Chapter 607: The God-Slaying Mystic Blade
Qin Mu rushed out of the divine hall, howling as he reached the steps of the divine mountain. He immediately threw himself flat, hiding his body beneath the stone steps. Two thick beams of divine light swept past just above him, grazing the ground, scorching the mountain’s stone slabs a blazing red!
As soon as the two beams of divine light passed, Qin Mu rolled twice, landing on the steps a few levels below, then sprang up like an enraged dragon charging at full speed, smoke billowing behind him as he descended the mountain.
While sprinting at full tilt, he channeled his primal energy to create mist behind him, truly shrouding the entire mountain in fog.
However, blood and qi leaked from the wound on his neck, drawn out of his body and flowing toward the mountain’s interior.
The wound had been inflicted by Red Creek’s fingernail digging into the edge of his neck. On this God-Slaying Platform, even the smallest wound couldn’t heal on its own or be cured by medicine. Any wound would be absorbed by the platform, draining one’s blood and qi. The only way out was to leave this mountain while still alive!
Qin Mu’s blood and qi were depleting rapidly. He didn’t dare look back to see whether his blood and qi were being absorbed by the God-Slaying Platform or by Red Creek. He could only grit his teeth and race downward.
Finally, he reached the foot of the mountain, his mind already a blank. Due to blood loss, his ears rang with thunderous tinnitus, and both eyes went pitch black.
Qin Mu’s primordial spirit left his body, using it to see his surroundings. His right hand quickly retrieved dragon saliva from his glutton pouch, applying it to the wound on his neck, then took out a Spirit Buddha Pill to replenish blood and nourish his body, swallowing it swiftly.
He felt his body and was horrified. In that short span, he had become skin and bones. It would likely take some time to recover.
Between the God-Slaying Platform and Red Creek both draining his blood and qi, it was already a remarkable achievement that he hadn’t been completely drained dry.
“I wonder if Red Creek was behind my blood and qi draining so quickly just now.”
Qin Mu, thin as a bamboo pole, tucked the small box under his arm and staggered forward, moving away from this eerie divine mountain. He thought to himself, “My Blood-Melting Powder was placed in the water. He first absorbed the blood of Zhe Huali and Qi Jiuyi, using their blood to awaken himself, then used my three bags of water to moisten his body. The Blood-Melting Powder should have seeped into every corner of his flesh along with that water. When he absorbs my blood, the powder will dissolve the blood he’s taken along with it. He relies on blood to stay awake; once the blood is dissolved, he’ll fall into dormancy. But if Red Creek is quick-witted, he might manage to reserve a portion of clean blood.”
As a master of medicine and poison, he knew how to reserve a portion of clean blood and also knew where Red Creek would store it.
That place was Red Creek’s eyes—the very eyes that had emitted divine light earlier.
He should only have clean blood in his eyes.
So whether Red Creek would fall back into slumber, Qin Mu didn’t know, which was why he had to get far away from this divine mountain.
“If he’s smart, he’ll expel the water from his body, drying himself out completely, then use the only blood left in his eyes to make himself stand up.”
Qin Mu channeled his remaining primal energy to dissolve the Spirit Buddha Pill within him, thinking, “I hope he’s not that clever…”
Inside the divine hall, Red Creek knelt like a wooden statue, motionless. Turbid water trickled from the tips of his six palms, thin and murky, mixed with milky-white corrupted blood.
Qin Mu’s Blood-Melting Powder couldn’t dissolve his divine blood; it dissolved the blood of Qi Jiuyi and Zhe Huali that he had absorbed. Some of Qin Mu’s blood had also been absorbed and was likewise dissolved.
After a long while, Red Creek expelled all the water from his body, turning into a skin-and-bones, three-headed, six-armed dried corpse—a terrifying sight. But in the eyes of the head facing forward, a glimmer of light flowed within the pupils.
Red Creek carefully separated a portion of the blood in his eyes, using that bit of blood to activate part of his flesh’s functions, then staggered to his feet.
His other two heads hung low, and his six arms drooped limply.
The blood in his eyes was too little, only enough to sustain a small part of his body’s functions; the rest had to remain dormant for now.
He struggled to move out of the hall, taking a long time to reach the stone steps. His legs gave way, and he tumbled and rolled down the divine mountain.
His rolling speed couldn’t match the running speed of Qin Mu, Zhe Huali, or others. This descent took him over half an hour to go from the peak to the base.
Red Creek rested for a long time before climbing up, moving his body with difficulty, searching everywhere for water.
Qin Mu was by a distant lake, pouring bags of Blood-Melting Powder into the water to poison it. He caught sight of Red Creek staggering over, quickly scattered the powder into the lake, and activated a divine ability. A cloud formed above the lake, from which a divine dragon descended, its tail plunging into the water and churning vigorously.
Qin Mu waved his hand and sprinted away.
Swoosh—
Two beams of divine light shot from Red Creek’s eyes but missed him. He could only watch helplessly as Qin Mu fled into the distance.
“Water—”
Red Creek, furious and frantic, staggered and collapsed to the ground. The mountain seemed close but was far; the lake seemed near but exhausted him like an ox. He had barely managed to drag himself here, only to find the lake poisoned by Qin Mu. To reach another water source would take a month or two—or even a year or two if luck was bad.
Just then, thunder rumbled in the sky. The rolling thunder startled Red Creek awake. He turned over with difficulty, looking up, opening the mouths of his three heads, eagerly awaiting rain from the sky.
