Chapter 463: Sword Technique and Sword Wound

Qin Mu looked up at the palace in the sky, from which many women were flying out, landing on various mountain peaks. True Heaven Palace must have already received news that Qin Mu was gathering several great aristocratic families to launch an offensive, and they were clearly prepared.

Boom!

Suddenly, a large mountain exploded, its rocks shattering and countless boulders flying off, peeling away from the peak. The transformation of this mountain was astonishing: it changed from a majestic peak into a towering mountain giant.

The mountain giant squatted, then suddenly pulled its massive legs from the ground, causing the earth to tremble violently.

Array Master He Yiyi raised her hand, and the enormous Jun City gently halted, stopping its advance.

Among the mountains, the mountain giant slowly rose to its feet. Its massive palm, roughly an acre in size, swept through the air, stirring up whistling gales, then suddenly grasped a sword-shaped mountain peak.

A piercing sound rang out as the sword-shaped mountain peak was actually pulled from the earth by this mountain giant!

As the mountain giant pulled, the rocks on the sword-shaped peak simultaneously peeled away. By the time it lifted the peak, all the rocks had fallen off, revealing its rusty, mottled core.

It was a great mountain-peak sword!

Qin Mu's expression was grim as he looked up at the mountain giant and the massive sword, both shrouded in misty clouds.

True Heaven Palace possessed an immense foundation, surpassing even the Sacred Lands of the Central Plains. Neither the Dao Sect, Great Thunderclap Temple, nor the Heavenly Devil Cult had such terrifying resources.

Boom, boom.

Loud roars echoed as one mountain peak after another transformed. The mountains and forests became giants, thousands of feet tall, seizing unimaginably huge weapons!

These were the guardians of True Heaven Palace.

Many female disciples of True Heaven Palace stood on the shoulders or heads of the mountain giants, their figures rising and falling with the giants' movements, exuding a palpable killing intent.

Qin Mu glanced at Mu Yingxue. If she hadn't poisoned the Xiong family earlier, it would have been difficult for the Yu family to seize True Heaven Palace and usurp the Xiong family's power.

These mountain giants alone constituted an incredibly formidable force, superior to an army of a million!

"Form ranks!" He Yiyi shouted.

At He Yiyi's loud command, the He family women in the city walked out, each taking out numerous array flags. As the flags fluttered in the wind, various spirit weapons of all sizes, designed for arrays, immediately descended from them.

The He family women rapidly assembled them. Qin Mu witnessed a truly astonishing sight: the He family's female divine arts practitioners quickly used the array spirit weapons to construct trebuchets, each a hundred feet tall. These trebuchets stood behind Jun City, their winches tightened!

One by one, the Fang family's female divine arts practitioners activated their divine arts. From the mountain giants walking behind them, stones continuously rolled off, compacting into large stone balls that automatically rolled into the trebuchets' large baskets.

Countless female divine arts practitioners from the Xi family scattered grass seeds. Plants and trees rapidly grew across the mountains and fields, forming a vast green ocean behind them. This ocean continuously surged, and one after another, tree giants rumbled forth.

Luo Yinyu, the Luo family's sword master, gripped her sword. *Swish, swish, swish*, tens of thousands of Luo family women behind her simultaneously gripped their swords, brimming with heroic spirit.

"Sister Fu!" Mu Yingxue suddenly shouted.

At Fu Yunxi's command, the Fu family's divine arts practitioners summoned dark clouds. The dense black clouds formed a vast sea, covering hundreds of miles with lightning and thunder. Thick, massive tornadoes descended from the clouds, twisting their bodies but not moving forward; they were controlled by the Fu family's divine arts practitioners.

Meanwhile, Mu Yingxue led the divine arts practitioners of the Mu family from Leishan City forward, releasing various poisons she had refined into the wind. The tornadoes drew the poisons into the dark clouds, which quickly changed color, turning an eerie green.

Even the continuously flashing lightning emitted a green glow.

