Chapter 371: The Mute's Box

"The treasures unearthed from our Mount Taibai are truly astonishing!"

Almost everyone from the White Mountain Sword Sect was fleeing down the mountain. However, the three elders of the White Mountain Sword Sect advanced instead of retreating, rushing towards the volcano crater at the summit. They sharply cried out, "This is the Demonic Cult Master trying to trick us into leaving because he can't take the treasures from the mountain! He wants to monopolize them! No one is to leave!"

An old woman also shouted, "This is our Ancestral Master's manifestation, strengthening our White Mountain Sword Sect and bestowing the treasures of Mount Taibai upon us! This is a sign of our great prosperity!"

"Heaven be merciful!" A white-haired elder sighed deeply, looking up at the sky, and proclaimed loudly, "The founding patriarch of our White Mountain Sword Sect said that this place is a land of rising dragons, destined for great wealth and prosperity, and now it has come true! All disciples, heed my command! Today is the day our White Mountain Sword Sect ascends to prominence, surpassing the Three Sacred Lands! Return, everyone, and together we shall subdue this treasure!"

Hearing this, many disciples of the White Mountain Sword Sect immediately stopped fleeing and turned back.

The White Mountain Sword Sect didn't have many people to begin with. Their Sect Master had gone to the capital to appeal to the Emperor, leaving behind three elders and a dozen mid-level members responsible for teaching over a hundred disciples.

At that moment, most members of the sect chose to stay. They retrieved the sword caskets that had been shaken loose. One by one, the black sword caskets landed with thuds across the collapsing Mount Taibai. The massive caskets, several zhang tall, opened their lids, and instantly countless flying swords, like flowing rivers, surged out.

Mid-air, Qin Mu stood atop two dragons, which furiously galloped. Many other flood dragons accompanied him, carrying him further away. Qin Mu looked back to see clouds of flying swords above Mount Taibai, their tips pointing downwards, suddenly shooting into the erupting volcano!

Qin Mu stared wide-eyed and quickly shouted, "Why aren't you leaving? Are you looking for death?"

On the mountaintop, the three elders of the sword sect collectively sneered, "You want to trick us into leaving so you can monopolize the treasure? The Demonic Cult Master truly has a terribly wicked heart. If we didn't know Mount Taibai is a land of rising dragons, we might have fallen for your trick."

Qin Mu sighed and sped away.

"The Mount Taibai mountain range is built upon the 'dragon eye' of a dragon vein, but this particular dragon vein is a subordinate one to the True Dragon Lord. Far from being a land of rising dragons, it's a place that steals fortune. The White Mountain Sword Sect has had its luck drained by this dragon vein for so many years; their destiny must have run out." Qin Mu thought to himself, "Fortunately, this sect only has a hundred or so members, so it won't cause a massive catastrophe..."

No sooner had he thought this than Mount Taibai erupted with a bang.

The enormous volcano was torn into pieces.

The moment the volcano exploded, the Hundred Casket Sword Array instantly collapsed and disintegrated. Countless flying swords melted in mid-air, turning into molten iron. The disciples of the White Mountain Sword Sect were vaporized without even a whimper.

The three elders of the sword sect were highly cultivated, but in the face of this terrifying power, they were utterly helpless. They were shaken, spitting blood, and sent flying backwards. Molten iron, formed from the melted flying swords and mixed with fragments of shattered rock, shot towards them at speeds even faster than the flying swords themselves.

The three elders' faces were filled with despair. This molten iron would pierce through them, ending all their vitality!

Then, they saw a colossal figure slowly rise from the collapsing Mount Taibai.

"As the Demonic Cult Master, he actually didn't lie to us; there really is a giant in the mountain..."

The three elders looked up. This incredibly strong god-demon slowly rose, and beneath his feet, two long, ancient dragons and red dragons let out earth-shattering roars.

