Chapter 1470: A Sneak Attack (Second Update)
Qin Mu breathed a sigh of relief. The entanglement of the past few days had also taken a heavy toll on him; if the fight continued, he feared he would be exhausted to the point of spitting blood.
"I want these people."
His gaze flickered as he pointed to Lan Yutian, Yu Tianzun, the Cripple, Nan Di, and Ming Huang. The scholar hesitated when he saw Qin Mu point to Nan Di and Ming Huang.
Nan Di and Ming Huang were the two strongest in the private school and would be of great benefit to him in escaping his predicament sooner.
Seeing his hesitation, Qin Mu drew his bow as if to shoot again. A private school teacher quickly said, "They are yours. But you must swear an oath not to enter the hall again to harass me."
Qin Mu agreed, smiling, "This Pixiang Hall isn't exactly a good place anyway, and the others have nothing to do with me. I can't wait to leave here; why would I bother harassing you?"
"You must swear an oath, take these people, and leave immediately. Do not push your advantage!"
The scholar in the painting stood up, pondered for a moment, then broke off a branch from the Dao Tree, trimmed it into a pointer as thick as a finger, and sent it out of the painting.
A private school teacher received the pointer with both hands, brought it out of the school, and held it up, saying, "This pointer is refined from a branch of the Dao Tree and contains the spirit of my Dao. Swear your oath upon this pointer, take these people, and leave at once. The pointer will attach itself to you, following you wherever you go. If you violate your oath, the pointer will strike you down."
Qin Mu hesitated, not reaching out to take it. Instead, he carefully examined the pointer.
The pointer was straight yet appeared supple. The texture on the bark was extremely peculiar, like the patterns of the Dao, telling of the profound mysteries of the Dao from the previous universe.
Compared to the other pointers, this one was much more refined. The Dao patterns on its surface would occasionally burst forth, swirling around the pointer and emitting a pleasant Dao sound.
Clearly, the private school teacher's pointer was not refined from a branch of the Dao Tree; its power and mystical properties were inferior to this one.
Qin Mu glanced at the scholar under the tree, a hint of suspicion in his eyes. "You break off a branch from the Dao Tree, have me swear an oath upon it, and say the branch will follow me. If I don't break my promise, doesn't that mean this pointer becomes mine?"
The scholar sat under the tree without speaking. The private school teacher in front of Qin Mu said, "If you do not break your oath, giving you this pointer is no problem. My Dao attainment is beyond your comprehension. This pointer of mine is excellent for striking the primordial spirit and the Dao heart. Whoever it is, once the pointer is raised, it will surely hit the primordial spirit. If the primordial spirit is struck, the Dao heart will become ignorant and confused."
Qin Mu was skeptical.
The scholar under the tree raised an eyebrow and sneered, "You are more suspicious than anyone else. Clearly, you are a person without affinity. If you keep being suspicious, then our deal is off. Go ahead and keep shooting. I'd like to see how many tens of thousands of years it takes for you to shoot me dead!"
Qin Mu quickly laughed and said, "I'll swear the oath then." With that, he grabbed the pointer with one hand.
The private school teacher was reluctant to let go and quickly said, "The pointer is in my hand. Swear your oath upon the pointer in my hand!"
Qin Mu forcibly snatched it away, laughing, "It's better to swear the oath with it in my hand. It's not that I don't trust you, Primordial Sage... Well, I just don't trust you!"
He grabbed the pointer and first examined it carefully, then probed it with his Yuan Qi and divine consciousness one by one. He even lifted half of the willow leaf on his forehead, using his vertical eye to sneak a peek. Finding no hidden tricks inside the pointer, he finally felt relieved and stuck the willow leaf back on.
The private school teacher said angrily, "You, are you a thief? Always worried about others scheming against you!"
"That's right, I am a thief."
Qin Mu didn't deny it. He first had the scholar under the tree release Lan Yutian and the others. Only after everyone had regained their senses and come to stand behind him did Qin Mu swear the oath upon the pointer, vowing not to set foot in Pixiang Hall again after leaving.
Once the oath was made, Qin Mu immediately felt his consciousness connect with the pointer. Not only that, but his thoughts and awareness instantly linked to the Dao Tree, Dao Fruit, and Dao Flower within the fragment of the Great Luo Heaven!
Qin Mu's expression changed slightly. He immediately severed his conscious thoughts and said coldly, "You schemed against me?"
*Boom!*
He raised the Liuli Qingtian Canopy and smashed the private school teacher in front of him into pieces.
The scholar under the tree laughed heartily, "Chant my name, and I shall grant you eternal life! You guessed right. I, the Primordial Sage, attained the Dao through faith. When you swore the oath and chanted my name, you helped me break free! Even if you sever your conscious thoughts, as long as the oath remains, no matter where you are, you will continuously provide sustenance for me!"
Qin Mu's face turned ashen. He flicked his sleeve, sweeping the others into his third eye, leaving only the Cripple and Lan Yutian, and turned to leave.
From the private school came the sound of clear, rhythmic chanting once more, lingering in Qin Mu's mind, unceasing.
The Cripple's face was filled with worry, and he whispered, "Mu'er, that bastard schemed against you? Is it serious?"
"It's not serious. I'll deal with it after we get out!"
The three arrived in front of the hall. The seals outside were even more complex than when they had entered Pixiang Hall.
Qin Mu looked at Lan Yutian and the Cripple and said, "The Primordial Sage of Miluo Palace used the opportunity of my oath to imprint the chanting from the private school into my Dao heart, making me involuntarily recite along. It doesn't affect me yet, but the longer it goes on, the greater the influence. Now, I don't have enough confidence to leave this place on my own. Can you two take me out with you?"
The Cripple hoisted Qin Mu onto his back and said firmly, "Don't worry. Even if it kills me, I'll get you out!"
The two stepped back, then suddenly surged forward, charging into the layers of seals!
Qin Mu closed his eyes and concentrated, resisting the sound of chanting in his mind. He activated his Embryonic Divine Treasure Domain, channeling his own power continuously into the two of them to replenish their cultivation consumption.
They sped along like the wind. The Cripple pushed his speed to the absolute limit, the skin on his legs bursting open, blood burning as he struggled forward, keeping pace with Lan Yutian!
After more than ten days, despite being sustained by Qin Mu's power, the Cripple's physical strength was depleted. He could only rely on sheer willpower to hold on.
Lan Yutian slowed down. The Cripple gritted his teeth and hissed, "Don't stop! If we stop, none of us will make it out!"
Lan Yutian had no choice but to steel himself and charge forward.
Two more days passed. Lan Yutian burst out from the heavy seals of Pixiang Hall. He looked back but didn't see the Cripple or Qin Mu. His heart sank.
*Boom!*
A violent tremor rang out. A figure, covered in blood and blazing with raging flames, shot out from the seals, tumbling and crashing onto a black mountain. The people outside the hall rushed forward to see the Cripple burned completely black, like charcoal, with Qin Mu lying to the side.
Just as they were about to approach, Qin Mu had already scrambled to his feet. His fingers flew, stabilizing the Cripple's scattered soul. Then he used the Art of Creation to heal his body and replenish his depleted blood and Qi.
"Shu Jun! Senior Brother!"
Qin Mu gritted his teeth and said coldly, "Send Pixiang Hall to the Jade Capital City of the Ancestral Court! Activate the seals on it to lure the Ten Heavenly Sovereigns! I want to use their hands to completely destroy this divine hall! Let's see how you die then, Primordial Sage of Miluo Palace!"