Chapter 337: The Secret of the Overlord Body

"Hegemon Body?"

The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor was equally perplexed. He racked his brain, certain he had never encountered such a physique, and turned to the village chief with a questioning gaze. The name "Hegemon Body" rang with power, sounding far superior to the Four Great Spirit Bodies. Could there truly be a physique in the world that surpassed them? Why had he remained ignorant of it? And now, it appeared there were two such Hegemon Bodies!

"Hegemon Body?" The village chief's face twitched, feeling his composure slip. His skin felt loose and aged, as if it might just fall away. *Hegemon Body again!* he thought. *That young fellow Mu'er just doesn't quit...* He sighed, acknowledging his age. Even telling a small, benevolent lie now caused him anxiety, fearful of being exposed. Yet, who could expose him? As the previous Human Emperor, he was merely telling a white lie. Why did he have to endure such torment? Why was he always forced to invent new stories to maintain the deception?

"Since I fabricated this 'Hegemon Body' physique, I've told more lies than in the past eight hundred years combined!" The village chief collected himself, shaking his head. "Mu'er, there can't be a second Hegemon Body! This Xu Shenghua is definitely not one!"

Qin Mu was perplexed, and the Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor looked equally bewildered. The Cripple, meanwhile, clenched his fists in excitement. "As the only person who knows of the Hegemon Body's existence, the village chief has always been tight-lipped about it. Now, he's finally about to reveal some of its secrets!"

The village chief's face remained placid, like a still, ancient well, as he spoke slowly and deliberately. "It seems there's a celestial will at play: only one Hegemon Body appears in each era. Those who merely resemble a Hegemon Body are all pseudo-Hegemon Bodies, never the true article. It has been this way since time immemorial. In any given age, there can only be one true Hegemon Body! Remember this."

The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor could not conceal his shock. The *only* Hegemon Body in the world? All others were pseudo-Hegemon Bodies? This world was indeed far more intricate than he had ever imagined! The village chief's words instilled in him a sense of caution and unease. "Celestial will," "the only Hegemon Body," "pseudo-Hegemon Bodies" — it all suggested some unseen force was orchestrating everything.

The Cripple, however, gave it no further thought, exclaiming excitedly, "It's just as I predicted — there's only one true Hegemon Body in this world!" Qin Mu felt a surge of excitement, but then his brow furrowed in doubt. "But Xu Shenghua's cultivation is nearly identical to mine. At the same realm, only a Hegemon Body could keep pace with me."

"There's only one explanation for this," the village chief declared, his face stern. "You're simply not working hard enough! As a Hegemon Body, for you to be caught up by one of the Four Great Spirit Bodies or a pseudo-Hegemon Body, you should take responsibility and reflect on your efforts."

Qin Mu grew solemn, nodding emphatically. "Village Chief Grandpa, rest assured, I will redouble my efforts in cultivation! To be honest, I have indeed been a bit too relaxed lately. I'm improving, but Xu Shenghua is also improving. If I slack off, he truly might surpass me!"

The village chief felt a quiet sense of relief. *Mu'er is still too naive,* he mused. *I've easily tricked him into training even harder. If that boy is ever defeated by Xu Shenghua, he'll undoubtedly blame his own lack of effort, and then I'll have a ready explanation.*

The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor's eyes flickered with curiosity, and he humbly inquired, "Dao brother, you just spoke of both Hegemon Bodies and pseudo-Hegemon Bodies. There seems to be a connection between them. Could you please elaborate?"

The village chief felt his head swell. Qin Mu was easy to mislead, and the Cripple, who cared only for thievery and knew little of historical lore, was also simple to deceive. The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor, however, was a different matter entirely.

"Ahem," the village chief began, "the relationship between a Hegemon Body and a pseudo-Hegemon Body is a struggle over destiny." He continued solemnly, "There is only one Hegemon Body in this world, and there can only be one, but there are many pseudo-Hegemon Bodies. I once heard a legend: it is said that if a pseudo-Hegemon Body kills a true Hegemon Body, they can usurp its destiny, claiming its fate and thereby transforming themselves from a pseudo-Hegemon Body into a true one. Whether that is actually the case, I cannot say."

