Chapter 318: Witchcraft Soul-Worship

The sun rose. Qin Mu stood up, sheathed the Carefree Sword in the scabbard he had carved the previous night, then nudged the Dragon Qilin and woke the two white bats.

The Dragon Qilin got up, its eyes gleaming. "Cult Master, what's for breakfast today?"

Qin Mu rummaged through his Taotie Pouch. He didn't have many Crimson Fire Spirit Pellets left, but he still gave enough to feed the Dragon Qilin.

The two white bats released their claws and landed from under the eaves. The three demon monks also opened their eyes, taking out water and flatbread from their backpacks. Their food consisted of cakes made from ground insects.

The monks of Little Thunderclap Monastery were all of demon origin, so they weren't strict about dietary restrictions, unlike the many rules of Great Thunderclap Monastery. These three demon monks were avian beasts and still preferred eating insects, so they compressed the insects into cakes for easy portability.

Ding Jue broke off half a worm cake and offered it to Qin Mu. Qin Mu tasted it; to his surprise, it wasn't bad at all—fragrant and crispy.

The beast horde began to move, and the people in the ruins followed them outwards, each on guard. Qin Mu, however, found himself distracted. They were already near the western edge of the Great Ruins, and he longed to see where the darkness disappeared.

Since the darkness of the Great Ruins surged from the west, there must be a source. If he could find the origin of the darkness, perhaps he could uncover the cause of the Great Ruins' cataclysm.

As the beast horde exited the ruins, Qin Mu looked back and was slightly startled. The ornate carriage was also approaching, but he could no longer see the woman with the black headscarf and pigtails adorned with small red flowers, nor the man with the white cloth wrapped around his head. Instead, only a pair of male and female deer with plum blossom-like spots were pulling the carriage.

The male deer had its antlers wrapped in white cloth. The female deer had its ears bound with black silk scarves, and its chest was adorned with gold and silver necklaces, pendants, and a small red flower, while its forelegs above the hooves bore more than a dozen gold, silver, and jade bracelets.

"So they were demons," Qin Mu realized.

Qin Mu blinked. He hadn't realized the previous night that the young couple were extraordinary beasts; they hadn't emitted any demonic aura. He was surprised that they had cultivated into human form from deer.

"This cultivation method is quite remarkable; it must be a legitimate one. Are they visitors from the Western Lands?" Qin Mu wondered.

The hundred or so foreign divine arts practitioners silently followed behind the ornate carriage. Qin Mu watched as a small head with two pigtails peered out of the carriage, looking backward, only to be quickly pulled back by two fair hands, and the carriage door closed.

Qin Mu withdrew his gaze, sitting on the Dragon Qilin's back. The Carefree Sword was ready to be drawn at any moment, and the flying swords in his Taotie Pouch were also stirring.

The two white bats flew silently, weaving through the beast horde, while the three demon monks, with their large sleeves fluttering, took long strides with their bird claws, covering great distances with each step.

Ban Gongcuo's eyes flickered as he looked around. They were currently amidst the beast horde, and among the extraordinary beasts of the Great Ruins, there were many exceptionally powerful ones. Beasts also had their own rules. If a battle were to break out among them now, it would anger the horde, and they might even attack them.

Finally, the beast horde began to disperse.

Suddenly, the two deer pulling the ornate carriage bolted, speeding away. The hundred or so divine arts practitioners behind them immediately accelerated, whistling in pursuit.

"Nai Kui, stop!"

Within the ornate carriage, primeval qi surged. Suddenly, countless plants grew wildly, becoming incredibly thick. A forest spanning over ten mu seemed to come alive.

Ancient trees in the Great Ruins instantly uprooted themselves, transforming into tree giants. They spread their thick roots, making the earth tremble, and their main trunks became enormous fists, sending pursuers flying with resounding thuds!

The trees in the Great Ruins were already massive, with many towering dozens of zhang high, and some even as tall as mountain peaks. Propelled by the woman in the carriage with her wondrous divine art, they grew even more colossal and possessed boundless strength!

Meanwhile, the vines in the forest seemed to turn into demons. Thick green vines coiled around divine arts practitioners like snakes, strangling them to death!

Qin Mu's eyelids twitched as he watched. This divine art was rare, somewhat similar to the Earth Elemental Creation Art, but far more dominant!

For a moment, the earth shook and mountains swayed as the tree giants rampaged.

However, the remaining foreign divine arts practitioners reacted swiftly. They each activated their divine arts, and piercing screams emanated from the large trees and green vines. White lights, neither truly spirits nor souls, flew out of the trees and vines, and then the tree giants collapsed, and the green vines withered.

One of the divine arts practitioners waved his hand, and a mountain peak rumbled, countless rocks rattling and scrambling across the ground. In an instant, they transformed into a mountain giant, raising a colossal fist to strike the ornate carriage!

