Chapter 212: Parting Is Inevitable
The text on this scroll was not extensive. After roughly scanning through the words, many principles regarding the cultivation of the soul and spirit emerged in Qin Mu's mind.
The Heavenly Capital Demon Monarch had told him the book contained sorcery of the Netherworld—yet another lie to tempt him into a trap.
"When I speak, at least one out of ten sentences might be true. When the Heavenly Capital Demon Monarch speaks, only one out of a hundred sentences is true."
Qin Mu mused to himself: "Of everything he told me, only that bit about the Netherworld language was real. Everything else was fake!"
He pondered carefully. If one could fully comprehend the mysteries of the text in the book, they could indeed grasp some soul-related sorcery. But the more important purpose of this scroll was to strengthen the soul and spirit; the soul-related spells were merely secondary.
Qin Mu committed the text to memory, closed the scroll, and sank into deep thought, trying to grasp the profound mysteries of the writing and attempting to comprehend a soul-based technique.
The Great Nurturing Demon Sutra contained soul-related spells. The great shamans of the Man Di Kingdom also had such techniques. There were also the Eight Thunderclap Forms passed down by Master Ma, and the Demon Sect's Great Freedom Seal—all possessed wondrous methods targeting the soul.
The Soul-Drawing Incantation of the Nine Nether Gate was an especially outstanding divine ability among them.
If he could cross-reference these with the principles in this scroll, he could greatly amplify their power!
Qin Mu meditated for a long time, then slowly began to pace in the courtyard, gesturing as he walked. He was trying to integrate the principles of the Netherworld text into the move "Refining the Yang Soul Under the Sun."
"Refining the Yang Soul Under the Sun" was one of the Eight Thunderclap Forms, a top-tier combat technique from the Tathagata Great Vehicle Sutra. Its power was supremely fierce and overwhelming, and it had been refined to its peak by successive Tathagatas, leaving almost no room for improvement or modification.
Yet now, Qin Mu was attempting to improve this move. He had never cultivated the Tathagata Great Vehicle Sutra, but ever since he merged the Great Nurturing Demon Sutra with the Overlord Body Three-Dan Art, unifying his cultivation method, the power of the Eight Thunderclap Forms had grown increasingly stronger, no less than the Tathagata Great Vehicle Sutra.
He practiced the move over and over, throwing punch after punch. The mother fist seal was the Heart Seal, and the Heart Seal was the Great Sun. With each punch, thunder rolled, the blazing sun blazed intensely, refining the yang soul, and its power gradually increased.
The move "Refining the Yang Soul Under the Sun" had no effect on the physical body. Despite its grand momentum and power, it only attacked the soul and spirit.
As Qin Mu practiced repeatedly, a trace of fiery energy began to emerge from his fist seal. That flame was different from ordinary fire—it was karmic fire that burned the soul.
Every punch he threw carried karmic fire, and gradually, the fire grew more intense, condensing around his fist into a blazing red sun.
The more he practiced, the smoother it became. He couldn't help but let out a long cry. Suddenly, he threw a punch, and a great sun exploded in the air, flames rolling outward in all directions, covering the entire courtyard with karmic fire.
Qin Mu withdrew his stance and exhaled a mouthful of turbid air. Suddenly, his heart stirred. He opened the door and saw the Sword Hall Master walking quickly toward him.
"Sword Hall, what's the rush?" Qin Mu invited him in and asked.
"Celestial King Lu is injured."
The Sword Hall Master's expression was grave. He said in a deep voice, "He's at my place right now. Celestial King Lu wants to see the Sect Leader. His condition... is very bad!"
Qin Mu's heart leaped. He followed him toward his courtyard.
"Sect Leader, this old man is ashamed to come before you with injuries. My wounds are severe, and I cannot bow in greeting." Celestial King Lu lay on the bed, struggling to rise but failing. He said with shame.
Qin Mu waved his hand, stepped forward to examine his injuries, and frowned slightly. His clothes were tattered, and there were still traces of blood on his white hair and beard.
