Chapter 221: The Invincible Vajra
The Little Jade Capital in the sky?
The Imperial Preceptor's wife looked up at the sky. It was a beautiful name.
Jade Capital—a capital made of jade, a city where immortals dwelled, free from the smoke of mortal kitchens, devoid of the mundane world's atmosphere.
"Once, a certain Scattered Cultivator Zhen emerged from that mysterious sacred land, the Little Jade Capital. He came to stop me, but he failed."
A trace of confusion flickered in Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor's eyes. His voice was soft as he said, "Before he died, he told me I must go to the Little Jade Capital. He said there were things there that might change my mind. Now, I have come."
Before them, a celestial realm as beautiful as any myth or legend appeared amidst the drifting mist and clouds.
Qin Mu's treasure ship stopped at Fen Prefecture. Qin Mu disembarked with Fox Ling'er, purchasing some New Year's goods until the hold was full. Fen Prefecture was still relatively peaceful. The prefect of Fen Prefecture was gathering the local cultivators, refining various spirit weapons, and riding a tower ship into the sky to collect the clouds above.
In some places, sunlight was already shining down, and the ice and snow had begun to melt, but it felt even colder.
Fen Prefecture was known for its strong liquor. The people here often drank it to ward off the cold, but the chill was severe. Many villagers still went up the mountains to chop wood for warmth.
Moreover, prices were soaring. Goods were much more expensive than before. Qin Mu, being wealthy, didn't notice, but Fox Ling'er calculated the accounts carefully and said to Qin Mu, "Young master, prices have doubled."
Qin Mu was slightly startled. "Earlier than I expected. Stabilizing prices is the Minister of Revenue's responsibility, not ours. As long as the dark clouds disperse and the court provides disaster relief, the north won't fall into major chaos. I'm just worried someone might deliberately stir up trouble."
They hadn't bought enough New Year's goods in Fen Prefecture, so the treasure ship stopped at Lie Prefecture. Prices there had risen even more. Many merchants hoarded goods, waiting to sell them at even higher prices for a huge profit.
The deputy prefect of Lie Prefecture began to crack down on merchants. In chaotic times, harsh penalties were used. Many merchants who hoarded goods were dragged out and beheaded.
After two or three days, Qin Mu's treasure ship arrived at Jing Prefecture. It was not far from the Great Ruins now, only about ten thousand li away. There were still many dark clouds. The clouds in the sky looked like a white sheet with many holes cut out, and sunlight streamed down through these holes.
This place was relatively remote, with a sparse population. Signs of chaos were already appearing. Bands of mountain bandits roamed, looting wealthy households. On the roads, many poor people who had frozen to death could be seen, leaning against extinguished campfires, their bodies stiff as boards.
There were also refugees, dragging their families through the ice and snow, wrapped up tightly, walking south across the frozen rivers, hoping to find a warm place.
These people said nothing. From time to time, someone would fall behind, squatting down to warm themselves, but once they squatted, they never got up again.
In places where the river water had accumulated, massive icebergs and glaciers had formed. From time to time, creaking sounds came from them, followed by huge chunks of ice sliding off the mountains, which was terrifying.
Qin Mu saw some refugee groups with young people skilled in magic, helping them migrate. He stopped the ship on the ice and asked about them. These young people were disciples of the Demon Sect.
"Tell them not to go anywhere else. Everywhere is frozen," Qin Mu said.
"They won't listen."
A Demon Sect disciple pulled down his face mask, which was meant to block the biting wind, revealing a face dark red from the cold. In the howling wind, he loudly told their young Sect Leader and holy teacher, "If these people stop, they lose all hope. If they keep walking, there's still hope in their hearts. Maybe they'll find a warm place."
Qin Mu was stunned. He unloaded some of the New Year's goods that could be used for warmth from the ship and handed them to the Demon Sect disciples, telling them to distribute them to the refugees. "It's freezing cold. Demons and monsters will also come out to hunt for food. Be careful yourselves."
He didn't stay long in Jing Prefecture. The treasure ship rose into the air and headed toward the Great Ruins.
The winter in Yan Kang was unbearably cold, and it was getting colder as time went on. Qin Mu's treasure ship was covered in many icicles, greatly reducing its speed and consuming more and more medicinal stones. Every few thousand li, they had to stop the ship to knock off the icicles before the speed could pick up again.
Fox Ling'er was beside the furnace, constantly feeding it medicinal stones, while Qin Mu maintained the ship's course. The treasure ship flew very low. Qin Mu transformed his primordial energy into Vermilion Bird primordial energy, surrounding himself with blazing flames to keep from freezing.
The further west they went, the more desolate it became. There were more refugees, and more people frozen to death by the roadside.
In remote places, there weren't many cultivators. In even more areas, there was no sun, still covered by thick dark clouds, making it even colder.
The power of this snow disaster was far greater than he had anticipated. The number of casualties also exceeded his expectations, and the cold wave was growing stronger.
Suddenly, flames rolled across the sky. A giant snake emerged from the clouds, spewing fire in all directions, driving back the surrounding cold.
The great snake was thick with demonic aura, slithering out from the clouds.
Qin Mu's heart leaped. He quickly urged the treasure ship upward, driving it into the clouds.
The giant snake looked around. Standing on its head was a flamboyant man, who said suspiciously, "I clearly saw that kid's ship just now. Where did it go? Sister Qiu, release the bugs!"
Countless insects flew out from the clouds. A woman stood amidst the swarm, pointing her finger. The insect tide surged out in all directions, burrowing into the clouds.
