Chapter 128: Cloud Traces and Sparrow Shadows

Qin Mu burst into laughter, then jolted his body, sending Hu Ling’er flying. He squatted, then powerfully leaped upwards, raising both hands to the sky, charging directly towards the descending Great Buddha of Entwined Dragons and Seated Elephant.

This was the sixth form of the Thunderclap Eight Forms: Myriad Buddhas Worshiping the Ancestor Amidst Thunder.

Boom! Thunder and lightning crackled in the air. Two figures moved simultaneously: one shot upwards, while the other rapidly descended to the ground.

A look of madness entered Qin Mu’s eyes as he stared up, waiting for the figure to fall. The moment Yun Que landed, a deafening thunderclap roared in his ears, and then Qin Mu's fist came crashing down. Each punch was accompanied by explosive thunder, rumbling and shaking, captivating the soul.

Thump, thump, thump. Qin Mu's footsteps were incredibly heavy, like a giant elephant treading the earth. His muscles twitched and rippled, activating every fiber to unleash his power to the absolute limit.

As their fists collided, Yun Que’s expression subtly changed. He felt the opponent's vital energy surge with overwhelming power, almost crushing his own.

He quickly retreated, frantically trying to block Qin Mu’s relentless fists. He found himself unable to execute any of his sophisticated techniques or ingenious moves, forced to block with only his bare fists.

His elaborate moves and spells simply couldn't be brought forth in time.

"Lotus Seat Seal! Lotus Treasure Body! Treasure Vase Seal!" Yun Que roared, and a golden light suddenly erupted around him. As he struck with his palm, a lotus seat appeared beneath his feet, and Sanskrit characters began to circulate endlessly around his body. These characters coalesced into the shape of a treasure vase, allowing Yun Que to conceal himself within it.

Qin Mu’s punch struck, and with a thunderous explosion, the golden bell, lotus seat, and treasure vase all shattered. Yun Que’s fist was mangled, and blood splattered across his pristine white monastic robe, staining it a vivid crimson, like scattered plum blossoms.

However, the bloodstains resembling plum blossoms quickly faded. His white robe was evidently a treasure, as no dirt or stain adhered to it.

Yun Que's arms were sore and weak, almost impossible to lift, and his movements became sluggish. He cursed inwardly as Qin Mu’s fist slammed into his face, sending him smacking against the jade cliff face. He then slid down, falling unconscious.

“The Imperial College does have its experts,” Qin Mu mused, feeling refreshed. He regretted slightly that the white-robed monk had been knocked unconscious before he even had a chance to fully warm up and stretch his limbs. He thought, “For just any monk to emerge and withstand so many of my moves… Grandmaster was right, some people in the Imperial College are indeed very skilled. One must not discriminate against the natives of Yankang Nation.”

“Young Master, is it over already?” Hu Ling’er had only just managed to steady herself and hadn’t even had a chance to properly enjoy the fight before it ended. Feeling a bit disappointed, she rushed forward and began rummaging through Yun Que’s person, attempting to find anything valuable.

A moment later, the little fox exclaimed indignantly, “What a poor monk!”

“Ling’er, his clothes are quite good,” Qin Mu kindly prompted. “They should be worth something.”

Hu Ling’er peeled off the monk’s robe. As expected, the garment was spotless and surprisingly resilient. The little fox was delighted. “This monk will surely pay a good sum to get these clothes back! Oh, by the way, Young Master, what’s his name?”

Qin Mu leaped onto the jade cliff and walked towards the scholars’ residence. He shook his head. “How would I know? I asked him just now, but he wouldn’t say. He was probably afraid of being embarrassed after losing. This monk does have some spiritual abilities, though, and quite a bit of self-awareness.”

Not far away, Yue Qinghong suppressed her shock and approached with the Wolf Slave. She looked down the cliff to see Yun Que lying at the base, dressed only in blood-stained white shorts, still unconscious.

