Chapter 862: A Sword's Fragrant Scent (Requesting Monthly Tickets!)
"Aside from his indestructible divine consciousness, he also has divine abilities in the way of the sword, creation, and other aspects."
The Great Black Heaven continued to examine the Back-Bearing Sword Diagram, a playful smile on his face.
The black great sun behind his head had black qi flowing in and out, and this black qi was the source of the darkness that stretched for ten thousand miles around the Great Black Heaven.
"Yet, strangely enough, beings at the divine realm cannot trigger his indestructible divine consciousness, nor can they perceive his attainments in the sword or creation. His divine abilities only target ability users. We cannot sense his Dao and divine abilities; we can only observe them with our naked eyes, making it difficult to comprehend the essence of his divine abilities."
The Great Black Heaven gave a half-smile and praised, "This Yan Kang Overlord Body truly has some skill. Destroying his war challenge is simple, but breaking his divine abilities is difficult."
Inside the Great Black Palace, the gods of the Northern Heavens looked at each other in dismay.
Qin Mu, in front of the Jiangling Academy, used his sword as a brush and space as paper, swiftly drawing his sword diagram to create a war challenge.
Qin Mu drew it with ease and grace, yet when the sword diagram arrived here, it made even these lofty gods feel extremely troublesome.
"Each of you return to your respective heavens and select the most outstanding ability users, regardless of their cultivation level."
The Great Black Heaven closed the war challenge and said, "Gather these people and bring them here. The only condition for sending them here is that they have entered the Dao. Young ability users who have not entered the Dao will only be seeking death if sent here."
The gods of the Northern Heavens exchanged glances. A god with a bull's head bravely said, "Entering the Dao is extremely difficult! Our Northern Heavens have over three hundred realms, each with a population of billions. To select a single ability user who has entered the Dao is likely too much to ask of us."
The Great Black Heaven said calmly, "Why does Yan Kang have so many ability users who have entered the Dao?"
"This…"
"War!"
The Great Black Heaven stood up. The black great sun behind his head seemed to emit countless threads connecting to the darkness. As he moved, the black qi surging from the great sun flowed like silk, full of texture, pulling the darkness behind him, moving as he walked.
"Yan Kang has experienced eight hundred years of war. The people living in that tiny place have had to think of every possible way to improve themselves. Their divine bridges were severed, unable to ascend to the heavenly palace, so they had to seek breakthroughs in various aspects."
The Great Black Heaven said in a deep voice, "And war has become the best furnace for their breakthroughs! The Northern Heavens have been peaceful for too long, to the point where these little ones are living in a drunken stupor, and it's rare to see even one ability user who has entered the Dao in ten thousand years. Let them fight, let them kill. It's like raising Gu worms—put them in a basin, and when only one or two Gu worms remain, they will be the most poisonous."
The gods of the Northern Heavens shuddered.
The bull-headed god cautiously said, "The Great Black Heaven has many powerful disciples…"
The Great Black Heaven glanced at him, a half-smile on his face, and said, "You hid from me and made a pact with the bad-water celestial master Wen Tian Ge regarding the Little Earth Lord. You couldn't take him down, and now you want me to clean up your mess. Are you the rulers of the Northern Heavens, or am I? Get out of here and honestly select the candidates. In one month, I want to see the strongest Gu worm you've raised!"
The gods departed, returning to their respective heavens.
In the Frost Heaven, covered in snow and ice, a huge basin was filled with countless ability users lurking, hiding, and killing each other in this frozen world. The originally pleasant snowy scenery was now dotted with plum blossom-like bloodstains.
Snowflakes drifted in the air, gradually covering the blood.
Besides this ice valley, there were other ice valleys where ability users were also fighting. The ability users in each ice valley were all at the same cultivation level.
To select the most outstanding ability users, the gods of the Frost Heaven gathered tens of thousands of them together, like raising Gu worms, making them fight to the death, all to select the strongest ability users and force them to enter the Dao through life-and-death battles.
This was just one of the heavens in the north.
The Northern Region of the Yuan Realm had over three hundred large and small heavens. Some had large populations, some small, but the smallest had hundreds of millions of people, while the largest had tens of billions.
