Chapter 207: Scheming Like a Ghost

Qin Mu felt a genuine chill run down his spine this time.

During the great battle outside Grand Xiang City, where the Imperial Advisor of Yankang fought, Qin Mu had stood on a mountaintop, observing the battlefield. However, he couldn't clearly discern the techniques of the powerful combatants. The Demon King of Doomsday had used his eyes to watch the battle, allowing Qin Mu to clearly see the techniques of the Imperial Advisor, Scholar Poor, and others, and even grasp the profound mysteries of these terrifying beings' moves!

At the time, Qin Mu believed he had concealed his thoughts perfectly, without alerting the demon king.

Now, it seemed his carefulness had been utterly useless. The Demon King of Doomsday had long sensed his inner turmoil and even guessed his true intentions!

"Foolish demon summoner," the Demon King of Doomsday's voice echoed in his mind, making his eardrums buzz. "Your seemingly clever tricks are useless before Doomsday's greatest ruler. A feeble life form like you shouldn't try to play games with me. My power is beyond your imagination! Submitting to me and worshipping me is your only path."

Qin Mu composed himself, then suddenly chuckled. "Great Lord of Doomsday, I am the only one left in this world who understands the Spirit Summoning Talisman Script, and the only one who can still perform this spell."

The Demon King of Doomsday fell silent.

After a moment, his voice spoke again. "An interesting little imp, daring to bargain with me. Very well, very well..."

Qin Mu felt uneasy, unsure if his attempt at negotiation would succeed.

If it failed and the demon turned hostile, he would likely be in deep trouble. If the negotiation succeeded and he saved his life, he could return to the village and ask the village chief and others to slowly deal with the Demon King of Doomsday. From the demon king's behavior, it seemed possible to eliminate him.

This was because when Qin Mu accompanied the Imperial Advisor of Yankang, the Demon King of Doomsday remained quiet and inactive, hidden within Qin Mu. Only when the Imperial Advisor was fighting powerful sect masters like Scholar Poor did the demon king dare to use Qin Mu's eyes to observe the battle, both to assess the Imperial Advisor's true strength and to find his weaknesses. But even then, surrounded by experts from the Heavenly Devil Cult, he didn't make a sound. Later, as Qin Mu treated the Imperial Advisor's injuries, the Demon King of Doomsday remained silent throughout. After Qin Mu parted ways with the Imperial Advisor and met Cripple and Old Ma at the Imperial College, the demon king still didn't appear. He only showed himself now that Old Ma and Cripple were absent, and Qin Mu was alone. If the Imperial Advisor, Old Ma, and Cripple posed no threat to him, he wouldn't have been so cautious. In other words, he had revealed his fear. This meant he could be eliminated, unlike Li Tianxing, whom Granny Si carried in her heart, who was almost impossible to erase. With sufficiently clever methods, he could still be destroyed.

"My Doomsday is finished, destroyed, leaving only endless darkness. So I need to find a new world for my Doomsday subjects, a place where they can thrive and multiply." The Demon King of Doomsday's voice came again: "I went to great lengths to transmit the Spirit Summoning Talisman Script to this world, to its inhabitants, and now only you understand this spell. You should know I won't let you go easily."

Qin Mu completely relaxed, letting out a sigh. "So you want me to summon demons again, to summon you over?"

The Demon King of Doomsday patiently coaxed him: "I once had that idea, but now I've seen that this world also has some powerful native beings. So, I merely wish to use your hands to send some of my subjects to this world. I don't want to provoke a war between the powerful beings of two worlds; it would be bad for you and bad for us. My Doomsday is already ruined; I simply want my race not to be extinguished, and I have no intention of occupying this world."

*Believe that? Fat chance!* Qin Mu thought to himself. But he couldn't voice these words; if he did, the Demon King of Doomsday would probably have no trouble killing him. The demon king's consciousness was currently parasitic within his body, accompanied by a surge of magic. The power of a divine demon was something he couldn't hope to match. If the Demon King of Doomsday turned hostile, that consciousness and magic could likely kill him without much effort. The demon king currently had a use for him, so he wouldn't act against him. However, if he discovered that Qin Mu never intended to summon him, he would likely turn hostile and kill him.

"You don't need to summon me; you can summon a few of my subjects," the Demon King of Doomsday said. "After that, I will leave you, and you'll be free to roam. If you just help me with this small favor, I can explain the text on this door to you."

Qin Mu chuckled. "My elders probably recognize the text on this door; there's no need to trouble the demon king..."

"Heh heh, recognize it? This is the script of Youdu. Even if they recognize it, can they read it?" The Demon King of Doomsday slowly said, "The Youdu script is useless if you can't read it aloud. And this scroll, it records Youdu's spells. Don't you want to know about them?"

Qin Mu's eyes gleamed. "I can't clearly see the text on the scroll, nor the text on the door, so learning the Youdu script now would be pointless. Besides, not learning Youdu script wouldn't affect me much. Demon king, I have no reason to make a deal with you."

"Hahaha!" The Demon King of Doomsday laughed. "It seems you haven't truly grasped the profound mysteries of your current cultivation realm! If you learn the Youdu script written on this, you will be stronger than the Imperial Advisor of Yankang in this realm! Didn't the Imperial Advisor say that everyone else is a triangle while he is a straight line? As long as you learn the text on the gate, your straight line will be even longer than his!"

