Chapter 935: Luo Wushuang's Inner Demon
Yun Chuxiu was extremely curious and asked, "Divine Blade Luo hasn't cultivated the Non-Thought Beyond Non-Thought?"
Luo Wushuang shook his head. "As long as I am loyal to the blade and loyal to the Dao, there is nothing in my heart to fear. Why should I fear the Great Void?"
Yun Chuxiu praised, "Divine Blade Luo's Dao heart is truly steadfast. No wonder he is the number one divine blade of the Heavenly Court."
She turned to Qin Mu and said, "Divine Blade Luo is just like you—doomed."
Qin Mu smiled. "I've been bold since I was a child. I've never been afraid of anything."
Yun Chuxiu sneered. "You're like newborn calves who don't fear tigers. You have no idea how terrifying this Great Void truly is!"
Luo Wushuang glanced at her, then composed himself, eyes fixed on his nose and nose on his heart. "Little girl, you have no understanding of my sincere Dao heart. I fear nothing."
Yun Chuxiu was speechless with anger.
Even someone as audacious as Qin Mu had called her a "little wench," but Qin Mu was the Mu Heavenly Venerate, so he had the right to scold her. Yet this Luo Wushuang dared to belittle her, calling her a "little girl."
Still, she was the Empress and a Heavenly Venerate, so she wouldn't stoop to arguing with him over it.
Qin Mu's eyes flickered as he fixed his gaze on Luo Wushuang. Luo Wushuang sensed it and snorted coldly, saying indifferently, "I won't kill you here. Once we reach the Great Void, I'll take your life. If you're afraid, go beg that little girl to teach you the Non-Thought Beyond Non-Thought."
Qin Mu smiled faintly, ignoring him, and turned to observe the other young talents on the ship.
These young people had extraordinary origins, all being disciples of Heavenly Venerates and Imperial Throne powerhouses, with extremely profound cultivation bases.
As he examined them one by one, he was secretly alarmed. Although the Yan Kang reforms had produced a steady stream of young talents, the Heavenly Court's young talents were as numerous as fish crossing a river—countless. From their cultivation and bearing, each one was formidable, with exceptional skills.
The Heavenly Court governed countless realms across the heavens, and selecting outstanding disciples from these worlds was not difficult.
"Oh?"
Qin Mu's eyes lit up as he noticed a woman whose features bore a striking resemblance to the true form of the Empress and her sister. He turned to Yun Chuxiu and asked, "Do you have another younger sister?"
Yun Chuxiu was puzzled and followed his gaze. Suddenly, her brow twitched, and she let out a cold laugh.
She also saw the woman, who indeed looked somewhat like both her and Lady Yuanmu. However, this woman seemed young, appearing as a beautiful maiden just like herself.
Yun Chuxiu walked toward the woman, her cold smile vanishing, replaced by a pure, innocent grin. She approached the girl.
The girl was surprised to see her, and the two began chatting and laughing, seemingly very happy.
Qin Mu watched them with interest. The relationship between this girl and Yun Chuxiu piqued his curiosity.
Lady Yuanmu had died at the Empress's hands. The Empress had eliminated Lady Yuanmu, used her body to return to the Heavenly Court as the Empress, and then transformed into Jue Wuchen to ambush the Heavenly Emperor.
Later, Ling Heavenly Venerate had assassinated her, stabbing a hairpin into the back of her head. However, the Empress's primordial spirit had escaped, gained a new life, and infiltrated the Heavenly Alliance to become one of the Ten Heavenly Venerates.
Lady Yuanmu's body had been sealed in a crystal coffin, which was now in Qin Mu's possession. Yet the corpse seemed undying; after Qin Mu obtained the coffin, Lady Yuanmu even reanimated and tried to harm him, but Wei Suifeng had sealed and suppressed her.
Could this girl, who looked so much like the Empress and Lady Yuanmu, be Lady Yuanmu's reincarnation?