The female deer in front of the ornate carriage raised its hoof. More than a dozen gold and silver rings flew from its hoof, encircling the mountain giant's incoming fist and causing the rock-formed giant fist to fracture. As the mountain giant's other fist struck, the female deer let out a muffled grunt.

The male deer stamped its foot, and countless green grasses burst forth from the earth, their blades like swords. They rapidly inserted themselves into the stone crevices of the mountain giant, taking root and sprouting. The mountain giant immediately disintegrated and collapsed.

The two deer immediately galloped forward with the ornate carriage.

"What kind of divine art is this?"

Qin Mu was astonished. These people seemed to be borrowing the power of heaven and earth to amplify natural forces, transforming them into divine arts, which differed from the divine arts of the Eternal Peace Empire and its neighboring countries.

"It's a divine art from the True Heaven Palace of the Western Lands."

The Dragon Qilin rumbled, "I once went to the Western Lands with the Founding Master. The True Heaven Palace is a sacred ground there. Their divine arts are somewhat different from those in the Middle Land. They believe that all things have spirits, and all things have gods; even plants, trees, and stones possess spirits and hidden deities. So, their divine arts follow the path of 'all things having spirits and all things having gods.' The Founding Master said it's 'not bad at all.'"

"'All things have spirits, all things have gods'?"

Qin Mu exclaimed in admiration. This divine art from the Western Lands had carved out a unique path, truly worth studying. For the young Founding Master to praise it as "not bad at all" indicated that the True Heaven Palace indeed lived up to its name as a sacred ground.

The divine art that catalyzed the mountain giant was particularly astonishing. A whole mountain came to life, transforming into a giant to fight, shaking heaven and earth. Its destructive power reached incredible heights, truly an eye-opener!

"It's just too destructive!"

Cult Master Qin grew excited. "I wonder if there are any houses left in the Western Lands, or if they've all been demolished? Perhaps not even a single mountain remains? If I could learn this, it would be excellent for dismantling mountains to build roads!"

"Attack!"

Suddenly, Ban Gongcuo gave the order. Immediately, all his subordinates erupted. Blade pellets streaked across the sky, and countless blade lights rained down on Qin Mu. At the same time, three shaman kings intertwined their movements, casting shamanic spells to pull the two white bats from the air.

Qin Mu let out a laugh, lifted his robe, and covered himself. His figure instantly vanished, reappearing the next moment beside the grand shamans and the Barbarian Di Kingdom soldiers. The Carefree Sword flew up, and countless sword lights burst forth from his Taotie Pouch, shooting in all directions.

Swish—

Eight thousand swords plunged into the ground, covering an area of a hundred zhang. Blood dripped continuously from their hilts. Only two grand shamans of the Seven Stars Realm managed to evade the attack, resisting countless sword lights and avoiding being pierced through the heart by the flying swords, though they were still startled.

"A teleportation robe?"

Ban Gongcuo was inwardly shocked. Qin Mu's strike was too swift; he had used the teleportation robe to instantly appear beside them and launch a lethal attack.

Qin Mu raised a hand and pointed. The Carefree Sword flew up, and countless sword lights revolved around it, slashing down at one of the Seven Stars Realm grand shamans!

Golden wings shimmered behind the grand shaman. The wings vibrated repeatedly, sending countless golden feather-swords flying out. They clashed with Qin Mu's attack with a loud bang, and Qin Mu was instantly overwhelmed, sent flying backward. Mid-air, he suddenly covered himself with his robe, and his figure vanished.

The next instant, Qin Mu appeared behind the grand shaman, his palm spread with fingers splayed. The Carefree Sword and the other eight thousand swords flew towards him with a whoosh.

Just then, Ban Gongcuo's body spun, and his figure disappeared.

Qin Mu quickly flipped his hand and slapped behind him. With a loud bang, their palms collided, and both landed.

Ban Gongcuo had once entered the Heavenly Devil Cult, cultivated the Great Cultivation Heavenly Devil Scripture, and even contended for the position of Cult Master. He had also practiced the Heavenly Devil Cult's teleportation art. Although the teleportation art demanded extremely high computational skills, with his foundation in the Daoist sect's calculation scriptures, his mastery of teleportation surpassed Qin Mu's.

The Dragon Qilin and the three demon monks charged forward. The two grand shamans of the Seven Stars Realm took to the air, pursued by the three demon monks. The three monks then shook their bodies, transforming into three Golden-Winged Great Rocs, pouncing on the two grand shamans.

The Dragon Qilin roared, a pillar of fire surging towards Ban Gongcuo.

Ban Gongcuo dared not directly block it. His figure flickered, vanished, and reappeared beside the three shaman kings.

