Chapter 194: Words Fall on Deaf Ears
“This isn’t a demon, but a form of deification, transforming into a divine form.” The Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor, long accustomed to the strange, explained to Fox Ling’er.
He could naturally tell that Qin Mu wasn’t revealing his true form, but rather employing a peculiar technique, one that seemed like a mixture of several techniques from the Heavenly Demon Sect.
“It seems to be a combination of the Creation Art and the Fire Star technique from the Five Stars…”
His knowledge of the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Scripture was limited, leaving him somewhat uncertain.
The change in Qin Mu’s physical form was a type of deification, achievable by some techniques and not uncommon; it was a form of physical divine ability.
Some sects’ techniques specialized in using deification or demonization to enhance their physical bodies.
However, Qin Mu’s deification left the Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor puzzled, as if it were more than just a physical divine ability.
A physical divine ability was naturally used to enhance the body, relying on a powerful physique to boost combat prowess.
But Qin Mu’s deification seemed to be deification itself.
In the Imperial Preceptor’s eyes, Qin Mu was using his technique to transform into the demeanor of the Blazing Fire Star Lord. His physical body changed, his primordial energy changed simultaneously, and even the aura he emitted changed!
This meant he simultaneously possessed the physical body and divine abilities of the deified state!
This was very peculiar.
The changes on Qin Mu’s body hadn’t stopped. Fire clouds churned beneath his feet, gradually forming two fire dragons. The dragons grew longer and larger, lifting his body off the ground.
Qin Mu stood atop the fire dragons, his feet bursting through his shoes, transforming into two burning ox hooves.
Now, he was a Blazing Fire Star Lord standing on two fire dragons!
Qin Mu raised his hand, and the surroundings became incredibly dry. Fireballs the size of goose eggs danced up and down in the air.
The Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor showed an interested expression, observing these moderately sized fireballs. Suddenly, streaks of sword light burst forth from within each fireball, also composed of fine flames. Each streak of sword light executed a sword technique, specifically the Sunset Sword Technique, which simultaneously contained the power of fire-based spells. The power of each sword strike was quite formidable!
“The Sunset Sword Technique from the Abyss Nation, very orthodox, with the added subtlety of a sword pellet. Combined with the power of spells, your strength can essentially be considered that of a Divine Ability practitioner.”
The Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor praised, “If you were to face a Divine Ability practitioner of the Six Harmonies realm head-on, you could survive. If you can fully utilize the physical divine ability of deification, you can contend with a Divine Ability practitioner of the Six Harmonies realm.”
Qin Mu abruptly withdrew his sword techniques, gathering them back into the fireballs. The fireballs collided with each other, forming a red sun the size of a washbasin. He then opened his mouth and swallowed the red sun, two streams of fire shooting from his ox-like nostrils.
He stopped channeling the Overlord Body Three Dan Art. The two ox horns on his head slowly retracted, his body gradually returned to normal, and the two fire dragons beneath his feet slowly dissipated.
Qin Mu touched his rear, a puzzled expression on his face. His buttocks felt scorchingly painful, as if someone had whipped him a few times.
“Could it be that I developed a habit from herding cattle as a child, always liking to whip an ox’s rump?” the cowherd from the Crippled Elder Village wondered inwardly.
Ahead lay a majestic mountain, with a waterfall cascading from the sky like an inverted Milky Way. The white water curtain, the black cliffs, the lush green peaks, and the blazing sun above formed an ink-wash landscape painting.
The roar of the water was deafening. A rich, moist aura could be felt from afar, and fine mist hung in the air, settling on everyone. Before long, their clothes felt slightly damp.
The scene was refreshing and delightful.
The Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor was leading them to the Southern Frontier. He didn’t take any official roads, but set a direction and walked straight ahead. Now, he had brought them into the mountains.
The waterfall had carved out a deep pool. The pool water was clear. A male deer, its head covered in branching antlers, stood by the pool, swishing its short tail and eating the glossy ganoderma growing at the water’s edge. Its body was marked with white spots like plum blossoms.
Catching sight of them, the male deer quickly raised its head, tilted it to examine them, and took a few steps.
Everyone silently praised its majestic appearance. This male deer was as large as the Dragon Qilin, very robust.
The male deer snorted through its nostrils and approached the pool. By the pool sat an old man in a straw rain cape, his fishing rod planted on the bank as he fished.
Beside the old man was a half-grown child, listlessly picking up stones and throwing them where the old man was fishing. The child wasn’t throwing just one or two, but continuously.
With such a massive waterfall and such a swift current, even if there were fish, they wouldn’t take the bait. Coupled with the child constantly throwing stones, the old man wouldn’t catch anything today.
Yue Qinghong shook her head, “If that child were his own, he wouldn’t be beaten to death. If not, he would have been long ago. Who could tolerate that?”
Qin Mu looked puzzled, glancing around. This wasn’t a place for fishing, yet an old man was fishing here, and a child was throwing stones right where he fished. It didn’t seem like a serious fishing attempt.
In this desolate, remote mountain, rarely visited by people, if he wasn’t fishing, then he could only be blocking their path!
Coupled with this plum-blossom deer, as robust as the Dragon Qilin, the old man’s identity was likely someone from the same era as the Young Patriarch and others!
Shen Wanyun and Si Yunxiang also sensed something was amiss. They looked at the Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor. Yun Que Monk, however, didn’t think much of it. He stepped forward to inquire, smiling, “Elder, how could there be fish here? Is this your grandson? He keeps throwing stones; even if there were fish, they’d be scared away.”
The old man lifted his rain hat, revealing a wrinkled face, and smiled, “How could there be no fish? Isn’t the fish coming now?”