In one month, the ability users from hundreds of heavens suffered heavy casualties, but the results were also remarkable. Many powerful ability users were selected.
Among them were over a dozen who had entered the Dao, with formidable strength.
The gods of the Northern Heavens brought the ability users they had selected to the Great Black Palace on time, seeking an audience with the Great Black Heaven.
Over three hundred ability users stood neatly outside the Great Black Palace, all elites among elites, full of killing intent and fighting spirit, with unparalleled confidence.
"There are still too many who haven't entered the Dao."
The Great Black Heaven did not let them enter the palace and sent a decree: "Letting these people see the war challenge of the Yan Kang Overlord Body will only make us a laughingstock. Do you want the bumpkins of Yan Kang to mock me? Let them continue fighting until only those who have entered the Dao remain. Even if we can get one more who has entered the Dao, it will be good."
An order was given outside the palace. The over three hundred ability users immediately erupted, their divine abilities exploding, illuminating the surrounding darkness!
In every flash of light that tore through the darkness, an ability user fell, meeting their end in the Yellow Springs!
After a long time, another decree came from within the palace: "Stop!"
The remaining ability users stopped and looked at the brightly lit Great Black Palace.
Now only seventeen people remained. These seventeen were demigods among demigods, with incredibly powerful bloodlines, and all were experts who had entered the Dao, possessing unparalleled sharpness and fighting spirit!
"Great Black Heaven!"
A god bowed and said loudly, "From the three hundred and sixteen heavens of the north, with billions of ability users, we have selected seventeen who have entered the Dao! In this selection, over a million have fallen! Is it worth it, just to see the war challenge of the Yan Kang Overlord Body? A million ability users could have flattened the nation of Yan Kang several times!"
"Ignorant fool!"
The Great Black Heaven's voice came coldly from within the palace: "I am saving you! If you hadn't made the pact with Wen Tian Ge regarding the Little Earth Lord, destroying Yan Kang would have been as easy as snapping your fingers! But since you made that pact with him, even if a million die, or ten million die, it must be done!"
Inside the palace, darkness surged. The Great Black Heaven walked out, the black sun behind his head pulling the darkness, swallowing the blazing furnaces standing on either side of the palace, causing them to emit no light at all.
"The Earth Lord is formed by the Great Dao. The Little Earth Lord is the divine son of the Netherworld, possessing the power of ancient gods and the abilities of later-born beings. I am the first demon god to achieve the Dao from the Netherworld, and I deeply understand the power of the Netherworld's divine son. Swearing an oath to the Little Earth Lord—you are truly audacious!"
The Great Black Heaven took out Qin Mu's war challenge, shook it open, and hung it in the air, shouting, "Look at the challenge!"
The seventeen demigod ability users looked at Qin Mu's war challenge. In the challenge, Qin Mu stood with a sword on his back, smiling silently.
After a moment, one ability user who had entered the Dao widened his eyes, his body trembling violently. Suddenly, he let out a loud cry, and his body split into pieces, dying on the spot!
After another moment, another ability user who had entered the Dao drew his sword and danced, his sword momentum like light and lightning, his person like a madman.
"Excellent sword technique!"
He suddenly stopped, standing with his sword, and a beam of sword light shot out from between his eyebrows, revealing a sword wound from which blood flowed continuously.
Another person's protective qi spun wildly, accompanied by the strange sound of bells and chimes ringing continuously. His runes formed a large bell, which vibrated constantly, his divine abilities exquisite.
Suddenly, blood burst from within the bell, staining the rune-formed bell a bloody red.
The bell dissipated, the runes collapsed, leaving only a corpse riddled with holes.
The number dwindled rapidly, and soon only six of the seventeen remained.
These six demigod ability users had withstood the indestructible divine consciousness within Qin Mu's war challenge, gaining a great trial and enlightenment. Their minds were clear, and their skills had improved significantly!
The gods of the various heavens breathed a sigh of relief.
"Our Northern Heavens have six people who can match this Yan Kang Overlord Body. At least we can salvage some face."
"These six ability users have extraordinary talent and remarkable comprehension. By using the Back-Bearing Sword Diagram to improve themselves, they can finally face the challenge of the Yan Kang Overlord Body!"
