Chapter 200: All-under-Heaven's Hidden Presence

Whether it was the Heaven Devil Cult, the foremost demonic sect, assisting Imperial Preceptor Yankang, or their use of teleportation banners to bring the Yankang army to brutally massacre disciples from various sects, these events deeply agitated and unsettled the minds of the sect leader-level experts present. Though their mental disarray was brief, losing composure in front of someone like Imperial Preceptor Yankang essentially sealed their fate.

While sect leader-level experts are typically grandmasters of the Divine Bridge realm, even this realm has varying levels of strength. As Imperial Preceptor Yankang himself stated, he has no weaknesses in any realm; others' paths, no matter how grand, cannot compare to his direct trajectory. His cultivation and strength both far exceeded those of others. Under the circumstances of a surprise attack, virtually no one could withstand him, let alone survive a single one of his moves. For instance, in Tianbo City, when he slew the Dutian Demon King with a single sword stroke while the demon king was battling Mute, that strike was also a surprise attack.

Qin Mu estimated that Imperial Preceptor Yankang could eliminate at least four powerful adversaries in the instant these experts lost their focus. How many he could wound beyond that depended on his full capabilities.

However, despite the battle being utterly magnificent and showcasing the prowess of the world's strongest combatants, few could actually discern the details of the fight. Among the hundreds present, perhaps only the Left and Right Protectors could clearly grasp every movement of the combatants on the battlefield. Even the hall masters of the 360 halls likely couldn't see many of the techniques being employed.

Qin Mu gazed at the battlefield again but still couldn't discern the detailed situation. He could only see afterimages from rapidly moving figures, along with flashes of light emanating from activated spells, divine abilities, and sword arts. Yet, every few moments, a light would vanish, signaling the death of a powerful individual.

Now, only eight figures remained.

“Excluding Imperial Preceptor Yankang, there are seven people left.”

Qin Mu's eyes flickered. These seven survivors must be the most powerful among them. But which seven were they? He could see figures moving like gods, enveloped in fiery light, but couldn't discern their identities.

“Not being able to see the battle means missing a great opportunity. I wonder if I can activate the Azure Sky Eye?”

Qin Mu mobilized his vital qi, sending more into his eyes as he attempted to construct the formation patterns for the Azure Sky Eye. His eyes already possessed three layers of pupils: the first was his natural pupil, the second formed by the Divine Firmament Heaven, and the third by the Azure Firmament Heaven. If he could condense the Jade Sky Heaven, a fourth layer of pupils would form, allowing him to perceive even more.

Just as he was channeling vital qi into his eyes, he suddenly felt something unusual also entering them along with his vital qi. Qin Mu was momentarily stunned, then suddenly, everything on the battlefield became incredibly clear! He shook his head and looked at the battlefield once more; it remained perfectly clear! But he hadn't even completed the formation patterns for the Jade Sky Heaven!

“There's another's eyes within mine!”

Qin Mu's blood ran cold. He could now even perceive every movement of Imperial Preceptor Yankang and the others, the tier of each divine ability or sword art, and their intrinsic structure! Every movement, every expression, was vividly clear! This wasn't something his own eyes could perceive; it was what another's eyes were seeing, or rather, another person was watching the battle through his eyes!

Who was watching the battle through his eyes?

He suddenly remembered that when he summoned the Dutian Demon King in Tianbo City, the demon king's consciousness and vital energy had entered the demon god statue through his body, causing his glabella to burst open and electric light to stream into the statue. At that time, he was cultivating the Tyrant Body Three Elixirs Art. As the art circulated, he felt something entering his body along with the vital qi. When disciples from the Hongshan Sect arrived and unleashed the Demon Retreating Order, though it couldn't fully repel the Dutian Demon King, Qin Mu felt the summoning interrupted as the order shone on the demon king. The vital energy and consciousness flowing from his body to the demon god statue were severed.

This meant that a portion of the Dutian Demon King's consciousness and vital energy had been trapped within Qin Mu's body!

“So, the one inside me, watching the battle through my eyes, is the Dutian Demon King!”

Qin Mu felt a tremor of fear. Where exactly was this demon king's consciousness lurking within him? Why had he not detected any anomalies while cultivating the Tyrant Body Three Elixirs Art all this time? What was the Dutian Demon King planning? Granny Si had the Demon Cult Master Li Tianxing within her; if he had a Dutian Demon King within himself, that would be a serious problem.

Qin Mu remained outwardly calm. The Dutian Demon King using his eyes to watch the battle was also beneficial for him, allowing him to clearly see the battlefield. The Daoist spells and divine abilities displayed in the duels between masters could greatly broaden his horizons. “What I've trapped is only a wisp of the Dutian Demon King's consciousness and vital energy; no matter how potent, it can't be insurmountable. As long as I can locate him, I can certainly deal with him! For now, it's best not to alert him and pretend I'm unaware.”

He could now finally clearly perceive the battle.

Imperial Preceptor Yankang's sword was not a physical blade, but sword qi formed from his vital qi, constantly changing, materializing and dissipating at will. His body blazed with light and flames, like a deity. Qin Mu had previously seen this kind of radiance emanating from the Village Chief. When sword arts were wielded by him, even the most basic sword forms displayed an incredibly complex and profound state. His sword arts were not merely basic forms; they incorporated far more complex calculations and variations.

“The Dao Sword of the Daoist School?”

