Chapter 375: Heavenly Principle

“Not that smile.”

Dragon Herder stared at Qin Mu’s face and shook his head, “Your former smile was the kind that made people drop all their guard; even if you held a knife and plunged it into their heart, they wouldn’t feel the slightest suspicion. But now, you’re just putting on a brave face, it’s a fake smile, not a genuine, honest one from the heart.”

Hearing his words, Wang Muran, Mu Qingdai, and Long Yu, who were beside Qin Mu, shivered, and even the large deer’s eyes showed a hint of fear.

They hadn't interacted much with Qin Mu, but they considered him a friend. Being with Qin Mu easily made one forget that besides his title as Human Emperor, he had another identity: the Heavenly Devil Cult Master!

The Heavenly Devil Cult’s foremost fiend!

In fact, when one was with Qin Mu, it was easy to forget all his identities, whether as Heavenly Devil Cult Master or Human Emperor; instead, he felt like a trustworthy friend.

Only now, hearing Dragon Herder’s words, did they feel a chill down their spines.

“As expected of the Heavenly Devil Cult Master, no wonder he’s called the Old Devil…” Long Yu thought to himself, “This generation’s Human Emperor is truly unfathomable. Even a god like Dragon Herder suffered a loss.”

Qin Mu shook his head, “Dragon Lord, you’re making me sound too terrifying. I never play mind games with friends.”

His expression was sincere, giving off a trustworthy vibe. Wang Muran and the others saw this expression, and their unease vanished.

“That’s the expression.” Dragon Herder sneered, “Heartfelt sincerity! You even show this sincere smile, and a somewhat shy one! How ridiculous, you turned around and abducted my dragon!”

His aura suddenly turned violent, erupting with terrifying waves of air that slammed against the walls of the great hall, creating thunderous sounds like crashing waves on a shore!

Qin Mu was startled. His Overlord Body Three Elixirs Art circulated, instantly making his body incredibly dense. At the same time, his sword sheath burst open, and the Worry-free Sword positioned itself horizontally in front of him as he rapidly retreated.

The next moment, with a loud bang, he was sent flying backward along with the Worry-free Sword. While still in the air, his feet continued to move erratically, executing Cripple’s Sky-Stealing Divine Legs to deflect Dragon Herder’s immense power. However, Dragon Herder’s strength was so overwhelming that even the miraculous Sky-Stealing Divine Legs struggled to completely dissipate it. Finally, with nowhere left to retreat, he slammed into the wall behind him!

Wang Muran, Mu Qingdai, and Long Yu no longer hesitated. They all struck, unleashing their strongest techniques against Dragon Herder.

The three of them were disciples of Little Jade Capital. Little Jade Capital adopted a traditional method of accepting and teaching disciples: first, they would travel among mortals, selecting youths with the best aptitude, then observing their character, patience, comprehension, adaptability, and various other abilities. Only after passing rigorous assessments would they be accepted as disciples.

This was how the three of them entered Little Jade Capital, where they were taught its finest cultivation techniques and divine arts. Their cultivation was naturally extremely powerful; it could be said that every step they took was incredibly solid, with virtually no weaknesses in any realm. In terms of cultivation realms, very few people in the world could surpass them!

Long Yu performed Heavenly Eye Sword Heart, sending two beams of sword light—one horizontal, one vertical—shooting from his pupils to strike Dragon Herder.

Mu Qingdai performed the Daoqi Jiayan Scripture, a method of dual cultivation for both Buddhism and Taoism. She was as still as a Bodhi tree, yet moved like an immortal. With a raised hand, myriad rays of light formed a massive palm, yet her palm techniques were exceptionally graceful.

Both of them specialized in one of Little Jade Capital’s cultivation techniques, diligently mastering a single art. Wang Muran, however, took a different path. Devastated by the death of his master, Zhen Sanren, he resolved to seek revenge against the Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace. Considering the Imperial Preceptor his enemy, he cultivated many different techniques.

He knew that relying solely on Zhen Sanren’s techniques and divine arts, no matter how well he mastered them, he could never surpass Zhen Sanren, who himself had died at the hands of the Imperial Preceptor. He had to forge his own path to potentially overcome the Imperial Preceptor.