The entire cloud layer was saturated with the Mu family's poison.

Gusts of fierce wind surged from behind Qin Mu, flapping the young man's clothes on the city tower, making them rustle forward.

The wind was cool, carrying away the excess heat from his body.

His blood was too hot.

The female divine arts practitioners of the Western Borders displayed a different kind of battlefield demeanor than those in Yankang, yet it was equally thrilling!

These women proved themselves no less capable than men; while they might appear charming and alluring to men, on the battlefield, they were the most formidable warriors!

A chilling solemnity.

Before True Heaven Palace, a deep, ominous aura permeated the air. Dark clouds loomed as if threatening to crush the city, and only the sound of the wind could be heard—no other sound—creating a maddening oppression.

Just then, a figure flew out from the palace complex within the sea of clouds. It passed directly by the mountain giants, who seemed to ignore it.

"Ba Gou!"

He Yiyi, Mu Yingxue, Fu Yunxi, and others' expressions subtly changed. They hadn't shown any fear facing the mountain giants guarding True Heaven Palace, but their faces involuntarily altered when confronted by the approaching figure.

He Yiyi let out a soft cry, and the entire Jun City immediately transformed. Jun City split apart, countless stones floated into the air, rapidly forming a large defensive array to shield the He family disciples behind them.

Her figure was lifted by a large stone, drifting towards the front of the array.

Suddenly, someone appeared beside her. He Yiyi turned her head to see Qin Mu, and a warmth spread through her heart.

"Sword Spirits, array as Heavenly Soldiers!" Luo Yinyu cried out.

Luo Yinyu shouted loudly. Tens of thousands of Luo family female divine arts practitioners manipulated their swords with qi. Countless flying swords jingled, hovering in the air, forming a massive sword array. Though numerous, the flying swords wove through the air without any disarray.

Luo Yinyu floated within the sword array, her hand gripping her sword hilt, her gaze incredibly sharp as she looked at the newcomer.

"Eight Heavenly Pillars!" Fang Caidie roared.

Fang Caidie cried out. The mountain giants behind her suddenly collided, transforming into enormous, cylindrical pillars that reached to the heavens. Eight mountain giants advanced, pulling up these pillars and carrying them on their shoulders, exuding a murderous aura.

The other families also employed their various methods, watching the newcomer with extreme tension. Even Liu Ruyin and Liu Zhenqing, the mother and daughter from the Liu family, were incredibly nervous. They approached the golden divine coffin, ready to break the seal and release the divine corpse at any moment.

Qin Mu's heart stirred. This Ba Gou, arriving alone, nearly forced the major aristocratic families of the Western Borders to use their ultimate trump cards. It had to be said that Ba Gou was truly awe-inspiring!

"How could a man named Yu from the High Heavens make the Western Border families so cautious, as if facing a formidable enemy?"

He couldn't help but wonder. The sects in the Western Borders were not as numerous as in Yankang; it was mainly governed by aristocratic families. Each of the Ten Great Families possessed considerable power, and they all had their unique strengths and extraordinary abilities. Not to mention a visitor from the High Heavens, even if a deity from the High Heavens descended, it might not make them this cautious.

This Ba Gou must be more than just a simple visitor from the High Heavens.

However, when the figure finally approached them, Qin Mu realized that Ba Gou was not the menacing, fierce individual he had imagined. Instead, he was a man of remarkable appearance: tall, burly, and quite handsome.

His attire, woven from an unknown material, had an excellent drape. Each thread seemed to be woven from runes, occasionally emitting a subtle, almost imperceptible glow.

The clothing fit him perfectly, making him appear without an ounce of excess flesh.

His attire was typical of Western Border men, with white cloth wrapped around his head, crisscrossed by gold chains. However, unlike other men, he wore very few ornaments.

He had a high nose bridge and gentle eyes; a first glance instantly made one feel favorably towards him.

