Chapter 947: The Divine Blade Drawn, Who Can Oppose It?
“Yue Tingge of the Heavenly Court Dao Sect pays respects to Celestial Venerable Mu!”
That black-robed Daoist had a very bad temper. He knelt down, knocked his head heavily a few times, then turned and huffily returned to the campfire, continuing to eat meat and drink wine. He sneered, “You’re merely a small divine ability user who has taken the title of Celestial Venerable. I respect your title, not you as a person!”
Qin Mu paid it no mind. “This Daoist has quite a temper.”
Luo Wushuang furrowed his brow slightly, thinking to himself: “Yue Tingge, Yue Tingge… this name seems familiar somehow…”
That Daoist Yue Tingge had lost his earlier arrogance, focusing only on eating and drinking, occasionally glancing over at Qin Mu’s side.
Qin Mu waved his hand, dismissing the feast. The delicacies, beauties, and fine wines all scattered away as divine consciousness.
He clapped his hands again, and behold, a long procession of beauties emerged endlessly from the void, setting up a flowing banquet.
“Maha——”
Suddenly, a massive head poked over—it was the divine dragon Qin Mu had visualized. It stared excitedly at the flowing banquet, drooling profusely, its tail sweeping back and forth, stirring up clouds of dust.
This divine dragon, just as Qin Mu had predicted, had not died under the might of Fire Celestial Venerable’s imprint. Instead, it had followed their trail and come running back.
“Could it be that when I visualized the divine dragon, I unconsciously thought of Fatty Long? Is that why this visualized creature turned out to be just as gluttonous?”
Qin Mu lost his interest, annoyed by this divine dragon. He tossed down his chopsticks and waved his hand. The divine dragon, overjoyed, immediately pounced on the banquet, gorging itself.
Luo Wushuang was still watching that Daoist, muttering under his breath, “Yue Tingge, Heavenly Court Dao Sect… who is he?”
He racked his brains, feeling that the name was familiar, yet he couldn’t recall it.
This Daoist had a mysterious origin. Clearly, the Heavenly Court had only sent them into the Great Void this time. Aside from them, there were only Fire Celestial Venerable and Void Celestial Venerable’s group. Where did this Daoist come from?
If he was someone sent by the Heavenly Court in the past, how had he managed to survive in this extremely perilous place?
Just then, a voice suddenly rang out: “Celestial Venerable Mu truly lives up to his title. So dashing and romantic, surrounded by beauties wherever he goes—truly enviable.”
Qin Mu looked toward the source of the voice and saw it was several True Gods who had come on the same ship.
When the great ship had entered the Great Void, more than half had died, leaving only about a hundred people scattered across various parts of the Great Void. In the previous city, over a dozen more had died, including Hao Celestial Venerable’s disciples, Xiu Youfang and Pan Chunjin.
Now, exactly how many people remained in the Great Void was something Qin Mu couldn’t know.
Last night’s outbreak of Great Void monsters had clearly not been limited to one location. Other places must have seen the same strange occurrences, and not many could have survived.
Luo Wushuang stood up, looking at the few people, and said solemnly, “Everyone, Celestial Venerable Mu’s achievements overshadow the world. He has bestowed upon all living beings the method of becoming gods. Now we are in danger together, unsure if we will leave alive. At this moment, we should unite our efforts to deal with the strangeness of the Great Void. Only then can we hope to find Fire Celestial Venerable and Void Celestial Venerable. What do you think?”
One of them glanced at him and sneered, “Divine Blade Luo, have you latched onto Celestial Venerable Mu’s thigh now?”
Luo Wushuang’s eyes flickered with blade light, like two divine swords crossing within them. He snorted coldly, “I, Luo, am renowned in the Heavenly Court, honored as the number one Divine Blade. When have I ever latched onto anyone’s thigh?”
Another young man laughed, “Divine Blade Luo, Celestial Venerable Mu’s leg isn’t a thick thigh—it’s quite slender. Be careful you don’t grab the wrong one. Our mission this time, in name, is to support Fire Celestial Venerable and Void Celestial Venerable, but in truth, it’s to take the opportunity to eliminate Celestial Venerable Mu. Divine Blade Luo, you’re a smart man. Surely you’ve already seen through this.”
A woman said coldly, “The Celestial Venerables ordered you to accompany us precisely to back us up and help us eliminate Celestial Venerable Mu! Are you going to turn against your own?”
Luo Wushuang was conflicted inside, looking at Qin Mu.
