A voice, brimming with vitality, suddenly pierced the air. Though originating from a great distance, it resonated as if whispered directly into their ears, causing Qin Mu's, now the ears of an elk, to hum and vibrate.
He followed the sound with his gaze. On a distant cliff stood several figures. From the foot of the mountain to the precipice, it was a distance of six or seven *li*. Qin Mu could no longer discern their faces clearly, but the ability to project their voices so far, and with such clarity, bespoke of no ordinary individuals.
Granny Si, basket slung over her arm, chuckled, "Heaven Demon? What Heaven Demon? This old body is merely a commoner by the riverside, and this little deer is but an ordinary one, raised by this old body..."
"Mu'er, run!"
Hearing Granny Si's urgent command, Qin Mu's heart jolted. He yearned to speak, yet no sound emerged. He didn't want to leave, fearing for Granny Si's safety.
"A commoner by the riverside? Such boundless vital energy, capable of projecting voices clearly to our ears, is beyond the means of an ordinary old granny."
On that cliff, a voice, aged yet booming, scoffed coldly, "Furthermore, the Heaven Demon's good fortune and merit are something we, the Five Elders of Li Jiang, would never mistake. Peeling skin to make garments, a myriad of transformations – we have witnessed such vicious methods firsthand. Do you still intend to quibble?"
Another elder on the cliff spoke with a heavy tone, "The Heaven Demon's good fortune and merit turn people into livestock, dragged to market to be slaughtered and sold. Haven't you done few of such deeds? Many predecessors of our righteous path were even transformed into cattle and sheep by you demon heads, condemned to a lifetime of plowing fields and grazing! Your methods cannot deceive us!"
Yet another elder's voice held a touch of pity, "A deer also possesses a life. To thus refine its skin and soul into a vile artifact… If we do not execute you, who knows how many lives will be buried at your hand? If we do not kill you, whom shall we kill?"
Granny Si's gaze twisted upon the brow of the transformed Qin Mu. Drawing out a silver needle, she whispered urgently, "These old brutes cannot harm Granny, but having you at my side would only distract me. Quickly, run! Run back to the village!"
Qin Mu hesitated no longer, immediately turning to flee. He had expected his transformation into a deer to impede his movements, but he discovered he had been mistaken. Not only did he feel no discomfort, but he ran with incredible speed, as if he had been born a deer.
"You little demon spawn, still wish to escape? How can you not become a scourge upon the common people if you escape? Li Jiang's Five Sons, this time I have brought you out for experience. That deer before you is the target of your experience. Chop it down, and bring its head to me!"
"Yes!" Five crisp voices, a mixture of male and female, rang out in unison.
The figures on the cliff flickered, leaping down the sheer face, their steps clinging to the rock as they descended. Their speed far outstripped that of a galloping horse. Upon reaching the cliff's base, where a deep pool formed from a cascading mountain stream, the five actually stepped upon the water, running across its surface towards the elk that was Qin Mu.
Granny Si's heart sank. "Spirit bodies! Their Spirit Embryo God Storehouse attainment is not weak. Mu'er's speed is no match for theirs; he will surely be overtaken!"
Just as she prepared to intercept, four figures from the cliff stepped through the air, instantly surrounding her. Another figure remained on the cliff, standing proudly, not advancing.
"The Five Elders of Li Jiang are renowned figures of the Southern Border. What brings you to the Great Ruins?"
Granny Si's eyes flickered. Seeing the four old men surrounding her on all sides, she giggled, "This Great Ruins is exceedingly perilous. Are you not afraid of losing your lives here?"
One of the Five Elders, a black-bearded old man, spoke coldly, "We heard that the Great Ruins conceal all manner of filth and evil, that some demon spirits and strange creatures who could not survive elsewhere have hidden themselves here. Therefore, we five elders have brought our disciples specifically to suppress demons and eliminate evil."
"Who is demon and who is evil, who suppresses and who eliminates whom, is yet uncertain."
Granny Si, with one hand holding her basket, the other fumbling within it to produce a pair of scissors, her old eyes appearing dim, chuckled, "This old body has not stretched her bones in a long while, but thankfully, the skills of before have not entirely gone to waste. You five old ghosts, do you also wish to be made into garments by me?"
"Demon creature, you dare to be arrogant in our presence? Do you even deserve to be arrogant?"
The Four Elders of Li Jiang roared, their forms shifting. They crossed paths, attacking Granny Si.
And at this moment, Qin Mu, running with all his might towards Cripple Old Village, heard a rumbling thunder from behind. That thunderous sound was accompanied by lightning, snow-white electric arcs illuminating the wilderness, brighter than sunlight!
