Chapter 611: A Good Teacher and a Fine Disciple (Third Update!)
The Woodcutter Sage gave him a hard knock on the head with a knuckle, annoyed. "Where is your bearing? How could I lay a hand on such juniors? If I acted, others could come to kill you, and then the elders would kill each other's disciples back and forth—in no time, the younger generation would be wiped out. The rules cannot be broken."
Zhe Huali and Qi Jiuyi both let out a long sigh of relief upon hearing this, looking at Qin Mu rubbing his head, feeling thoroughly satisfied: "Serves him right for getting hit!"
Qin Mu rubbed the lump on his head and nodded. "True. But Fu Riluo did make a move on me, and that Chi Xi just now also wanted to strike at us."
"So I struck Fu Riluo on the forehead with my axe. He didn't go too far either—he only used divine arts to try to abduct you, not truly intending to kill. Otherwise, you wouldn't be alive now."
The Woodcutter Sage said casually, "I originally planned to let you take care of those two brats, but I figured you probably can't beat them both yet, so I let Chi Xi go. Chi Xi doesn't play by the rules. I fed him blood, but he wasn't full or satisfied. He wouldn't dare come after me, so he'll go drink the blood of those two brats instead."
Zhe Huali and Qi Jiuyi turned ashen-faced upon hearing this.
Qin Mu chuckled, "Holy Teacher, no need to scare them anymore. Just send them off this alien star."
The Woodcutter Sage looked surprised. "You wanted to use my hand to kill them as a sacrifice for your blade just now. Why do you want me to send them away now? Chi Xi is a fugitive, burdened with a heavy mission, so he'll stop at nothing. He'll definitely come for them and drink their blood. They'll die without a doubt. Killing them through Chi Xi's hand doesn't break my rules and satisfies your wish—why not?"
Qin Mu said seriously, "I was just bluffing earlier, saying I wanted to sacrifice them to the blade, but I knew the Holy Teacher would never do that. The Holy Teacher has his bearing, and as the Human Sovereign and the Heavenly Saint Cult Leader, I have my bearing too. Brother Qi and Brother Li are my opponents, not the Holy Teacher's. If I want to kill them, I must do it with my own hands. Having the Holy Teacher kill them through Chi Xi would go against my Dao heart."
The Woodcutter Sage showed an appreciative look and praised, "My suggestion to use Chi Xi to kill them was also a small test for you. If you had agreed, I would have looked down on you. Good. I'll send them back to Luofu Heaven."
Qin Mu bowed to Zhe Huali and Qi Jiuyi. "I won't see you off, fellow seniors. Though we've fought and killed, I still admire your skills. Today, I don't want to kill you through anyone else's hand. Another day, I'll wield the blade myself and send you on your way."
Zhe Huali and Qi Jiuyi returned the bow in turn.
Zhe Huali said solemnly, "Brother Qin's bearing. You killed my close friend, so I must kill you. If you die under my blade, I'll break the blade and weep bitterly for you!"
Qi Jiuyi thought for a moment, then tossed out his nine flying swords. "You don't need to return that mirror to me. Let's settle this fair and square another day. This time, you won. I was too restrained, afraid to take your life, only thinking to immobilize you. Next time we duel, I won't hold back!"
Qin Mu collected the swords, each one clinking as it inserted into the sword pellet, and raised his hand. "Farewell, then. When we meet again, don't show mercy."
"We won't!" they said in unison.
The Woodcutter Sage waved his sleeve, and countless runes swirled, forming a teleportation divine art that wrapped around the two and shot up from the alien star like a streak of light.
Qin Mu looked up and saw the light bend beyond the sky, vanishing into the depths of the starry void. He guessed that when the light landed, it would be in Luofu Heaven.
The Woodcutter Sage tossed the small box over. "Let's go see what else your senior brother left behind."
Qin Mu was startled and fumbled to catch it, terrified of dropping the box and letting the Soul-Severing Mysterious Blade inside escape.
As soon as he steadied the box, countless runes danced around him, and the Woodcutter Sage activated the teleportation art, taking them both away.
The Heavenly Saint Cult's teleportation arts had been passed down from the Woodcutter Sage. Though not the most powerful person, he was a man of unparalleled talent.
He could create all sorts of strange divine arts and techniques, as evidenced by the bizarre spells in the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Scripture, showing his mastery of Dao methods and divine arts.
However, his strength was also his weakness. He was too learned, making it hard to specialize, so he never reached the highest realm in cultivation and power.
When Qin Mu set foot on solid ground, he found himself back in front of the temple of the Execution Platform, the place he had fled to after a long journey—yet returning took only an instant.
The Woodcutter Sage walked into the hall, and Qin Mu quickly followed, seeing him examining the Zhou Tian Star Array left by the sect's founder. After a moment, the Woodcutter Sage nodded. "The message he left is indeed from 350,000 years ago. What happened 350,000 years ago?"
Qin Mu pointed to the mural on the wall. "Holy Teacher, this is a star map from 350,000 years ago."
The Woodcutter Sage stepped forward, studied the star map, and mused, "This was drawn in the southern sea of the Great Ruins, observing the stars from 350,000 years ago. It should have been painted by survivors of the Chiming Era, meant to guide their return home in the future."
Qin Mu nodded. "I think so too. The ones who destroyed the Chiming Era should be the current Heavenly Court. I believe the senior brother was constantly tracing back, searching for the history of the past and the truth of this Heavenly Court, which is why he left us these clues."
