Chapter 273: Three Fists and Two Blades
"Impressive!" Qin Mu activated the Creation Demon Heavenly Art, sealing his own soul, his heart filled with vigilance.
The techniques of the Loulan Golden Palace were extremely sinister, using souls to cultivate power. Whether human, demon, or divine beast, any soul could be used for training.
Banggongcuo's gaze was not an ordinary glance; it concealed a soul-targeting divine ability within his eyes. With a single look, the ability would already act upon the opponent's soul. Without defense, one could truly be stared to death by him!
The Creation Demon Heavenly Art happened to be able to counter such soul-targeting abilities, though this was also because Banggongcuo's eye-based divine ability was not powerful enough to breach the defenses of the Creation Demon Heavenly Art.
If his eye ability targeted the physical body or the Dao heart instead of the soul, the Creation Demon Heavenly Art would not be able to defend against it.
"Heavenly Blade technique?"
Banggongcuo's raised brows relaxed again, and he said, "Is there such a technique in the Heavenly Records Pavilion?"
"There isn't in the Heavenly Records Pavilion, but I have it," Qin Mu said with a smile, raising his hand to grip the handle of the butcher knife.
The moment his hand grasped the handle, the books and papers within the Six Harmonies Hall rustled and flipped as if an invisible giant had swung a blade, stirring up a gale!
Across from him, Banggongcuo's facial skin wrinkled from the wind, and a few strands of hair silently snapped off.
Shen Wanyun, Yue Qinghong, and the others felt a tremor in their hearts, thinking, "The Cult Leader's skills have improved greatly again. His blade has already refined its intent! He only went home for the New Year—how did his blade technique improve so much after the holiday?"
They had all followed Qin Mu to the southern border to suppress rebellions, facing life and death together, and knew his abilities. Back then, his blade technique was formidable, but far from its current strength.
Refining blade intent into a technique meant a qualitative leap, something that could not be achieved through mere days of hard training!
What they didn't know was how arduous Qin Mu's journey home for the New Year had been. It could be said he had faced near-death experiences, ambushes from all sides, relentless pursuits and blockades, bloody battles stretching across the sky, and immense hardship before finally returning to the Crippled Elder Village in the Great Wasteland.
Moreover, even at the village, he hadn't had a peaceful holiday. After the New Year, he sparred daily with the elders of the village—the Butcher, Old Man Ma, the Cripple, the Blind Man, and others—who fed him techniques and shared their insights. The Village Chief, a formidable expert, also trained with him.
This trip home for the New Year had elevated Qin Mu's abilities as much as two or three years of hard cultivation.
It wasn't just his blade technique that had made a qualitative leap; his swordsmanship, movement, Buddhist techniques, hand techniques, eyesight, and Dao heart had all undergone a qualitative transformation!
Banggongcuo's brow twitched as Qin Mu's blade intent pressed against his forehead, as if the blade might be drawn at any moment and strike his brow!
Just as he was about to react, suddenly, Abbess Hongfa stepped between them, cutting off Qin Mu's blade intent.
"This is the Six Harmonies Hall, a place for cultivating the six harmonies and opening divine treasures, not a battleground for your fights."
Abbess Hongfa glanced at the two of them and said calmly, "The Imperial Academy has its rules. If you cultivate here in my Six Harmonies Hall, you are my disciples and must follow its regulations. You have just broken through the Six Harmonies Divine Treasure; your divine abilities are only just beginning, and your foundations are not yet stable. Why such hot tempers?"
Banggongcuo smiled. "The abbess is right. Cult Leader Qin, I'll take your Heavenly Blade technique another day." With that, he walked toward the exit.
Qin Mu walked alongside him, smiling faintly. "Why wait for another day? Isn't class over now? Now is fine. Once we leave the Six Harmonies Hall, the abbess can't control us."
Outside the hall, two great shamans from the Loulan Golden Palace stepped forward, flanking Banggongcuo. One of them said softly, "Cult Leader Qin, why are you in such a hurry? If you're itching for a fight, we attendants are always ready to oblige."
Inside the Six Harmonies Hall, Wei Yong, Shen Wanyun, Qin Yu, and others filed out. Qin Yu frowned. "Cult Leader Qin is being a bit too aggressive. After all, Banggongcuo is a foreign envoy studying in our country. Even if he was once an enemy, we must observe proper etiquette and not be rude."
Yun Que the monk nodded. "Yes, a bit too aggressive. Cult Leader Qin must have some grudge against him, right?"
Qin Mu glanced at the two great shamans from the Loulan Golden Palace and said leisurely, "I've been to the Loulan Golden Palace. With one cauldron of medicine, I drugged almost all the great shamans there, and even the Shaman King fled in panic. You two were drugged by me too, weren't you?"
The two great shamans' faces darkened, and they said nothing.
"Or were you beaten by me?"
Qin Mu thought for a moment but had no memory of it. He shook his head. "Probably because I killed too many people in the Loulan Golden Palace, I don't remember you two. On that Golden Path of the Loulan Golden Palace, bodies rolled down one after another, staining the golden road red. With two knives, I cut down from the outer disciples to the inner disciples, then to the disciples of the Shaman Venerable. How many shamans and great shamans did I kill? A hundred? If not a hundred, then eighty. I chilled the hearts of the shamans and great shamans of the Golden Palace, and no one dared to move."
The two great shamans' faces grew even darker, their hands trembling slightly. One of them, whose head began to transform into a bird's, emitted a golden light and screeched, "That's because I wasn't in the Golden Palace! I was traveling abroad! If I had been in the Golden Palace, I would have killed ten of you!"