"Earth Mother Yuanjun was undying, and the Heavenly Alliance couldn't kill her. The Ancient God Heavenly Emperor and Hao Heavenly Venerate also failed to completely slay her. The same goes for the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor. So, did Lady Yuanmu truly die?"
Qin Mu smiled as he watched Yun Chuxiu and the girl approach, thinking to himself, "This woman might very well be Lady Yuanmu. But Lady Yuanmu died early, during the mid-to-late Long Han Era. She couldn't still be a mere cultivator. Then..."
His smile deepened. "Could Lady Yuanmu also be in the Heavenly Alliance? Could she have become a Heavenly Venerate? The Ten Heavenly Venerates of the Heavenly Court are becoming more and more interesting..."
Yun Chuxiu and the girl arrived before him. Yun Chuxiu said cheerfully, "Heavenly Venerate, let me introduce you to a good sister. This is Lian Huahun, a disciple of Hao Heavenly Venerate. She's incredibly skilled!"
The girl, Lian Huahun, gracefully bowed. Qin Mu smiled and said, "Good sister, no need for such formalities. Please rise. 'Flowers fall, petals fly, filling the sky; their red fades, their fragrance fades—who pities them?' Sister Huahun's name is well-chosen, and she is truly beautiful."
He praised her sincerely.
Yun Chuxiu snorted coldly.
Although Lian Huahun was very beautiful, she was far inferior to Jue Wuchen, who was created to embody all the beauty in the world.
Yun Chuxiu's current body was modeled after Jue Wuchen's appearance. Yet Qin Mu had never praised her but instead praised Lian Huahun. It seemed this Mu Heavenly Venerate had a seriously flawed aesthetic sense!
Lian Huahun rose gracefully, her beautiful eyes blinking as she said, "The Heavenly Venerate is learned and talented, speaking with such eloquence."
Yun Chuxiu sneered, "My name also has a great origin. Does Mu Heavenly Venerate know it?"
Qin Mu tested, "'The moon shines bright beneath the water, clouds drift light from the peaks'?"
Yun Chuxiu shook her head. "Not that."
Lian Huahun bit her lip and smiled, "'Clouds drift idly from the peaks, playing among themselves, their fame shaking the universe.' Sister Yun's name likely means this—this body has no heart, indulges freely, roams the mortal world, and shakes the heavens and earth."
Yun Chuxiu clapped her hands and laughed, "Sister Lian truly understands me! 'More pity for the flower's weak stem, unmoved by the cold of winter. Morning snow envies it, and the yin wind blows it to early withering.' Lian Huahun doesn't mean 'who pities the flower,' but rather 'morning snow envies, and the yin wind causes the flower to wither early.' Sister Lian Huahun is clever, unlike those foolish men who seem smart but are actually stupid." She glanced at Qin Mu as she spoke.
Qin Mu smiled awkwardly and said nothing.
The two girls were as thick as thieves, calling each other "sister" in a sickeningly sweet manner.
Qin Mu eagerly anticipated the moment these two women would tear into each other. That would be even more explosive!
"These two women are laughing so happily, acting like close sisters. When they fall out, it will be absolutely spectacular!"
The great ship drew closer and closer to the halo of light emitted by the Great Void, finally reaching its edge.
The divine official piloting the ship shouted loudly, "Everyone be careful! You must constantly activate the Non-Thought Beyond Non-Thought and never stop!"
The people on board each activated their Buddhist techniques, maintaining their thoughts in the state of Non-Thought Beyond Non-Thought.
Qin Mu had not learned this technique, so he guarded his heart, keeping his thoughts pure and singular.
The ship flew straight into the halo, and the soft light quickly enveloped the three hundred-plus people on board. Qin Mu immediately sensed faint fluctuations of thought. This light was actually thought condensed into radiance!
But strangely, these thoughts contained no ideas or concepts—they were pure thought, like a person's consciousness stripped of all content!
"How is this achieved?" he wondered.
