Chapter 581: Demon Clan Overlord Body
Many cultivators from the Grand Emperor Heaven had already gathered at the watchtower of the Wu Wang City, along with some cultivators from Yan Kang. Among them were scholars from the Heavenly Saint Academy. When they saw Qin Mu, Granny Si, and the others arriving at the watchtower, they were both surprised and delighted, stepping forward to greet them. "Headmaster! Teacher Si! Blind Teacher!"
There were also scholars from the Li River Academy, who paid their respects to Ba Shan, the headmaster, making the scene quite lively.
Ba Shan chuckled and said, "You little rascals sure ran fast, getting here before me."
He was the headmaster of the Li River Academy. His main reason for coming here wasn't to find the Butcher, but to seek a breakthrough in the Grand Emperor Heaven. He happened to pass by the Heavenly Saint Academy and saw the Butcher preparing to leave, so he hurriedly chased after him.
He had left the affairs of the Li River Academy to Champion General Ma Dingshan, a master of similar caliber. After pacifying the war-torn world, Emperor Yan Feng retained Ma Dingshan's title as Champion General and also appointed him as an academy instructor at the Li River Academy to assist Ba Shan.
There were also disciples from the Jiangling Academy and the Yong River Academy. The headmaster of the Jiangling Academy was the Yan Kang National Teacher, while the headmaster of the Yong River Academy was Minister Su Yunzhi, assisted by Yu Yuan Chu Yun and Yu Yuan Chu Yu.
Su Yunzhi had once sent Yu Yuan Chu Yu to find Qin Mu, borrowing the Yong River Dragon King, Huan Longjun, and the Hundred-Year Mountain God, Bai Xi, to teach at the Yong River Academy.
Qin Mu wasn't at the Heavenly Saint Academy at the time, so Fox Ling'er and Si Yunxiang received Yu Yuan Chu Yu, securing a teaching fee for Huan Longjun and Bai Xi, the mountain god. This led the scholars of the Yong River Academy to frequently visit the Yong River and Hundred-Year Mountain to offer sacrifices, moving Bai Xi to tears of gratitude.
After the lively greetings, Qin Mu asked the Butcher, "Grandpa Butcher, what did you mean earlier about the Emperor's Throne cultivation technique? Do divine techniques have levels?"
The Butcher replied, "When I crossed the Divine Bridge and ascended to the Heavenly Palace, I could only stand outside the Southern Heavenly Gate. But from the gate, I could glimpse the scenery within the Heavenly Palace, faintly seeing several sacred grounds with grand and divine atmospheres. That led me to speculate that there are several stages for deities, likely corresponding to these sacred grounds. Among them, the highest and most sacred ground is the Emperor's Throne in the Lingxiao Hall of the Heavenly Palace!"
Everyone crowded around, and the Butcher felt overwhelmed. "I don't really understand the stages of deities, so I don't know the specifics. Mute, Mute, come over here! They're all staring at me like dumb deer! You know more—tell them!"
The Mute set down his box, pulled out his pipe, took a couple of puffs, and said slowly, "Ah, ah, Ah Ba..."
The scholars from the Grand Academy clearly knew the rules and immediately looked at the Deaf. The Deaf stared at the Mute, who blew out a puff of smoke that formed a gate.
The Deaf said, "The first stage of a deity is outside the Southern Heavenly Gate, called a Revered Deity. It's merely the initial crossing of the Divine Bridge, not yet entering the hall. Walking through the Southern Heavenly Gate is the second stage, called a True Deity. However, only when every aspect of the body has been cultivated to the divine realm can one withstand the immense pressure of the Southern Heavenly Gate and step through."
Blind praised, "The Mute really knows a lot. What comes next?"
The Mute blew another smoke ring, which turned into a Jade Pool. The Deaf continued, "The third stage is called the Jade Pool, also known as the Heavenly Pool or Jade Terrace. This is the Heavenly Deity."
The Mute's smoke transformed into a platform of slaughter, another sacred ground, but one filled with an intense aura of killing that sent chills down the spine at first glance.
The Deaf said, "The fourth stage is called the Execution Platform. It's extremely dangerous—if you can't get past it, you die."
The Mute's smoke formed a fifth image, depicting a palace complex.
The Deaf continued, "This sacred ground is called the Jade Capital, the imperial city where the Heavenly Emperor resides. The Jade Capital is likely the fifth stage of a deity."
The Mute blew another smoke ring, forming the Lingxiao Hall. The Deaf said, "This is the Lingxiao Hall that the Butcher saw. The sixth stage is probably called Lingxiao."
Everyone watched as the Mute blew a puff of smoke into the Lingxiao Hall, forming the Emperor's Throne. The Emperor's Throne should be the seventh stage.
Ba Shan looked at the Deaf, then at the Mute, feeling suspicious. He whispered to Qin Mu, "Junior brother, what exactly did Uncle Mute say?"
Qin Mu whispered back, "The same as what Grandpa Deaf said."
Ba Shan scratched his head, puzzled. "How does Uncle Mute know so much? Even these cultivators from the Grand Emperor Heaven don't seem to know the later stages. How does he know the stages of deities in such detail?"
Qin Mu replied helplessly, "In our village, Grandpa Mute knows the most, but he talks very little and never likes to gossip. I suspect he might be a descendant of the Heavenly Artifact Clan, and the secrets he knows might come from the Ark of the Other Shore..."
As night fell, the various cultivators at the watchtower settled down to rest. Qin Mu accompanied Granny Si, Blind, and the others out of the watchtower to inspect the ruins of Wu Wang City.