The three shaman kings were savagely beating the two white bats. The two white bats were incredibly resilient; despite being repeatedly battered by one Life and Death Realm grand shaman and two Celestial Being Realm grand shamans, they were still bouncing around, proving how tough-skinned and rough-fleshed they were.

"Gong Mu, you handle these two white bats! Other shaman kings, kill those three bald donkeys!"

Ban Gongcuo sternly commanded, "You must eliminate them!"

Shaman King Gong Mu was a grand master of the Life and Death Realm, powerful enough to suppress the two white bats. Although he couldn't kill these strange bats, he could prevent them from supporting Qin Mu.

As for the two Celestial Being Realm shaman kings and the two Seven Stars Realm grand shamans, it should be more than enough to deal with the three demon monks and the Dragon Qilin, considering none of them had reached the Celestial Being Realm!

Just as Ban Gongcuo finished speaking, he suddenly saw Qin Mu take out his Taotie Pouch and pull a black jar from it. His scalp tingled, and he sternly shouted, "Quick, retreat!"

He activated his teleportation art, and his figure immediately vanished. Although his cultivation had reached the Six Harmonies Realm, he couldn't teleport too far, only six or seven hundred zhang.

Ban Gongcuo looked back and saw Qin Mu, acting recklessly, smash the black jar with a loud crash. Immediately, an incredibly dense black smoke spread rapidly in all directions, instantly shrouding an area of over a hundred zhang.

Shaman King Gong Mu and the other two shaman kings quickly dodged away, avoiding being caught by the black smoke and escaping the danger. They couldn't help but feel a lingering fear.

Ban Gongcuo's eye twitched. That was the shamanic poison he had refined in his previous life. Its toxicity was extremely potent; if it touched a soul or primordial spirit, it would corrode the soul and corrupt the primordial spirit. Even a grand master of the Life and Death Realm would perish in a few breaths!

Qin Mu smashing the jar clearly meant he intended to perish with them, taking everyone down together.

"No! This black smoke isn't like the shamanic poison I refined!"

Ban Gongcuo's heart suddenly skipped a beat. Although the black smoke bore some resemblance to his shamanic poison, he was, after all, a grand master of shamanic poisons. He quickly realized the truth: the black smoke was just smoke, not shamanic poison!

Evidently, the scoundrel Qin hadn't been idle last night. He had probably secretly made a black jar and filled it with some black smoke.

He had two Taotie Pouches, and when he refined things inside them, no one would notice what he was doing.

"Damn it, I fell for his trick!"

Ban Gongcuo's face turned ashen. He was about to fight back when the two Seven Stars Realm grand shamans were already killed by the three demon monks, and the two white bats had once again bounced back to life.

As he was about to charge back, he suddenly saw Qin Mu take out another black jar from his Taotie Pouch, and he hesitated.

Qin Mu burst into laughter and said loudly, "Brother Ban, shall we part ways here?"

Ban Gongcuo snorted coldly, flicked his sleeves, and looked at the three demon monks, then suddenly shouted, "Monk Ding Ming!"

The three Golden-Winged Great Rocs retracted their wings and transformed back into three demon monks, landing with bird claws and human bodies, draped in loose black robes. Monk Ding Ming looked up and said, "I am here."

Ban Gongcuo bowed deeply. Suddenly, a phantom of a god-devil appeared behind him, standing within an altar, and also bowed deeply to Monk Ding Ming.

Monk Ding Ming let out a startled cry, involuntarily reverted to his true form as a Golden-Winged Great Roc, and loud thumping sounds resonated from within his body. His three souls and seven spiritual essences shattered, and he collapsed, dead!

Qin Mu was also horrified. Monk Ding Ming was a grand master of the Seven Stars Realm, yet he was killed by a single bow. Was this the divine art that the Great Venerable used to kill with knowledge of a name, the same art that made Butcher dare not reveal his true name?

"How does one counter this?"

Just as he thought this, Ban Gongcuo, whose face was somewhat pale, called out again, "Monk Ding Zhi!"

Monk Ding Zhi remained silent, refusing to answer. Ban Gongcuo bowed, and the phantom of the god-devil on the altar behind him also bowed. Monk Ding Zhi let out a loud cry and immediately perished.

Blood spilled from the corner of Ban Gongcuo's mouth. He gave a cold laugh and looked at Monk Ding Jue. Ding Jue felt his hair stand on end. He spread his wings behind him and flapped them to escape.

"Ding Jue!"

With a single bow from Ban Gongcuo, Ding Jue's soul scattered in mid-air, and the corpse of the Golden-Winged Great Roc fell.

Ban Gongcuo spat out a mouthful of blood, glared fiercely at Qin Mu, then turned and said, "If you weren't using a false name, killing you would be as easy as turning my hand! Let's go!"

The three shaman kings quickly followed him, disappearing into the mountain forest.