Chapter 469: Thousands Bound, Who Dares to Oppose

The scene before National Master Yan Kang suddenly shifted. When the light in front of him returned to normal, he found themselves in a celestial court, where majestic palaces stood tall, divine mountains stretched endlessly, and divine light illuminated the vast world.

“Is this a world within a painting?”

National Master Yan Kang was utterly astonished. If this was indeed a world within a painting, it was unbelievably vast!

He gazed out, but the Celestial Palace stretched seemingly without end.

The sky was filled with lofty deities; some were mighty, some sacred, some transcendent. However, most of them were simply walking about, meeting friends, toasting, and exchanging cups, creating a lively atmosphere.

Qin Mu led him into the painting, entering the celestial banquet. Long corridors stretched like bridges, vibrant rainbows shimmered, and suns and moons hung in the pavilions. Divine birds made of flame served as wicks in lanterns, emitting both light and heat.

Divine maidens plucked zither strings and played exotic instruments, while other women danced gracefully on lotus leaves floating in the air, with heavenly flowers showering around them.

Some drunken gods stumbled around, swaying with their wine pots, teasing shy divine maidens who timidly tried to avoid them.

National Master Yan Kang was overwhelmed by the sights. Their position was surprisingly at the very center of the banquet, surrounded by countless deities, and distant divine mountains glowed with dazzling light.

Earth Count was not far from him, with nine-curved horns on his head, sitting unmoving while flames beneath him swirled like an abyss.

Several other immensely majestic beings also stood high above, their faces indistinct, their solemnity no less than that of Earth Count.

“National Master, you look like a country bumpkin in the city right now, just like I did when I first entered Xianglong City!”

Qin Mu burst into laughter, then suddenly grabbed a pot of wine from a plate carried by a passing divine maiden and tilted his head back, drinking heartily.

The divine maiden, infuriated, cried out, “Where did this brat come from? This is divine wine for a high god; how dare you even touch it?!”

“Nonsense!”

Qin Mu lifted a leg and kicked the divine maiden away. He then snatched another pot of wine from the flying plate, thrust it into National Master Yan Kang’s hand, and leaped onto a jade table in front of a high-ranking deity, tilting his head back to drink deeply.

The deity was enraged, raising a palm roughly the size of an acre to strike him. Qin Mu reached out, drew his sword, and a severed arm flew off.

Qin Mu burst into laughter, overturning the jade table, and shouted loudly, “Suns and moons in poetry, immortals in wine, soaring heroically from level ground to the ninth heaven!”

Swoosh!

That lofty deity had his head sliced off by Qin Mu’s sword. Qin Mu, carrying the head, stormed through the palace, wreaking havoc in the Cloud Heavens. Countless gods surged forward to attack him. Qin Mu’s sword light flashed, sending high gods flying and severing heads. He went directly to Earth Count, hung the severed head on Earth Count’s horn, and laughed heartily, “Exiled from Penglai, beyond the golden registry, before the bejeweled abbot’s jade hall!”

Earth Count erupted, his body shaking, instantly growing ten thousand feet tall with boundless divine flames at his feet.

Qin Mu activated his sword pellet, and eight thousand swords circled Earth Count, forming a swirling sword formation that cut this great deity into countless pieces. Then, rubbing his hands together, countless flying swords, like long dragons, swept in all directions. Thrilled by the slaughter, he laughed aloud, “A hundred-zhang long dragon’s body is needed, still like layers of forest with phoenix wings!”

Countless gods surged like a tide, overwhelming him.

Divine light soared to the heavens as Qin Mu shot up from the scattered limbs and severed arms, twanging his sword and singing, completely uninhibited: “How dare a thousand men restrain me, ten thousand gods turn back, unable to withstand my power! National Master, I am here to break the god in your heart!”

National Master Yan Kang burst into laughter, his previous despondency suddenly gone, replaced by a hundredfold energy. He declared loudly, “The god in my heart, why do I need you to break it?!”

He stepped forward, his sword light sweeping out. His combat power was even greater than Qin Mu’s, and wherever he passed, deities fell one after another.

