Chapter 542: In Accordance with the Heavenly Dao (Second Update!)
Although he had taken out the jade pendant, he did not remove it. He hesitated and said, "The King of Hell said this jade pendant is used to suppress the demonic nature within me. It cannot be shown to others lightly. If it leaves my body for too long, something bad will happen."
The Woodcutter Sage shook his head. "With me by your side, what bad things could possibly happen? At most, some petty tricks like curses or lightning strikes—nothing I would concern myself with."
Qin Mu gritted his teeth and removed the jade pendant, thinking to himself, *Before, when I took off the pendant to show the villagers and to show Sister Jing, nothing bad ever happened. This time should be the same.*
The Woodcutter Sage took the jade pendant and gazed at it intently, nodding. "Indeed, it is a jade pendant from the Kaihuang lineage. Hmm, this pendant is not exactly the same as those from the Kaihuang lineage. There is a deeper spatial layer within that contains a peculiar sealing formation. This formation should be used to seal something. Could it be the formation sealing your demonic nature?"
Qin Mu said, "Someone brought me out of the Netherworld and into the Great Ruins. I was found by Granny Si, who lived in the Great Ruins. Aside from the basket and swaddling clothes, there was only this jade pendant. The person who sent me here died of severe injuries..."
His expression darkened as he continued, "Granny Si is the Saintess of my Celestial Demon Sect. She raised me to adulthood. This jade pendant has always been worn on me. Granny Si and the others never discovered its other functions. They said the pendant could repel the darkness of the Great Ruins, but only protect infants. Later, our village chief discovered that the pendant had a function—it could guide us to the Land of No Worries. However, it turned out to be a trap. The pendant led me to Fengdu, where we were ambushed by demon gods outside the city."
"There are indeed more secrets within this jade pendant."
The Woodcutter Sage toyed with the pendant, a strange gleam in his eyes. "The pendant not only guides you to the Land of No Worries but also to the Netherworld. This is because the pendant was forged in the Netherworld, and the one who forged it was extremely powerful—more powerful than me. Strange, what could such a strong seal be meant to contain?"
His gaze grew deep, curiosity stirring within him. "If I suppress the sealing formation within the pendant, I can find out what it is meant to seal..."
Qin Mu also felt a sense of anticipation. Last time in Fengdu, the King of Hell had tried the same thing, but Qin Mu had lost consciousness and never saw what happened afterward.
He was also very curious about what the pendant was sealing and what would happen if the seal were broken.
The Woodcutter Sage looked at his expectant expression, pinched the pendant, and pondered for a moment. In the end, he still stuffed it back into Qin Mu's hand.
Qin Mu was puzzled.
"The one who forged this pendant is very powerful, likely an extremely strong existence in the Netherworld. The Netherworld has always been mysterious, and few have been able to explore its true nature. Even Kaihuang didn't know how many experts were hidden within."
The Woodcutter Sage said, "This pendant being placed on you must have a deeper meaning. I think it's best not to probe into it. Since the King of Hell said you should never let the pendant leave your body, then follow his instructions."
He too was curious about what would happen if the seal were broken, but he held back.
Qin Mu had no choice but to put the pendant away and hang it back around his neck.
By now, quite a few cultivator armies from the Grand Imperial Heaven had entered Li City, repairing damaged buildings and fortifying the city defenses. Qin Mu looked around but didn't see any True Essence Cannons or Sun-Shooting Divine Cannons.
Although the cultivators of the Grand Imperial Heaven were powerful in cultivation—far stronger than those of Yankang—they were very poor at mathematical calculations. Weapons like the True Essence Cannon required a high level of mathematical skill, which they couldn't produce.
Even if Qin Mu drew up blueprints for the True Essence Cannon or Sun-Shooting Divine Cannon and handed them over, they probably wouldn't be able to manufacture them. Only Yankang, with its countless cultivators skilled in mathematics, could create such things.
