Chapter 245: Zhenhai Heavenly King

Qin Mu, Old Man Ma, and the Blind Man all nodded. Although Granny Si was beautiful, she never used her beauty as a weapon. On the contrary, knowing its potent effect, she would actively conceal it and often appear disfigured to others.

However, Grand Cult Master Li was different.

The former Cult Master of the Heavenly Devil Cult had a twisted psyche. He loved Granny Si so intensely, and admired her so much, that he wished to *become* her. Moreover, his understanding of the Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture differed from Qin Mu's. Although Qin Mu also obtained the Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture, receiving its teachings from the Woodcutter's Stone, and comprehended the Grand Unification art, he had been influenced by the villagers since childhood. Despite his sometimes eccentric behavior, he always acted upright and with integrity.

Qin Mu's Grand Unification art was based on the Tyrant Body Three Elixirs technique, making it quite orthodox. While it included many spells and divine abilities that others might perceive as demonic, Qin Mu's execution of them was always honorable and righteous.

In contrast, Cult Master Li's Grand Unification art was quite sinister, appearing entirely demonic.

Grand Cult Master Li would never allow "herself" to suffer humiliation or appear unsightly. Instead, "she" would flaunt her beauty, bringing chaos upon the world.

As the saying goes, "one smile topples a city, a second smile topples a kingdom"—Cult Master Li simply didn't care.

Qin Mu went to Granny Si's room to pack, collecting the various animal skins she usually kept and placing them in a Taotie Bag for future use.

Old Man Ma and the Blind Man also packed their belongings. The Blind Man's gear was simple: a bamboo staff and a fortune-telling banner with a copper Eight Trigrams symbol. Old Man Ma carefully put away the spirit tablets of his wife and children, kissing them before wrapping them in his satchel.

Dressed in a dark blue robe, he resembled a wandering monk who had endured immense suffering.

Granny Si's Dao heart remained somewhat unstable and prone to wavering. Old Man Ma could help her suppress Grand Cult Master Li. The Blind Man, in turn, was prepared in case Old Man Ma couldn't contain Cult Master Li; in that scenario, he would injure Cult Master Li, making it easier for Qin Mu to heal her.

As they left the village, Granny Si self-mockingly remarked, "Now I need all of you to protect me, even Mu'er. But I was the former Saintess of the Devil Cult, and Old Rulai is a Buddha. Will he truly help us?"

With no emotion on his face, Old Man Ma replied, "Old Rulai will help you. Cult Master Li was the previous Cult Master of the Heavenly Devil Cult, an existence of the same generation as Old Rulai. Old Rulai views vanquishing devils as a meritorious deed; subduing a great devil like Cult Master Li would aid his cultivation progress. Besides, it's not uncommon for Buddhas to sacrifice themselves to feed demons."

Qin Mu worried, "I'm afraid that after they subdue Cult Master Li, they'll subdue Granny too."

"Old Rulai wouldn't do that."

Old Man Ma shook his head. "He has his principles, and his principles are his Dao, his rules. At his level of cultivation, he doesn't need to consciously follow rules; his actions and words, by their very nature, adhere to them, embodying the rules themselves."

Qin Mu couldn't help but feel curious. Old Man Ma and Old Rulai harbored deep grievances, yet from Old Man Ma's words, it seemed he still held considerable admiration and respect for Old Rulai.

This wasn't merely due to Old Rulai once being Old Man Ma's master; Old Rulai must genuinely possess qualities worthy of respect.

"What I doubt now is Old Rulai's capability," the Blind Man said, looking up. "Does Old Rulai truly possess the power to subdue Grand Cult Master Li? Grand Cult Master Li is an entity on par with him."

Silence fell among the group.

The martial world had three great holy lands: Dao Sect, Great Thunderclap Temple, and the Heavenly Devil Cult. As the former Cult Master of the Heavenly Devil Cult, Grand Cult Master Li was undoubtedly a supreme figure in the martial world, an existence capable of standing alongside Old Rulai.

For Old Rulai to refine her would likely be extremely difficult.

"The Great Thunderclap Temple is located right on the border between the Great Ruins and Eternal Peace Empire."