In the Cloud Heaven Hall, countless gods and demons surged forward, attacking them.

Qin Mu and National Master Yan Kang stood shoulder to shoulder, back to back, at the entrance of this celestial gate, engaging in a massive slaughter.

After a long while, divine and demonic corpses piled up everywhere, covering mountains and plains. Yet, an endless stream of deities continued to surge forward, their battle cries shaking the heavens.

“How long must we keep fighting?”

National Master Yan Kang shouted, “You guard the gate; I’ll go kill the Celestial Emperor!”

Qin Mu replied, “Go!”

National Master Yan Kang charged into the Cloud Heaven Hall, where divine corpses lay strewn across the floor.

Boom!

National Master Yan Kang was sent flying backward, crashing into the hall wall beside Qin Mu. Qin Mu was startled; the deities here clearly had weak cultivation and power, and the artist who painted this magnificent scene lacked sufficient skill, which was why even he could slaughter them with ease.

Yet, National Master Yan Kang was beaten back by that Celestial Emperor!

Qin Mu blinked and secretly thought, “This artist must be quite the sycophant; it seems all his painting skill was poured into depicting the Celestial Emperor, which is why the Celestial Emperor in the painting is so powerful.”

Having learned from the Deaf Elder, Qin Mu understood very well the power inherent in an artist’s paintings.

The power of a painting depended not only on the artist’s skill but also on the subject being painted.

The stronger and more profound the painting skill, the more powerful the depicted subject would be, and naturally, it also depended on the artist's dedication.

This artist hadn't put much effort into painting the other gods and demons, investing little painstaking effort, which was why their strength wasn't formidable; even an existence like Earth Count was depicted with only average power.

Furthermore, the identity of the subject being painted was extremely important.

For instance, the Deaf Elder’s painting of the Village Chief in his youth, the ‘Sword God Carrying Sword’ scroll, displayed astonishing might and power!

This artist must have been exceptionally dedicated when painting the Celestial Emperor, capturing his divine essence. That was why this Celestial Emperor was so powerful, capable of sending National Master Yan Kang flying!

Qin Mu felt a pang of apprehension. He had brought National Master Yan Kang into the painting to conquer the fear in his heart, but if the National Master couldn’t even defeat the Celestial Emperor within the painting, such a setback might utterly shatter his conviction!

At that very moment, National Master Yan Kang came down from the wall and charged out again, his fighting spirit blazing fiercely, not diminished in the slightest!

A moment later, National Master Yan Kang was sent flying back once more. Qin Mu, activating his eight thousand swords to slaughter the surging gods, looked at the National Master leaning against the wall and saw that he was beaten black and blue.

“Uh, this is getting a bit tricky. The Celestial Emperor in the painting... his power is probably beyond that of ordinary gods…”

No sooner had he thought this than National Master Yan Kang charged forward once more.

National Master Yan Kang was beaten back again.

This repeated several times.

The Celestial Gate in front of the Cloud Heaven Hall was already piled high with the corpses of gods and demons. Qin Mu was also exhausted and panting, yet National Master Yan Kang continued to charge toward the Celestial Emperor at the top of the Cloud Heaven Hall, only to be beaten back again and again, each time more miserably than the last.

Qin Mu’s eyes flickered as he prepared to take out the Five Thunder Gourd, thinking, “Even if it means blowing this place up, I cannot let the Celestial Emperor in the painting completely defeat the National Master…”

National Master Yan Kang charged out one last time. A moment later, all the shouting and killing suddenly ceased. All the gods and demons outside the Cloud Heaven Hall showed terror, turned, and scattered.

Qin Mu stood in stunned silence. He turned to look and saw National Master Yan Kang standing behind him, holding the Celestial Emperor’s head.

At that moment, despite being covered in wounds, National Master Yan Kang smiled, a very pure and innocent smile.

The two men looked at each other and burst into laughter simultaneously.

National Master Yan Kang raised his arm, throwing the Celestial Emperor’s head far out of the Cloud Heaven Hall. He declared loudly, “With blade drawn from the forbidden, holding the monarch’s head. Heavenly Blade is truly heroic; I now comprehend the artistic conception within his blade technique and Dao!”

