Chapter 209: Kun Yuan Gate

Seeing this, Elder Fu said, “You have guests, so I won’t disturb you. I still need to return money to a few other families. Two of them were robbed so badly that if I don’t return the money, they’ll probably go hungry for the next few days…”

The cripple and Old Master Ma walked over. The cripple was beaming with pride, while Old Master Ma looked as if wealth and poverty had nothing to do with him.

Qin Mu invited them in, asking, “Grandpa Cripple and Old Master Ma, where have you been these past few days?”

Old Master Ma replied, “The cripple pestered me into going to Lizhou. We went to help with disaster relief.”

The cripple chuckled, “Lizhou was devastated by rebellions, with famine everywhere. Old Master Ma and I recently earned some money, so we went to help. Don’t let our fancy clothes fool you; they’re fake. This gold chain is wood plated with gold paint, and this jade pendant is also fake. Old Master Ma pawned all the real stuff for rice and flour, which we sent to Lizhou. Your Heavenly Devil Cult members were also there helping, so we handed the provisions over to them.”

Qin Mu smiled, “Then Imperial Physician You has done a good deed as well.”

He then told the two elders about summoning the demon. The cripple was surprised, “Such a thing? You didn’t disgrace me and get tricked by that demon king, did you? This matter should be left to Old Master Ma. Old Master Ma has three eyes and is best at subduing demons.”

Old Master Ma’s brow suddenly split open, revealing a white fleshy ball. The white ball rotated halfway to the side, revealing an eye. A brilliant Buddhist light shone forth, illuminating Qin Mu’s glabella!

Strange shrieks immediately came from Qin Mu’s glabella, and a voice shrieked, “If you refine me to death, you will die too!”

Qin Mu quickly said, “Old Master Ma, I have made an oath with him, an agreement of the Earth Count!”

“An agreement of the Earth Count?”

The cripple and Old Master Ma felt a slight tremor in their hearts. Old Master Ma quickly closed his third eye, his expression grave. “Mu’er, you are too daring. How perilous is the Earth Count’s Ninefold Covenant? How could you casually make such an oath with anyone, especially when the other party isn’t human, but a devil god from another world?”

The cripple shook his head. “This is ridiculous! You’re gambling with your life! Why did you have to make an Earth Count’s Covenant with him? Just tell us, and we’ll kill him!”

Qin Mu replied, “I want to learn the Youdu language.”

“There’s no need for an Earth Count’s Covenant for that. Hand him over to the Butcher; I guarantee the Butcher will make him comfortable enough to confess everything in three to five days.”

The cripple shook his head. “The Butcher loves dealing with gods and demons. In three to five days, he can make them wish for a quick death. You let the Butcher deal with him; if he doesn’t kill him, I’ll teach you!”

Qin Mu looked abashed. “The Earth Count’s Covenant has already been made and cannot be changed. Now I’m preparing to summon the demon, and I’ll have to trouble you two grandpas for your help.”

Old Master Ma said, “Just summon them out; we’ll destroy them.”

Qin Mu went to the Imperial College treasury to buy some bones, took out the talisman treasure, and began to summon the demon.

The Imperial College taught various cultivation techniques and spells, whether orthodox, demonic, or Buddhist. Some of these spells required human bones for cultivation, so the treasury kept some in stock.

He was familiar with the process and quickly lit up the runes around a demon god statue. This time, there was no terrifying scene like in Tianbo City, nor did Qin Mu see the situation of Dutian. Clearly, the demon god summoned this time was not as powerful as the Dutian Demon King.

Above the Imperial College, the celestial phenomena suddenly changed dramatically. A mighty demonic force tore through the sky and descended, like a black pillar plummeting straight down, aiming for the scholars’ residence in the Imperial College!

At this moment, countless imperial tutors and scholars in the Imperial College were startled, as were the Imperial College’s chancellor and grand chancellor. The strong individuals in the capital were also alarmed, all looking towards this direction.

In Qin Mu’s courtyard in the scholars’ residence, the demon summoning continued. The wooden demon god statue began to crackle and pop, growing taller and larger. A demonic voice roared, “This lowly world, prepare to face the wrath of Jiahe Demon God of Dutian!”

Just then, above the Imperial College, a brilliant Buddhist light shone. A great Buddha sat in mid-air, extending a palm dozens of acres in size. With a downward press, a series of crackling sounds echoed. The consciousness and magic power of the Jiahe Demon God, having just descended, were instantly crushed to powder along with the continuously expanding wooden statue!

The many imperial tutors and scholars in the Imperial College were once again astonished. The strong individuals in the capital and the army guarding the capital, upon seeing this scene, felt relieved. “It is the Imperial College after all; experts are as numerous as clouds. Such Buddhist cultivation is rare even in Great Thunderclap Monastery! There are indeed such experts in the Imperial College, not to be underestimated!”

Gu Lihuan led the Imperial College’s imperial tutors to the scene. Qin Mu poked his head out of the courtyard and chuckled, “Gentlemen, you’ve arrived at a good time. Just now, a demon god jumped out and was killed by my family elder.”

Gu Lihuan’s heart skipped a beat, and he smiled wryly, “Minister Qin, be careful not to damage the scholars’ residence. All right, everyone, disperse. Minister Qin’s elder has arrived, so the Imperial College won’t have any problems.”

The imperial tutors exchanged bewildered glances. Gu Lihuan had always been at odds with Qin Mu, so why was he so agreeable now?

“This situation clearly shows Minister Qin summoning a demon. Why isn’t Grand Chancellor Gu punishing him?”

Everyone wondered, “Summoning a demon in the capital’s scholars’ residence is a crime punishable by death! Why does the Grand Chancellor allow him to mess around?”

