Chapter 372: Arson

Wang Muran and the others were quite perplexed. Qin Mu, riding the Dragon Qilin, was clearly moving slowly, yet unexpectedly, they found him still ahead of them. Had the Dragon Qilin, that fatty, been hiding its true strength, playing weak to ambush the strong?

The three stepped forward to exchange greetings. Long Yu looked much better than a few days ago; he was no longer frenzied and had a healthier complexion.

"This is our blacksmith, Grandpa Mute," Qin Mu introduced to everyone.

Mute grinned and handed the wooden box to Wang Muran. Qin Mu quickly warned, "Don't take it!"

Wang Muran was startled and didn't reach out to take it. Mute pouted, babbling something that sounded like a complaint about Qin Mu's lack of respect for elders.

Qin Mu didn't explain. He knew firsthand just how heavy Mute's box was; if Wang Muran had taken it, he would surely have been crushed through the ground.

If the village were to vote for the worst elder, Qin Mu would absolutely cast his vote for Mute!

Although the Cripple had tricked Qin Mu out of all his candied hawthorns since childhood, the Cripple was merely playing; after biting off two, he would return the rest to a teary-eyed Qin Mu.

Mute, however, was the truly sinister one in the village, brimming with malevolence. From childhood, the times Qin Mu had been tricked by Mute were countless.

"Two days ago, the battle that was taking place suddenly stopped. We don't know what happened."

Wang Muran said, "As we were traveling, we could no longer sense the aura of those divine clashes. However, judging by the direction, the battle location should be midway between Shuzhou and Bazhou."

He took out a map of Yankang Kingdom, located Shuzhou and Bazhou, and drew a mark in the middle.

Qin Mu was slightly startled; this was precisely where Granny Si lived!

"The place where those gods clashed isn't far from Granny's residence. I'm afraid Granny is in danger!"

He felt a little uneasy. However, the Village Chief and Master Jing You, among others, had already gone ahead. Their speed was faster, so they should have arrived long ago.

Mu Qingdai said, "We are not far from there now, less than a thousand *li* away. We can reach it in less than half a day!"

Qin Mu took out his golden flute and blew into it with his vital qi, saying, "It won't take half a day."

A flood dragon, sensing Qin Mu's spiritual energy, immediately transformed, becoming a massive creature tens of *zhang* long. Qin Mu jumped onto its back, and the Dragon Qilin followed.

"Come up," Qin Mu said. "We can get there in less than half an hour at most."

Wang Muran and the others, filled with doubt and surprise, all jumped onto the flood dragon's back. The stag also leaped up, looking suspiciously at the flood dragon, then at the Dragon Qilin, who was also standing on its back.

The Dragon Qilin, seemingly deep in thought, looked down at its own nose, completely ignoring the stag's contemptuous gaze.

Mute, carrying his box, also jumped up. The flood dragon, which had moments ago been mighty and fierce, was immediately pressed to the ground, resembling a dead snake. Its four claws flailed, carving grooves into the earth, but it couldn't stand up.

"Grandpa Mute, get down, get down!"

Qin Mu quickly added, "You're going to crush him to death!"

Mute reluctantly jumped down and made a gesture. Qin Mu's face flushed red. "Grandpa Mute, why are you cursing me? It's not that I don't respect you, but your box is simply too heavy... See? You're cursing again!"

Wang Muran and the other two exchanged bewildered glances.

Qin Mu blew his golden flute, and over ten flood dragons flew over, collectively lifting Mute. Only then was he satisfied. These dozen or so flood dragons were all exceptionally powerful, akin to top-tier cult leaders carrying Mute, so their speed was naturally unimpeded.

Everyone rushed forward at an extremely high speed. The trees on both sides flashed past almost invisibly, and only mountain peaks could be seen rapidly passing by them. On the dragon's back, the large stag continued to stare at the Dragon Qilin, its contemptuous gaze deepening, constantly snorting as if mocking the chubby creature.

The Dragon Qilin's tail drooped as it lowered its head, looking at the tip of its nose.

Qin Mu was quite pleased. "Fatty Dragon still has a sense of shame; he's not a lost cause. If I feed him the Fire Element Divine Essence Pill again tomorrow, he should stop picking it out."

Suddenly, several black, slender-waisted flood dragons emerged. Some climbed onto treetops, others flew in the air, looking up as the flood dragons escorted Qin Mu and the others past.

Qin Mu caught a glimpse and was startled.

Mu Qingdai asked in surprise, "The number of exotic beasts like flood dragons is extremely small. Why are there so many now, scattered everywhere?"

Those black flood dragons flew up, howling loudly and making strange "maha, maha" sounds. Everyone looked back to see thousands of black flood dragons flying towards them, a dense, dark mass that completely covered a mountain peak.

Then, those thousands of black flood dragons leaped, swam, and flew, chasing after them.

Qin Mu withdrew his gaze and turned his head back.

"Someone with such ability must be the Dragon Herder! Most of the flood dragons from the Dragon Herder are already with me. Where did these black flood dragons come from? They don't seem like real flood dragons."

He opened the Dragon Herder's *Taotie* pouch, took out the Dragon Herding Scripture, and carefully examined it. There was a passage within that spoke of nourishing the body with dragon qi.

"By absorbing dragon qi, one can refine the body into a dragon; through cultivation and transformation, every muscle, skin, and hair can be changed."

