Chapter 428: Threats and Inducements

The Beast Hall Master's heart tightened. Just as he was about to inform the magistrate, Qin Mu suddenly stopped, tilted his head, and said, "Wait a moment. There's no need to make everyone leave."

The Beast Hall Master was slightly taken aback. Hu Ling'er and Si Yunxiang instantly grasped Qin Mu's intention. Si Yunxiang explained, "It's pointless to make them leave. Once the celestial weapon unleashes its power, no one can escape. Even if they fled to the capital, they'd likely still be caught in its attack. These weapons can extend their power hundreds of thousands of miles in an instant. If fully unleashed, they could probably cover all of Yankang."

The Beast Hall Master was struck with a chill.

They were still tens of thousands of miles from the capital, yet running that far wouldn't guarantee escape? Just what kind of weapon was that giant gourd at Fragrant Well?

Qin Mu straightened his clothes and walked towards Fragrant Well, his steps unhurried. Moments ago, he had been frantic, but now he seemed relaxed, whispering, "We cannot let the city's common folk leave."

Si Yunxiang was slightly taken aback.

"The city's common folk are this god's hostages," Qin Mu whispered. "If we let them leave, with no hostages, he'll immediately activate that giant gourd and unleash the cataclysm!"

Si Yunxiang shivered involuntarily, casting a glance at him.

The celestial weapons were incredibly powerful. During tests at Granny Si's manor, less than one percent of the Shocking Cauldron's might had been unleashed, yet it still injured masters like the Yankang Imperial Preceptor and the Village Chief. Its power radiated for hundreds of miles, causing the ground to shake violently within that entire radius!

Rather than letting the city's common folk flee, it was better for them to be at the center of the celestial weapon's blast, ensuring less suffering even in death.

"Cough, cough!"

He coughed twice, not feigning, but genuinely weak. At that moment, coughing sounds also echoed from near Fragrant Well, accompanied by a voice that sneered between coughs, "Little brat, you've chased me all the way here. Aren't you afraid I'll activate this Five Thunder Pot?"

"The Five Thunder Pot?"

Qin Mu stepped towards Fragrant Well, ascending the stairs, with Dragon King God and others following close by. He smiled, "Is this treasure called the Five Thunder Pot? May I ask, which five thunders does it contain?"

Dragon King God glanced at the courtyard ahead, frowned, and his body swayed. In an instant, he shrank, transforming into a youth clad in a sapphire blue robe. Though his expression was somewhat fierce, he was not ill-favored.

The Dragon Qilin also swayed, but only managed to suck in its belly, which then popped back out with a soft "pop." Hu Ling'er quickly covered her face, utterly mortified. "Fatty Dragon," she groaned, "don't call me Sister Ling'er anymore; it's absolutely humiliating..."

The other flood dragons clawed the air, roaring "Maha Maha," swaying back and forth. Yet, none could transform into human shape; they all merely sucked in their bellies like the Dragon Qilin, only for them to spring back out.

"These fellows have gotten quite plump since following young master; their bellies are all bulging!"

Hu Ling'er solemnly surveyed the dragons, thinking, "I should tell young master to control their diet!"

None of these flood dragons had learned transformation techniques. The Dragon Breeder King had only kept them for combat, never intending to treat them as disciples, so he hadn't taught them human speech.

Qin Mu led everyone up the steps and into the courtyard. The courtyard was vast, resembling a grand estate, with the renowned Fragrant Well of Zijing City at its center.

Fragrant Well was a renowned historical site in Zijing City. Legend held that this area was once a desolate wasteland. A long time ago, a group of refugees, escaping their pursuers, arrived here and many died of thirst. The people prayed to the heavens, and a miracle occurred: the earth spun and cracked open, revealing a giant, deep well. The water within it even had a fragrant scent, leading people to name it Fragrant Well.

A large compound had been built around Fragrant Well, with soldiers strictly guarding its exterior. Numerous divine practitioners formed multiple layers of defense both inside and outside. However, at this moment, all of them lay unconscious on the ground, none awake, clearly the work of the deity.

"The five thunders are actually divided by direction: east, south, west, north, and center—the five great cloud thunders."

