Chapter 151: Unrefined Skills
With a roar from Sacrificial Wine Bà Shān, a wall of light dozens of zhang high and almost paper-thin appeared before them.
This cliff face erupted with an orange-yellow radiance, spanning about a li in width, its surface covered in strange patterns. At the center of each pattern was a burning star. The entire cliff face had thirty-six such patterned designs, thirty-six fiery stars, like a star chart.
Just as Sacrificial Wine Bà Shān had deployed his Absolute Cliff Heavenly Barrier technique, sounds of battle suddenly came from ahead, as a battlefield shifted in their direction.
Hundreds of cultivators came roaring in, riding massive beasts, charging and bellowing, only to find this cliff standing between heaven and earth before them.
Those barbarian cultivators turned pale. A burly old barbarian general, white-haired, shouted sternly, "Smash it!"
Countless techniques howled and surged, crashing into the cliff face in an unending barrage of thunderous collisions.
Flying swords emitted piercing shrieks, thudding into the cliff, but often only the sword tips penetrated before being stuck fast in the vast wall, unable to advance or retreat.
Buzz, buzz, buzz. The Absolute Cliff Heavenly Barrier trembled under the assault, hundreds of flying swords now embedded in its surface, while more techniques exploded from behind, hammering against it.
The hundreds of barbarian cultivators charged forward, their unleashed techniques cracking the cliff face. Sacrificial Wine Bà Shān roared, pushing both hands forward, and with another buzz, a second Absolute Cliff Heavenly Barrier formed, merging with the cracked first one.
He endured unimaginable pressure, forced back step by step. These hundreds of cultivators pressed together, including experts at the Seven Star, Heavenly Man, and even Life and Death realms. The fact that he could hold them off with his Absolute Cliff Heavenly Barrier without it being shattered was already terrifying.
"Blade pellets!" the old general shouted.
Whoosh—
Blade pellets flew through the air, spinning before the cliff, and instantly countless blade lights shot toward it. A crisp clattering rang out, and in moments, tens of thousands of precious blades were stuck in the cliff.
Sacrificial Wine Bà Shān's face changed drastically as he was forced back dozens of steps by the pressure transmitted through the barrier. His Absolute Cliff Heavenly Barrier shrank under the terrifying force.
"Junior brother, Princess, we've entered the barbarian battlefield!"
Sacrificial Wine Bà Shān shouted, "Be careful!"
Qin Mu's heart stirred, and suddenly he heard the deep sound of horns from deep within the grasslands, as another army chased after them.
The old barbarian general had no choice but to shout, "Face the enemy!"
The approaching army was a large force composed of barbarian cultivators and martial artists. The martial artists were infantry, the cultivators cavalry riding tall exotic beasts. Above, giant birds soared on spread wings, their backs carrying barbarian soldiers—women with colorful bird feathers in their hair, raining down spells and sharp swords.
Through the cliff, Qin Mu saw a dignified barbarian general seated on a white elephant, which stood taller than the other beasts, rivaling the blue ox beneath them.
That young barbarian general's gaze swept over, landing on the Absolute Cliff Heavenly Barrier. A flicker of surprise crossed his face before he returned to normal, shouting, "Wind!"
A unit of soldiers rushed forward, taking down large gourds from their backs, thumping them down before them. They uncorked the gourds, and black qi surged out, forming tornadoes that grew larger and larger, like flood dragons—one head in the sky, one tail on the ground—sweeping and ravaging everything.
The soldiers who released the wind leaped up, riding the wind's crest into the air, charging straight at the old general's army, sweeping countless cultivators into the sky.
Those barbarian soldiers caught in the air were attacked by the wind-riding soldiers, who swung their blades, cutting them down.
The general on the white elephant said calmly, "Rain!"
Another unit came forward, carrying clay jars on their backs. These barbarian soldiers set down the jars, opened the lids, and clouds of vapor flew out. They stepped onto the clouds, rising into the sky, and then a downpour poured down.
These soldiers worked their arts in the clouds, each raindrop like a sword. The rain swords stabbed downward, and the barbarian soldiers below, unable to dodge, had their skulls pierced through, turned into sieves!
The young general shouted again, "Thunder!"
The barbarian women on the giant birds in the air each beat drums, the drumbeats erupting with thunderous sounds that crashed down from above, shaking the barbarian soldiers who were countering the wind and rain, rattling their souls and loosening their defenses. Many were swept into the wind and rain, dying on the spot.
With the three armies of wind, rain, and thunder at work, few barbarian soldiers remained alive, but those who did were the strong ones, ordinary spells unable to harm them.
The old barbarian general knew he couldn't win or escape, so he knelt with a thud, raising his voice, "General Tuolimu, this old man surrenders, surrenders! I beg General Tuolimu for a way to live!"
The other twenty-plus barbarian strongmen, though unwilling, valued their lives and knelt as well, bowing, "We surrender!"
A cold gleam flashed in General Tuolimu's eyes. "You Tieermu tribe rebelled and still want to live? The Khan has decreed: no surrender accepted!"
The old general's face changed drastically, and just as he was about to spring up, General Tuolimu pointed a finger. A thumb-thick sword pillar shot through the air from a hundred zhang away, arriving in an instant, giving the old general no time to rise or dodge, piercing straight through his skull.
