Beneath the precipice, within the valley's embrace, a ceaseless barrage of heavy impacts echoed – *bang, bang*. The colossal sounds reverberated through the air, causing the valley's leaves to rustle and tremble incessantly. Mountain birds, startled by the cacophony, took flight, daring not to linger.
Within the valley's depths, a demonic ape, its form vast and muscular, soared through the air. In its grasp, it held a gargantuan boulder, which it brought crashing down towards Qin Mu with ferocious intent. Qin Mu, with a swift and elusive flicker of his body, evaded the blow. The demonic ape, its first strike thwarted, hoisted the boulder once more, preparing to unleash another assault. Yet, before it could act, Qin Mu had already leapt onto the very boulder it wielded. His body, coiled like a spring, shot upwards, landing squarely on the ape's massive snout. A single palm strike landed upon the demon ape's face.
This was the third style of the Thunder Sound Eight Styles: Nine Dragons Control Wind and Thunder!
Within this single palm strike resided nine layers of force. The first layer, unleashed from the center of his palm, exploded like a raging dragon, causing the demon ape's head to snap back and its massive form to topple. Qin Mu's shoulder and hip moved in unison, channeling force throughout his entire body, mobilizing every muscle. This concentrated power converged upon his palm, and the second layer of force erupted. The demon ape's head slammed into the ground, the very rocks beneath its skull cracking under the impact.
Qin Mu's entire body's muscles, like coiling dragons, wrapped around his frame, writhing and driving the third layer of Nine Dragons Control Wind and Thunder's force to explode. Those already cracked rocks began to shatter into fragments. His muscles leaped violently, and the fourth layer of force detonated. The demon ape's head was already half-embedded in the earth.
The fifth layer of Nine Dragons Control Wind and Thunder's force exploded. A muffled vibration emanated from the ground, and the demon ape's entire head sank beneath the surface!
The sixth layer of Nine Dragons Control Wind and Thunder's force erupted, akin to the impact of six dragons. Yet, just as Qin Mu unleashed this layer of force, the demon ape reacted. A fist, resembling a small mountain, struck from the side, landing squarely on Qin Mu's body and sending him flying like a mere fly!
Qin Mu rolled and tumbled across the ground. The demon ape, with a mighty effort, wrenched its head from the earth, shaking it. Broken stones, embedded in its thick fur, flew out in all directions, scattering across the valley.
Meanwhile, Qin Mu, with a swift flip of his body, sprang to his feet. He let out another howl and charged forward. The demon ape, its head still reeling, paused for a moment in thought. It then leaped onto the cliff face, squatting upon the rock wall, and waved a hand. "Little one, no more," it grumbled in a low voice.
Qin Mu's footsteps were like the wind, his ascent relentless. He scaled the sheer cliff face with astonishing speed, his feet finding purchase on the almost vertical surface. From below, he raced upwards, charging towards the demon ape, intent on continuing the battle.
The demon ape, greatly angered, faced its assailant. One human and one ape stood atop the cliff's summit, leaping and bounding with preternatural speed, their battle causing rocks to splinter and fly in all directions.
After a considerable time had passed, the medicinal power coursing through Qin Mu's body gradually began to dissipate, its potency consumed. The demon ape, too, was exhausted, its movements sluggish and heavy. Both the human and the ape were spent, unable to move, lying upon the cliff face, panting heavily.
After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Qin Mu regained his breath. He sat up, inhaling and exhaling, adjusting his vital energy. A wave of joy surged within him. His vital energy, in this short span, had once again made significant progress. It had been further refined, becoming more robust and resilient. His vital energy could now circulate freely throughout every corner of his body, flowing with effortless ease.
His body felt coated in a layer of grime, a result of the intense battle with the demon ape. The struggle had stimulated the medicinal power, further strengthening his vital energy and purging more impurities from within his body.
Qin Mu bent a finger and flicked it. A gust of wind broke through the air, emitting a sharp *whoosh*, like an arrow piercing the wind!
The demon ape's heart jolted. It quickly sat up, adopting a defensive posture.
Qin Mu stretched his body, feeling the soreness in his muscles. He shook his head. "No more fighting," he said.
The demon ape, understanding his words, relaxed its posture. It reached out and pulled up a large tree, its trunk as thick as a man's arm. It stripped off some leaves and stuffed them into its mouth, chewing slowly. Then, it offered the remainder of the tree to Qin Mu. "Little one, eat," it said in a muffled voice.
Qin Mu plucked a red fruit from the tree, peeled its skin, and ate it. It was smooth and sweet as it slid down his throat.
The demon ape cast a disdainful glance at him, disapproving of his meager appetite. It thumped its chest with force. "Eat! Strong!" it bellowed.
Qin Mu, still bearing the marks of the ape's beating – a bruised nose and swollen face – endured the soreness that permeated his body. He stood up, and in front of the demon ape, he demonstrated the Thunder Sound Eight Styles. Then, he patted his own chest. "Practice, strong!" he declared.
The demon ape rolled its eyes at him twice, continuing to slowly chew its leaves. "Believe, ghost," it scoffed disdainfully.
After a good rest, Qin Mu leaped down from the cliff, his feet finding purchase on the rock face as he ran madly away. "Tomorrow, fight!" he called back.
The demon ape blinked its eyes. It waited until Qin Mu had gone far before immediately leaping up. It began to imitate Qin Mu's movements from moments before, though in a rather crude manner. Despite the roughness of its execution of the Thunder Sound Eight Styles, its enormous strength allowed it to nonetheless capture several points of the divine charm of the technique. With one fist strike, it emitted the sound of wind and thunder.
