Chapter 315

“This kid was beaten so badly. Did he encounter the terrifying entity hidden on this ship?”

Bangongcuo chased after him, still puzzled. “But didn't that terrifying entity already escape?”

When Zhenxingjun escaped from the treasure ship, he caused a massive disturbance. At that time, Bangongcuo was searching the ship's various rooms for his scattered attendants, while others waited on the deck. It was then that Zhenxingjun fled the ship. By the time Bangongcuo reached the deck, the people who had been waiting there were gone. They must have been swept into the Underworld by the hurricane Zhenxingjun generated during his escape, never to return.

That had happened two months earlier.

During this time, Bangongcuo led his subordinates to ransack every room, basically emptying out all the movable treasures. However, when he tried to plunder the bridge, he was blocked by Long Qilin and the two white bats, unable to force his way in.

There was only one entrance to the bridge. To get in, they had to break through the door. However, the two white bats and Long Qilin were quite powerful, guarding the entrance so effectively that even Witch Kings at the Life and Death realm couldn't breach it. For days, Bangongcuo's group had used a wheel-battle strategy, preventing the two white bats and Long Qilin from resting.

Bangongcuo had just burst into the room and immediately activated the Myriad Locust Banner, sending numerous flying locusts swirling around his body to protect him.

Just then, the sound of a closing door came from behind him. Qin Mu appeared behind the door and shut it.

Bangongcuo rushed forward more than ten paces before turning around and smiling. “Cult Master Qin, why did you lead me here?”

The bruises and swelling on Qin Mu's face were clearly marks from a severe beating. He said resentfully, “I've taken a lot of beatings these past two months, and my confidence is severely shaken. Brother, you know, when someone fails repeatedly, over and over, their mind gets twisted; they become abnormal.”

Bangongcuo said in surprise, “Who could possibly beat Cult Master Qin to such a state? This makes me curious. Besides me, is there really someone in this world who can repeatedly defeat Cult Master Qin and make him feel such frustration? Is that person a divine arts practitioner at the Seven Stars realm?”

Qin Mu touched the injuries on his face. “He uses cultivation at the Six Directions realm.”

Bangongcuo was even more shocked. He exhaled a turbid breath and praised, “That person truly has remarkable skill.”

Qin Mu said sincerely, “So, brother, I could only come to you during my rest period. To prevent my mind from becoming twisted and abnormal, how about you let me beat you up to vent some frustration?”

Bangongcuo lowered his eyebrows, his gaze falling on the hand holding the Myriad Locust Banner. He chuckled, “Cult Master Qin, I never fight a battle I'm unsure of; if I'm not confident, I resort to underhanded tactics. But when I saw you furtively waving at me, I immediately came running. Do you know why?”

He looked up and gave a self-assured smile. “These past two months, I've diligently trained and made immense progress compared to two months ago. You know I'm the Great Cultivator of the Loulan Golden Palace, having undergone eighteen reincarnations. Two months of my cultivation equals two years of yours! I chased you here not to listen to your nonsense, nor to be beaten, but to beat you to death!”

His fury erupted, his dark hair seeming to stand on end. He swung the Myriad Locust Banner and lunged at Qin Mu, shouting, “I'll beat you to death! Hand over that silver helmet, and I might make your death swifter!”

Clang, clang, clang—

The flying locusts clashed with the sword rain. The golden locusts' thin wings were like blades, while Qin Mu's flying swords were incredibly heavy. The collision instantly sent sparks flying everywhere in the room.

Amidst the sword light and flying locusts, Bangongcuo plunged the Myriad Locust Banner heavily into the ground. His footsteps flickered among the sword rain and flying locusts, his body darting left and right as he approached Qin Mu.

Qin Mu, with his unpredictable footwork, also rapidly closed in amidst the sword rain and flying locusts.

The room was not large, and with flying locusts and flying swords clanging everywhere, even a slight misstep could lead to a fatal wound.

Both Qin Mu and Bangongcuo had been studying how to refine and miniaturize their divine arts these days. Therefore, in this small room, their flying locusts and flying swords were reduced as much as possible. The flying swords were no longer than three inches, and the flying locusts were no larger than five fingers.

However, the smaller they were, the more dangerous it became. Navigating through the opponent's sword rain and flying locusts required extremely sharp eyesight and judgment.

The next moment, they met, fists and palms colliding as energy erupted, instantly filling the room with a crisp crack of thunder.

Bangongcuo smiled. “With my current cultivation... damn it!”

He groaned, startled by the terrifying power of his opponent. He had diligently trained these days, greatly increasing his cultivation, and had expected his power to be overwhelmingly superior. Yet, even without using his full strength, Qin Mu still had a slight advantage!

How was this possible?

Was this kid also reincarnated?

However, he immediately realized something was off. Qin Mu hadn't surpassed him in magical power; rather, his vital qi had become even more refined and pure, and his mastery of divine arts and techniques had reached a new level. His physical body had also become much stronger.

In other words, Qin Mu could unleash greater power with his divine arts using less vital qi. He was ahead of Bangongcuo in the precision of his divine arts; if an attack missed, little power was wasted, and when it hit, the divine art's explosive power was even greater!

Bangongcuo and Qin Mu had both entered that mysterious long corridor together and seen the imprints of divine arts and weapons on the walls. But they had only glanced at them superficially, without in-depth study.

Now, however, Qin Mu's mastery in this area surpassed his own.

