Chapter 836: Qin Mu's Arrogance
Yu Hongxiu was quite wary of him. Compared to the upright and gentlemanly Linxuan Dao Lord, Qin Mu carried a hint of unorthodoxy, so she naturally wasn't willing to join the Heavenly Saint Cult.
Linxuan Dao Lord was very pleased, constantly glancing at Qin Mu, unable to hide his smugness.
He had lost many people to Qin Mu's poaching. Many Daoist priests from the Dao Sect had gone to Yinkang to become officials, some had gone to the Heavenly Saint Cult to study, and among the younger generation, far more entered the Heavenly Saint Academy than the Dao Sect Academy. Even he, the Dao Lord himself, had unconsciously been won over by Qin Mu; for a time, he couldn't stabilize his Dao heart and wanted to join the Heavenly Saint Cult.
One could imagine how difficult it was to poach from Qin Mu! But now, he had finally achieved something.
Qingyun Heaven.
The Qingyun Sect Leader was somewhat surprised to see them returning from outside. Linxuan explained their recent experiences, which dispelled his doubts.
"Yuchenzi has already gone to prepare the frame-up of Mother Earth Primordial. He will deliver the corpses to Mother Earth Primordial's territory, arrange battle traces for hundreds of miles along the way, and position the bodies. Even if the Roaring Heaven Divine Clan investigates, they will only conclude that the demigods under Mother Earth Primordial ambushed them."
The Qingyun Sect Leader said, "Rest assured, Yuchenzi is meticulous and highly skilled in mathematical calculations. He will handle this flawlessly, leaving no loose ends."
Qin Mu nodded. Qingyun Heaven was a branch of the Dao Sect, specializing in mathematical calculations. When the Heavenly Court wanted to create the Heavenly Chart, they had to invite the Daoists of Qingyun Heaven to handle it. As someone valued even by the Qingyun Sect Leader, Yuchenzi's mathematical skills were undoubtedly top-notch. Even complex calculations were no problem for him, so his work would naturally be seamless.
"But how to make Young Friend Xiao and Young Friend Yu fake their deaths and escape is somewhat difficult."
The Qingyun Sect Leader glanced at Xiao Chunfeng and Yu Hongxiu and said, "Both of you have names in the Heavenly Court. If the Heavenly Court wants to investigate your whereabouts, they only need to use the Book of Life and Death to know whether you are alive or dead. To sever the connection to the Book of Life and Death, the only way is to use the Book of Life and Death itself to erase your life records. Then it won't be detectable. Even if the Heavenly Court uses the Book of Life and Death to check, they will only find that you are both dead. However, such a treasure as the Book of Life and Death is extremely rare in the world..."
"That's simple."
Qin Mu smiled and said, "The Book of Life and Death? I have one here too." With that, he took out the Book of Life and Death.
Everyone stared at him in shock. Xiao Chunfeng exclaimed, "You have such a treasure too?"
Qin Mu chuckled, "Is the Book of Life and Death that precious? This was given to me by my Yinkang's Great Venerable and Brother Xinghan. I've also seen this kind of treasure at the disciple of the Nether Emperor's place."
Everyone was speechless. Yu Hongxiu thought to herself, "Isn't the lower realm supposed to be a poor and remote place? How come even treasures like the Book of Life and Death are everywhere, and can even be given away? Which is poorer, the lower realm or the Heavenly Court?"
"The real Book of Life and Death is a treasure refined by Earth Bo using the Dao rules of the Nether Realm. There is only one in the world, held by the Benevolent Sage King of Heaven's Equality. All other Books of Life and Death are imitations created by the Black Emperor Nether Emperor and the Benevolent Sage King of Heaven's Equality."
The Qingyun Sect Leader took the Book of Life and Death and said, "Although it's an imitation, the Book of Life and Death refined by the Nether Emperor has functions that the Nether Realm's original doesn't, surpassing it in many ways."
He opened the Book of Life and Death, shone its light on Xiao Chunfeng and Yu Hongxiu, and erased their life records. He said, "This treasure is usually used for locating people and verifying true identities, which are minor uses. Its major use is as a great weapon to annihilate an entire race, and even ordinary gods and demons cannot resist it! This Great Venerable and Xinghan—what are their origins? Could they also give a Book of Life and Death to my Qingyun Heaven?"
