Chapter 305: God Snake

Bangongcuo and his group finally arrived at the treasure ship. Along the way, another twenty to thirty people had perished, victims of the strange and peculiar attacks from the creatures of the Nether Valley.

"Your Highness, these two old monks are quite powerful, almost reaching the realm of the Tathagata!"

Upon seeing the two old monks seated in niches on the cliffs on either side, Gongmu, the Shaman King, exclaimed, his eyes gleaming. "Their physical bodies could be refined into excellent treasures! I'll go get them!"

Bangongcuo remained noncommittal, and Gongmu immediately led his people to fly up to the niches on the cliff face, taking the bodies of the two old monks.

Even in death, these two old monks emanated Buddhist light and resonant Buddhist chants, resisting the demonic energy flowing from Youdu. The moment their bodies were taken, the demonic energy behind the honeycomb seal surged violently, causing the seal to tremble!

The demonic energy rushing out of the honeycomb seal's cracks also suddenly intensified. The instantaneous impact created many new cracks in the seal, and some existing ones widened significantly.

A low, muffled sound faintly echoed from behind the seal, then the demonic energy suddenly receded back, and the terrifying impact abruptly ceased.

The silence was eerie.

"Finally, we're here. A ship that can carry my hopes of becoming a god!" Bangongcuo gazed at the extraterrestrial ship, his normally unperturbed mind feeling a flicker of excitement. He walked towards the treasure ship, each step seemingly conjuring a lotus.

They boarded the ship and began searching. Suddenly, a Grand Shaman discovered an open door and quickly reported it.

Bangongcuo led his group into the room. Several soldiers scouted ahead, pushing the door open. Suddenly, the door behind them closed. When those soldiers tried to open the door again, they couldn't find Bangongcuo and the others.

Those around Bangongcuo searched in all directions, and gradually their numbers dwindled. Even though Bangongcuo cared little for their lives, he couldn't help but feel a flicker of panic.

"Don't wander off!"

Bangongcuo's expression was solemn as he carefully examined the doors. He sneered, "This is the 'Heguan' method, a spatial linking technique, layered and interconnected. I once saw a record of this spell in Xiaoyujing; it's a spell from the Kaihuang era!"

Gongmu, who had not gotten lost, heard this and joyfully exclaimed, "Your Highness must know how to break it!"

Bangongcuo shook his head. "Xiaoyujing had no record of how to break it. However, the Heguan method is a spatial calculation technique. My mastery of calculation arts is profound; I dare say even the Dao Master of the Dao Sect might not be as skilled as I am. Calculating the solution won't be difficult for me! Let's go. I want to see if a god's Heguan method can truly stop me!"

In the treasure ship's study, Qin Mu closed the family tree. "The last generation of the Kaihuang bloodline was named Qin Fengqing. Is the owner of this ship perhaps this Qin Fengqing? The Qin family of the Kaihuang lineage, from Qin Ye to Qin Fengqing, has a long and continuous history, a true aristocratic family. This ship's owner, Qin Fengqing, shares my surname Qin. Is there a blood relation between us?"

He was about to put the family tree back on the bookshelf when, as if by a strange impulse, he paused and instead tucked the thick family tree into his Taotie pouch.

Just as he finished putting away the family tree, the old man from the painting emerged from nowhere and appeared on the desk, manifesting on a piece of paper.

Qin Mu was about to try and catch the strange painted figure when suddenly a figure flickered before his eyes. A young man abruptly appeared in front of the desk and walked towards him. Qin Mu couldn't dodge in time, but the young man passed directly through his body, revealing himself to be a phantom.

This man possessed an extraordinary demeanor, and his appearance gave Qin Mu a familiar sense of kinship. He simply passed through Qin Mu's body and reappeared behind him.

Startled, Qin Mu quickly turned around, only to see the young man in white calmly making a gesture to open a door, then vanishing.

He quickly approached and indeed saw a doorway.

Qin Mu opened the door and entered, once again seeing the white-clad man. This was a grand hall within the ship. Suddenly, the empty hall filled with people, many emerging from unknown places.

Qin Mu was caught off guard. Many people ran about, passing through his body, seemingly very busy. They must have encountered some sudden event, as some among them couldn't keep their balance, swaying and stumbling from the violent jolting.

It seemed the ship had been struck, and this impact was even more violent, sending many people flying and crashing around the hall. Some were severely injured, appearing to be spitting blood.

The white-clad man raised his hand, and everyone was suspended in mid-air, then slowly descended. Despite the ship's violent shaking, they remained steadily on their feet.

A woman of graceful and elegant bearing quickly approached the white-clad man. They seemed to be speaking, and the young man appeared to be gently comforting her before walking away.

Qin Mu's gaze fell upon the woman, a look of confusion on his face. He felt an inexplicable familiarity, a sense of kinship upon seeing her.

He hesitated, then chose to follow the white-clad man.

The white-clad man walked through a long corridor, passed through several doorways, and with a wave of his hand, a sword flew up and followed him, step for step.

Qin Mu was slightly stunned. He activated his own Carefree Sword, which vibrated gently, appearing to be identical to the sword behind the white-clad man, as if it were the same sword.

