Chapter 536: Black-hearted Like a Demon

"You're the slowest, yet you ran through the air and landed here, exposing your position. Of course, that attracts hunters."The demonic expert watched the scattered stones on the ground with an alert but relaxed expression. "And you appear to be the easiest one to bully among everyone. How could I not come? However, your strength truly exceeded my expectations…"He gazed at the ground covered in broken stones, his pupils contracting slightly as his aura gradually expanded. "You look easy to bully, but your strength is exceptionally formidable. Although you may not possess the aptitude of a true god, you've achieved that level of power. Your strength is no weaker than that of Shuyao or Huang Yue. I'm very curious to know how much power you'll have left after your battle with Shi Quansong. Will this 'peach' be easy for me to pick?"

Flying swords gently floated up from the ground. Qin Mu straightened his back, panting heavily, then his breathing suddenly stabilized, and he smiled. "Since I became the Heavenly Devil Cult Master, it's been a long time since anyone dared to say I look easy to bully. If you want to pick this 'peach,' why don't you try it yourself?"Moments before, he had been gasping for breath, but now he seemed completely fine.

The demonic expert smiled. "Shi Quansong is incredibly strong, and I must be wary of his abilities. After your fight to the death with him, your injuries won't be light. You're suppressing your aura, but you can't hide your wounds. Don't worry, though; if your strength is still formidable enough to hurt me, I'll turn and leave, finding someone else."He surveyed his surroundings, stating calmly, "After all, there are countless other opponents hidden in these mountains. I need to preserve my strength to deal with others, don't I?"His voice carried a bewitching demonic charm, like a kind older brother next door, seemingly genuinely concerned for Qin Mu. Yet, Qin Mu remained clear-headed.As the Heavenly Devil Cult Master himself, although he often referred to himself as the Heavenly Saint Cult Master, the Heavenly Devil Cult did contain many grand masters who deeply studied demonic arts. The Great Cultivation Demonic Scripture was also extremely peculiar, changing according to one's heart. If demonic nature arose in the heart, it became a demonic art; if divine nature arose, it became righteous and honorable.As the Heavenly Devil Cult Master, Qin Mu was not so easily deceived by his demonic voice.He didn't believe a single word the demonic expert said!The purpose of those words was merely to make Qin Mu lower his guard. Turning and leaving, countless hidden opponents—if Qin Mu believed any of it, he would surely die!

Qin Mu stood still, eight thousand swords scattered and floating around him, forming the Sword-Treading Mountain and River formation, poised for action.Suddenly, the demonic expert moved, charging towards Qin Mu. The energy unleashed by his youthful, god-like physique was terrifying. Just as the power of Qin Mu's Sword-Treading Mountain and River began to unfold, the expert was about to burst out of the mountain and river depiction.Qin Mu roared, and Sword-Treading Mountain and River still locked down his figure. At that moment, the demonic expert pulled out a large flag, swept it against the sword light, and a large section of the mountain and river image vanished."A master of formations!"Qin Mu was startled. The large flag was planted in the ground, its surface unfurling to reveal countless demonic runes. As the runes spun, an eye appeared.The demonic expert retreated, leaping into the demonic eye and disappearing. The power of Sword-Treading Mountain and River erupted, but it couldn't affect the demonic flag, which was clearly a rare treasure.

Just as Qin Mu was about to summon his Carefree Sword to strike the demonic flag, the demonic expert appeared behind him. Qin Mu swung his sword backward, but another large flag appeared, and the demonic expert once again leapt into it and vanished, leaving Qin Mu to stab only air, with just another flag planted in the ground.This repeated several times, until eight large flags appeared on the ground around Qin Mu. Their surfaces spread out, connecting to the flagpoles of other flags, forming a regular octagonal array about an acre in size. At the center of each flag was an open demonic eye.Qin Mu frowned. Suddenly, streams of demonic energy shot out from each demonic eye, bombarding him.His vital qi soared, instantly forming a seemingly ethereal grand bell. The bell's walls were composed of countless intertwined lightning runes—the Five Thunder Heaven-Sustaining Bell of the Five Human Emperors!Clang! Clang! Clang!Loud clanging sounds rang out. Inside the bell, Qin Mu attacked outwards, countering the streams of demonic energy. The Five Thunder Heaven-Sustaining Bell fluctuated in size and power, growing larger and smaller, stronger and weaker. Meanwhile, the demonic flags continuously revolved around him, and the demonic energy from their eyes also varied in thickness and intensity, striking the grand bell with loud clangs and causing Qin Mu's blood and qi to churn.

As Qin Mu moved his feet, the Five Thunder Heaven-Sustaining Bell moved with him. However, the demonic flags outside also moved in tandem.The Five Thunder Heaven-Sustaining Bell was the unique art of the Five Human Emperors, a physical divine ability infused with lightning magic. The "five thunders" referred to the five great cloud thunders, which, when unleashed by a powerful physique, formed the bell's patterns. With every punch and kick, the five thunders reverberated, causing the grand bell to contract and then expand, its power surging. It was perfectly suited for breaking demonic arts.Yet, at this moment, Qin Mu couldn't break through the demonic expert's techniques.

Qin Mu's form suddenly shifted, transforming into the human-headed, snake-bodied appearance of the True Star Lord. The Gate of Bearing Heaven appeared behind him. He spun once, and the Gate of Bearing Heaven swept through the eight flags, only to be instantly shattered by streams of demonic energy.The Gate of Bearing Heaven had failed to force out the demonic expert's true form."Open Eye!"Layers of formation patterns rotated in Qin Mu's eyes as he scanned in all directions. He couldn't pinpoint the demonic expert's location, only seeing figures moving swiftly within the flags, like phantoms.Within the formation, the streams of demonic energy, after striking the grand bell, did not completely dissipate. Instead, they formed invisible threads that spread through the space, dividing it into numerous cubes. Within each cubic space, demonic runes were constantly forming.