Old Man Ma continued, "Legend has it that the Divine Severed Mountains were split by a god, creating a chasm that separates the Great Ruins from Eternal Peace. There's a tale in the Great Thunderclap Temple that when the god reached Mount Meru, the monks on the mountain sat in meditation, filling the peaks, vowing to perish with Mount Meru. Moved by their sincerity, the god bypassed Mount Meru, splitting all other mountain ranges in half, leaving only Mount Meru intact."

The Blind Man chuckled, "I think someone important must have been on Mount Meru; otherwise, a god wouldn't bother with the lives of mere monks."

Mount Meru is situated at the border of the Great Ruins and Eternal Peace, with Eternal Peace on one side and the Great Ruins on the other. This sacred mountain is far from Yanbian and Mishui but relatively close to Qingmen Pass in the northern frontier, only four or five thousand *li* away.

From Disabled Elderly Village to Mount Meru was less than thirty thousand *li*. Qin Mu's pace was slower than Granny Si and Old Man Ma, so walking there would take six or seven days.

The nights in the Great Ruins were too dangerous, so they could only travel during the day, which meant it would take longer.

If they flew, they could reach it in two days. However, Qin Mu's cultivation was not high enough; running at full speed in the air, he would need to stop and rest to recover his vital energy after just over a hundred *li*. Therefore, walking was a better option.

Qin Mu brought out the Dragon Qilin to ride. The Dragon Qilin could just about keep pace with Old Man Ma and the others, ensuring Qin Mu wouldn't slow them down.

As dusk fell, they arrived at an ancient temple. It was desolate and uninhabited, with only a few strange beasts inside, which lay lazily beside the Heavenly King statue, ignoring their arrival.

"Mu'er, come pray," the Blind Man said, pulling out a few incense sticks and beckoning to Qin Mu.

The old man and the young boy quickly approached the Heavenly King statue, placed the incense sticks in the dilapidated censer, and stepped back three paces. In unison, they prayed, "This humble one, a resident of Disabled Elderly Village, whose home is by the river, passing by this revered temple, seeks shelter here and feels uneasy for disturbing its master. This humble one has suffered from weak kidneys and poor health since childhood, with premature loss of vital essence..."

"Pah!"

Granny Si exclaimed angrily, "Blind Man, you're corrupting Mu'er!"

The Blind Man chuckled, "Granny Si, you're not afraid of being 'harvested,' but we are. If you don't believe me, ask Mu'er if the prayer I taught him was effective."

Qin Mu nodded repeatedly. "It worked! Xian Qing'er didn't 'harvest' me after hearing the prayer."

Granny Si didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She called Qin Mu over, saying, "Come help with dinner." As Qin Mu approached, she whispered, "The Blind Man is full of mischief. Don't always learn from him."

As night fell, the Heavenly King Temple became remarkably quiet, with no sounds except for the Dragon Qilin's snoring.

Old Man Ma sat motionless like a Buddha, while the Blind Man leaned against the wall, head bowed, sleeping with his bamboo staff beside him. Qin Mu arranged two beds of dried grass, and Granny Si slept beside him.

The night was deep and quiet.

Just then, they suddenly heard the sound of gongs and drums from outside the Heavenly King Temple. Everyone inside instantly became alert. Qin Mu sat up, looking around, but saw only the silent darkness, with only the dim glow of candles inside the temple. Yet, the sounds of gongs and drums outside were unmistakably clear and drawing closer.

The Blind Man and Old Man Ma quickly moved to Qin Mu and Granny Si's side. Old Man Ma made a shushing gesture.

The drumming and gonging grew louder, gradually reaching the temple entrance. Several deep voices commanded, "Silence!"

"Make way!"

From outside the temple, several stone statues of divine beings, clad in tattered armor, strode in. The statues beneath the armor were crumbling, yet they seemed like living deities. Qin Mu even caught a pungent, foul odor.

These statues were majestic, followed by over a hundred skeleton soldiers, armed with decaying remnants of weapons and marching in neat formation. Some of the skeleton soldiers held gongs and drums, while others carried "Silence" and "Make Way" placards.

The divine statues entered the temple, while the skeleton soldiers remained outside.

