Chapter 376: Deathmatch
If you can't win, use poison. To many, this was a despicable act, and it was also the main reason the Jade-Faced Poison King had incurred the wrath of the masses back in the day.
However, for Qin Mu, this matter carried far less psychological burden. If you can't win, using poison is only natural. Poisoning the opponent to death is also a form of strength. Since I can't beat you and you're still coming at me, then poisoning you to death becomes perfectly acceptable.
Take the scene before him, for instance. This was never an equal battle from the start. The Dragon Tamer Lord was an exalted celestial deity; even the clone formed from his blood possessed extremely high strength. Not to mention fighting Qin Mu and his three companions, even a Transcendence realm expert might not be a match for this blood-body.
The opponent was a god, so using poison was perfectly normal.
The poison Qin Mu used was the Threefold Dissolving Powder he had concocted during his poison duel with the Western Earth poison master Mu Yingxue in the Great Wasteland. The name Threefold Dissolving Powder was actually given by Mu Yingxue. He had a good habit: whenever he concocted a poison or a spiritual medicine, he would always make a bit extra, use half, and keep the other half—it might come in handy later.
The poison Qin Mu had smeared on the Imperial Disc was precisely the Threefold Dissolving Powder. This powder reversed the Five Elements, disrupted Yin and Yang, and caused the body to dissolve, the spirit to break, and the soul to scatter—hence the name "Threefold Dissolving." It used great nourishment to fuel great poison, making it incredibly potent.
This poison was originally concocted to deal with the demon blood and divine blood of the Root Demon of the Withered Ridge, successfully poisoning it to death. Therefore, using it against the Dragon Tamer Lord's blood-body was a perfect match, a remedy suited to the ailment.
Back then, the Root Demon of the Withered Ridge had been immobilized by the Azure Dragon Pearl, unable to move, allowing Qin Mu to poison it at his leisure. The Dragon Tamer Lord, however, could move freely. So, by smearing the Threefold Dissolving Powder on the Imperial Disc, Qin Mu ensured that the Dragon Tamer Lord would be poisoned the moment he touched it.
On the ground, many tiny, delicate blood pythons were scurrying around, trying to avoid the Imperial Disc and the corrupted blood, attempting to regroup.
Qin Mu immediately charged forward at top speed, shouting, "If we don't grind this divine blood into nothing, none of us will survive!"
His eight thousand flying swords were embedded all over this great hall. With his current cultivation and strength, he couldn't recall those swords. Qin Mu channeled his primal energy into threads, wrapped them around the Carefree Sword embedded in a pillar, and yanked hard, pulling it free.
The Carefree Sword was a divine weapon, incredibly sharp. Although it was deeply embedded in the pillar, it could be pulled out, unlike his other flying swords.
Qin Mu mustered his remaining primal energy and began executing various basic sword techniques—Cloud Sword Style, Cleaving Sword Style, Winding Sword Style—to kill the blood pythons scurrying across the floor.
On the ground, Long Yu let out a muffled groan. He also couldn't pull out the flying sword embedded in his own chest. Imitating Qin Mu, he slammed his hand heavily on the ground, forcing the sword through his body.
Long Yu screamed in agony, the sound earth-shattering, but he gritted his teeth. Just then, two jade bottles flew towards him—Qin Mu had tossed him two bottles of Dragon's Saliva.
Long Yu quickly grabbed them. Without even bothering to uncork them, he crushed the two jade bottles in his hands. The Dragon's Saliva flowed out, and he immediately used his primal energy to send it into his wounds.
The effects of the Dragon's Saliva took hold. Flesh began to regenerate in his chest, bringing both pain and an intense itch.
Ignoring the searing pain in his chest, Long Yu immediately lunged forward, attacking the small blood pythons scurrying everywhere on the ground.
Meanwhile, Wang Muran and Mu Qingdai did the same. They forcibly tore themselves free from the walls and pillars, the flying swords that had pinned them pulling out chunks of flesh.
Qin Mu also tossed each of them two bottles of Dragon's Saliva. They quickly poured it into their wounds. Under normal circumstances, to avoid leaving hidden injuries, they would need to circulate their primal energy to expel the stagnant blood from their bodies. But now, they couldn't afford such luxuries. They each activated their spiritual weapons and charged at the tiny blood pythons.
"Don't step on the corrupted blood or the Imperial Disc!"
Qin Mu shouted, "The poison I concocted is too strong—I can't even cure it myself!"
The three of them shuddered and immediately became much more cautious, carefully avoiding the corrupted blood on the ground.
The four of them moved like startled ducks or swooping falcons, smashing the small blood pythons one by one. However, these pythons were ultimately composed of divine blood. Their strength wasn't enough to completely annihilate the divine blood. After being shattered, the pythons would immediately reform. Only Qin Mu's Carefree Sword could partially grind away some of the divine blood.
