Chapter 364: Huàn Lóng Jūn

Wang Muran rode forward on a stag, shaking her head. "Old people are always a handful."

Qin Mu asked, surprised, "Yours too?"

Wang Muran nodded. "There are thirteen old men like that in Little Jade Capital. Now with the old Daoist and old monk joining us, we have fifteen."

Qin Mu laughed. "Our village only has eight and a half. I guess I'm luckier."

Wang Muran said, "It's a good thing Senior Sister Qingdai and Senior Brother Long Yu help me out."

Qin Mu's face darkened. He was the only young person in his village. Granny Si was, of course, young, but she always liked to put on an old act.

The two continued at a leisurely pace, waiting for Mu Qingdai to retrieve Long Yu. Before long, Mu Qingdai dragged Long Yu back. The young master was disheveled and had stripped off his clothes. When Mu Qingdai found him, he was clad only in his underpants, running wildly through the capital, singing, dancing, and muttering nonsense.

Mu Qingdai had given her Senior Brother two or three hard slaps to snap him out of it. Long Yu spat out some blood-tinged phlegm, clearing his muddled mind, and dejectedly followed her to catch up with Qin Mu.

Wang Muran had them sit on the stag's back. Though Long Yu was no longer frantic, he remained dispirited.

Qin Mu smiled. "Senior Brother Long Yu, what's the difference between knowing how high and vast the sky is, and not knowing? The sky is there, whether you know it or not. Maintain a calm mind, diligently cultivate, and break through this sky soon to see what's outside. That's the real task."

Long Yu said gloomily, "I understand everything the Human Emperor says, but the thought that it's all fake makes me lose some of my fighting spirit."

Qin Mu understood this feeling well. Not everyone could emerge from the shadows as quickly as Dao Master Lin Xuan.

The false celestial phenomena had been the biggest blow to Dao Master Lin Xuan, yet he was the first to overcome it. Long Yu, lacking Dao Master Lin Xuan's status and the experience of bearing heavy responsibilities as a youth, was somewhat less capable of enduring such a shock.

But given some time, Long Yu would emerge from the shadows.

"Since Senior Brother Long Yu is here, let's pick up the pace."

At Wang Muran's command, the stag immediately conjured clouds beneath its hooves and soared into the sky. Qin Mu urged the Dragon Qilin, who quickly stepped forward to follow. The stag glanced back with a look of disdain and increased its speed.

The Dragon Qilin, greatly angered, strained to keep up. After running over a hundred *li*, the Dragon Qilin panted, rolling its eyes. "Why should I get angry with a silly deer? Cult Master, don't you agree? We're not competing on speed, but endurance!"

Qin Mu hummed a response, his face stern.

The Dragon Qilin slowed its pace, watching the stag carry Wang Muran and the other two out of sight.

The Dragon Qilin ran for five thousand *li*, completely out of breath, and loudly demanded a rest. Qin Mu told him to stop, started a fire, and cooked. The Dragon Qilin lay nearby, fast asleep.

After Qin Mu had eaten and drunk his fill, it took a long time to rouse the Dragon Qilin, who slowly got up and reluctantly continued the journey. They pursued through the night until dawn, but still saw no sign of the stag, Wang Muran, or the others.

"That silly deer's endurance isn't bad either..." Fatty Dragon said, a little guilty.

Qin Mu hummed with a stern face and tossed over a Crimson Fire Spirit Pellet. "Your rations for today," he said.

The Dragon Qilin, showing some self-awareness, carefully licked it, not daring to swallow it whole. It took over a dozen licks to finish one Crimson Fire Spirit Pellet. Qin Mu, feeling a pang of pity, grabbed a few more.

The Dragon Qilin was overjoyed and quickly gobbled down the Crimson Fire Spirit Pellets. "Don't worry, Cult Master," he said, "I'll run like my life depends on it, and I'll definitely catch that silly deer!"

