Chapter 474: The Evil Existence
Gonggongcuo stood in the center of the mirror, looking around. He saw cross-sections everywhere, the fragments of other mirrors like shattered transparent continents, separated by insurmountable distances.
This mirror was a rare treasure he had obtained from the Great Ruins. The world inside the mirror could overlap with the real world without being discovered. Its only flaw was that divine arts and techniques could not be used within it.
In the past, Gonggongcuo had always used this treasure as a tool for escape. He never imagined he would one day be trapped inside the mirror himself.
Now, escape was impossible. Qin Mu had severed the ropes. His only way out was to leap from the mirror, but doing so would surely result in Qin Mu running him through with a sword.
“Chief Qin doesn’t want to kill me, but to capture me for a talk?”
Gonggongcuo abandoned any thought of escape and tested the waters: “Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
Qin Mu looked at Gonggongcuo in the mirror, torn between laughter and tears. “When did I have the chance? The moment we met, you had to show off and even tried to kill me. I had no choice but to fight back. Actually, when we first met, didn’t I say, ‘Is it not a joy to have friends come from afar?’ At that moment, you should have known I came to catch up, not to kill. So why put yourself through this?”
Gonggongcuo nearly spat blood. This brat had clearly said, “A friend has come from afar—why not come out and die?” When had he ever mentioned “joy”?
But now was not the time to argue. His life was in this young man’s hands, so it was best to go along with him.
“Chief Qin is upright and magnanimous, something I have always admired. I was just joking with you, wanting to witness the chief’s prowess. Now that I have seen it, truly extraordinary—I am thoroughly convinced.”
Gonggongcuo in the mirror wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, sat cross-legged, and smiled. “The chief has come from afar. What does he wish to discuss?”
“The deity behind you.”
Qin Mu raised the mirror, his face full of smiles. “The National Teacher and I would very much like to meet him, to pay respects to this sacred ancestor. I wonder if the Great Lord could grant us the opportunity?”
Gonggongcuo’s expression changed abruptly.
The deity behind him was the one that appeared on the altar when he performed the Soul-Worshipping Witchcraft!
Qin Mu asking about that deity’s whereabouts clearly meant he wasn’t planning to pay respects but to gather strength and eliminate that deity!
“Chief Qin, Human Sovereign, how could I know such an existence?”
Gonggongcuo quickly forced a smile. “You know my abilities. Someone as lowly and insignificant as me, Chief Qin could take down two with one hand. How could I possibly know a deity? As for the deity’s whereabouts, that’s far beyond the reach of a weakling like me! Please see clearly, Chief!”
Qin Mu held the mirror shard in one hand and poked his sword idly through the sand with the other, saying casually, “The Great Lord claims not to know the deity, which is naturally a lie. If you didn’t know the deity, how could you summon someone from the Celestial Realm to deal with me? How could you draw out Xu Sheng Hua? If you didn’t know the deity, how could you recognize the True Heaven Old Mother? Great Lord, neither of us is a child. Let’s not play games. You may not have the qualifications to know the deity, but the one behind you does, and he is quite close to you. When you perform the Soul-Worshipping Witchcraft, a phantom of the deity appears behind you. That deity must be your master or grandmaster, correct?”
Gonggongcuo watched the sword poking through the sand, his expression shifting. Suddenly, he stood up and paced back and forth in the mirror, unable to decide.
The world believed he was the founder of the Loulan Golden Palace, but they didn’t know there was another.
That deity was indeed deeply connected to him. It had founded the Loulan Golden Palace long ago, but by chance, the palace had fallen into his hands.
There were many unsavory stories behind that.
“He is my master.”
Gonggongcuo stopped, looked up at Qin Mu outside the mirror, and said, “You guessed right. My connection to the Celestial Realm and my ability to recognize the True Heaven Old Mother are indeed related to him. However, I advise you not to provoke him. He is too evil!”
His eyes twitched violently, and he lowered his voice. “Chief Qin should know that I am considered evil enough, but compared to him, I am merely a novice. I am his disciple, yet every time I activate the Soul-Worshipping Witchcraft, I must borrow his power. Do you know? Every use of this witchcraft costs me a significant amount of my lifespan! Hmph, even to his own disciple, he is like this, let alone others. That’s why I am reluctant to use this witchcraft.”
Qin Mu was visibly moved. Gonggongcuo calling someone else evil? That was absurd, unbelievable!
In the world, who could be more evil than Gonggongcuo, who had poisoned the entire grassland, killing countless herdsmen?
“I don’t even know his real name, only his title.”
Gonggongcuo said, “Others call him Kui Wu Shen. I think his surname might be Kui, but those of our lineage rarely reveal their true names. His surname might not be real either.”
“Kui Wu Shen?”
Qin Mu was taken aback. Kui was indeed a surname, but the Kui in Kui Wu Shen might not be a surname. Breaking down the character, Kui was composed of “ear” and “ghost.” Could it be that this Kui wasn’t a surname but a race?
If so, Kui Wu Shen’s race might be the ghost race.
“However, Chief Qin, finding him is probably impossible.”
Gonggongcuo said, “He comes from another world. As early as my first life, he had already left this world.”
