Chapter 318: Witchcraft Soul Worship
The sun emerged. Qin Mu stood up, inserted the Carefree Sword into the scabbard he had carved the night before, and nudged the Dragon Qilin with his foot, waking the two white bats.
The Dragon Qilin climbed to its feet, its eyes bright and alert: "Cult Leader, today's rations?"
Qin Mu rummaged through his Gluttonous Bag. The Crimson Fire Spirit Pills were running low, but he still fed the beast until it was full.
The two white bats released their claws and dropped down from under the eaves. The three demon monks also opened their eyes, taking out clear water and flatbread from their packs. Their food was made from insects pressed into cakes.
The monks of Little Thunderclap Temple were all demonic beings by origin, with no dietary restrictions, unlike the many rules of Great Thunderclap Temple. These three demon monks were all birds and strange beasts, still fond of eating insects. For convenience in carrying, they pressed the insects into insect cakes.
Dingjue broke off half an insect cake and offered it to Qin Mu. Qin Mu tasted it; the flavor was surprisingly good—fragrant, crispy, and crunchy.
The beast herd began to move. The people within the ruins followed the herd outward, each on guard. Qin Mu, however, was somewhat distracted. They were already close to the western edge of the Great Ruin, and he very much wanted to see where the darkness disappeared.
Since the darkness of the Great Ruin surged from the west, there must be a source. If he could find the origin of the darkness, perhaps he could uncover the root of the Great Ruin's catastrophe.
The beast herd walked out of this stretch of ruins. Qin Mu looked back and was slightly startled. He saw that the precious carriage with the fragrant chariot was also driving toward them, but he could no longer see the woman with the black headscarf, braided hair, and little red flower, nor the man with the white cloth wrapped around his head. He could only see a male and a female deer with plum-blossom spots pulling the fragrant chariot.
The male deer's antlers were wrapped in white cloth; the female deer's ears were tied with black silk ribbons, and she wore some gold and silver necklaces, jade pendants, and a small red flower on her chest. Above her two front hooves were more than a dozen gold, silver, and jade bracelets.
"So they were demonic beings."
Qin Mu blinked. Last night, he hadn't noticed that the young couple were strange beasts. These two had no demonic aura on them; he hadn't expected them to be two deer who had cultivated into human form.
"This cultivation method is quite extraordinary; it should be an orthodox technique. Are they visitors from the Western Lands?" Qin Mu thought to himself.
The hundred or so foreign ability practitioners silently followed behind the fragrant chariot. Qin Mu watched as a small head poked out from the carriage, tied with two little braids, looking backward, before being pulled back inside by two fair-skinned hands, who then closed the carriage door.
Qin Mu withdrew his gaze and sat on the Dragon Qilin's back. The Carefree Sword was ready to unsheathe at any moment, while the flying swords in the Gluttonous Bag were also stirring restlessly.
The two white bats rose silently, weaving through the herd. The three demon monks, with their wide sleeves fluttering and bird-clawed feet stepping on the ground, covered great distances with each stride.
Banggongcuo's eyes flickered as he looked around. They were currently in the middle of the beast herd. Among the strange beasts of the Great Ruin, there were no lack of exceptionally powerful ones, and the beasts had their own rules. If they started a fight within the herd now and angered them, the beasts might attack them as well.
Finally, the herd began to disperse.
Suddenly, the two deer pulled the fragrant chariot and galloped away at full speed. The hundred or so ability practitioners behind them immediately accelerated as well, howling as they gave chase.
"Nai Kui, don't run! (Nai Kui, Miao language: meaning Princess Mother)"
Primordial energy surged within the fragrant chariot. Suddenly, countless plants and trees grew wildly, becoming enormous and thick. The forest covering over ten acres seemed to come alive.
The ancient trees of the Great Ruin uprooted themselves, transforming into tree giants. They strode on thick roots, making the earth tremble. Their trunks became massive, powerful fists that sent the pursuers flying with booming impacts!
The trees of the Great Ruin were already huge; many were dozens of zhang tall, and there were even some as tall as mountain peaks. Driven by the woman in the chariot using a wondrous ability, they grew even more majestic and possessed immense strength!
Meanwhile, the vines in the forest became like demonic beings. Thick green creepers coiled around ability practitioners like snakes, strangling them to death!
Qin Mu's eyelids twitched. This kind of ability was rare; it was somewhat similar to the Creation Earth Element Art, but even more domineering!
For a time, the earth shook and the mountains trembled as the tree giants rampaged.
However, the remaining foreign ability practitioners reacted extremely quickly. Each activated their abilities, and from within the great trees and green vines came shrill cries. Wisps of white light, half-spirit, half-soul, flew out from the trees and vines. Then the tree giants collapsed, and the green vines withered.
