Chapter 1441: Masked, No One Recognizes You

Qin Mu's head felt like a boiling sea of vital energy, which was dyed pitch-black by Hades' devil qi. His skin even cracked, barely containing his primordial spirit.

They bowed once more, both sustaining even heavier injuries.

"Receive my bow!"

"Receive my bow!"

An earth-shattering boom sounded, and Qin Mu was jolted so violently that the Heaven and Earth Profound Gate behind him exploded. His physical body couldn't withstand the impact, and black soul-sand spewed from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.

Across the formation, Yin Tianzi's physical body suddenly exploded, reduced to a mass of chaotic energy by the force of the bow. Even the Hades Heavenly Gate behind him disintegrated into powder, with massive fragments of divine artifacts trailing wisps of chaotic energy as they plunged into the Nethersea.

Qin Mu's body swayed precariously but he remained upright. He swiftly activated the Soul Guiding technique, restraining the scattered black soul-sand, and through the circulation of his divine arts, reshaped his soul.

The Butcher was about to help him, but saw that Qin Mu had already recovered. Although his vital energy was depleted, he was otherwise fine, so the Butcher withdrew his hand.

"Is Yin Tianzi dead?"

The Butcher held up his Heavenly Saber, its blade reflecting light as he scanned the surroundings, searching for Yin Tianzi.

Tian Shu also held up his Emperor's Divine Saber, staring at its blade, searching for Yin Tianzi's primordial spirit.

Luo Wushuang likewise raised his divine saber, surveying the area.

Zhe Huali raised his demonic saber, Dragon Tooth. However, as Dragon Tooth was a tooth from the Azure Dragon, the Eastern Emperor, its blade wasn't bright and couldn't illuminate the depths of the void.

Instead, a demonic eye grew on the hilt of Dragon Tooth, rolling around as it also searched for Yin Tianzi.

Although Yin Tianzi was not a Celestial Venerable, his abilities were truly bizarre, superb, and incredibly difficult to guard against.

They had initially believed that slaying Yin Tianzi would be a trivial matter. Indeed, cutting him down was easy; taking his actual life, however, proved to be a difficult task.

Furthermore, Yin Tianzi's Hades divine arts and mastery of the Path of Reincarnation left them deeply unsettled.

"Is he dead or did he escape?" the Butcher inquired after searching for a long time and finding no trace of Yin Tianzi.

Qin Mu opened his vertical eye between his brows and scanned the surroundings. His gaze suddenly pierced through the void, revealing the turbulent Nethersea in the distance. He saw a head floating in the sea, drifting towards Hades Capital. "He's not dead," Qin Mu stated, "he returned to Hades Capital. He also cultivates the Way of Heavenly Yin and is proficient in the Great Dao of Hades, so killing him isn't easy. There's no need to pay him any mind; Yin Tianzi was merely a tool for us to hone our skills, nothing more. He's not significant enough to pose a true threat."

He looked up and saw the formidable divine and demonic army of the North Heaven Hades Capital arrayed before them as if confronting a great enemy. Countless mighty gods and demons stood silently on their ships, watching them with immense tension.

The Butcher, Tian Shu, Luo Wushuang, and the others each took a step forward. Luo Wushuang subtly vibrated his single-armed divine saber and calmly asked, "Shall we kill them all?"

The expressions of the leading divine generals from North Heaven Hades Capital changed drastically. They swiftly activated their divine weapons, prioritizing the protection of their bodies.

"No need,"

Qin Mu suddenly smiled and waved to the tens of thousands of North Heaven Hades Capital soldiers. "Disperse, all of you. Your Yin Tianzi has already returned to the Nethersea, so you too can disperse and go home."

The generals looked as if they had received a great pardon. Zhe Huali, however, frowned and said, "They've seen our faces. What if they report this...?"

Qin Mu, beaming, took out a black silk scarf, tied it over his face, and said, "Now they won't be able to see our faces, will they?"

Luo Wushuang and Zhe Huali were dumbfounded.

Not wearing masks beforehand, but covering their faces afterwards, wasn't that like burying their heads in the sand?

The Butcher also took out a black cloth and covered his face, clearly accustomed to such actions. After all, Qin Mu's "renowned sect" was essentially him. The Butcher said, "As long as we're not caught red-handed, we simply deny everything. Who can possibly do anything to us then?"

"Wearing a mask is just a fig leaf, there's no real difference whether you wear it or not. Who can it fool?"