Qin Mu carefully studied Gonggongcuo’s face in the mirror. Gonggongcuo’s expression was calm, not seeming to lie. “Chief Qin need not doubt. I have no reason to deceive you. I am in your hands, my life and death in your control. Even if I lie, I gain nothing.”
Qin Mu thought for a moment, then laughed. “Great Lord, you’re trying to fool me again.”
Gonggongcuo said helplessly, “How am I fooling you?”
“If he had truly left, how could you still perform the Soul-Worshipping Witchcraft? Isn’t the phantom behind you a projection of his soul?”
Qin Mu smiled faintly. “Do you think he has the power to project his soul from another world? If he did, the gods of the upper realm wouldn’t need to go to such trouble—first petrifying their bodies and sending them over, then ordering the gods of the Celestial Realm to activate the world-destroying artifacts.”
Gonggongcuo’s expression changed instantly.
Qin Mu looked at the youth in the mirror, who seemed younger than himself, and said leisurely, “Moreover, he can sense your summons anytime, anywhere, and project himself to help you kill others. I don’t think a deity would be so idle, nor do I think the Soul-Worshipping Witchcraft works that way. What if one day he loses interest and doesn’t project himself? Wouldn’t you be doomed? Great Lord, we’re both clever people. Give me the truth, and I’ll let you live.”
Gonggongcuo’s face shifted between light and shadow. Suddenly, he burst out laughing, clapping in admiration. “As expected of Chief Qin, the man I regard as my lifelong rival. It’s not easy to fool you. You’re right. He hasn’t left. He did plan to leave this world, but I ambushed him, severely wounded him, sealed him, and then stripped his soul!”
Qin Mu’s eyes widened in shock.
Gonggongcuo said smugly, “Like master, like disciple. I learned everything he taught me and surpassed him! But that old bastard never taught me the method to become a god. I was already old then, and I would die of old age in a few years. He didn’t care about our master-disciple bond. Hmph, the old thing wanted me dead, so I made sure he died first! When he was about to leave this world, the upper realm sent down a guiding divine light. I struck the moment he stepped into it.”
A chill ran down Qin Mu’s spine.
Gonggongcuo laughed. “I used the techniques he taught me to disrupt the guiding light, splitting it in two! Chief Qin, you’re also skilled in teleportation. If someone split your teleportation technique in two while it was activating, what would happen to you?”
Qin Mu’s heart clenched. “I would be split in two as well.”
“The guiding light isn’t the same as teleportation, but it’s similar—it separates the body and soul.”
Gonggongcuo said proudly, “I used witchcraft to sacrifice my disciple, splitting the guiding light in two. My master Kui Wu Shen’s body and soul were instantly separated and fell out of the light. It was killing two birds with one stone. My disciple had long wished for my death so he could inherit my position. This way, I took care of both of them. Kui Wu Shen, with only his soul and no body, was immediately infested with soul worms the moment he lost his flesh, controlling his soul!”
Qin Mu shuddered and sighed. “Great Lord, you say Kui Wu Shen is evil, but I think he might not be a match for you.”
Gonggongcuo shook his head. “You flatter me. I can’t compare to him. He is truly evil. After I trapped him, his body didn’t die, and his soul remained intact. He nearly broke my seal several times. I used his soul to create the Soul-Worshipping Witchcraft. You wouldn’t have guessed, Chief, but in my first life, I was also extraordinary—one of the top existences of the era, a being close to godhood. Perhaps after too many reincarnations, my ambition was worn down. But back then, my brilliance was no less than yours, Chief Qin.”
Qin Mu nodded. “That’s true. Your skills are extraordinary, Great Lord. Though you’ve learned techniques from other sects and holy lands, your witchcraft is your strongest asset. That skill was accumulated in your first life. The techniques you learned in later lives were just embellishments, doing little to enhance your strength. If you had focused on perfecting your witchcraft, your achievements would be far greater than they are now.”
Gonggongcuo’s expression turned bleak. “What’s the use of making witchcraft stronger? It still can’t lead to godhood. Once I realized that, I sought other paths, trying to glean the way to godhood from the techniques of other sects and holy lands. Unfortunately, those holy lands didn’t have such methods either, and I couldn’t integrate what I learned across my lives. In the end, it was you, Chief Qin, whom I regarded as my mortal enemy, who publicly revealed the path to godhood, giving me hope. It leaves me speechless.”
He stared blankly for a moment, then suddenly said, “If I had met you in my first life, perhaps we wouldn’t be enemies now. Maybe we would have been friends.”
Qin Mu smiled sheepishly. “Great Lord, don’t joke. I’m not evil at all. Where did you put Kui Wu Shen’s body? And where is his soul sealed?”
Gonggongcuo said seriously, “If I tell you, you won’t kill me and will let me go?”
Qin Mu replied solemnly, “I can swear an oath to Tu Bo!”
Gonggongcuo shook his head. “Chief, don’t joke.”
Qin Mu laughed heartily, waving his hand. “Fine, no oath to Tu Bo. Let’s swear to Kui Wu Shen’s soul instead. If you break your oath and give me false information or a fake location, may you drop dead the moment you see him! The same goes for me. If I don’t let you go, may I drop dead the moment I see him!”
—Next chapter around nine. My daughter’s cold is quite severe this time, with multiple fevers a day—exhausting. Around nine, I’ll definitely update the second chapter!!