Qin Mu's treasure ship weaved through the clouds. Suddenly, a golden insect flew straight toward them. The insect was startled at the sight of the ship and quickly stopped.
Qin Mu thrust out his sword finger, turning his primordial energy into sword qi. With a *ding*, it struck the insect's body.
But the insect didn't die. Instead, it grew larger with a whoosh, reaching over a zhang in length, and screeched as it lunged at him!
Qin Mu's primordial energy invaded his Taotie pouch. The Junior Guardian Sword hummed as it flew out, cleaving the giant insect in two with one strike. Just then, a voice giggled, "The Demon Sect's Sect Leader, so you're here!"
Qin Mu looked toward the sound and saw the clouds behind him turning red. Sensing trouble, he quickly shouted, "Ling'er, open all three furnaces!"
*Boom!*
A massive burst of flames erupted, surging from the clouds and slamming into the treasure ship's stern. Qin Mu quickly grabbed the helm to avoid being thrown off.
The treasure ship wobbled violently, nearly plummeting from the force of that attack. Then, the bronze beasts beneath the ship spewed fire, and the two bronze beasts at the stern went full throttle, greatly increasing the ship's speed. Within a few breaths, it shot out of the clouds, leaping into the air and breaking through the sky.
"So cold!"
The biting wind hit Qin Mu's face, making him shiver. Even his Vermilion Bird primordial energy was chilled. His face and hands quickly became covered in frost.
With a loud boom, the treasure ship broke the sound barrier, tearing through the sky.
Fox Ling'er shut down the furnace beneath the ship. The light flames from the bronze beasts at the stern also shortened. She said, "Young master, we don't have many medicinal stones left from the capital!"
Qin Mu looked back. Flames surged from the clouds behind them. The giant snake soared out of the clouds, followed by the golden insect tide, rushing toward them with a roar. But they were much slower than the treasure ship.
Now that the ship had slowed down, they still couldn't catch up.
Qin Mu relaxed. He used strands of primordial energy to tie the helm and entered the cabin. "How many medicinal stones are left?"
Fox Ling'er was busy feeding the furnace. She pursed her lips.
Qin Mu looked and frowned. The medicine baskets were all empty, with only one and a half baskets of medicinal stones left. The tower ships of Yan Kang were always equipped with medicinal stones, wrapped in kraft paper. As long as they fed the furnace packs of stones, the ship could keep flying.
They had bought over ten baskets of medicinal stones in the capital, enough to fly into the Great Ruins. But with all the stops along the way, frequently halting to melt the icicles on the ship, a lot had been consumed.
Fox Ling'er said, "The weather is too cold. If the furnace goes full power, we probably won't make it to the Great Ruins."
Just then, the treasure ship shook violently. Qin Mu quickly stepped out of the cabin. As soon as he poked his head out, he hurriedly closed the hatch. *Ding, ding, ding!* A series of dense impacts sounded. Over a dozen flying swords were stuck in the hatch.
Qin Mu pushed the hatch open. Above the treasure ship, a sword pellet was spinning. The deck and cabin walls were covered in flying swords. As the pellet rotated, the swords hummed and vibrated, one by one detaching from the deck and cabin and returning to the pellet.
Splitting Sword Style!
Qin Mu raised his hand and chopped down. The Junior Guardian Sword hummed as it struck, splitting the sword pellet in two. The pellet exploded, and hundreds of flying swords shattered, falling from the sky.
"Good sword!"
A voice came. Qin Mu looked and saw, thousands of zhang away above the clouds, a scholar was sprinting wildly toward them. His speed was astonishing.
"Demon Sect's Sect Leader Qin, your identity is exposed! There are many obstacles ahead!"
The young scholar leaped and bounded across the clouds. From time to time, techniques exploded behind him, pushing his speed even higher. His voice came steadily, laughing, "Many fellow cultivators are waiting for you up ahead!"
Qin Mu's eyes flickered. He pointed, and the Junior Guardian Sword shot out like a cold light toward the young scholar. The young scholar's wide sleeves fluttered as he reached out to meet the sword. Suddenly, his sleeves were pierced by the sword light. Startled, he quickly flicked his fingers. With each flick, a technique erupted, sending many flaming sparrows *ding, ding, ding* crashing into the Junior Guardian Sword.
Qin Mu rotated his sword finger, using the Winding Sword Style, shredding all the sparrows. The Junior Guardian Sword was scorched red, but it spun and circled around the young scholar, flying up and down. In an instant, the young scholar was stripped bare, not a thread on him.
"Good swordsmanship!"
The young scholar quickly stopped, putting distance between himself and the treasure ship. Qin Mu felt his primordial energy strands reach their control limit. He then took out the sword scabbard, shook it in the wind, and the scabbard transformed into a fish-dragon. The Junior Guardian Sword flew back like a streak of light, swallowed by the fish-dragon's mouth.
"Amitabha!"
A Buddhist chant came from above. Qin Mu quickly looked up. The sun was dazzlingly bright in his face. In the intense sunlight, he vaguely saw a giant golden Buddha descending from the sky, falling toward the treasure ship!
Qin Mu's primordial energy burst forth. The Junior Guardian Sword flew out of the scabbard again, transforming into the Drilling Sword Style, stabbing upward toward the descending Buddha!
"Invincible Vajra!"
A fierce shout came from midair. Qin Mu immediately felt the Drilling Sword Style become incredibly sluggish. An immense pressure descended, transmitting through his body to the treasure ship. Inside Qin Mu, the sound of bones creaking under strain came. The treasure ship also groaned and creaked, sinking into the clouds.