Chapter 502: Beating Up the Patriarchs
On the bridge, the successive Human Sovereigns looked bewildered. The Village Chief had told them that the Overlord Body was a fabrication—a well-intentioned lie he invented to motivate Qin Mu, an ordinary mortal, to strive hard. They had believed it.
But now, Qi Kang the Human Sovereign, at the same cultivation level, had fallen behind from the very first clash, and afterward was completely on the receiving end of a beating. This didn’t seem like something an ordinary mortal could achieve through sheer effort!
Was it possible for a mortal, not even a spirit body, to reach the point of thrashing a Human Sovereign through personal hard work?
Thus, even they couldn’t help but doubt whether the Overlord Body truly existed in this world.
On the bridge, Yi Shan the Human Sovereign’s primordial qi formed a giant hand, raising a long, snow-white, jade-like finger to poke Qi Kang the Human Sovereign, who was drifting downstream.
Qi Kang the Human Sovereign lay sprawled on his back, eyes wide open staring at the sky, motionless. Poked twice, he sank into the water and then floated back up.
“My good disciple, have you been beaten into submission by your grand-disciple?” Yi Shan the Human Sovereign asked, suppressing a laugh.
“Old man, stop poking me and let me be quiet for a while.”
Qi Kang the Human Sovereign said irritably, “I’m stunned, not beaten into submission! I just want to be still for a moment and think about how I lost…”
Yi Shan the Human Sovereign laughed out loud, gloating: “You say you’re not beaten? You’re floating, aren’t you?”
Qi Kang the Human Sovereign turned over, lying face-down on the water in a spread-eagle position, his rear end pointing skyward, letting the current carry him away into the distance.
Qin Mu couldn’t help but worry and called out loudly, “Grand-master, don’t choke on the water!”
Yi Shan the Human Sovereign chuckled, “This kid always acts like this when he loses a fight. Don’t mind him. He’s wiping away tears and doesn’t want you to see.”
Qin Mu felt uneasy. Beating his grand-master until he lay crying in the river was somewhat unfilial. As a youth raised by the Village of Broken Elders, he had always respected his teachers and honored the Way. Of course, when the Cripple and the Mute fought him at the same cultivation level, they had also taken quite a few beatings from him.
“I might have been too heavy-handed. Grand-master, actually, your fist techniques are better than mine. I only won by relying on deeper cultivation to suppress you. Don’t be sad!”
Qin Mu jumped onto the bridgehead, leaned over the railing, and called out to Qi Kang, who was drifting away under the bridge: “I didn’t mean to hit so hard! When I saw your incredible skills, I couldn’t help but want to compete, so I went all out from the start. These days, I rarely use my full strength against opponents at the same level.”
He looked a bit desolate, a hint of melancholy in his voice: “After all, I am the Overlord Body. I had hoped to meet a worthy rival at the same level, but it turns out the skills of the various patriarchs and grand-masters are a bit lacking. But that’s not your fault!”
The successive Human Sovereigns on the bridge suppressed their anger as the young Human Sovereign showed a look of longing toward Qi Kang drifting under the bridge, saying, “If only the patriarchs and grand-master had lived in the same era as me. If you had been born in my time and progressed alongside me, we could have truly competed. It’s a pity you lived in ancient times and missed the era of the Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor and my reforms, so your divine techniques and Dao methods are outdated…”
Several of the old patriarchs clenched their fists, the joints cracking, barely restraining themselves from erupting in fury.
Lan Po the Human Sovereign smiled, grinding her teeth audibly in a chilling manner.
This brat spoke humbly, but every word could enrage the living and anger the dead, making one want to pin him down and beat him to a pulp!
“Qin Overlord Body, just because you defeated that kid Qi Kang doesn’t mean you can claim our Dao methods and divine techniques are outdated.”
Yi Shan the Human Sovereign’s tone was stiff, though he forced a pleasant expression: “Come, come, let me teach you what a divine technique really is!”
Qin Mu showed a troubled expression, turning to look at this grand-master, who was only about five feet tall: “Patriarch, you follow the path of divine techniques, and your techniques are very strong. But so close to me, you’ve already died one, two, three, four… sixteen or seventeen times.”
Yi Shan the Human Sovereign was furious, a ball of lightning crackling in his hand as he barely resisted the urge to smite this brat.
“At this distance, even a Heavenly Being realm expert wouldn’t last a single move against me.”
Qin Mu continued, seemingly oblivious, “Patriarch, you cultivate divine techniques and enter the Dao through them, but focusing on techniques neglects physical combat. So close to me, in the time it takes you to say one sentence, I could kill you twenty or thirty times.”
Yi Shan the Human Sovereign nearly spat blood, his face turning ashen. He turned and leaped off the bridge, a cloud of mist forming beneath his feet to support his short, stout body as he flew away, fuming: “Arrogant brat! I’ll create some distance first, then fight!”