"He wants to achieve merit and become a sage."
The Woodcutter Sage shook his head. "But he doesn't know how foolish a thing he's doing. The closer he gets to the truth, the more dangerous it becomes. Putting himself in harm's way is unwise—how can he become a sage?"
The more he spoke, the angrier he grew, his tone sharpening.
Though he seemed indifferent to his disciples, his concern was hidden in his daily words and actions, rarely spoken aloud.
"You said he also left some geographical maps. Where are they?" the Woodcutter Sage asked.
Qin Mu rummaged through his Taotie pouch and pulled out some drawings. "The geographical maps the senior brother showed were very complex. Afraid I'd forget, I drew them later. This one is a map of the Great Ruins, marking the Dragon Village where Qinghuang the Elder lives. And this one is of this alien star, marking the Execution Platform."
The Woodcutter Sage looked at the two maps, then spread out the others and examined them one by one.
After a moment, his expression grew increasingly grave.
"Damn it, damn it! Why go to such dangerous places? Even I wouldn't dare go there!"
He flew into a rage, pacing back and forth, the wind from his sleeves whipping through the hall, making Qin Mu's eyes struggle to track him.
"I can't go find him—I'm tied up with the Taihuang Heaven matter—and you've stirred up this mess! How can I split myself to save you?" he muttered to himself.
Qin Mu suddenly said, "Holy Teacher, since the senior brother drew these geographical maps with star sand and marked all these important locations, he must have already traveled through these dangerous places and left clues for us to find. I think he's still alive."
The Woodcutter Sage paused, stopped pacing, and murmured, "You have a point, a point... I was too worried to think of that. He must still be alive—he could still paint with star sand, so he's still in this world. That troublesome fellow..."
Qin Mu felt a warmth in his heart and smiled. "A teacher so worried about his disciple—how could the disciple not repay that kindness? The senior brother has the Holy Teacher so concerned. If I ever go missing too, the Holy Teacher will surely worry about me like this..."
"You're overthinking it. Don't flatter yourself."
The Woodcutter Sage glared at him and shook his head. "If you die at the ends of the earth, I won't go looking for you, let alone think of you. If you act as recklessly as your senior brother, you can die as far away as you like."
Qin Mu chuckled. "Tough talk, soft heart. How far did the senior brother investigate? Why hasn't he returned? How much does the Holy Teacher know about this Heavenly Court that destroyed the Kaihuang, Shanghuang, Chiming, and Longhan eras?"
"Not much."
The Woodcutter Sage shook his head. "If I knew a lot, I wouldn't have been caught off guard, to the point where even Kaihuang hides in Carefree Village and won't come out. Every dynasty, at its peak of glory, suddenly collapses and is destroyed. There must be many secrets waiting to be uncovered."
He sighed. "I want to go to Carefree Village and ask Kaihuang myself why he won't rise again, why he won't fight. But I don't know the way there. If you ever return to Carefree Village, ask him for me."
Qin Mu nodded. "I will ask him!"
The Woodcutter Sage said, "Destroy these geographical maps. Your senior brother doesn't know his limits, charging around everywhere. If you follow him in seeking the truth, you'll die for sure!"
Qin Mu smiled. "I've already memorized these maps."
The Woodcutter Sage shot him a glare, and Qin Mu smiled without a word.
The Woodcutter Sage snorted, flicked his sleeve, and walked out of the temple. Looking around at the many divine and demon skeletons on the stone steps, he said, "This Execution Platform is the one from a Throne-Seat powerhouse's Heavenly Palace divine repository. It's already nurtured great malice, even fiercer than the Soul-Severing Mysterious Blade in the box! This divine mountain is ominous—better to destroy it. Let me split it open with one axe and see how much divine and demon blood it's swallowed!"
Behind him, the great axe hummed as it spun, rising from his back. The woodcutter's axe grew larger and larger, its divine might surging, the blade facing downward, hovering in midair.
The Woodcutter Sage said calmly, "Go down the mountain first. I'll split this mountain."
Qin Mu didn't dare delay and hurried down the mountain.
Just as he stepped onto the stone steps, a thunderous roar came from behind. Qin Mu quickly turned around and saw Chi Xi, with three heads and six arms, furiously attacking the Woodcutter Sage!
The Woodcutter Sage seemed not to notice, but just as Chi Xi reached him, he suddenly spread his five fingers to meet the attack.
Countless runes exploded from his palm, swirling with a roar. Chi Xi's ferocious assault hadn't even landed on him before the man vanished into thin air!
The Woodcutter Sage raised his hand, grabbed the great axe, and hung it on his back again. He walked over to the stunned Qin Mu and said, "What are you staring at? I can't split the Execution Platform of a Throne-Seat powerhouse. I was just luring him out."
Qin Mu quickly followed his steps and ventured, "Where did the Holy Teacher send Chi Xi?"
The Woodcutter Sage showed a smile. "Taihuang Heaven, the demon territory. The demons have a blood feud with him."
Qin Mu's expression froze, then he suddenly bowed deeply. "Disciple has learned! I will study hard, not fail the Holy Teacher's teachings, and strive to become a Heavenly Saint Cult Leader as outstanding as you!"
——Third update! Already ten thousand words updated today. Please give your guaranteed monthly votes!