Chapter 532: 临阵打铁

Perched on Black Tiger God's back, Sang Hua was incredibly nervous. This was the enemy's lair, and Black Tiger God had led them right into it. Had he perhaps betrayed them?

"But he's a deity," she reasoned, "there's no need for him to trick us. If he wanted to kill us, he could simply capture or devour us."

Despite this thought, her heart still pounded with anxiety.

After all, they were in the enemy's camp!

The Devil Race had existed in Tai Huangtian for ten to twenty thousand years. In Sang Hua's memory, they had always been utterly vicious and heinous; falling into their hands, death itself would be a blessing!

And now, here they were, deep within enemy territory.

She glanced around, seeing countless members of the Devil Race eyeing them menacingly. The sheer number of Heavenly Devils was chilling, like lurking beasts ready to pounce and tear them to shreds at any moment!

Sang Hua's palms were slick with cold sweat. Her gaze fixed on a Devil God, unable to look away.

That Devil God was bare-chested, his skin lacking the usual human texture, instead covered in swirling flame patterns that coiled around his entire body.

His eyes were equally bizarre, like two flickering flames dancing in their sockets. Seeing her look at him, he smiled, "Little girl, I've seen you before. Your family died by my hand, didn't they?"

Sang Hua clenched her fists, her eyes narrowing, but she said nothing.

Qin Mu glanced at the Devil God, his pupils contracting as he recalled his first encounter with Sang Hua. That night, Heavenly Devils attacked the city. Sang Hua's father had gone to defend against the Devil Gods and was trapped in a siege. One Devil God had infiltrated Sang Hua's home, killing most of her family.

The scene at the time had been horrific. Although he couldn't see Sang Hua's face, he could sense the long-braided girl's terror and fury.

Qin Mu had helped her hide, allowing her to escape that ordeal.

At that time, Qin Mu and Sang Hua were in two different worlds, and he hadn't clearly seen the Devil God's face. However, judging by Sang Hua's expression now, he could confirm that this bare-chested Devil God was the one who had slaughtered her family.

"The architectural style here is very similar to our Great Ruins," Qin Mu suddenly said with a smile. "I've seen many Emperor Kai's era relics in the Great Ruins, and they bear a resemblance to these palaces."

"Sister Sang Hua," Qin Mu added, "perhaps your Tai Huangtian and our Great Ruins have some connection."

He was trying to distract the girl, but Sang Hua was too preoccupied and hadn't heard him clearly.

Black Tiger God interjected, "Tai Huangtian was originally under Emperor Kai's jurisdiction, the first of the Thirty-Three Heavens, so it's not surprising the architecture is similar."

"Tai Huangtian was under Emperor Kai's jurisdiction?"

Qin Mu's heart pounded. He blurted out, "What are the Thirty-Three Heavens? And hasn't Emperor Kai's era already ended?"

Black Tiger God looked puzzled. "Emperor Kai's era ended? When? Emperor Kai is still alive, so how could his era end? As long as Emperor Kai exists, his era will never end!"

Qin Mu's mind reeled, his heart pounding wildly. Emperor Kai's era hadn't ended!

This news was utterly shocking!

However, he then recalled his past experiences in the Great Ruins and Fengdu: the Heavenly King statue in the Heavenly King Temple, acting on Emperor Kai's decree, riding a Dragon Qilin to slay the Dragon King; and Yama of Fengdu also mentioning Emperor Kai's departure to Worry-Free Village.

Both instances suggested that Emperor Kai's era should not have ended!

Yet, hearing Black Tiger God say it firsthand still left him immensely stunned.

"Qin Mu, your mind is unsettled. That's not good for a fight later."

Black Tiger God said sternly, "Your cultivation of mind is not strong enough to begin with. Why aren't you steadying your mind quickly?"

Qin Mu, still dazed, asked, "What fight?"

"We're here!"

