye, which rolled and swiveled, also searching for the Netherworld Emperor.
Though the Netherworld Emperor was not a Heavenly Lord, his skills were truly bizarre and uncanny, elusive and hard to guard against.
They had originally thought killing the Netherworld Emperor would be a trivial matter, and indeed, cutting him down was easy—but taking his life was the real challenge.
Not only that, but his Netherworld divine abilities and the Way of Reincarnation also left them with lingering fear.
"Is he dead or has he fled?" The Butcher searched for a long time without finding any trace of the Netherworld Emperor, so he asked.
Qin Mu opened his vertical brow eye, sweeping his gaze around. Suddenly, his vision pierced through the void, and he saw the Nether Sea surging violently. In the sea, a head was drifting, rushing toward the Netherworld. He said, "He's not dead yet, heading back to the Netherworld. He is also a cultivator of the Heavenly Nether Way and proficient in the Netherworld Great Dao. Killing him is not easy. Don't bother with him. The Netherworld Emperor is merely a tool for us to test our skills, nothing more. He's not worth the stage."
He looked up and saw the divine demon army of the Northern Heaven Netherworld, poised for battle. Countless mighty divine demons stood on the prows of their ships, silent and tense, staring at them.
The Butcher, Tian Shu, Luo Wushuang, and the others each stepped forward. Luo Wushuang shook his one-armed divine saber and said calmly, "Should we kill them all?"
The leading generals of the Northern Heaven Netherworld changed color, each activating their divine weapons to protect themselves first.
"No need."
Qin Mu suddenly smiled and waved to the tens of thousands of Northern Heaven Netherworld troops, saying, "Disperse, all of you. Your Netherworld Emperor has already returned to the Nether Sea. You all disperse too, go back to your homes."
The generals felt as if they had been granted amnesty. Zhe Huali frowned and said, "They've seen our faces. If they report it..."
Qin Mu's face was full of smiles as he took out a black silk scarf and covered his face, saying, "Now they can't see our faces, right?"
Luo Wushuang and Zhe Huali were dumbfounded.
Not covering their faces beforehand but covering them afterward—wasn't that just plugging one's ears while stealing a bell?
The Butcher also took out a black scarf and covered his face, clearly experienced in this. After all, Qin Mu had learned from a famous school, and the Butcher was that school. He said, "As long as we're not caught red-handed, we can just deny it. Who can do anything to us?"
"A mask is just a fig leaf. Wearing it or not makes no difference. Who can it fool?"
Qin Mu, prepared for all contingencies, took out three black scarves and handed them to Tian Shu, Zhe Huali, and Luo Wushuang, saying, "As long as we're not caught red-handed, we can deny everything. If it comes to a dispute, we can talk black into white, dead into alive. Cover your faces first."
The three silently took the black scarves and covered their faces.
Qin Mu suddenly remembered something, pulled down his scarf, and called out to the Northern Heaven Netherworld troops who were about to withdraw, "I am Mu Tianzun, heading to the Xuan Capital to observe the battle. I encountered bandits on the way who damaged my treasure ship. I'm requisitioning one of your fast ships."
The generals of the Northern Heaven Netherworld were stunned. They had already been shocked to see them openly covering their faces after the fact, but now Qin Mu didn't even bother to cover his face, directly using the identity of Mu Tianzun to requisition their ships. This thickness of skin was probably beyond even the Heavenly Emperor's sword to pierce!
The generals exchanged glances. Suddenly, one of them came to his senses and hurriedly ordered a fast ship to be cleared out, personally delivering it. The few of them trembled, not daring to speak.
Qin Mu looked at them with a half-smile and said calmly, "Aren't you leaving? I'm about to cover my face. Once I cover it, I won't be Mu Tianzun anymore, but a bandit who dares to kill even the Netherworld Emperor."
The generals scrambled away.
The five boarded the fast ship. The Butcher watched the retreating Netherworld army and noticed that despite their withdrawal, their formation remained perfectly orderly, with discipline and method, showing changes in attack and defense even as they retreated. He frowned.
"The Netherworld Emperor has a deep grasp of military strategy and formation techniques."
His expression was grave as he said solemnly, "If the Netherworld Emperor hadn't been provoked and attacked in rage, mobilizing the Netherworld army and activating the formation to trap us, we would have been lambs to the slaughter."
Tian Shu, Zhe Huali, and Luo Wushuang were all commanders of large armies. Luo Wushuang had originally been the leader of the Lingxiu Army, Zhe Huali had been heavily relied upon by Emperor Yanshou Ling Yuxiu and served as a general in the Western Frontier, and Tian Shu was one of the Four Heavenly Kings under Emperor Kaihuang, commanding the armies of the Kaihuang era.
They could also see the formidable nature of the Netherworld Emperor's military discipline, and each frowned.
A single divine demon of the Netherworld was insignificant in combat power, and even the commanding generals were at most at the Jade Capital or Empyrean realms.
But when these divine demons gathered into an army and were unified by a formation, the power they unleashed was terrifying!
Sand gathering into a tower, a united strike—even an existence at the Imperial Throne realm would not dare to face its edge head-on.
In large-scale divine demon warfare, the power of formations must never be underestimated!
"In the future, if Yan'kang goes to war with the Heavenly Court, Blind, who has the Heart's Eye, will become a pillar of strength."
The Butcher stood at the prow, watching the surging Heavenly River flowing beneath the ship, and said unhurriedly, "The Heavenly Court has Four Heavenly Kings, Four Heavenly Masters, and Four Directional Emperors. The Netherworld Emperor is just one of the Four Emperors. For Blind to contend with such beings in formations, he must be severely pushed to deepen his understanding of the Way of Formations. That is the true path."
Qin Mu came to his side, sharing the sentiment, and nodded, "Whether it's Grandpa Blind or Grandpa Mute, I have been pushing them hard, making them work even harder."
"That's just shamelessly leeching off the elderly."
The Butcher glanced at him, scolding him, but then asked with concern, "How are your injuries? Will they affect the battle at the Xuan Capital?"
"I have cultivated the Ancestral Court's Jade Terrace and Jasper Pool realms. My body itself is a vast Jasper Pool and Jasper Sea, containing Hongmeng Primordial Liquid. Any injury, as long as it's not a Dao injury, can heal naturally."
Qin Mu smiled and said, "Even if my cultivation is damaged, I can recover quickly."
The Butcher saw that his aura was indeed continuously recovering at an astonishing speed and couldn't help but marvel, "We've already seen the Ancestral Court's Execution Platform realm, which can refine baleful qi for one's own use. Does the Ancestral Court's Jasper Pool realm also have some wondrous aspects?"