Chapter 483: Black Heart

"No, I clearly bowed your soul to its demise. How can you still be alive?" Witch God Kui watched Xing An sit up, asking suspiciously, "Are you not Xing An? No, that's not right. With that bow just now, your soul clearly fractured and disintegrated. A soul that has broken down and disintegrated cannot possibly be alive! What method did you use to reassemble your dissipated soul? You certainly possess some extraordinary abilities..."

He circled Xing An, pondering, "I sensed your soul collapse just now, and then a strange soul emerged from the box and re-entered your corpse, bringing you back to life. However, I have a question: if a soul dies, even if other souls return to the body, the person is no longer themselves. How did you manage to preserve your consciousness?"

Xing An stood up, gazing up at Witch God Kui's primordial spirit, a strange glint in his eyes. His feet were also moving. Witch God Kui circled him, and he, in turn, circled Witch God Kui. Their circles, one large and one small, resembled two stars orbiting each other.

Xu Shenghua looked at Qin Mu, recalling the time he was defeated by Qin Mu. Back then, Qin Mu had used his qi to manipulate him, his imposing aura to suppress him, and the changes in his movements and stances to wear him down. That time, Xu Shenghua suffered a crushing defeat. Before either of them had even made a move, Xu Shenghua vomited blood and collapsed weakly to the ground. Later, Qin Mu treated him, leaving him with a huge debt to Qin Mu, which forced him to earn money by blacksmithing.

The techniques Witch God Kui and Xing An were now employing bore some resemblance to Qin Mu's methods then, but they were far more profound.

Xing An stared at Witch God Kui, lavishing praise. "What a treasure! Witch God Kui, you are an absolutely exquisite treasure! Among all the primordial spirits I've collected over the years, none are as powerful as yours. Witch God Kui, you will be the prize jewel of my collection!"

"Collect me?" The two had ascended from the ground into the air. Witch God Kui sneered, "Do you think I'm a mere clay idol? My magical power is immense, and my combat prowess is boundless. I am not a false god of the false Heavenly Court; I am a deity from the true Heavenly Court! I have annihilated the old dynasty of the false Heavenly Court, and countless powerful beings. Wherever I have passed, corpses piled up and blood flowed like a boundless sea! You are merely a creature who has cultivated strange and unusual techniques, a charlatan, like a street performer playing petty tricks. I know your trick: only the seven corporeal souls flew out of that box just now, not the three spiritual souls. Your three spiritual souls are still your own, but you stole the seven corporeal souls of others."

Qin Mu's expression shifted slightly. "Xing An's true essence is his three spiritual souls? He cultivated his three spiritual souls to become a god? In that case, his three spiritual souls might not be hidden in the box."

Xing An's expression changed subtly as he praised, "What a treasure, Witch God Kui! You make me admire you even more. You just bowed me to death, and I've also seen through the mysteries of your Bowing Soul Witchcraft. The so-called Bowing Soul Witchcraft does not cause the opponent's soul to disintegrate, but rather separates their seven corporeal souls from their three spiritual souls. The individuals you've 'bowed to death' still possess their souls; they are simply under your forceful control. Otherwise, how could so many vengeful spirits be clinging to you? Your witchcraft is merely an exceptionally powerful soul ability!"

Little Buddha's body trembled violently as he whispered, "So that's how it is." The many eminent monster monks guarding him, suppressing his soul which threatened to disintegrate at any moment, also suddenly realized the truth, feeling as though the clouds had parted to reveal the sun.

The Daoist techniques and divine abilities of Buddhism were unique; Buddhist eyes could perceive vengeful spirits. They had long observed Witch God Kui entangled with countless vengeful spirits, believing that converting him would be an immense act of merit, perhaps even allowing them to break through the twenty heavens of the Buddhist realm and achieve Buddhahood, becoming patriarchs. Witch God Kui's witchcraft was incredibly potent; he could 'bow' someone to death simply by knowing their name, causing their soul to scatter. However, they had failed to connect the vengeful spirits surrounding Witch God Kui with his Bowing Soul Witchcraft.

Qin Mu's heart also stirred. Xing An was indeed incredibly remarkable! Witch God Kui had performed his bow technique on him twice in total. The first time, Ban Gongcuo had activated the Bowing Soul Witchcraft, but it failed to 'bow him to death'. The second time was the recent bow, which had seemingly 'bowed Xing An to death'. In just two instances, he had discerned the profound mysteries of Witch God Kui's Bowing Soul divine ability! Such talent and comprehension were truly astonishing!

"His talent and comprehension are no less than those of the Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace! Unfortunately, this person has squandered all his energy on finding other near-deity experts and collecting others' physical bodies. If he had dedicated all his energy to cultivation... hmm, he would probably have died of old age by now, considering the Divine Bridge is broken... Wait a minute!"