Qin Mu, with beauties in his arms, surrounded by a crowd of them, smiled and said, “Divine Blade Luo, rest assured. I’ve long known the purpose of your journey. I also know that you don’t truly wish to kill me, but rather to compare the merits of your blade technique and my sword technique. This is your inner demon, and you must eliminate it. I understand your predicament.”
Luo Wushuang breathed a sigh of relief and said solemnly to the three, “Everyone, I saved your lives. Without me, you wouldn’t have made it here alive; you would have died on the great ship. I trade this life-saving grace for you to set aside your grievances with Celestial Venerable Mu…”
“Enough, enough.”
The woman said impatiently, “Divine Blade Luo, give you an inch and you take a mile? Don’t forget, your duty is to protect us! Saving us is your responsibility, your obligation! You failed to protect us, resulting in over three hundred people dying, leaving only a hundred—that’s already a great sin!”
“Divine Blade Luo, the Heavenly Court is the one that puts food on your table.”
The young man said, “Think carefully. Help us capture Celestial Venerable Mu, and you’ll rise to prominence when you return. With your current cultivation and strength, you shouldn’t be stuck as a teacher in the Lingxiu Army. You could easily become a regional governor. Haven’t you ever wondered why you’ve never been promoted?”
Another person laughed, “It’s precisely because you’ve never latched onto anyone’s thigh. This is a golden opportunity—don’t grab the wrong one.”
Luo Wushuang’s face was as dark as water.
Qin Mu stood up, pushed aside the beauties around him, patted the divine dragon, now round-bellied from eating, and suddenly laughed, “Divine Blade Luo, in my opinion, there’s no need for us to compare blade and sword anymore. It’s no longer necessary.”
Luo Wushuang kept his eyes on his nose and his nose on his heart, like an old monk in meditation. “Why do you say that, Qin Overlord Body?”
“A blade is straight and unyielding.”
Qin Mu waved his sleeve, and the remnants of the feast vanished, the beauties disappeared, all dissolving into divine consciousness that scattered away. He said leisurely, “I respect the blade—I respect its weight and grandeur, its swiftness in settling grievances. I see that you waited forty thousand years like a single day for me to appear and duel you, and I admire your perseverance and endurance. But seeing you so cautious, so timid and hesitant, I can’t help but be disappointed.”
Luo Wushuang’s brows and eyes slightly opened. “I am cautious and timid?”
“I am a Celestial Venerable, and you dare to challenge me, but only because you take advantage of my youth and weakness.”
Qin Mu said, “These are disciples of Celestial Venerables, yet you bow and scrape, cowering and servile, not daring to let out a loud breath even when insulted. Such a person, who bullies the weak and fears the strong, is unworthy of my sword. Do you even deserve to be called a Divine Blade?”
Luo Wushuang’s eyelids opened wide, and blade light flickered in his eyes, contained but not released.
Qin Mu continued, “The Blade Gods I have seen are wild and unrestrained, fearless of power, with no fear in their hearts, daring to draw their blades against the heavens. They do not retreat because their opponent is too strong, nor do they bully because their opponent is too weak. Facing the powerful, they dare to flick their blade and drink blood, taking the emperor’s head. Facing the weak, they willingly humble themselves, hiding in the marketplace, becoming a butcher or a pig-slayer. That is a Blade God. But you…”
He sneered, “You are merely a blade craftsman who has refined his blade technique into a rigid, square form. You’re not even as good as Zhe Huali. You say you’ve broken the gods within your heart, but I think there are still countless gods pressing down on you.”
Luo Wushuang’s hair bristled with rage, and his aura suddenly exploded, like a treasured blade instantly slicing through the sky, splitting it in two!
“Overlord Body of the Upper Emperor, you dare to look down on me!”
Luo Wushuang was furious. His primal energy mixed with blood essence surged into the sky, turning into a blood-colored blade light, a great blade ten thousand zhang long. Then, the blood essence condensed, growing shorter and shorter!
Though the blade shortened, its power grew stronger and stronger!
“Qin Overlord Body, the blade technique you saw from me before was my technique after becoming a god. The blade technique you saw on the ship was what I have comprehended over these years.”
Luo Wushuang’s gaze was cold. His blood essence condensed to the extreme, forming a long blade that he grasped in his single hand. His killing intent surged and billowed, chilling. “The me on the ship is different from the me now, and the blade technique on the ship is different from my blade technique now! I want to show you my current blade technique!”
