Chapter 593: Nine Phoenixes Perch on the Firmiana Simplex
The Cripple was furious and shouted, "Mu'er, you've thrown away all of Cripple Grandpa's fine traditions, and instead you've gone and learned to be aggressive and belligerent from that pig-butcher Butcher! Sooner or later, you'll be cut in two by someone just like him... Butcher, what's that look on your face? Put the knife down, let's talk this out calmly. I'm saying this for Mu'er's own good..."
He carefully pushed the knife away from his neck.
Qin Mu laughed and said, "Cripple Grandpa, rest assured, I know my limits. So-called Imperial Throne techniques are merely creations of predecessors, not one's own. How much power one can unleash depends on one's own comprehension and cultivation. This already lowers them by one grade, turning Imperial Throne techniques into Heavenly Palace techniques. Moreover, the Yan Kang Empire has undergone reform, but the Heavenly Court has not. Qi Jiuyi's Imperial Throne technique has not been tempered by reform either, so it drops another grade, from Heavenly Palace technique to Jade Capital technique."
With just a few words, he directly downgraded the Imperial Throne technique by two levels.
The Cripple said coldly, "Even a Jade Capital technique is several grades higher than a True God technique! The order is True God, Jade Pool, Execution Platform, and only then Jade Capital!"
Qin Mu, full of confidence, said, "Because I am creating my own True God technique, I can unleash its full power. This raises it by one grade, making it comparable to a Jade Pool technique. Add to that my Overlord Body, and it can basically stand alongside Execution Platform techniques. The gap isn't that big."
The Cripple was speechless with frustration.
Granny Si said, "Cripple, this is exactly why you still haven't crossed the Divine Bridge and entered the Heavenly Palace. You're too timid, too hesitant, afraid you won't be able to cross the Divine Bridge. But with your cultivation, you're more than capable of crossing it. Fortunately, Mu'er didn't learn from you. If he had, he'd never amount to much."
The Cripple couldn't get angry with her and said irritably, "You all just spoil him. I won't bother anymore. I'll just watch him get himself killed sooner or later!"
Despite his words, he still cared deeply for Qin Mu. Back when Granny Si had picked Qin Mu up from the riverbank, the Cripple was the first person in the village to accept him. When Granny Si found Qin Mu's bedwetting annoying and gave him away, it was the Cripple who, time and again, patiently stole Qin Mu back.
When Qin Mu grew a little older and had no playmates, it was this old rascal who often played with him. Of course, he mostly bullied Qin Mu—stealing the sugar-coated hawthorn sticks Granny Si bought for him, snatching the toys Master Ma made for him. Every time, he would make Qin Mu cry, only stopping after Granny Si gave him a thorough beating for it.
Back then, the Village Chief was in utter despair, Blind was broken-hearted by Xing Han, Granny Si was worried about Li Tianxing hiding in her Dao heart, Mute was silently forging and wouldn't talk to anyone, Apothecary was drowning in romantic debts, Deaf ignored everyone, Master Ma would think of his murdered wife and child whenever he saw Qin Mu, and Butcher often went mad because he knew the truth about the heavens.
At that time, none of them had resolved their inner demons. In the village, only the Cripple had been forced into the Village of Broken Elders by the National Teacher and carried the least burden. That was why he could wholeheartedly be good to Qin Mu.
On the opposite side, Fu Riluo noticed these people bickering and was inwardly surprised. Gods and demons were usually polite to each other, even between enemies. It was rare to see gods and demons like those from the Village of Broken Elders constantly squabbling.
"Zhe Huali, when you fight Young Master Qi, you need to be careful."
Fu Riluo did not stop Zhe Huali and said, "You have now graduated. There is nothing left for me to teach you. Your other master, Luo Wushuang, is the same. From now on, you must cultivate and comprehend on your own. Fighting Young Master Qi is your wish. I won't stop you. Go ahead."
As a demonic Venerable King, he possessed an extraordinary bearing. Although they were enemies, Fu Riluo's conduct was still admirable.
Zhe Huali bowed in thanks and looked at Qi Jiuyi. There seemed to be sword lights colliding in his eyes.
His saber technique had just been completed, and he urgently needed a battle to verify his strength!
