Chapter 212: Inevitable Separation

The book contained few words. Qin Mu quickly read through them, and many principles about cultivating the soul emerged in his mind.

Dutian Devil King had told him that the book contained Youdu's spells, which now seemed to be another lie intended to trick him.

"At least one out of ten things I say is true, but Dutian Devil King only tells one truth in a hundred sentences." Qin Mu thought to himself, "Of all the things he told me, only the Youdu language was real; everything else was false!"

He carefully pondered the text. If he could fully grasp its profound mysteries, he could indeed comprehend some soul-related spells. However, the more crucial aspect of the book's words was strengthening the soul; soul-related spells were secondary.

Qin Mu memorized the text, closed the book, and meditated, contemplating its mysteries and attempting to decipher a soul-related spell.

The Grand Creation Demonic Scripture contained soul-related spells, as did the Grand Shamans of the Barbarian Tribes. Even Grandfather Ma's Eight Styles of Thunder and the Demonic Race's Great Freedom Seal included subtle methods targeting the soul.

The Soul Guiding Art of the Nine Nether Sect was an exceptionally brilliant divine ability among them.

If verified against the text in this book, its power could be further enhanced!

Qin Mu meditated for a long time. Then, he slowly began to walk around the courtyard, gesturing as he moved. He was trying to integrate the principles from the Youdu script into the move "Sunlit Yang Soul Forging in the Air."

"Sunlit Yang Soul Forging in the Air" was one of the Eight Styles of Thunder, and a top combat technique from the Tathagata Mahayana Sutra. Its power was incredibly potent and forceful, having been refined to its peak by successive Tathagatas, leaving almost no room for further improvement or modification.

Yet, Qin Mu was now modifying this move. He had never cultivated the Tathagata Mahayana Sutra, but ever since he integrated the Grand Creation Demonic Scripture with the Overlord Body Three Elixir Technique, unifying his cultivation methods, the power of the Eight Styles of Thunder had grown increasingly strong, no less formidable than the Tathagata Mahayana Sutra itself.

He practiced the moves repeatedly, striking out with punch after punch. The fist's core was the mind seal, and the mind seal was the great sun. Each punch released rolling thunder, intense sunlight, refining the yang soul, and its power gradually increased.

The move "Sunlit Yang Soul Forging in the Air" had no effect on the physical body; despite its grand display, it only attacked the soul.

As Qin Mu practiced repeatedly, a trace of fire gradually emerged from his fist imprint. This flame was unlike ordinary fire; it was karmic fire that burned souls.

Each of his punches carried karmic fire. Gradually, the karmic fire grew more intense, transforming into a blazing crimson sun around his fists.

The more he practiced, the smoother his movements became. Unable to suppress himself, he let out continuous long roars. Suddenly, he unleashed a punch, and a great sun exploded in the air, its intense flames spreading everywhere, filling the courtyard with karmic fire.

Qin Mu ended his practice, exhaled a cloudy breath, and then felt a sudden stirring within him. He opened his door to see the Hall Master of the Sword Hall approaching quickly.

"Sword Hall, what's the urgency?" Qin Mu invited him in and asked.

"Heavenly King Lu is injured," the Hall Master of the Sword Hall said grimly, his expression solemn. "He's at my place now and wishes to see the Cult Master. His condition... is very bad!"

Qin Mu's heart skipped a beat, and he walked with the Hall Master towards his courtyard.

"Cult Master, this old man is ashamed," Heavenly King Lu said from his bed, struggling but failing to rise. "I am heavily wounded and cannot properly greet you."

Qin Mu waved a hand, stepped forward to examine his injuries, and frowned slightly. Heavenly King Lu's clothes were tattered, and there were bloodstains on his white hair and beard.

Heavenly King Lu's injuries were even more severe than those of the Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace. He must have been wounded in a battle against several cult master-level experts!

His injuries were not just physical; his divine treasures were also wounded, and his soul was severely damaged.

