Chapter 319: Family Matters

Qin Mu frowned deeply. Ban Gongcuo, wary of the witch poison he himself had refined, dared not attack and could only retreat. However, the 'Soul Offering' sorcery he unleashed in his fury was indeed terrifying!

Ban Gongcuo was still in the Seven Stars realm, but even experts at that level died with a single bow. This was especially true for the three demon monks, whose abilities were extraordinary, being powerful beasts who had successfully cultivated.

The Golden-Winged Great Peng was a renowned exotic species in the Great Ruins, possessing immense strength, a robust physique, and having cultivated the Buddhist teachings of Little Thunderclap Temple, which made their souls exceptionally stable.

Yet, Ban Gongcuo had bowed three such Golden-Winged Great Pengs to death. This divine art was certainly something even Butcher would need to guard against!

Previously, Ban Gongcuo had maintained a dignified demeanor, like a grandmaster. Now, having been repeatedly frustrated by Qin Mu, he was humiliated and enraged, acting without any further restraint.

This time, he had bowed three demon monks from Little Thunderclap Temple to death. Next time, he might target those close to Qin Mu.

Who could withstand his bow?

"However, after Ban Gongcuo bowed to these three, he seemed gravely injured. Clearly, this divine art has a severe backlash and cannot be used carelessly."

Qin Mu's frown remained. Even with a significant backlash, this "bow-and-kill" divine art was truly difficult to counter and impossible to guard against.

"Let's bury these three monks. We can't leave their bodies exposed in the wilderness."

The group buried the three Golden-Winged Great Pengs. Qin Mu bowed and sighed, "May you rest in peace. Another day, I'll burn a Ban Gongcuo effigy to commemorate you. Let's go... Wait a moment!"

The Dragon Qilin quickly stopped. Qin Mu closed his eyes, and after a moment, opened them. He took out brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone, using his vital qi to spread the paper neatly in the air.

He dipped his brush in ink and began painting in mid-air. Soon, he had drawn a statue of a god-demon standing on an altar.

Qin Mu intended to add the final stroke but paused. He took out his seal, pressed it onto the painting, and only then completed the last stroke.

"The key to Ban Gongcuo's Soul Offering sorcery should be this god-demon."

He examined it carefully, confirming he hadn't made a mistake. The Cripple had taught him calligraphy and painting, emphasizing capturing the essence and spirit instantly. Qin Mu often went out with him to sketch various things. Although the god-demon behind Ban Gongcuo appeared for a short time, he still managed to capture its specific form and essence, accurately drawing it.

"I don't recognize this god-demon, but there are all sorts of god-demon sculptures in the Great Ruins. Village Chief and Grandpa Ma are well-traveled and likely recognize it. Since we're in the Great Ruins, we might as well return to the village and ask them. Even if they don't recognize it, there's the Heavenly Saint Cult and Eternal Peace Kingdom; someone is bound to know!"

Qin Mu put away the drawing, thinking, "Once this god-demon is identified, there's a possibility of breaking Ban Gongcuo's sorcery! Otherwise, the only path is to eliminate him at all costs."

"At all costs" meant conquering Loulan Golden Palace. And conquering a holy land like Loulan Golden Palace would require first occupying the grasslands and destroying the nations there.

It was imaginable how difficult that would be.

So, the last resort would be to incite the Emperor to wage war on the grasslands and flatten Loulan Golden Palace, as the Heavenly Saint Cult alone lacked this capability.

The Dragon Qilin began to walk forward. Qin Mu summoned two white bats to treat their injuries. Once they recovered, Qin Mu ascended high into the sky under their protection to survey the terrain.

After a moment, Qin Mu landed, frowning slightly. He hadn't seen the Surging River.

If he had seen the Surging River, he could at least determine his location. Without it, it was difficult to pinpoint their exact position using only the markings on the Great Ruins map.

They walked about a hundred li eastward. Qin Mu flew high again to survey the land, comparing it with the Great Ruins map in his memory.

After several such attempts, he finally identified their position based on the mountain ranges.

"We are near the Western Heavenly Palace, not far from the Western Lands."