One of the ability practitioners waved his hand. A mountain peak rumbled and shook, and countless rocks clattered and rolled across the ground. In an instant, they transformed into a mountain giant, raising a massive fist to smash down at the fragrant chariot!
The female deer in front of the chariot raised a hoof. More than a dozen gold and silver rings flew from it, encircling the incoming fist of the mountain giant. They constricted, snapping the rocky giant's fist. The mountain giant's other fist came crashing down, and the female deer let out a muffled groan.
The male deer stomped its foot. Countless green grasses in the earth grew wildly. The blades of grass were like swords, stabbing into the gaps between the mountain giant's stones, taking root and sprouting. The mountain giant immediately crumbled and collapsed.
The two deer immediately pulled the fragrant chariot and charged forward.
"What kind of ability is this?"
Qin Mu was astonished. These people seemed to borrow the power of heaven and earth, amplifying natural forces into abilities, which was different from the abilities of Yan Kingdom and the surrounding countries.
"It's the ability of the True Heaven Palace from the Western Lands."
The Dragon Qilin spoke in a rumbling voice: "I once went to the Western Lands with the Patriarch. True Heaven Palace is a sacred ground there. Their abilities are somewhat different from those of the Central Lands. They believe that all things have spirits, all things have gods. Even plants and stones have spirits, with gods hidden within them. So their abilities follow the path of 'all things have spirits, all things have gods.' The Patriarch said it was 'not bad at all.'"
"All things have spirits, all things have gods?"
Qin Mu marveled. The abilities of the Western Lands had taken a unique and different path, one worth learning from. For the young Patriarch to praise it as "not bad at all" showed that True Heaven Palace truly lived up to its reputation as a sacred ground.
Especially the ability that catalyzed the mountain giant—it was truly shocking. A whole mountain had come to life, transforming into a giant to fight, earth-shattering. It achieved an incredible level of destructive power, opening one's eyes!
"The destructive power is just too great!"
Cult Leader Qin grew excited: "I wonder if the Western Lands still have any houses left standing after all this dismantling? Probably not even a mountain remains, right? If I could learn this skill, I'd be a great hand at demolishing mountains and building roads!"
"Attack!"
Suddenly, Banggongcuo gave the order. All his subordinates erupted at once. A knife pellet flew across the sky, and countless blade lights rained down on Qin Mu like a storm. At the same time, the three Witch Kings moved in a staggered formation, using witchcraft to pull the two white bats down from the air.
Qin Mu laughed heartily. He lifted his robe and wrapped it around himself, and his figure vanished instantly. The next moment, he appeared beside the great witches and the soldiers of the Man Di Kingdom. The Carefree Sword flew up, and countless sword lights burst forth from the Gluttonous Bag, shooting in all directions.
Shua—
Eight thousand swords stabbed into the ground, covering an area a hundred zhang square. Blood dripped from the sword hilts. Only two great witches at the Seven Stars realm had survived the calamity, resisting the countless sword lights and avoiding being pierced through the heart, but they were still terrified.
"Teleportation Robe?"
Banggongcuo's heart skipped a beat. Qin Mu had acted too quickly, teleporting directly beside them using the Teleportation Robe and launching a lethal strike.
Qin Mu pointed a finger. The Carefree Sword flew up, and countless sword lights revolved around it, slashing down at one of the Seven Stars realm great witches!
Golden, dazzling wings emerged behind that great witch. The wings vibrated repeatedly, and countless golden feather swords flew out, colliding with Qin Mu's attack with a booming crash. Qin Mu was overpowered and sent flying. Mid-air, he covered himself with his robe and vanished.
The next instant, Qin Mu appeared behind the great witch. His five fingers spread apart, and the Carefree Sword and the other eight thousand swords came whirring over.
At that moment, Banggongcuo spun around, and his figure disappeared.
Qin Mu quickly reversed his hand and slapped behind him. With a loud bang, their palms collided, and each landed on the ground.
Banggongcuo had once entered the Heavenly Demon Sect, cultivated the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Scripture, and even competed for the position of Cult Leader. He had also practiced the Teleportation Technique of the Heavenly Demon Sect. Although the Teleportation Technique required extremely high mathematical calculations, with his foundation in the Daoist Sect's arithmetic classics, his mastery of the Teleportation Technique surpassed even Qin Mu's.
The Dragon Qilin and the three demon monks charged over. The two Seven Stars realm great witches soared into the air but were caught by the three demon monks. The three monks shook their bodies and transformed into three Golden-Winged Roc, pouncing on the two great witches.
The Dragon Qilin opened its mouth and roared, sending a pillar of fire surging toward Banggongcuo.