All seven of his divine treasures had suffered almost devastating blows. His Spirit Embryo had petrified, three of his Five Elements spirits were destroyed, only two pillar gods remained in his Six Harmonies Divine Treasure, and his Seven Stars, Heavenly Human, and Life and Death Divine Treasures were all in disrepair. Furthermore, the flying bridge within his Divine Bridge Divine Treasure had broken.

If these were the only injuries, it might have been manageable, but the critical issue was his advanced age. His body was not what it used to be, making it difficult for his physical form to contain his rapidly dissipating soul.

Heavenly King Lu took a long breath and said, "Cult Master, I've found out Heavenly King Qian's whereabouts..."

"Don't speak yet," Qin Mu instructed. He took out two bottles of dragon's saliva, used one to treat Heavenly King Lu's physical injuries, and made him drink the other. After a moment of contemplation, he wrote down a list of medicinal ingredients and instructed the Hall Master of the Sword Hall to fetch them from the treasury according to the prescription. Qin Mu wasn't sure if these medicines could heal Heavenly King Lu; the best-case scenario was becoming a cripple, and the worst-case...

The Hall Master of the Sword Hall swiftly departed. Heavenly King Lu's physical injuries had improved slightly, but his soul and divine treasure injuries were worse. He gasped, "Heavenly King Qian is dead. I was investigating his movements when someone used his clothing to lure me into a chase, and I fell into an ambush..."

Qin Mu frowned. "Who set this ambush for you?"

"They didn't show their faces, but I recognized their divine abilities." Heavenly King Lu's body convulsed as the injuries to his soul flared up, causing him immense pain. He gritted his teeth and endured, his white hair shaking with his body. He chuckled, "They were after our Sacred Cult's teleportation method... Cult Master, I can no longer assist you. I've failed the Patriarch's instructions—"

"Don't worry, you won't die, nor will you be crippled," Qin Mu said gravely, his eyes twitching slightly. "Even if you die, I will drag your soul back from Youdu!"

"One of those who wounded me is a first-rank official of the imperial court!" Heavenly King Lu's body became still. "I recognize his cultivation method; it's the Spirit Treasure Immovable Chan Art. Among the court's first-rank officials, Crown Prince's Grand Tutor Sun Nantuo has cultivated this technique to its pinnacle, sitting amidst a thousand pagodas, his spirit treasures unmoving."

Qin Mu swiftly took action, his hands moving rapidly, pointing at Heavenly King Lu. His fingers danced, leaving trails of afterimages in the air, and in an instant, he sealed Heavenly King Lu's soul within his body, preventing it from leaving.

He used the Grand Creation Demonic Art, a technique previously used by masters of the Heavenly Devil Cult to skin people and make clothes, but in his hands, it became a life-saving method.

Although Qin Mu had sealed Heavenly King Lu's three souls and seven spirits, he still couldn't stop the trend of his soul dissipating.

"Cult Master, though you are a divine physician, you cannot save one destined to die." Heavenly King Lu smiled, shakily got out of bed, and sat down in front of the hall, a flush appearing on his face. He chuckled, "There's no need to waste effort. My soul is about to scatter, and my divine bridge is broken; I can't hold on any longer. I had thought that after the Patriarch left, I could assist the Cult Master in revitalizing our Sacred Cult, but I never imagined I wouldn't live to see that day."

A rumbling sound of collapse echoed within his body; his Divine Bridge Divine Treasure, lacking the support of the divine bridge, had begun to collapse. The collapsing Divine Bridge Divine Treasure crushed his Life and Death Divine Treasure, which in turn crushed his Heavenly Human Divine Treasure, with one divine treasure after another crumbling.

Qin Mu was filled with grief. Now, even if the Hall Master of the Sword Hall returned with the medicine, it would be too late to save him.

Blazing flames erupted around Heavenly King Lu. His soul was tearing apart, an irreversible process. His injuries were too severe, especially those to his soul; he was about to vanish completely.