*Hiss, hiss, hiss—* The three elders' bodies exploded into fragments, riddled like sieves by the molten iron from the flying swords. Their corpses, along with the chaotic rocks of the collapsing Mount Taibai, plummeted downwards, burying them deep alongside the other disciples of the White Mountain Sword Sect.

The founder of Mount Taibai should never have chosen this location for the sect.

At this moment, Dragon Herder Lord's body was dozens of times larger than before, his flesh coiled like a great dragon, muscles bulging. His sharp claws gripped the two massive dragons beneath him. The two dragons flew swiftly, riding the clouds and mists, carrying him in pursuit of Qin Mu. However, Qin Mu's trace was no longer visible in the air.

Several flood dragons were still with him, hanging from his ears, burrowing into his clothes, poking their heads and tails out.

These flood dragons were left by him to help him collect and refine the Dragon's Nest, which is why he was able to refine it so quickly.

Dragon Herder Lord's aura was overwhelming. He looked around but still couldn't see Qin Mu. With a flick of his hand, he produced a jade object the size of a table and sneered, "Little fellow, do you think you can escape?"

The base of this jade object resembled a large, perfectly flat round table, but its surface was a semicircular dome. The ground beneath the dome was divided into nine layers, each filled with numerous jagged jade pillars and teeth. On the ninth layer, there was a circular groove with a missing section.

This was precisely the Dragon's Nest of the True Dragon Lord!

Earlier, when Qin Mu arrived at the Dragon's Nest, most of it was submerged in boiling magma, and what was presented to them was merely the tip of the iceberg.

Dragon Herder Lord had also expended great effort to dig out and refine this Dragon's Nest from underground, only then being able to take it with him.

Dragon Herder Lord activated the jade Dragon's Nest, using it to determine Qin Mu's location.

However, Qin Mu seemed to have vanished. Even the Dragon's Nest could not sense the True Dragon Lord.

Dragon Herder Lord was surprised. He increased his magical power and activated the Dragon's Nest again, but still could not sense the location of the Imperial Disc Qin Mu was wearing.

"Did he hide the True Dragon Lord? No, no, no matter where it's hidden, it's impossible to sever the connection between the True Dragon Lord and the Dragon's Nest!"

He repeatedly activated the Dragon's Nest, but still couldn't sense Qin Mu's position.

Sweat beads formed on Dragon Herder Lord's forehead. Qin Mu had "abducted" over a dozen of his dragons. These flood dragons were incredibly powerful; the Dragon King's red flood dragon from the Dragon Taming Gate was like a child compared to the ones he had raised. He had raised these dragons with his life's blood, and each possessed astonishing combat power!

If Qin Mu had truly made off with them, the loss would be immeasurable.

Furthermore, his purpose for this journey was to find the main Dragon Vein of Eternal Peace Empire. If he couldn't eliminate the main Dragon Vein, how could he face the High Heavens upon his return?

"It seems I must retrieve my Golden Dragon Jar and perform a ritual to locate my dragon children!"

Dragon Herder Lord reached into his Taotie pouch, but found it empty. His face immediately turned ashen.

He had given his Taotie pouch to Qin Mu, instructing him to refine pills and feed the dragons. Now, naturally, it was in Qin Mu's hands!

His Golden Dragon Jar was inside the Taotie pouch!

"That simple-minded boy..."

Dragon Herder Lord ground his teeth, producing a grating sound, and sparks even flew from the friction of his sharp fangs. "The next time I meet someone with a simple, honest face, I'll tear them into ten thousand pieces first! Do you think I can't find you just because you took my Taotie pouch? You're too naive!"

Dragon Herder Lord raised a hand and pulled out a large handful of hair from his head. His hair was curly, every strand twisted and bent, not a single one straight.

Not only that, his hair had branches; each strand had four branches, spread across two central points of the hair.

Moreover, when the hairs were pulled from their follicles, the roots emitted yawning sounds, like tiny dragons opening their mouths to yawn, sleepy-eyed.

Dragon Herder Lord muttered incantations. A moment later, he blew a breath onto the curly hair in his palm. The hairs floated up from his palm, and astonishingly, came to life in the air, transforming into small dragons upon landing.

