Chapter 685: A Single Bow Brings Death
Eight thousand flying swords flew in, clashing with a clang, forming a large shield in front of Qin Mu. The shield was a perfect arc, capable of blocking the shockwave upon impact, withstanding the strongest shockwaves with minimal pressure.
Qin Mu turned sideways, dropping to one knee, one arm braced behind the shield. This was the most powerful defensive stance for receiving an impact.
Behind him, countless strands of his primordial spirit's energy were infused into the shield, reinforcing its structure.
The flying swords on the shield's surface were interlocked in a locking structure, linked together, allowing this structure to bear the strongest impacts.
In addition, various defensive runes appeared on the shield's surface—Xuanwu runes, connecting the turtle and the serpent. The shield's surface bore the pattern of a turtle's shell, while the edges were adorned with serpent patterns.
Hum—
The shockwave from the Heaven's Mourning Bell struck. There was no loud bell sound, only a violent tremor in space. Qin Mu didn't feel a terrifying impact force, but his primordial spirit behind him was struck hard, trembling violently, and was blasted out of sight!
"This Heaven's Mourning Bell is a divine ability targeting the primordial spirit or soul!"
Qin Mu's heart jolted. His primordial spirit swiftly returned. The speed of a primordial spirit was the fastest in the world. Even if it was blasted ten thousand miles away, it could return in an instant. The problem now was that Qin Mu didn't know if his primordial spirit could withstand the attack of the Heaven's Mourning Bell!
He knew little about the divine abilities of the Netherworld. He had only seen Netherworld techniques on Lou Qianchong, but Lou Qianchong had only managed to use one move before being killed by him, so he hadn't had the chance to see more Netherworld techniques.
His primordial spirit had just returned when a second shockwave from the Heaven's Mourning Bell followed, humming as it blasted his primordial spirit even farther away.
Yet, Qin Mu's physical body still felt little impact.
"This Heaven's Mourning Bell is very powerful, but it only affects the primordial spirit or soul! In that case..."
Qin Mu's mind controlled his physical body. Suddenly, the large shield disintegrated. The moment the shield broke apart, Qin Mu had already transformed into a three-headed, six-armed form. His six arms reached out and grabbed, turning the eight thousand swords into six divine blades. He leaped forward, closing in on the Heaven's Mourning Bell!
He was like a tiger charging into a flock of sheep. With six divine blades, the blade light flew up and down, heads and limbs scattering everywhere. He killed like cutting grass, unleashing the Butcher's Nine Heavenly Blade Techniques with exhilarating smoothness.
The Nine Heavenly Blade Techniques, from "Night Battle Across the City in Wind and Rain" and "Sun Illuminating the Eastern Sea with Thousand Layers of Waves" to "Long Blade Suspended Like the Moon, Swift Horse Startling the Stars," each move was exquisite and profound, grand and majestic.
The blade light was like wind and rain, sea and waves, truly a long blade suspended like the moon, a swift horse startling the stars!
Combined with the highest creation technique of the Crimson Bright Era—three heads and six arms—the three heads watched all directions, and the six arms attacked without any blind spots, as if three Qin Mus were joining forces, charging into the flock of sheep!
Suddenly, the blade light sharply retracted. Qin Mu raised his six arms high, and the six blades clashed together, forming a single long blade. All six arms swung down together!
Swoosh—
The blade light was stunning, cleaving the hall's door in one stroke. The door split apart, flipping to both sides, revealing the hall!
Around him, front and back, left and right, corpses fell one after another into pools of blood. Not a single person remained standing.
His primordial spirit flew back with a whoosh, landing behind him once more.
Qin Mu gently rubbed his six hands together, and the long blade turned into a sword orb, hovering before his brow. He paused for a moment, then used his energy to roll up the small box into his hand before stepping into the hall.
Clang.
The Heaven's Mourning Bell behind him fell to the ground, rolling down the steps with a series of clanging sounds.
Inside the hall, a demon god sat upright, draped in a black cloak, with two curved crimson horns on his head. His eyes were distinct in black and white, like human eyes.