Qingyou Mountain Man and others were aware of his ambition and took great care of him, personally teaching him and imparting their ultimate techniques. Consequently, although Wang Muran was the youngest among the disciples of the Upper Heavens, his cultivation and strength were the highest.

However, none of their divine arts reached Dragon Herder.

Dragon Herder’s speed was simply too fast. They struck only afterimages left by his movement, and it was only when these afterimages shattered that they realized their divine arts had missed.

Dragon Herder ignored the three of them, heading straight for the airborne Qin Mu at a speed that was almost impossible to perceive!

The large deer moved incredibly fast, appearing before Dragon Herder with just a few strides of its four hooves. Its antlers danced, comparable to spiritual weapons.

“Get out of my way, beast!”

After a loud explosion, the large deer flew through the air, crashing out of the hall and into the pouring rain outside.

“Open your eyes!” Wang Muran shouted sharply.

Mu Qingdai and Long Yu immediately realized that Dragon Herder’s speed was too great for the naked eye to track. Only by activating eye-technique divine arts like the Divine Eye or Heavenly Eye could they hope to perceive his form.

Dragon Herder’s speed was momentarily slowed by the large deer’s obstruction, but it immediately picked up again. The air in the great hall was displaced by his movement, compressing into a wall.

Behind him, Wang Muran and the other two felt themselves being pulled forward by a powerful suction force. They decided to leverage this force to charge towards Dragon Herder.

In front of Dragon Herder, Qin Mu swallowed the blood rising in his throat. Countless flying swords swished from his Taotie Pouch, soaring into the sky, instantly forming Sword Treads Mountains and Rivers!

The first stance of the sword diagram taught by the Village Chief, Sword Treads Mountains and Rivers, flashed with sword light, and mountains and rivers abruptly appeared. Before the full power of this stance could be unleashed, the mountains and rivers before him suddenly shattered.

Dragon Herder, like a savage dragon, brutally tore apart Sword Treads Mountains and Rivers, barging into that landscape.

Qin Mu’s eyes lit up, and the Worry-free Sword thrust forward.

He was waiting for this exact opportunity!

He was merely at his current cultivation realm, and Wang Muran and the others were also at their respective realms. The large deer couldn’t even defeat the Dragon Qilin, and the Dragon Qilin and other flood dragons were too afraid of Dragon Herder’s aura to move. Naturally, none of them could possibly be a match for Dragon Herder.

Therefore, the only chance to kill Dragon Herder was to use the sword diagram to obstruct his vision, with the Worry-free Sword ambushed behind it.

The moment Dragon Herder broke through the sword diagram and charged in front of him, that would be the moment the Worry-free Sword assassinated him!

They couldn’t defeat him in a straightforward fight, so they had to use a scheme!

As Dragon Herder had just broken through the first stance of the sword diagram, he was met by a cold gleam shooting towards him. He quickly raised his hand to block his brow, but the next instant, the Worry-free Sword pierced through his palm, entered his head, and exited from the back of his skull.

The Worry-free Sword, Qin Hanzhen’s divine sword, was so sharp that even Dragon Herder could not resist its pure edge.

Dragon Herder was momentarily stunned. The Worry-free Sword behind him shifted, piercing his back and emerging a short tip from his chest.

Qin Mu’s entire magical power erupted. He activated the Worry-free Sword, drawing out the divine power within it. Simultaneously, he roared, and eight thousand flying swords soared into the air, swishing towards the location of the Worry-free Sword.

In just an instant, Dragon Herder vanished, replaced by a massive sword orb. It was perfectly spherical, with sword hilts interlocking, sealing it airtight, like a flawless, gleaming golden sphere.

Qin Mu let out a breath, spitting out the blood in his mouth.

Wang Muran and the other two caught up. Seeing the massive sphere, they each breathed a sigh of relief.

Just then, the sphere suddenly stirred, and cracks appeared—a result of the sword hilts loosening, a sign that the sword orb was about to disintegrate.

“Quick, dodge!”