*That deer isn't silly; it's my Dragon Qilin that's silly,* Qin Mu thought to himself.

The Dragon Qilin carried him, running through the air. Not long after, a lingering flute melody reached them. Qin Mu looked around, somewhat surprised. The Dragon Qilin was moving through mid-air, and although its speed couldn't compare to Little Jade Capital's stag, it wasn't slow, and the wind whistled past.

For the flute music to carry this far, it must not have been played by an ordinary person.

As he was thinking this, the Dragon Qilin suddenly shook its head and wobbled like a drunk, following the flute music and descending from the air.

The flute melody was playful, weaving in and out, high and low, incredibly cheerful. The Dragon Qilin, too, bounced on all fours in the air, leaping about joyfully, its large tail swishing loudly.

The flute then drew out a long note, and the Dragon Qilin directly charged downwards, straight towards the mountain forest.

"Fatty Dragon, stop!"

Qin Mu urgently shouted, but the Dragon Qilin seemed enchanted, completely deaf to his words, and apparently unable to control its own body, charging straight into the forest.

Qin Mu hastily launched himself into the air, flashing in front of the Dragon Qilin. He placed his hands on its forehead and pushed with force, shouting, "Fatty Dragon, wake up!"

He used Buddhist true words, his voice like thunder, but the Dragon Qilin just kept pushing him forward, completely oblivious.

Qin Mu unleashed all his power, but he was still no match for the Dragon Qilin's strength. He was pushed headlong into the forest, cold sweat beading on his forehead. The flute music grew clearer and closer.

He looked back and saw a giant red Flood Dragon coiled among the mountains. Its massive head was prostrate on the ground, its blood-red mouth agape like a vast cave, and its teeth resembled sharp stalactites, still dripping with saliva.

The flute music emanated from the red Flood Dragon's forehead, where a girl in a long dress sat, playing the flute. Although the melody was cheerful, the girl's face was covered in a frosty expression.

"Long Jiaonan!"

Qin Mu's heart jolted. He quickly looked around. This Flood Dragon must be the Dragon King's red one. If Long Jiaonan and the red Flood Dragon were here, was the Dragon King nearby too?

The flute melody was melodious and winding. The Dragon Qilin happily pushed Qin Mu towards the Flood Dragon's massive mouth.

A cold glint flashed in Qin Mu's eyes. The Carefree Sword soared into the air, and instantly eight thousand swords flew out, attacking Long Jiaonan without hesitation.

Long Jiaonan sneered. The red Flood Dragon's tail lashed out, and countless flying swords clanged against it, bouncing back.

Qin Mu's heart sank. This red Flood Dragon was a Cult Master-level being, immensely powerful. He feared he would not be able to escape.

Just then, a large hand suddenly reached down from the clouds in the sky, and a thunderous voice boomed from above: "What good luck! Just taking a stroll in the lower realm and I find a Flood Dragon."

The hand reached for the red Flood Dragon. Its fingers and palm were covered in rough scales. The red Flood Dragon below showed a look of horror and collapsed.

The Dragon Qilin also plopped down, limp on the ground, daring not to move. Long Jiaonan hastily channeled her vital qi to urge on the flute, but the red Flood Dragon remained motionless, huddled where it was.

Long Jiaonan quickly flew up, dodging the massive hand. But she watched as the hand descended, gently snatched the Dragon King's red Flood Dragon, and retreated back into the clouds.

The voice in the air chuckled, "There's also a Qilin-species dragon, but it's too young. I'll collect it after a few more years of free-roaming. This trip to the lower realm wasn't bad at all; I got a Flood Dragon."

Qin Mu's mind reeled. He looked up and saw a giant in the clouds, stepping on two Flood Dragons, one blue and one red, with two yellow Flood Dragons hanging from his ears. He flew past through the sky.

"A god..."

Qin Mu shook his head, struggling to clear his mind. He looked again and saw the blue and red Flood Dragons beneath the divine figure's feet swimming, carrying the deity southward.