"How did you come to the Grand Imperial Heaven?" the Woodcutter Sage asked.
Qin Mu explained how he had modified the blood sacrifice ritual, swapped himself with a demon general, and teleported to the Grand Imperial Heaven. The Woodcutter Sage shook his head. "What nonsense. Swapping yourself into the enemy camp—aren't you afraid of dying?"
Qin Mu took a deep breath and said solemnly, "To defeat the First Ancestor Human Sovereign, it was worth the risk! Please, Saintly Teacher, teach me the method to become a young true god!"
The Woodcutter Sage was momentarily taken aback, then said, "You want to become a young true god and then defeat that deserter from the Human Sovereign Hall?"
Qin Mu nodded firmly.
The Woodcutter Sage smiled. "Do you know his background?"
Qin Mu looked confused.
"He shares your surname, Qin, and he was also my disciple. Futuoluo calls me the Celestial Teacher—a teacher in accordance with the Heavenly Dao, a teacher of the Son of Heaven. In truth, I was just a tutor. Back then, I was ordered by Kaihuang to teach the imperial princes, and among them was that deserter from the Human Sovereign Hall."
The Woodcutter Sage walked toward the eastern city gate of Li City, reminiscing as his gaze grew distant. "That imperial prince was indeed extraordinary in talent and high in comprehension. But when the catastrophe erupted and the Heavenly Court fell from the sky during the great battle, he fled in fear of death. However, by chance, he saved some races and was honored as the Human Sovereign. I survived as well. He came to see me several times, but I refused to meet him. Later, I turned myself into a stone statue, let my primordial spirit roam, and searched for answers, so I never saw him again. It will be very difficult for you to defeat him."
Qin Mu clenched his fists and shouted, "But the Saintly Teacher must have a way, right?"
The Woodcutter Sage climbed the high city tower. Because it needed to defend against demon invasions, the tower was built very tall, and climbing it felt like scaling a mountain.
"I taught him. Among all the imperial princes I taught, he had the best talent and comprehension. He learned any divine ability as soon as he was taught, understood it with a single hint, and grasped a hundred insights from one. He respected his teacher and valued the Dao. Although I disdain him for being a deserter, I still greatly admire him. If you want to surpass him, relying on me to teach you won't work."
The Woodcutter Sage climbed step by step like an ordinary mortal, using no divine abilities. "I was Kaihuang's tutor. Though I bear the title of Celestial Teacher, in terms of combat power, I was not the strongest in the Kaihuang era. On the contrary, my combat ability was only middling. If I teach you, you won't surpass that deserter. Moreover..."
He smiled. "Haven't I already taught you?"
Qin Mu was stunned. He was referring to the scripture transmission on the stone. Strictly speaking, the Woodcutter Sage had indeed already taught Qin Mu, but Qin Mu felt unsatisfied with this kind of teaching.
The Woodcutter Sage clearly had even more powerful divine abilities. In the battlefield, when Qin Mu encountered Fuyu Xiao and was nearly killed, the Woodcutter Sage casually used a technique that Qin Mu learned, allowing him to escape.
Since he had such powerful divine abilities, why was he unwilling to teach them?
Qin Mu wanted to learn the techniques and cultivation methods that would allow him to become a young true god, to unify his body and soul, to reach a level in the same realm that surpassed the First Ancestor Human Sovereign, to pin him down in the mud, beat him until he coughed blood, broke bones, and tendons, made him kneel and beg for mercy, and forced him to kowtow and apologize to all the past human sovereigns!
"If I teach you my divine abilities, you won't use your own mind to comprehend and create the Calamity Sword. The Calamity Sword is exquisite—I couldn't have taught you that."
The Woodcutter Sage reached the top of the tower, sat down, and patted the steps beside him, signaling Qin Mu to sit as well.
Qin Mu sat down. The steps in front of the tower were cold.
He glanced back and saw the Black Tiger God standing below the tower, not coming up.