When Qin Mu first saw him, he found his appearance somewhat resembled that of High Heavens' Jade Monarch. Qin Mu had once seen the Jade Monarch's corpse, and the Jade Monarch was considered a perfect man; even after being blasted to death by Emperor Yanfeng, his remains were still remarkable.

"His temperament is somewhat similar to Xu Shenghua's," Qin Mu thought.

Qin Mu studied the newcomer, revealing a surprised expression. He even felt that this Ba Gou's demeanor was somewhat similar to that of the Imperial Preceptor of Yankang!

Xu Shenghua's temperament was one of detachment, as if saying, "Nothing concerns me; I descend from beyond the heavens into the mortal world, yet remain untouched by its dust." This was related to the cultivation method he practiced. Although Qin Mu had drawn Xu Shenghua into the mortal world, its tumultuous affairs found it difficult to change this exceptional young man; he still seemed ready to abandon the mundane at any moment.

The Imperial Preceptor of Yankang, though seemingly cold and unsmiling, possessed an invincible aura—the spirit of surveying all mountains from the absolute peak.

He was an extraordinary grandmaster, his heart solely focused on reform and change. He discarded all human sentiments and formalities; anyone who obstructed his reforms and changes was a stumbling block he would remove with swift, decisive measures.

This Ba Gou from the High Heavens remarkably possessed the demeanor and temperament of both Xu Shenghua and the Imperial Preceptor of Yankang.

"Patriarch He," the turbaned man flew to the front of the array and greeted He Yiyi and the others individually: "Patriarch Mu, Patriarch Liu, Patriarch Fang..."

Although they were adversaries, everyone returned the greeting, saying, "Ba Gou."

The turbaned man smiled faintly, looking at Qin Mu, revealing two rows of eight white teeth as he smiled. He bowed again and said, "Human Emperor Qin."

Qin Mu's heart stirred slightly. He returned the bow and said, "Ba Gou. May I ask how you know of a humble, insignificant existence like myself?"

"Human Emperor Qin, there's no need to belittle yourself," the turbaned man said. "I've paid close attention to every Human Emperor throughout history. I even personally descended to the lower realm for the previous Human Emperor. You've already seen his four limbs, haven't you?"

He reached out and seized a Mu family woman, who involuntarily flew through the air, stopping six meters in front of him. She tried to struggle but couldn't move.

The turbaned man drew his sword and swung it, and a severed arm fell.

He gently waved his hand, and the severed arm flew towards Qin Mu. He smiled faintly and said, "Please observe, Human Emperor Qin."

Qin Mu's eye twitched. His vital qi surged as he carefully examined the wound on the severed arm. His eye twitched violently again, and he said in a hoarse voice, "The same sword wound."

"That was me," the turbaned man said with a gentle smile. "It seems he didn't hide the sword wounds on his body from you."

Behind the major aristocratic families' killing arrays, the Imperial Preceptor of Yankang and Xiong Xiyu watched from afar, not approaching. Suddenly, when the Imperial Preceptor saw the sword light emanating from the turbaned man, his face drastically changed, losing his composure. "This is bad! I know this Ba Gou's origin! Quickly, tell the major Western Border families to retreat!"

Xiong Xiyu shook her head. "The arrow is on the bowstring; it must be loosed. Now, even if we wanted to retreat, we couldn't. Imperial Preceptor, why are you suddenly so distraught?"

The Imperial Preceptor of Yankang took a long, deep breath, his eyes gleaming. "I recognize this sword technique, this sword path! This is the sword art that severed the old Human Emperor's four limbs. The one who has come is not merely from the High Heavens' Yu family, but a true god descended from the Upper Realm!"

At the front of the array, Qin Mu suddenly relaxed, smiling, completely devoid of tension. He leisurely said, "You couldn't have descended in your true form. If you had, would you be able to scheme and squabble in these Western Borders like a petty insect? If you didn't descend in your true form..."

He stretched his body, adopting a fierce, wolf-like posture, his gaze sharp. "It wouldn't be too much trouble to kill you!"