Qin Mu's body trembled slightly, his eyes wide with disbelief. The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace was the most talented and insightful being he had ever encountered, unmatched in spirit, who had ushered in reforms. Even before his reforms, he was already renowned throughout the world, hailed by Old Buddha and Old Dao Master as a sage appearing once every five hundred years! The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace was currently in his prime, so who was the previous sage who emerged once every five hundred years before him? "It couldn't be..." Qin Mu's expression became odd. Given Xing An's immense talent and comprehension, with only the Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace able to compare, could it be that the sage who appeared once every five hundred years during the Village Chief's era was Xing An? Qin Mu clenched his fist. The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace had collected Cripple's leg!

Boom— In mid-air, Witch God Kui reeled from Xing An's first strike, his body swaying, his spirit embryo almost dislodged from his primordial spirit. He couldn't help but show panic. Then came another deafening bang as he suffered a second blow. His primordial spirit was struck so fiercely that true flames erupted from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, and the spirit embryo separated even further from the soul. Boom, boom, boom—the heavy blows in mid-air were incredibly rapid and dense. The spirit embryo within Witch God Kui's primordial spirit was hit, shaking wildly in all directions, creating a myriad of illusions, his face contorted in panic. He was utterly powerless to resist.

"Even the Imperial Preceptor, that anomaly, might not be a match for Xing An at this moment." Qin Mu's heart felt a chill. He glanced at Xing An's box nearby. This time, Xing An had placed the box down; he wasn't carrying it on his back. Beside the box, Ban Gongcuo drew his head back, tightening his grip on the leg in his arms.

"It's over... My master is doomed. He's no match for that monster Xing An. I had planned to profit from their mutual destruction, but now it seems I won't gain anything at all..." He took out his Taotie Pouch, stuffing the leg from his arms inside. He thought to himself, "That fellow Xing An is cunning and sly; he'll definitely force me to reattach this leg. If Cult Master Qin really poisoned this leg, I'll be dead for sure. Even if this leg isn't poisoned, Xing An will certainly sever it and won't leave it for me. Since that's the case, I might as well seize this opportunity to slip away... but it's dark outside, so I can't escape."

No sooner had he thought this than he saw Qin Mu nearby holding a fist-sized bead, muttering incantations, seemingly activating some spell. However, Xing An was too preoccupied pummeling Witch God Kui to hear what the young man was saying.

"The Black Tortoise Bead!" Ban Gongcuo's eyes widened. He recognized the bead in Qin Mu's hand—it was the Black Tortoise Bead, one of the Four Spirit Treasures of the True Heavenly Palace. However, even in his previous life as a Grand Exalted, he had only ever seen this bead, never having held it himself. "This bastard has truly outrageous luck, actually stealing the Black Tortoise Bead from the True Heavenly Palace amidst the chaos!"

No sooner had he thought this than the box beside him suddenly shifted. Ban Gongcuo's hair stood on end. He watched as the box moved twice, and then a leg sprouted from beneath it! Ban Gongcuo nearly cried out. Then several more legs emerged from beneath the box. It shook, and the box actually stood up. Before Ban Gongcuo could fully comprehend, he saw Qin Mu leap onto the box. The box, now on four legs, began to race down the mountain. Meanwhile, halfway down the mountain, the Dragon Qilin was diligently shrinking his size. As the box approached, he leaped onto it and settled down with a thud.

Ban Gongcuo was stunned. He looked at Xu Shenghua. Xu Shenghua, holding Jing Yan's hand, was waving at Qin Mu atop the box, clearly aware of what was happening. "How cunning! This scoundrel even dares to steal Xing An's box!"

Ban Gongcuo was about to shout to Xing An, but abruptly changed his mind, scrambling down the mountain with frantic speed. The box was incredibly fast, swiftly reaching the mountain gate, on the verge of rushing into the darkness. Ban Gongcuo leaped, grabbed hold of the box, and was carried into the darkness by the wildly rushing contraption. The box, filled with divine artifacts, repelled the surrounding darkness as its four legs frantically dashed into the pitch-black night.

"So, it's the Grand Exalted." Qin Mu looked back, found Ban Gongcuo dangling beneath the box, grinned, and drew his sword to strike. Ban Gongcuo took out the poisoned leg to block, and Qin Mu's sword struck the leg with a clang. "Cult Master Qin, stop!" Ban Gongcuo quickly shouted, "If you strike again, I'll scream! Let's see how you escape then!" Qin Mu sheathed his sword, a broad smile on his face. "What are you saying, Grand Exalted? We're old acquaintances; how could I possibly harm you? Grand Exalted, you're quite literally eating dirt under the box; why don't I pull you up?" He subtly kicked the Dragon Qilin. The Dragon Qilin understood, opening his mouth and brewing true fire, ready to blast Ban Gongcuo into the darkness as soon as Qin Mu pulled him up, using the darkness of the Great Ruins to eliminate him. Ban Gongcuo recoiled, sprawling beneath the box, and said, "I appreciate Cult Master's kindness. I prefer eating dirt; I'm perfectly fine here. You don't need to mind me."

Just then, Xing An's furious voice echoed from above Little Sumeru Mountain in the distance: "Great Physician Qin—I want to see if your heart is as dark as well!" "It must be," Ban Gongcuo whispered from beneath the box.