"After this battle, our Northern Heavens will gain six more geniuses who will shake the world. The future achievements of these six will surely shake the heavens!"
…
Just then, the Great Black Heaven spoke: "This is the first test of the Yan Kang Overlord Body's war challenge. You have passed the first test."
The gods of the Northern Heavens were startled. The Great Black Heaven continued: "Only by destroying the Back-Bearing Sword Diagram in the war challenge can the challenge be accepted. This Yan Kang Overlord Body is quite fair. The war challenge contains his divine consciousness. Whatever your cultivation level, the sword god in the challenge will use the same cultivation level to fight you, so you don't have to worry about him using his realm to bully you. Now…"
He looked around, his gaze sweeping over the six ability users who had entered the Dao, and said coldly, "Come up one by one and trigger the war challenge with your own primal qi!"
One ability user stepped forward and triggered the Back-Bearing Sword Diagram with his primal qi. The Qin Mu in the diagram drew his sword, and in an instant, sword light filled the sky, stabbing out from the diagram!
The ability user who had entered the Dao let out a fierce shout and unleashed his own Dao-entering divine ability.
The two great Dao-entering divine abilities collided, their power sweeping in all directions, creating a violent wave that took a long time to subside.
In front of the Great Black Palace, the gods quickly looked. The ability user who had entered the Dao stood there majestically, motionless.
Suddenly, he fell backward, dead on the spot!
The gods of the Northern Heavens shuddered and looked at the Back-Bearing Sword Diagram. The figure of Qin Mu in the diagram was still clear and vivid, and his sword remained in its sheath.
The Great Black Heaven said coldly, "Next!"
Another ability user who had entered the Dao stepped forward. This was a strong practitioner who had entered the Dao through the blade. Without using his primal qi to trigger the Back-Bearing Sword Diagram, he directly drew his blade and unleashed his blade-entering Dao ultimate technique, slashing at the diagram!
Blade light and sword shadow flashed and vanished, leaving only thin black lines in the air—wounds left by the tearing of space by the sword and blade techniques.
After a long while, these black lines disappeared.
The demigod who had entered the Dao through the blade twitched at the corner of his eye, lowered his head to look at his waist, and blood gushed from his mouth.
A thin line of blood appeared at his waist, and his upper and lower body were slowly separating.
"You're not bad. You didn't die under his sword. You can be properly cultivated."
The Great Black Heaven said indifferently, "Next!"
A god quickly stepped forward, picked up the man, and stopped his bleeding. Seeing that his two legs and buttocks had fallen to the ground, he hurriedly picked up his lower body as well and sent him for treatment.
Another ability user who had entered the Dao stepped forward, facing Qin Mu's Back-Bearing Sword Diagram.
His divine abilities exploded with terrifying power!
…
Two more corpses lay on the ground, and one was crippled. However, among the six ability users who had entered the Dao, one young demigod remained unharmed, having withstood the attack of Qin Mu's Back-Bearing Sword Diagram and even forcibly erased it!
"What is your name?" The Great Black Heaven looked at this young man with an expression of expectation.
The young man bowed and said, "I am an ability user from the Flower Brocade Heaven. My surname is Feng, and my given name is Huayu. My ancestor is the ancient god of a hundred flowers."
The Great Black Heaven nodded and said, "Your bloodline is extremely high, your comprehension is excellent, and your talent is outstanding. Being able to withstand his sword diagram attack with your Dao-entering divine ability and even erase the Back-Bearing Sword Diagram is no small feat. Your Dao-entering divine abilities are already rare in the Yuan Realm, but to contend with the Yan Kang Overlord Body, you still lack something."
Feng Huayu's eyes flickered, showing some reluctance to accept this.
"But there is still a way to remedy this."
The Great Black Heaven turned and walked toward the palace, saying, "Come with me. The Yan Kang Overlord Body's war challenge has been destroyed by you. He has already sensed it and will likely set out to come here. It will take him about three months to reach the Great Black Palace. In these three months, I will teach you my imperial throne ultimate technique, the Dark Demon Jia Sutra. I will personally teach you. In three months, your cultivation and strength will advance by leaps and bounds!"
Feng Huayu was both surprised and delighted and quickly followed him into the Great Black Palace.
"Send someone to invite the Luan Di Khan here!"
