Chapter 245: The Heavenly King Who Suppresses the Sea
Qin Mu, Horse Elder, and Blind Elder all nodded. Although Granny Si was beautiful, she would never use her beauty as a weapon. On the contrary, she knew the devastating power of her own looks and would actively conceal them, making herself ugly when meeting people.
But Grand Leader Li was different.
This former leader of the Demon Sect had a twisted psyche. He loved Granny Si too much, envied her too deeply, to the point that he wanted to *become* her. Added to this, his understanding of the *Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Scripture* differed from Qin Mu's. Although Qin Mu had also obtained the scripture and received teachings from the stone on Woodcutter Mountain, comprehending the Great Unification Technique, he had been raised from childhood amidst the villagers. Despite occasionally acting eccentrically, he stood upright and walked straight.
Qin Mu's Great Unification Technique, rooted in the *Overlord Body Three-Dan Art*, was quite orthodox. It contained many techniques and spells that others might view as demonic, but when Qin Mu executed them, they appeared dignified and proper.
However, Grand Leader Li's Great Unification Technique was extremely sinister, giving a full demonic impression.
Grand Leader Li would never allow "herself" to suffer grievances by making herself ugly to meet people. On the contrary, "she" would flaunt her beauty, bringing chaos to the world.
As the saying goes, one smile could topple a city, a second smile could topple a kingdom. Grand Leader Li simply didn't care.
Qin Mu went to Granny Si's room to tidy up, taking various animal skins she had collected over time and placing them in his Gluttony Bag for future use.
Horse Elder and Blind Elder also packed their belongings. Blind Elder's gear was simple: a bamboo staff and a fortune-telling banner with a copper Bagua hanging from it. Horse Elder put away the spirit tablets of his wife and children, kissed them, and wrapped them in his bundle.
He wore a dark gray monastic robe, looking like a wandering monk who had endured great suffering.
Granny Si's Dao heart was still somewhat unstable, often wavering. Horse Elder could help suppress Grand Leader Li, while Blind Elder was prepared to strike and injure Grand Leader Li if Horse Elder couldn't contain him, allowing Qin Mu to administer treatment.
They left the village. Granny Si said self-deprecatingly, "Now I need you all to protect me, even Mu'er has to protect me. But I am the former Saintess of the Demon Sect, and Old Tathagata is a Buddha. Will he be willing to help?"
Horse Elder's face showed no emotion. "Old Tathagata will help you. Grand Leader Li is the former leader of the Demon Sect, of the same generation as Old Tathagata. Old Tathagata considers subduing demons as a form of merit. Defeating the great demon Grand Leader Li will aid his cultivation progress. Besides, it's not uncommon for a Buddha to sacrifice himself to feed a demon."
Qin Mu said worriedly, "I'm afraid that after they subdue Grand Leader Li, they'll subdue Granny too."
"Old Tathagata won't do that."
Horse Elder shook his head. "He has his own principles. His principles are his Dao, his rules. At his level of cultivation, he doesn't need to think about rules. His every word and action naturally do not transgress the rules—that itself is the rule."
Qin Mu felt curious. Horse Elder had a deep grudge against Old Tathagata, but from his tone, he still seemed to respect and admire him.
This wasn't just because Old Tathagata had once been Horse Elder's master. It seemed Old Tathagata truly had qualities worthy of respect.
"What I doubt now is Old Tathagata's ability."
Blind Elder looked up. "Does Old Tathagata have the strength? Can he really suppress Grand Leader Li? Grand Leader Li is also an existence on par with him."
The others fell silent.
In the martial world, there were three sacred lands: the Dao Sect, the Great Thunderclap Monastery, and the Demon Sect. As the former leader of the Demon Sect, Grand Leader Li was a top-tier figure in the martial world, an existence comparable to Old Tathagata.
For Old Tathagata to refine him would likely be extremely difficult.
"The Great Thunderclap Monastery is right on the border between the Great Ruins and the Yan Kingdom."