Qin Mu roared, frantically rushing out of the hall. Seeing this, Wang Muran and the other two immediately turned to flee. Behind them, the massive sword orb erupted with crisp clanging sounds, and flying swords shot out in all directions!

Dragon Herder’s imposing figure appeared in the center of the shooting swords, his eyes growing colder. At his feet was a pool of corrupted blood, formed when Qin Mu activated the divine power hidden within the Worry-free Sword, eroding some of Dragon Herder’s divine blood.

Qin Mu’s attack was extremely insidious and terrifying. If Dragon Herder’s body hadn’t been composed of blood, he likely would have perished instantly, dying by the sword of this cunning young man.

Qin Mu and the other three continuously flashed, dodging the sword light shooting from behind. The swords were too dense—there were eight thousand of them after all—and the speed of the incoming sword light was several times faster than Qin Mu’s own full-power sword movements.

Mu Qingdai was pierced by a beam of sword light and pinned to a bronze pillar. Although she was a proud disciple of Little Jade Capital, with extremely strong cultivation and having trained in Little Jade Capital’s movement technique, the sword light was too fast and the flying swords too numerous for her to completely evade.

Fortunately, these were Qin Mu’s swords, and Dragon Herder seemed to possess only physical strength, with no magical power in his body to unleash the full might of Qin Mu’s flying swords. The injuries were not fatal.

Even so, she was severely wounded.

Just as she was struck by a sword, cries from Long Yu and Wang Muran followed. One was pierced by a flying sword and pinned to the wall, while the other was pinned to the ground.

Qin Mu groaned. He too was pierced through the chest by a beam of sword light, but in haste, he forcibly shifted his heart, avoiding vital organs, and was pinned high up on the main beam above the palace entrance.

Outside the hall’s entrance, the stag rushed in, only to be struck by dozens of swords in an instant and sent flying backward.

“Isn’t it the True Dragon Master you want? Take it!”

Blood spilled from Qin Mu’s lips. Gritting his teeth, he activated his vital qi. The Emperor’s Disc flew from his Taotie Pouch, and he threw it towards Dragon Herder, shouting sternly, “You can kill me, but spare my three friends!”

Mu Qingdai, Wang Muran, and the others were touched. Long Yu thought to himself, “I still had prejudices against the Human Emperor. I didn’t realize he was so righteous, only thinking of him as the Heavenly Devil Cult Master…”

The Emperor’s Disc flew through the air towards Dragon Herder. At this moment, the Emperor’s Disc had transformed into the form of Dragon Jade, with numerous flowing symbols and patterns constantly shifting on its surface, truly marvelous.

“The True Dragon Master…” Dragon Herder’s mind was stirred. He raised his hand to catch the Emperor’s Disc and sneered, “The True Dragon Master was always mine. Even if you don’t hand it over, I can still get it after killing you… Hmm?”

His expression drastically changed. He quickly shook his hand, throwing the Emperor’s Disc away, and shouted sharply, “You poisoned it!”

His body immediately began to melt, rapidly shrinking like ice dropped onto a red-hot iron plate. At his feet, pools of corrupted blood quickly streamed down.

Dragon Herder shrieked repeatedly. His body swelled with bubbles, which popped, revealing tiny flood dragon heads. They shrieked in agony, struggling to escape. Some blood flood dragons managed to get out, while others dissolved, and some only managed to get half their body or just their head out.

Wang Muran and the others looked stunned, their minds blank, utterly shocked by this transformation.

Qin Mu tried to pull out the sword with force, but the palace’s door beam was too hard for him to pull it out quickly. He immediately gave up and reached back, slapping the beam. With a whoosh, the sword body passed through him, and Qin Mu tumbled down from the beam.

Qin Mu stood up, tears streaming from his eyes in pain. He quickly poured several bottles of dragon’s saliva onto his wound and declared matter-of-factly, “If I can’t beat them, of course I’ll use poison!”

Wang Muran and the others were dumbfounded again. Qin Mu’s statement made it seem as if using poison when one couldn’t win was perfectly natural, as simple as eating or sleeping.

“The people who taught this Human Emperor don’t seem like good people at all…” Long Yu wondered in his heart.

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