Chapter 536: Black-Hearted Like a Demon (Second Update!)
"You were the slowest runner, and you fled through the air, landing here and exposing your position. Naturally, that would attract hunters."
The demonic expert watched the broken stones on the ground warily, yet his expression remained leisurely. "Moreover, among everyone here, you looked like the easiest target. How could I not come? But your strength truly surprised me..."
He surveyed the rubble, his pupils contracting slightly as his aura gradually unfurled. "You look easy to bully, but your strength is extremely formidable. You may not have the talent of a true god, but your power has reached that level. Your strength is no weaker than Shu Yao or Huang Yue's. I'm very curious—after your battle with Shi Quansong, how much strength do you have left? Is this peach easy to pick?"
A swarm of flying swords gently rose from the ground. Qin Mu straightened his back, panting heavily, but suddenly his breathing steadied, and he broke into a smile. "Ever since I became the Celestial Demon Sect Leader, it's been a long time since anyone dared say I looked easy to bully. If you want to pick this peach, why don't you come and try yourself?"
Just moments ago, he had been gasping like an ox, but now he seemed perfectly fine.
The demonic expert smiled. "Shi Quansong's strength is formidable—even I have to be cautious around him. Your desperate struggle with him must have left you seriously injured. You can suppress your aura, but you can't hide your wounds. But don't worry. If your strength is still strong enough to hurt me, I'll turn and leave to find someone else."
He glanced around, saying leisurely, "After all, there are countless other opponents hidden in these mountains. I need to conserve my strength to deal with them, right?"
His voice carried a seductive, bewitching tone, like a kind older brother genuinely concerned for Qin Mu's well-being. But Qin Mu's mind remained clear.
He himself was the Celestial Demon Sect Leader, though he often called himself the Heavenly Sage Sect Leader. The Celestial Demon Sect had many great experts who delved deeply into the demonic path, and the Great Nurturing Celestial Demon Sutra was extremely bizarre—it changed with the heart. If one harbored demonic nature, the sutra became demonic arts; if one harbored divine nature, it became righteous and upright.
As the Celestial Demon Sect Leader, Qin Mu wouldn't be fooled by his bewitching voice.
He didn't believe a single word from this demonic expert!
When the man said he'd turn and leave, or mentioned hidden opponents, it was all to make Qin Mu let his guard down. If he believed it, he'd be dead!
Qin Mu stood still, eight thousand swords scattered and floating around him in the formation of Sword Traversing Mountains and Rivers, ready to strike.
Suddenly, the demonic expert moved, charging straight at Qin Mu. The explosive energy of his body, akin to a young true god, was terrifying. Just as the power of Sword Traversing Mountains and Rivers began to unfold, he was about to burst through the formation.
Qin Mu roared, and Sword Traversing Mountains and Rivers locked onto his figure. But at that moment, the demonic expert pulled out a large banner, swept it against the sword light, and a large chunk of the mountain-and-river diagram vanished.
"A formation master!"
Qin Mu's heart jolted. The banner stabbed into the ground, its surface unfurling to reveal countless demonic patterns. The patterns spun, forming an eye.
The demonic expert retreated, leaped into the demonic eye, and disappeared. The power of Sword Traversing Mountains and Rivers erupted but couldn't harm the demonic banner—clearly, it was a rare treasure.
Qin Mu was about to summon the Carefree Sword to cut down the banner when the demonic expert appeared behind him. Qin Mu swung his sword backward, but another banner appeared, and the expert leaped into it, vanishing again, leaving only the banner stuck in the ground.
This repeated several times. Around Qin Mu, eight banners now stood, their surfaces unfurled and connected to the poles of the other banners, forming an octagonal array about an acre in size. At the center of each banner was an open demonic eye.
Qin Mu frowned. Suddenly, beams of demonic energy shot from each eye, blasting toward him.
His primal energy surged, instantly forming a faint, ethereal bell around him. The bell's walls were covered in countless intertwined thunder patterns—the Five Thunder Upholding Heaven Bell of the Five Ancestor Human Sovereign!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Loud crashes rang out as Qin Mu attacked from within the bell, countering the demonic energy. The Five Thunder Upholding Heaven Bell expanded and contracted, its power fluctuating, while the demonic banners spun around him, their demonic energy varying in thickness and intensity, pounding the bell and shaking Qin Mu's blood and qi into turmoil.
Qin Mu moved his feet, and the bell followed him, but the banners outside moved with him as well.
The Five Thunder Upholding Heaven Bell was the Five Ancestor Human Sovereign's ultimate technique—a physical divine ability mixed with thunder magic. The five thunders were the five cloud thunders, driven by a powerful body to activate them, forming bell patterns. Every punch and kick caused the five thunders to vibrate, the bell contracting and expanding, amplifying the power of the five cloud thunders. It was perfect for breaking demonic arts.
But now, Qin Mu couldn't break the demonic expert's technique.
Suddenly, Qin Mu's form shifted, transforming into the snake-bodied, human-headed form of the Town Star Lord. Behind him, the Gate of Undertaking appeared. He spun around, sweeping the Gate of Undertaking through the eight banners, but it was instantly shattered by beams of demonic energy.
The Gate of Undertaking failed to force the demonic expert's true body out.
"Open eyes!"
Array patterns spun in Qin Mu's eyes as he scanned in all directions, but he couldn't locate the demonic expert. He could only see fleeting shadows darting through the banners like ghosts.