Black Tiger God suddenly stopped and shook his body, dislodging both Qin Mu and Sang Hua. As they landed, Black Tiger God's body swayed, transforming into a deity with a tiger head and human body. He looked down at them, frowned, and declared loudly, "Master, these two are useless! Their minds are a mess! If you send them to fight, they'll most likely be utterly defeated!"

Sang Hua's emotions had been stirred by seeing the Devil God who had almost wiped out her family, making it difficult for her to compose herself. Qin Mu, too, was unsettled and dazed by Black Tiger God's revelation. Their current state was indeed far from ideal.

However, upon hearing Black Tiger God's words, both of them snapped back to reality. They looked forward, a sense of awe gripping their hearts.

In front of them, palaces were scattered in an orderly fashion. These palaces were extraordinarily strange; though bathed in raging fire, they remained undamaged. The flames seemed to emanate from within the palaces themselves, burning them almost transparent, allowing one to see the interior arrangements from the outside.

It was as if the palaces themselves emitted the flames, which then cast light, illuminating the entire city as brightly as day!

Above the palaces, deities and devils faced each other in confrontation. Qin Mu immediately spotted Saint Woodcutter, with many deities standing behind him, including Sang Hua's father.

Opposite them stood another Devil God, who, surprisingly, did not look like a devil at all, but rather appeared somewhat gentle and refined, except for the absence of ears.

Where his left ear should have been, there was a face, and another face occupied the spot of his right ear.

Qin Mu couldn't see behind him, so he didn't know if there was a face on the back of his head as well.

Grand halls encircled a black pillar several zhang thick. This black pillar resembled a dark tower, slanted and plunged into the vast plaza.

An absurdly large axe was also embedded in the plaza, its handle almost as thick as the black pillar.

It was only then that Qin Mu noticed it wasn't a black pillar or a black tower, but a massive spear.

This black spear and Saint Woodcutter's axe crossed each other, standing upright in the plaza.

These two weapons were so enormous that they caused cracks to appear in the ground.

"Enter the arena."

Black Tiger God urged, "Once the people in front of you die, it will be your turn."

Qin Mu and Sang Hua walked forward to the edge of the plaza, where they saw several other young divine arts practitioners, covered in blood and adjusting their breathing. They were still in their armor, likely having just come from the battlefield.

On the opposite side, there were also some young divine arts practitioners, but they were of the Devil Race. They too seemed to have just come from the battlefield, with injuries, each one fierce-looking and valiant.

"Master, I've brought them," Black Tiger God bowed to Saint Woodcutter above.

Saint Woodcutter asked, "Why are they so unsettled?"

Black Tiger God quickly replied, "Your junior's mental cultivation is too poor. They were so shocked to hear that it's still Emperor Kai's era that they lost their composure."

Saint Woodcutter glared at him. Black Tiger God's long ears immediately flattened against the back of his head, submissive and silent.

Saint Woodcutter looked at Qin Mu, who was rummaging through his Taotie pouch, then pulled out a piece of profound iron and poked it into the raging fire spilling from one of the palaces.

Saint Woodcutter frowned. "Unsettled mind, or just an erratic personality? I wonder if he's suitable. Did I misjudge him? He certainly wasn't this curious and erratic on the battlefield..."

The profound iron in Qin Mu's hand immediately ignited. Soon it became too hot to handle, and he quickly dropped it. When the profound iron hit the ground, the flames on it did not extinguish; in the blink of an eye, it melted into a puddle of molten iron.

The molten iron continued to burn, and in less than a breath's time, it turned into ash.

"No wonder this place is called Li City! This fire is actually Li Fire!"

Saint Woodcutter frowned again as his junior's surprised voice broke the silence: "It's not just Li Fire, there's also Devil Fire!"

Black Tiger God couldn't help but remind him, "This place has been conquered by the Devil Race. Devil Fire is hidden within the Li Fire; the demon lords use it to ambush others! Don't touch things randomly, or you might get burned to death. By the way, how did you know there was Devil Fire in the Li Fire?"

