Chapter 242: One More Time
"The next generation Human Sovereign?"
Qin Mu found the name somewhat strange. There was already an emperor in the world, along with sect leaders, patriarchs, and clan masters from various major sects, each with their own duties and jurisdictions. What was the role of a Human Sovereign?
It seemed there was no place left in the world for a Human Sovereign to rule.
"The Human Sovereign is not exalted above all, wielding no power, only bearing responsibility."
The Village Chief said, "The Human Sovereign is not meant to rule over all living beings, nor to control hegemony, waging war and conquest at will to subdue the disobedient. The Human Sovereign is a state of mind, a principle of righteousness. There is a precious seal of the Human Sovereign, left behind by the first generation, which I threw under my bed. Go fetch it."
Qin Mu went to the Village Chief's room. There was indeed a black lump under the bed. He took it out and looked at it—it was a palm-sized black iron seal, engraved with bird-seal script and insect characters.
Qin Mu handed the black iron seal to the Village Chief. The Village Chief blinked and said, "This is the Human Sovereign Seal, the supreme sacred object of our lineage."
Qin Mu looked at the seal and stammered, "Village Chief, does our lineage have any other sacred objects?"
The Village Chief grew angry. The Human Sovereign Seal flew up and smacked Qin Mu on the forehead, raising a large bump, then the black iron lump fell into Qin Mu's arms.
The Village Chief said, "The Human Sovereign Seal is yours now. You are the Human Sovereign of this generation."
"That simple?" Qin Mu was stunned.
Pharmacist was also startled. The Village Chief had always said his responsibilities were heavy and his burden great, and the title of Human Sovereign was intimidatingly grand. He had thought there would be an important ceremony to let Qin Mu succeed to the position.
He never expected the Village Chief to simply toss Qin Mu a black lump and consider it a succession.
"Nowadays, very few know of the Human Sovereign. We are neither a sect nor an emperor of a nation—it's just a legacy. Passed down through generations, only one person per generation. Usually, we seek the most intelligent and perceptive person of the era to be the Human Sovereign. The most intelligent of this generation is the Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor, but he probably has no interest. Besides, he has already forged his own path, making it hard for him to accept my legacy and responsibilities."
The Village Chief sighed and said, "And I'm too lazy to go out and search. After much thought, you're the only one who's barely acceptable."
Qin Mu comforted him, "Village Chief, don't force it. I think you can still find someone better."
Pharmacist's expression turned strange.
The Village Chief was nearly choked to death. This kid clearly found it troublesome, with no benefits, so he was somewhat unwilling.
"After one trip outside, you've grown quite bold, daring to mock me!"
The Village Chief sneered, "Do you want to be the Human Sovereign or not?"
Qin Mu reluctantly agreed, "Fine, fine. Just give me the dirty and tiring work. I already have plenty of that; one more Human Sovereign title won't make a difference."
The Village Chief was exasperated, wishing he could grow an arm to knock some sense into his head. He scolded, "Countless people begged me to teach them swordsmanship, and I refused. They begged me to pass on my legacy, and I declined. And you have the nerve to be picky?"
Qin Mu lowered his head, kicked a pebble away, and muttered sullenly, "I'm not being picky. It's just that it's only a title, with no real use. Village Chief, just teach me your swordsmanship. As for the Human Sovereign title, why not give it to someone else?"
The Village Chief laughed angrily and looked at Pharmacist. "Do you hear that? Is he being picky or not? Is being the Human Sovereign so shameful? He's getting more audacious by the day!"
Pharmacist coughed repeatedly and said, "You two take your time. I'll go check on my bugs, make sure they don't freeze to death."
The Village Chief was fuming, but suddenly came to his senses and laughed in spite of himself. "Others beg me to teach them, and I refuse. Now I have to beg you to learn, don't I? You're getting more and more mischievous. To be honest, you really aren't suited to be the Human Sovereign. If I weren't too lazy to go out, I would definitely find a more outstanding youth than you."
Qin Mu pouted and muttered under his breath, "Me, the Overlord Body. Who could be better than me?"
The Village Chief choked, nearly unable to breathe. Qin Mu quickly stepped forward to rub his chest and pat his back. When the Village Chief caught his breath, Qin Mu was about to speak, but the old man said, "Don't talk yet. Let me recover a bit. My mind is a little dizzy..."
The old man's eyelids twitched. The one who started it all had finally reaped the consequences.
After a long while, he finally came to his senses. Back then, he had made a joke, and others took it seriously, but he knew it was a jest. That was why he secretly felt smug when others believed it.
But now, choosing Qin Mu as his successor—did that mean deep down, he himself believed Qin Mu was the Overlord Body?
"Too many lies told. Even knowing they're false, you can't help but believe them yourself. Enough, enough."
The Village Chief let go of his resentment, smiled, and said, "As the Human Sovereign, we have only one responsibility."
His eyes blazed with sharp light, as if countless sword beams burst from his pupils, dazzlingly bright: "To slay gods, to slay demons, to slay heaven!"
"What belongs to gods is governed by gods. What belongs to demons is governed by demons. What belongs to humans is governed by humans!"
"If gods or demons meddle, cut off their hands!"
"If gods or demons stick their heads out, cut off their heads! This is the most basic duty of the Human Sovereign."
"When you become strong enough, there will be more responsibilities—to slay gods, to slay demons, to slay heaven! Slaughter your way up to the heavens... Come back!"
Qin Mu threw the Human Sovereign Seal back into the Village Chief's arms and turned to leave.
