Chapter 301: Good and Simple Life

Qin Mu’s Taotie Bag always contained various medicinal herbs for emergencies, ensuring he could treat himself if injured. As a divine physician, it was also common for him to carry some poisons in the bag.

Moreover, even without pre-made poisons, he could concoct highly toxic substances using only spirit medicines.

The two white bats stood upright. Qin Mu approached them to examine their injuries and frowned slightly. Their physical wounds weren't severe; it was their souls that had suffered heavy damage from the Witch King.

The grand shamans of Loulan Golden Palace cultivated using the souls of other beings, including humans. Although their magical arts and divine abilities were all-encompassing, they were most skilled in soul-based techniques. Their combat abilities were somewhat inferior to their soul techniques.

During his fight with Qin Mu, Ban Gongcuo did not employ his most proficient soul abilities. Instead, he used combat techniques and divine powers from sacred lands like Dao Sword and Little Jade Capital, losing the initiative and being utterly defeated by Qin Mu.

Had he used his soul-based divine abilities, the outcome would have been uncertain. Qin Mu wasn't sure if the Creation Demonic Arts could withstand his soul techniques.

The soul abilities of Loulan Golden Palace were called Witchcraft Divine Arts, reaching their pinnacle in witchcraft cultivation, which is why it was known as a sacred land on the plains.

The two white bats had been struck several times by the Witch King’s witchcraft. Given that the Witch King’s cultivation realm was at least the Celestial Being realm, it was clear that the descendants of gods were indeed extraordinary, as multiple witchcraft attacks had failed to claim their lives.

“They’re so strong, they’ll need potent medicine…” Qin Mu mused.

The two white bats immediately became wary. “What did you say?”

“I mean your injuries are severe, so you’ll need strong medicine. How should I address you both, fellow Daoists?”

To counter Ban Gongcuo and the witchcraft of Loulan Golden Palace, Qin Mu had been studying pharmacology and ways to nourish the soul. The pharmacological knowledge passed down by the Apothecary didn’t contain much or very refined information on soul-based curses or witchcraft. Although the Apothecary was a king of poisons, he typically operated in the central lands and rarely ventured onto the plains, thus knowing little about witchcraft poisons and soul injuries.

However, as Qin Mu had more dealings with Loulan Golden Palace, he gradually developed his own ideas.

Combining the Seven Creation Chapters from the Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture, he devised a healing method that integrated both cultivation techniques and medicine.

“I’m Fu Yuqiu, and this is my elder brother, Fu Yuchun,” said the white bat with longer ears.

The two white bats watched him refine pills and medicine. He didn't use a pill furnace but instead extracted the medicinal properties of herbs solely through technique and vital qi. The intricate principles of medicinal synergy and antagonism were all achieved by his manual dexterity, leaving them astonished. “Physician Ox-Head is truly remarkable; we’re dazzled,” they exclaimed.

Before long, Qin Mu successfully refined his first batch of spirit pills.

Fu Yuchun, the bat with shorter ears, did not immediately take the spirit pill. He said warily, “Apothecary Ox, you try one first!”

Qin Mu chuckled. “You two are quite cautious. My surname isn't Ox; it's Qin, and my given name is Mu.” With that, he picked up a spirit pill and ate it.

Only then did the two white bats relax and consume the spirit pills. Qin Mu then used the Creation Ghost God Technique and Creation Earth Elemental Technique to pat and strike the two white bats, catalyzing the medicine’s effects and strengthening their souls. Both bats felt much more comfortable, and their injuries had indeed significantly lessened.

Qin Mu refined another batch of spirit pills, and Fu Yuchun still insisted he eat one first. This white bat was much more cautious than his younger brother, Fu Yuqiu.

Qin Mu complied and took the spirit pill, after which the two white bats consumed theirs, and their injuries improved further.

Just then, several grand shamans caught up to them and immediately attacked without a word. The two white bats were still quite severely injured, their external wounds not yet healed. Qin Mu pointed a finger, and a sword shot out, the Carefree Sword piercing towards the grand shamans.

Seeing an apparent opportunity, the grand shamans laughed heartily. “Qin, the Cult Master of the Heavenly Devil Cult, is truly impoverished! Even at the Six Directions realm, he only has one spirit sword. This is a great chance for us brothers to earn a huge merit!”

Before their words faded, a torrential shower of white swords erupted behind Qin Mu. Eight thousand swords simultaneously shot forth from his Taotie Bag, soaring into the sky before swooping down and engulfing the grand shamans with a whoosh.

Qin Mu flicked his index finger upwards, and the Carefree Sword flew back into its scabbard. The other seven thousand nine hundred ninety-nine swords also swiftly returned, disappearing back into his Taotie Bag.

Where the swords had rained down, no complete bodies could be seen.

The two white bats stared wide-eyed, sputtering speechlessly.

While it was spectacular to see the warriors of the Barbarian Kingdom activate their blade-pills, sending countless scimitars flying towards their enemies, this Physician Ox-Head was an entire army of over a hundred men by himself. Thousands of swords had directly flown out, and each of the grand shamans must have been hit by an untold number of swords, dying an incredibly unjust death.

“Since these grand shamans found this place, the Witch King is probably not far behind. We shouldn’t linger!”

Qin Mu’s eyes flickered, and he said to the two white bats, “Fellow Daoists, let’s move quickly.”

The two white bats followed him, exchanging a glance. Fu Yuqiu chuckled, “Those people just now said you are Qin, the Cult Master of the Heavenly Devil Cult?”

Qin Mu, still refining spirit pills on the back of the Dragon Qilin, replied casually, “That’s right. But we call ourselves the Heavenly Saint Cult.”