He turned his head to look, only to see a surge of energy erupt where Granny Si stood, tearing up the grass and scattering rocks. Several large stones, weighing hundreds of *jin*, were suddenly swept up by a violent wind, howling outwards with incredible speed!
"Granny will be alright..."
Qin Mu's heart sank. Suddenly, he heard the rhythmic tapping of water from the river's surface. He saw two young men and women running madly across the water!
Their feet struck the river's surface, yet their forms did not sink into the water. The speed with which their feet touched and lifted off was truly too fast, even faster than his own running speed. The river water did not have time to submerge their feet before the two had already sped away!
"These two have reached the level of stepping on waves and departing, as Cripple Grandpa mentioned. I cannot do this yet. Their strength is greater than mine!"
The young man and woman sprinted across the river's heart, quickly surpassing Qin Mu. They ran from the river towards the riverbank, seemingly intending to intercept him ahead.
Qin Mu turned his head; there was still one person chasing him from behind. Another two were swiftly darting through the mountain ridges to his left. The two figures occasionally leaped up from the dense tree forest, their feet striking the tips of trees as they ran with a howl. However, they could not maintain it, and soon had to land to catch their breath.
Even so, they would quickly surpass Qin Mu and rush ahead of him.
"I cannot let them intercept me! I need to return to the village one step faster than them, and let Cripple Grandpa, Horse Grandpa, and the others go save Granny!"
Qin Mu gritted his teeth, avoiding the river's edge and veering into the tree forest. Running along the river's edge would surely lead to being blocked, as the speed of the two in the river's heart was too fast, while the speed of the two running within the tree forest was slightly slower. Therefore, rushing into the tree forest was the only path to escape.
"You little demon spawn, you and that demon head killed a deer to refine an evil artifact, and you think you can escape!"
Just as Qin Mu rushed into the tree forest, one of the two people intercepting him from within the forest suddenly increased his speed, surpassing the other, but he was still one step too late, as the elk that was Qin Mu dashed past him.
"No need to worry, he cannot escape!"
Ahead, the young man and woman wore indifferent expressions. The woman chuckled lightly, her sleeves fluttering, and her speed suddenly accelerated. She leaped vertically among the tree tips like a bird, chasing the elk in the forest. The other young man was not hurried, leading the other three to surround and rush towards Qin Mu's direction.
Qin Mu ran wildly, but was always unable to shake off these five people. Not only could he not shake them off, but he was instead forced further and further away from Cripple Old Village, gradually deepening into the Great Ruins. He had lived in Cripple Old Village for eleven years, and the farthest he had been from the village was no more than ten *li*. Now, he had gone too far. The paths around him were increasingly strange, more and more desolate, with not even a road to be found.
Suddenly, Qin Mu saw peach blossoms everywhere in a mountain valley ahead. A herd of deer resided within the peach blossom forest. He rushed past, mixing into the deer herd.
*Whoosh*—
A fragrant wind flashed past. The woman's sleeves floated down, and she landed on the ground, looking at the deer herd before her, wrinkling her brows.
"Senior Sister, where is that demon spawn?" A figure descended, a youth similar in age to Qin Mu, asking.
The woman pursed her lips, saying, "He's mixed into the deer herd."
"Kill all these deer!"
Several young men and women rushed into the deer herd, drawing out their knives and swords, cruelly attacking the group of elk. Though the elk's speed was very fast, it could not outpace these spirit bodies who had cultivated for a long time. These five young men and women were all spirit bodies, and all had already become warriors. Their strength was not weak. Even as the elk herd scattered and fled, they were hard-pressed to escape their pursuit, and quickly, one by one, the elk were chopped down.
"Didn't you say that elk also have lives?"
Suddenly, from amidst the chaotic deer herd, a human voice was heard: "Granny only killed one elk, while you have killed an entire herd. Why do you still call us the demonic path?"
"There!"
The woman's eyes lit up. Gathering her energy and channeling it into her sword, the energy of a White Tiger penetrated into the long sword. Golden energy radiated outwards. The sword left her hand, flying out, slashing towards Qin Mu within the fleeing deer herd!
Qin Mu changed direction and ran wildly, but the sword also suddenly changed direction, continuing to stab towards him!
"What martial art is this?"
Qin Mu's mind was in a whirl: "Could it be a divine ability? It doesn't seem like it. Butcher Grandpa said that divine ability is martial arts cultivated to the extreme. This woman's martial arts are far inferior to Butcher Grandpa and the others..."
The sword attacked from behind. The elk that was Qin Mu almost grazed the ground as it turned direction, barely managing to dodge it. In the instant he dodged, he caught a startling glimpse: the sword's hilt had a thin line, one end connected to the sword, the other in the woman's hand. This thin line was like silk, difficult to detect.