The demon ape froze for a moment, then a look of ecstasy spread across its face. It continued to strike, unleashing a barrage of *whooshing* sounds. Howling winds filled the air around the cliff, and the ape cried out, "Strong! Strong! Strong!"
Qin Mu returned to the village, and the Pharmacist immediately rushed forward, his face etched with concern, to examine his body. As he applied some wound medicine to Qin Mu's face, he asked, "Are there any unusual sensations?"
Qin Mu nodded. The Pharmacist's tension increased.
"Pharmacist Grandpa's spirit pill is indeed effective," Qin Mu said. "My vital energy is stronger."
The Pharmacist finally relaxed, a smile spreading across his face. "This spirit pill is truly effective on Overlord Body vital energy. As long as you don't eat yourself to death, it proves my path is correct! Keep this jar of pills for now. I must go and ponder other pill formulas!" Saying this, he walked away in excitement.
The Blind Man, propping himself with his bamboo staff, arrived. "Mu child, are you tired?" he chuckled. "If you're tired, I will teach you a supreme pupil skill."
Qin Mu coughed. "Blind Grandpa," he said. "I'm over here. The latrine is on that side."
The Blind Man turned, facing the Butcher who was sunbathing on the grinding stone. "I've thought about this for a long time," he chuckled. "Your Overlord Body vital energy has no attribute, so you cannot cultivate my usual skills. However, this pupil skill does not require attribute vital energy. Overlord Body vital energy should also be able to cultivate it. Follow me. This skill of mine is called the Nine Heavy Heavens Open Eye Method..."
Qin Mu's head began to ache. He always felt that the Blind Man was somewhat unreliable. He steeled himself and followed the Blind Man.
He was utterly bewildered. The Blind Man claimed to be teaching him the Nine Heavy Heavens Open Eye Method, but instead of teaching him how to refine his eyes, he took him to observe the village's four stone statues.
The two sat in front of the stone statue at the village's east corner. The Blind Man's eye sockets were empty, yet he stared fiercely at the stone statue, as if he could see something within it.
Qin Mu knew that everyone in the village was peculiar. Even the stone statues at the village's four corners were strange – in the Disabled Old Village, nothing was not strange.
These four stone statues, though not particularly tall, were immensely heavy, terrifyingly so. They were so heavy that Qin Mu could not even budge them. His current strength was immense, especially after consuming the Four Spirits Blood, and it was constantly increasing. His vital energy had recently begun to temper his body, washing his muscles and marrow, making him stronger and stronger. Yet, he still could not shake these stone statues in the slightest.
In his childhood, he had often climbed onto the stone statues to play, but he was always driven down by Village Chief Grandma and the others, who told him not to be rude to the statues. During festivals, Village Chief Grandma and the others would even offer tributes to the stone statues, light incense, and pray for the stone statues to protect the village's peace and the lives of the villagers. These four stone statues were not carved into human form, but they possessed human shapes. The stone statue at the village's south corner had a bird's head, squatting on a stone pedestal, its hands supporting its knees, and its back carved with two wings, as if it were about to take flight.
The stone statue at the village's north corner was a turtle-backed old man, holding a duster. The duster, however, was carved into a snow-white great snake. The snake's body coiled around the turtle-backed old man, its head lifted, gazing into the distance.
The stone statue at the village's west corner was a female figure, wearing a feather crown. A tiger lay beneath her feet. This female statue was also extremely strange; an eye was carved between her eyebrows, and within that eye, a bird's nest was carved, containing three small birds.
And the stone statue in front of him, located at the village's east corner, was a dragon-headed strange being. It carried a medicine basket on its back, and within the basket, several plants were still visible.
The Blind Man wanted him to observe this stone statue carefully, but Qin Mu had already seen the stone statue countless times before, even climbing onto it to cause trouble. He truly didn't know what there was to see in the stone statue.
"Mu child, can you lift up this stone statue?" The Blind Man, seeing him somewhat distracted, inquired.
"No."
Qin Mu shook his head. The stone statue was simply too heavy, unnaturally so. A stone of a person's height usually weighed around a thousand *jin*, and with Qin Mu's current strength, lifting a thousand-*jin* stone was easy. Yet, these four stone statues remained utterly immovable.
The Blind Man patiently guided him. "Do you know why the stone statue is so heavy?"
Qin Mu shook his head again. "I don't know."
"The stone statue is actually not heavy at all, not in the least."
The Blind Man's face was calm as he spoke. "What is heavy is not the stone, but the thing carved out by the stone."
Qin Mu didn't understand. The thing carved out by stone – wasn't that also stone?
The Blind Man continued, "For example, you followed the Deaf Man to learn painting and writing. Your paintings and writings are utter nonsense, not worth a single penny. But the Deaf Man's writings and paintings? Ten thousand taels of gold cannot buy them! Both paintings are made of paper and ink, so why is the Deaf Man's painting more valuable?"
Qin Mu somewhat understood, yet also didn't. But the Deaf Man's paintings did indeed possess an extraordinary spirit within them, far surpassing his own.
The Blind Man lifted his bamboo staff and pointed at the stone statue. "These stone statues, if they were from an ordinary person's hand, would not be heavy at all. But the people who carved them came from backgrounds that are far too great, and the content they carved is even more terrifying. Thus, the weight of the stone statues cannot be measured by common sense. To carry one stone statue is equivalent to..."
His face took on a strange expression. After a moment, he said, "Equivalent to carrying a god!"
