Chapter 663: Dragon Fatty's Transformation
Everyone's expressions turned grave. Although the Imperial Lord's Imperfect Creation Divine Scripture was a Throne technique and the most supreme of supreme arts, merely having the word "Imperfect" in its name did not make it flawless. The flaw in his primordial spirit left a massive weakness in the Imperial Lord's technique.
This weakness meant that the attack power of his four arms was inferior to that of his other two arms, and the power of his two secondary heads was inferior to that of his primary head. The consequence was that when facing an opponent of equal cultivation level, his four arms and two secondary heads all became vulnerabilities.
This flaw was the most direct cause of the Imperial Lord's defeat and death.
The Imperfect Creation Divine Scripture was built upon the foundation of the Three Heads and Six Arms form. The Three Heads and Six Arms body of the Crimson Bright Era encompassed the combat methods of that age. All techniques and divine abilities were established on this foundation. Without the Two Heads and Four Arms form, attack methods would be reduced by eighty to ninety percent, techniques would be riddled with flaws, and combat power would be severely diminished.
That was why the Village Chief said the Imperial Lord died a miserable death.
From this, it could be inferred that the Crimson Bright Era fell for the same reason.
In the later period of the Crimson Bright Era, most cultivators practiced techniques like the Imperfect Combat Divine Art, which were derived from the Imperfect Creation Divine Scripture. If the Creation Divine Scripture was broken, it meant all other techniques were broken as well!
The collapse of the entire era was closely tied to the flaw in the Imperial Lord's Creation Divine Scripture!
"If the Creation Divine Scripture were fused with the Indestructible Divine Consciousness, would there be no more flaws?" the Butcher suddenly asked.
The Village Chief said, "Perhaps there would still be flaws, but we wouldn't be able to see them. The techniques and divine abilities of the Crimson Bright Era were too singular. Built upon a single Throne technique, no matter how brilliant, once the technique was broken, the death was utterly miserable."
Granny Si said, "In the current Yankang, all kinds of techniques and divine abilities emerge in endless variety, avoiding the situation of the Crimson Bright Era. Perhaps that's a good thing."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
The First Ancestor Human Sovereign curiously observed them. These people were unremarkable in appearance, some even strange—some breathtakingly beautiful, others ugly and shifty-eyed, some missing limbs—yet their insight and knowledge were truly extraordinary.
Qin Mu had also taught the First Ancestor the two Throne techniques, but the First Ancestor had never thought about these things.
Although his cultivation level was higher, in certain aspects he was far inferior to these people from the Crippled Village. They had experienced hardships and weathered countless human affairs, things the First Ancestor had never gone through.
After becoming Human Sovereign, the First Ancestor had lost interest and turned himself into a stone statue to avoid the world.
"No wonder they were able to teach someone like Mu'er."
He revealed a faint smile and thought to himself, "If Mu'er had grown up in Carefree Village, he probably wouldn't be what he is now, nor would he have achieved what he has. It was these people who raised him that shaped who he is today."
Qin Mu explained the two techniques several more times. Cripple and the Pharmacist stared at them as if they were heavenly scriptures, utterly unable to comprehend. The Village Chief laughed and said, "Mu'er, go attend to your own affairs. Let us old folks study together. Maybe we can help the Pharmacist and Cripple understand."
Qin Mu agreed, his face darkening as he walked out, shouting, "Dragon Fatty, come here!"
Dragon Qilin wanted to bound over happily, but his limbs could barely support him, so he could only waddle over clumsily. He wanted to lower his head in apology, but he was so fat he had no neck and couldn't bow his head.
"The Primordial Dragon Supreme Art I taught you—you haven't been practicing it?"
Qin Mu was pained and furious, scolding, "The Eight Primordial Dragon Sounds vibrate through the physical body and primordial spirit—what medicinal power can't be dissolved? If you had trained diligently, could you have gotten this fat? How am I supposed to show my face in public? Look at Senior Brother Tiger—he charges straight through thousands of troops. Teacher Woodcutter, with one tiger, takes the enemy general's head right in the midst of ten thousand demons. If I rode you into battle at your current speed, both you and I would be chopped to pieces by random blades!"
Dragon Qilin lowered his head, not daring to speak.
Qin Mu fumed, "Why aren't you saying anything? You swindled Grandpa Pharmacist's elixirs, but in the end, you're only cheating yourself! If you were just greedy, that would be one thing, but if you were greedy and trained hard, you wouldn't gain any weight, and your strength would actually increase. You could even refine your Dragon Pearl and Qilin Pearl to the Life and Death realm! But you're not just greedy—you're lazy! I don't want you anymore. I'm taking you back to Fengdu and returning you to the Ancestral Master!"
Dragon Qilin quickly begged for mercy, tears streaming down his face.
Qin Mu's anger wouldn't subside. He wanted to drag him out of the city to the Spirit Energy Transfer Bridge, but Dragon Fatty was too fat and heavy. Even with Qin Mu's divine strength, he couldn't budge him.