Fu Yuqiu said, “We once encountered people who called themselves the Heavenly Saint Cult and entered this place. Another group of dazzling golden people also called themselves the Heavenly Saint Cult. You’re a human cult master, so are you not from the Fiery Planet family?”

Qin Mu dispelled his Fiery Planet Lord form, returning to his original appearance, and smiled. “That’s right. I’m human by nature; I merely used the deification state of the Heavenly Saint Cult to transform into the Fiery Planet form.”

The two white bats drooled profusely, communicating telepathically: “Once our injuries are healed, we’ll eat him!”

“Rare!”

Qin Mu finished refining the spirit pills but didn’t give them to the two white bats. Instead, he ate them himself, and after finishing, he didn’t hand over the remaining two pills either. Fu Yuchun wondered, “Cult Master Qin, why aren’t you giving us the spirit pills?”

Qin Mu smiled. “This batch of spirit pills is for detoxifying myself, so there’s no need to give them to you two.”

“Detoxifying?”

Fu Yuchun shuddered and stammered, “Detoxifying what?”

Qin Mu said matter-of-factly, “Naturally, the poison from the two batches of spirit pills you just consumed.”

The two white bats’ faces immediately darkened. Just as they were about to pounce on him, their souls suddenly became paralyzed, and their bodies convulsed with pain. They fell to the ground with thuds, twitching uncontrollably.

The Dragon Qilin chuckled, wheezing, “These two foolish birds actually dared to eat the Cult Master’s spirit pills. They truly don’t know what’s good for them.”

Enraged, the two white bats, lying on the ground, shouted in unison, “You fatso, you’re the foolish bird!”

“Dragon Fat, not everything with wings is a bird. They are not avian.”

Qin Mu picked up the two white bats, placed them on the Dragon Qilin’s back, and smiled. “Fellow Daoists…”

“Pah!” The two white bats were incredibly stubborn.

“This poison has merely infiltrated your souls. It’s a soul poison I recently developed. This is only your first seizure. After ten seizures, your souls will tear apart, causing unimaginable agony!”

Qin Mu said with a smile, “Soul poison is unique; it self-propagates within the soul, with each seizure increasing its potency by a tenth. I have the antidote here. Each time, I’ll give you a tenth of the dose, which will precisely counteract the additional tenth of the poison’s potency.”

He took out the two spirit pills he had just refined, cut off a small piece from each, and put them into the two white bats’ mouths. Then, with a casual slap, he crushed the remaining two spirit pills.

He didn’t keep the antidote on him, fearing the white bats might suddenly turn hostile, kill him, and steal it. He would refine the antidote just before their soul poison acted up again, ensuring he maintained control over them.

The soul poison in the two white bats’ bodies was suppressed by the antidote. The intense pain vanished, and they stood up, their expressions shifting between dark and uncertain.

After a moment, Fu Yuchun sighed. “We admit defeat. However, we’ll only protect you within the Nether Valley. Once you leave the Nether Valley, we part ways!”

“Deal!”

Qin Mu readily agreed. He then refined another batch of pills and tossed them to the two white bats. He also threw them a bottle of dragon’s saliva for their external wounds, saying, “Apply the dragon’s saliva externally and take the spirit pills orally, and your injuries should essentially heal.”

The two white bats took the spirit pills and applied the dragon’s saliva to their wounds. Sure enough, their injuries were largely healed.

“Watch out, there are soul worms underground! Fatso, don’t step on the ground!” Fu Yuqiu’s ears twitched as he warned.

Fiery clouds immediately appeared beneath the Dragon Qilin’s feet, lifting him off the ground. Qin Mu looked down and saw some snowy-white tendrils emerging from underground, gently waving.

These strange beings were very bizarre. Suddenly, distorted faces appeared on the snowy-white tendrils, opening their mouths to emit horrifying screams that assailed their souls.

The two white bats shrieked in unison, sending silent sound waves crashing underground. The ground immediately trembled violently, and then the earth cracked open. A large, tentacled worm emerged from beneath the ground, half of its body above and half below, having been killed by the white bats’ sound waves.

The worm rapidly dissolved, quickly turning into a puddle of water absorbed by the soil. As the worm dissolved, many tiny, distorted-faced figures crawled out from inside it, running wildly before quickly dissipating into wisps of green smoke.

Qin Mu was startled. What kind of strange life form was this?

“The Nether Valley has a very ancient origin. I’ve heard my ancestors say that it used to border Youdu, the world of the dead. Ancient gods had opened a path to another world, the Youdu world.”

Fu Yuchun said, “As a result, some things from Youdu escaped into this realm. It took immense effort to seal this place, and later, our Divine White Bat clan was ordered to guard it, preventing Youdu beings from breaking through the world barrier and entering here. However, in this generation, only my brother and I remain of our Divine White Bat clan.”

The two white bats exchanged a glance, both wearing bitter expressions, their faces crinkling like two dried oranges.

Both of them were male, making reproduction their biggest problem.

Qin Mu paused, then said after a moment, “I didn’t realize you two were also guardians of this world. But you’re brothers, and both male, so who will guard the Nether Valley after you die of old age…”

“Don’t say it!” the two white bats exclaimed in unison.

“Alright.”

Qin Mu dropped the subject and asked, “Do you remember what happened sixteen years ago? Did a streak of fire fall from outside the heavens and crash here sixteen years ago?”

“Yes, that did happen. It blasted through the seal left by our Divine White Bat ancestors.”

Fu Yuqiu said, “We went to investigate. It was very dangerous there. Then some people arrived; we ate a few of them, but some others managed to get inside, and only a few came out alive.”

Qin Mu’s spirits lifted, and he quickly asked, “What exactly fell from the sky?”

“A ship. Half of it was embedded in Youdu, and half remained underground.”