"My father's dragon!"

Long Jiaonan shrieked and ran frantically southward. Qin Mu suppressed his shock, raised his hand to recall the Carefree Sword, and thrust it out. Eight thousand swords transformed into a cloud of swords, then suddenly fell like rain, piercing the entire hillside.

Long Jiaonan groaned. Like a large snake, she slithered through the mountains, dodging the sword gleam, but a few beams of sword light still struck and injured her.

"Long Jiaonan, do you remember? I told you if you ever came after me again, I wouldn't show any mercy!"

Qin Mu kicked the Dragon Qilin awake and strode forward. Sword light whistled as it attacked Long Jiaonan. Long Jiaonan's figure moved like a nimble snake, incredibly fast, but the next moment, Qin Mu's speed erupted. He soared into the air, riding a cloud of swords, surging forward.

Long Jiaonan continuously let out long cries, channeling her vital energy and activating divine abilities to resist his sword light directly.

The Dragon Qilin, now awake, quickly galloped forward and let out a dragon's roar from its open maw, shaking Long Jiaonan so thoroughly she became dizzy and disoriented.

Although Long Jiaonan was a powerful expert of the Seven-Star realm, she was still outmatched by the Dragon Qilin. Her vital energy was scattered by the roar. Qin Mu immediately seized the opportunity, pointing his sword downward. Countless flying swords surged like a cloud, rotating around the Carefree Sword, forming a single colossal sword that plunged towards Long Jiaonan!

"Who dares bully my child?"

Suddenly, a deep, resonant voice rang out. Qin Mu's heart trembled. "The Dragon King is here!"

He hastily retracted his sword, about to flee, when a dragon-shaped dark cloud swiftly arrived in mid-air. Long Jiaonan looked up and fiercely exclaimed, "Father, it's the Heavenly Devil Cult Master!"

Qin Mu dashed furiously to the Dragon Qilin's front, shouting, "Fatty Dragon, a dragon raised for a thousand days is used in a single moment! Run!"

Just as the Dragon Qilin was about to unleash its full speed and run, its limbs suddenly went limp. It stumbled to the ground, crying, "Cult Master, it's happening again!"

"What's happening again?"

Qin Mu hoisted the Dragon Qilin with both arms, lifting it up, just as he was about to make a dash for his life. Suddenly, the sky darkened, and a thunderous voice boomed from above: "I still need two virgin boys and girls to raise my dragons. I'll just take these..."

The Dragon Qilin went completely limp, like a dead weight, utterly paralyzed.

Only then did Qin Mu understand what was happening again. Then, the world spun, and he found himself involuntarily soaring into the air, landing in the clouds. Long Jiaonan also landed in the clouds with him, looking equally terrified.

"Insolent demon, release my son!" The Dragon King's voice rang out, rapidly approaching.

Qin Mu saw two thick, scaled, rough legs standing in the mist beside him. Beneath them, two Flood Dragons swam within the clouds, carrying them southward.

He looked up and saw a giant over ten *zhang* tall, his clothes fluttering in the wind. His face was also covered in scales, his brow bones were prominent, and horns sprouted from his head.

"Noisy little insect."

The divine figure flicked a finger, and the Dragon King, Master of the Dragon Controlling Gate, was sent flying backward, spitting blood as he soared through the air, before crashing with a boom into a mountain range, his fate unknown.

"Virgin boy and girl, attend to my dragons well."

The divine figure looked down at the two in the clouds, baring a mouthful of sharp teeth, and chuckled, "Otherwise, I'll have you for a snack."

Qin Mu put down the Dragon Qilin and boldly said, "Senior, I am no longer a virgin boy..."

Long Jiaonan also quickly said, "I'm not a virgin girl either!"

The divine figure sneered, "Then there's no use keeping you. I'll just eat you!"

"I am a virgin boy!"

Qin Mu declared righteously, "This little wench is not a virgin girl. Please, Senior, kill her!"