Within the formation, the demonic energy that struck the bell didn't fully dissipate. Instead, it formed invisible threads that wove through the space, dividing it into many cubes. In each cube, demonic runes were continuously forming.
This was a formation master. The earlier attacks were just a feint—his real goal was to trap Qin Mu in his killing array and refine him!
That way, he could conserve his strength to deal with others.
He planned to kill Qin Mu with minimal effort.
Qin Mu's magical power far exceeded his peers, and his divine abilities were fierce and domineering. Few could force him into a defensive stance—only the First Ancestor Human Sovereign, the Village Chief, and a handful of other strong experts could suppress him at the same cultivation level. But this demonic expert was one of them.
The First Ancestor and the Village Chief were Dao-awakened experts, so their ability wasn't surprising. But this demonic expert was a young member of the demon race, and his formation mastery was profound.
"A formation, huh?"
Qin Mu suddenly dispelled the Five Thunder Upholding Heaven Bell, grabbed his sword pellet, and squeezed it hard. Countless fine flying swords flowed like water, coalescing into a large spear.
Looking closely, the silver spear was made of countless hair-thin flying swords, each performing the Coiling Sword technique. The spear tip was the Carefree Sword, incredibly sharp.
At the same time, various runes appeared around Qin Mu. They weren't powerful divine ability imprints but mathematical and numerical symbols—the Wuji Diagram, Taiji Diagram, Sun-Moon-Human runes, Five Elements runes, Six Harmonies array, Eight Trigrams array, Sixty-Four Hexagrams—all evolving and shifting to construct a heterogeneous spatial calculation system.
The runes flew and shifted rapidly, calculating the structure of the eight-banner formation. Countless symbols jumped and danced, their deduction speed dazzling.
Qin Mu's eyes were fixed. His body moved with the spear, which shot out like a dragon. Silver light danced everywhere, like silver flood dragons weaving through the eight-banner formation. Beams of demonic energy were pierced by his spear and shattered with a bang.
Suddenly, the eight banners shook and retracted. The demonic expert's formation was broken, revealing his true body. He rolled up the banners and fled, laughing, "Rare to meet someone skilled in arithmetic! You're strong—farewell!"
The banner wrapped around him, and the demonic expert vanished.
Qin Mu planted his spear on the ground, his aura unmatched. He didn't relax at all. After a moment, his aura plummeted sharply. He coughed up blood, panting heavily, and sat down on the ground.
Just then, the demonic expert appeared behind him like a ghost, thrusting his banner like a spear at Qin Mu, laughing, "You really have no strength left, so I'm back!"
A sinister smile spread across Qin Mu's face as he sat on the ground, back to the enemy. His spear split into two large blades, one in each hand—one forward, one reverse. The blade behind him precisely blocked the incoming banner, while the other was hidden against his chest.
Qin Mu spun while seated, and the blade at his chest clanged against the demonic expert's banner pole.
The demonic expert's heart jolted. The pole in his hands vibrated, numbing his arms.
"Know the killing move of the combat technique school?"
They were back-to-back, and the demonic expert heard Qin Mu's voice in his ear. Qin Mu's legs were still crossed, not touching the ground, as if he were being carried on the expert's back.
This was a trick the Butcher often played with Qin Mu when he had no legs, to test Qin Mu's "Draw the Blade and Leave the Forbidden" move.
Draw the Blade and Leave the Forbidden was the most dangerous move in the Butcher's blade technique!
The demonic expert's steps shifted, his body moving like a ghost at incredible speed, but he couldn't shake Qin Mu off. His speed was indeed faster, but with Qin Mu stuck to his back like glue, he couldn't break free.
The demonic expert's form changed repeatedly, his movement truly bizarre and unpredictable. Finally, he managed to shake Qin Mu off his back, feeling a surge of joy. He was now face-to-face with Qin Mu.
Then Qin Mu's voice came again: "What's your name?"
"My name is—"
Blade light flashed. Qin Mu raised his blade in a reverse grip. Before the demonic expert could finish his sentence, the power of Draw the Blade and Leave the Forbidden erupted.
"Sorry, I couldn't let you finish."
Qin Mu sheathed his blade. The two large swords in his hands flowed like quicksand, coalescing back into a sword pellet in his palm.
The demonic expert was disemboweled by that single strike, his corpse falling to the ground.
Qin Mu exhaled a turbid breath and shook his head. "If another expert comes, I'm dead."
He listened intently. The surrounding mountains were utterly silent. After another moment, Qin Mu said weakly, "If another expert comes, I'm dead."
The towering mountains remained still, with no response.
Gah—
Qin Mu spat out a mouthful of blood, collapsed to the ground, struggled twice, kicked his legs, and went still.
The mountains remained silent, with no response.
Qin Mu's face turned blue, his body stiff, his flesh hardening. Still, no response. After a while, he flipped back up, expression unchanged, and walked to the fire wall to forge flying swords with a clang.
A demonic woman raised her head from a mountaintop, glanced at him furtively, then retreated without looking back.
"That forging kid is more of a demon than I am—can't mess with him!" She sped away into the distance.
Meanwhile, in the mountains, Huang Yue stopped and looked up at a peak. A man stood there, a long blade on his back.
"Zhe Huali!"
—Second update here! Happy Lantern Festival, everyone~