“This is bad!”

Bangongcuo's mind went blank, and he immediately felt a sense of dread. Qin Mu's cultivation had improved, his vital qi was purer, and he expended less magical power. Coupled with his enhanced physical body, it was clear that Qin Mu's combat power and endurance now surpassed his own.

Although the difference wasn't vast, even a slight advantage would be enough to win!

For a short while, it would be fine, but over time, Bangongcuo would be in trouble!

Indeed, as their powerful moves clashed, the Eight Thousand Swords and Myriad Locust Banner consumed an immense amount of magical power, rapidly depleting their vital qi. As a result, the number of flying swords and locusts they could control dwindled quickly.

However, Qin Mu's physical capabilities remained formidable. His techniques were sweeping and versatile, each punch and kick capable of shattering mountains and breaking rocks, delivering astonishing power that forced Bangongcuo to retreat continuously.

Suddenly, Bangongcuo stumbled backward, crashing open a room door. He seized the opportunity to roll inside and immediately tried to shut the door. Before he could close it, a powerful force struck him, sending him flying and splatting against the opposite wall!

“Now I just need to hold out until my subordinates find me. Once they arrive, this kid will surely die!”

Bangongcuo remained calm. Over the past two months, while searching for treasures on the ship and the mysterious corridor, he had also taught several Witch Kings how to calculate spatial convergence.

Those Witch Kings would definitely find him!

Of course, those Witch Kings weren't as intelligent or skilled in mathematics as he was, so it would take some time for them to find this place. He only needed to hold out until they arrived.

Qin Mu charged forward with a whistling sound, engaging him in close combat, using long-range attacks and short-range reliance. In this encounter, both used even fewer flying locusts and flying swords. Qin Mu controlled nine tiny swords, each darting around him like finger-length flying fish, while Bangongcuo's nine flying locusts were also minuscule, truly resembling tiny golden locusts.

Even though their vital qi was severely depleted, their attacks remained extremely fierce, especially in close-quarters combat with long and short-range techniques. A slight misstep could lead to death.

Bangongcuo fought carefully, but his cultivation was still depleted too quickly, finally running out.

Qin Mu's cultivation also ran out, but his physical body remained like a powerful bull. Bangongcuo only managed to block a dozen or so attacks before his defenses were broken, and he was instantly beaten black and blue.

Qin Mu pinned him to the ground and continued hitting him. Bangongcuo's eyes were swollen shut as he yelled, “Good hits! Hit me again if you dare!”

Qin Mu landed two more punches, then suddenly heard a door open in the adjacent room. His heart stirred, and he immediately stopped.

Bangongcuo shouted, “Come on, hit me again!”

Qin Mu collected his flying swords, turned, and walked away, laughing. “Brother, I'm satisfied for now. I'll come find you another day. Oh, and I've taken the gluttonous pouch hanging from your waist!”

Bangongcuo's heart leaped in alarm. He hastily grabbed at his waist, his heart turning cold.

The gluttonous pouch hanging from his waist was gone!

He hadn't felt Qin Mu remove his gluttonous pouch at all!

“My skill is still a bit inferior to Grandpa Cripple's; otherwise, he wouldn't even know if his underwear were taken off.”

Qin Mu tossed the gluttonous pouch, sighing inwardly. Cripple's skills were indeed superior.

“Kill him!” Bangongcuo's voice rang out as several Witch Kings finally entered the room.

Qin Mu smiled, turned to close the door, and entered the first room. He gathered the scattered flying swords, placed them in the gluttonous pouch, and then put away the Myriad Locust Banner.

He opened Bangongcuo's gluttonous pouch and frowned slightly. It didn't contain the books from the study, but rather treasures from the ship: incense burners, tea tables, candlesticks, and similar items. He figured Bangongcuo hadn't stored the books here.

“What exactly did the books on the shelves record? Divine cultivation methods? Or something else...”

Qin Mu fastened both gluttonous pouches to his waist and returned to the study, thinking, “Next time I come to beat him up, I'll properly ask him where he hid the books.”

Bangongcuo struggled out of the building and onto the deck. Seeing the strange looks from the various Grand Witch Doctors, he understood. These people, seeing him beaten to such a state by Qin Mu, were losing their awe of him.

Bangongcuo calmly stated, “Cult Master Qin isn't doing so well either; I severely wounded him. I know his name. Once I recover my cultivation, I'll perform a ritual to take his life!”

Once his cultivation recovered, he immediately performed the ritual. Strangely, even though he knew Qin Mu's name, he couldn't locate him, as if Qin Mu had vanished from the world.

Bangongcuo performed the ritual again, but his witchcraft still couldn't find Qin Mu.

“Impossible! He's clearly on the ship, yet my witchcraft can't find him. Could he be hiding in some secret space, blocking my witch-sense?”

Qin Mu returned to the painting. The figures within continued to spar with him. Although Qin Mu still lost repeatedly, he managed to hold out for longer and longer periods.

Time passed imperceptibly. One day, the treasure ship suddenly vibrated violently. Even within the world of the painting, Qin Mu could feel the tremors.

The old man in the painting showed anxiety and called him out. Qin Mu quickly followed the old man out of the painting and swiftly arrived on the deck.

In the distance, countless Underworld creatures surged towards the treasure ship, which was accelerating its flight.

The old man in the painting stood by the door and waved at Qin Mu.

Qin Mu was stunned. Was it time to part ways?