Behind them, the scholars from the Six Harmonies Hall caught up and heard Qin Mu's words. Their hearts trembled with shock.
Though they were classmates with Qin Mu, none of them knew that he had once laid siege to the sacred land of the Loulan Golden Palace beyond the border, let alone that he had killed so many of its experts!
"I know now!"
Wei Yong suddenly exclaimed, "I know who defeated the Daozi and the Fozi!"
Qin Yu, Shen Wanyun, and the others were stunned. "Are you saying that when the Daozi and Fozi blocked the gate, it was Cult Leader Qin who drove them back?"
Yun Que the monk said, "That explains it! No wonder! I was wondering which expert defeated the Fozi and Daozi without leaving a name. It was Cult Leader Qin!"
Si Yunxiang furrowed her brows, feeling a bit displeased, and muttered, "The Fozi was clearly defeated by me..."
Shen Wanyun said solemnly, "I heard on the road that the Fozi is dead, killed by our Cult Leader Qin."
Yue Qinghong whispered, "Not long ago, the Crown Prince plotted to assassinate the Emperor and seize the throne. I heard it was Cult Leader Qin who led the Heavenly Saint... the Demon Cult's experts into the Imperial City's Altar of Heaven and cut off the Crown Prince's head!"
They exchanged the rumors they had heard, growing more shocked with each revelation. Their classmate Qin Mu had done so many earth-shattering things.
Abbess Hongfa glared at them. "Stop gossiping! And stay away from Cult Leader Qin from now on. He is, after all, the Demon Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult. Especially you, Yunxiang. You've been too close to him. If he drags you into the Heavenly Demon Cult, your life will be ruined!"
Si Yunxiang sighed helplessly. "I understand. I'll definitely distance myself from him."
Abbess Hongfa raised her voice. "Cult Leader Qin, this is the Imperial Academy, not your Heavenly Demon Cult. The Imperial Academy has its rules, and the Yan Kingdom has its laws. Restrain yourself!"
...
"I then looted the Golden Palace's treasury."
Qin Mu walked forward unhurriedly, his expression indifferent, ignoring Abbess Hongfa's words. He continued, "Your Golden Palace had accumulated treasures for so long—various heavenly materials and earthly treasures, spiritual treasures, and strange weapons—all taken by me. But I didn't take a single one of the Golden Palace's own treasures; I left them all on the ground. A thief doesn't leave empty-handed, and even a robber has his principles. I understand that."
Banggongcuo's expression remained unchanged, but the two great shamans behind him could no longer hold back.
Suddenly, the bird-headed, human-bodied great shaman let out a sharp screech, piercing like silver needles stabbing into the brain and soul. Amid the screech, his golden wings spread with a rustle, and with a flap, countless golden feather swords shot out, converging into a stream of golden light that stabbed toward Qin Mu from all directions.
At the same time, the great shaman raised his foot, his legs transforming into golden bird claws, sharp enough to split rocks, and clawed at Qin Mu's head!
"The transformations of the Shaman Venerable's Lou Luo Sutra are indeed interesting. You are a disciple of the Shaman Venerable and have already cultivated divine abilities."
Qin Mu's eyes lit up. The two butcher knives on his back leaped out, and a dense clatter of collisions rang out like a storm of pear blossoms. In an instant, blade light burst forth, shattering the golden sword light!
The blade light was like a ribbon, three zhang and seven chi long, horizontal and vertical, forming a vast, hazy line across the sky, severing one bird claw.
The next moment, Qin Mu closed in, reversing his grip on the blade.
Drawing the blade from the forbidden zone.
The great blade rose, splitting open the belly.
Before the great shaman's body could fall, the other great shaman shook his body, transforming into an elephant-headed, human-bodied giant. His fist was like a small hill, punching toward Qin Mu.
Qin Mu discarded the blade and turned, his primal energy erupting. The ribbon binding his hair snapped with a crack, and his black hair stood on end from the surging primal energy.
Boom!
Their fists collided, and every muscle on his body jumped and writhed, some coiling like pythons beneath his skin.
Primal energy coiled around Qin Mu's body like azure dragons. The Nine Dragons Imperial Art and the Tathagata Great Vehicle Sutra were activated almost simultaneously. It was as if a great Buddha sat solemnly, dragons coiling around the Buddha's body. With a thunderous boom, another fist was thrown.
The great shaman was like a golden elephant god, immensely strong, his fists and feet containing overwhelming power, each strike like a giant splitting heaven and earth.
Bang, bang, bang! Their fists clashed three times. Qin Mu withdrew his fist, dispersing his awe-inspiring aura, and his jumping muscles calmed down. The elephant-headed great shaman roared in fury, throwing another punch at his face, stirring up a gale.
Before the punch could land on Qin Mu, a series of crackling explosions erupted from within the great shaman's body. In an instant, all his bones shattered, his muscles disintegrated, and his primal energy collapsed. He fell to the ground like a pile of mud, with only breath leaving him and none entering.
Qin Mu's three punches had sent their force and intent directly into his body, shattering his bones, muscles, and primal energy completely!
Behind him, the scholars of the Six Harmonies Hall stood dumbfounded, rooted to the spot. Abbess Hongfa felt a chill run through her. Qin Mu was nothing but a lawless thug, killing two foreign envoys with three fists and two blades, and doing so within the Imperial Academy!
Qin Mu paid them no mind. He turned to look at Banggongcuo, a smile on his face, not at all like a murderer who had just killed without provocation. "Who's going to drag away the bodies and wash the floor? Little Prince, how were my skills? Any urge to make a move?"