Chapter 476: Desert Red Sea, Dawnlight Rising
After the storm passed, Qin Mu crawled out from the thick sand dune and looked around. All he saw was a desolate and bleak scene, with scale-like dunes formed everywhere by the hurricane.
The massive sun ship lay shattered into pieces, almost completely disintegrated. Clearly, the power of True Heaven Old Mother's final strike had been too great. With the intention of destroying both the Yankang National Teacher and herself, she had unleashed this blow, and as a result, the sun ship had been smashed as well.
The flames in the desert had vanished. Although the sand was still red, it no longer possessed that burning fire that had targeted the abandoned people of the Great Ruins.
Qin Mu looked further into the distance but saw no flames either.
The Flame Desert had been extinguished.
He was stunned for a moment and quickly raised his hand. The flame patterns on his hand had also disappeared.
He took out several mirrors and examined himself from all angles, but still saw no trace of any flame patterns.
"True Heaven Old Mother... is dead!"
Qin Mu's heart pounded twice. True Heaven Old Mother had set up flames in the Flame Desert specifically targeting the abandoned people of the Great Ruins. Anyone who stepped into this land would have flame patterns appear on their face. Moreover, the purer their bloodline and lineage, the more flame patterns would appear.
For example, Qin Mu's entire body had been covered in flame patterns.
True Heaven Old Mother was dead. The flames of the Flame Desert had vanished, and along with them, the flame patterns on the abandoned people would also disappear!
"Pfft, pfft!"
A distant sand dune split open, and Dragon Qilin crawled out, spitting sand. Qin Mu called out to him from afar and limped toward the sun ship.
His injuries were severe—not from his fight with Banguo Gong, but from the terrifying shockwave of True Heaven Old Mother's final strike, which had gravely wounded him.
Dragon Qilin met up with him, rushed ahead of Qin Mu, and laid his tail flat on the ground. Qin Mu stepped onto the tip of the tail, and Dragon Qilin raised it, allowing Qin Mu to slide onto his back.
Dragon Qilin carried him at a gallop to the sun ship.
Qin Mu sat down and shouted, "National Teacher, are you still alive?"
"I'm here."
The voice of the Yankang National Teacher came. Qin Mu followed the sound and saw the National Teacher leaning in the shadow of a large rock. Qin Mu slid off Dragon Qilin's back and said with a smile, "Injured again?"
"Not too serious. Much lighter than last time."
The National Teacher squinted as if dozing, then opened one eye and glanced behind him. Weakly, he said, "True Heaven Old Mother was indeed formidable. With the power of the sun ship, her strength surpassed that of the gods of the Upper Firmament."
Qin Mu also looked in the direction of his gaze but saw nothing. Puzzled, he first treated his own injuries, then tried to lift the National Teacher but couldn't budge him.
The National Teacher gave a faint, knowing smile. "Chief, you can't lift a god."
Qin Mu understood and treated him on the spot, saying with a smile, "National Teacher, do you still plan to go to the Upper Firmament?"
The National Teacher shook his head. "This fight with True Heaven Old Mother, she had the advantage of terrain, and I barely managed to defeat her. If I rashly enter the Upper Firmament, where there are other gods and it's their territory, it would be even more dangerous. I need to wait—wait for the Emperor to complete the Divine Bridge, and for other Chief-level beings in Yankang to become gods."
There were many powerful cultivators at the Divine Bridge realm in Yankang. They had been stuck there for years, and Qin Mu's spread of the spatial mathematical model for repairing the Divine Bridge had given them hope of becoming gods.
"You let the Great Venerable go?" the National Teacher asked.
Qin Mu carefully examined his injuries and said, "I had an agreement with him. I couldn't take his life. Without harming him, it was very difficult to keep him. The Great Venerable's escape skills are unparalleled. I've never seen anyone so slippery. But at least I managed to take half his leg."
The National Teacher said solemnly, "Letting him go will only bring endless trouble. Even I can't withstand his Soul-Worshipping Sorcery. Although few know my true name, if someone went to Jiangling to investigate, they could still find out what I'm called. The Emperor's name could also be discovered by him."
Qin Mu took out silver needles and turned him into a large hedgehog, finally piercing one into his brow. He said with a smile, "To me, the Great Venerable is no longer a concern. The god-devil behind him is called Wei Wu God, who was ambushed by the Great Venerable and had his divine flesh stripped away. The Great Venerable hid his physical body in the Yang Mountain of the Great Ruins and his primordial spirit in the Yin Mountain. All we need to do is destroy Wei Wu God's primordial spirit, and the Great Venerable's Soul-Worshipping Sorcery will be broken."
The National Teacher glanced at him and said calmly, "What if the Great Venerable gets there first and moves Wei Wu God's primordial spirit?"
Qin Mu was stunned for a moment, then slapped him hard on the thigh. The National Teacher winced in pain, tears streaming from his eyes. Qin Mu quickly withdrew his hand and hastily refined several batches of spirit pills. "The Great Venerable's medical skills are excellent, only slightly inferior to mine. Even without half a leg, he won't die. You stay here. I'll go to Yin Mountain first! Remember to take your medicine on time!"
The National Teacher took out the Black Tortoise Pearl and tossed it to him. "Take the Black Tortoise Pearl, just in case!"
Qin Mu left a few bags of water and food, jumped onto Dragon Qilin's back, and sped away.
