Chapter 540: You and I Are Fated (Third Update!)
Zhe Huali shouted, taking a step toward Qin Mu.
"I concede!"
From beyond the heavens, Fu Riluo's voice boomed like thunder: "Your saber technique is rigid and precise, built on calculation, but now your mind is in chaos. You'll only lose faster, die faster! Your close friend is dead—avenge him! Not avenging him and throwing away your own life instead is nothing but the act of a brute!"
Zhe Huali's face twisted, and suddenly his left hand drew his saber.
Outside the sandbox world, Fu Riluo frowned but did not intervene to stop Zhe Huali within the sandbox world.
This sandbox world was jointly created by him and the Woodcutter Saint. If he interfered, the Woodcutter on the opposite side would also interfere, leading to endless complications. He had no chance of winning.
The Woodcutter Saint had been summoned abruptly, disrupting his arrangements and plans, catching him off guard. Thus, he could only settle this with a wager. He could not break his own bet, or he risked losing everything.
He needed time.
Even though he greatly admired Zhe Huali—even if Zhe Huali had another master and he still regarded him as his own successor—for the sake of the demon race's great cause, no matter how much he admired Zhe Huali, he could only bear the pain of letting him go.
Zhe Huali's eyelids twitched. At the hilt of the demon saber in his hand, that demon eye grew increasingly eerie and unfathomable. The eye's gaze was not fixed on Qin Mu but on Zhe Huali's right arm.
Zhe Huali raised his right arm, the saber already lifted.
Qin Mu was right. He could not perfectly execute the divine saber technique of Luo Wushuang. To do so, he would need to sever his own right arm; otherwise, it would become a burden.
His purpose in descending to the mortal world this time was to find a solution—to wield the saber with both hands, to enter the Dao through his saber technique, and to step out of Luo Wushuang's shadow.
Qin Mu's sword strike earlier had been breathtakingly brilliant. He knew he could not have dodged it either. To defeat Qin Mu, he would have to sever his arm and unleash Luo Wushuang's saber technique to its fullest.
However, cutting off his own arm would mean he could never escape Luo Wushuang's saber technique, never find his own path into the Dao through the saber. It would mean severing his own path.
Zhe Huali's expression shifted between uncertainty and resolve. The saber light fell, cutting into the ground.
"I lost."
He dropped to his knees with a thud, not kneeling to Qin Mu or to Yu He and the others, but to the corpse of Jiang Yi.
Zhe Huali kowtowed, rose, and picked up Jiang Yi's body. Turning his head, he said, "I have seen your sword technique. I will not let my master see it, because I will personally slay you to avenge my close friend!"
Qin Mu's expression turned solemn. He nodded. "If that day ever comes, I will die without regret."
Zhe Huali strode away toward the wall of Li Fire. With a *shing*, the demon saber flew up, cleaving the fire wall open and carving a path. Zhe Huali walked into the fire wall, carrying Jiang Yi, and vanished.
Qin Mu's eyelids twitched. Zhe Huali's performance unsettled him.
Zhe Huali was no less formidable than him. The saber strike that had split the sea of fire was the pinnacle of subtlety and skill. His physical body, magical power, primordial spirit, and even the mastery of Dao techniques and divine abilities displayed in his saber technique were all on par with Qin Mu's. In fact, his physical body was still far superior.
Now, Zhe Huali was like Qin Mu after the crushing defeat by the First Human Sovereign—on the brink of collapse and transformation.
If he could break through and find his own path, just as Qin Mu had created the first form of the Calamity Sword, the Opening Calamity, he too would forge his own saber technique, break free from Luo Wushuang's shadow, and seek revenge on Qin Mu.
"Just now, when he turned and walked into the fire wall, if I had struck him with a sword, I could have finished him off... If it were Crippled Grandpa, he would have done it without a moment's hesitation!" Qin Mu's expression flickered with uncertainty.
Outside the sandbox world, the Black Tiger God accurately caught his expression and immediately grew excited, chattering: "Master, Master! Did you see that? This kid's eyelids twitch, his face changes, he's uncertain, and sometimes he even gasps out loud! Clearly, his mental cultivation is lacking—just so-so!"
The Woodcutter Saint shot him a glare, and the Black Tiger God's face changed drastically as he quickly bowed his head in submission.
The Woodcutter Saint reached out and grasped the handle of his divine axe. At the same time, Fu Riluo reached out and grasped his demon spear. Both of them pulled out their weapons simultaneously.
Inside the sandbox world, Qin Mu immediately sensed something was wrong. The space of the sandbox world began to collapse. The collapse originated from where the axe and spear had clashed, and the space continuously shrank, swallowing the towering mountains!
"Quick, get out!"
Without a word, Qin Mu grabbed Sang Hua. Brilliant runes appeared around him, spinning continuously. He hurriedly said, "Senior Sister Yu He, Senior Brother Shu Yao, come to me!"
Yu He and Shu Yao were still standing there, dazed, staring at him as if they hadn't snapped out of it.
Behind them, the collapsing space was rapidly approaching. Qin Mu gritted his teeth, activated his teleportation divine ability, and with a flash of light, he vanished with Sang Hua.
Yu He and Shu Yao finally came to their senses. They turned to look and their faces changed dramatically. They immediately leaped into the air. Yu He shouted, "Junior Brother Shu Yao, let's combine our strength to break through the fire wall and escape this place!"
The two moved at incredible speed, heading straight for the fire wall of the sandbox world. As they lifted their feet, they realized the danger. Their full-speed sprint was faster than sound, even faster than Qin Mu's top speed, but the space collapse was even faster!
The fire wall was right in front of them, yet no matter how fast they ran toward it, the distance between them and the fire wall never shrank by even a hair.
