Chapter 364: The Dragon Tamer Lord
Wang Muran rode forward on the stag, shaking his head. "Old folks are always a handful."
Qin Mu was surprised. "Yours too?"
Wang Muran nodded. "There are thirteen such old men in Little Jade Capital. With the old Daoist and the old monk who just arrived, that makes fifteen now."
Qin Mu chuckled. "In our village, we only have eight and a half. I suppose I'm a bit luckier."
Wang Muran said, "At least I have Senior Sister Qingdai and Senior Brother Longyu to help share the burden."
Qin Mu's face darkened. In their village, he was the only young person. Granny Si was certainly young at heart, but she always liked to act old.
The two of them moved forward unhurriedly, waiting for Mu Qingdai to retrieve Longyu. Before long, Mu Qingdai dragged Longyu back. This young expert was a complete mess, having stripped off all his clothes. When Mu Qingdai found him, he was running wildly through the capital city in nothing but his underpants, singing and dancing, spouting nonsense.
At that moment, Mu Qingdai had given this senior brother two or three heavy slaps to wake him up. Longyu spat out a few mouthfuls of blood-tinged phlegm that had clouded his mind, then dejectedly followed her to catch up with Qin Mu.
Wang Muran had the two of them sit on the stag's back. Though Longyu was no longer insane, he remained utterly dispirited.
Qin Mu smiled. "Senior Brother Longyu, what difference does it make whether you know how high the heavens are or how thick the earth is? The heavens are there—knowing or not knowing, they're still there. Maintain a calm heart, cultivate diligently, and one day break through these heavens to see what's outside. That's the real business."
Longyu said gloomily, "I understand everything the Human Sovereign says, but just thinking that all of this is fake makes me lose my drive."
Qin Mu understood this feeling well. Not everyone could emerge from the shadows as quickly as Sect Master Lin Xuan.
The celestial phenomena being fake had hit Sect Master Lin Xuan the hardest, yet he was the first to step out of it. Longyu lacked Lin Xuan's status and the experience of bearing heavy responsibilities from a young age, so his ability to withstand such blows was somewhat inferior.
But given some time, Longyu would emerge from the shadows.
"Since Senior Brother Longyu has arrived, let's hurry on our way."
At Wang Muran's command, the stag immediately produced clouds beneath its hooves and soared into the sky. Qin Mu urged the Fire Qilin onward, and the Fire Qilin hastily followed. The stag glanced back, showing a look of disdain, then sped up.
The Fire Qilin was furious and strained to keep up. After running over a hundred li, it was panting heavily and rolling its eyes. "Why should I bother getting angry at a stupid deer? Right, Cult Leader? It's not about speed—it's about endurance!"
Qin Mu grunted darkly in acknowledgment.
The Fire Qilin slowed down, watching the stag carry Wang Muran and the others out of sight.
The Fire Qilin ran five thousand li, utterly exhausted and gasping for breath, clamoring for a rest. Qin Mu let it stop, lit a fire, and cooked a meal. The Fire Qilin lay nearby, snoring loudly.
After eating and drinking his fill, Qin Mu called for the Fire Qilin several times before it slowly crawled up, very reluctantly continuing the journey. They chased through the night and from night until dawn, but still saw no sign of the stag or Wang Muran and the others.
"That stupid deer's endurance isn't bad either..." the fat Fire Qilin muttered guiltily.
Qin Mu grunted darkly again and tossed over a Redfire Spirit Pill. "Your rations for today."
The Fire Qilin had some self-awareness and carefully licked it, not daring to swallow it all at once. After licking it a dozen times, it finished the pill. Qin Mu's heart softened, and he grabbed a few more.
The Fire Qilin was overjoyed and quickly gobbled them down. "Rest assured, Cult Leader, I'll run for my life and definitely catch up to that stupid deer!"
"It's not the deer that's stupid—it's my Fire Qilin that's the fool," Qin Mu muttered to himself.
The Fire Qilin carried him through the air. Before long, a lingering, winding flute sound reached them. Qin Mu looked around, somewhat surprised. The Fire Qilin was running through midair, and though its speed wasn't as fast as Little Jade Capital's stag, it was still considerable, with the wind howling past.
For the flute sound to reach here, it couldn't have been played by an ordinary person.
Just as he was thinking this, the Fire Qilin suddenly acted as if drunk, swaying its head and following the flute sound, charging downward from the sky.
The flute melody was playful, rising and falling in cheerful twists and turns. The Fire Qilin bounced through the air on all fours, frolicking wildly, its big tail swishing noisily.
The flute drew out a long note, and the Fire Qilin plunged straight downward, charging headlong into the forest.
"Fatty, stop!"
Qin Mu shouted urgently, but the Fire Qilin seemed bewitched, completely deaf to his words, unable to control its own body as it rushed toward the forest.
Qin Mu quickly leaped into the air, flashed in front of the Fire Qilin, pressed both hands against its forehead, and pushed hard, yelling, "Fatty, wake up!"
He used Buddhist true speech, his voice like thunder, but the Fire Qilin kept charging forward, pushing against him as if it couldn't hear.
Qin Mu unleashed all his strength, but it was no match for the Fire Qilin's power. He was pushed into the forest, cold sweat beading on his forehead. The flute sound grew clearer and closer.
He looked back and saw a massive red flood dragon coiled around the mountain, its enormous head lying flat on the ground, its mouth wide open like a huge cave. Its teeth were like sharp stalactites, dripping with saliva.