The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor fell into deep contemplation, then suddenly looked up and posed another question: "This struggle for destiny between Hegemon Bodies and pseudo-Hegemon Bodies is certainly dramatic. But how does a pseudo-Hegemon Body discern a true Hegemon Body? And if they don't know who the Hegemon Body is, how can they possibly kill them?"

The village chief felt a surge of irritation. *This fellow's questions are endless,* he fumed. *How am I supposed to keep this story going?*

"In fact, there's an incredible connection between a Hegemon Body and a pseudo-Hegemon Body," the village chief began, steadying himself. "When they encounter each other, they can both sense the other's presence. The moment they meet, there's a feeling of mutual recognition, yet also an undying, irreconcilable animosity..." He was struggling to continue the fabrication when Qin Mu's eyes suddenly lit up. He clapped his hands. "I had that exact feeling the moment I met Xu Shenghua! No wonder, no wonder! We met on the river; he was on a pleasure boat and stopped his vessel when he saw me, inviting me over! So it was the sensing between a Hegemon Body and a pseudo-Hegemon Body at play."

The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor no longer harbored doubts. He looked up at the sky, murmuring in a daze, "Xu Shenghua is from the High Heavens, and the deity who brought the natural disaster I encountered also came from there. What kind of place is the High Heavens? It harbors both deities and Hegemon Bodies? Dao brother, you must know about this place, too, don't you?"

"They are merely false gods," the village chief dismissed. He, too, tilted his head back, gazing at the clear blue sky. To their west lay a terribly brutal battlefield, yet neither man glanced its way, seemingly indifferent to the ongoing conflict.

"The High Heavens are nothing more than a band of lackeys, spies used by the true gods to monitor this world," the village chief murmured. "The snow disaster that ravaged your Yan Kang Nation, causing widespread suffering and from which you've yet to fully recover, was merely a tribulation sent by the High Heavens, employing common elemental attacks. If a true god were to unleash a tribulation, then... well, you wouldn't want to know."

He lowered his gaze. "The East Sea, thousands of fathoms deep, also sank to the seabed in a single night. And the eastern expanse of the Great Ruins, once an ocean, transformed into land and towering mountains overnight as well."

The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor felt a shiver of dread.

"I've spent my entire life opposing the High Heavens," the village chief said. "They are not easily subdued, but the powers that lie behind them are even more formidable." He gazed at his amputated arm and leg, lost in a trance, and murmured, "You will encounter them, and Mu'er will encounter them too..."

The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor observed the points where the village chief's limbs had been severed. To others, the sword scars might seem unremarkable, but to him, the contemporary Sword God, they revealed an abyss of profound mystery. He keenly understood the terrifying power of the individual who had inflicted those wounds.

"The High Heavens will again unleash tribulations upon Yan Kang," the village chief stated, exhaling a slow breath. "However, their primary enemy is the Human Emperor. I have fought them for centuries. Before, it was me – and I still have two or three years left to live. Now, there is you; you have comprehended the Way of the Sword, and you can now contend with them. In the future, there will be Mu'er. I have emerged from the Great Ruins, and visitors from the High Heavens will seek me out in the coming days. I can buy you some time."

His words were uttered without particular emphasis, yet all three recognized the profound, resolute determination within them. "A Human Emperor cannot die in a sickbed," the village chief said, a faint smile gracing his lips. "A sickbed is not where I belong."

The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor looked up once more, his voice soft yet firm. "The High Heavens... one day, the iron cavalry of my Yan Kang will raze that place to the ground! But for now, we must first level Helan Pass!" He then rose to his feet. "Everyone, let us proceed to Helan Pass."

A magnificent carriage approached the city wall, its design reflecting the traditional concept of a round heaven and square earth. Qin Mu gently lifted the village chief and placed him inside. The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor took the reins, smiling. "We can discuss this further once we're inside Helan Pass."

