Chapter 860: Overwhelming Ferocity
Qin Mu walked cheerfully toward Jiangling Academy, fully understanding the deeper intentions behind the Woodcutter and Celestial Master Zi Xi’s actions.
After the Yuan Realm broke its seal, all kinds of forces had emerged. Yan Kang was nothing more than a drop in the ocean, looked down upon and treated as a soft persimmon.
When every force sees you as a soft persimmon and comes to squeeze you, you really will get squeezed soft.
For Yan Kang to survive in the perilous Yuan Realm, relying solely on the power of the Kaihuang remnants was not enough. They first needed to establish a resounding reputation.
The title of “sage born once every five hundred years” would never gain traction among the various heavens of the Yuan Realm. But the title of “Yan Kang’s Invincible Physique, undefeated across all realms” was far more striking. So pushing Qin Mu forward as their banner was only natural.
More critical was the pact with the Little Lord of the Earth.
The Little Lord of the Earth was the Son of the Netherworld, the other “self” within Qin Mu—his brother, Qin Fengqing.
The Woodcutter had made the pact with the gods of the Northern Heavens, swearing by Qin Fengqing and also by Qin Mu. If the experts of the Northern Heavens defeated Qin Mu, even if Yan Kang did not surrender, Qin Mu would not harm the Woodcutter.
Restraining his brother Qin Fengqing was something Qin Mu was confident he could manage. Qin Fengqing would certainly grumble, but Qin Mu believed he could convince him.
But if the gods of the Northern Heavens lost and refused to honor the pact with the Little Lord of the Earth, the consequence would naturally be being devoured by an ecstatic Qin Fengqing.
The constant worry about his brother’s diet was instantly resolved.
Even more crucial was that Yan Kang was the only stake the Woodcutter and Zi Xi had to gamble against the Northern Heavens—hundreds of heavens, no less. It was practically a scheme to get something for nothing!
It was a sure-win deal. Those two celestial masters, the Woodcutter and Zi Xi, were full of cunning schemes, so of course they could come up with such an idea.
Jiangling Academy.
This academy was designed and built by the Yan Kang National Teacher. It was not constructed within Jiangling City, which was primarily a commercial hub with little space for an academy’s development. So the National Teacher built Jiangling Academy on the Golden River Delta.
In the delta, the National Teacher had summoned strongmen from Yan Kang to move several large mountains, and the academy was built along their slopes.
He also invited Blind, a master of formations, to construct several floating palaces connected by cableways, encircling the mountain peaks like flower petals.
Additionally, academy disciples experimented with formations, imprinting various arrays on the rocks, so that besides the palaces, massive boulders also flew around the academy.
Some students, too lazy to walk, would leap between the floating boulders in the air, which became a unique sight at Jiangling Academy.
Qin Mu arrived with the Imperial Heavenly Lord and looked into the distance. Jiangling Academy was bustling with activity. Young people were dueling on the river, fighting fiercely. Waves exploded on the surface, and divine abilities erupted with the roars of giant beasts, stirring up storms on the water.
Suddenly, massive waves on the river transformed into enormous icebergs. The icebergs flew, spun, and with a series of sharp *clangs*, countless ice swords grew from within them, flying out to slash in all directions!
More icebergs rose from the river, a spectacular sight. The ice swords flew among the icebergs, their sword techniques so exquisite they were breathtaking!
Qin Mu stopped and sighed in admiration.
Although Jiangling Academy had considerable skill in formations, its greatest fame lay in sword techniques. This glacier sword technique incorporated the eighteen basic sword forms, already a rare and supreme art.
“The National Teacher has taught many outstanding individuals. The one wielding the sword is likely a sword doctor from the academy.”
He looked toward the center of the sword formation and saw a woman in her twenties executing the technique, but he did not recognize her. She was probably a rising star from Yan Kang.
Just then, a furious roar erupted from within the iceberg sword formation. A giant demigod, over ten zhang tall, charged through the formation toward the sword doctor.
His body was fierce and muscular, with four arms, wielding a shield and a hammer. He smashed the icebergs to pieces and shattered the ice swords. When his shield and hammer clashed, his divine power exploded, sending rings of formation patterns sweeping in all directions, shattering all incoming flying swords.
The four-armed demigod charged at the woman, leaped into the air, and slammed his hammer down with extraordinary ferocity.
In terms of divine ability finesse, he was no match for this sword doctor from Jiangling Academy. But as a demigod, his physical body was formidable, and his divine power surpassed that of humans.
Moreover, demigods possessed ancient god bloodlines and certain special talents, giving them a significant innate advantage over humans. In close combat, they could rely on their powerful physiques to break through opponents’ abilities.
The four-armed demigod’s hammer strike blasted the river apart. The woman was sent flying high into the air. Though defeated, she remained composed. She waved her hand, and countless river water rose into the air, forming vertical water mirrors.
From within the mirrors, beams of sword light shot toward the demigod. He roared, shattered the water mirrors with a shockwave, and thrust his shield forward heavily. A thick water wall, a hundred zhang high, rose on the Golden River and pressed down toward the woman.
Cheers erupted from all around.
“Qiu Xiaoyi’s ability will keep that little wench pinned down!”
“Jiangling Academy has lost over ten rounds already! Where is Yan Kang’s Invincible Physique? Why doesn’t he come out and show his shame?”
“Call out your National Teacher, born once every five hundred years, and let him come to die!”
…
Qin Mu followed the sound and saw many demigods gathered at the mountain gate of Jiangling Academy, with various phenomena floating in the air—a lively scene.