"Li Fire has high temperatures and is very effective for forging; it can easily melt profound iron but won't burn it completely to nothing."

Qin Mu explained, "Devil Fire has terrifying corrosive properties, but its temperature isn't high. The profound iron melting just now was due to Li Fire, but its complete incineration was the effect of Devil Fire."

His eyes suddenly gleamed, startling Black Tiger God. He exclaimed excitedly, "Devil Fire can also be used to forge spirit weapons, and Li Fire is a divine flame for forging spirit weapons! Coming here was absolutely the right choice; my Sword Pellet can be further refined!"

The Mute taught him the secrets of smelting, and he deeply understood the wonders of every type of flame. Seeing these two fires, he couldn't help but get excited. He immediately took out a large iron plate and a stand, then retrieved a large profound iron hammer.

"Brother Tiger, you don't know this, but my Sword Pellet has already been refined to the point of being as soft as silk. The next step is for it to flow like water. All this time, I haven't found a superior flame, but now I have!"

Qin Mu took out his Sword Pellet and smiled at the dumbfounded Black Tiger God. "Devil Fire can burn profound iron, but it can't burn profound gold essence. My sword is forged from profound gold essence, mixed with divine gold and other treasures. Devil Fire, when used for forging, can actually refine impurities."

The surrounding deities and devils looked on blankly as Qin Mu swiftly set up a smelting platform, then put on a dark felt apron. He arranged flying swords on the platform, picked one up with tongs, and placed it into the flames.

The clanging of his hammer shattered the solemn atmosphere of Li City. Qin Mu diligently forged his spirit weapon, focusing intently on each strike.

"You're actually forging?!" Sang Hua whispered. "How do you know how to forge treasures again?"

Qin Mu didn't lift his head. He replied humbly, "I've studied it for over ten years. My achievements in this are somewhat higher than in my numerology."

Sang Hua stuck out her tongue. Watching him forge, her heart suddenly calmed, and she was no longer flustered. Her father, seeing that she had also come, frowned slightly and opened his mouth, but ultimately held back from speaking.

Clang, clang, clang.

Qin Mu continued to forge without pause. Although there were over a dozen deities and devils present, the only sound was his hammering, which grated on everyone's nerves.

Suddenly, the Devil God opposite Saint Woodcutter twisted his head, changing to a different face. He spoke amiably, "Bhujiro finally meets the Celestial Master of the former False Heavenly Court. Indeed, seeing is believing. This disciple of yours is very interesting. Are you sure you want him to fight in your stead?"

Saint Woodcutter's expression remained calm. "Refining the mind is like forging iron. He was originally unsettled, but he's using blacksmithing to temper his chaotic mind and bring inner peace. This is a profound method of mental cultivation, Bhujiro. Don't you understand?"

Clang, clang, clang.

Qin Mu was still swinging his large hammer, ceaselessly striking. He showed no signs of mental refinement; instead, it looked like genuine, laborious blacksmithing.

Saint Woodcutter's eye twitched, and his composure wavered slightly. He thought, "Why is he still hammering?"

Below, Qin Mu put away the refined sword, then took out a large batch of flying swords and placed them into the fire for forging.

A vein popped on Saint Woodcutter's forehead, but he forcibly suppressed it.

Bhujiro burst into laughter. "You can't eliminate me, and I can't eliminate you. In that case, let these juniors fight for us! Celestial Master, if my side wins, you can go back and continue to sleep your peaceful autumn dreams. If your side wins, I'll yield Li City to you!"

Saint Woodcutter hesitated for a moment, listening to the continuous clanging sounds. Qin Mu was still diligently forging.

Behind him, the City Lord of Mingyi whispered, "Celestial Master, rest assured. Our Tai Huangtian also has young talents, youths with the potential to become true gods. They won't be weaker than Bhujiro's disciples."

Saint Woodcutter glanced at Qin Mu, who was still forging, and could only nod.