Chapter 548: The Bound Sun in the Flames (Second Update!)
"Why run?"
Before Shu Yao, Yu He, and the others could grasp his meaning, the Black Tiger God's ears suddenly perked up. He raised his head to examine the altar under construction.
Around the altar, the demon soldiers heard Qin Mu's shout and showed puzzled expressions. The Celestial Realm demon commander barked a few orders, sending several demons to investigate.
Those demons sprinted toward them. One opened a black jar, and countless buzzing insects flew out, expanding to two feet in size.
The Black Tiger God's ears folded back again, confused. "Run from what? These demons aren't hard for you to handle. That Celestial Realm commander might be tricky, but not unbeatable."
Cold sweat broke out on Qin Mu's forehead. The mirror in his hands felt heavier and heavier, as if he were holding up a mountain. Inside the mirror, Bound Sun was about to step out!
"Bound Sun! Bound Sun is right next to that altar!"
His voice turned hoarse. "Can't you see him? He's walking over here!"
The group tensed, quickly scanning their surroundings. Yu He asked, puzzled, "Where is Bound Sun?"
The Black Tiger God warily looked around, swiveling his ears in all directions to listen. He shook his head. "No trace of Bound Sun. Are you losing your mind? Bound Sun is the demon commander. Why would he leave his main camp to come to a remote place like this?"
The mirror in Qin Mu's hands grew unbearably heavy and crashed to the ground. He shouted desperately, "Can't you see Bound Sun in the mirror? He just came out of that altar and appeared in the mirror!"
Everyone hurriedly looked at the mirror, shaking their heads. "Chieftain, there's nothing in the mirror. Your eyes must be playing tricks on you."
Shu Yao quickly said, "The enemy is almost here! Prepare to fight!"
The Black Tiger God also looked at the bright mirror, his expression grave. He didn't see Bound Sun in it either, but he sensed something was wrong.
Qin Mu's strength might not match Yu He's or Shu Yao's, and he was slightly weaker than Sang Hua, but he should never have been unable to lift that mirror!
The mirror hitting the ground meant it had become heavier than Qin Mu could handle.
That was impossible!
The Black Tiger God walked toward the mirror, his voice low. "There really is no trace of Bound Sun near the altar. Did you truly see him in the mirror?"
Qin Mu's eyes remained fixed on the mirror, as if he couldn't look away. Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead. Though the mirror had fallen, it didn't lie flat—it stood upright before him, as if held in place by some unseen force.
The Black Tiger God peered into the mirror. There was no Bound Sun, only Qin Mu's reflection.
His heart jolted. He quickly moved to the mirror's other side and looked into Qin Mu's eyes.
Qin Mu still stared rigidly at the mirror, terror in his gaze. Yet in each of his pupils, a figure appeared, growing larger until it filled his eyes.
The Black Tiger God finally saw the figure's face—three faces, unmistakably the true demon commander, Bound Sun!
"Damn it! Bound Sun isn't in the mirror—he's in your eyes! You made eye contact with him before!"
The Black Tiger God's face twisted in alarm. Realizing the danger, he punched toward the mirror with one hand while reaching for Qin Mu with the other, shouting, "Don't look at the mirror! He's using your eyes and the mirror's reflection to manifest himself!"
At that moment, a pair of black hands shot out from the mirror in front of Qin Mu, grabbing his shoulders. Qin Mu was yanked into the mirror like a paper cutout.
The Black Tiger God's fist was about to shatter the mirror, but he pulled back, his other hand grasping empty air.
He spun the mirror around. Inside, it was empty—only the black hands and Qin Mu, rapidly shrinking into the distance.
The Black Tiger God leaped toward the mirror. Just as he was about to pass through, a sharp *crack* rang out, and the mirror shattered into pieces.
He scrambled up, dazed and lost.
Yu He, Shu Yao, and the others had been preparing to fight, but they froze at the sight. However, the enemy was already upon them, so they had no choice but to engage.
"Bound Sun planned to capture Junior Brother long ago. Back in Li City, when that bastard locked eyes with Qin Junior Brother, he planted his demon technique in his eyes..."
The Black Tiger God's forehead streamed with sweat. Bound Sun's demon technique had to be so subtle that it could fool the Woodcutter Sage, True God Pang Yu, and other terrifying beings. That meant the technique had no power of its own.
In other words, Bound Sun had merely imprinted his shadow deep in Qin Mu's eyes. That shadow had no strength at all—only then could it evade the notice of the Woodcutter Sage and the other deities!
Only when Qin Mu entered demon territory and absorbed the demonic energy there would the shadow emerge.
The shadow grew stronger by absorbing demonic energy, gaining power, but it still wasn't enough to capture Qin Mu.
Because the shadow was just a brand in Qin Mu's eyes, and the Bound Sun within that brand was reversed—mirroring the real Bound Sun, with everything flipped: organs, divine technique imprints, even the smallest particles.
Only when Qin Mu held up a mirror and looked into it would the Bound Sun in his pupils appear correctly oriented. At that moment, Bound Sun could unleash his techniques, making it possible to abduct Qin Mu.