His white shorts were made of common fabric, far less valuable than the monastic robe.

“Yun Que is too useless; he couldn't even force Qin Mu to use his full strength. But this Qin Mu is indeed very powerful. Wolf Slave, how do you measure up against him?” Yue Qinghong asked.

The Wolf Slave’s eyes gleamed as he flicked his tongue. “I possess demonic blade techniques, designed for battlefield slaughter. I can force him to use his full strength! However, I can only last ten moves; after that, I will certainly be defeated.”

Yue Qinghong’s eyes lit up. “Go.”

The Wolf Slave bowed in assent, then reached behind him. With two sharp shings, the two curved blades crossed on his back slid from their sheaths. These were jet-black, unblemished blades, seemingly forged from the darkest metal.

Furthermore, both blades were over ten feet long, slender, and curved.

The Wolf Slave strode forward, his pace quickening with each step. Suddenly, he released his grip, sending threads of vital energy flying out. Controlling the blades with his qi, the two demonic blades flew silently through the air, slashing towards Qin Mu!

Just as the two demonic blades were about to strike Qin Mu, they suddenly flared with brilliant light. One blade swept horizontally along the ground, while the other slashed horizontally at waist height!

As if Qin Mu had eyes in the back of his head, his body suddenly contorted into an incredibly bizarre shape, becoming like a flattened fish. One foot stepped onto the demonic blade sweeping from below, while the other kicked the blade descending from above. It was hard to imagine a human body bending into such a posture.

The upper demonic blade was kicked away, while the lower one was stomped deep into the mountain rock by his foot.

The Wolf Slave was startled as Qin Mu, moving like a phantom, flashed towards him.

The Wolf Slave’s vital energy threads vibrated, and the two demonic blades whistled back. Black light crisscrossed around Qin Mu, both above and below. He executed the demonic blade techniques of the Wolf Juxu Nation to their utmost, yet not a single blade touched Qin Mu, who dodged every strike by a hair's breadth.

His blade techniques were not ordinary; they were battlefield killing arts, devoid of superfluous moves, serving only the singular purpose of eliminating the enemy!

Yet, even with such ferocious blade techniques, he couldn't touch Qin Mu's form.

However, Qin Mu was also forced back by the flashing blades, unable to advance and instead continuously retreating.

Qin Mu’s retreating movements resembled a winding azure dragon. The Wolf Slave's pupils suddenly constricted—this wasn’t a retreat, but a coiling dragon!

A dragon can be large or small, extend or coil. When a dragon coils, it is preparing to unleash a fatal strike.

The Wolf Slave had once been a person of standing in the Wolf Juxu Nation. He was captured by Yue Qinghong on the battlefield and, according to the customs of his nation, became her Wolf Slave, serving her. However, his strength was not significantly weaker than Yue Qinghong's.

Furthermore, he was a veteran of countless battles, having survived many life-or-death struggles, and possessed extremely rich combat experience.

Qin Mu’s retreating stance felt incredibly perilous to him, as if he were being targeted by a savage, primeval beast!

His demonic blade techniques grew even more frantic, but Qin Mu had already built his power to its absolute limit. Suddenly, Qin Mu unleashed a punch that shattered all boundaries. Immediately, mighty dragon roars echoed, and the two demonic blades lost control, whistling as they shot back towards the Wolf Slave!

Accompanying the demonic blades was Qin Mu’s grand and domineering punch, whose intent coalesced into a monstrous, ferocious great dragon, hurtling straight forward.

The Wolf Slave roared, and his vital energy erupted. An aura as desolate and fierce as a blood-red sun in the desert burst from his body, tearing his clothes apart. Dragon-wolf patterns emerged across his skin as he pushed both palms forward, channeling every ounce of his vital energy into them with all his might!

*Bang.* A violent tremor resonated, and the Wolf Slave’s body was driven steadily backward. The two demonic blades, embedded in his ribs, propelled him back for dozens of yards until he finally slammed into a large rock, which halted his momentum.