The three Celestial Venerable disciples exchanged glances, all showing smiles. The woman chuckled softly, “With Divine Blade Luo making a move, we can save ourselves some trouble. After all, this Celestial Venerable Mu is not weak, and the crime of killing a Celestial Venerable is no small matter…”
The young man looked at the fierce-faced Daoist not far away, furrowed his brow, and muttered, “Who is this Daoist? Why is he here?”
The three studied the evil Daoist’s face, feeling it looked familiar, but couldn’t recall where they had seen him.
Luo Wushuang’s aura fully bloomed, the might of the Divine Blade erupting: “Please enlighten me!”
The blade light rose, and the sky turned blood-red.
One of the three Celestial Venerable disciples hadn’t even reacted before Luo Wushuang’s divine blade came out of nowhere and slew him!
The other two were both shocked and enraged. They immediately shouted in unison and attacked him, roaring, “Luo Wushuang, are you rebelling?”
Luo Wushuang paid them no heed, unleashing his blade technique, his blade path.
His blade technique was square and proper, rule-bound, each stroke striving for precision. Every power contained in the blade, every angle of the strike, every form and move, was as if measured by the most meticulous craftsman.
But at this moment, his blade technique contained an unbridled passion within its squareness, a spirit of daring to slay the heavens.
If the sword is a gentleman, then his blade is a king.
He had leaped out of the shackles of his former blade technique, extinguished the gods in his heart, trampled all fear, leaving only the pure Dao!
His blade rose, and the blade light formed layer upon layer of heavens—stars shining, blue skies and white clouds, pouring rain, gentle breezes and sunny days, wind and clouds surging, thunder and lightning splitting the sky—its power immense beyond measure.
One great Dao, one heaven.
He was the Blade God of the Heavenly Court, the number one Divine Blade. When his blade rose, it was vast as the heavens; when it fell, it was stern as a wall, perfectly blending precision with grandeur!
In the past, he had investigated things to gain knowledge, seeking the ultimate mystery of the blade path. Though strong, he was not fearsome.
Now, he had unified knowledge and action, merging his state of mind, integrating what he had learned through investigation into his own blood essence and spirit.
Such a Luo Wushuang, though one-armed, was the most fearsome!
The two Celestial Venerable disciples struggled to defend themselves under the canopy of his blade path. Behind each of them floated three heavenly palaces, clearly cultivating the Lesser Heavenly Court technique.
At this moment, Luo Wushuang’s injuries had not yet healed, and he could at most use the cultivation of a True God.
To the Celestial Venerable disciples, Luo Wushuang was an unorthodox path. His cultivation technique was not orthodox, and his divine abilities were not orthodox either.
Blade technique was an acquired path, while what they cultivated was the innate path from the ancient gods. The acquired and the innate were as different as clouds and mud.
They cultivated the Emperor Throne techniques passed down by the Celestial Venerables, and as many as three kinds. Using these Emperor Throne techniques to enter the Dao and comprehend the most supreme divine abilities, they should have far surpassed an unorthodox path like Luo Wushuang.
But now, fighting two against one, they were struggling desperately, danger lurking at every turn.
This battle came quickly and ended quickly.
In the blade light, blood suddenly appeared.
Luo Wushuang pushed his blade horizontally, cutting the young True God in half.
The other woman panicked, leaped into the air, and tried to flee. Luo Wushuang roared and threw his blade, severing her head. Her body still ran forward until it flew out of this Creator city before falling into the dust.
Luo Wushuang withdrew his blade. The long blade formed of blood essence vanished with a swoosh into his body. He turned to look at Qin Mu, his gaze like blade light pointing straight at him.
“Qin Overlord Body, how is my blade technique? Am I worthy of challenging you?”
Qin Mu watched the transformation of his aura and his blade technique, revealing a gratified smile. “It’s enough. Divine Blade Luo, please sit.”
Luo Wushuang strode over, his robes fluttering. As his robes moved, the air beneath was stirred by his aura, as if thousands of blade energies were colliding and traveling.
He reached Qin Mu, his aura already calmed, and sat down.
The evil Daoist not far away turned his head to look this way and praised, “One hand, your blade technique is not bad.”
Luo Wushuang’s gaze fell on him, and suddenly his mind roared. He remembered where he had seen this evil Daoist. His body shook violently, and he blurted out, “You are Yue Heavenly Master!”
Qin Mu was stunned. “Yue Heavenly Master? Which Yue Heavenly Master?”
Suddenly, he too realized, recalling Yun Chuxiu’s words on the ship.