Celestial King Lu's injuries were even more severe than those of the Yan Kang National Teacher. He must have fought against several Sect Leader-level experts and been struck down!
His injuries were not just physical. His divine hideouts were also damaged, and the wounds to his soul and spirit were extremely severe!
All seven of his divine hideouts had suffered near-destructive blows. His spirit embryo had petrified. Three of his Five Elements spirits had been destroyed. Only two pillars remained in his Six Harmonies divine hideout. His Seven Stars, Heavenly Being, and Life-and-Death divine hideouts were all in ruins. And the flying bridge in his Divine Bridge divine hideout had already been severed.
If it were just these injuries, it might still be manageable. But the key was his advanced age. His body was far from what it used to be, and his physical form could barely contain his soul and spirit, which were on the verge of scattering.
Celestial King Lu took a deep breath and said, "Sect Leader, I have found the whereabouts of Celestial King Qian..."
"Don't speak for now."
Qin Mu took out two bottles of dragon saliva, used them to treat his physical wounds, and had him drink one bottle. He pondered for a moment, wrote down a long list of medicinal ingredients, and told the Sword Hall Master to fetch them from the treasury according to the prescription. As for whether these herbs could cure Celestial King Lu, he had no confidence. The best-case scenario would be to become a cripple, and the worst-case...
The Sword Hall Master sped away. Celestial King Lu's physical injuries improved somewhat, but the wounds to his soul and divine hideouts grew worse. He panted heavily and said, "Celestial King Qian is already dead. I was investigating his whereabouts when someone took his clothes and lured me into a pursuit. I fell into an ambush..."
Qin Mu frowned. "Who set the trap for you?"
"They didn't show their faces, but I recognized their divine abilities."
Celestial King Lu's body convulsed. It was the eruption of his soul injuries, causing him excruciating pain. He gritted his teeth and endured it, his white hair shaking with his trembling body. He chuckled darkly. "They were after my Holy Sect's teleportation technique... Sect Leader, I can no longer assist you. I have failed the Patriarch's instructions!"
"Don't worry. You won't die, and you won't be crippled."
Qin Mu's eyes twitched. He said in a deep voice, "Even if you die, I will drag your soul back from the Netherworld!"
"Among those who injured me, one was a first-rank official of the imperial court!"
Celestial King Lu's body calmed down. "I recognize his cultivation method—it's the Spirit Treasure Immovable Meditation Skill. Among the first-rank officials of the court, the Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, Sun Nantuo, has cultivated this skill to its peak. He sits within a thousand jeweled pagodas, immovable like a spirit treasure."
Qin Mu moved swiftly, his hands flying as he tapped points on Celestial King Lu's body. His ten fingers danced, leaving afterimages in the air. In an instant, he sealed Celestial King Lu's soul and spirit within his body to prevent them from leaving.
He was using the Creation Demon Skill. The Creation Demon Skill was used by experts of the Demon Sect to flay skin and make clothes, but in his hands, it was a life-saving technique.
Although Qin Mu sealed his three souls and seven spirits, he still couldn't stop the trend of his soul and spirit scattering.
"Sect Leader, even though you are a divine physician, you cannot save a man who is fated to die."
Celestial King Lu showed a smile. Trembling, he got out of bed and sat in front of the hall. A flush of red appeared on his face. He laughed. "Don't waste your strength. My soul is about to scatter, and my divine bridge is broken. I can't hold on any longer. I thought that after the Patriarch left, I could assist you in reviving the Holy Sect. I never thought I wouldn't live to see that day."
A rumbling sound of collapse came from within his body. It was his Divine Bridge divine hideout, collapsing without the support of the bridge.
The collapsing Divine Bridge divine hideout crushed the Life-and-Death divine hideout, which then crushed the Heavenly Being divine hideout. Layer after layer of divine hideouts collapsed.
Grief welled up in Qin Mu's heart. Even if the Sword Hall Master returned with the medicine now, it would be too late to save him.