Qin Mu watched the absurd scene before him with wide, astonished eyes. The Dragon Qilin also woke up and let out a huge yawn.

From the mouth of one of the divine statues, a human voice surprisingly emerged. It addressed the Heavenly King statue in the temple, "Reporting to the Heavenly King of Suppressing the Sea, Ao Zhen, the Dragon King of the East Sea, has taken advantage of the natural disaster to rebel and cause unrest. His Majesty has issued an order from Carefree Village, commanding us to come and assist the Heavenly King of Suppressing the Sea in slaying him!"

The Dragon Qilin had been sleeping beneath the Heavenly King statue. Now, dazed, it had no idea what was happening.

Suddenly, the colossal Heavenly King statue beside the Dragon Qilin stirred. The eight banners stuck behind the statue swayed, and the stone image vibrated, then stood up, appearing extraordinarily powerful and majestic. It roared, "After more than twenty thousand years of disaster, this scoundrel dares to rebel! Bring me my blade!"

From behind the Heavenly King Temple came the clang of a sharp blade being unsheathed. A Green Dragon Crescent Blade, over ten *zhang* long, burst from the ground behind the temple, whistled through the air, and was grasped by the Heavenly King statue with a *zheng* sound, its blade humming.

"Where is my horse?" the Heavenly King statue roared.

The Dragon Qilin finally came to its senses, but suddenly its body sank as the Heavenly King statue mounted its back. Powerless, it soared into the air and flew out of the temple.

The Dragon Qilin was utterly terrified, only hearing the Heavenly King statue on its back thunder, "You all remain here! I will return once I've slain him!"

With that, the Dragon Qilin involuntarily transformed into a streak of fire, carrying the Heavenly King statue, and vanished into the vast darkness.

Rather than him carrying the statue, it was more like the Heavenly King statue was flying *with* him; he couldn't possibly bear the weight of the Heavenly King statue on his own.

Inside the temple, Qin Mu, Granny Si, the Blind Man, and the others were dumbfounded, speechless for a long time.

They exchanged glances. After an unknown period, as dawn approached, a dragon's roar suddenly echoed. Then, with a colossal crash, a dragon head abruptly fell from the dark night sky, rolling twice in the Heavenly King Temple courtyard.

Qin Mu quickly looked; the dragon head was carved from stone, not a real one.

Then, dragon roars continued as the Heavenly King statue, riding the Dragon Qilin, galloped back. The statue dismounted, sat back on the lotus platform in the Heavenly King Temple, and propped the Green Dragon Crescent Blade beside it, saying, "Go back and report to His Majesty that this humble general has fortunately not failed his mission and has already slain the rebel leader."

The stone statues acknowledged the command, turned, and marched into the darkness, leading the skeleton soldiers away. They vanished into the night, and the sound of gongs and drums gradually faded until it was inaudible.

Soon after, rooster crows echoed across the Great Ruins. The darkness receded, and the sun rose, its light spilling into the Heavenly King Temple.

Qin Mu shook his head. The events of the night felt like a dream, utterly bizarre.

"Dragon Fatty, what's wrong?" Qin Mu asked, seeing the Dragon Qilin still staring blankly.

"I had a dream!"

The Dragon Qilin was still dazed as it spoke, "I dreamt I was carrying a radiant Divine King, charging into a turbulent battlefield. Countless divine dragons attacked me, but the Divine King on my back cut them down with his blade. I carried the Divine King into the sea, plunging into a swarm of dragon gods, where he decapitated a Dragon King and left with its head. The dream felt so real..."

Qin Mu looked at the Blind Man and Old Man Ma, whispering, "Blind Grandpa, do you think what happened last night was real?"

The Blind Man and Old Man Ma both shook their heads.

"Who can truly explain things in the Great Ruins? Let's continue our journey; getting to the Great Thunderclap Temple is what matters."

Qin Mu gazed at the Heavenly King statue in a daze, a strange feeling stirring within him. He walked closer and reached out to touch it; the statue was cold stone, not flesh and blood.

"His Majesty issued an order from Carefree Village... an order from Carefree Village..."

With a complex expression, Qin Mu murmured, "Where exactly is Carefree Village..."