These small dragons grew with the wind, instantly transforming into black flood dragons two to three zhang long, with slender bodies, thin legs, narrow necks, and long, thin limbs. They then raced across the mountains and plains.

"If you're not in the air, you can't get far."

Dragon Herder Lord's expression was volatile. He pulled another handful of hair from his head and repeated the process. Hundreds of slender-waisted black flood dragons flew off into the distance.

He pulled several more handfuls, nearly stripping his head bare of hair, before finally stopping.

Thousands of black flood dragons moved incredibly fast, each covering an area of one li. Soon, they formed a search path several thousands of li wide, sweeping forward.

These black flood dragons could sniff out dragon qi. Even if Qin Mu hid the Imperial Disc ever so carefully, it would be useless. As long as he had flood dragons or the Dragon Qilin by his side, these black flood dragons would pick up their scent and find his trace!

"No one has ever dared to deceive me like this. When I find you, I'll make you wish for death but be unable to die!"

In Jiangyin Commandery, Qin Mu looked at the wooden box, still somewhat uneasy. He said, "Can putting the Imperial Disc here truly hide it from Dragon Herder Lord? Dragon Herder Lord has taken the Dragon's Nest, and the Imperial Disc is the True Dragon Lord nurtured within the Dragon's Nest; it's extremely mystical!"

"A-ba! Ah ah ah?"

The sturdy old man carrying the wooden box, his face weathered, gestured with his hand and grinned. He had no tongue in his mouth.

Qin Mu nodded and said, "I know, how could I doubt Grandpa Mute's abilities? I'm just worried that if the box can't block the Dragon's Nest's senses, Dragon Herder Lord will find us. Dragon Herder Lord is a god from the High Heavens, an excellent dragon breeder, and incredibly powerful!"

Just now, while fleeing for his life, he saw a silver boat streak across the sky like a silver shuttle. He quickly called out "Grandpa Mute," and then saw the silver boat fly back. Mute was indeed inside the boat.

Qin Mu quickly explained the situation to him. Mute then put away the flying boat, which transformed into a pile of silver pellets that fell into the wooden box. He then instructed Qin Mu to place the Imperial Disc in the box as well.

"Ah," Mute said nonchalantly.

"Grandpa Mute, you absolutely must not underestimate him."

Qin Mu's expression was solemn. He felt Mute was being a bit overconfident and said, "By the way, Village Chief said you went to chase a boat. What kind of boat? Did you catch it? I also encountered a boat and even saw my father on it."

The smile vanished from Mute's face, and he looked somewhat dejected. He picked up the wooden box and walked forward.

Qin Mu quickly followed him, asking, "Grandpa Mute didn't find that boat?"

Mute remained dejected, gesturing to indicate that the boat had gone to a world he couldn't enter, and he had been beaten back by a powerful individual from that world.

A moment later, a voice filled with surprise and joy suddenly called out, "Human Emperor Qin, why are you here? Your Dragon Qilin truly is amazing; it actually ran ahead of us!"

Qin Mu looked towards the sound, slightly startled. He saw Wang Muran, Long Yu, and Mu Qingdai riding on a large deer, dusty and tired, heading their way.

The Dragon Qilin was smug, its tail immediately sticking straight up like a flagpole, giving the large deer from Little Jade Capital a disdainful glance.

The large deer's eyes widened, and its mouth opened. Its previously perky little tail immediately flattened against its rear, clamped tight, revealing an expression of awe.

Seeing the various sizes of flood dragons around Qin Mu, all accompanying the Dragon Qilin, the large deer's reverence grew even stronger.

Qin Mu was surprised, "It took you more than three days to get here?"

In those three days, he had traveled from the capital to the White Mountain Sword Sect, then traversed eighty to ninety thousand li from the White Mountain Sword Sect directly to the center of the Great Ruins, and then returned!

However, if he told them that, he doubted the three would believe him.