Heaven knows how many miraculous elixirs Dragon Qilin had eaten in the past two years! His weight was comparable to that of a god's physical body!
"Sister Xiu, give me a hand!" Qin Mu called out.
Ling Yuxiu walked over with a smile and said, "Transporting him to Fengdu would take at least ten days and exhaust you to death. Why not give him another chance and let him refine away the fat? Wouldn't that solve the problem?"
Dragon Qilin frantically shook his round head, his eyes blurry with tears.
Qin Mu's heart softened, and he said, "Fine, I'll give you another chance. I have a treasure here called the Five Thunder Pot, a divine artifact used by the Heavenly Court to send down calamities. I've used it to achieve many feats. Inside the pot are the Five Great Cloud Thunders. If released, they could cover the entire territory of Yankang, with ten thousand thunderbolts striking every inch of land. Use the Five Great Cloud Thunders from the pot to cultivate, combined with the Eight Primordial Dragon Sounds, and you can refine away all that fat. But it will require enduring a lot of pain. If you're willing, you can follow me. If not, go to Fengdu, and I'll return you to the Ancestral Master."
Dragon Qilin hesitated for a moment and asked, "Chief, does lightning hurt?"
Qin Mu glared at him, about to lose his temper, when Dragon Qilin quickly said, "I'm willing!"
Qin Mu calculated for a moment and said, "Relying on you alone to activate the Eight Primordial Dragon Sounds won't be enough to vibrate and dissolve the medicinal power in your fat. Even with my help, it would be hard to dissolve the medicinal power quickly. I'll need to ask others for help. Besides Sister Xiu, those who have cultivated the Primordial Dragon Supreme Art include Jiang Miao and the Dragon Village experts Qing Yan, Qing Ya, and others."
Ling Yuxiu said excitedly, "I'll go inform True God Pang Yuzhen and ask him to summon them."
Qin Mu nodded, looked around, and said, "We also need to find an open space. There's an open area near the city center where we can work... Dragon Fatty, follow me there!"
Dragon Qilin quickly followed him, trotting along, stumbling and falling all the way, causing houses in Li City to collapse. Fortunately, most of the city's residents had already migrated to Yankang, leaving only the garrison behind.
Qin Mu arrived at the open space in the city center. True God Pang Yuzhen led many soldiers over and asked, "Chief Qin, how much space do you need?"
Qin Mu looked around. The area was very flat, about a hundred zhang in each direction. He said, "This space is sufficient, but I'm worried that the power of the Five Thunder Pot might be too strong and threaten the outside. It would be best to have a treasure to cover the surroundings and prevent the heavenly thunder from leaking out."
True God Pang Yuzhen laughed and said, "I have a treasure called the Nine Heavens Cloud Dragon Cover. It's refined from cloud energy. Thunder is born from cloud energy, so this Cloud Dragon Cover can absorb the thunder and prevent the Five Thunder Pot from threatening the outside."
He tossed the Nine Heavens Cloud Dragon Cover into the air. Cloud energy immediately spread out from above Li City, descending to the ground and forming layers of mist that enveloped a hundred-zhang space like a hemisphere.
Within the clouds, there were nine layers of cloud energy, interlocking with each other.
Qin Mu thanked him. Just then, Qing Yan, Qing Ya, and others from Dragon Village arrived upon hearing the news. They greeted Qin Mu and asked, "Elder Brother, why have you summoned us?"
Qin Mu explained the situation. Qing Yan, Qing Ya, and the others were startled when they saw Dragon Qilin and said in unison, "This is also a dragon? What a disgrace to our ancestors! We should certainly help."
After a while, two youths who looked like twins walked over together. They were Qin Yu and Jiang Miao. Qin Mu carefully examined them, hesitant to determine which was Jiang Miao and which was Qin Yu.
Both had high cultivation levels. One had reached the Heavenly Being realm, with a primordial spirit in the form of a green dragon coiled behind him, a flood dragon breathing river water. The other had reached the Seven Stars realm, with his primordial spirit not revealed.
"Chief, I'm Jiang Miao," said the youth with the coiled flood dragon behind him, helplessly.
The other youth, Qin Yu, also looked helpless and blinked his eyes. He had originally lent his little dragon to Qin Mu, but the little dragon had transformed into his likeness and advanced rapidly in cultivation, now far surpassing him.
He had once treated Jiang Miao as his tamed beast, but now their roles seemed reversed. Fortunately, Qin Mu had arranged for them to become sworn brothers of different races, which eased the awkwardness somewhat.
Qin Mu said apologetically, "Everyone, my Dragon Fatty is incorrigibly lazy. I have no choice but to trouble you all to help refine this excess fat. I am deeply ashamed."
Everyone laughed and said, "Chief, you're too kind. By activating the Eight Primordial Dragon Sounds, we can also cultivate and even swallow some heavenly thunder—a win-win situation. There's no time to waste; let's begin immediately!"
Qin Mu had Dragon Qilin enter the Nine Heavens Cloud Dragon Cover and placed the Five Thunder Pot in the center. Qing Yan, Qing Ya, Jiang Miao, and the others each revealed their true forms, transforming into hundred-zhang divine dragons that circled around the Cloud Dragon Cover.