"Lend me your magical power! Let's activate this sword together!"
Wang Muran, Mu Qingdai, and Long Yu immediately channeled their magical power, turning their primal energy into threads that surged towards the Carefree Sword. With their power infused into it, the sword's might exploded. Qin Mu controlled the Carefree Sword, unleashing his sword techniques. He beheaded the pythons running everywhere, then suddenly switched to the Drilling Sword Style, moving close to the ground like a silver dragon, shredding the headless blood pythons into pieces!
Suddenly, several small blood pythons huddled together, rolling on the ground to dodge the sword light. When they stopped, the tiny pythons had vanished, replaced by a one-foot-tall Dragon Tamer Lord standing there.
"Dragon Tamer Lord, look at you now!"
The four of them were both shocked and delighted, and couldn't help but burst into laughter. But suddenly, the miniature Dragon Tamer Lord moved. His figure vanished in an instant. A sharp *crack* sounded as Long Yu's left shinbone snapped, kicked clean through by the tiny Dragon Tamer Lord!
"Open Eye!"
Wang Muran roared, activating his divine eye. But even he could only see the miniature Dragon Tamer Lord moving at incredible speed, leaving afterimages in his wake, making it nearly impossible to track his figure.
Qin Mu wielded the Carefree Sword, stabbing repeatedly. Each time, he barely managed to thrust the sword right behind the little figure, but he couldn't land a hit.
"Senior Sister, watch out!"
Wang Muran's warning had barely left his lips when the Dragon Tamer Lord appeared beside Mu Qingdai like a ghost, throwing a punch at her. Mu Qingdai let out a sharp cry. Her flowing ribbons coiled around the miniature Dragon Tamer Lord's arm, and she struck back with her palm.
Qin Mu flew over, activating the Overlord Body Three-Dan Art and the Nine Revolutions Three-Card Mystic Art. His body rapidly shrank, becoming a foot-tall little person. The Carefree Sword also shrank to a mere three inches. He controlled the sword to attack the Dragon Tamer Lord, shouting, "Don't fight him head-on! His strength is immense!"
*Bang!*
Blood exploded from Mu Qingdai's palm, her hand turning into a bloody mess. Qin Mu moved rapidly through the air, using his qi to control the sword, frantically attacking the Dragon Tamer Lord. The Dragon Tamer Lord dodged the Carefree Sword with ghost-like speed. On the other side, Wang Muran also charged forward, gathering his qi into a net and casting it down towards the miniature Dragon Tamer Lord. But the Dragon Tamer Lord smashed through it with a loud *bang*.
Long Yu stood on one leg, then leaped to Mu Qingdai's side, joining Qin Mu and the others in attacking the Dragon Tamer Lord.
"His body is too small, hard to hit! Shrink your size!" Qin Mu commanded.
Mu Qingdai activated the Mystic Art within the Dao-Qi-Jia-Yan Art, and her body shrank down, becoming a foot-tall little girl with long flowing hair. Wang Muran also shrank, becoming a tiny figure. Only Long Yu hadn't cultivated such techniques, so he had to stand on one leg, staying on guard.
He activated his Heavenly Eye Sword Heart to its fullest, shooting sword light from his eyes, tracking the movements of the four tiny figures. But although his sword eye was fast, it was still difficult to lock onto the Dragon Tamer Lord's minuscule form. He could only see four little figures racing through the air at breakneck speed, flashing and teleporting back and forth.
"Too fast... Not good!"
Long Yu saw the Dragon Tamer Lord attacking him. He hurriedly hopped on one leg. The moment he jumped, he heard a crisp *crack*. He looked down and saw his other leg bone bent into an impossible state. A sinking feeling hit him.
*Thud.*
Long Yu knelt on the ground, the pain nearly knocking him unconscious. The Dragon Tamer Lord's figure appeared behind his head, the tip of his toe aiming for the back of his skull. If it connected, his head would surely be kicked to pieces!
Just then, the three-inch Carefree Sword flashed by, piercing through the Dragon Tamer Lord's foot. The kick missed.
Long Yu breathed a sigh of relief. Gritting his teeth, he twisted his neck backward, his head spinning all the way around to face behind him. Sword light burst from both his eyes, striking the Dragon Tamer Lord and sending him flying!
"I did my best!" Long Yu nearly broke his own neck. He yelled out, then collapsed to the ground.
The Dragon Tamer Lord flew backward, his feet tapping rapidly in the air as he walked on emptiness, dispersing the power of those two sword strikes. He was a body of blood, lacking magical power, and could only rely on his formidable physical body to fight Qin Mu and the others. Moreover, the consumption of his divine blood was astonishing, forcing him to rely on physical divine abilities to win.
Suddenly, a huge black shadow appeared at the entrance of the hall. The great deer, covered in embedded flying swords, climbed to its feet. It shook its head, and its antlers flew off. A small branch stabbed fiercely into the Dragon Tamer Lord's back.