The cloud beneath him skimmed the river surface, speeding upstream. After traveling five or six li, Yi Shan the Human Sovereign felt this distance was about right.
But then he remembered Qin Mu’s swift sword techniques and thought this distance wasn’t safe either, so he went another three li. Then he recalled Qin Mu’s incredible speed, how he had easily caught up to Qi Kang on the river, so he went another two li.
“I can’t retreat any further. If I do, they’ll see I’m scared of losing to my great-grand-disciple…”
He looked back. The distance was so great that the bridge had become a thin line, with Qin Mu and the others as dots on it.
Yi Shan the Human Sovereign’s face flushed slightly. Running this far indeed showed his fear.
“Come down here!” Yi Shan the Human Sovereign shouted, his face red but his voice full of vigor, just like Qi Kang the Human Sovereign.
On the bridge, the Second Patriarch called out loudly, “Yi Shan, you forgot to seal your divine repositories!”
Yi Shan the Human Sovereign’s face reddened again. He had been so nervous that he forgot to seal his Heavenly Being Life-and-Death and Divine Bridge repositories. He quickly sealed these three major repositories and then shouted with renewed spirit, “Come down here!”
Thump.
Qin Mu landed on the river surface.
“Linked Walls and Dotting Azure Mountains!”
Yi Shan the Human Sovereign struck first. His wide sleeves billowed as his plump fingers danced within them. Instantly, from beneath his feet, the river surface for over ten li began to explode continuously. The great waters transformed into azure mountains, peaks upon peaks, rumbling as they rose!
The great river became azure mountains, appearing as a charming landscape, but this was a divine technique, concealing deadly intent!
Having entered the Dao through divine techniques, his methods differed from others’. His techniques wouldn’t unleash their power unless triggered. Anyone within his technique would face catastrophic destruction at the slightest movement!
The rapidly rising azure mountains reached Qin Mu by the bridge in an instant, making him excited again. Every particle of his primordial qi trembled and vibrated, far more active than usual!
“This is… the source of the Village Chief’s Sword Diagram’s first move! The Village Chief’s ‘Sword Treading Mountains and Rivers’ was derived from this move of Patriarch Yi Shan’s. From divine technique to sword art, the Village Chief is truly a genius!”
Qin Mu was ecstatic and couldn’t help but let out a long, resonant cry: “True Dragon Overlord Body!”
He was too excited!
He had suffered many defeats from the Village Chief’s “Sword Treading Mountains and Rivers.” When he first learned this move, he lost repeatedly to the Village Chief. Now, his vision and knowledge were far beyond what they had been back then. Yet, facing the origin of “Sword Treading Mountains and Rivers,” it felt like he was back to sparring with the Village Chief.
In his excitement, he involuntarily activated the True Dragon Overlord Body. His primordial qi surged mightily, each strand overflowing from his body taking on a different dragon form.
The True Dragon Overlord Body was the strongest physical divine technique he had comprehended by combining the dragon race’s cultivation methods from the True Dragon Nest with the Overlord Body Three-Dan Technique. His primordial qi transformed into dragon essence, vibrating the surrounding space and forming various strange dragon-shaped patterns, like talismans and incantations, constantly lighting up on his skin!
Using a physical divine technique to counter magical divine techniques!
Qin Mu charged straight ahead, trampling over mountains and rivers, heading directly for Yi Shan the Human Sovereign over ten li away!
Boom, boom, boom!
His fists and feet moved with great force. With every motion, dozens or hundreds of true dragons swirled around him, their roars echoing mightily, shattering the mountains and rivers. No matter how Yi Shan the Human Sovereign’s divine techniques bombarded him, they couldn’t break through his True Dragon Overlord Body’s defense.
Yi Shan the Human Sovereign’s expression changed drastically. This brat was so formidable, using his physical body to break divine techniques! He quickly changed his techniques, frantically blasting at Qin Mu, thinking, “Let’s see how you break through! If you charge in, you’ll just be taking hits!”
One azure mountain after another collapsed, turning into splashing waves. On the bridge, the successive Human Sovereigns felt the surging battle intent from Qin Mu’s body. The fierce wind pressed against their faces, billowing their clothes backward.
“This physical divine technique is even stronger than yours, Second Patriarch.”
The Third Patriarch said solemnly, “Tuoyu (pronounced tuo), you are a master of formation calculations and unparalleled in mathematical arts. Can you calculate his weaknesses?”
In Tuoyu the Human Sovereign’s eyes, countless formation patterns flickered on and off as he frantically calculated the various dragon-pattern arrays during Qin Mu’s movement. Through these arrays, he calculated the changes in the dragon patterns on his skin, and from those, the flow of primordial qi, muscle movement, and power transmission within his body.
Then he calculated the path of Qin Mu’s cultivation technique, the trajectory of his primordial qi within his divine repositories.
The computational load was immense and complex, yet Tuoyu the Human Sovereign remained calm and composed, with plenty of energy to spare.