His voice darted around Qin Mu's mind without a fixed location, shifting left and right, sometimes sounding from the front, sometimes from the back of his head, making it impossible for Qin Mu to pinpoint his hiding spot.

"A lowly creature like you probably doesn't even know what Youdu is. Let me tell you what Youdu is! Youdu is the ultimate destination for all you mortals after death. All souls will eventually enter there. It is the abode of Emperor Tubo, the world that governs all living beings after they die! He is a truly ancient and primordial deity, controlling all death. Even gods and Buddhas will be enslaved by him after death. Youdu is not the 'hell' that gods and Buddhas speak of; hell is merely used to frighten you mortals. Youdu is a hundred times more brutal than hell! Mastering Youdu's script and spells will strengthen your soul—this is the path to becoming a god!"

Qin Mu was greatly tempted and chuckled. "Words alone prove nothing. No matter how eloquently you speak, it's hard for me to believe you. Tell me one Youdu spell, and then I'll believe you."

The Demon King of Doomsday chuckled. "You should already know it."

Qin Mu was stunned, blurting out, "Soul Guide? Soul Guide is a Youdu spell?"

"The Soul Guide is not a complete Youdu spell," the Demon King of Doomsday said. "It's a Youdu spell recreated by mortals of this world using mortal language, far from unleashing the true power of Youdu spells. True Youdu spells use the Youdu script, which is far more complex than your world's runes. Your runes are merely simplified Youdu characters."

Qin Mu's heart trembled as he looked at the phantom scroll in his hand. Was the text on this book written in the Youdu language? The Soul Guide could bring the dead back to life. If he could master the Youdu language and cast spells using it, how powerful would they become? Furthermore, the Demon King of Doomsday had not lied when he said that Youdu script needed to be spoken aloud and the language mastered to perform the spells. That day on the Surging River, the Daoist from the Nine Nether Sect who used the Soul Guide to summon souls had chanted an obscure incantation, causing black mist to surge and a terrifying dark portal to appear in the middle of the river. Many of the Demon King of Doomsday's words were false, but some were true.

"Demon king, I once saw an old man by the river at night, guiding the deceased," Qin Mu recalled and asked. "Someone told me that old man was an Underworld Emissary. What connection does this emissary have with Youdu?"

The Demon King of Doomsday replied, "Just a lesser deity under Tubo's command, responsible for maintaining order. So, do you want to learn the Youdu language or not?"

"Yes!" Qin Mu blinked. "Teach me quickly!"

The Demon King of Doomsday chuckled. "You summon demons, summon a few of my subjects, and then I'll teach you."

Qin Mu hesitated. "After I summon them, if you don't keep your promise, won't I be at a disadvantage? How about this: I'll create a wooden automaton for you to inhabit. You can then summon your subjects yourself. If you teach me the Youdu language first, and you summon the demons yourself, wouldn't everyone be happy?"

The Demon King of Doomsday sneered. "That's a good idea. But if I leave your body, you could just call someone to kill me the next moment. Do you think I'm that foolish? I'll stay inside you, and you will preside over the great demon summoning ritual! After you summon them, I'll transmit the Youdu language to you!"

Qin Mu scoffed. "After I summon your subjects, what if you don't teach me? Your subjects will kill me in an instant, and you'll be free, while I'll be dead and my soul returned to Youdu! Don't forget, last time I summoned you, you disregarded my life!"

The atmosphere fell silent.

After a moment, the Demon King of Doomsday laughed. "Little fellow, you're as cunning as a ghost; not easy to fool. How about this: I'll make a vow with you. You summon my subjects, and I'll transmit the Youdu language to you. If either of us breaks the oath, Tubo will personally arrive and seize the soul of the oath-breaker! What do you say?"

Qin Mu considered it, then said, "Alright! But don't think you can trick me; I understand some demon language. Don't try to play games with the oath!"

The Demon King of Doomsday chuckled. "You scoundrel, as cunning as a ghost. Fine, I'll be generous this once and not play any tricks."

An extremely obscure demon language echoed in Qin Mu's mind. It was so convoluted and difficult to understand that even Qin Mu could only comprehend half of it. The young man's heart pounded. "Calm down, calm down. Can't let this demon king see that I'm only half-baked..."

Soon after, the Demon King of Doomsday finished reciting the oath, and half the shape of a portal slowly emerged in Qin Mu's mind, resembling half of Youdu's gate.

"Your turn," the Demon King of Doomsday said.

Qin Mu composed himself, carefully pondering the meaning of the other half of the demon language he couldn't understand. The Demon King of Doomsday grew anxious, urging him, "Hurry up, or the Gate of Youdu will dissipate!"

Qin Mu scoffed. "You're trying to trick me. I'm not making this oath."

The Demon King of Doomsday chuckled. "Little brat, you really do understand a bit of the demon language."

The half-formed Youdu gate dissipated, and the demon language resonated again. This time, Qin Mu understood most of it, though some vocabulary remained uncertain, so he continued to ponder.

The Demon King of Doomsday chuckled. "Alright, alright, I'll give you credit for your ability." With that, he dissolved the half-formed Youdu gate once more and re-established the oath in the demon language.

Qin Mu suddenly chuckled. "Demon king, you're always trying to trick me. How about we make this oath using human language instead?"

The Demon King of Doomsday was silent for a moment, then cursed, "You crafty ghost! You only half-understand the demon language and are using this opportunity to secretly learn it from me, aren't you, you stinker?"