Yun Que looked where he was fishing but saw no fish, only the mischievous child throwing stones.
The Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor stepped forward, speaking flatly, “This pool may not be large, but the fish inside are quite big. Catching them will be difficult. I wonder if the Elder has the skill?”
The wrinkles on the old man’s face deepened as he smiled, “The world is like a pool of clear water, but a big fish has come to muddy the waters. This big fish should have leaped over the Dragon Gate to become a true dragon, but instead, it muddies the water and eats the smaller fish, devouring them all. Imperial Preceptor, tell me, should I catch this big fish that muddies the water?”
The Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor’s eyes flickered. He clasped his hands in his sleeves and said unhurriedly, “Elder, comparing sects to small fish is inappropriate. Sects should be leeches, leeches that cling to the fish and suck their blood. The water may seem clear, but the fish within are bitten by leeches. Therefore, one shouldn’t fish; one should use strong medicine to eliminate the leeches!”
The old man fell silent.
The Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor also fell silent.
Words fall on deaf ears when there’s no common ground. They had already exchanged several sentences, each feeling unable to convince the other. Continuing the debate would only be a waste of breath.
Since their philosophies differed and neither could persuade the other, it was better to simply kill the other and extinguish their philosophy for a clean, decisive resolution.
The old man stood up, put away his fishing rod and line, leaned the rod against a large tree, took off his bamboo hat and straw rain cape, and waved his hand, signaling the mischievous child beside him to retreat. He said, “You go to the other side of the mountain.”
The Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor said to Qin Mu and the others, “You cross the mountain and wait for me. Elder, have you passed down all your skills?”
The old man nodded, “All have been passed down. And the Imperial Preceptor?”
The Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor said calmly, “I don’t need to. In my early years, I had a hot temper and killed too many people, causing many sects to be wiped out and their unique techniques lost. After establishing the Heavenly Record Tower, I often regretted this. So, after that, whenever I kill someone, I make it a habit to ask.”
Although Qin Mu wanted to stay and witness this rare battle, the clash between beings of the Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor’s level would likely be even more violent than the Heavenly Capital Demon Lord’s. Watching from such close range would only mean certain death.
“We’ll cross the mountain!” Qin Mu said solemnly.
He led the others over the high mountain. Looking down, the two figures by the waterfall were already obscured by the mist, invisible.
The mischievous child who had been throwing stones was riding the large deer not far from them. He blinked and asked, “Are you from the Grand Academy?”
Shen Wanyun nodded, “May I ask your name, brother?”
“Mu Ran, Wang Muran!”
He was about the same age as Qin Mu, but unlike Qin Mu’s composed demeanor, Wang Muran was extremely restless, unable to sit still. He would feel bored the moment he quieted down. Even riding the deer, he couldn’t stay put, slapping its rump and trotting over.
Qin Mu asked, “Brother Wang, which sect are you from?”
“Little Jade Capital.”
“Little Jade Capital?”
Shen Wanyun, Yun Que, and the others looked bewildered. They had never heard of this sect. The Eternal Peace Kingdom had three sacred lands, and although there were some large sects comparable to them, Little Jade Capital wasn’t among them.
Qin Mu was startled. The words “Jade Capital” weren’t something just anyone could use. “Jade Capital” meant the capital where the Heavenly Emperor resided, and this Heavenly Emperor wasn’t a god, but an immortal, the immortal’s Heavenly Emperor.
Which sect was so audacious as to take the name Little Jade Capital?
“We live in the Little Jade Capital sacred land. There are very few people there, just some old men and old women. There aren’t many my age.”
Wang Muran said, “Someone came to visit this time and found my master, asking him to come and meet the Imperial Preceptor. They said the Imperial Preceptor was walking the demonic path and wanted to destroy all the teachings under heaven. My master was a bit reluctant at first, but it was hard to refuse, so he brought me out for a look around. The teachings under heaven have already been mostly destroyed by the Imperial Preceptor. His actions are indeed no different from the demonic path.”
Fox Ling’er was puzzled, “Aren’t we the righteous side? I think the Imperial Preceptor’s actions are very proper!”
Wang Muran shook his head, “You are all the court’s hounds, the Imperial Preceptor’s claws and teeth. Your reputation is quite notorious.”
Qin Mu was confused. He felt the Imperial Preceptor’s actions were acceptable, even righteous. The Imperial Preceptor also had a righteous and awe-inspiring demeanor. Everything he did seemed normal and righteous to Qin Mu.
How did it become the demonic path in the eyes of others?
And how did they, the Grand Academy scholars, become the court’s hounds and the Imperial Preceptor’s claws and teeth, with such a bad reputation?
“Right and wrong might just be a matter of perspective,” Qin Mu thought to himself.
Fox Ling’er asked, “Murran, if your master dies, what will you do?”
Wang Muran was full of confidence and shook his head, “No one can kill my master. His skills…”
Just then, the Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor walked over and said to Wang Muran, “Go and collect his body. He said before he died that he had passed all his skills on to you. Good. Train hard.”
Wang Muran was stunned for a moment. Suddenly, he jumped off the deer and ran quickly towards the waterfall. After a moment, his wailing cries could be heard.
“Little Jade Capital is quite remarkable. I’ve heard of this sect. It has some connection with the heavens.”
The Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor looked at Qin Mu and said, “Ahead is Li City. I’m injured. You need to gather herbs and refine pills to heal me.”
Qin Mu nodded, “The Imperial Preceptor’s injuries are difficult to treat. The medicine I prescribe will inevitably be very complex.”
————Zhai Zhu has a cold, a sore throat, and a bit of dizziness. I dare not say whether there will be a third chapter today. I’ll do my best.