"Fu Riluo, this disciple of yours will not be a match for Young Master Qi."
Lu Li said in a low voice, "You have no idea how terrifying his heritage is! His master is an ancient giant of the Heavenly Court, a being from the primordial era! The Great Ruins were created by that being!"
Fu Riluo's left face said calmly, "So what? From the primordial era to the present, Dao techniques and divine powers have changed so many times. Ancient things are not necessarily stronger. You mythologize the Heavenly Court too much. Although Zhe Huali is not a demon, he has inherited my spirit. He grows stronger when facing the strong, and fights more bravely the more he fights! He also possesses extremely high comprehension. The fact that he could comprehend the Dao from the single slash that the Saber God used to kill Yang Xingjun—who else has such astonishing insight? In this battle, Zhe Huali may not necessarily lose!"
Lu Li snorted coldly and said no more.
Clang—
A blade of light flashed, and Zhe Huali struck first!
As soon as he made his move, it was Luo Wushuang's saber technique. The blade light split and multiplied. The demon saber in his hand immediately became excited, its demon eye opening wide and locking onto Qi Jiuyi. The blade light split, its number doubling!
Qi Jiuyi stood motionless. Suddenly, flames fluttered behind him, like the wings and tail feathers of a phoenix, rushing to meet the blade light. The wings fluttered, and the gorgeous feathers collided with the demon saber without being cut by it.
In an instant, Zhe Huali's splitting saber technique had split into tens of thousands of blade lights. However, when they collided with the phoenix feathers, they could not break through them.
Instead, streaks of fiery feathers pierced through the blade light and shot straight towards Zhe Huali.
Zhe Huali's figure suddenly vanished. The next moment, his form flickered in and out of sight. With each step he took, his body paused slightly. The demon saber in his hand slashed down fiercely. The various basic saber stances unfolded, some like a blazing sun exploding, some like a demon god splitting a mountain, some like lotus leaves in a pond. Countless strange phenomena appeared one after another, filling the sky with blade light slashing towards Qi Jiuyi.
His speed was extremely fast. The physical body of a young True God allowed him to leave a trail of afterimages. This speed was definitely not inferior to Qin Mu's current speed.
With such incredible speed and such a powerful physical body, his afterimages seemed to appear everywhere within a hundred acres around Qi Jiuyi. Within this hundred-acre range, it was as if hundreds of Zhe Hualis had appeared simultaneously, all swinging their sabers and attacking Qi Jiuyi!
Not only that, but even the sky was filled with Zhe Huali's figures. Some were lying sideways, some were lying flat, some were standing diagonally, some were upside down, attacking from all kinds of strange and tricky angles!
Qi Jiuyi still stood there, his body unmoving. However, he seemed to be able to see the sky, the ground, and all directions. Phoenix feathers around him continuously expanded and bloomed like an inflating flower. More and more phoenix feathers and plumes appeared, gradually filling a space several zhang in size. Within this space, Zhe Huali's demon saber could not penetrate at all.
Meanwhile, the phoenix plumes chased after Zhe Huali. Although Zhe Huali's speed was extremely fast and his combat power was extremely strong, Qin Mu and the others could see that these phoenix feathers posed a great threat to him!
Zhe Huali's speed was almost like a thunderbolt, yet each of his steps seemed to be precisely measured, each stride covering the exact same distance.
If the positions where his feet landed were connected by lines, they would form equilateral shapes within circles: three steps for a triangle, four steps for a square, five steps for a pentagon, and so on.
The more steps he took, the closer the shape approached a perfect circle.
These shapes all revolved around Qi Jiuyi as the center, and they were not on a single plane but in three-dimensional space—sometimes far, sometimes near, sometimes up, sometimes down, sometimes left, sometimes right. If connected by lines, they would undoubtedly be extremely dazzling.
It was precisely because of this that his body movements were unpredictable, and his saber techniques were equally unpredictable.
His body movement was probably inherited from the Saber God Luo Wushuang. Luo Wushuang's steps were like this, with extremely strict rules in his saber techniques.
However, as Zhe Huali moved his feet, he was getting farther and farther away from Qi Jiuyi.