With a ding, the sword pillar struck the light wall of the Absolute Cliff Heavenly Barrier, piercing a small hole through Sacrificial Wine Bà Shān's technique.
Sacrificial Wine Bà Shān raised an eyebrow, then dispersed the Absolute Cliff Heavenly Barrier. General Tuolimu's army swept in, slaughtering the remaining barbarian rebels to the last man, leaving none alive.
The barbarian soldiers cut off heads, hanging them at their waists, cheering loudly.
Some argued over who had killed whom, fighting over the heads.
Qin Mu frowned. Even in the Great Ruins, there was no custom of taking heads.
"Collect their souls and offer them to the Golden Palace!"
General Tuolimu urged his white elephant forward and, from the elephant's back, greeted Sacrificial Wine Bà Shān, "Could it be the Martial Khan?"
Sacrificial Wine Bà Shān nodded.
A gleam flashed in General Tuolimu's eyes, and he said eagerly, "The Martial Khan single-handedly blocked eight hundred grassland cultivators—truly impressive, but not as legendary as they say. It seems you won't be keeping that title."
Sacrificial Wine Bà Shān chuckled, standing steady on the ox.
General Tuolimu's eyes blazed. Suddenly, he rose from the elephant's back, sword light surging, sword qi breaking through the air as he thrust toward Sacrificial Wine Bà Shān, filling the sky with sword radiance!
Sacrificial Wine Bà Shān reached for his blade and struck. The sword light vanished instantly, leaving only a single blade spanning heaven and earth. With a thunderous boom, the blade light disappeared, and General Tuolimu on the elephant's back was gone.
The other barbarian generals on the white elephant were stunned, then heard a long "Ahhh" from behind. Turning back, they saw General Tuolimu flying farther and farther away, sent who knows where by that single strike.
"Not bad skills. Just poor eyesight."
Sacrificial Wine Bà Shān sheathed his blade. After a moment, General Tuolimu returned, his armor split in two. When he looked at Sacrificial Wine Bà Shān again, there was more awe in his eyes.
"Martial Khan, your fame still echoes across the grasslands."
Tuolimu knelt on one knee, hand on his chest. "Is the Martial Khan heading to the Golden Palace? The Shaman Venerable has ordered us to treat you well."
Sacrificial Wine Bà Shān nodded. "I understand. Rise. Back then, the Shaman Venerable granted me the title of Martial Khan. Now it seems he granted it himself, so naturally he wants to take it back himself. There must be some new heroes on the grasslands, or else why would the Shaman Venerable be so eager for me to come to Loulan's Golden Palace?"
Tuolimu stood. "The heroes of our grasslands are as numerous as the stars in the sky. There are certainly those who can defeat the Martial Khan."
Fox Líng'ér giggled. "General, I really like the way you brag."
"Brag? Who dares brag about me?"
The blue ox snorted, then spotted the white elephant. He trotted over, rubbing against the elephant, and chuckled, "White Elephant, are you male or female?"
The white elephant's trunk slapped him across the face, making his nose bleed.
"She's female," Fox Líng'ér whispered in the blue ox's ear.
The blue ox perked up, grinning at the white elephant, "Your skin is so white. I like you. Do you eat peonies? I have some here, tender enough to squeeze water out..."
Tuolimu led his army to escort them to Loulan's Golden Palace. Qin Mu kept observing the troops, curious.
This army's tactics in suppressing the rebels were quite unique, very similar to those of the Yan Kingdom's army. He wondered if Yan had learned from the barbarians, or the barbarians from Yan.
After the battle, Tuolimu treated them with great respect, offering food and drink along the way, being very courteous.
Sacrificial Wine Bà Shān taught Qin Mu and Ling Yuxiu the art of merging techniques and martial arts without hiding it from him, though he used sound transmission for the key points.
After six or seven days, they reached the deepest part of the grasslands, not far from Loulan's Golden Palace. Tuolimu no longer accompanied them but led his army away with a roar, returning to his tribe.
Sacrificial Wine Bà Shān frowned, exhaling a breath of turbid qi, and muttered, "It seems the Shaman Venerable is very concerned about my arrival. This time, he's determined to take back the title of Martial Khan. Once we reach the Golden Palace, I'll be the one challenged. If that happens, I won't have time to steal back our master's lower half..."
Qin Mu was eager to try. "Senior brother, I've learned some thieving skills."
Sacrificial Wine Bà Shān glanced at him and shook his head. "Loulan's Golden Palace is a sacred site of the grasslands, on par with places like the Dao Sect or the Great Thunderclap Monastery. It's full of mechanisms, seals, and restrictions. Your thieving skills are useless; you can't break those seals and traps."
"The one who taught me thieving is very skilled."
Qin Mu said seriously, "He's Cripple Grandpa from our village. Even though he's missing a leg..."
Sacrificial Wine Bà Shān waved his hand, perking up, and said, "If his leg was cut off, that just means his skills were unrefined. Don't think about stealing back our master's lower half. I'll handle it. You two just focus on blocking the Golden Palace's mountain gate! Leave the rest to me."
—The sixth chapter will be out at eight tonight!