Qin Mu, aching all over, walked into the hall, chuckling, “You’re a monstrous genius with incredibly high comprehension. Grandpa Butcher taught me for so many years, and I only just figured out the intricacies of his blade techniques. Yet you, a sword user, can comprehend the artistic conception of his Blade Dao. My comprehension is far inferior to yours.”

National Master Yan Kang turned around and said earnestly, “A person’s comprehension, and indeed their wisdom, grows with the expansion of their horizons and knowledge. Your current cultivation and strength aren't yet sufficient, but once you reach my realm, you will have a great possibility of comprehending all mysteries. In the future, you won't be inferior to me; you will only be stronger. You could think of using the celestial banquet to break the god in my heart and re-establish my Dao heart, something I couldn’t conceive. Why does the Cult Master humble himself?”

Qin Mu approached the Celestial Emperor’s throne, dragged the headless corpse of the Celestial Emperor aside, and settled onto the throne with a plop. He said in surprise, “National Master, do you think I can surpass the path you’ve forged?”

National Master Yan Kang smiled, “You are a junior. If juniors cannot surpass their predecessors, wouldn’t that make this world truly sorrowful? What’s more, you possess a Hegemon Body.”

Qin Mu nodded confidently, “That’s true. I am a Hegemon Body, so I’m definitely stronger than you.”

National Master Yan Kang’s face darkened.

Qin Mu shifted, making room for half the seat. “Come, sit in the place only the Celestial Emperor can sit.”

The National Master hesitated. “This… isn’t this inappropriate?”

“Come on, just sit. The view from here is great!”

“Alright.”

National Master Yan Kang sat down, and the two gazed at the scenery outside the Cloud Heaven Hall. After a moment, National Master Yan Kang said, “The vast world lies entirely within sight. Sitting in this position, wielding boundless power, the life and death of any world, any living being, are all subject to my single thought. Cult Master, has this desire for power arisen within your heart?”

Qin Mu sat there, saying leisurely, “If I say yes, would you immediately kill me to eliminate a future threat for the Emperor?”

Their gazes met. National Master Yan Kang withdrew his gaze and said quietly, “No. I would only be wary of you.”

He stood up, his expression returning to calm, as composed as ever, as if nothing could alter him. Yet, Qin Mu knew that after experiencing this celestial banquet within the painting, National Master Yan Kang’s Dao heart had entered an unfathomable realm.

His Dao heart was now so firm, it was indestructible.

At this moment, National Master Yan Kang’s Dao heart was utterly flawless.

Qin Mu stood up and walked out of the painting, having gained a profound insight: “Only by breaking through the despair in one’s heart can greater hope and fighting spirit be ignited.”

The two walked out of the mural on the wall, one after the other, their feet now firmly on solid ground.

National Master Yan Kang looked back at the mural. He saw that the palaces within the painting were still intact, but countless gods and demons lay dead throughout the scene. A few other gods and demons cowered timidly in corners, trembling with terror etched on their faces.

Qin Mu stepped forward, erased the few strokes he had added, and the mural returned to its original state.

Qin Mu scratched his head, puzzled, “The artist who drew this painting possesses extremely high attainments, no less than mine. But why is there a missing corner in this painting? With their skill, they could have made the figures in the painting come alive, allowing everyone in the grand banquet to move and interact. But without that corner, the painting is dead.”

“It was probably damaged.”

National Master Yan Kang walked out, saying, “The battle outside must be over by now, right? It’s time to reinstate Xiong Xiyu as Palace Master and incorporate Western Earth into Yan Kang Nation.”

Qin Mu followed him, smiling, “If you had an imperial decree, reading it now to appoint Xiong Xiyu as the True Heavenly Palace Master should yield even better results.”

National Master Yan Kang took out an imperial decree and said, “Before this journey, I had already asked the Emperor to prepare the decree in advance.”

“The Emperor is quite the old fox,” Qin Mu remarked.

As the two left the main hall, one of the painted divine maidens in the mural suddenly stirred. She looked around, saw no one, then scurried along the wall, running out of the painting.