Qi Jiuyi still stood in place without moving his feet. The phoenix feathers and plumes occupied more and more space, forcing Zhe Huali to retreat continuously.
Those phoenix feathers and plumes were his divine powers. He had not even used a spiritual weapon, yet his divine powers alone prevented Zhe Huali from getting close!
Not only that, but the phoenix feathers and plumes gradually formed a strange phenomenon.
It was a tree—a flowing, radiant Firmiana Simplex.
A towering tree stood behind him, its canopy blocking out the sky and sun. Beneath the canopy, light flowed in a riot of colors. Qi Jiuyi bathed in streaks of various lights, like a deity beneath the tree.
The faces of the onlookers around them became serious, especially Granny Si's.
Granny Si's magical techniques and divine powers were second to none in the Village of Broken Elders. She had an astonishing understanding of divine powers, especially after Li Tianxing's death. Having undergone the tempering and training of the Dao Heart Demon Seed, she had stepped to the edge of the Dao in terms of magical techniques and divine powers, with a bright future ahead.
Her divine powers could be ranked first in the Village of Broken Elders and also first in the Yan Kang Empire.
However, Qi Jiuyi's divine powers showed her a more elegant and profound level of divine power mastery. This Firmiana Simplex tree was not a divine power that Qi Jiuyi had comprehended himself, but a divine power from his technique.
Qi Jiuyi was merely learning and using it. Yet, even by learning and using it, the power of this divine power already far surpassed that of his peers.
In terms of the subtlety of divine powers alone, she already admitted she was inferior.
This Firmiana Simplex tree was formed by countless feather divine powers. Its construction was so exquisite and beautiful that she had never seen anything like it!
At this moment, Qi Jiuyi's overwhelming momentum was already complete!
"Mu'er, just like your Cripple Grandpa said, admit defeat."
Granny Si said to Qin Mu, "He has already achieved this without even using a spiritual weapon. His cultivation is terrifyingly profound, and his magical techniques and divine powers can already be called Dao techniques! It's not a loss to admit defeat."
Qin Mu clenched his fists, staring intently at the battlefield, turning a deaf ear to her words.
The Firmiana Simplex tree continued to enrich and expand, becoming even more perfect!
A phoenix nest even appeared on the tree, built from individual feathers. By now, Zhe Huali was already sixteen zhang away from Qi Jiuyi. Although his attacks were fierce, they could no longer threaten Qi Jiuyi in the slightest.
As the phoenix nest was built, another phoenix slowly formed within the nest!
A series of inexplicable throbbings slowly brewed. The phoenix became more and more perfect. It was a nine-headed phoenix, with nine slender and graceful necks either raised or lowered from the nest, surveying the surroundings.
The aura of the primordial beast that Qin Mu had sensed from within Qi Jiuyi was most likely due to this.
The throbbing grew stronger and stronger, and the nine-headed phoenix became more and more beautiful, more and more real!
This Nine Phoenix and the Firmiana Simplex not only brought unparalleled pressure to Zhe Huali but also exerted terrifying pressure on the other onlookers!
"Brother Qin, didn't you want to see my divine powers?"
Under the Firmiana Simplex tree, Qi Jiuyi's face was incomparably sacred. Under the immense pressure, Zhe Huali finally erupted. He slashed down with his saber—this was the first saber technique he had created since entering the Dao!
Suddenly, a huge demon eye appeared behind him. The demon eye opened, and a beam of light shot onto his falling blade light. The power of this slash instantly soared, possessing the unstoppable, indestructible might of Qin Mu's Calamity-Opening Sword!
"Excellent saber technique! You are worthy of fighting me!"
Qi Jiuyi pressed his right thumb and index finger together, forming a seal that looked like a phoenix head. He struck out with this seal, meeting the blade light that had broken through the canopy of the Firmiana Simplex!
A crisp phoenix cry rang out. The nine-headed phoenix in the nest flapped its wings, but instead of flying towards Zhe Huali, it shot towards Qin Mu like a streak of flowing light!
Zhe Huali's demon saber then met Qi Jiuyi's seal. As this seal was struck, the Firmiana Simplex tree swept down towards the demon saber. Qi Jiuyi had actually launched his strongest attack at both Zhe Huali and Qin Mu simultaneously!