Qin Mu entering demon territory and raising the mirror—that action triggered Bound Sun's technique.
"If I'd noticed sooner..."
The Black Tiger God's sweat poured like rain, his eyelids like two waterfalls. "This time, it's not Qin Junior Brother causing trouble—it's me! Losing Qin Junior Brother... how do I explain this to the master? I'm finished!"
Qin Mu looked around. He stood in an impossibly vast, desolate wasteland. In the sky hung several enormous planets, some near, some far—broken, barren, silent.
He was in a great marsh, standing on the water's surface. In the distance, flames flickered, burning atop the water. He had no idea where he was.
All around, drifting demonic energy swirled like mist over a swamp.
"Bound Sun!"
Qin Mu called out loudly. "You're a senior. Since you've captured me, why not show yourself and talk?"
No sound answered him. It seemed he was alone.
Frowning, Qin Mu walked forward. *Crunch.* He looked down—he had stepped on a rotting corpse. Judging by its attire and build, it was a demon, dead for who knows how long.
He paused and looked ahead. The marsh was littered with floating corpses—demon corpses, countless in number. Demonic fire burned on them. Broken wood and thatch drifted on the water, remnants of collapsed buildings.
There was no sun in the sky, only those shattered planets.
Suddenly, streaks of fire tore across the sky—hundreds of them, heading straight for him. They were fragments of broken planets, each as large as a mountain, crashing down toward him!
Qin Mu tried to dodge, but it was too late.
*Boom!*
Thunderous impacts erupted. A terrifying wave of flame surged toward him like a tidal wave, carrying a hurricane that engulfed and swallowed him.
Qin Mu stood amid the flames and wind, unharmed. The devastating shockwaves rolled in wave after wave, but as they reached him, a strange force repelled them. However, the corpses in the marsh were utterly destroyed in the cataclysm, turning to ash and scattering in the wind.
The marsh instantly dried and cracked. Before Qin Mu could recover, he stared blankly ahead. A broken planet passed overhead, triggering a monstrous tide.
With a thunderous roar, a wave taller than Mount Sumeru rolled toward him, crushing everything. The ground split apart under the alien planet's pull, and massive volcanoes erupted, spewing pillars of magma that connected earth and sky.
Lightning flashed and thunder boomed. Then Qin Mu saw thousands of volcanic pillars flattened by the wave, countless bolts of lightning swallowed by it. The wave bore down on him—an unstoppable force of nature!
Qin Mu resigned himself to his fate. But strangely, when the earth-shattering wave reached him, it was deflected by that same mysterious force, splitting apart without harming him.
The planet shifted in the sky. After the wave passed, everything calmed, and a new swamp formed. From nowhere, many shattered demon corpses floated on the water.
"A strange place..."
Qin Mu steadied himself and walked forward. He was certain Bound Sun had taken him, but Bound Sun hadn't killed him. Instead, he'd been dumped here—there must be a purpose.
He moved swiftly, faster than ever before. Along the way, he endured several more terrifying natural disasters: tides, earthquakes, thunderstorms, volcanoes, planetary fragments—all ravaging this world.
"Honored King!"
Suddenly, a demon god descended from the sky, bowing. "Honored King, the altar is complete. Please give your orders."
Qin Mu was startled, but the demon god treated him with utmost respect, as if unaware he was human.
"Hmm." Qin Mu answered vaguely. "Lead the way."
The demon god guided him. Before long, they arrived at a vast city complex. Thousands of towering pyramid-shaped altars, each as high as a mountain, stood tall. Demon gods stood atop them, while countless demons knelt on the stone steps, awaiting sacrifice.
"Honored King, our world cannot hold out much longer. Please give the order!"
The demon gods looked at him with fervent eyes. Qin Mu nodded, bewildered.
The countless demons kneeling on the steps raised their blades and cut off their own heads. Blood drenched the altars.
Voices rose in unison—demonic language. Qin Mu had learned it and could understand what the demons and demon gods were saying.
They were performing a sacrifice, praying, offering themselves to find a path for the demon descendants of this dying world—a world where they could survive.
Amid the resonant, drawn-out chants, the towering pyramid altars blazed with light. Pillars of light shot into the sky, tearing it open, ripping apart the barrier between this world and another. The sky burned like a membrane.
The membrane peeled away irregularly, revealing the true face of the other world.
Qin Mu looked up.
It was...
Supreme Heaven.
He lowered his head, gazing at the water's surface. It was like a mirror, reflecting his face.
The reflection showed him with three faces, ears growing behind his head, pointed at the tips.
He was the ruler of this dying world, the Honored King of the demons.
Bound Sun.
Qin Mu looked up. The magnificent, tragic scene before him—grand and sorrowful—faded like a painting, yellowing and burning.
In the flames, Bound Sun, with his three faces, walked toward him, bathed in fire.
Second update is here! Recommending the book *Struggle for the Great Way*, by the author Mistaken Pathfinder—ranked high on the charts!