The Great Black Heaven said in a deep voice: "The Luan Di Khan once surrendered to Yan Kang and learned the results of the Yan Kang reforms. He will then teach you the fruits of the Yan Kang reforms, allowing you to contend with the Yan Kang Overlord Body! Luan Di is now my disciple, and his strength is no longer trivial. He will surely help you take another step forward after cultivating my ultimate technique!"
At the Jiangling Academy.
Qin Mu had been studying at the academy, diligently learning the results of the Jiangling Academy's reforms. Before he knew it, a month had passed, and Qin Mu had finished his studies. He was sparring with the Duke of Wei when he suddenly felt a sensation and stopped. He smiled and said, "The Northern Heavens have someone who has accepted my war challenge. Duke Wei, I'm going to keep the appointment."
The Duke of Wei's heart jumped, and he quickly said, "Sect Leader, the Northern Heavens are enemy territory, and the Great Black Heaven is the ancestor of the demonic path. Even the Martial Combat Celestial Master is no match for him! How many experts do you need to take with you for this trip?"
Qin Mu smiled and said, "Dragon Qilin is enough."
The Duke of Wei's eyes widened, and he was very anxious: "How can you only take that lazy beast? Sect Leader, wait a few days. I will ask the disciples of the sect to find the Four Celestial Masters and the Four Heavenly Kings to accompany you as protectors!"
Qin Mu shook his head and smiled, "The Yan Kang Overlord Body doesn't need the protection of the Kai Huang's celestial masters and heavenly kings. Wouldn't that disgrace Yan Kang's reputation? You take care of my imperial brother first and let him study well. I'm off!" With that, he instructed Yan'er to stay and take care of the Imperial Lord's daily needs, called for Dragon Qilin, and headed north.
The Duke of Wei was uneasy and immediately took out a mirror to contact Si Yunxiang, saying, "The Sect Leader is going to the Northern Heavens to keep his appointment. Quickly invite the Four Heavenly Kings and the Four Celestial Masters of Kai Huang to go to the Northern Heavens!"
Si Yunxiang knew the urgency and immediately notified the hall masters of the Heavenly Saint Sect to find the whereabouts of the Four Celestial Masters and the Four Heavenly Kings.
Dragon Qilin headed north, while Qin Mu hid in the mirror to continue studying the ancient god rune and Great Dao imprints that the Dao Ancestor had passed on to him in the Scripture Depository.
Unbeknownst to him, more than two months passed. They arrived in the northern part of the Yuan Realm, where the sky shimmered with various colors—the phenomena of the Northern Heavens hanging above the Yuan Realm.
Dragon Qilin continued forward. One day, a mountain ten thousand zhang tall suddenly rumbled and shook, transforming into a giant mountain god. He called out in a voice like rolling thunder, "Is that Yan Kang's Qin Mu, the Qin Overlord Body, who comes?"
Dragon Qilin stopped and said, "Sect Leader, a mountain god is calling you."
Qin Mu climbed out of the mirror, looked up, bowed, and smiled, "I am indeed Yan Kang's Qin Mu."
The mountain god returned the bow and said in a rumbling voice, "Yan Kang Overlord Body, the Great Black Heaven has decreed that the Overlord Body need not visit the Northern Heavens. Go directly to the Great Black Palace. The strong of the Northern Heavens await you there!"
He raised his arm and pointed toward the Great Black Palace: "Go that way, Overlord Body!"
Qin Mu nodded slightly and said, "Thank you for your trouble. Fatty Dragon, change course to the Great Black Palace."
Dragon Qilin quickly changed direction.
After two days of travel, they saw darkness covering the sky and blocking out the sun, with no sunlight penetrating.
In the darkness, on a mountaintop, a ten-thousand-zhang-tall demon god spread his wings like a giant bird and called out, "Is that Yan Kang's Qin Mu, the Qin Overlord Body?"
Dragon Qilin stopped. Qin Mu looked up and smiled, "It is indeed Qin."
"This is the territory of the Great Black Palace."
The bird-headed demon god called out, "The Great Black Heaven feared you might not know the way and ordered me to wait here to show you the path."
"Thank you."