Some demigods had already cultivated to the divine realm, their divine light piercing the sky. Although Jiangling Academy had gods stationed there, their aura was much weaker.
These gods confronted each other, with Jiangling Academy’s gods at a disadvantage, severely dampening morale.
Many of Jiangling Academy’s students also looked dejected. They had likely been challenged by the demigods of the Northern Heavens, losing more than winning, their spirits crushed.
In terms of divine abilities, they were naturally exquisite. But the innate gap was enormous, making it very difficult for human students to win at the same cultivation level.
For geniuses like Qin Mu, Xu Shenghua, and Zhe Huali, who walked at the forefront of the era and led its progress, the gap between humans and demigods was imperceptible. But for other cultivators, the difference was stark.
Moreover, Jiangling Academy was pitting its students against the most outstanding disciples from hundreds of heavens in the Northern Heavens!
One could imagine the immense pressure Jiangling Academy was under.
Qin Mu’s heart stirred, and he began walking toward Jiangling Academy.
As he moved, the river water beside him slowly rose. Sheets of water floated into the air, climbing higher and higher. Gradually, the entire river, dozens of li wide, lifted into the sky and drifted upward.
At the mountain gate of Jiangling Academy, both the students and the demigods and divine demons of the Northern Heavens looked up, stunned by the spectacular sight before them.
The Golden River flew into the air. Fish several zhang long swam in the air, carried upward by an invisible force.
Fierce river monsters and water demons also flailed about, rising with the river.
Large cargo ships on the Golden River also flew into the air, still sailing on the water’s surface. The furnaces on board still operated, the engines still turned. The cultivators guarding the ships came to the rails and peered down, clearly unaware of what was happening.
The four-armed demigod and the academy’s sword doctor, who had been fighting moments before, were also lifted by this force. They were bound by the power, unable to move, watching helplessly as they floated uncontrollably on the river’s surface.
The Golden River rose several hundred zhang into the air, passed over the mountain peaks of Jiangling Academy, flew for dozens of li, arced through the sky, and then returned to its original channel, continuing its flow.
The scene was breathtaking.
“Has a god from Yan Kang arrived?”
A god from the Northern Heavens looked up and sneered, “Some skill, but just showing off.”
He lowered his gaze and looked ahead. Beneath the awe-inspiring river, a young boy stepped through the air, walking step by step toward Jiangling Academy as if strolling through a garden.
Behind him followed a dragon qilin and a water qilin, along with a slightly chubby boy who looked around curiously.
The sounds of waves and flowing water were clear in their ears.
The boy in front walked slowly but moved swiftly. As he approached, the sky suddenly darkened, growing blacker and blacker.
A majestic gate appeared behind the boy, becoming clearer and clearer. The massive dark portal opened, and netherworld demonic energy surged out, staining the sky black.
“Disciples of the Northern Heavens.”
The gate seemed like a giant mouth devouring heaven and earth. A voice came from within, chilling to the bone, echoing across the land. The sound wave surged forward, causing the skin on the faces of all the demigod cultivators standing at the mountain gate to wrinkle and flutter backward with a *whoosh*.
“Not a single one of you is worth fighting!”
The sound wave struck, sending their hair flying wildly and their clothes fluttering backward.
A few demigods with weaker cultivation couldn’t hold their ground and were flung backward through the air, tumbling like windmills.
The voice was filled with demonic nature, seeming to evoke the deepest terror in people’s hearts. As soon as it sounded, it felt like falling into the netherworld, sinking and plummeting endlessly into the darkness!
The demigods from the Northern Heavens were drenched in sweat, their legs trembling.
Suddenly, the phenomena vanished. The Golden River split in two and slowly descended, flowing past both sides of Jiangling Academy.
The darkness in the sky abruptly retracted into the majestic gate. The gate faded and disappeared, and soon the sky brightened again.
The boy had already reached the mountain gate of Jiangling Academy. He stood with a smile, looking at the shaken demigod cultivators before him.
A demigod god’s eyes flashed with sharp light, landing on the boy. He bellowed, “A god causing trouble here, intimidating the cultivators of the Northern Heavens—is this the way Yan Kang treats its guests?”
Just then, a thunderous laugh erupted from within Jiangling Academy: “All students, follow me out of the academy to welcome Yan Kang’s Invincible Physique, Qin!”
A commotion arose from the academy. An old god with white hair, his face glowing, led thousands of Jiangling Academy students out. The old god bowed, his voice like thunder, causing the Golden River to tremble: “Wei Guogong, Acting Sacrificial Wine of Jiangling, leads all students to welcome Yan Kang’s Invincible Physique, Qin, on his grand arrival!”
The thousands of students shouted even louder than Wei Guogong, their voices shaking the heavens: “Welcome Yan Kang’s Invincible Physique, Qin, on his grand arrival!”
They straightened up, and Wei Guogong bowed again, smiling: “Wei Tianwang of the Heavenly Saint Cult pays respects to the Cult Leader and Saint Teacher!”
Qin Mu laughed heartily, supporting him by the arms, his voice much softer: “Saint Teacher Woodcutter acted without informing me, so I arrived a few days late. Duke, you’ve been wronged these past days. Among the Northern Heavens, who wishes to challenge me?”
He swept his gaze around, his eyes like lightning, illuminating the void. In an instant, the area for a hundred li around Jiangling Academy turned bright as day. When Qin Mu withdrew his gaze, everyone’s vision returned to normal.
Silence fell all around, broken only by heavy breathing and the chattering of teeth. Not a single demigod cultivator dared to speak.
—Tears streaming, the monthly vote rankings have been pushed to sixth! Waving a little flag, begging for monthly votes!~