Qin Mu put the Book of Life and Death away and shook his head. "They only had this one copy. They were quite pained when they gave it to me and chased me for a long time."
The Qingyun Sect Leader widened his eyes, finally realizing what Qin Mu meant by "gave."
"So his 'gave' means stealing or robbing."
Qingyun Heaven arranged the death of the Heavenly Court's envoy without Qin Mu or Linxuan needing to do much, which was very convenient. The subsequent matters had little to do with Qin Mu; mostly, Linxuan discussed the Yinkang Dao Sect's Daoists coming to Qingyun Heaven to study.
The Yinkang Dao Sect had now become the Yinkang Dao Sect Academy. Once the Dao Sect learned Qingyun Heaven's skills, they would inevitably spread them to Yinkang.
The four great sacred lands of the past had all become academies, shedding their original martial sect atmosphere.
The Great Thunderclap Monastery had established the Thunderclap Academy, Wang Muran had established the Jade Capital Academy, and the Heavenly Saint Cult had established the Heavenly Saint Academy, each with its own strengths.
Qin Mu had also divided the Heavenly Saint Academy into over three hundred and sixty major schools, distributed throughout Yinkang, with hall masters and deputy hall masters responsible for teaching scholars, making it very prosperous.
Besides the four great sacred lands, the various sects and schools of the past had also rebranded themselves, establishing primary and secondary schools, trying to survive in this era of Yinkang's reforms. If they remained stagnant, they would soon be eliminated by the times.
Conservative sects didn't need external forces to destroy them; they would naturally die out due to dwindling numbers.
This was the surging tide of Yinkang's reforms. The trend was like a flood, sweeping away all who resisted. Those who went with the flow and built boats and rafts still had a chance of survival.
Looking back at the early days of Yinkang's reforms, when various sects tried to kill the Yinkang National Master and replace the emperor, rebellions and uprisings were everywhere. Now, even those sects had to reform to adapt to the times.
Qin Mu, Linxuan, and the others had experienced it firsthand. To them, this historical process was ordinary and unremarkable, but looking back, it stirred their hearts with excitement.
"Cult Leader Qin, although the gods and disciples sent by the Heavenly Court have died at your and Dao Lord Lin's hands this time, the Heavenly Court will still send others to continue creating a perfect Heavenly Chart, to nip any potential seeds of rebellion in the Primordial Realm in the bud."
The Qingyun Sect Leader saw them off and said, "When the Heavenly Court sends another envoy, my Qingyun Heaven will still fully assist in creating the Heavenly Chart, and the chart will still be made. The Dao Ancestor hasn't spoken, so my Qingyun Heaven won't betray the Heavenly Court. I hope Cult Leader Qin can understand."
Qin Mu's expression turned serious, and he said solemnly, "Sect Leader, rest assured, I understand the gravity of the situation."
The Qingyun Sect Leader smiled and continued, "There's one more thing. The person who stole my Qingyun Heaven's treasures—regardless of his relationship with Cult Leader Qin—my Qingyun Heaven will send people to hunt him down and recover our property. I hope Cult Leader Qin can understand this as well."
He sighed, "Hunting down this divine thief and recovering the property—we have no confidence in it. But it concerns the face of Qingyun Heaven and the Dao Sect, so it must be done."
Qin Mu's face flushed slightly, and he stammered, "Please go easy on him, Sect Leader. Also, Sect Leader, could you spare a mountain peak?"
The Qingyun Sect Leader asked about it and laughed heartily, "That's a small matter. Pick whichever mountain you like, rename it, and let that Bai Xi God move there."
Qin Mu thanked him and left Qingyun Heaven with Linxuan Dao Lord and the others, taking the Dragon Qilin and Water Qilin with him.
Beside Deer County, Qin Mu arranged for Bai Xi God, who was overwhelmed with gratitude and quickly went to take up his post at the new Hundred Years Mountain by the river.
By the river, Qin Mu, Linxuan, Xiao Chunfeng, and Yu Hongxiu looked at the Yong River. The waters of the Heavenly River surged and flowed, the river vast as the sea.
"Cult Leader Qin, we part ways here."
Linxuan and the Zha Daoist packed their belongings. Linxuan tossed his whisk into the air, where it transformed into a white dragon soaring in the sky. The two sat on the dragon's back, and Linxuan reached out to pull Yu Hongxiu up. He laughed, "We will return to the Dao Sect. If Cult Leader Qin wants to learn the Taiwei Calculation Classic, come find me at the Dao Sect."
