Chapter 432: The Eerie Invasion
Two deities stood, one on the river, the other on Baisui Mountain, facing each other in silence. The river wind howled, the mountain wind wailed; the early spring wind was bitingly cold.
After a long moment, the Dragon Tamer slowly sank into the water, saying, "First, settle Baisui Mountain and build a mountain god temple. Later, I will host a feast to welcome you. Your mountain is too desolate; only on Qingming Festival and Ghost Festival do people come to offer sacrifices and sweep graves. Your incense offerings are meager. If you cannot survive, I can share some of mine with you."
The White Gap Deity felt a deep sense of desolation in his heart. The Dragon Tamer consumed blood sacrifices; what he would share were likely offerings from those who jumped into the river to commit suicide. He, on the other hand, was a vegetarian. Unfortunately, there were few fruit trees on this mountain, though many corpses were buried here.
"Better to build the temple first. Once the temple is built, perhaps devout men and women will bring fruits and vegetables when they come to burn incense. As long as they aren't spoiled, I can eat them..."
In Zijing City, Qin Mu stared at the Five Thunder Gourd before him, which stood over five zhang tall, and felt a headache coming on. Such a huge gourd contained world-destroying energy—the Five Directions Cloud Thunders. If accidentally released, it would be a cataclysmic disaster!
"Patriarch, what should we do with the Five Thunder Gourd? Should we hide it?"
The members of the Demon Sect gathered around the gourd, examining it, all feeling a sense of dread. Qin Mu shook his head. "This gourd is unsafe no matter where it's placed. The slightest carelessness could trigger its power, causing heavenly thunder to roll and strike countless people dead."
He circled the gourd, finding it troublesome. The Yong Kingdom had more than just this one Five Thunder Gourd; there were over a dozen similar weather weapons, enough to destroy the Yong Kingdom a dozen times over.
Suddenly, Qin Mu flicked his finger against the Five Thunder Gourd. Everyone's hair stood on end. In an instant, within a radius of over ten zhang around the gourd, heavenly thunder roared, and the Five Directions Divine Thunders crackled and struck down!
After a burst of thunderbolts fell, everyone was blasted crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, their faces black as charcoal. The courtyard they were in was also directly destroyed by the thunder. In a single moment, thousands of lightning bolts struck down, collapsing houses and melting the ground!
Qin Mu spat out a puff of black smoke, pondering. "This thing is quite good for tempering the body. Using the Five Directions Cloud Thunders to refine oneself can quickly cultivate the physical body. Let's carry it home... carry it back to the Holy Sect."
"Patriarch!"
Everyone's faces changed drastically. Minister Sikong said with a mournful expression, "If we carry it back to the Holy Sect and it erupts, the Holy Sect will be finished!"
Qin Mu was troubled. "If this treasure cannot be used by the Holy Sect, wouldn't that be a waste?"
Minister Sikong quickly said, "No waste, no waste!"
Qin Mu frowned and sighed. "This thing has many uses, but you don't know where the real benefits lie. Fine, I'll keep it. You transport it to my True Dragon Nest; I have great use for it."
Everyone exchanged glances. The Five Thunder Gourd was an extremely dangerous item—how could it be of great use? It was clearly a deadly weapon placed beside them that could take their lives at any moment!
And placing it in the Dragon Nest, where the space was large and thunder couldn't be vented outside, if the Five Thunder Gourd's power erupted, even a deity would be struck dead by the Five Directions Cloud Thunders!
"Besides tempering the body, the Five Thunder Gourd is also a good tool for wiping out a clan. If I encounter someone I can't defeat, I just tap it once, and we all die together!" Qin Mu thought to himself.
The crowd joined forces to use the Five Ghosts Transport Technique, sending the Five Thunder Gourd into the True Dragon Nest, completely unaware that their patriarch harbored such dangerous thoughts.
Qin Mu thanked everyone, summoned the Flood Dragon King God and the Dragon Qilin, and was about to head to the Divine Severing Mountain Range to investigate when Si Yunxiang hurriedly said, "Patriarch, the Emperor is on his way here. He'll reach Zijing City in seven days. Aren't you going to wait for him?"
Qin Mu's eyes widened, and he exclaimed, "Didn't you tell him he didn't need to come?"
Si Yunxiang shook her head. "You only said not to wait for him, but you didn't tell him not to come. The Emperor is flying all the way here on the Sun-Shooting Divine Cannon, consuming countless medicinal stones along the way, in a great rush..."
Qin Mu's scalp tingled, as if he could already see Emperor Yanfeng sharpening his knife, ready to behead someone.
