Chapter 1478: Dark Plot

Qin Mu breathed a sigh of relief. The constant battling over the past few days had taken a toll on him, and he feared he would be exhausted to the point of spitting blood if it continued.

"I want these few people," he declared.

His eyes glinted as he pointed to Lan Yutian, Yu Tianzun, the Cripple, Southern Emperor, and Ming Huang. The scholar hesitated when Qin Mu named Southern Emperor and Ming Huang.

Southern Emperor and Ming Huang were the two strongest in the private school, and their presence would greatly aid the scholar's swift escape.

Seeing his hesitation, Qin Mu bent his bow, ready to shoot again. A private school teacher quickly interjected, "You can have them. However, you must swear not to enter the hall and disturb us again."

"Agreed," Qin Mu replied with a smile. "This Scented Palace isn't a good place anyway, and the others have nothing to do with me. I'm eager to leave, so why would I bother disturbing you?"

"You must swear to leave immediately with these individuals, and not to push your luck!"

The scholar in the painting stood up, pondered for a moment, then broke a branch from the Dao Tree. He trimmed it into a finger-thick teaching whip and sent it out of the painting.

A private school teacher received the whip with both hands, brought it out of the school, and held it up. "This teaching whip is forged from a branch of the Dao Tree and embodies my Dao spirit," he explained. "Swear on this whip that you will leave immediately with these individuals. The whip will then attach itself to you, following you wherever you go. If you break your oath, the whip will strike you."

Qin Mu hesitated, not taking the whip, but instead scrutinizing it closely.

The whip appeared straight yet flexible, with incredibly peculiar patterns on its bark, resembling the intricate patterns of the Great Dao. These patterns seemed to contain the boundless mysteries of the previous universe.

Compared to other teaching whips, this one was far more refined. Dao patterns periodically erupted from its surface, swirling around the whip and emitting pleasant Daoist melodies.

Clearly, the private school teachers' whips were not forged from Dao Tree branches, and thus lacked the power and mystical qualities of this one.

Qin Mu glanced suspiciously at the scholar under the tree. "You're breaking off a branch from the Dao Tree for me to swear upon, and then you say this branch will follow me. If I don't break my promise, doesn't that mean this teaching whip will become mine?"

The scholar under the tree remained silent. The private school teacher in front of Qin Mu said, "If you don't break your oath, there's no harm in giving you this whip. My Dao cultivation is beyond your comprehension. This whip is excellent at striking the primordial spirit and the Dao heart. No matter who it is, once the whip is raised, it will surely strike the primordial spirit. When the primordial spirit is hit, the Dao heart becomes ignorant and bewildered."

Qin Mu remained skeptical.

The scholar under the tree raised an eyebrow and sneered, "Your suspicions are heavier than anyone else's, indicating you're not fated for this. If you continue to be so paranoid, our deal is off. You can keep shooting; I'd like to see how many tens of thousands of years it takes for you to kill me!"

Qin Mu quickly smiled and said, "I'll swear then." With that, he grabbed the teaching whip with one hand.

The private school teacher was reluctant to let go and quickly said, "The whip is in my hand. Swear on the whip in my hand!"

Qin Mu forcefully snatched it, chuckling, "It's better to swear with it in my hand. It's not that I don't trust Yuan Sheng... well, actually, I just don't trust Yuan Sheng!"

After snatching the whip, he first meticulously examined it. He then used his vital qi and divine sense to thoroughly probe it. Next, he half-uncovered the willow leaf on his forehead, secretly inspecting the whip with his vertical eye, only feeling relieved after confirming no hidden tricks were embedded within. He then re-affixed the willow leaf.

The private school teacher angrily retorted, "Are you a thief? Always worried about others plotting against you!"

"That's right, I am a thief," Qin Mu admitted.

Qin Mu did not deny it. He first had the scholar under the tree release Lan Yutian and the others. Once they had regained their composure and stood behind him, Qin Mu finally swore on the teaching whip that he would not set foot in the Scented Palace again after leaving.

The moment the oath was sealed, Qin Mu instantly felt his consciousness connect with the teaching whip. Not only that, but his thoughts and consciousness were momentarily linked to the Dao Tree, Dao Fruits, and Dao Flowers within the fragment of the Great Luo Heaven!

Qin Mu's expression shifted slightly. He immediately severed the connection of his thoughts and consciousness, then said coldly, "Are you ambushing me?"

He raised the Lapis Lazuli Heaven Canopy and directly pulverized the private school teacher in front of him.

The scholar under the tree burst into laughter. "Chant my name, and be granted immortality! You guessed correctly. I, Yuan Sheng, achieved Dao through faith. When you recited my name during your oath, you helped me escape! Even if you sever your thoughts and consciousness, as long as the oath remains, you will continuously provide for me, no matter where you are!"

Qin Mu's face turned ashen. With a flick of his sleeve, he absorbed everyone into his third eye, leaving only the Cripple and Lan Yutian, and then turned to leave.

From the private school, clear and rhythmic chanting resonated once more, lingering incessantly in Qin Mu's mind.

The Cripple, looking worried, whispered, "Mu'er, did that scoundrel ambush you? Is it serious?"

"It's not serious. We'll talk about it once we're out!"

The three arrived at the front of the hall, where multiple layers of seals outside appeared even more complex than those they encountered upon entering the Scented Palace.

Qin Mu looked at Lan Yutian and the Cripple. "Yuan Sheng of the Mi Luo Palace used my oath as an opportunity to imprint the private school's chanting into my Dao heart, making me instinctively chant along. It doesn't affect me much now, but the longer it goes on, the greater the impact will be. At this moment, I no longer have enough confidence to leave this place on my own. Can you two take me with you?"

The Cripple hoisted Qin Mu onto his back and said grimly, "Don't worry, even if I'm exhausted to death, I'll get you out of here!"

The two retreated, then suddenly accelerated, charging into the layers of seals!

Qin Mu closed his eyes and concentrated, fighting against the chanting in his mind. He activated his Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure domain, continuously channeling his own magic power into both of them, replenishing their consumed cultivation.

Along the way, they sped like lightning. The Cripple pushed his speed to the limit, his leg muscles bursting and blood seemingly burning, as he strained forward, keeping pace with Lan Yutian!

More than ten days later, despite Qin Mu's magic power supporting him, his physical strength couldn't be replenished. His physical reserves depleted, he could only persist through sheer willpower.

Lan Yutian slowed down. The Cripple gritted his teeth and rasped, "Don't stop! If we stop, none of us will escape!"

Lan Yutian had no choice but to push forward.

Two more days passed, and Lan Yutian burst through the Scented Palace's layers of seals. He looked back but saw no sign of the Cripple or Qin Mu, and his heart sank.

Boom—

A shockwave rippled out, and a bloodied figure, engulfed in raging flames, burst from the seals, tumbling and crashing onto a black mountain. The people outside the hall rushed forward, only to see the Cripple burned black like charcoal, with Qin Mu lying beside him.

As everyone was about to approach, Qin Mu had already scrambled to his feet. His fingers flew, stabilizing the Cripple's rapidly dispersing soul. He then cast the Primordial Creation Divine Art to heal his body and replenish his depleted vital essence.

"Shu Jun, Senior Brother!"

Qin Mu gritted his teeth and said coldly, "Send the Scented Palace to Jade Capital City in the ancestral court! Activate the seals on it to attract the Ten Heavenly Venerates. I will use their hands to completely destroy this divine palace! Yuan Sheng of Mi Luo Palace, let's see how you die!"