Chapter 718: The Old Ox
A hundred miles from the center of the explosion, Qin Mu crawled out of a large crater in a sorry state, his clothes tattered and torn. He patted out the flames still burning on his body, which sizzled and crackled, giving off a faint aroma of cooked meat.
He had just used demonic yuan to ignite heavenly fire, and the explosion occurred without any warning at all.
Fortunately, he had been cautious, using only a wisp of demonic qi to trigger the heavenly fire, so the resulting blast wasn't too violent—it only sent him flying a hundred miles.
Even so, it had nearly killed him. Luckily, his cultivation of the Creation Techniques of the Red Emperor and the Bright Emperor had saved his life.
"The Nether Realm belongs to the demonic path, while the Heavenly Realm belongs to the divine path. Using Nether Realm demonic qi to ignite Heavenly Realm heavenly fire—it seems that was bound to cause trouble."
The young man extinguished the demonic flames on his body and glanced back. The back of his clothes had also been blown into several large holes, revealing half of a pale white buttock.
These clothes had been crafted by Yu Zhaoqing and the experts of the Heavenly Feather Clan. They were well-made, capable of expanding or shrinking, and could even change color according to his mood, so they weren't too monotonous.
He had worn them all this time, but now they were no longer wearable.
"I'll have to ask Sister Yu for help again, to forge a few new sets of clothes."
He rose into the air, feeling a cool draft behind him.
Qin Mu returned to the center of the explosion to find his sword pellet. When the blast occurred, he had aimed the fiery force at his own sword pellet, which had endured the collision of demonic fire and heavenly fire. He wasn't sure if it had been burned or damaged.
"Oh?"
Qin Mu let out a soft exclamation. The sword pellet had shrunk significantly again, now only the size of a fist. He couldn't tell if part of it had been vaporized or if it had truly been refined to become smaller.
At this moment, the sword pellet emitted a quiet, mysterious glow, like a luminous pearl. The light wasn't intense; it flowed like water from within the pellet, contained yet unrestrained, making it appear as if it were made entirely of light.
He reached out and grasped the sword pellet. It was extremely heavy in his hand, no lighter than before, indicating that the massive explosion of demonic fire and heavenly fire hadn't vaporized it.
Qin Mu was momentarily stunned. Alternately tempering with divine fire and demonic fire could indeed quickly refine a sword pellet to the point where the sword became like flowing water. But just now, the demonic fire had mixed with heavenly fire in a violent explosion. Under such circumstances, refining the sword pellet to the state of flowing water seemed almost unbelievable.
He gripped the sword pellet tightly. From within, sword light flowed like a stream, spilling through his fingers, bending and moving according to his will.
This sword light was very quiet, mysterious. It made no sound as it cut through the air, not even a whisper when thrust at high speed—a silence that was eerily unsettling.
Yet when Qin Mu gently touched the sword light, he could clearly feel the cold, solid texture of the blade.
This characteristic indicated that the sword's flexibility had reached a level nearly comparable to flowing water, while the blade's strength was exceptionally high!
The toughness and strength of the sword pellet had reached a perfect balance!
"My forging and smelting skills haven't reached this level. Even Grandpa Mute might not be able to achieve this. So what exactly happened?"
Others who refined treasures would simply be satisfied if they succeeded, never pondering the reasons behind it. But he was more interested in understanding why this phenomenon had occurred.
"I wonder how wear-resistant it is?"
Qin Mu rummaged through his gluttony pouch and found the Heaven's Mourning Bell. This bell was a treasure from the Nether Capital. In the Nether Yin Realm, disciples of the Nether Capital had once used it to bombard him, causing him no small amount of trouble.
The Heaven's Mourning Bell was a divine-demonic treasure, also made from Nether Yin Gold, the same material as Qin Mu's sword pellet. However, his sword pellet also contained some Buddhist yuan red chromium.
Qin Mu lifted the bell and rubbed its rim against the sword pellet for a long time. He found that the bell's rim had worn away a bit, while the sword pellet remained completely unscathed.
"Extremely high wear resistance as well!"
Qin Mu was stunned. From a crafting perspective, his technique was indeed advanced, but not to this extent.
"Was it the effect of the heavenly fire and demonic fire? That played a part, but it's more likely the abnormally intense heat and impact from the explosion."
Qin Mu frowned slightly. "Can explosions also be used for smelting and forging? Why didn't Grandpa Mute teach me this... Wait a moment! When forging treasures, you use a hammer to strike repeatedly. In the Imperial Armory, giant mechanical constructs apply pressure, unleashing millions of pounds of force in an instant. And gods like Grandpa Mute can swing a hammer to increase that pressure by hundreds or thousands of times! The temperature generated under the hammer in an instant can approach the surface heat of the sun! But explosions can produce the same effect, and the pressure from an explosion is even stronger!"