"All the divine abilities I know are hidden within the scriptures. If you comprehend them with your heart, you can obtain the techniques you want to learn. That scripture was actually passed down to me by Kaihuang. I learned too many things, too mixed. Even after receiving Kaihuang's supreme teachings, I couldn't advance further. My level as a god or demon could only be considered middling."
The Woodcutter Sage said, "Later, I realized that learning too much isn't necessarily a good thing. Come, watch the sunrise."
"Sunrise?"
Qin Mu's eyelids twitched. He looked up and saw a broken sun in the sky slowly emitting red light. The twisted sun was truly dazzling.
His face turned green, and he quickly averted his gaze, suppressing the impulse within him. Beside him, the Woodcutter Sage's face also gradually turned green, and he lowered his head, not looking anymore.
The sunrise in the Grand Imperial Heaven made both of them feel as if they were sitting on pins and needles, restless and uncomfortable.
Qin Mu was the Celestial Demon Sect's leader, skilled in mathematics, and had studied carpentry with Master Ma. He was meticulous about architecture. Even the furniture Granny Si made herself, Qin Mu would modify. How much more unbearable was the sun in the sky?
The Celestial Demon Sect also had a Craft Hall and a Heavenly Works Hall, both of which had strict requirements for craftsmanship. These halls were derived from the Great Cultivation Celestial Demon Scripture, extending from the mathematical and technical skills within the scripture. The Great Cultivation Celestial Demon Scripture was passed down by the Woodcutter Sage, so it was easy to imagine that the Woodcutter Sage must have had astonishing mathematical skill.
The cultivators of the Grand Imperial Heaven were very proud. The sun in the sky was forged by their gods, but to the two of them, it was an eyesore.
In the sky, another complete sun gradually brightened. Both suns hung motionless in the air.
The Woodcutter Sage's eyelids twitched, and he tried not to look up. "The people of the Grand Imperial Heaven have completely abandoned craftsmanship!"
"The god who forged the sun is said to be called the Sun-Creating Deity," Qin Mu said, lowering his head.
"Pah! What Sun-Creating Deity? I know that guy. He was originally a cook in the Heavenly Court!"
Qin Mu was stunned.
The Woodcutter Sage stood up and said, "The method to become a young true god—you comprehend it yourself. That will be better than me teaching you. What I teach is ultimately my own. What you comprehend will be most suitable for you. I have led you through the door. The rest of the path, you must walk and continue on your own."
He looked into the distance. To the south, west, and north of Li City, demonic energy surged like giant cauldrons covering the sky and earth. He said, "My purpose in coming to the Grand Imperial Heaven this time is only to stop the demons from performing a blood sacrifice on this realm. Futuoluo is a wise general among the demons. He retreated this time because he didn't have enough strength to deal with my sudden arrival. When he comes next time, it will be a cataclysmic strike!"
Qin Mu's heart leaped, and he quickly asked, "Can the Grand Imperial Heaven withstand it?"
*Boom!*
The earth trembled. Qin Mu quickly looked toward the source of the sound. In the distant battlefield, many cultivators of the Grand Imperial Heaven were piling up the bodies of fallen demons and humans into mountains of corpses.
Suddenly, the ground split open, and a massive altar slowly rose from the depths. The light of a blood sacrifice flickered, and a red beam shot into the sky. Within the red light, a tall stone statue appeared on the altar.
*Boom! Boom!* One after another, violent tremors came from the battlefield as more altars emerged. From afar, they looked like many "pyramids" with their tops cut off.
On these tower-like altars, beams of red light shot into the sky, and stone statues appeared on each one!
Qin Mu's heart surged with excitement. He looked up at the Woodcutter Sage, awaiting his answer.
"It can't withstand it."
The Woodcutter Sage poured cold water on him. "It can only buy some time."
——The second update has arrived! Thank you to all the new alliance leaders for your generous tips. Last night, when I opened Qidian, I saw one pop-up after another. I was so excited! Thank you, everyone!