Gu Lihuan left a step ahead of them, cold sweat rolling down his forehead. “Their elder has arrived. Is it that blind man who caused the Surging River to rise with one staff, or the cripple who stole my scabbard? Or that fierce, half-bodied old man? No wonder His Majesty said I couldn’t afford to provoke him; indeed, I can’t! These fierce, wicked individuals actually dared to walk out of the Great Ruins. The capital is truly not peaceful; all sorts of demons and monsters have come here…”

Qin Mu closed the door. The imperial tutors were all terrified and quickly called out the other scholars in the scholars’ residence, saying, “This place is extremely dangerous. You should not stay in the scholars’ residence for now, lest you die without knowing how. All scholars, please go and hide outside for two days and return when it is safe!”

The scholars in the scholars’ residence were also terrified by the sudden appearance of the demon god and the Buddha, their souls scattered. Knowing that the scholars’ residence was not a safe place, they quickly moved away from it.

“Why didn’t you summon the other four demon gods?” the Dutian Demon King’s voice questioned in Qin Mu’s mind.

Qin Mu shook his head. “I have kept my promise and summoned your subordinate. Now it’s your turn to teach me the Youdu language.”

The Dutian Demon King was stunned. “There are still four other statues…”

“Demon King, my half of our covenant is complete. Summoning one is summoning; summoning five is also summoning.”

Qin Mu said, “If you don’t keep your promise, the Earth Count will immediately take you to Youdu!”

The Dutian Demon King was furious, then suddenly chuckled. “What a cunning little brat, waiting for me here. Very good, very good. Fortunately, I also held back a trick. I will teach you the Youdu language, but only one phrase. I never said I would teach you all of the Youdu language when I made my vow.”

Qin Mu’s eyes widened.

The Dutian Demon King proudly said, “I will only tell you the text on this door. As for the text in your book, you can forget about knowing it. If you want to learn the complete Youdu language, go to Youdu and ask yourself!”

In recent days, as Qin Mu transformed into the Zhen Xingjun form, the ethereal portal behind him gradually became clear, and the text on it was revealed and could be deciphered. However, the text in his book had not yet become clear.

Qin Mu probed, “If I summon the other four statues, will you teach me the Youdu text from the book?”

“No!” the Dutian Demon King emphatically refused.

Qin Mu breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. “Then just teach me the phrase on the door.”

The Dutian Demon King emitted a strange cadence, seemingly a sound from the soul, like the distorted shrieks of billions of twisted specters. Qin Mu tried to replicate it but found that humans simply could not produce such a peculiar language, which surprised him.

The Dutian Demon King chuckled, “Some languages are beyond the grasp of lowly beings like you. Your voices come from your throats, but the Youdu language doesn’t originate from the throat…”

No sooner had he said this than Qin Mu produced a sound, not from his throat, but from his soul, very similar to the cadence the Demon King had just made!

The Dutian Demon King was taken aback, a sense of alarm rising in his heart. “This brat is so astute; he immediately thought of sounding from the soul rather than the throat. If he grows up, I might truly not be able to defeat him… It’s better to kill such a clever brat early!”

Qin Mu repeatedly tried to vocalize from his soul. After a long while, he finally learned the entire phrase and asked, “What does this phrase mean?”

The Dutian Demon King did not answer. Just as Qin Mu was about to ask again, the Dutian Demon King said, “This phrase means ‘Gate of Kunyuan’.”

Qin Mu was startled. “Gate of Kunyuan? You’re not tricking me?”

The Dutian Demon King chuckled. “Trick you? How could I trick you? It means ‘Gate of Kunyuan’, that’s correct.”

Qin Mu was half-believing, half-doubting. The Dutian Demon King was suddenly so generous; this ‘Gate of Kunyuan’ phrase must have a catch.

Qin Mu’s eyes flickered, and he smiled, “Dutian Demon King, you can leave my body now. I have already crafted a divine statue mechanism for you from cold iron and gold crystal. You can take control of the divine statue mechanism. After that, you can summon demons or do whatever you wish.”

The Dutian Demon King scoffed, “You want to trick me out so that one-armed old monk can kill me? I’m not that stupid.”

Qin Mu shook his head and said to Old Master Ma and the cripple, “Grandpas, I will now reattach your arms and legs.”

Old Master Ma said, “When you reattach our limbs, that demon god will likely seize the opportunity to escape. It’s better to refine him to death now.”

Qin Mu said solemnly, “I cannot break my word. I said I would create a divine statue mechanism for him and let him inhabit it, so I cannot go back on my promise.”

Old Master Ma said no more. Qin Mu cleared the bed, allowing Old Master Ma to lie down, then retrieved Old Master Ma’s arm from the medicine cauldron and reattached it for him.

He was busy reattaching the arm when suddenly a flash of electricity sparked from his glabella, landing with a sizzle on the eight-armed, four-faced divine statue at the doorway.

The cripple raised his eyebrows, smiling, “That damned demon king, I can let you run eight hundred miles ahead.”

The Dutian Demon King manipulated the statue and found that it could move freely, so he took off running outside.

He had just run out of Qin Mu’s courtyard and advanced a dozen steps when, with a snap, his leg joints locked.

Then, joints all over his body began to make cracking sounds, as if they were locking one by one. The Dutian Demon King raised his eight arms high, one leg lifted and unable to fall, his whole body stiff and immobile.

“You son of a bitch, you ambushed me!” an exasperated voice roared from inside the statue.

Fox Spirit peered out of Qin Mu’s courtyard, glanced at the demon statue frozen in place, and pouted, “Didn’t Young Master tell you a long time ago? He’d make you a statue mechanism. See, you’re caught in the mechanism, aren’t you? By the way, do you think Young Master is a fox spirit? I think he looks a bit like one…”