The Cripple picked up the ornate golden scroll from the tea table and tossed it to Qin Mu. "The Great Venerable's book," he commented, "I wonder what harmful dark arts are recorded within." Qin Mu caught the scroll, shaking his head. "This isn't the Great Venerable's. It's my Qin family's book; he stole it."

The Cripple snorted. "Mu'er, you truly aren't diligent enough. You learned my 'Heaven-Stealing, Sun-Shifting Hand,' yet that little scoundrel still managed to steal from you. You should just content yourself with being the world's second best divine thief." "I was perfectly content to be second best," Qin Mu retorted, "you're the one who forced it on me."

Qin Mu opened the golden scroll, exclaiming in surprise, "Ban Gongcuo actually opened this book! It was sealed before. Oh, and Village Chief Grandpa, I saw my father!" The village chief's mind reeled, and he blurted out, "You met someone from Carefree Village?"

Qin Mu set the golden scroll down, a hint of sorrow in his eyes. "I saw him on the treasure ship in the Underworld Valley. He had already performed a forbidden art, merging with the ship and becoming a treeman... He made a 'Lord of Earth Pact' with Zhenxing Jun, so he couldn't open his eyes to look at me. He taught me many things, but sadly, we still had to part ways..." Qin Mu paused, shaking his head to clear his jumbled thoughts, and then recounted his full experiences in the Underworld Valley and the Youdu world. The three listened, utterly dumbfounded. Such fantastic and thrilling encounters were captivating, yet the sheer number and terrifying nature of the secrets hidden within them left them silently contemplative.

The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor was equally shaken. Qin Mu was a Hegemon Body, and he possessed a god-like father! "How did the people of Carefree Village attain godhood?" The Imperial Preceptor suddenly recalled something significant: the divine bridges of the Carefree Villagers were connected directly to the Heavenly Court! The inhabitants of Little Jade Capital had informed him that while everyone else in the world had broken divine bridges, only the Carefree Villagers' bridges remained linked to the Heavenly Court. Did this not imply that Qin Mu's divine bridge was also connected to the Heavenly Court? He turned to gaze at Qin Mu, who, unaware of the Imperial Preceptor's thoughts, simply picked up the golden scroll again and began to read it.

Ahead, the fleet of towering ships had advanced relentlessly, crushing all opposition, and was now nearing Helan Pass. In the 'Duck's Tongue' region, corpses littered the landscape; the bodies of barbarian divine arts practitioners, slain by primordial spirit cannons, lay everywhere. Jian Sansheng, the Sword Hall Master, and Yu Yuan Chuyun, the General of Guide, wielded their towering ships like swords. These two grandmasters of swordsmanship used their vessels to unleash a bloodbath upon the opposing steppe army. Within the time it takes an incense stick to burn from the initial engagement, the barbarian forces had already crumbled. Demoralized by the bombardment of fourteen thousand primordial spirit cannons, they fled like a retreating tide towards Helan Pass. What ensued was a one-sided massacre. Even the Witch King and the Khan, fighting valiantly, could not stem the tide of their fleeing army, nor could they halt the relentless advance of the enemy forces.

The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor drove slowly, calculating the timing. It seemed their magnificent carriage would enter Helan Pass precisely as the Sword Hall Master completed its conquest.

Inside the carriage, Qin Mu's expression grew increasingly serious as he studied the first page of the golden scroll in his hands. He suddenly stood up, and streams of primordial qi flew from his fingertips, morphing into various measuring tools: circular, square, triangular, oval, designed for all angles and dimensions. He began meticulously measuring the diagram on the scroll's first page. "Mu'er, what are you doing?" the Cripple asked, curious. "Measuring the Magpie Bridge," Qin Mu replied without looking up. "The cultivation method in this Qin family scroll is peculiar. To cultivate it, every angle of primordial qi flow depicted in this diagram must be precisely calculated. This diagram in the golden book might be... it might be..."