Qin Mu was startled. He saw the shadow of the Daoist School's Dao Sword in Imperial Preceptor Yankang's sword art, which involved incredibly complex computational techniques. For example, anyone could draw a Taiji diagram or a circle, but no one could calculate the precise ratio between a circle and the curved line that cuts through it. This implicated the secret of the Dao Sword's first form, the repetitive Yin and Yang within the Two Poles. Achieving this required crucial calculations using the Grand Profound Calculation Sutra. To maximize the power of repetitive Yin and Yang within the Two Poles, one needed to calculate beyond irreducible decimal places into ambiguous digits. To advance further, one also needed to calculate into digits representing emptiness and purity.

“Imperial Preceptor Yankang possesses profound knowledge in mathematics!” Qin Mu thought to himself, “If I had known this earlier, I should have consulted him about the Grand Profound Calculation Sutra when we traveled south together!”

Confronting Imperial Preceptor Yankang were the three elderly individuals: Scholar Qiong, Reclusive Li, and True Monarch Tian. They were indeed top-tier experts from the old era, their bodies radiating light and flames like three ancient deities, each employing distinct methods. Scholar Qiong wielded a large brush that resembled a writing instrument, but its long bristles also gave it the appearance of a whisk, albeit less versatile. Reclusive Li, a sword cultivator, practiced exceptionally refined sword arts, but he was clearly no match for Imperial Preceptor Yankang. His sword art comprised fourteen basic sword forms; though ingenious, it was already outdated. The era had progressed, but he remained stagnant.

True Monarch Tian, on the other hand, cultivated Gu. She refined her Gu worms into various bizarre dragon forms, such as hundred-zhang-long Sky Centipede Dragons, Silkworm Dragons refined from celestial silkworms, and Azure Flood Dragons refined from green snakes—all in unusual shapes. Though these venomous creatures were powerful, they continuously fell before Imperial Preceptor Yankang's sword art, being successively slain. Qin Mu estimated she wouldn't last much longer.

Besides these three, four others remained alive. Among them was Qi Dayou of the Beggar's Sect, whose Hundred Destitution Profound Art was highly unique. His form would sometimes materialize, sometimes dematerialize, appearing and disappearing unpredictably. The art's essence, 'Hundred Destitution,' signified having nothing, and its profound uniqueness was evident. Another survivor was True Man Daoquan. His strength was the weakest among the group. Imperial Preceptor Yankang either showed him mercy or deemed him no threat, always leaving him a sliver of room and sparing his life. The third survivor was Zen Master Zhikong from the Great Hero Temple. The Four Buddhist Seals of Formation, Abode, Decay, and Emptiness possessed extraordinary power, but under Imperial Preceptor Yankang's sword, this enlightened monk was now severely wounded and had little combat power left.

The fourth was the man with the bronze mask. His attacks were the fiercest and most overbearing, and he was also the one who most puzzled Qin Mu. His cultivation art primarily focused on divine abilities. When unleashed, they manifested as a Nine Dragons anomaly, resembling nine real dragons surging with immense power! These nine dragons exhibited numerous variations, encompassing various offensive and defensive spell-divine abilities. They could control water and fire, evolve Yin and Yang, and possessed supreme offensive power, capable of both fierce dominance and versatile changes. Whether for attack, defense, or refinement, they could be wielded at will. Moreover, he had cultivated these nine dragons to be almost corporeal.

The Nine Dragons Imperial Art.

This was a cultivation art of the Emperor's Spirit family, permitted only to those in the direct imperial lineage. Even princes and princesses were strictly forbidden from cultivating it. This bronze-masked man was clearly a member of the imperial family, and judging by his cultivation realm, he was among the highest echelons. Although his attacks were incredibly domineering, Imperial Preceptor Yankang did not deliver a killing blow to him, perhaps out of some undisclosed concern.

“Who is this person?” Qin Mu wondered, deeply shocked.

Just then, he suddenly felt a premonition and turned to look west, where he saw a majestic and grand illusory mountain rushing towards them. Qin Mu was slightly stunned. The mountain was incredibly vast, yet it was an illusion, not solid, composed of the collective aura of countless bizarre monks.

Mount Sumeru.

On that illusory mountain, atop its various peaks, some monks sat in meditation, some stood on the mountaintops holding jade bottles, and others sat inside halls, laughing heartily with open robes. And on the golden summit of the highest peak, a great Buddha shone with dazzling golden light, as if cast from pure gold, with myriad rays of light behind its head, appearing immensely grand!

“The Great Thunderclap Temple! Old Buddha Tathagata!”

Qin Mu's mind reeled. The Great Thunderclap Temple had arrived, with Tathagata himself leading its protectors, venerable ones, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats to this very location! What did he intend to do?

At this moment, Imperial Preceptor Yankang seemed to sense something as well, suddenly delivering a killing blow, slaying Zen Master Zhikong of the Great Hero Temple with a single sword stroke! Then, the Heaven Devil Cult experts on the mountain also turned, looking towards the approaching illusory Mount Sumeru.

“Bald donkeys!” the Left Protector sneered.

“Bald donkeys!” everyone else echoed in unison.

Monk Yun Que, seeing everyone calling them 'bald donkeys,' also braced himself and echoed the insult, despite being a monk himself and now a member of the Heaven Devil Cult.

The illusory Mount Sumeru floated above their mountain peak. From it, protectors, venerable ones, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats all looked down, coldly declaring in unison: “Demonic evildoers!”

Qin Mu's expression was peculiar. “The relationship between my Sacred Heaven Cult and the Great Thunderclap Temple seems a bit tense...” he thought.