Banggongcuo dared not face it head-on. His figure flickered and vanished, reappearing beside the three Witch Kings.
The three Witch Kings were in the midst of brutally beating the two white bats. The two white bats were incredibly resilient. Being continuously pummeled by a Life and Death realm great witch and two Heaven and Man realm great witches, they were still bouncing around, truly thick-skinned and tough.
"Gongmu, you deal with these two white bats! The other Witch Kings, kill those three bald donkeys!"
Banggongcuo said harshly: "We must eliminate them!"
Witch King Gongmu was a grandmaster at the Life and Death realm, more than capable of suppressing the two white bats. Even if he couldn't kill these two strange bats, he could at least prevent them from supporting Qin Mu.
As for the two Heaven and Man realm Witch Kings, plus the two Seven Stars realm great witches, killing the three demon monks and the Dragon Qilin should be more than enough. After all, none of the three demon monks or the Dragon Qilin had reached the Heaven and Man realm!
Just as Banggongcuo finished speaking, he suddenly saw Qin Mu take out his Gluttonous Bag and pull a black jar from it. His scalp went numb, and he shouted, "Run!"
He activated the Teleportation Technique and vanished instantly. Although his cultivation had reached the Six Harmonies realm, he couldn't teleport very far, only about six to seven hundred zhang.
Banggongcuo looked back and saw Qin Mu smash the black jar with a crash. Instantly, thick black smoke spread in all directions, enveloping an area of over a hundred zhang in darkness.
Witch King Gongmu and the other two Witch Kings quickly dodged away, not caught by the black smoke, and escaped the calamity, their hearts still pounding with fear.
Banggongcuo's eyelids twitched violently. That was the witch poison he had refined in his past life! Its toxicity was extremely fierce. If it touched the soul or primordial spirit, it would corrode the soul and rot the primordial spirit. Even a grandmaster at the Life and Death realm would die within a few breaths!
Qin Mu smashing the jar was clearly a move of mutual destruction, taking everyone down together.
"No! This black smoke isn't like the witch poison I refined!"
Banggongcuo's heart suddenly leaped. Although the black smoke was somewhat similar to his witch poison, he was, after all, a master of witch poison and quickly saw through the trick. The black smoke was just smoke, not witch poison!
Clearly, last night, that bastard surnamed Qin hadn't been idle. He had probably secretly made a black jar and filled it with some black smoke.
He had two Gluttonous Bags. If he refined something inside the bag, no one would notice what he was making.
"Damn it, I've been tricked!"
Banggongcuo's face turned ashen. He was about to charge back when he saw that the two Seven Stars realm great witches had already been killed by the three demon monks, and the two white bats had bounced back up again.
He was about to charge back when he suddenly saw Qin Mu take out another black jar from the Gluttonous Bag, and he hesitated.
Qin Mu laughed heartily and said loudly, "Brother Ban, shall we part ways here?"
Banggongcuo snorted coldly, shook his sleeves, and looked toward the three demon monks. Suddenly, he raised his voice: "Monk Dingming!"
The three Golden-Winged Roc folded their wings and landed, transforming into three demon monks. They had bird claws and human bodies, draped in loose black robes. Monk Dingming looked up and said, "I am here."
Banggongcuo bowed deeply. Suddenly, a phantom of a god-devil appeared behind him, standing on an altar, and also bowed deeply to Monk Dingming.
Monk Dingming let out a startled cry. Involuntarily, he revealed his true form as a Golden-Winged Roc. A series of booming sounds came from within his body. His three souls and seven spirits shattered, and he fell to the ground, dead!
Qin Mu was also horrified. Monk Dingming was a grandmaster at the Seven Stars realm, yet he was killed by a single bow! Was this the ability that the Great Venerable knew, the one that could kill by using one's true name, the same ability that had made the Butcher afraid to reveal his real name?
"How do I counter this?"
Just as he thought this, Banggongcuo's face was somewhat pale. He said again, "Monk Dingzhi!"
Monk Dingzhi kept his mouth shut and did not respond. Banggongcuo bowed, and the phantom of the god-devil on the altar behind him also bowed. Monk Dingzhi let out a loud cry and immediately died a violent death.
Blood trickled from the corner of Banggongcuo's mouth. He sneered and looked at Monk Dingjue. Monk Dingjue was terrified. The wings on his back spread, and he took flight.
"Dingjue!"
Banggongcuo bowed. Monk Dingjue's soul scattered in mid-air, and the corpse of the Golden-Winged Roc fell to the ground.
Banggongcuo spat out a mouthful of blood, glared fiercely at Qin Mu, and turned away, saying, "If it weren't for you using a false name, killing you would be as easy as turning my hand! Let's go!"
The three Witch Kings quickly followed him, disappearing into the mountain forest.