The flute sound came from atop this red dragon's head. A girl in a long skirt sat there, playing the flute. Though the melody was cheerful, her face was covered in frost.
"Dragon Jiaonan!"
Qin Mu's heart jolted. He quickly scanned the area. This flood dragon should be the Dragon King's red dragon. If Dragon Jiaonan and the red dragon were both here, was the Dragon King nearby too?
The flute melody twisted and turned, and the Fire Qilin happily pushed Qin Mu toward the dragon's gaping maw.
A cold gleam flashed in Qin Mu's eyes. The Carefree Sword soared into the air, and instantly eight thousand flying swords shot out, attacking Dragon Jiaonan without hesitation.
Dragon Jiaonan sneered. The red dragon's tail whipped around, and countless flying swords clanged against it, bouncing back.
Qin Mu's heart sank. This red flood dragon was at the Cult Leader level, incredibly powerful. He might not be able to escape.
Just then, a massive hand reached down from the clouds in the sky, and a thunderous voice boomed from above: "What luck! Strolling through the lower realms and picking up a flood dragon."
The hand grabbed toward the red dragon. Its fingers and palm were covered in rough scales. Below, the red dragon showed terror and went limp.
The Fire Qilin also collapsed to the ground, too scared to move. Dragon Jiaonan urgently channeled his energy into the flute, but the red dragon remained frozen, cowering.
Dragon Jiaonan quickly flew up to dodge the hand, but saw it descend, lightly grab the Dragon King's red dragon, and retract into the clouds.
The voice from above laughed, "And a Qilin-breed dragon too, but it's too young. I'll come back for it after a few years of letting it grow. Not a bad haul this trip—got myself a flood dragon."
Qin Mu's mind reeled. He looked up and saw a giant in the clouds, standing on one green and one red flood dragon, with two yellow flood dragons hanging from his ears, flying across the sky.
"A god..."
Qin Mu shook his head, struggling to steady himself. He looked again and saw the green and red dragons beneath the deity swimming, carrying him southward.
"My father's dragon!"
Dragon Jiaonan shrieked and madly dashed south. Qin Mu suppressed his shock, raised his hand to recall the Carefree Sword, and thrust it forward. Eight thousand swords formed a cloud of blades, then rained down like a storm, stabbing into the hillside with a *shish-shish-shish* sound.
Dragon Jiaonan grunted, slithering through the mountains like a great snake to avoid the sword light, but a few strikes still caught him, wounding him.
"Dragon Jiaonan, remember? I said if you ever attacked me again, I would show no mercy!"
Qin Mu kicked the Fire Qilin awake and strode forward. The sword light howled as it surged toward Dragon Jiaonan. Dragon Jiaonan moved like a spirit snake, incredibly fast, but the next moment, Qin Mu's speed exploded. He soared into the air, riding the sword cloud as it surged forward.
Dragon Jiaonan let out a long cry, channeling his magical power and unleashing techniques to withstand the sword light.
The Fire Qilin woke up and charged forward, opening its mouth in a dragon roar that shook Dragon Jiaonan senseless.
Though Dragon Jiaonan was at the Seven Stars realm, he was still outmatched against the Fire Qilin. His breath was scattered by the roar, and Qin Mu seized the opportunity, pointing his sword downward. Countless flying swords swirled around the Carefree Sword, forming a massive blade that stabbed toward Dragon Jiaonan!
"Who dares bully my son?"
Suddenly, a deep voice rang out. Qin Mu's heart pounded. "The Dragon King is here!"
He hurriedly withdrew his sword and tried to flee, but a dragon-shaped dark cloud sped toward them from midair. Dragon Jiaonan looked up and shouted, "Father, it's the Demon Cult Leader!"
Qin Mu sprinted to the Fire Qilin and yelled, "Fatty, I've fed you for a thousand days—now it's time for one moment of use! Run!"
The Fire Qilin was about to bolt, but its limbs went weak, and it collapsed to the ground, crying, "Cult Leader, it's here again!"
"What's here again?"
Qin Mu lifted the Fire Qilin with both arms, ready to flee for his life, when the sky suddenly darkened. A thunderous voice came from above: "I still need a boy and a girl to tend my dragons. I'll just take them..."
The Fire Qilin went limp as if dead, completely paralyzed.
Only then did Qin Mu realize what "it" was. The world spun around him, and he was lifted uncontrollably into the clouds. Landing beside him in the clouds was Dragon Jiaonan, equally terrified.
"Whoever you are, put down my son!" The Dragon King's voice approached rapidly.
Qin Mu saw two thick legs standing in the mist beside him, covered in rough scales. Beneath these legs, two flood dragons swam, carrying them southward.
He looked up and saw a giant over ten zhang tall, his clothes fluttering in the wind, his face also covered in scales, with prominent brow bones and horns on his head.
"Noisy little bug."
The deity flicked his finger, and the Dragon King, the sect master of the Dragon Gate, flew backward, spitting blood all the way before crashing into a mountain range with a boom, his fate unknown.
"Boy and girl, take good care of my dragons."
The deity looked down at the two in the clouds, baring his sharp teeth in a grin. "Or I'll eat you as a snack."
Qin Mu set down the Fire Qilin and boldly said, "Senior, I'm no longer a virgin..."
Dragon Jiaonan quickly added, "And I'm no longer a virgin girl either!"
The deity sneered, "Then you're useless to me. I might as well eat you!"
"I am a virgin!"
Qin Mu declared with righteous indignation. "This little wench is not a virgin girl. Senior, please kill her!"