Chapter 450: Landborne Flying City
Dragon Qilin trod on fiery clouds, heading southwest. Ahead lay Heavenly Gate Sect, where two great mountains resembled a celestial gate, with various palaces and towers upon them.
Yue Qingshan was hurrying toward Heavenly Gate Sect when he suddenly felt a premonition. Turning his head, he saw Dragon Qilin carrying Qin Mu arriving right behind him.
Yue Qingshan was startled and quickly halted his momentum. "He's so fast! If I try to return to the sect to report, he'll likely strike me down right now!"
Dragon Qilin stopped, and Qin Mu offered a greeting. Yue Qingshan returned the gesture.
Qin Mu's expression was gentle as he asked, "Brother Yue, why aren't you attending the Flower Mountain Festival? Why are you heading back to Heavenly Gate Sect instead?"
Yue Qingshan quickly forced a smile. "My appearance is too ugly to win a lady's favor. It's better I skip the Flower Mountain Festival."
Qin Mu's face grew even gentler. "How could Brother Yue be ugly? You're a man of striking appearance—surely you can win a beauty's heart. You should go back and attend the Flower Mountain Festival."
Yue Qingshan's hair stood on end. The last time Qin Mu had used the phrase "striking appearance," he had unleashed the move "One Sword Opens the Imperial Blood Like an Ocean" and killed four experts on the spot!
Now he was saying "striking appearance" again. If he was stubborn and insisted on returning to the mountain, what awaited him would surely be a sword that ended his life!
"Thank you for your kind words, Sect Leader Qin."
Yue Qingshan expressed his thanks, turned around, and headed toward Fragrant Beauty City.
Qin Mu watched him leave before urging Dragon Qilin onward, skirting past Heavenly Gate Sect.
From afar, Yue Qingshan spotted Fragrant Beauty City. He looked back and, seeing no sign of Qin Mu, thought to himself, "The True Heaven Palace has put a bounty on him. If my Heavenly Gate Sect could capture him and get closer to the True Heaven Palace, my status in the sect would surely rise dramatically!"
Just as he was about to turn back, he noticed the giant mountain shaped like a human figure on the plains. He was stunned, then saw the shattered roads and the destruction caused by the bell's shockwaves.
Many experts from the Yu family flew over, found the remains of the Yu family matriarch, and wailed loudly.
"The Yu family matriarch is dead too?"
Yue Qingshan was dazed, then composed himself and headed toward Fragrant Beauty City. "The Yu family matriarch attacked with an entire mountain and still couldn't stop him. My Heavenly Gate Sect couldn't hold him either. Better to avoid trouble than court it. Instead of fighting to the death, I might as well enjoy the company of beauties."
"Ahead lies Bamboo City."
Two days later, Qin Mu stood on Dragon Qilin's massive head, took out the Western Lands geography map, examined it carefully, and cross-referenced it with the celestial signs. Delighted, he said, "Once we reach Bamboo City, we won't be far from True Heaven Palace. Fatty Dragon, you've been working hard lately. You've been very fast."
For the past two days, Dragon Qilin hadn't been lazy and had put in real effort. With Dragon Qilin's speed, covering twenty thousand li a day, it would take at most half a day to reach True Heaven Palace.
Along the way, they had encountered plenty of trouble. The True Heaven Palace had issued a bounty, and many Western Lands cultivators were searching for him. Several fierce battles had occurred.
But nothing as brutal as the fight with the Yu family's Bell Mountain Giant. The Bell Mountain Giant's combat power was truly terrifying. Possessing such treasures was usually the privilege of major clans, and such weapons required a long preparation time—either awakening the mountain spirit or unsealing it in advance.
Dragon Qilin was fast. Unless someone knew Qin Mu's movements in advance, they couldn't prepare to intercept him.
On the journey, Qin Mu had witnessed the strangeness of various Western Lands divine techniques and dao methods. Besides using mountains and rivers as weapons, Western Lands cultivators also raised spirits and monsters.
They would enlighten strange beasts, awaken their spirits, and raise them from a young age. The beasts grew alongside them, becoming extremely loyal. Moreover, these beasts were also their spirit weapons, which they could activate as such. Compared to mountain spirits and earth spirits, these beasts were more agile and versatile.
The Western Lands' philosophy of "all things have spirits" in divine techniques and dao methods was truly eye-opening.
Dragon Qilin ran swiftly, drawing closer to Bamboo City. The terrain was mostly mountainous, and they occasionally encountered cultivators traveling through the air, mostly riding flying beasts.
Qin Mu raised an eyebrow, noticing that many Western Lands cultivators were monitoring his movements.
"Spotted again. I can't enter Bamboo City. There must be an ambush there! I'll have to take the wilderness."
Qin Mu's divine consciousness rippled. Using the Tianyu Clan's method of telepathic communication, he signaled Dragon Qilin to prepare. Then he took a long breath, filling his chest after a while.
Whoosh—
He exhaled, and suddenly thick fog spread everywhere, shrouding the sky and earth for over ten li.
Dragon Qilin immediately dove down, vanishing into the forest. The Western Lands cultivators charged into the mist, searching everywhere. By the time the fog cleared, Qin Mu and his mount were long gone.
"The young master is coming!" a cultivator suddenly said nervously.