The Dragon Tamer Lord's body exploded. Countless blood droplets rolled together, reforming into the miniature Dragon Tamer Lord, though even smaller than before. He leaped off the antler, landing on the great deer's bald head. He punched down, intending to smash the deer's skull open.
Qin Mu thrust his sword forward. The Dragon Tamer Lord dodged, but saw three tiny figures land on the deer's head one after another.
The great deer blinked, fear filling its eyes. The four little people were darting around on its head, engaged in a fierce battle, shaking its bones with a series of *crackling* sounds, as if they were about to break.
"Yoo-yoo—"
The great deer shrieked in fright. It hurriedly charged towards the Dragon Qilin cowering in the corner of the hall, trying to divert the trouble onto him.
The Dragon Qilin also had over a dozen flying swords embedded in his body. But his muscles and bones were weak and sore, and he felt a natural fear of the Dragon Tamer Lord. He remained completely still. The other flood dragons were also lying beside him; a few had been hit by swords, but they all lay there, not daring to move.
Fortunately, the Dragon Qilin was thick-skinned and covered in fat. Although he had been hit by over a dozen flying swords, he wasn't seriously injured.
"Don't come over here..." the Dragon Qilin groaned weakly.
The great deer was almost upon him when suddenly, a series of *crack-crack* sounds came from its body. The stag's body twisted, its limbs snapped, and it crashed to the ground, sliding forward.
The Dragon Qilin mustered all his strength, turned his body around, and crawled with all his might to get away from the great deer. The other flood dragons also pressed themselves flat against the ground, struggling to crawl away.
The Dragon Tamer Lord's oppressive presence was too strong for them, crushing any will to resist.
Suddenly, Mu Qingdai flew back, spitting blood, and crashed into the Dragon Qilin, who was still struggling to crawl. She fell unconscious. The Dragon Tamer Lord charged over to take Mu Qingdai's life. The Dragon Qilin went completely limp, paralyzed on the ground.
Qin Mu roared, grabbing the Carefree Sword. "Brother Muran!"
Wang Muran spat out a mouthful of blood. He strained to lift Qin Mu and hurled him forward. Qin Mu's feet tapped rapidly, shooting forward like lightning. The three-inch sword in his hand blazed with light. A miniature landscape of green hills and clear waters emerged from the sword light, overtaking the Dragon Tamer Lord and engulfing him!
A rapid series of *ding-ding-ding* clashes rang out. The Sword Manifesting Mountains and Rivers technique suddenly collapsed and disintegrated, leaving only Qin Mu's figure charging forward, sword in hand.
The Dragon Tamer Lord's body was even smaller now, his feet covered in corrupted blood. He flicked and slapped with his fingers and palms, striking the Carefree Sword. Qin Mu's body shook violently, blood continuously spewing from his mouth. He suddenly turned into a black shadow, sticking close to the ground and moving swiftly. But the Dragon Tamer Lord punched the shadow, knocking Qin Mu out of his shadow form and sending him sprawling to the ground.
Wang Muran let out a fierce cry, his hair flying as he charged in. The two tiny figures engaged in a furious battle. In the blink of an eye, the sound of breaking bones was heard, and Wang Muran flew backward, crashing down.
Qin Mu lay on the ground, mustering his last ounce of strength to stab his sword downward. The Dragon Tamer Lord, now only three fingers tall, clasped his hands together, catching the Carefree Sword, and struggled against it with all his might.
Qin Mu couldn't push the sword down any further. He roared, "Fat Dragon! Do you still want to eat? If I die, you can just starve to death!"
The Dragon Qilin's eyes were filled with terror as he stared blankly at the tiny Dragon Tamer Lord. Hearing these words, he suddenly let out a great roar, raised his paw, and slammed it down hard on the sword's hilt.
*Shiiing.*
The sword light pierced through the Dragon Tamer Lord. The three-finger-tall Dragon Tamer Lord split in two. The blood still writhed, trying to flow back together. The Dragon Qilin roared again, his magical power erupting and surging into the sword body. In an instant, the sword light exploded, shooting in all directions, causing patches of corrupted blood to wither and fall to the ground.
Qin Mu was stunned. The strength drained from his body like an ebbing tide. He released his grip on the sword hilt and collapsed onto his back.
The Dragon Qilin roared repeatedly, raising his paw to strike again. Qin Mu said weakly, "Don't hit... If you hit again, you'll kill me too..."
He coughed violently. His magical power was completely exhausted. His body slowly began to grow back to its normal size. He wanted to get up and heal himself, but he couldn't move.
The Dragon Qilin climbed to his feet, staring blankly at the bloodstains on the ground. He looked around. The powerful flood dragons beside him didn't dare meet his gaze. Their eyes were filled with fear, and they all lowered their heads.