This was a master of formations. His previous attacks were merely a feint; his true objective was to trap Qin Mu in his killing array and refine him!This way, he could conserve his strength for dealing with others.He intended to eliminate Qin Mu with the least possible effort.Qin Mu's magic power far surpassed his peers, and his divine abilities were fierce and domineering. Few could force Qin Mu onto the defensive; only a handful of powerful individuals like Human Emperor First Ancestor and the Village Chief could suppress him at the same cultivation level. Yet, this demonic expert was one of them.It was not surprising that First Ancestor and the Village Chief, being masters who had 'entered the Dao,' could achieve this. But for a demonic expert of the younger generation to do so highlighted the depth of his mastery in formations."A formation, then?"

Qin Mu suddenly dispersed the Five Thunder Heaven-Sustaining Bell. He reached out and grasped his sword pellet, clenching it tightly. Tiny flying swords flowed like water, forming a large spear.Upon closer inspection, this silver spear was composed of countless hair-thin flying swords. These minute swords continuously flowed, each performing a sword-wrapping technique, while the spear tip was the Carefree Sword, incredibly sharp.Concurrently, various runes appeared around Qin Mu's body. These weren't powerful divine ability imprints but mathematical symbols: the Wuji Diagram, Taiji Diagram, Sun-Moon-Human runes, Five Elements runes, Six Harmonies arrays, Eight Trigrams arrays, and the sixty-four hexagrams. They continuously evolved and changed, constructing a system for calculating heterogeneous spaces.The runes shifted and rearranged with astonishing speed, calculating the structure of the formation formed by the eight demonic flags. Countless runes leaped about, their deduction speed dazzling to the eye.He kept his gaze fixed, his body moving with the spear. The spear thrust forth like a dragon, enveloped in flying silver light, resembling silver flood dragons weaving through the Eight-Flag Formation. Streams of demonic energy, struck by his silver spear, shattered with a boom.

Suddenly, the eight large flags vibrated and abruptly retracted. The demonic expert's formation was broken, revealing his true form. He rolled up the flags and departed, laughing heartily. "It's rare to encounter such a master of calculation! Your strength is formidable. Farewell!"With the flag surface covering him, the demonic expert vanished instantly.Qin Mu's large spear thumped the ground. His presence was unrivaled, yet he still showed no signs of relaxing. A moment later, his aura suddenly plummeted. He coughed up blood repeatedly, panting heavily, and plopped onto the ground.

Just then, the demonic expert reappeared behind him like a phantom, thrusting the large flag like a spear towards Qin Mu, laughing. "You really are out of strength, so I've returned!"A strange smile appeared on Qin Mu's face. Sitting on the ground with his back to the expert, the large spear in his hand split into two, forming two broadswords. He held a sword in each hand, one in a standard grip, the other reversed. One blade was hidden behind him, perfectly blocking the expert's thrusting flag, while the other was concealed at his chest.Qin Mu twisted around from his seated position, and the broadsword hidden at his chest struck the demonic expert's flagpole with a resounding clang.The demonic expert was startled. The flagpole in his hand vibrated, leaving his arms numb."Do you know the ultimate killing technique of the combat arts lineage?"With their backs pressed together, Qin Mu's voice reached his ear. Qin Mu's feet were not on the ground; he was still sitting cross-legged, as if the expert were carrying him on his back.This was a trick Butcher often played with Qin Mu when he had no legs, used to test Qin Mu's "Drawing the Blade Beyond Limits" technique."Drawing the Blade Beyond Limits" was the most dangerous move in Butcher's blade art!

The demonic expert's feet crossed, his body moving like a phantom. Yet, he couldn't shake off Qin Mu. His speed was indeed faster than Qin Mu's, but with Qin Mu clinging to his back, Qin Mu's body seemed glued to his, impossible to dislodge.The demonic expert's form shifted repeatedly, his movements truly elusive and unpredictable. He finally managed to shake Qin Mu off his back, and a surge of joy filled his heart; he was finally face to face with Qin Mu.At that moment, Qin Mu's voice reached his ear: "What's your name?""My name is..."The blade light flashed. Qin Mu raised his blade with a backhand grip. Before the demonic expert could utter another word, the power of the "Drawing the Blade Beyond Limits" technique erupted."Apologies, I couldn't let you finish."Qin Mu retracted his blade. The two broadswords in his hands flowed like quicksand, transforming back into a sword pellet that he held.The demonic expert was disemboweled by that single strike, his body falling to the ground, unmoving.

Qin Mu exhaled a turbid breath and shook his head. "If another expert comes, I'm certainly dead."He listened intently. There was no sound from the surrounding mountains. After a moment, Qin Mu weakly repeated, "If another expert comes, I'm certainly dead."The majestic mountains all around remained utterly silent.*Ptooey—*Qin Mu opened his mouth, spitting a jet of blood, and fell limply to the ground. He struggled twice, then kicked his legs and stopped breathing.The surrounding mountains remained completely silent.Qin Mu's face had turned green, his body stiff, and his flesh hardened. Still, there was no movement from the surroundings. After a while, he flipped over and stood up again, his expression unchanged, and went to the fire wall to forge flying swords, clang-clang.

A demonic woman on a mountain peak looked up, cast a discreet glance at him, then suddenly retreated and walked away without looking back."That blacksmith boy is more like a demon than I am. Can't provoke him!" she sped away.Meanwhile, in the mountains, Huang Yue stopped, looking up at a mountain peak where a figure stood with a long blade on his back."Zhe Huali!"