His eyes lit up. He paced back and forth, muttering, "When heavenly fire and demonic fire collide and explode, the resulting heat and pressure are unmatched even by divine-demonic beings like Grandpa Mute. That's why my sword pellet was instantly refined to perfection! Explosion forging—there's great potential in this!"
Qin Mu spread his five fingers. Suddenly, the sword pellet clanged and split into eight thousand swords, their tips pointing toward the center.
With a thought, the sword pellet vanished and transformed into two long blades. Qin Mu grabbed them and attempted to perform "Night Attack on a City in Wind and Rain," but he only managed half a move before he was panting heavily and nearly collapsed to his knees.
"The sword pellet is too heavy. Using yuan qi to control it is one thing, but holding it in hand makes even a single move impossible."
Qin Mu's mind stirred. The two long blades disappeared and merged back into a fist-sized sword pellet. Placed in his gluttony pouch, it weighed down his belt, pulling his pants downward.
The capital's garrison guards, alerted by the explosion, arrived riding large birds with black feathers and red crests. Seeing Qin Mu in his tattered, ruined clothes, they were startled and quickly asked, "Lord Qin, what happened here?"
Qin Mu waved his hand and smiled. "Just a minor incident. Don't worry. I'm heading back to the Tu River Imperial Armory. You lot, fill in the crater from the explosion." With that, he walked toward the armory.
The guards exchanged glances. They watched as the renowned Lord Qin, famous throughout the capital, trudged along the riverbank toward the armory, revealing half a pale buttock with each step.
"Should we offer his lordship a piece of clothing to cover himself?" a soldier murmured quietly.
The leader hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. "I've heard that Lord Qin is also a tailor. In his early years, even the capital's elite sought him out for custom clothing, and it was quite fashionable. This outfit is probably Lord Qin's innovative design for this year—a beggar's suit..."
Qin Mu returned to the armory and saw the Dragon Qilin lying on the ground, its chin flat on the floor, its four legs stretched out straight. He shook his head.
The disciples of the Heavenly Craft Hall in the armory hurriedly brought out some clothes. "Chief, we don't have anything fancy here, just ordinary coarse cloth garments. Please make do with these, Chief."
Qin Mu put on the clothes and smiled. "I'm planning to experiment with some things, so the clothes don't need to be too good. Prepare a few more sets—I might need to change several times. Oh, is the Heavenly Craft Hall Master here? Have him come quickly!"
The disciples quickly notified the Heavenly Craft Hall Master to come. He asked in surprise, "Chief, what are you planning to do?"
"Explosion forging!"
The Heavenly Craft Hall Master had originally been in Jiangling, working with the Imperial Preceptor and the Emperor on building the Sun Boat and Moon Boat. Now that the difficulties had been resolved, he immediately took a fast boat upon hearing the news, arriving by sunset.
Qin Mu, the Heavenly Craft Hall Master, and many disciples of the Heavenly Craft Hall went into the workshop. Over the next ten-plus days, continuous explosions echoed from the armory, shaking the houses in the capital and causing considerable public discontent.
Finally, even the Empress and Crown Prince Ling Yushu couldn't sit still and came to the armory. When they entered the workshop, they saw many cultivators flying around a giant furnace over ten zhang tall, inscribing various runes onto it.
The furnace was different from ordinary ones. It had no vents, and its exterior was covered with Vermilion Bird patterns and other intricate flame textures. Its structure was extremely complex.
"Your Majesty, Your Highness!"
The Heavenly Craft Hall Master, his face blackened by explosions, saw the Empress and Crown Prince and quickly came forward to pay his respects. "Forgive me for disturbing Your Majesty and Your Highness!"
The Empress smiled. "We came because you've been booming and banging here every day, keeping the common folk from sleeping. Where is Lord Qin? What new contraption is he having you build?"
"Chief Qin has gone to the Southern Wastelands to ask Clan Leader Yu to forge him some clothes."
The Heavenly Craft Hall Master, Shan Youxin, laughed. "The Chief has been researching explosion forging with us. This furnace is for that purpose. Your Majesty, Your Highness, this furnace can quickly refine divine weapons to a usable state. The runes on it are Vermilion Bird runes and heavenly fire runes. Once ignited, the powerful explosion drives the hammer bolts inside to strike the divine metal, shaping it in a single blow—extremely fast!"
Ling Yushu and the Empress were greatly shaken. "Refining divine weapons this quickly?"