Ever prepared, Qin Mu took out three more black cloths and handed them to Tian Shu, Zhe Huali, and Luo Wushuang. "As long as you're not caught in the act, deny everything. If it goes to court, there's plenty we can say; we can make black appear white, and the dead appear alive. Just put these on for now."

The three silently accepted the black cloths and tied them over their faces.

Qin Mu suddenly remembered something, ripped off his black scarf, and announced to the retreating North Heaven Hades Capital army, "I am Celestial Venerable Mu. I am on my way to Xuandu to oversee the war, and highwaymen have damaged my treasure ship. I am requisitioning one of your fast ships."

The generals of North Heaven Hades Capital were utterly stunned. They were already bewildered by the blatant "after-the-fact" masking, and now Qin Mu wasn't even bothering to cover his face, directly requisitioning their ships under the identity of Celestial Venerable Mu. Such brazenness was surely so thick-skinned that even the Celestial Emperor's sword couldn't pierce it!

The generals exchanged bewildered glances. Suddenly, one of them came to his senses and hastily ordered a fast ship to be prepared, personally overseeing its delivery. The generals stood there, trembling and speechless.

Qin Mu gave them a half-smile and calmly said, "Why aren't you leaving yet? I'm about to mask my face. Once it's covered, I won't be Celestial Venerable Mu, but a bandit who dares to kill even Yin Tianzi."

Those generals scrambled away.

The five boarded the fast ship. The Butcher watched the retreating army of North Heaven Hades Capital. He noticed that despite their withdrawal, their formation remained perfectly orderly and disciplined; even in retreat, they maintained offensive and defensive stances, which made him frown.

"Yin Tianzi has truly mastered the intricacies of military strategy and formations."

His expression was solemn as he spoke in a deep voice, "If Yin Tianzi hadn't been provoked and, in his fury, had instead mobilized the Hades Capital army and activated their formations to trap us, I fear we would have been lambs to the slaughter."

Tian Shu, Zhe Huali, and Luo Wushuang were all generals who had commanded large armies. Luo Wushuang was originally the leader of the Lingxiu Army, Zhe Huali was highly valued by Emperor Yanxiu Ling Yuxiu and served as a general in the Western Frontier, and Tian Shu was one of the Four Heavenly Kings under Emperor Kai, overseeing the armies of the Kaihuang era.

They, too, recognized the formidable strength of Yin Tianzi's military command, and each frowned.

The combat strength of individual Hades gods and demons was negligible to them. Even their commanding generals' realms were, at most, at the Jade Capital or High Heavens level.

However, when these gods and demons gathered into a grand army, unified by battle formations, the power they could unleash became terrifying!

Like gathering sand to form a tower, a concerted attack from such a unified force could not be directly confronted, even by an existence at the Emperor's Throne realm.

In large-scale battles involving gods and demons, the power of formations must never be underestimated!

"In the future, should Yankang go to war with the Celestial Court, the Blind Man, with his Mind's Eye, will become a crucial pillar."

The Butcher stood at the bow, watching the vast Heavenly River flow beneath the ship. He spoke unhurriedly, "The Celestial Court has Four Heavenly Kings, Four Heavenly Masters, and Four Great Emperors; Yin Tianzi is merely one of the Four Emperors. If the Blind Man is to contend with such beings in terms of formations, he will need severe urging to deepen his mastery of the Path of Formations. That is the correct path forward."

Qin Mu came to his side, sharing the sentiment, and nodded. "Whether it's Grandpa Blind or Grandpa Mute, I have been severely urging them to redouble their efforts."

"You're just shamelessly living off your elders' achievements."

The Butcher glanced at him, offered a reproach, then asked with concern, "How are your injuries? Will they affect your performance in the battle at Xuandu?"

"I have achieved the Ancestral Court Jade Pool realm. My very being is a vast Jade Pool and a sea of primordial essence, containing primeval liquid. Any injury, as long as it's not a Dao injury, can heal naturally."

Qin Mu smiled, adding, "Even if my cultivation is damaged, it can recover very quickly."

The Butcher observed that Qin Mu's vital energy was indeed recovering at an astonishing speed, and he couldn't help but marvel. "We've already seen the Ancestral Court Decapitation Platform realm, which allows one to refine malevolent qi for their own use. Does the Ancestral Court Jade Pool realm also possess such wondrous qualities?"