He had some understanding of the cultivation methods of prehistoric creators, even surpassing most Heavenly Venerates and Imperial Throne powerhouses of the Heavenly Court. Of course, he couldn't compare to Shujun, a true creator.
Still, he had figured out the basic principle of prehistoric creator cultivation: visualization. They used visualization to strengthen themselves.
However, visualization required constructing the object of focus in one's mind—for example, visualizing the Heavenly Duke, building his form through thought to strengthen oneself.
Yet the pure thoughts in the Great Void, condensed into light, contained no ideas or concepts. This was strange and beyond his understanding.
"Perhaps prehistoric creators have cultivation methods I don't yet know."
As he thought this, a prehistoric giant suddenly appeared ahead of the ship. Its enormous hand reached out, grabbed the vessel, lifted it, and brought it toward its gaping mouth!
Qin Mu was stunned. Most people on the ship were seeing such a sight for the first time and panicked.
"Who is having stray thoughts?"
Luo Wushuang leaped into the air, his divine blade screeching as it left its sheath. Blade in hand, he faced the prehistoric creator and slashed down!
The blade light was stunningly brilliant, incredibly powerful, severing the creator's hand that held the ship. Luo Wushuang struck again, the blade light sweeping across the creator's neck!
He sheathed his blade, landed on the bow, and turned around, saying coldly, "Keep activating the Non-Thought Beyond Non-Thought! Don't stop! Otherwise, more anomalies will attack us! And who among you has impure thoughts?"
Just as he finished speaking, a clattering sound came from behind him.
Luo Wushuang's expression shifted in surprise. He turned around with difficulty and saw, in the dazzling light of the Great Void, a chest with legs running toward the ship, clattering as it came.
On the chest stood a young man carrying a sword on his back.
It was the young Qin Mu, his eyes bright as stars.
Luo Wushuang's body trembled. His single hand also trembled as he raised it with difficulty to grasp the hilt of the blade behind him.
This was his inner demon—the figure he feared most in his Dao heart.
Luo Wushuang let out a roar, drew his blade, and flew off the ship, charging at the young man on the chest.
The young man drew his sword, and the blade light met Luo Wushuang's sword light!
Luo Wushuang was truly the most powerful divine blade of the Heavenly Court. His blade was ever-changing, its mysteries boundless!
His divine blade had reached the sixteenth heaven of the Blade Dao, entering the Dao through the blade. When he unleashed his blade techniques, they manifested as the very firmament of the Blade Dao!
Yet the young man on the chest was equally formidable. His sword blocked Luo Wushuang's ever-changing blade techniques, striking directly at their weaknesses!
Soon, Luo Wushuang was covered in blood!
On the ship, Qin Mu was bewildered. "In Luo Wushuang's heart, am I really this powerful?"
Ahead of the ship, two figures clashed like lightning, light bursting from the void. The collision of blade and sword techniques emitted dazzling radiance. Luo Wushuang's Blade Dao firmament grew stronger, his divine blade spanning the sky.
But the young Qin Mu always found the flaws in his blade techniques. Whenever the sword light flashed, another wound appeared on Luo Wushuang's body!
In Luo Wushuang's Dao heart, Qin Mu was exactly such an existence.
On that night at the end of the Shang Huang Era, in the darkness, Qin Mu stood on a chest and severed his arm with a single sword strike!
That image of Qin Mu was branded into his Dao heart. In the forty thousand years that followed, despite becoming a Blade God—the unparalleled Blade God of the Heavenly Court, capable of even challenging the Execution God's blade on the Heavenly Court's Execution Platform—he had never escaped Qin Mu's shadow.
The stronger he became, the stronger the Blade Dao, the stronger the inner demon Qin Mu in his heart!
Now, in the Great Void, that demon stepped out of his Dao heart and became real!
Yun Chuxiu exclaimed excitedly, "Divine Blade Luo, only by killing the real Mu Heavenly Venerate can you overcome your inner demon!"