Qin Mu bowed and ordered Dragon Qilin to continue. Not far ahead, they saw divine light shooting into the sky. A god stood in the darkness and called out, "Yan Kang's Qin Overlord Body, the Great Black Heaven has ordered me to show you the way! This way, Overlord Body!"
Qin Mu expressed his thanks.
After another ten li, another demon god, surrounded by blazing flames, called out, "This way, Yan Kang Overlord Body!"
Dragon Qilin continued forward, and there were actually a hundred thousand demon gods lining the way, from the edge of the darkness all the way to the Great Black Palace, making Dragon Qilin's heart pound wildly.
The Great Black Heaven ruled over the three hundred and sixteen heavens of the north, with a hundred thousand elite demon gods under his command, lining the path to welcome him. This scene scared Dragon Qilin so much that he wanted to turn and run.
Qin Mu remained calm and ordered Dragon Qilin to continue.
When they arrived in front of the Great Black Palace, countless demon gods erupted with their auras, creating myriad phenomena. There were even many demon gods at the Jade Terrace, Jade Capital, and Lingxiao realms. In the sky, their phenomena formed various heavenly palaces, towering and majestic. The bodies of the demon gods stood on the mountain peaks, while their primordial spirits sat in their respective heavenly palaces, embodying the heavens and the earth, exceptionally powerful. It was a chaotic dance of gods and demons!
The Great Black Palace stood amidst these various phenomena, with a slender, stepped path leading straight to the brightly lit hall!
Dragon Qilin's heart trembled with fear as he carried Qin Mu up this stone path, bravely walking toward the Great Black Palace. On both sides were the demon gods of the Northern Heavens, wearing various ferocious masks.
Qin Mu stood on Dragon Qilin's forehead, his expression calm.
Dragon Qilin finally reached the mountaintop and arrived in front of the Great Black Palace.
In front of the palace, flames blazed like torches. Behind the palace, in the darkness, one could even faintly see the mountain and river textures of huge stars, indescribably terrifying.
Qin Mu ignored the surrounding phenomena and said loudly, "Yan Kang Overlord Body, Qin Mu, has come to pay respects to the heroes of the Northern Heavens. Dare I ask for your instruction?"
The palace doors opened wide, and a figure with a black great sun hanging behind his head could be faintly seen sitting inside.
"Feng Huayu, the Overlord Body is here."
The figure's voice came, unhurried: "In these three months of cultivation, you are no longer what you were. Do you have confidence now?"
"Yes!" The voice from within the palace was like thunder.
"Go!"
Qin Mu's gaze fell on the figure walking out of the palace. A young man emerged from the Great Black Palace, and the fragrance of flowers assailed his nostrils.
"An ability user from the Flower Brocade Heaven, Feng Huayu!" The young man bowed.
Qin Mu stepped down from Dragon Qilin's head and said with a smile, "Yan Kang Overlord Body, Qin Mu. Please."
"Please!"
Feng Huayu's aura exploded, and his body moved as he lunged at Qin Mu, a surge of brilliant light swirling.
Qin Mu grasped his sword orb, shook his body, and transformed into three heads and six arms. Sword light instantly filled the brilliant light!
The light rose, the sword light moved, and before the Great Black Palace, fish and dragons danced. The crisp sound of sword cries rang out. Suddenly, the sword light vanished, and all kinds of splendid flowers and brocades drifted down from the sky.
Around the Great Black Palace, the demon gods looked up. They saw the desolate beauty of the flowers falling from the darkness in the sky, more and more.
Petals drifted down like a rain of flowers, a heavenly blossom fall.
The petals fell, piling up more and more, burying Feng Huayu's body.
The young man from the Flower Brocade Heaven was already half-buried by the petals.
Qin Mu sheathed his sword, bowed to the figure sitting motionless in the Great Black Palace, turned, and walked toward Dragon Qilin.
He sat on Dragon Qilin's large head and said calmly, "Fatty Dragon, we can go back now."
———— A big, big chapter, over five thousand five hundred words! Who says I only break chapters and don't explode? I'm very strong! Requesting monthly tickets! Oh, and both Qidian and QQ Book City have a love like event. On the page of The Legend of the Shepherd God, click the love icon for your favorite character. You can click every day, and you can click on ten characters!