This demon god was holding a book, studying it. Qin Mu walked in carrying the small box, which opened with a click, revealing a crack.
The demon god put down his book and looked at him, chuckling, "It's been a long time since anyone from outside entered the Netherworld. The last person to come here was twenty thousand years ago, when the Opening Emperor, ignorant of his limits, sent divine demons to spy on this place. This time you've come—could it be that some arrogant fool outside wants to turn the world upside down again?"
Qin Mu, carrying the box, bowed and said, "Qin Fengqing, the one hundred and seventh generation descendant of the Opening Emperor, pays respects to the senior of the Netherworld."
"So you're a descendant of the Opening Emperor, still young."
The demon god smiled and said, "Is the Opening Emperor dead? If he isn't, he would have told you never to reveal your true name to others, especially those of the Netherworld. You little brat, though you have some skill, you're still too young. Do you know who I am?"
He stood up, his body towering and massive, even surpassing Qin Mu's ten-zhang primordial spirit.
"The Kui surname is a major one in the Netherworld, giving birth to many divine demons. I am of the Kui clan."
His voice was extremely resonant: "My Dao name is Kui Wuqu. Of course, this name is also fake, but many still call me Venerable Wuqu."
Qin Mu's heart stirred, and he said, "I have encountered two divine demons of the Kui surname before—one called Kui Wushen and another called Kui Qingpei. I wonder if they are related to you, senior?"
"Kui Qingpei is a disciple of His Majesty, an outstanding genius of our Kui clan."
The demon god, Venerable Wuqu, smiled and said, "As for Kui Wushen, he is my disciple, sent down from the Heavenly Court to the Netherworld to study under me. The fact that you met them and survived shows you have some skill. But since you've met Kui Wushen, you should know that he studied under me, and revealing your true name in front of me is extremely dangerous."
Qin Mu's face turned ashen. He lifted the small box slightly.
Wuqu laughed, "It's useless. Although the God-Slaying Mystic Blade is powerful, far beyond my ability to match, your God-Slaying Mystic Blade cannot touch me at all. In fact, when you were dealing with my Netherworld divine demons earlier, I already saw the flaw in the God-Slaying Mystic Blade. You used the God-Slaying Mystic Blade to kill many of my subordinates, but you never used this blade against those whose bodies were hidden in the Netherworld. Against such practitioners, you always used flying swords to kill them. What does that mean?"
He couldn't help but laugh heartily, "The God-Slaying Mystic Blade cannot cut into the Netherworld!"
Qin Mu's face was pale, devoid of any color.
Venerable Wuqu was very satisfied and said leisurely, "Do you know why I watched you slaughter my subordinates without showing myself? Now I can tell you: I was afraid of the God-Slaying Mystic Blade. The head of a Throne-level powerhouse, eyes like blades—this head has drunk blood and killed gods and demons beyond count. I couldn't see through it, so I didn't act. But now that the God-Slaying Mystic Blade has been seen through, you can't harm me in the slightest."
Qin Mu looked utterly dejected, muttering, "You watched your subordinates being killed by me and still held back from acting... You're too ruthless..."
Wuqu clasped his hands behind his back and laughed, "You're too young, little brat. Whether they live or die has nothing to do with me. After all, they can be reborn in the Netherworld after death. Only those unlucky ones killed by the God-Slaying Mystic Blade—their primordial spirits and souls are devoured by this divine blade, and they die completely. But what does that have to do with me? Since you know my disciple Kui Wushen, do you want to see a technique even more powerful than his?"
Qin Mu's face was frighteningly pale. He quickly said, "Senior, wait! Senior, don't you want to know the purpose of my visit to the Netherworld?"
Wuqu tilted his head, his two horns giving him the look of a goat tilting its head, and laughed, "Alright. I'm on duty here, and it's rare to meet an outsider. I'll give you some time. Tell me your purpose."
Qin Mu put on a serious expression and said, "I came to find Lady Netherworld!"