The National Teacher leaned against the large rock, tried to stand, but collapsed again, panting heavily. He smiled bitterly. "Injured like this again... Fortunately, that little bastard Qin Mu stuffed the Black Tortoise Pearl into True Heaven Old Mother's hand, and she didn't strike immediately. Otherwise, he really would have gotten me killed..."
He couldn't help but feel a lingering fear.
Qin Mu had repeatedly stuffed the Black Tortoise Pearl or the Azure Dragon Pearl into True Heaven Old Mother's hand to test her, never once considering that the National Teacher wasn't as powerful as Qin Mu had imagined.
That guy had absolute confidence in him—more than the National Teacher himself had. Staying by Qin Mu's side, the National Teacher found it extremely dangerous.
"At least the kid is gone now. Yin Mountain is dangerous, and following him would be even more so."
The National Teacher lay down and closed his eyes to rest. Just then, behind the large rock he was leaning against, the sand silently swirled and gathered, slowly forming a giant sand dune figure.
The National Teacher seemed unaware, snoring softly, but his eyes slowly opened.
He quietly raised his hand and pulled out the silver needle that Qin Mu had pierced into his brow.
It wasn't a silver needle. It was a sword—the Carefree Sword.
The National Teacher gripped the sword, squinted, and suddenly thrust it backward into the rock!
Behind the large rock, the sand giant smiled and lunged forward. Just then, the Carefree Sword pierced through the stone, driving into the sand giant's heart. With a loud bang, eight thousand sword lights burst from the sword, shooting out from inside the sand giant's body!
The Carefree Sword jingled as the eight thousand swords flew back, drops of divine blood dripping from their tips. The eight thousand swords merged back into a sword pellet the size of an orange.
The National Teacher leaned against the rock as the sword pellet circled around and flew before him.
"Thanks."
The National Teacher smiled and flicked his finger. The sword pellet whistled away, disappearing into the distant desert.
Behind the large rock, the sand giant slowly crumbled. Divine blood seeped from the sand, increasing and spreading in all directions.
Dragon Qilin carried Qin Mu eastward at full speed. Suddenly, Qin Mu raised his hand, and the sword pellet came whistling back, caught in his palm. Dragon Qilin's body lurched, nearly stumbling.
Qin Mu stored the sword pellet in his Taotie pouch and said with a smile, "True Heaven Old Mother is finally dealt with."
Dragon Qilin was startled and blurted out, "True Heaven Old Mother was still alive? But the flame patterns on your body disappeared, and the great fire in the desert went out! How could she still be alive?"
"That's where her cunning lies. She made us believe she was dead, and the National Teacher pretended to believe it too. But when the National Teacher gave me a wink, I turned the Carefree Sword into a silver needle and stuck it in his brow during treatment."
Qin Mu laughed. "The reason the National Teacher gave me the Black Tortoise Pearl was also to prevent it from falling into True Heaven Old Mother's hands, making her even harder to deal with. He had to make sure I took it away. Now, True Heaven Old Mother is truly dead. If you don't believe me, look back."
Dragon Qilin quickly turned his head and saw a vast red sea spreading rapidly behind them. It was an ocean of divine blood, devouring the desert. The red sea surged toward them, a terrifying sight!
Dragon Qilin immediately sprinted, running for over a hundred li before the red sea finally stopped expanding.
Dragon Qilin was horrified. "Did True Heaven Old Mother bleed that much?"
"Her divine blood has become mortal blood, so naturally there's more of it."
Qin Mu also looked back and saw rays of dawnlight shining above the red sea. On its shores, dense, lush vegetation was growing wildly. Even in this desolate desert, many tenacious lives were sprouting.
"People are the same. No matter how harsh the environment, they will always find a way to survive!"
He opened his Danxia Heavenly Eye and looked into the distance. The shattered sun ship had become islands in the red sea. The National Teacher had already climbed onto one of the islands, avoiding being submerged.
"Remember to take your medicine on time." Qin Mu waved from afar and urged Dragon Qilin to hurry on.
Banguo Gong stopped the bleeding from his wounds and sat on a leaf of a plant. The leaf carried him through wind and lightning toward the Great Ruins. By the time he arrived, three days had passed, and evening was approaching.
During those three days, he had healed his injuries, but his right calf, severed by Qin Mu, made movement difficult.
Banguo Gong looked around, his eyes lighting up as he followed a group of Great Ruins beasts, finally reaching a relic just before darkness fell.
Swoosh—
Banguo Gong raised his hand and severed the hind leg of a stag. The other beasts roared in threat.
Banguo Gong opened his Taotie pouch, and a swarm of soul insects flew out. He sneered, "You dare bully me? A bunch of beasts! I can't do anything to that Qin fellow, but killing you is easy!"
The other beasts, seeing the soul insects flying everywhere, dared not approach.
"The Great Venerable is quite impressive."
Suddenly, a voice came from deep within the relic, leisurely saying, "The Great Venerable of the Loulan Golden Palace, reduced to bullying beasts. How laughable."
"Who's there!"
Banguo Gong quickly attached the stag leg to his own severed leg, not bothering to align it properly, and stood up. A box flew out from the depths of the relic.
Bang.
The box opened. Two legs ran out, followed by two arms and half a torso, which assembled themselves into a headless body.
The headless body fumbled in the box, pulled out a head, and placed it on its neck.
"Great Venerable, don't you recognize an old friend?" The strange body turned its head, revealing a youthful face with rosy lips and white teeth, showing an eerie smile.
Banguo Gong's face turned ashen.