"Hurry and notify him! Tell him he doesn't need to come!"
Qin Mu turned and jumped onto the Flood Dragon King God's back. Si Yunxiang quickly said, "The Emperor won't dare behead you, but he'll definitely dare behead me!"
"Can't you put a good spin on bad news?"
Qin Mu rode the dragon into the distance, his voice drifting back: "Change the wording, and he'll even reward you!"
"Put a good spin on bad news?"
Si Yunxiang was stunned for a moment, then suddenly understood. She quickly asked Minister Sikong to accompany her to greet Emperor Yanfeng. Emperor Yanfeng stood on the cannon platform, accompanied by civil and military officials, surrounded by imperial guards, majestic and imposing. The giant cannon's fifty-six furnaces burned day and night, consuming countless medicinal stones, still rushing toward Zijing City.
When Si Yunxiang arrived, Emperor Yanfeng was issuing orders, sending people to the nearest city to transport medicinal stones. The stones brought on the cannon platform had long since run out, and they could only rely on supplies from cities along the way.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty!"
Si Yunxiang reported, "The rebellious god of the heavens, White Gap, was moved by Your Majesty's awe-inspiring heavenly might and dared not rebel. He has submitted, surrendered to Yong, and become the mountain god of Baisui Mountain in Lu County, guarding Your Majesty's realm, ensuring Your Majesty's empire lasts forever and the state endures eternally!"
Emperor Yanfeng was overjoyed. He looked around at his civil and military officials and laughed heartily. "This rebellious god, White Gap, actually knows his place. Learning that I am personally leading the expedition, he knew he couldn't win and simply surrendered. It makes me feel like I've punched thin air."
Minister Yan quickly added, "Your Majesty's heavenly might—how dare he offend? Surrender was his only path, or he would have had no place to be buried!"
The officials all offered congratulations. Emperor Yanfeng's face shone with glory, and he smiled. "You have all followed me on this campaign and have your merits. Each of you will be rewarded."
The officials were all delighted.
After the festivities, the Sun-Shooting Divine Cannon's platform halted, preparing to return to the capital. Emperor Yanfeng summoned Si Yunxiang alone, his face immediately darkening as he sneered, "Little Saintess of the Si family, did your patriarch teach you to say that? Why doesn't he dare to see me?"
Si Yunxiang said cautiously, "The Patriarch used the Human Emperor Seal to summon heroes from all over, resisting the invasion from the heavens, blocking the enemy outside the Divine Severing Mountain, preventing the enemy from invading, and protecting the safety of Yong..."
"Enough, enough, no more official talk!"
Emperor Yanfeng sighed. "I know his hard work and great contributions. This time, it was thanks to him. Otherwise, even if Yong were destroyed as a nation, the common people would have suffered countless casualties. I have no intention of blaming him. Moreover, by sending you, he has saved me a great deal of face. How did he subdue the heavenly rebel White Gap?"
"Through threats and bribes, showing weakness to the enemy, and using every trick in the book."
Si Yunxiang recounted how Qin Mu had subdued the White Gap Deity. Emperor Yanfeng was silent for a long time before saying, "Young as Minister Qin is, he has already subdued two deities for Yong, letting them guard the mountains and rivers. Such skill—I am no match for it. I am also worried about the battle at the Divine Severing Mountain Range. I sent people to investigate, and news has come back."
Si Yunxiang's heart tightened. Emperor Yanfeng continued, "The border general reported that the Divine Severing Mountain Range, stretching twenty thousand li, is experiencing constant earthquakes, and all the mountains have sunk. Amid the tremors, thick fog has risen, and darkness has invaded the Divine Severing Mountains. Ghosts and spirits can be seen in the mist, but they haven't found any trace of the National Teacher or the others. I wanted to go see for myself, but the court cannot be thrown into chaos, nor the realm... The border general said it shows signs of turning into the Great Ruins. The Great Ruins are invading Yong..."
Si Yunxiang felt a growing unease, looking westward. "The Patriarch is heading there right now! What exactly happened there that caused the Great Ruins to invade?"
Qin Mu rode the dragon, arriving near the Divine Severing Mountain Range as evening fell. He looked up and felt a jolt in his heart. Thick gray fog shrouded the once-familiar mountain range, while the sun in the west was about to set and disappear.
"Something's not right..."
The Divine Severing Mountain Range stretched far and wide, with a mountain body over a hundred li thick. This range had once separated the Great Ruins from Yong. Now, the entire mountain range had completely sunk, replaced by dense gray fog, from which came dull, shocking tremors from time to time.