As Qin Mu entered the courtyard, he saw that Fragrant Well had vanished. The large well had been forced open and cracked, from which emerged a giant gourd. Though referred to as a gourd, it bore little resemblance to one; it seemed cast from green jade, standing over five zhang tall. Various runic symbols adorned its surface, appearing like clouds yet not clouds, like dragons yet not dragons, like thunder yet not thunder.

Beneath the gourd stood a disheveled single-horned man. He was injured, with several broken bones piercing through his skin and protruding, appearing ghastly white and quite chilling.

His leg was also broken; one was a bloody mess, its bones shattered, and more than half of his foot had rotted away.

Qin Mu felt a pang of sympathy and asked with concern, "Brother, how are your injuries?"

"You did this to me. What do you *think* they're like?"

The single-horned man gave him an annoyed glance. His injuries were inflicted by Qin Mu using the waning moon, crippling him and relentlessly pursuing him. Now, Qin Mu was hypocritically asking about his condition.

Qin Mu flushed, offering an apologetic smile. "A physician's heart is like a parent's. To be honest, I'm a medical student, hailed as a divine physician and saintly hand. I am most compassionate, often treating the sick and saving lives, and I can't bear to see others injured. That's why seeing your injuries stirred my pity. If you trust me..."

"I don't trust you!"

The single-horned deity sneered, "No need for more words. This Five Thunder Pot contains five thunderclouds. These thunderclouds aren't massive; at most, they'll completely cover the borders of Yankang. Within these clouds are divine fire-bell soldiers. One ring of a bell, and the entire nation will be buried in thunder! You've chased me all the way here. Aren't you afraid I'll activate the Five Thunder Pot?"

Qin Mu stepped forward, leaning on the Five Thunder Pot to rest, and chuckled, "Why wouldn't I be afraid? But if I hadn't pursued you, wouldn't you still activate the Five Thunder Pot? Not only that, you'd likely activate the other celestial weapons as well. The Five Thunder Pot alone isn't enough to kill all Yankang citizens, but if you activate the other celestial weapons, that would be a truly deadly catastrophe. What should I call you, brother?"

The single-horned deity looked at Dragon King God, who had transformed into a youth. Dragon King God stated, "Master, he is Bai Xi, a Zero God from the Heavens."

"Senior Brother Bai Xi."

Qin Mu became serious and said, "You haven't immediately activated the Five Thunder Pot, which suggests there's room for negotiation. Since that's the case, why don't we discuss it?"

Bai Xi's eyes, small yet round, were set far apart. He asked, "How do you want to negotiate?"

Qin Mu smiled faintly. "You go to the Great Ruins, transform into a stone statue, and you'll live."

Bai Xi burst into booming laughter, then sneered, "You, a mere little brat, want me to willingly transform into a stone statue? I am, after all, a high and mighty deity from the Heavens. If I agreed to such a deal with you, wouldn't I be a laughingstock?"

Qin Mu refined a batch of spirit pills, treating himself and replenishing his vitality. "Senior Brother," he then said, "how do you wish to negotiate?"

"I'll activate the Five Thunder Pot, and you let me go. I won't touch the other celestial weapons!"

Qin Mu swallowed the spirit pill, and said weakly, "No deal."

Bai Xi's small eyes suddenly narrowed. "Don't push me to a dead end! If I can't complete the mission given to us by the high gods, I won't survive either. Either let me activate the Five Thunder Pot and release me, or I'll activate the Five Thunder Pot and we'll fight to the death! Even if I die, I can drag you all down with me!"

Qin Mu shook his head. "You can't drag any of us down."

Bai Xi laughed heartily. Qin Mu took out the True Dragon Nest, then retrieved the divine limbs he had seized from Xing An. He had assembled these limbs into a four-headed, multi-armed divine demon figure. "Senior Brother Bai Xi," he said, "I have plenty of ways to protect myself. I am proficient in teleportation and summoning. This body is something I prepared for an old friend. If you don't agree to a deal with me, I will summon him from the Duytian World. Not to mention self-preservation, killing you would be effortless."

Bai Xi's gaze fell upon the pieced-together, four-headed, multi-armed body, his small eyes narrowing further. "Are you trying to fool me? What kind of divine demon could you possibly recognize?"

Qin Mu smiled faintly, then took out a bone altar and a wooden demon god statue. He activated the Ghost-Summoning and God-Dispelling Talisman-Word Command divine ability, performing a ritual on the altar. After a moment, eerie winds howled, demonic energy surged, and various runes on the wooden demon god statue continuously lit up.