Qin Mu was slightly startled. He turned back to look at the black flood dragons furiously chasing them. "So these black flood dragons must be something from the Dragon Herder himself. With such a large number, they can only be his hair. As expected of a Heavenly God, he can refine even hair into dragons. Since they are hair, they must be afraid of fire..."

He blinked, and the flute's melody shifted slightly. One of the fire flood dragons carrying Mute slowed its pace, then suddenly descended into the mountain forest below.

Qin Mu steered the group of dragons onward. Behind them, the dense mass of black flood dragons pursued them relentlessly, like a black cloud.

When the black cloud of dragons flew above the fire flood dragon's location, terrifying true fire suddenly swept up from below, instantly engulfing the sky for tens of *li*. Countless black flood dragons struggled and burned in the flood dragon's true fire, and thick black smoke billowed into the air. In just a moment, the black flood dragons, formed from the Dragon Herder's entire head of hair, were completely incinerated by the fire flood dragon under Qin Mu's control.

That fire flood dragon, having incinerated the black flood dragons, wagged its head and tail as it chased after them. It quickly caught up and continued carrying Mute on their journey.

Mute gave Qin Mu an approving look and a thumbs-up. Qin Mu smiled shyly and waved his hand, "Grandpa Mute, please don't praise me so much..."

Wang Muran, Mu Qingdai, and Long Yu stared wide-eyed at each other. They watched the thousands of burning black flood dragons turn into black ash and fall in the flames, each feeling a shiver down their spine.

"Muran, you're a good child. Stay far away from the Human Emperor."

Long Yu whispered, "This person is too uncanny!"

Wang Muran hesitated. "Senior Brother, when you were going mad, I formed an alliance with him and established the Heavenly Alliance. I'm one of its four leaders, so now I'm on the same boat as him..."

Long Yu's eyes widened. After a moment, he sighed, "He will lead you astray and corrupt you."

A moment later, the Dragon Herder, riding two dragons, arrived at the site where Qin Mu had burned the black flood dragons. His face was ashen as he looked at the black ash scattered across the mountains and fields, so enraged his hands and feet trembled. "That naive brat, that naive brat..."

Only a few curly hairs remained on his head; these hairs, refined by him to be almost alive, were trembling with fright.

"I will definitely not let you go! Even if you go to heaven or burrow into the earth, I will find you! I'll tear you to pieces! Slice you into tiny bits!"

He pulled off the remaining few hairs. Those black hairs shrieked in his hand, struggling to burrow back into his pores, clearly sympathetic to the fate of their brethren.

The Dragon Herder, with a dark face, blew a breath of dragon qi. These hairs immediately transformed, turning into black flood dragons upon landing. They sniffed around, catching the scent left by other flood dragons, but dared not pursue.

"What use are you?!"

The Dragon Herder, furious, shook his head. The black flood dragons transformed back into hair, flew onto his head, and burrowed into his pores.

The Dragon Herder cut his wrist, splashing out a stream of blood. Each drop that hit the ground immediately transformed into a blood flood dragon, which then continued to search for Qin Mu's traces.

"Ahead is where Granny lives in seclusion."

Qin Mu stopped playing the flute, looked ahead, and froze.

Granny Si lived at the foot of the mountains between Bazhou and Shuzhou, beside a clear, tranquil lake. It was a very secluded place, but also deserted and barren. She had chosen such a remote location because Li Tianxing constantly caused trouble.

However, what appeared before Qin Mu and the others now was not wild mountains and barren wilderness, but an incredibly luxurious, dazzling golden palace complex!

One after another, immortal-like palaces were built, transforming this desolate backwater into a divine holy land. Tall, ornamental pillars were carved with dragons and phoenixes, smooth white marble paved the ground, and massive golden pillars supported magnificent palace structures!

The surrounding mountains had also been transformed, featuring strange rocks, bizarre pines, spiritual herbs everywhere, and flowers more splendid than brocade. Various strange exotic beasts and birds wandered within. Gardens of all sizes dotted the landscape, cultivating spiritual medicines, some of which even Qin Mu didn't recognize.

Spiritual springs, cascading waterfalls, winding paths, streams, and small rivers created a vivid ink-wash landscape.

Although they all hailed from prestigious sects and were accustomed to luxury, upon entering such a holy land, Qin Mu and the others still felt somewhat shabby. They were afraid of dirtying the ground or disturbing the meticulous arrangements.

Mute looked puzzled and made a few gestures. Qin Mu said blankly, "I don't know either. It wasn't like this when I came here before... Granny! Granny!"

He called out twice, but no one answered. Only a few large fish leaped from the water, transforming into beauties with human arms and fish bodies. They leaned elegantly against the rockery in the lake, gently singing enchanting melodies on the water's surface.

Mute made a few "ah-ah" sounds. Qin Mu nodded. "It is indeed too luxurious. I also don't know how Granny managed to acquire all this..."

They approached a divine hall. It was so exquisitely decorated that they retreated right after entering, afraid of dirtying it. Mute, however, strode inside and placed his wooden box down.

"Granny isn't here."

Qin Mu, puzzled, said to Wang Muran and the others, "Granny must have gone out. Let's wait here for a while. If she doesn't return before dark, we'll leave immediately, without a moment's delay! When it gets dark, it definitely won't be Granny returning, but the old demon!"