He was the greatest formation master of his era, whose mathematical prowess had once awed the Daoist Sect Leader of his time. During the Daoist debates, he had won the submission of the entire Daoist sect!
At this moment, the successive Human Sovereigns on the bridge all recognized Qin Mu’s strength. They knew that at the same cultivation level, they would likely be beaten by him too. Losing was one thing, but losing face was another.
So they had to let Tuoyu the Human Sovereign calculate Qin Mu’s weaknesses first, to seize the chance to win.
It was a necessary move.
“He has a weakness.”
Tuoyu the Human Sovereign’s eyes lit up. Below, Qin Mu was unstoppable, breaking through Yi Shan the Human Sovereign’s divine techniques like a bamboo splitter. His body moved like an angry dragon or a galloping horse, charging straight at Yi Shan the Human Sovereign.
Tuoyu the Human Sovereign said solemnly, “His weakness is at the philtrum. Wait, it’s shifted—now it’s on his left shoulder. Now it’s moved to his back…”
“Where exactly is it?”
Lan Po the Human Sovereign said angrily, “Great-grand-master, can you do it or not?”
Tuoyu was about to speak when below, Yi Shan the Human Sovereign pointed a finger, unleashing his strongest divine technique, the God-Sealing Finger, drawing everyone’s attention.
The God-Sealing Finger sealed the primordial spirit and primordial qi, attacking the soul and spirit. It was a technique Yi Shan the Human Sovereign used to resist the gods of the heavens, and it had achieved many victories!
As he pointed, no waves rose, no wind stirred. Qin Mu had already reached him, the two separated by about a li. But this strike almost instantly reached Qin Mu’s brow, leaving him barely any time to react!
“Excellent!”
Everyone on the bridge praised in unison: “A godly finger! Let’s see how the little Overlord Body acts arrogant now!”
At that moment, Qin Mu’s brow split open. Within the split brow, a small spirit embryo appeared. The spirit embryo condensed with the soul and primordial spirit into a single divine spirit. In the divine spirit’s eyes, layers of formation patterns spun wildly, galaxies coiled around, and a great sun erupted. Two beams of light shot out with a hum. One beam shattered Yi Shan the Human Sovereign’s God-Sealing Finger like a whirlwind!
Such a powerful divine spirit left everyone on the bridge dumbfounded. The other beam of light struck Yi Shan the Human Sovereign’s chest with a hum, directly breaking through his protective divine technique, creating a flaw in his defense.
“Sword Treading Mountains and Rivers!”
Qin Mu’s dragon-like primordial qi suddenly transformed into countless flying swords, engulfing Yi Shan the Human Sovereign in midair. Ten thousand swords formed majestic mountains and rivers. With a thunderous boom, Yi Shan the Human Sovereign was covered in swords and fell into the river.
“One Sword Opens the Imperial Blood into a Vast Ocean!”
Suddenly, the ten thousand swords merged. The long river seemed to turn to blood, revealing the terrifying scene of countless gods and demons being beheaded, their blood flowing so thick it floated shields.
Qin Mu turned sideways and swung his sword down. In the bloody ocean, Yi Shan the Human Sovereign floated up and drifted downstream.
After a moment, the vision of this sword strike faded, and the river water cleared. Qin Mu watched Yi Shan the Human Sovereign drift past him, his face full of resentment. This white-haired, fat old man stared at him with a look of dying with eyes wide open.
Qin Mu scratched his head and ventured, “Patriarch Yi Shan…”
With a splash, Yi Shan the Human Sovereign flipped over, face-down on the water, his rear end pointing skyward, drifting away silently.
“Found it!”
Tuoyu the Human Sovereign’s eyes lit up, and he said joyfully, “His weakness is at the dantian, the third vertebra from the bottom of his spine! That’s the origin of his weakness!”
“I’ll go beat this brat to death!”
Lan Po eagerly jumped off the bridge with her basket, heading straight for Qin Mu, laughing, “Little Qin, let Granny show you some spirit weapons!”
Tuoyu the Human Sovereign hesitated, feeling he might have made a mistake. Suddenly, he slapped his forehead and exclaimed, “I was wrong! He only has three divine repositories, not four! He merged the Six Harmonies Divine Repository with the Seven Stars Divine Repository! One change affects the whole body. I calculated based on the movement path of four divine repositories, so the weakness I found is completely off from the real one…”
“Stop talking!”
The surging river calmed down. Under the bridge, Lan Po the Human Sovereign drifted through the bridge opening, her basket of various spirit weapons in disarray. Her face was full of resentment, and she ground her teeth, saying, “Great-grand-master, don’t say another word. As soon as I made my move, I knew your calculations were wrong!”
Tuoyu’s face reddened, and he said to the other Human Sovereigns on the bridge, “I won’t make a mistake this time… What’s with that look? I really won’t make a mistake this time!”
—— Over three thousand eight hundred words. Wishing all readers a happy New Year in advance!