The white-clad man walked to the ship's bow, looked up at the sky, and spoke. Suddenly, the sky violently shook, and an impossibly massive snake appeared, opening its huge mouth.

The snake seemed extremely far away, yet it was enormous, appearing in the black sky with only its head and neck visible, its body hidden in the darkness.

Standing on the great snake's head were terrifying beings, not resembling humans, but rather like the divine statues found in the temples of the Great Ruins, though these were living gods.

They were attacking the ship, each strike feeling as terrifying as an apocalypse.

Qin Mu was captivated by the white-clad man's sword techniques. They were unlike any human sword arts, possessing a peculiar charm. This charm reminded Qin Mu of the "Dao" that both the Village Chief and the Dao Master had spoken of.

The difference was that the Village Chief's "Dao" was about swordsmanship approaching the Dao, while the Dao Master's "Dao" was about mathematics and calculation approaching the Dao.

The white-clad man's swordsmanship followed a path different from both the Village Chief's and the Dao Master's, containing another type of sword Dao, though Qin Mu couldn't discern what it was specifically.

His eyesight hadn't reached that level yet.

He watched in fascination. Previously, when he learned swordsmanship, he learned techniques, mastering them to the extreme, making his swordsmanship unrivaled. But ever since the Village Chief appointed him Human Emperor and honed his swordsmanship in the village, he had entered the "Fa" (method/law) stage, beginning to create sword techniques.

Later, with guidance from the Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace, his mastery of the "Fa" stage grew deeper and more profound.

At the "Fa" stage, one could be called a Grandmaster.

Above "Fa" was the "Dao" level, which was the Village Chief's level. The Dao Master had not yet reached this realm, and the Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace was also still a step away.

Now, standing at the "Fa" level, Qin Mu could see the exquisite subtleties of the white-clad man's swordsmanship. Although he couldn't fully comprehend the "Dao" realm within it, he could still ponder its marvels.

The white-clad man's swordsmanship approached the Dao, containing infinite mysteries. His enemies were too strong—they were divine beings—yet he managed to block them!

Suddenly, an unexpected change occurred. A terrifying force vibrated through space-time. It was a palm, which directly struck the Carefree Sword. The Carefree Sword instantly melted, its blade dissolving, then breaking. The ship, along with the broken sword, cut through the sky and plummeted into the dark earth.

Behind the massive palm, the giant snake carried the deities, flying after the falling ship.

Qin Mu plummeted with the ship. He could feel the severe jolting as the treasure ship fell from mid-air. The ship cut through the sky, a massive white bat divine statue flashed by, then it slammed into the earth and burrowed deep underground.

Then, he felt intense vibrations. The treasure ship passed through a giant underground divine statue and collided with the honeycomb seal.

Amidst the vibrations, Qin Mu saw heavy casualties among the people on the ship; many died in the collision. The woman emerged, gathered the survivors, and led them off the ship, escaping into Youdu.

The white-clad man, severely injured, chose to stay behind, guarding the ship and standing watch before Youdu's honeycomb seal.

Outside, a giant snake lowered its head from the abyss, and on its flat head stood majestic deities.

The giant snake slid down the abyss, swam underground, and slowly approached.

Suddenly, the phantoms before Qin Mu vanished, leaving him alone on the ship's deck. A cool breeze swept by, making the young man's clothes flap.

He looked back and saw Youdu in the darkness.

He was now at the bow of the treasure ship, having entered the world of Youdu.

He didn't notice a huge eye, larger than the ship itself, emerging from beneath the ship, watching him intently with great interest.

Qin Mu stared dazedly at the Youdu world in the darkness, where strange and colorful creatures emitted various lights, staying far away from here.

A group of people from this ship, led by that woman, had ventured into Youdu, while the white-clad man chose to stay and resist the great snake and the pursuing deities.

Was that white-clad man still alive?

Did he die in battle here, or did he stop the deities and then enter Youdu to search for his family?

Did they come from Carefree Village?

They also shared the surname Qin. Could they be his relatives?

And who was pursuing them?

Qin Mu's spirits lifted. Perhaps he only needed to make this ship float, and it could return to Carefree Village!

His heart burned with excitement as he walked from the bow to the ship's cabin door. This ship must have something like a compass to record the route to Carefree Village.

The Village Chief had once given him a mirror, saying it was a map to Carefree Village, but the mirror had the Village Chief's seal, and Qin Mu would only be able to see the route map when he was capable of breaking the seal.

This mirror was found in that unparalleled giant ship, which was a vessel to Carefree Village but had been shattered. This ship, however, was still intact. If so, then it must contain something similar, an unsealed route map!

He pushed open a door and entered the bridge. At the ship's bow, the huge eye slowly rose, then another eye lit up, forming two vertical pupils.

A massive snake head appeared in the darkness, silently flicking its tongue, staring at Qin Mu as he entered the bridge.

Qin Mu felt something and looked back, but he didn't see the two eyes quietly disappearing into the darkness.

---Early notice: No update tomorrow midday. Zhaizhu needs to catch the high-speed train home.