Horse Elder said, "Legend has it that the Divine Being cut through the mountain range, creating a natural chasm that separates the Great Ruins from Yan. There's a tale in the Great Thunderclap Monastery: when the Divine Being cut to Mount Sumeru, the monks on the mountain sat upright, filling the entire peak, vowing to live or die with the mountain. Moved by their sincerity, the Divine Being bypassed Mount Sumeru. All other mountains were split in two, but only Mount Sumeru was spared."
Blind Elder chuckled. "I think it's more likely that someone on Mount Sumeru had connections. Otherwise, why would the Divine Being care about the lives of a few monks?"
Mount Sumeru lay at the border between the Great Ruins and Yan, with Yan on one side and the Great Ruins on the other. This sacred mountain was far from Yanbian and Mi River, but not far from Qingmen Pass in the northern frontier—only about four to five thousand miles away.
From the Village of the Disabled to Mount Sumeru was less than thirty thousand miles. Qin Mu's pace was slower than Granny Si's, Horse Elder's, and the others', so walking would take six or seven days.
The nights in the Great Ruins were too dangerous, so they could only travel by day, which meant more time.
If they flew through the air, they could arrive in two days. However, Qin Mu's cultivation wasn't high enough. Running at full speed through the air, he could only cover a hundred miles before needing to stop and rest to recover his energy, making walking more efficient.
Qin Mu brought out the Dragon Qilin to serve as a mount. The Dragon Qilin could barely keep up with Horse Elder and the others' pace, so Qin Mu wouldn't slow them down.
By evening, they arrived at an ancient temple. It was desolate, with only a few strange beasts inside. When they saw the group enter, the beasts ignored them, lazily lying beside the Heavenly King statue.
"Mu'er, come pay your respects." Blind Elder took out a few sticks of incense and beckoned to Qin Mu.
The old man and the boy quickly came before the Heavenly King statue, inserted the incense into the cracked old incense burner, stepped back three paces, and recited in unison: "I am a humble scholar from the Village of the Disabled, living by the river. Passing by this sacred temple, I borrow this place to rest. Disturbing the master of this place makes me uneasy. Since childhood, I have been weak in the kidneys and frail in body, with premature emission..."
"Bah!"
Granny Si said angrily, "Blind man, you're corrupting Mu'er!"
Blind Elder laughed. "Old woman Si, you might not fear being drained, but we do. Ask Mu'er if my prayer works."
Qin Mu nodded repeatedly. "It works! When Fairy Xian Qing'er heard my prayer, she didn't drain me."
Granny Si was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. She called Qin Mu over and said, "Come help with the cooking." As Qin Mu approached, she whispered, "Blind man is full of mischief. Don't always learn from him."
Night fell. This Heavenly King Temple was very quiet, with no sound around except for the Dragon Qilin's snoring.
Horse Elder sat upright like a Buddha. Blind Elder leaned on his bamboo staff in a corner, head down, sleeping. Qin Mu spread some dry grass to make two beds, and Granny Si slept beside him.
The night was deep and still.
Suddenly, the sound of gongs and drums came from outside the temple. Everyone inside immediately became alert. Qin Mu sat up and looked around. The night was dark and silent, with only the faint glow of the candles in the temple. But the gongs and drums outside were clear and distinct, growing closer.
Blind Elder and Horse Elder quickly came to Qin Mu and Granny Si's side. Horse Elder made a silencing gesture.
The gongs and drums drew nearer, finally arriving at the temple entrance. Several heavy voices called out: "Silence!"
"Make way!"
Several stone statues of divine beings, wearing tattered armor, walked into the temple. The stone statues beneath the armor were broken and worn, but they seemed as alive as real gods. Qin Mu even caught a pungent, rotting smell.
These stone statues were imposing, followed by a hundred or so skeleton soldiers in the form of white bones, holding broken, rusted weapons, marching in orderly ranks. Some skeleton soldiers held gongs and drums, while others carried signs reading "Silence" and "Make Way."
The stone statues entered the temple, while the white-boned skeletons remained outside.
Qin Mu stared in shock at this absurd scene before him. The Dragon Qilin also woke up, opening its huge mouth in a yawn.