Dark clouds gathered in the sky, lightning and thunder interwoven, the clouds growing thicker and lower.
On a distant mountain, several fire dragons suddenly rose, charging into the clouds and dispersing the rain. After a moment, the sky cleared, turning a brilliant blue, and the dark clouds transformed into white clouds drifting by.
Red Creek turned his head with effort, and two beams of divine light shot from his eyes, blasting two large holes into that mountain peak!
“If I find you…”
On the other side, Qin Mu descended the mountain after dispersing the rain clouds. The mountain behind him had suffered for no reason, its peak blasted with two gaping holes.
He had recovered somewhat, but his body was still far from its peak state.
“It won’t rain again for a while now. I should be safe for some time, able to recuperate carefully and study what this small box is for.”
He turned into a black shadow hugging the ground, concealing his tracks, moving far away from this place, doing his best to leave no trace. That way, even if it rained later and Red Creek woke up, he wouldn’t easily find Qin Mu’s hiding spot.
After a long time, Qin Mu emerged from his shadow state, revealing his form, and picked up the small box to study it slowly.
This small box was the core of the God-Slaying Platform. It was covered with various patterns, very ancient, likely runic symbols from the Red Ming Era, vastly different from modern runes.
The techniques and divine abilities of the Red Ming Era should differ from those of the present. Qin Mu examined it closely, trying to decipher the mysteries of these runic symbols, but he had no exposure to Red Ming Era runes and was completely clueless, so he gave up.
Around the small box, faint, ethereal rays of light swirled. These rays were harmless; Qin Mu had tested them with a spirit weapon before obtaining the box. The rays had no power, likely just the glow of the treasure inside.
The box had no lock or clasp, yet it was tightly sealed, with no way to pry it open.
No matter how Qin Mu tried, he couldn’t open the small box. Even slashing it with his Carefree Sword left no mark.
Suddenly, footsteps approached, and a familiar voice reached Qin Mu’s ears, leisurely saying, “Brother Qin is truly resourceful. Even in such a dangerous situation, you managed to escape. Qi admires that.”
Qin Mu tucked the small box under his arm and turned around, smiling warmly at Qi Jiuyi approaching him.
Though Qi Jiuyi still carried himself with elegance, he too had lost some blood and qi to the divine mountain and Red Creek, making him thinner. But compared to Qin Mu, now gaunt and skeletal, he still appeared well-fleshed.
Qin Mu had lost blood and qi first to Red Creek, then to the divine mountain, leaving his body severely depleted.
Qi Jiuyi and Zhe Huali had trapped him in the divine hall for a short time, nearly killing him, and he had lost more blood and qi than either of them.
This time, Qi Jiuyi approached clearly prepared. Behind him stood a towering Cangwu Tree, radiating flames. A phoenix nest on the tree was built from golden straw and parasol tree branches, glowing with golden light. A nine-headed phoenix perched in the nest, its nine heads spitting fire to refine itself.
His great divine ability had taken shape, its momentum fully formed.
“Where is Senior Brother Zhe Huali?” Qin Mu glanced around and asked.
Qi Jiuyi said calmly, “He challenged me and was severely wounded, forcing him to flee. Brother Qin, you probably don’t recognize this small box, do you? Let me enlighten you.”
Qin Mu’s expression turned serious. “I’m all ears.”
“I don’t know what the Red Ming Heavenly Court called this small box thirty-five thousand years ago, but in our Heavenly Court, it has a fearsome name: the God-Slaying Mystic Blade.”
Qi Jiuyi halted, and the nine-headed phoenix in the nest on the Cangwu Tree behind him raised its heads, its gaze fixed on Qin Mu. Qi Jiuyi’s eyes fell on the small box, continuing, “This box is used to hold something. Brother Qin, since you’ve never served in the Heavenly Court, you might not know—such boxes are typically used to hold heads.”
“Heads?”
Qin Mu was surprised and shook the box. No sound of a head rolling came from inside.
Qi Jiuyi raised an eyebrow and smiled, “Holding the heads of Emperor Seat-level experts, serving as the mystic blade for god-slaying. Brother Qin doesn’t know how to open it. Why not give it to me? I can open the box and let you take a look.”
Qin Mu held the box out with both hands, offering it sincerely, “Take it.”
Qi Jiuyi’s gaze locked onto the small box, taking a deep breath. The Cangwu Tree behind him suddenly floated up, his Emperor Seat cultivation technique activating!
Qin Mu let go, and the box fell to the ground. In his palm beneath the box was a spinning sword pellet.
Qi Jiuyi retreated, his body passing through the Cangwu Tree, which expanded wildly, reaching sixteen zhang in height. The nine-headed phoenix in the nest screeched, spreading its wings and charging forward, a streak of light hurtling straight at Qin Mu!
Hum—
The sword light suddenly blazed with blinding intensity. The Calamity-Opening Sword erupted, meeting the nine-headed phoenix. In an instant, firelight and swordlight eclipsed the sun in the sky. Sword and fire exploded among the mountains, like a small sun blazing nearby, a brilliant orb of light expanding outward madly!
Qi Jiuyi surged forward, forming a Phoenix Seal with his hand and striking out. The Cangwu Tree followed close behind the nine-headed phoenix, sweeping down with devastating force, unstoppable!
— Advance notice: Zhai Zhu won’t have a burst today. After midnight tonight, past this month, then there will be a burst. There will be an update after midnight tonight.
— PS: Recommend Hongmeng Shu’s new book, “Peak Grass Doctor.” Hongmeng Shu is one of the representative authors of the farming genre.