Qin Mu identified the direction, breathed a sigh of relief, landed, and informed the Dragon Qilin of the path. They walked another hundred li eastward. Qin Mu estimated they were approaching the location of the Western Heavenly Palace marked on the Great Ruins map and was looking around when he suddenly noticed the path becoming steeper.

A colossal landmass was obliquely embedded in the Great Ruins, resembling a gigantic disc, much taller than the surrounding mountains. It looked as if this landmass had flown from beyond the heavens and crashed into the Great Ruins!

The Dragon Qilin halted. Qin Mu looked at this massive landmass, observing dense jungle, but also grand architectural ruins visible through the foliage.

Moreover, in some cracked areas of the ground, a metallic gleam could be seen. Something made of metal was buried deep beneath this landmass, but its purpose was unknown.

There were also majestic divine statues, some standing, some toppled.

They spent some time bypassing this landmass and were stunned. Before them lay a basin, littered with fragmented landmasses. Some were vertically embedded in the ground, others had flipped over, exposing their mountain-like undersides. Some were split into several pieces. On some landmass fragments, complete ruins of cities were preserved, where exotic beasts roamed. Powerful exotic beast lords occasionally let out hair-raising roars, threatening any creature daring to approach their territory.

At the broken edges of these landmass fragments, long metallic structures protruded, unevenly like organ pipes.

When the wind blew through the basin, these metal structures hummed, creating a surprisingly pleasant musical sound.

"How could such a magnificent civilization fall to this extent?"

Qin Mu looked into the distance, then averted his gaze. This place should be a safe zone, difficult for darkness to invade, hence the extremely large number of exotic beasts. Traveling through such a place required extreme caution.

If they took a detour, it would likely take an extra day to get around, so they had no choice but to continue forward.

Qin Mu jumped off the Dragon Qilin's back and led the way personally. After all, he had lived in the Great Ruins since childhood and deeply understood the habits of exotic beasts. If he let the Dragon Qilin or the two white bats lead, they would certainly cause trouble.

They ventured deeper into the basin. Suddenly, Qin Mu frowned at the tracks on the ground. The tracks were likely left by the fragrant carriage of the True Heavenly Palace from the Western Lands, along with some messy footprints, probably from the divine arts practitioners who were chasing the carriage.

They had clearly entered this area. However, judging by their route, these people were also well-versed in the rules of the Great Ruins and had not taken the wrong path.

However, the divine arts of the True Heavenly Palace were quite peculiar; their scale and commotion were astonishing. If they fought here, they could easily enrage the exotic beast lords.

"If we follow the same path as them, we might get implicated."

Qin Mu considered finding another route, but unfortunately, there was only one safe path through the basin nearby. To detour, they would need to cross a large marsh.

He looked towards the marsh. Suddenly, the water surged, and a gigantic crocodile stood upright on the water surface, nostrils puffing smoke, as it cleaned its razor-sharp claws.

This exotic beast lord was not to be trifled with; detouring this way would likely be courting death.

On the other side was a city ruin, with countless towering divine temples. Many cranes with red crowns and black necks flew around, dancing gracefully, appearing very peaceful.

However, in the city, a male and female crane were practicing sword arts. With a flap of their wings, countless sword lights filled the sky, arranging themselves into a perfect circle with clanging sounds. Judging by the speed of the sword lights, Qin Mu felt these two crane leaders were even more dangerous than the giant crocodile leader.

"Only this one path!"

Qin Mu exhaled slowly, whispering, "The True Heavenly Palace's family matters, we absolutely will not interfere. I'm not someone who enjoys fighting or meddling. We'll just bypass them shortly..."

The basin was quite lively. Four rhinos, covered in thick bony armor and completely white without any blemishes, walked by. Their small eyes vigilantly scanned Qin Mu, the Dragon Qilin behind him, and the white bats flying around, constantly hanging upside down from trees.

One of the female rhinos spoke in human language, "This big dog is so fat he looks like a pig, yet he can still walk."