If his soul dissipated completely, he would be unable to enter Youdu; with his soul gone, he couldn't even become a ghost.

"Blazing sacred fire, burn my remaining body..." Heavenly King Lu murmured in the flames. "Life and death are impermanent, separation is inevitable. I won't live to see you become the Saint Teacher. I long to return to Saint Arrival Mountain and see the Saint Teacher tree again... I hear the woodcutter's chopping..."

The old man shivered in the fire, then smiled. "Cult Master, I'm so cold..." Qin Mu stretched out his hand, wanting to grasp the old man's hand, but what he touched was merely a handful of burnt ashes.

The blazing fire gradually extinguished, leaving behind pale gray ashes.

Outside, the footsteps of the Hall Master of the Sword Hall approached, carrying various sizes of medicine packets. Qin Mu turned around, his expression blank, and said, "Sword Hall, it's no longer needed. Heavenly King Lu has passed on..."

The medicine packets in the Hall Master of the Sword Hall's hands dropped to the ground. The nine-foot-tall man knelt with a thud, bowing deeply, his shoulders shaking continuously, yet no sound of weeping emerged.

After a long while, Qin Mu gathered Heavenly King Lu's ashes, placed them in a green urn, and stood blankly before it.

He had been thrust into his role, practically sold to the Heavenly Devil Cult by Granny Si, and became its Sacred Cult Master without much understanding. He didn't initially harbor much affection for the Heavenly Devil Cult itself; any affection he felt was for Granny Si and the young Patriarch.

However, as his understanding of the Heavenly Devil Cult deepened, he gradually grew to like its doctrines, the diverse people within it, and appreciated their character and how they handled affairs.

He had already begun to consider himself a member of the Heavenly Devil Cult, striving to become a competent Sacred Cult Master.

Heavenly King Lu hadn't spent much time with him. Perhaps he had never truly seen him as the Sacred Cult Master, but rather as a mischievous disciple, always busy cleaning up after him on Saint Arrival Mountain, tidying the mess he left behind.

He was more like an elder who cared for his junior, with a hint of indulgence in his scolding gaze.

And now, he was dead, reduced to a handful of ashes in a green urn...

"Sword Hall..." A sharp glint appeared in Qin Mu's once blank eyes. He slowly said, "Order the cult disciples to gather all resources and investigate for me. I want all information on Crown Prince's Grand Tutor Sun Nantuo: his life, his family, his sect, his disciples, everything about him!"

The Hall Master of the Sword Hall stood up. "As the Cult Master commands!"

Qin Mu continued, "Take Heavenly King Lu with you. He wished to return to the Saint Teacher tree. You... you can bury him there."

The Hall Master of the Sword Hall departed with the green urn.

Qin Mu left the Sword Hall's residence, found Si Yunxiang, who had returned to the Scholar's Residence from the Heavenly Records Pavilion, retrieved his book token, and headed towards the Heavenly Records Pavilion.

Inside the Heavenly Records Pavilion, he went to the third floor. There were not many classics here, only about a hundred scrolls. Many white-haired secretaries were studying various cultivation methods within the pavilion, innovating and developing new ones.

Qin Mu located the Spirit Treasure Immovable Chan Art and meticulously flipped through it. He studied it for two days without sleep, then left the Heavenly Records Pavilion and returned to his residence for a long rest.

The next day, the Hall Master of the Sword Hall arrived with thick scrolls of documents.

Qin Mu carefully read through all the information about Crown Prince's Grand Tutor Sun Nantuo, taking half a day to review everything, then closed his eyes.

The Hall Master of the Sword Hall waited quietly nearby. After a long silence, Qin Mu opened his eyes and said, "Nantuo Temple, Sun Nantuo, Spirit Treasure Immovable Chan Art... Wiping out his entire clan in the capital would have too great an impact. Let's do it outside the city."