The Battle of Wu Wang City must have been incredibly brutal. The Grand Emperor Heaven had sixty-four divine cities. Although the demon clan's assault on these cities was exceptionally fierce, most of the cities were preserved. Only a few were completely destroyed, and Wu Wang City was one of them.
Even though only ruins remained, with broken walls everywhere, one could still see the city's former grandeur from the remnants.
Here, lingering traces of divine and demon techniques from the ancient war still remained. These dormant techniques drifted like floating clouds of light, emitting a faint glow in the darkness. Some residual techniques were dazzling, like lotus flowers glowing in the dark amidst the rubble.
Among the rubble, quiet lotuses slowly bloomed, attracting those who wandered in to admire and pick them. But touching them would trigger the power of the divine or demon techniques!
If the power of these residual techniques were to erupt, it would be terrifying, capable of shattering even the strongest cultivators at the Heavenly or Life-and-Death realms!
The residual techniques in the ruins weren't just lotuses. There were all kinds: patches of forest, lush grasslands, birds and beasts, white foxes and vermilion birds, and some that looked like divine or demon treasures, such as flying swords, pagodas, and giant cauldrons. They appeared to be treasures, but touching them would lead to certain death.
Qin Mu looked around. The residual techniques formed by divine and demon runic imprints were hard to dissipate over time, making this place extremely dangerous.
He had seen similar things in the Unlucky Land but had managed to avoid them.
It seemed that the Revered Deity Sang Ye had put in considerable effort to clear a safe area and set up the watchtower for the cultivators of the Grand Emperor Heaven to rest.
Granny Si, Blind, and the others studied the techniques here intently. Blind's divine eyes could analyze the mysteries of these techniques, and he explained them to the group.
Their cultivation paths were now vastly different from those of cultivators like Qin Mu and Xu Shenghua. For Granny Si, the Butcher, and the Deaf, they didn't need to fight to understand divine or demon techniques. By examining the residual techniques left behind, they could grasp their mysteries and absorb their essence to compensate for their own shortcomings.
"These divine and demon techniques are still somewhat crude, lacking refinement."
Granny Si examined them closely and shook her head. "Because the cultivators of Yan Kang haven't had a path to godhood for twenty thousand years, they've instead spent that time refining all kinds of techniques to an exquisite level, constantly creating new ones. As a result, their techniques are more sophisticated than those of the Grand Emperor Heaven."
"However, their cultivation methods are stronger than ours. Their techniques can train every aspect of the body."
Blind examined them and said, "The fact that deities and demons can unleash such crude techniques to an unimaginable level of power shows that their physical functions, soul strength, and vitality are far superior to Yan Kang's. Mu'er, don't underestimate them just because you have the Overlord Body."
Qin Mu nodded solemnly and said, "Grandpa Blind, rest assured. I won't underestimate anyone."
Fox Ling'er hesitated but didn't speak.
Blind and the others had just arrived in the Grand Emperor Heaven and didn't yet know what Qin Mu had done. Since the Battle of Li City, Qin Mu had become the most formidable Seven Stars realm cultivator in the Grand Emperor Heaven. After his hundred-thousand-mile escape, he had essentially killed all the demon clan's Seven Stars and Six Harmonies realm disciples. Even ordinary Heavenly realm demon cultivators dared not easily confront Qin Mu.
If they asked around, they would learn of Qin Mu's current fearsome reputation.
Suddenly, Qin Mu froze, staring at a dark figure among the ruins. The figure moved through the ruins as if the various residual techniques had no effect on him.
"Mu'er, what are you looking at?" the Deaf asked curiously.
Qin Mu's body trembled slightly, and he suddenly left the group, running toward the dark figure. The villagers of the Crippled Village were alarmed. The ruins were filled with residual divine and demon techniques. If Qin Mu accidentally triggered them, given his strength, he wouldn't be able to withstand the backlash. If a chain reaction occurred, all the residual techniques in the Wu Wang City ruins might explode, and even they wouldn't dare to recklessly charge in!
Blind hurriedly rushed after him, saying, "Stay here! I'll go find him!"
Qin Mu followed the dark figure, activating his Nine Heavens Eye-Opening Technique to avoid the residual techniques as he closed in on the figure.
The dark figure appeared and disappeared like shifting sand in this forbidden area, sometimes dispersing and sometimes coalescing. However, it seemed to notice Qin Mu and suddenly stopped.
Qin Mu avoided the residual techniques and finally reached the front of the dark figure, staring at it with bright eyes.
The dark figure stared back at him, seemingly curious.
Neither could see the other's face, only each other's sand-like bodies.
Qin Mu extended his hand, and the dark figure did the same. Their hands touched, but there was no resistance—they passed through each other's palms.
Qin Mu's body trembled violently, and he stood frozen, silently staring at the dark figure.
Blind quickly arrived at his side, pulling him away, and said sternly, "Mu'er, this dark figure should be a residual divine or demon technique. How could you be so careless? Why did you recklessly charge into this forbidden area?"
A rustling sound came, like a demon whispering in the darkness. Blind's body stiffened as he turned to look at the dark figure in shock.
The sound was the dark figure speaking!
"Grandpa Blind, he's not a residual technique. He's a person."
The shock on Qin Mu's face hadn't faded as he murmured, "He's like me, able to move through the darkness of the Great Ruins. He's the same kind as me... Only a demon that can merge into the darkness can be seen by the people of the Grand Emperor Heaven! I think I might have encountered a demon clan's Overlord Body! Strange, why would this demon Overlord Body appear in the Great Ruins..."