Qin Mu nodded. "The Primordial Realm is not safe right now. Travel carefully. After I find the Imperial Brother, I will go to the Dao Sect."
Linxuan looked down at Xiao Chunfeng and said, "Senior Brother Xiao, the Dao Sect is quite far. Let's hurry. Come up quickly."
Xiao Chunfeng's gaze had been fixed on Qin Mu, and he hadn't moved. Suddenly, he laughed, "Qin the Overlord Body, our battle was interrupted by the Dao Ancestor before it ended. Don't you want to know who is stronger, you or me? You are the Overlord Body of Yinkang, but not the Overlord Body of the Heavenly Court."
Linxuan's forehead broke out in cold sweat, and he groaned inwardly.
Yu Hongxiu's eyes flickered, and she whispered, "Dao Lord Lin, aren't you looking forward to this battle?"
Linxuan shook his head. "Senior Brother Xiao is still a step behind Cult Leader Qin. He's not his match."
"A step behind, and the outcome is still uncertain!"
Yu Hongxiu said excitedly, "Besides, Senior Brother Xiao is one of the top disciples of the younger generation in the Heavenly Court's Dao Sect, and a first-generation child of an ancient god with extremely high bloodline! His combat power is also ranked among the best at the Divine Bridge level in the Heavenly Court! This battle is worth watching!"
Linxuan Dao Lord grunted, "A step behind means no fight. Even after Senior Brother Xiao learns the Taiwei Calculation Classic, he still can't win. Unless he can obtain all the fruits of Yinkang's reforms, he might be able to contend with Cult Leader Qin. But that person isn't him; it's Xu Shenghua. And even Xu Shenghua, without learning the Heavenly River Divine Treasury, is still a step behind Cult Leader Qin..."
Yu Hongxiu was about to speak when the river surface shimmered. Xiao Chunfeng took a step forward, and in the next moment, a divine bridge spanned the Yong River. His primordial spirit emerged, standing on the bridge, holding a medicine pestle and a battle axe, his figure tall and majestic!
Xiao Chunfeng's vital qi erupted, and a full moon rose from the river surface. Countless mathematical symbols turned into stars orbiting the moon, like a galaxy coiling around a giant moon, even obscuring the sun's light!
Xiao Chunfeng laughed loudly, "Overlord Body of Yinkang, dare you fight?"
On the white dragon's back, Yu Hongxiu clenched her hands excitedly and said to Linxuan Dao Lord, "Senior Brother Xiao is using his bloodline power..."
By the river, Qin Mu took a step forward, and a Heavenly River descended from the sky behind him, connecting to the Heavenly Palace, vast and surging. His primordial spirit stood on the Heavenly River.
Linxuan Dao Lord sighed.
In an instant, the Yong River's surface erupted with towering waves that shattered space itself, tearing a huge hole in the sky above the river!
Yu Hongxiu only saw the galaxy collapse, the moon shatter, and then the river surface exploded, violently churning a dozen times before calming down.
The Dragon Qilin and Water Qilin trod along the riverbank, running from the subsiding battlefield, following Qin Mu as he emerged from the falling waves and headed toward the opposite shore.
The sapphire-blue Water Qilin even stopped, glanced under the river surface, and then quickly caught up with Qin Mu.
After a moment, Xiao Chunfeng floated up from beneath the river, lying spread-eagled on the water as if trampled by countless wild bulls a thousand times over—his face bruised and swollen, his clothes tattered, his eyes vacant as he stared at the sky.
Linxuan Dao Lord sighed again, channeled his vital qi, and the white dragon lowered a whisker, curling it around Xiao Chunfeng on the river surface and lifting him onto the dragon's back.
Linxuan Dao Lord began to heal him, grumbling, "Cult Leader Qin has even less medical ethics now. In the past, he would treat people after beating them up, even if the fee was a bit high. Now he's gotten arrogant and doesn't even care about this small change anymore..."
Stuck on the plot, update delayed to ten o'clock!
Notice: Zhai Zhu is stuck on the plot. I wrote a few thousand words, but after reading them over and over, I wasn't satisfied, so I had to delete and rewrite them. I'll reorganize my thoughts and probably have it written by ten o'clock tonight. Apologies to everyone!