"The Yong National Teacher activated the Earthquake Cauldron, shaking this mountain range apart and sinking it into the earth!"
Qin Mu sensed the vibrations coming from the gray fog, and an ominous feeling arose in his heart. The Yong National Teacher's use of the Earthquake Cauldron indicated that even he felt he couldn't protect himself, willing to die together with his opponent to stop them from crossing the Divine Severing Mountains!
The sun set, and darkness swept in from the west like a black flood that blotted out the sky, swallowing everything in its path. Wherever it passed, everything vanished without a trace.
The darkness seemed tangible, reaching the Divine Severing Mountains and engulfing them. The darkness surged toward Qin Mu and then suddenly stopped!
Qin Mu looked up. The darkness of the Great Ruins stood like a steep cliff, its top invisible, dividing itself from the night of Yong!
"The Great Ruins have swallowed the Divine Severing Mountains, invading Yong and devouring about a hundred li at once."
Qin Mu bent down, took out a flag, and planted it at the boundary where the darkness of the Great Ruins met the night of Yong. He murmured, "In a few days, I'll know if the darkness is growing. If the darkness of the Great Ruins expands, it will be a catastrophe for Yong. Flood Dragon King God, let's go in!"
The Flood Dragon King God acknowledged, transforming into a young man, radiating divine light as he led Qin Mu and the Dragon Qilin into the ruins of the Divine Severing Mountains.
"All flood dragons, ascend!"
Qin Mu shouted softly, activating the Dragon Control Technique. A group of flood dragons flew over, coiling around his body, arms, and legs, some landing under his feet, and two hanging from his ears like earrings.
Instantly, the flood dragons' power merged with his, causing Qin Mu's strength to skyrocket wildly.
"Ninth Heaven, open!"
Qin Mu's eyes spun with formation patterns, opening his Ninth Heaven Eye, shooting divine light into the darkness, piercing through the darkness and gray fog like a beam of light.
Even the Flood Dragon King God lacked such an ability and felt envious.
Qin Mu had him follow closely as they slowly delved deeper into the ruins of the Divine Severing Mountains. Suddenly, Qin Mu stopped, and the Flood Dragon King God quickly halted as well. In the air before them, a tattered, large painting drifted silently by.
This was a painting by the Deaf Man. The contents of the painting were already broken, as if something had jumped out of it, tearing the painting apart. However, the painting still retained terrifying power; if accidentally triggered, it could still bring danger.
Qin Mu avoided this painting and continued forward, but then stopped again. Dozens of tattered paintings of various sizes floated silently in the gray fog, drifting soundlessly. Besides the paintings, there were also huge boulders floating silently in the air.
Qin Mu frowned. This should have been the Deaf Man's battlefield. The Deaf Man was skilled in painting, and his painted worlds contained myriad strange phenomena, magnificent and bizarre. Even a master like Xing Han, if caught off guard and sealed, would find it hard to escape.
With so many of the Deaf Man's tattered paintings here, it was clear how fierce the battle had been!
"Master, be careful!"
The Flood Dragon King God quickly stepped in front of Qin Mu, saying, "Don't touch these stones. They contain divine might, remnants of divine and demonic techniques!"
Qin Mu quickly stopped. Just then, he saw a massive figure slowly moving through the darkness and gray fog, approaching them.
This figure stood as if it could touch the sky, coming before them. All they could see were enormous legs blocking their view, unable to see the upper body. Qin Mu looked up, his divine light shining upward, gradually revealing a broad chest in the dark sky. Looking further up, he saw the majestic face of a divine demon.
"A stone statue!"
Qin Mu's scalp tingled. A stone statue walking through the darkness and gray fog!
The Flood Dragon King God was also horrified. Before them stood an incredibly massive stone statue, its size beyond imagination!
Not only that, but this stone statue was also walking in the darkness!
"Maha..." The flood dragons on Qin Mu's body shrank back in fear.
"Don't call out."
The Dragon Qilin's face was ashen, whispering, "If you wake him up, he'll ride you to kill people. I was ridden for a whole night..."
Suddenly, the stone statue seemed to hear something. It bent down, and a gigantic face broke through the darkness, appearing before Qin Mu and the others.
Fox Ling'er's eyes rolled back, and she fell to the ground with a thud, unconscious, her four legs stretched straight, her tail standing upright.
The other flood dragons and the Dragon Qilin saw this and quickly followed suit, falling to the ground and playing dead.
"Master..." Fox Ling'er squinted, nudging Qin Mu.
Qin Mu hesitated for a moment, then fell backward, his tongue sticking out, his body stiff, his face pale, looking as if he had died a miserable death.