Chapter 501: Blow Up the Sect Founder

The successive Human Emperors nodded in unison, feeling a strong sense of empathy. While every Human Emperor had, in their master's eyes, deserved a beating, they had never before encountered one quite this provocative.

Each Human Emperor throughout history had been the paramount strongman of their era. Their authority wasn't solely due to their title; it was also because their power was genuinely immense, allowing them to sweep aside all opposition and rarely encounter a worthy adversary! Any Human Emperor who hadn't fought several battles against the gods of the High Heavens during their lifetime would be too ashamed to face their ancestors after death. How many individuals like that truly existed in any given era?

Yet, Qin Mu, facing these powerful and domineering figures, actually claimed he was afraid of *injuring* them, and furthermore, asserted that their cultivation techniques and divine arts were obsolete. How could they possibly tolerate such arrogance?

The Third Ancestor stretched, then calmly remarked, "All previous Human Emperors have been audacious; each one, after death, became even more arrogant, ready to fight anyone. But you're the first to call *us* obsolete! Qin Human Emperor, truly remarkable."

The Fourth Ancestor mildly commented, "It's common for disciples to defeat their masters; I, for instance, once gave my old man a good thrashing. But to claim you'll thrash *all* the old men? Qin Human Emperor, that's quite a boast. I'm eager to see if you have the skill to back it up!"

The Third Ancestor shot him a glare.

The Second Ancestor, his face solemn, said, "Qin Human Emperor is still a living person, so how to engage him in combat is a challenge. However, the First Ancestor left behind a treasure called 'Between Life and Death'. This artifact allows us to exist in a state between life and death, making it perfect for a fight."

The other Human Emperors all frowned. "The First Ancestor isn't here; who can activate 'Between Life and Death'?"

The Second Ancestor smiled. "As the First Ancestor's disciple, and with him absent, I am the master of the Five Yang Divine Hall. Naturally, I can use 'Between Life and Death'. Don't worry; I know this place better than my own home. Wait a moment, and I'll retrieve it."

Everyone present was somewhat curious about 'Between Life and Death'. They had heard of the treasure but never seen it. Rumor had it that the First Ancestor, missing his deceased wife, had forged it to open a path to Youdu and reunite with her spirit. However, such an artifact had little practical use or offensive power, which was why few had ever bothered to forge one. Yet, as a means for the living and the dead to duel, 'Between Life and Death' was utterly ingenious.

Not long after, the Second Ancestor returned. Seeing his hands empty, everyone was puzzled. "Second Ancestor," they questioned, "where is 'Between Life and Death'?"

"This *is* 'Between Life and Death'!"

The Second Ancestor shook his sleeve. Suddenly, a long river emerged from it, flowing out of the Five Yang Divine Hall. It grew wider and wider, expanding to hundreds of miles in length, and floated serenely above Fengdu City. Everyone rushed out of the Five Yang Divine Hall to look. They saw the long river suspended in the air, with a flying bridge spanning it. Beneath the bridge, a pleasure boat was moored by the riverbank.

All cheered, exclaiming, "The First Ancestor truly exerted himself to forge such a treasure just to meet his deceased wife! Come on, let's go onto the bridge!"

Qin Mu followed them onto the long bridge. The moment he stepped onto it, something miraculous happened: he saw his own flesh and blood suddenly reappear! In the Dead Realm of Fengdu, the deceased were reanimated, while the living became skeletal. Yet, this river and bridge astonishingly allowed him to regain his corporeal form, which was truly bizarre! Similarly, the other Human Emperors standing on the bridge also retained their physical bodies, rather than turning skeletal. This was clearly another marvelous function of 'Between Life and Death'.

"When I controlled the Moon Boat and became a Moon Guardian, I was able to resist the suppression of the Dead Realm and maintain my corporeal form," Qin Mu mused. "It seems the First Ancestor Human Emperor's power must have been far greater than that of a Moon Guardian!" Qin Mu marveled. The First Ancestor Human Emperor's power was unfathomable, truly a hero of the Kaihuang era!

"But this 'Between Life and Death' isn't useless at all; on the contrary, it's a powerful weapon!" He blinked, his heart pounding. He immediately realized the greatest potential of 'Between Life and Death': it allowed Fengdu to interfere with the mortal realm, to intervene in reality! 'Between Life and Death' enabled the underworld to meddle with the living world, allowing the gods and devils of Fengdu to return to the mortal realm as living beings. While it was only on this relatively small section of the river, its implications were immense!