One of the divine stone statues actually spoke in a human voice, addressing the Heavenly King statue in the temple: "Reporting to the Heavenly King Who Suppresses the Sea! The Dragon King of the Eastern Sea, Ao Zhen, is taking advantage of the calamity to rebel. His Majesty has sent orders from Carefree Village, commanding us to assist the Heavenly King in beheading him!"
The Dragon Qilin had been lying asleep beneath the Heavenly King statue. Now, dazed and confused, it didn't know what was happening.
Suddenly, the tall, imposing Heavenly King statue beside it moved. The eight banners on the statue's back shook, and the stone figure trembled, then stood up. It was extraordinarily majestic and imposing, bellowing: "After more than twenty thousand years of calamity, this bastard still dares to rebel! Bring me my blade!"
From behind the Heavenly King Temple came the clang of a blade being drawn. A massive Green Dragon Crescent Blade, over ten zhang long, burst from the ground behind the temple, whistling through the air. With a sharp *zheng*, it was caught in the Heavenly King statue's hand, the blade humming and vibrating.
"Where is my horse?" the Heavenly King statue roared.
The Dragon Qilin finally came to its senses. Suddenly, its body sank as the Heavenly King statue mounted its back. Before it could resist, it was carried into the air, flying out of the temple.
The Dragon Qilin was terrified. It heard the Heavenly King statue on its back roar: "You all stay here! I'll go kill him and return!"
With that, the Dragon Qilin involuntarily transformed into a streak of fire, carrying the Heavenly King statue as it vanished into the vast darkness. To say it was carrying the statue was an understatement—it was more like the Heavenly King statue was carrying it. The Dragon Qilin couldn't even bear the statue's weight.
Inside the temple, Qin Mu, Granny Si, and Blind Elder stared in disbelief, unable to speak for a long time.
They exchanged glances. After what seemed like an eternity, they guessed dawn was approaching. Suddenly, a dragon's roar echoed, followed by a thunderous crash. A dragon head fell from the pitch-black night sky, rolling twice in the temple courtyard.
Qin Mu quickly looked. The dragon head was carved from stone, not a real one.
Then the dragon's roar continued. The Heavenly King statue rode the Dragon Qilin back at full speed, leaped off, and sat back down on the lotus platform in the temple. It planted the Green Dragon Crescent Blade beside itself and said, "Go back and report to His Majesty. Your general has fulfilled his duty and beheaded the rebel leader."
The stone statues acknowledged the order, turned, and walked into the darkness, leading the white-boned skeletons away. They disappeared into the gloom, and the sound of gongs and drums gradually faded.
Not long after, roosters crowed in the Great Ruins. The darkness receded, the sun rose, and light streamed into the Heavenly King Temple.
Qin Mu shook his head. The night's experience felt like a dream, utterly bizarre.
"Fatty Dragon, what's wrong?" Qin Mu saw the Dragon Qilin still dazed and asked.
"I had a dream!"
The Dragon Qilin was still muddled. "I dreamed I was carrying a divine king, radiant and blazing, charging into a battlefield of surging waves. Countless divine dragons attacked me, but the divine king on my back swung his blade and cut them down. I carried him into the sea, charging into the midst of the dragon gods, and chopped off a dragon king's head, then carried it away. The dream felt so real..."
Qin Mu looked at Blind Elder and Horse Elder, lowering his voice. "Blind Grandpa, do you think what happened last night was real?"
Blind Elder and Horse Elder both shook their heads.
"Who can say for sure about the Great Ruins? Let's keep moving. Getting to the Great Thunderclap Monastery is what matters."
Qin Mu stared blankly at the Heavenly King statue, a strange feeling in his heart. He walked up and reached out to touch it. The stone was cold, not flesh and blood.
"His Majesty sent orders from Carefree Village... Carefree Village..."
Qin Mu's expression was complicated. He murmured, "Where exactly is Carefree Village..."
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Happy Birthday to Alliance Leader Chuang Chuang!
Today is Chuang Chuang's birthday. A special chapter to wish Alliance Leader Chuang Chuang a happy birthday and a blissful family!