The Village Chief was furious. His primordial energy formed a giant hand, grabbed Qin Mu by the collar, and dragged him back. He said gently, "You are the Human Sovereign of this generation. How can you not know the purpose of our lineage's legacy? I haven't finished yet... Still trying to run? Pharmacist! Pharmacist! Come help me hold him down!"
Pharmacist didn't come. Qin Mu struggled but couldn't break free, so he gave up.
The Village Chief continued, "Our lineage has few rules, and this is the gist of it. I will teach you my swordsmanship. How much you comprehend is up to you. Oh, and there's also a Human Sovereign Hall in our lineage. If you have time, go take a look and see the great achievements of past Human Sovereigns. Also, my swordsmanship is decent, but if you use it and a god or demon sees it, they will definitely try to erase you... Don't run! You can't escape my grasp! I didn't manage to escape back then either. I inherited this legacy in a daze."
"Grandma, save me!" Qin Mu called out to Granny Si.
Granny Si smiled broadly and said to Blind beside her, "That old Village Chief has finally decided to pass his legacy to Mu'er. Look, Mu'er is so happy he's about to cry."
Blind tilted his head and said doubtfully, "I heard him calling for help."
"He's so happy he's lost his mind."
Granny Si said cheerfully, "The Village Chief's legacy is envied by countless people. The number one person under heaven back then, the renowned Sword God. Naturally, Mu'er is so excited he's babbling nonsense."
Qin Mu couldn't escape and had to resign himself to fate. He casually tossed the Human Sovereign Seal into his Taotie pouch.
The Village Chief was very satisfied and said, "You've already learned the first move of the Sword Diagram, 'Sword Traverses Mountains and Rivers.' Now, show me how much you've improved."
Qin Mu acknowledged and performed Sword Traverses Mountains and Rivers.
His version had already changed from what the Village Chief taught him. He had incorporated the Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor's Winding Sword Style, Drilling Sword Style, and Wandering Sword Style, adding many variations.
After executing the move, Qin Mu withdrew his sword energy and looked nervously at the Village Chief.
The Village Chief was surprised and thoughtful. "These are the basic sword forms taught to you by the Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor?"
Qin Mu nodded and said, "Village Chief, I modified the Sword Traverses Mountains and Rivers you taught me. It's a betrayal of the master. Should you expel me and choose another Human Sovereign?"
"Very good, very good."
The Village Chief praised, "The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor is quite remarkable, able to innovate beyond the fourteen basic sword forms and create new moves. He is indeed more suited to be the Human Sovereign... But you're not bad either. You don't stick to old rules, daring to show me a modified Sword Traverses Mountains and Rivers. Very good, very good. Your primordial energy threads have also changed. You're using the Winding Sword Style to refine qi into threads?"
Qin Mu nodded.
The Village Chief said, "I'll use the cultivation of the Five Luminaries Realm. You use your improved Sword Traverses Mountains and Rivers. We'll clash once."
Qin Mu's eyes lit up, and he laughed, "Village Chief, if you lose to this move of mine, can I stop being the Human Sovereign?"
The Village Chief smiled and refined qi into a sword, saying leisurely, "Fine. If you defeat me, I'll take the Human Sovereign Seal to the grave."
Qin Mu took a deep breath. Suddenly, his body transformed, deifying into the form of the Grand White Star Lord, standing on twin dragons with a tiger's head and white forehead. His primordial energy turned into metal qi, gathering qi into a sword. Instantly, the sword light surged!
Sword Traverses Mountains and Rivers!
Under his sword, mountains and rivers appeared, like a scroll of painting unfolding, covering the village and drawing the Village Chief into his landscape painting!
He had not only integrated the Imperial Preceptor's basic sword forms but also incorporated Deaf's painting techniques. Thousands of mountains and rivers rushed forward, like a real world.
This profound swordsmanship could no longer be described as mere sword technique; it was the Dao, the Dao of the sword.
His Sword Traverses Mountains and Rivers fully bloomed, its power completely unleashed. At that moment, the Village Chief's wisp of sword light flickered, also executing Sword Traverses Mountains and Rivers. It was like two worlds colliding, with no visible sword light, only terrifying power erupting in an instant!
Sssssss—
Dozens of bloody gashes appeared on Qin Mu's body. He was sent flying backward, crashing with a boom onto the wall of Butcher's meat stall. Sword lights flashed on the wall, carving a landscape pattern around Qin Mu.
That was the trace left by the Village Chief's wisp of sword light.
"One more time!"
Qin Mu roared, sealed the wounds on his body, and charged toward the Village Chief like a gale, once again executing Sword Traverses Mountains and Rivers. The next moment, another figure flew out, crashing noisily into Ma Ye's house.
The wall around Qin Mu was still covered in a landscape painting.
Qin Mu was stunned for a moment, then slid down from the wall. He applied some dragon saliva to his wounds, applied medicine, and pondered deeply, continuing to improve Sword Traverses Mountains and Rivers. After a long while, he stood up again and charged at the Village Chief: "One more time!"
Boom.
A human-shaped imprint appeared on the wall of the blacksmith's shop, surrounded by a landscape pattern, vastly different from the patterns on the other walls.
Every time the Village Chief struck, the landscape pattern was different.
Mute poked his head out of the blacksmith's shop, looked at Qin Mu, grinned, and laughed silently.
Qin Mu's face darkened. He applied more medicine, continued to think hard, eliminating flaws in his moves one by one, and improving his sword forms.
"One more time!"
A figure flew back amid the majestic mountains and rivers, hanging on Deaf's wall.
—Sorry, sorry. A few minutes late.