Just imagine, with tens of thousands of gods and devils in Fengdu, who could stand against them if they could descend upon the mortal realm?

"'Between Life and Death', if used properly, is a weapon of tremendous power!"

Qin Mu stood at the bridgehead and looked out. He saw the great river flowing towards Youdu, with the dark realm of Youdu faintly visible at its other end. This river was extraordinary, clearly no ordinary waterway. In Fengdu City, countless gods and devils looked up, seeing the great river floating in the sky, gently drifting and appearing exquisitely magnificent.

"It's those Human Emperors again!"

A god and devil lowered his head, turning away from the sight, and said to those around him, "Ever since these fellows arrived in Fengdu, their numbers have swelled, and they've become increasingly arrogant and domineering. They're like tyrants of our Fengdu; perhaps only the fiends from the Heavenly Devil Cult could rival them. No need to watch, disperse, and let them show off to their hearts' content."

"The First Ancestor would meet our Mistress by sailing this pleasure boat to Youdu, guiding her soul back so they could reunite on the bridge." On the bridge of 'Between Life and Death', the Second Ancestor's expression grew somber. "Later," he continued, "their meetings were discovered by Youdu. The Mistress's soul was apprehended by underworld enforcers and taken to Youdu for judgment. The First Ancestor, unaware, continued to wait for her on this very bridge, waiting for decades without her ever appearing. I stood by the river back then, watching him grow old, day by day... But let's not dwell on that!"

He brightened, looking at Qin Mu. He chuckled, "And here we have a Hegemon Body, claiming we're all obsolete. It's time to teach this junior some respect!"

Qin Mu was astonished. "Grandmasters, Ancestors," he asked, "you all know I'm a Hegemon Body?"

All the previous Human Emperors on the bridge simultaneously broke into strange smiles. In unison, they chorused, "How could we not know? Su already told us all!"

Qin Mu looked at their peculiar smiles, wondering, "Do people really become this strange after they die?"

Human Emperor Qi Kang, his eyebrows dancing with excitement, chuckled, "Su found himself a Hegemon Body as a disciple, and a formidable one at that, unmatched in the current era. When we heard, we all said that after you die, you'd beat him to death, making him die a second time."

Qin Mu was taken aback. "Why would I want to beat the Village Chief to death?"

The other Human Emperors coughed repeatedly, fearing Qi Kang would blurt out too much. Understanding their hint, Human Emperor Qi Kang stretched and chuckled, "Qin Hegemon Body, you just claimed we're old, useless, outdated, obsolete, and incapable of fighting. Now, it's time for you to prove yourself!"

Qin Mu quickly interjected, "Grandmaster, I only said your Dao methods and divine arts were outdated; I didn't say anything else..."

"Hmph!" Human Emperor Qi Kang roared, then leaped from the bridge, landing on the river's surface. He looked up, grinning. "Enough talk! Come down and let's settle this!"

His aura erupted. With seven successive booms, his seven divine chakras instantly opened. His immensely powerful Primordial Spirit stood tall on the Divine Bridge. Whistling stars converged, forming a vast stellar river that revolved around him. Below the Divine Bridge lay the dark Youdu. In the heavens, the sun, moon, Five Elements, and Five Luminaries merged into Seven Stars, each crowned by an imposing deity. And beneath the Seven Stars, the continent formed from his Spiritual Platform had already materialized!

Human Emperor Qi Kang's aura was overwhelmingly domineering. He raised a hand to seal his Divine Bridge chakra, making the Divine Bridge vanish. Next, he sealed his Life and Death chakra, causing Youdu to disappear. Then, he sealed his Heaven and Human chakra, and his Primordial Spirit vanished. His aura diminished, yet his demeanor remained incredibly wild and unrestrained. He stood on the river's surface, and behind him, a strange phenomenon materialized: black volcanoes erupting violently!

Human Emperor Qi Kang extended his right hand, clenched his fist, then extended his index finger, beckoning Qin Mu. "Qin Hegemon Body," he taunted, "come here!"

Qin Mu's heart pounded. He felt an eager thrill, barely suppressing his excitement, and hesitated. "Second Ancestor, Third Ancestor," he asked, "in our Human Emperor lineage, there isn't any 'three knives, six holes' punishment for fighting a grandmaster or ancestor, is there?"

All the previous Human Emperors burst into laughter. "We're not some demonic cult like the Heavenly Devil Cult," they chorused. "Why would we have a 'three knives, six holes' punishment? Go right ahead!"

Qin Mu felt reassured. He stepped out, landing on the river's surface, and stated solemnly, "Grandmaster, if I cause any offense..."