Not only did it not shrink, but the distance was actually growing, while the distance to the great collapse was getting closer and closer!
Cold sweat broke out on Yu He and Shu Yao's foreheads. The collapsing space contained the power of the collision between the Woodcutter Saint's divine axe and Fu Riluo's demon spear. That power had initially formed the sandbox world, turning a fifty-zhang-long, thirty-one-zhang-wide square into a vast world of towering mountains spanning a thousand li.
Now, as this world collapsed and crumbled, it would inevitably release the might generated by the divine axe and demon spear's clash!
This power was something they, as Seven Star realm cultivators, could never withstand. They would likely be vaporized instantly, their souls annihilated!
"That blacksmith Qin Mu just now called out to us—was he trying to take us with him?"
They now regretted it deeply. They had been so stunned by the brilliance of Qin Mu's sword strike that they had lost their wits and hadn't heard what he said. By the time they realized it, it was too late.
Just then, a flash of light appeared, and Qin Mu's figure suddenly materialized beside them. Countless runes swirled around them with a rustling sound, and light burst forth. Yu He and Shu Yao felt the world spin. When they steadied themselves and opened their eyes, they saw they were already outside the square.
"Go!"
Qin Mu shouted and sprinted forward. "Hide behind the main hall!"
Yu He and Shu Yao quickly followed him. The three of them swiftly rounded to the back of the main hall, where Sang Hua was already hiding. As soon as they were steady, Qin Mu immediately crouched down, closed his eyes, opened his mouth, and covered his ears. Seeing this, Sang Hua quickly did the same—closing her eyes, opening her mouth, and covering her ears.
Yu He and Shu Yao hadn't yet understood what was happening when a terrifying wave of energy erupted from the square. An incredibly bright light burst from both sides of the main hall. In an instant, their eyes were blinded by the flashing light, and by the time they closed their eyes, two streams of bloody tears were already flowing down their faces!
Then, the shockwave from the complete spatial collapse hit. Yu He and Shu Yao's bodies stretched rapidly, nearly pulling them into two strands of noodles.
A deafening roar came, and their ears suddenly heard nothing—an eerie silence!
Warm blood trickled from their ear canals.
On the main hall, the gods of the Imperial Heaven each unleashed their divine might, erecting a wall of divine light to block the energy from the spatial collapse. But even so, the two of them were tormented to the brink of death.
Meanwhile, Qin Mu and Sang Hua, who had crouched down, were unharmed. When the light faded and the shockwave passed, they closed their mouths, opened their eyes, and stood up.
Yu He and Shu Yao fell from the air with a *thump* and lay on the ground, unable to move. When they finally crawled up, their faces were covered in blood.
After a while, they still couldn't hear or see anything.
"Senior Sister and Senior Brother are too young. They've never experienced something like this."
Qin Mu shook his head, stepped forward to examine them, and said, "I've encountered similar situations before, when god-like experts fought beside me. I knew what would happen... They're not seriously hurt. I'll refine some medicine later to regrow their corneas and eardrums."
Sang Hua asked worriedly, "What happened to their eyes and ears?"
"Their corneas were burned, and their eardrums were torn. It's not a big problem."
Qin Mu rummaged through his Taotie pouch for medicinal herbs, saying, "If their eyes had burst or their ear bones had shattered, I wouldn't be able to fix that—their brains would already be cooked. Their corneas weren't completely burned away, and their eardrums only have small holes. They can still regenerate. Senior Sister Yu He and Senior Brother Shu Yao's physical bodies are indeed tough, even stronger than mine. If it had been me, my corneas would have been burned to nothing."
Sang Hua stuck out her tongue and looked around. Nearly half of the buildings in the divine city of Li City had been destroyed. Everywhere were collapsed houses and pavilions, and many demons were writhing on the ground in agony.
Fu Riluo pulled out his demon spear, and his three faces spoke in unison, their voices echoing through Li City: "A bet is a bet! All demon warriors, hear my command! Abandon the city! Junior Brother Pang Yu, lead everyone out of Li City!"
One by one, the demon gods received their orders and began to restrain the demons, preparing to withdraw.
"Heavenly Master, today is not a good opportunity to cross blows with you. Let's continue another day."
"Agreed, agreed."
Fu Riluo leaped down from the main hall and led his forces away. Qin Mu was refining medicine to treat Yu He and Shu Yao when he caught sight of Fu Riluo walking out from not far away. He quickly looked at him and was momentarily startled.
Fu Riluo's back of his head was covered in thick, curly black hair, with no fourth face. Amid the dense curls, two pointed ears stood straight up.
"He has three faces."
Qin Mu felt a weight lifted from his mind. Ever since he first saw Fu Riluo, he had wanted to know how many faces he had. He had been curious all along, and now he finally got his answer.
Fu Riluo sensed his gaze, twisted his neck, and revealed one of his faces. With a relaxed smile, he said leisurely, "You're called Qin Mu? The blacksmith Qin Mu?"
Qin Mu was about to speak when a figure flashed, and the Woodcutter Saint appeared in front of him, blocking Fu Riluo's view.
Qin Mu poked his head out from behind the Woodcutter Saint and laughed, "Yes, I'm Qin Mu. Greetings, Vajra Demon God."
"You understand demon language? 'Fu Riluo' does mean 'Vajra.'"
Fu Riluo nodded, his gaze profound. "You and I are fated. We will meet again."
With that, he twisted his neck back and strode away, saying, "Zhe Huali, follow me."
—Third update has arrived. *Sob* First place on the monthly ticket list for three days—this is the longest *The Legend of the Shepherd* has held on. Ah, there will be another update at midnight tonight!