A fragrant carriage drawn by a colorful phoenix flew over. Inside sat a somewhat plump but not fat youth, surrounded by several women.
Strangely, even though the Western Lands revered women as superior, in front of this youth, the women of True Heaven Palace could only attend to him and dared not act presumptuously.
Many cultivators bowed in greeting. "Master Jade!"
Jade Boyuan surveyed the surroundings and chuckled. "He got away again? No surprise. When I led the pursuit of Nai Kui before, he interfered, letting her escape. That was in the Great Ruins, not the Western Lands, so I couldn't act freely. But this is the Western Lands, not his Great Ruins. If he thinks he can slip through my fingers this time, he's being naive."
He was Yu Boyuan, the son of the current True Heaven Palace master. Though young, he was ruthless and cunning.
Xiong Xiyu had been the True Heaven Palace master, overthrown by the Yu family. Yu Boyuan's cultivation wasn't exceptionally high, but he had led the pursuit of Xiong Xiyu, a sect leader-level existence, driving her to the brink of death as her strong followers fell one by one. This showed Yu Boyuan's skill.
His schemes ran deep—nothing ordinary.
Yu Boyuan nodded slightly. A woman from True Heaven Palace flew up, cast a technique, and suddenly the white clouds in the sky writhed, forming an arrow shape pointing downward.
The fragrant carriage descended into the forest below. Another woman stomped her foot, and many stones on the mountain rolled together, forming a stone giant that pointed in the direction Qin Mu had fled. "That man rode a giant beast and went that way."
The woman dispersed her technique, and the stone giant collapsed into a pile of rubble.
The colorful phoenix pulled the carriage forward. Yu Boyuan sat inside, smiling. "In the Western Lands, no one can escape the tracking of my True Heaven Palace. The previous Nai Kui couldn't, and this Sect Leader Qin certainly can't."
"Young master, the Great Venerable of the Golden Palace came to our True Heaven Palace to report, asking Elder Bi to put a bounty on this Sect Leader Qin."
A woman from True Heaven Palace giggled. "Elder Bi and the Great Venerable of the Golden Palace have a past, so issuing the bounty was only natural. This Great Venerable used our True Heaven Palace's power to eliminate a strong enemy, owing us a favor. Why bother helping him personally, young master?"
Yu Boyuan chuckled. "I'm not helping the Great Venerable. I want to meet Sect Leader Qin. Last time, I suffered a loss at his hands—he took my Azure Dragon Pearl, a precious treasure. Now he dares to barge into the Western Lands, so naturally I must teach him a lesson. Besides, his coming here likely has ill intentions. I doubt he's just sightseeing. He rescued the former Nai Kui and the little princess, and now he's back—probably to help Nai Kui reclaim her throne. If he appears, Nai Kui can't be far behind!"
His gaze turned cold. "My mother has become the mistress of True Heaven Palace, but as long as she hasn't given birth to a little princess, the palace master's seat isn't secure. Nai Kui's return at this time—her intentions are obvious. But this Sect Leader Qin and the former Nai Kui have no idea how much power I wield!"
He looked in the direction Qin Mu had gone, his voice icy. "I'll give them a big surprise!"
Dragon Qilin raced through the mountains, leaping over peaks. Though slower than before, it was still swift. Qin Mu surveyed the surroundings, frowning slightly. The terrain here differed from the Western Lands geography map. The map Ge Ke had given him didn't match the actual landscape.
"Western Lands cultivators love to smash each other with mountains. After a fight, they probably don't put the mountains back. Using the geography map to determine my position isn't entirely accurate. I need to rely on celestial signs."
He looked up, layers of formation patterns spinning in his pupils. The stars and constellations hidden by sunlight gradually emerged. Qin Mu judged his position and sighed in relief. "We've already passed Bamboo City..."
Just as he said this, a rumbling sound came from ahead. Qin Mu frowned and looked forward. Dust and smoke billowed, shrouding the mountains in fog, obscuring what was causing the earth-shaking commotion.
Dragon Qilin also stopped, nervously staring ahead. The dust grew thicker, rolling forward, swallowing entire forests and hilltops.
"Sect Leader, what's that up ahead?" Dragon Qilin exclaimed in alarm.
The ground trembled continuously. The trees around them swayed, and stones bounced on the ground like an earthquake—but it wasn't an earthquake.
Qin Mu activated his Fire Cloud Heavenly Eye and peered into the approaching dust. His face showed disbelief. "There's a city in that smoke..."
"A city?"
Dragon Qilin was puzzled. "How could a city cause such a commotion?"
"Because that city is running through the forest!"
Qin Mu's hair nearly stood on end. He shouted, "That city is charging straight at us! Fatty Dragon, let's move!"
The smoke surged forward, and a magnificent city came into view.
It was a city on the move.
Beneath the towering city walls, over ten zhang high, grew countless thick legs. Behind the walls, tall buildings and towers had transformed into giants, bristling with killing intent. Some beat drums, others carried enormous treasures. The city gates were wide open, and the gates and walls had grown sharp teeth, constantly opening and closing. Wherever they passed, even mountain peaks were crushed by the gates!
Anything that couldn't be crushed was swallowed into the city, where the monstrous giants inside smashed it to dust.
The city was sprinting straight toward them. On the city gates were two words.
"Bamboo City!"
The Western Lands cultivators had awakened an entire city into a spirit!