"Just fight!" Human Emperor Qi Kang roared, stepped forward, and unleashed a punch. Behind him, the volcanic phenomenon instantly turned incredibly violent. Peaks erupted, spewing roaring flames, and the black volcanoes instantly transformed into lava, surging skyward. Great fires and black smoke permeated the heavens, causing the river water to instantly boil! His fist's power and intent actually caused Qin Mu and the surrounding river water to fly upwards. The terrifying vibrations atomized the water into individual drops, which then floated skyward like shimmering threads, gently quivering. Human Emperor Qi Kang charged through the rising water, his fist growing larger and more domineering, his aura becoming increasingly ferocious!

Layers of array patterns rotated in Qin Mu's pupils, a galaxy coiling around a great sun in his eyes. He could even clearly discern Human Emperor Qi Kang's face colliding with individual drops of river water, watching each droplet burst and spray across his features. This was the Blind Man's Nine Heavens Eye-Opening Technique!

*Boom!*

A violent tremor shook the river's surface as Qin Mu's fist collided thunderously with Human Emperor Qi Kang's. Both their robes billowed wildly backward. Behind Human Emperor Qi Kang, the volcanic lava and fierce flames that had been shooting straight into the sky suddenly seemed to snap, bent by a hurricane, streaming backward in a perfectly straight line!

Human Emperor Qi Kang's expression changed drastically. He felt an intense discomfort in his chest. "Such monstrous vital qi cultivation..." The river water droplets, still ascending, suddenly froze mid-air. Qin Mu's fist transformed into an open palm, his vital qi surging wildly!

"Eight Thousand Swords!"

The airborne water droplets were instantly stretched into needle-thin swords—eight thousand of them. In an unpredictable flurry, these eight thousand slender swords, employing seventeen different sword forms—thrusting, parrying, cleaving, chopping, splitting, pointing, collapsing, hanging, scooping, wiping, sweeping, blocking, intercepting, flowering, swirling, swimming, and drilling—all attacked Human Emperor Qi Kang in unison.

Human Emperor Qi Kang's face twisted in alarm. He shot backward through the air, his body swaying like a wild goose skimming the river's surface, repeatedly touching and rebounding from the water three times in quick succession. His footwork was exceedingly bizarre, allowing him to evade one attack and transformation after another!

Qin Mu stepped forward with incredible speed. He raised his hands, and with a *whoosh*, countless water droplets converged into his grasp, forming a long sword. He brought the vertical sword down in a powerful chop. Countless streaks of sword light burst forth from his single strike, its momentum like a torrential storm, engulfing Human Emperor Qi Kang.

Human Emperor Qi Kang roared, soaring into the air. With a wave of his large hand, a myriad of palm shadows appeared to meet the attack. Suddenly, countless ripping sounds echoed as the eight thousand sword lights generated by Qin Mu's single strike rotated, slicing through his palms, instantly leaving them looking like torn sieves.

"Ha!"

Qin Mu stomped heavily on the river's surface, and a furious dragon of water erupted skyward. Qin Mu reached out and seized it, wielding the water dragon as a spear. He moved with the spear, and countless spear shadows pierced Human Emperor Qi Kang mid-air with swift *whooshes*. Human Emperor Qi Kang was impaled on the spear, then Qin Mu swung him, smashing him fiercely onto the river's surface, which exploded violently.

The water dragon spear in Qin Mu's hand also dissipated. He raised his hands high, reaching towards the sky. In mid-air, lightning crackled and coalesced into a thunder dragon, which shook its head and tail, thundering towards the spot where Human Emperor Qi Kang had fallen!

"Great Luo Celestial Star Palm Force!"

Qin Mu raised his hand and unleashed a palm strike. Behind him, the Great Luo Celestial Star spread out, forming a terrifying Great Luo divine power field. Three hundred and sixty ethereal divine figures materialized within this force field, all striking out with their palms in unison. This strike produced no sound. The next moment, however, the great river vibrated violently. The long river twisted in the air, a distorted force field formed by the eruption of over three hundred and sixty distinct palm forces.

Qin Mu withdrew his hand. A moment later, Human Emperor Qi Kang floated straight up from the riverbed, drifting downstream and past the long bridge of 'Between Life and Death'. On the bridge, the previous Human Emperors peered down, exchanging glances. After a moment, the Fourth Ancestor whispered, "About this Hegemon Body business, was little Su lying to us? Is it possible there truly is a Hegemon Body in this world?"