Qin Mu also stood inside the cover, looking up. The nine layers of clouds swirled, and he could faintly see the divine dragons flying through the clouds outside.
Dragon Qilin stood trembling beside him, with the Five Thunder Pot right next to him.
"Isn't the Chief coming out?" Jiang Miao asked.
Qin Mu shook his head. "My Overlord Body Three Elixirs Art also needs to be cultivated using the Five Great Cloud Thunders from the pot, and I need to supervise Dragon Fatty."
Dragon Qilin's face turned ashen.
Qin Mu slapped the Five Thunder Pot and shouted, "Dragon Fatty, activate the Primordial Dragon Supreme Art! Everyone, lend me your strength!"
Dragon Qilin hurriedly activated the Primordial Dragon Supreme Art, and the Eight Primordial Dragon Sounds resonated from within his body. At the same time, the divine dragons outside emitted rhythmic dragon roars. The dragons danced in the air, and the dragon cries vibrated inward, resonating with the Eight Primordial Dragon Sounds inside Qin Mu and Dragon Qilin's bodies, shaking their primordial spirits and physical forms!
Suddenly, thunder rolled from within the Five Thunder Pot. In an instant, countless multicolored heavenly thunderbolts crashed down, filling the hundred-zhang area with a dense rain of lightning. Qin Mu and Dragon Qilin were instantly pierced through from all directions like sharp silver needles!
Qin Mu activated the Overlord Body Three Elixirs Art, and a halo appeared behind his head. A dragon and a Buddha flew along the halo, as he integrated the Imperial Sakra Heavenly King Sutra into his Overlord Body Three Elixirs Art.
Dragon Qilin let out a long, piercing howl.
Qin Mu shouted, "The azure dragon commands wind and clouds and controls thunder—this is your best way to cultivate! Dragon Fatty, if you keep crying and wailing, go back to Fengdu!"
Dragon Qilin gritted his teeth and desperately activated the Primordial Dragon Supreme Art to resist the heavenly thunder.
Suddenly, Qin Mu shook his body, revealing his Three Heads and Six Arms form, taking the opportunity to ponder how to fuse the Creation Divine Scripture with the Indestructible Divine Consciousness.
"The Crimson Bright Divine Son will surely fuse these two techniques to patch his own flaws. Now let's see whose talent and comprehension are superior, who will comprehend it first!"
Outside, everyone watched with bated breath. Inside the Nine Heavens Cloud Dragon Cover, nothing could be seen but blinding flashes of lightning!
True God Pang Yuzhen was also uneasy. "If this lightning breaks out, most of Li City will be destroyed. I hope my cover can hold..."
Then he saw Qing Ya, Qing Yan, and the other divine dragons swallowing the thunder, devouring bolts of lightning to refine their dragon pearls, and he relaxed.
Suddenly, Ling Yuxiu charged into the cover, intending to use the lightning to cultivate. But all she could see was a dense barrage of heavenly thunder, unable to spot Qin Mu or Dragon Qilin.
She also cultivated the Primordial Dragon Supreme Art, but her talent and comprehension were far superior to Yan Fengdi's. She was one of the founders of the Six Harmonies Primordial Spirit, with her own insights, and had long since altered the technique beyond recognition, moving further and further along the path of merging combat techniques.
Ling Yuxiu resisted the thunder, her primordial energy transforming into divine dragons that danced and refined the lightning into her energy. But the closer she got to the Five Thunder Pot, the denser the lightning strikes became. Even she dared not venture too close.
After more than ten days, Ling Yuxiu moved forward step by step, getting closer and closer to the Five Thunder Pot.
The lightning inside the cover was still incredibly dense, making it impossible for her to see ahead. She could only rely on her instincts to approach the pot.
One day, she suddenly saw a Three Heads and Six Arms primordial spirit standing in the lightning ahead, breathing in the thunder. Startled, she saw that the primordial spirit was over ten zhang tall, standing amidst the thunder. With each breath, a hundred bolts of heavenly lightning were drawn into its body!
Beside this primordial spirit, two zhang-sized orbs orbited around it.
Ling Yuxiu walked forward and saw Qin Mu standing at the feet of the towering, majestic primordial spirit, also in his Three Heads and Six Arms form. Behind Qin Mu, the faint shadow of a massive beast loomed.
It was a colossal creature with a dragon's head and a qilin's body, bathed in the lightning. The dragon scales on its surface gleamed with a cold light, honed by the heavenly thunder.
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The author and some book club friends made a bet: if "The Legend of the Shepherd" could reach the top three in monthly votes, the author would cross-dress. Last month, the novel came in second. A bet is a bet. A few days ago, the author and his wife went to a photo studio. The author dressed as a woman, and his wife dressed as a man, taking a set of couple-swap photos. They will be posted on the WeChat public account on the 30th to fulfill the promise. To avoid hurting eyes, formal attire photos will also be released to cleanse the palate.