The leading rhino chief's face turned ashen. He immediately rolled on the spot, transforming into a small giant with a rhino head and human body. Under his bony armor was a body full of muscle knots. He cupped his two front hooves together and said to Qin Mu, "Fellow Daoist, my old lady just loves to gossip. Please don't take offense!"

Qin Mu chuckled, "No offense taken. Fatty Dragon is indeed a bit chubby."

The rhino chief breathed a sigh of relief, taking the three female rhinos and quickly departing, grumbling, "Didn't you see? These guys are tough characters, ferocious and menacing, especially that human and the two white bats, covered in countless vengeful souls."

Qin Mu was surprised. The Dragon Qilin said, "They say white rhinos are spiritual and can see the netherworld and vengeful spirits. They are indeed formidable. But they still misjudged; I'm not a big dog, nor am I fat, but strong..."

Ahead, the sounds of divine arts and spiritual weapons clashing suddenly erupted, quite intense. Qin Mu called back the two white bats and cautiously walked forward.

Not long after, a battlefield appeared before them. The True Heavenly Palace's powerhouses were besieging the fragrant carriage, all bearing injuries.

Seeing their arrival, the True Heavenly Palace's divine arts practitioners suddenly stopped their attack, turning to look at them, unmoving.

"Fellow Daoist."

A young man stepped forward from the group and saluted Qin Mu, "Family matters."

Qin Mu returned the salute, "I'm just passing by."

The young man smiled and waved, "Make way and let them pass."

Qin Mu smiled and nodded to those on both sides, leading the Dragon Qilin and the white bat brothers past. Ahead of them, the fragrant carriage was shattered, its wheels and canopy broken. One of the sika deer had transformed into a human and sat sprawled beside the broken carriage. The other, likely the female deer, had reverted to her original form, lying there with injuries all over her body.

The mother and daughter they were protecting had also emerged from the carriage. The young woman was covered in blood, panting, shielding the child behind her.

"Valiant sir..."

The male deer, now in human form, suddenly reached out and clutched Qin Mu's clothes, struggling to look up, his voice barely a whisper, "Valiant sir, please..."

Qin Mu lifted his clothes, freeing himself from the grasp, and continued walking forward.

As he passed by the female deer, he paused slightly. The female deer with the small red flower was dead, lifeless.

Qin Mu averted his gaze and continued forward. Suddenly, the woman referred to as "Nanny Kui" grabbed his hand, looking at him hopefully, her voice hoarse, "Take my child, as long as she can survive..."

Qin Mu's steps faltered. The young man from True Heavenly Palace behind him loudly said, "Fellow Daoist, these are the family matters of my True Heavenly Palace!"

Qin Mu broke free from her hand, continued walking forward, smiling and nodding to the True Heavenly Palace divine arts practitioners on both sides, and led the Dragon Qilin and the two white bats past the battlefield.

The Dragon Qilin caught up with Qin Mu in a few steps, tilting his head to look at Qin Mu's face, hesitantly asking, "Cult Master..."

Qin Mu's face was expressionless. "It's someone else's family matter, not for us to interfere with..."

The Dragon Qilin said, "It's good not to interfere. Grandmaster always said you cause trouble. It seems you've truly grown up."

Qin Mu was startled. "Grown up? Is this what it means to grow up?"

"Understanding trade-offs and priorities, that's naturally growing up. It's very rational."

The Dragon Qilin said, "You used to be very irrational, fighting everyone and not fearing offending people. Grandmaster cleaned up a lot of your messes during those months."

Qin Mu was silent. The sounds of fighting and shouting came from behind.

"This is growing up... I don't want to grow up like this..."

Qin Mu scoffed and continued walking forward. From his Gluttonous Sack, numerous small swords silently flew out, embedding themselves around him, more and more flying swords landing, forming a sword array.

As he continued forward, the eight thousand swords also constantly spread out ahead, covering the landscape like footsteps, forming the shape of mountains and rivers.

*Clink*, the last ray of sword light landed.

Qin Mu stopped, reached out, and pressed down. All eight thousand swords simultaneously sank into the ground. He then suddenly lifted his clothes to obscure himself, and his figure vanished!

"I don't want to become an adult like this!"