Bai Xi's expression shifted slightly, and he quickly said, "Stop! No need to summon; I believe you!"

Qin Mu immediately stopped, secretly sighing in relief. If he had continued the summoning, even if he managed to contact the Duytian Demon King, the Demon King might not have responded.

The Duytian Demon King bore a heavy responsibility and was rather timid. He had never contacted Qin Mu since their last encounter, claiming he would absolutely never return to this world.

If the Duytian Demon King knew that Yankang had hundreds of divine statues and celestial weapons of unfathomable power appearing, he would be even more reluctant to show his face.

Qin Mu took down the wooden demon god statue, placed his pieced-together divine demon body on the altar, and smiled faintly. "Can we negotiate now?"

Bai Xi's expression flickered uncertainly. After pondering for a moment, he gritted his teeth and said, "I have elders and young ones in the Heavens. If I fail to complete my mission, my race will surely be exterminated! I must return to the Heavens and bring them out!"

"Master, don't believe him."

Dragon King God whispered, "He does indeed have a race in the Heavens, but he can't simply go there or come down whenever he wishes. The Heavens have welcoming divine officials, and without their permission, no one can enter or leave without authorization!"

Qin Mu smiled faintly.

Bai Xi's expression changed drastically, and he sneered, "How could the Dragon Breeder King raise a traitor like you?"

Dragon King God sneered, "If the Dragon King hadn't been subdued by my master, would I have become a traitor?"

Bai Xi was dumbfounded, gasping, "The Dragon Breeder King was subdued by him?"

"The Dragon Breeder King, like you, was heavily wounded by me and ultimately had to submit."

Qin Mu chuckled gently, "I gave him extremely generous terms: to rule the Yong River and become its Dragon King! All those who jump into the river and die each year, all those who die from shipwrecks—they are his provisions. His meals are absolutely good. Moreover, there are hundreds of Dragon King Temples, both large and small, along the river, all dedicated to him. The Dragon Breeder King enjoys incense offerings, living a truly comfortable life."

Bai Xi laughed in anger. "Yet you want me to turn into a stone statue; that's simply outrageous! Am I perhaps not as good as that scoundrel who raises dragons?"

Qin Mu said with utmost sincerity, "Senior Brother Bai Xi, what are your demands? Feel free to state them. If I can meet them, I certainly won't be stingy. However, activating this Five Thunder Pot is non-negotiable. If you activate the Five Thunder Pot, I will fight you to the bitter end!"

Bai Xi was undecided, unable to make up his mind.

Qin Mu's eyes flickered. He glanced at the Five Thunder Pot, genuinely wary of the large gourd, and cautiously suggested, "How about this: you wait a few days. If your Heavenly deities win and activate other celestial weapons, I'll turn and leave, allowing you to activate the Five Thunder Pot. I'll return to my Great Ruins, disregard worldly affairs, and let the true gods descend to destroy the world. If, within these few days, you don't see the Heavenly deities activating other celestial weapons, then we can talk again. What do you think?"

Bai Xi gritted his teeth and declared, "Alright!"

Qin Mu laughed heartily, then coughed a few more times, gasping for breath. "Senior Brother, my health isn't well; I'll take my leave first."

Bai Xi was surprised, thinking, "This kid is quite at ease leaving me here... If my other senior brothers in the Heavens can activate other celestial weapons, whether I activate the Five Thunder Pot or not will be irrelevant. If they haven't activated them, then they are all dead, and my surrender wouldn't be a big deal."

Qin Mu walked out of the large compound, his expression suddenly turning grim, startling Si Yunxiang and the others. His face had changed too quickly.

"Saintess Xiang, order the Emperor to bring the Sun-Shooting Divine Cannon here!"

Qin Mu said fiercely, "Also, I'll write some prescriptions. Saintess, help me gather the medicinal ingredients; I want to refine a potent poison. Furthermore, have all the masters in the cult who are proficient in the Five Ghosts Transportation Art come here and transport the Five Thunder Pot as far away as possible!"

Si Yunxiang hesitated, tentatively asking, "Cult Master, isn't this perhaps not the best approach?"

"Better safe than sorry! If negotiations fail, once the Five Thunder Pot is moved, we'll immediately strike and kill him!"