Shan Youxin smiled. "Refining divine metal is extremely difficult. The Tu River Imperial Armory is one of the few places capable of it, and even then, the daily output is limited. The gods of our Yan Kang have had to queue up for divine weapons, with orders stretching to the year after next or even later! But with this furnace, we can produce the divine metal the gods need in just two months!"
Ling Yushu recalled Emperor Yanfeng's instructions and quickly asked, "How much medicinal stone does it consume to start the furnace? Chief Qin has always been extravagant. The Sun-Slaying Divine Cannon he built—Father said it consumed too much medicinal stone. He fired it once and was heartbroken for three months, unable to sleep well."
Shan Youxin hesitated. "It doesn't consume too much. Well, not too much..."
At the Li River Academy, Qin Mu found Yu Zhaoqing and asked her to help forge some clothes. Yu Zhaoqing quickly gathered the experts of the Heavenly Feather Clan and smiled. "Your Highness, I've been raising silkworms at the academy and found some excellent materials. Rest assured, I'll make them well. Would Your Highness like a dragon robe?"
Qin Mu quickly shook his head. "Don't joke. I'm not planning a rebellion."
Yu Zhaoqing looked a bit regretful. "I could make two sets for backup."
Qin Mu shook his head and went to find Ba Shan the Sacrificial Wine Master. The two brothers drank in the hall. Hu Ling'er was also in the Southern Wastelands, training under the Fox Immortal, one of the Five Immortals of the Demon Race. Hearing the news, she ran over clamoring for a drink, but saw the Dragon Qilin outside the hall beating up a green ox, making it bellow in pain.
"Big Sister, I'm your sworn brother, the Green Ox! Save me!" the ox cried.
Hu Ling'er shook her head, ignored him, and slipped into the hall to drink with Qin Mu and Ba Shan.
A few days later, Yu Zhaoqing finished several sets of clothes. Qin Mu tried them on and was very satisfied. He then embroidered heavenly fire patterns and Nether Realm script onto the clothes with gold and silver threads as embellishments.
These two types of runes would ensure that even if he encountered another explosion of that magnitude, his clothes wouldn't be destroyed.
"Your Highness, these days, the Heavenly Feather Clan members are homesick and long to return to the Heavenly Feather World."
Yu Zhaoqing cautiously tested Qin Mu's intentions, smiling. "Now that Yan Kang no longer faces the threat of natural disasters, shouldn't we consider the various heavenly worlds?"
Qin Mu understood perfectly and smiled. "Yan Kang has just stabilized, with a hundred things waiting to be rebuilt. The Emperor doesn't have enough troops to pacify the Heavenly Feather World. The Heavenly Feather World is like the Great Ruins—normal during the day, but invaded by darkness at night. The darkness hasn't been quelled yet, Sister. Please wait a little longer. Once the Nether Yin Goddess has completely settled the remaining troubles in the Nether Yin Realm, you can return to the Heavenly Feather World."
Yu Zhaoqing had no choice but to say, "I await Your Highness's news."
Qin Mu drew a geographical map and said, "Clan Leader, you can take some of the clan's young men and women to the Nether Yin Realm first. The Nether Yin Goddess is short-handed there. If you go, she will value you greatly, and there will be many benefits. If other clans enter the Nether Yin Realm later, they won't have such advantages. I still need to go to the Nether Capital, so I won't have time to take you there."
Yu Zhaoqing was overjoyed and immediately went to arrange the matter.
Qin Mu bid farewell to Ba Shan the Sacrificial Wine Master and Hu Ling'er, then immediately set out for the Great Ruins.
He entered the Nether Capital from the Great Ruins, leaving the Dragon Qilin to wait outside. But he didn't see Di Yiyue or Tian Shu. The Nether Capital was as it had always been, unchanged.
"Could it be that Sister Di Yiyue is still searching for King Tian Shu?"
Qin Mu was puzzled. He took Lingjing the Daoist's small boat and left the Nether Capital, only to find the Dragon Qilin battered and bruised, looking miserable.
Qin Mu quickly asked what had happened. The Dragon Qilin said, "I ran into an old ox plowing a field. It looked a bit like the Green Ox, so I thought I'd bully it, but it beat me instead."
Qin Mu was stunned. "Where is this old ox?"
The Dragon Qilin led him to seek revenge. They arrived near a few mu of rice paddies, and Qin Mu saw from a distance an old ox sitting on its rump in the shade of a tree, its two hind legs stretched out like a person's, propping it up. Its front hooves leisurely held a water pipe, puffing clouds of smoke, squinting as it gazed at the rice fields.
Beside it was a small stone table with tea brewing on it.
Qin Mu approached and greeted it with a bow. "Greetings, fellow Daoist."
— Warm congratulations on Feitian Panda's wedding! Best wishes for a happy union, a child soon, a century of harmony, and a lifetime of growing old together!