"Lady Netherworld?"
Wuqu seemed to hear the funniest thing, laughing heartily, "Lady Netherworld was devoured countless millennia ago. Only her skin remains. You came to find her? What can you do with her? Use her skin for a memorial?"
Qin Mu's face darkened, and he muttered, "Lady Netherworld is dead? How could this be... How could... No! Impossible! Lady Netherworld is a natural-born sacred being. Who could kill her? You must be lying to me! I don't believe it!"
Wuqu laughed scornfully, "Lady Netherworld's human skin is suppressed beneath the sea. Do you want me to summon it for you to see?"
"I don't believe it. You must be lying to me..."
Qin Mu's eyes were vacant, and he murmured, "You're lying to me... I was ordered to come here to form an alliance with Lady Netherworld. She is a natural-born sacred being, the master of the Netherworld, incredibly powerful. She can't be dead, she can't be..."
Wuqu walked past him and said leisurely, "Killing the heart is the true kill. I love watching arrogant little brats like you completely collapse. I'll let you die with clarity. Follow me. I'll summon Lady Netherworld for you to see."
Qin Mu followed him dejectedly, stumbling with each step, nearly tripping over the corpses on the ground, barely able to keep up.
Venerable Wuqu arrived at the seaside. Suddenly, the gray-black sea began to churn violently. Gray waves slapped the sky, and the sea's agitation grew more intense. After a moment, an immensely tall and majestic goddess rose slowly from the sea.
That goddess had a vast physical body, seemingly unclothed, but draped in rays of light as garments and rainbows as robes. Divine light trailed like ribbons behind her, fluttering in the wind.
Qin Mu looked up, as if suddenly grasping a shred of hope, and shouted, "Lady, you're still alive! Lady, I was ordered to come here to form an alliance with you. Lady, quickly kill this traitorous subject!"
Wuqu laughed heartily, quite amused, "Can't you see? Lady Netherworld looks like a skin, but she's actually hollow. Her body is filled with black sand—those shattered souls. She is no longer herself. Her physical body was devoured until only the skin remained, and her primordial spirit and everything else are gone. She has become a hungry ghost."
He turned around, revealing a sinister smile, "Now you can die."
Qin Mu struggled desperately. With a click, he opened the small box, and two beams of blood-red light shot toward Wuqu!
Wuqu laughed, his form fading into a patch of darkness, as if turning into a figure composed of black sand. The two red beams snipped across him, but he remained completely unharmed.
"Just as I expected. The Netherworld's divine abilities can indeed counter the God-Slaying Mystic Blade," Wuqu said with a smile.
The two blood-red beams of the God-Slaying Mystic Blade swirled around him, intertwining like lightning, moving at an inconceivable speed, but they could never strike his true form.
"I've had my fun. Time to send you on your way!"
Wuqu, standing within the Netherworld, bowed deeply to Qin Mu and laughed, "I can bow you to death even across a world! Qin Fengqing, receive my bow!"
As his bow fell, Qin Mu's mind roared, the world spun, and his soul trembled. The next moment, he appeared before a massive demon god.
That demon god had two horns on his head, goat-like hooves, and blazing demonic fire all around him. It was Wuqu's primordial spirit, reaching out to grab him.
But just as Wuqu's hand was about to descend, his gaze suddenly froze, and he stared dumbly at what was behind Qin Mu.
Behind Qin Mu, in the darkness, three eyes suddenly split open, flickering with a strange butterfly-wing-like light. Then, the face of a chubby child gradually emerged from the darkness.
"This is..."
He was somewhat bewildered: "Two Qin Fengqings?"
The panic on Qin Mu's face had long vanished, replaced by calm confidence: "Venerable Wuqu, come and meet my big brother."
—Double monthly tickets for the last twelve hours! Asking for monthly tickets once more! Long Fatty, Long Fatty, come over and ask for monthly tickets... Not for eating... Don't bring out the washbasin! Oh, it's for holding monthly tickets. Good job, Long Fatty. I'll give you an extra meal later!