“Ling’er, there’s no need to rob him,” Qin Mu called back Hu Ling’er, who was eagerly preparing to collect spoils. He shook his head. “Leave him some money to treat his injuries. He used weapons, so I hit him a bit harder. His injuries aren’t light; healing them will cost a significant amount.”

Hu Ling’er clicked her tongue. “What a shame. Those two blades were quite good…”

Qin Mu shook his head and walked away, saying, “They’re a bit inferior to my own blades. But his strength isn’t bad, and his combat awareness is much better than the monk’s.”

Yue Qinghong waited until Qin Mu was well out of sight before revealing herself. She approached the Wolf Slave, who was now bleeding from the corner of his mouth. The two demonic blades had pierced through his ribs and impaled him against the rock behind him, pinning him in place.

“Master, I miscalculated,” the Wolf Slave said, a look of shame on his face. “I used ten moves, but he only used three… Watch out!”

No sooner had he spoken than Yue Qinghong suddenly felt a warmth against her back, a body pressing tightly against hers. Her heart gave a slight jolt.

Someone was directly behind her, back-to-back, and she hadn’t even noticed their arrival.

At that moment, Qin Mu’s voice came from right beside her ear, their bodies still closely pressed. “Senior Sister, is he your servant? Did you instruct your servant to attack me because you believe I wouldn’t dare to kill someone in the Imperial College?”

Fine beads of cold sweat appeared on Yue Qinghong’s forehead. Suddenly, her feet tapped rapidly, and she moved quickly, but Qin Mu’s body remained pressed against her back. His voice whispered in her ear, “Senior Sister, will you give me an explanation?”

Yue Qinghong’s scalp tingled. Her figure moved with ghostly speed, executing the Cloud Trace Sparrow Shadow footwork repeatedly. Yet, no matter how she moved, Qin Mu remained pressed tightly against her back, like a shadow.

The Cloud Trace Sparrow Shadow was the finest movement technique she had ever learned. Although she couldn’t yet fully manifest its divine power, she could still move as if treading on clouds or flying low like a sparrow. Yet, even this formidable technique proved incapable of shaking off Qin Mu.

Suddenly, Yue Qinghong felt the muscles of the large boy behind her writhing like snakes beneath his skin. A shiver ran down her spine, and goosebumps rose on her delicate skin. “A battle technique ultimate move!” she thought.

As Qin Mu began to move, Yue Qinghong suppressed her fear and followed his steps.

She knew that the ultimate moves of the battle technique school were executed in close quarters. As long as she remained pressed against Qin Mu’s back, preventing him from turning around, he would find it difficult to unleash his ultimate technique.

Moments ago, Qin Mu had been clinging to her; now, she was clinging to him, following his every step, not daring to leave him even by an inch.

If she were to break away, she feared she would be instantly decapitated!

Being stuck to by a master of the battle technique school to such a degree was essentially an instant death sentence!

The two moved rapidly, back-to-back, across the Imperial College mountain, appearing like a dancing butterfly, flitting here and there. Many scholars on the mountain stopped their activities to watch them, filled with admiration.

Qin Mu wore brocade robes, while Yue Qinghong wore green. Together, they resembled two wings of a butterfly, pressed tightly together, which indeed easily sparked people’s imagination.

A scholar sneered, “What a pair of degenerates! Even in broad daylight, they reek of something utterly disgusting!”

Suddenly, with a loud thud, Qin Mu leaned back against a pillar of Qingyang Hall.

“Ling’er, let’s go!” Qin Mu called to Hu Ling’er. “Don’t even think about looting her. If you want to, you’ll have to dig her out of that pillar first. She’s quite impressive; she actually managed to keep up with my pace. She’s an expert.”

Hu Ling’er quickly followed him, reluctantly glancing back. She saw Yue Qinghong, who Qin Mu had slammed into a pillar of Qingyang Hall, her face embedded within it.