A blazing fire ignited on Celestial King Lu's body. His soul and spirit were tearing apart. This tearing was irreversible. His injuries were too severe, and the wounds to his soul were especially grave. He was on the verge of being obliterated, body and soul.
If his soul was scattered, he could not enter the Netherworld. Once the soul dissipated, he couldn't even become a ghost.
"Blazing holy flame, burn my withered body..."
Celestial King Lu murmured in the fire. "Life and death are impermanent; parting is inevitable. I won't live to see you become the Holy Teacher. I long to return to Holy Linshan, to see the Holy Teacher Tree once more... I hear the woodcutter's axe..."
The old man shivered in the flames and showed a smile. "Sect Leader, I'm so cold..."
Qin Mu reached out his hand, wanting to grasp the old man's hand, but what he touched was a handful of burnt ashes.
The blazing fire gradually extinguished, leaving behind gray-white ashes.
Outside, the footsteps of the Sword Hall Master could be heard. He was carrying large and small medicine bags. Qin Mu turned around and said woodenly, "Sword Hall, there's no need. Celestial King Lu has already passed away..."
The medicine bags in the Sword Hall Master's hands fell to the ground. This nine-foot-tall man fell to his knees with a thud, deeply prostrating himself. His shoulders heaved constantly, but no sound of crying came.
A long time passed.
Qin Mu swept up Celestial King Lu's ashes, placed them in a blue jar, and stood blankly in front of it.
He had been thrust into the role, sold to the Demon Sect by Granny Si, and had become the Holy Sect Leader of the Demon Sect by accident. He didn't have much attachment to the Demon Sect. If he had any feelings, it was for Granny Si and the Young Patriarch.
But as his understanding of the Demon Sect deepened, he gradually came to like the sect's doctrines, the colorful characters within it, and he admired their conduct and their ways of handling things.
He had already considered himself a member of the Demon Sect and strived to become a qualified Holy Sect Leader.
He hadn't spent much time with Celestial King Lu. Perhaps Celestial King Lu had never regarded him as the Holy Sect Leader, but only as a mischievous disciple. On Holy Linshan, he had bustled about cleaning up after him, dealing with the messes he left behind and the chaos he caused.
He was more like an elder who cared for his juniors, his reproachful gaze tinged with affection.
And now, he was dead, reduced to a handful of ashes in a blue jar...
"Sword Hall..."
A hint of sharpness emerged in Qin Mu's dull eyes. He said slowly, "Order the sect disciples to mobilize all resources and investigate for me. I want all information on the Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, Sun Nantuo. His life, his family, his sect, his disciples—everything!"
The Sword Hall Master rose. "As the Sect Leader commands!"
Qin Mu continued, "Take Celestial King Lu away as well. He wants to return to the Holy Teacher Tree. You... bury him there."
The Sword Hall Master left with the blue jar.
Qin Mu walked out of the Sword Hall's residence, found Si Yunxiang, who had already returned from the Heavenly Record Tower to the Scholar's Quarters, retrieved his book token, and headed toward the Heavenly Record Tower.
Inside the tower, he went to the third floor. There weren't many scriptures here, only about a hundred scrolls. Many white-haired and white-bearded secretariat supervisors were studying the various techniques in the tower, innovating and improving them.
Qin Mu found the Spirit Treasure Immovable Meditation Skill and read it carefully. He didn't sleep or rest, reading for two full days. Then he left the Heavenly Record Tower, returned to his residence, and slept soundly.
The next day, the Sword Hall Master arrived with thick files.
Qin Mu read through them carefully, spending half a day reviewing all the information about the Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, Sun Nantuo. Then he closed his eyes.
The Sword Hall Master waited quietly by the side. After a long time, Qin Mu opened his eyes and said, "Nantuo Temple, Sun Nantuo, Spirit Treasure Immovable Meditation Skill... Wiping out his entire family in the capital would have too much impact. Let's do it outside the city."