Chapter 539: Brotherly Bond

The woodsman sage could dismount his donkey and save face, but Zhe Huali, who was riding a tiger, found himself in a truly impossible situation. Cold sweat beaded on Zhe Huali's forehead as he looked at his right arm. Luo Wushuang had no right arm; he wielded his blade with his left, and the essence of his swordsmanship lay in its left-handed execution. To perfectly replicate Luo Wushuang's blade techniques, Zhe Huali would need to sever his own right arm! More cold sweat trickled down his forehead; he was filled with resentment. He hadn't even faced Qin Mu yet, and he was being asked to sacrifice an arm. Who could tolerate that? Who would willingly do it? But if he didn't sever his right arm, his blade techniques wouldn't be as perfect as his master Luo Wushuang's. He truly had no confidence in facing Qin Mu with imperfect techniques.

"Your state of mind doesn't significantly affect your strength."

Suddenly, a voice from behind him startled Zhe Huali out of his dilemma. Qin Mu raised an eyebrow, looking at the approaching Asura demon. He had been busy forging iron and didn't recognize Jiang Yi. Jiang Yi was covered in blood, though it was unclear if it was his own or someone else's. However, judging by his wounds, his injuries were severe. He appeared to have been carved up by countless blades, with over a hundred wounds, large and small, covering his body. Despite his grievous injuries, his fighting spirit burned fiercely, his aura was intense, and his vital energy surged. As he approached, a reek of blood and decay wafted from him, as if he carried an ocean of corpses in his wake.

Jiang Yi's gaze shifted from Zhe Huali to Qin Mu. "Your state of mind is not your strength. The power of a divine ability practitioner is manifested in their physical body, primordial spirit, and Daoist magic. A state of mind's influence on strength is negligible. An outsider sees the clearest, Zhe Huali. You've fallen into his trap; why don't you break free?"

Zhe Huali's eyes brightened, and his breathing steadied. Jiang Yi was one of his few close friends in Grand Emperor Heaven. They frequently exchanged insights and were inseparable companions, having saved each other's lives on the battlefield.

Jiang Yi continued, "What most profoundly affects strength are the physical body, primordial spirit, and Daoist magic. Zhe Huali, both your physical body and mine are stronger than his. Your primordial spirit is stronger than mine, and naturally, stronger than his. As for Daoist magic, your blade techniques are inherited from Luo Wushuang, the Divine Blade, and you've learned the demonic arts of Furi Luo, the True Demon. You possess the strengths of both divine and demonic paths. Could your Daoist magic possibly be weaker than his? He hasn't even successfully cultivated the body of a true god; how advanced can his Daoist magic be?"

Zhe Huali's confidence suddenly returned, and his demeanor relaxed. He smiled, "Sometimes, a divine ability practitioner needs both a wise teacher and a supportive friend. I already have a wise teacher, and Jiang Yi, you are my supportive friend!" With Jiang Yi's timely reminder, he finally regained his confidence, and his state of mind unconsciously returned to its peak. His strength primarily stemmed from possessing the physique and primordial spirit of a youthful true god. While his blade techniques and divine abilities hadn't yet reached the level of 'attaining the Dao,' in terms of raw power, he feared no one in the sand table world!

His primary advantage was the physical body of a youthful true god, which undoubtedly surpassed Qin Mu's and provided him with superior speed, strength, reactions, and the power of his techniques. His second advantage was his primordial spirit, one as potent as that of a youthful true god. While the full utility of the primordial spirit hadn't yet been realized for divine ability practitioners at the Seven Stars realm, a well-utilized primordial spirit could still be crucial for victory. He had two masters: Luo Wushuang and Furi Luo. Furi Luo was a demonic term meaning 'Vajra,' and his primordial spirit was exceptionally powerful. From Furi Luo, Zhe Huali learned cultivation methods to further advance his own primordial spirit. On this point, he was convinced Qin Mu couldn't match him. His third advantage lay in his blade techniques and his demonic blade. The demonic blade was his spiritual weapon, personally forged for him by Luo Wushuang. As for the blade techniques, they were Luo Wushuang's divine techniques, which Luo Wushuang had honed for nearly forty thousand years to reach their ultimate perfection! His only disadvantage was his state of mind, but he believed its impact on overall strength was minimal. Being inferior to Qin Mu in terms of state of mind was not the crucial factor for victory!

Jiang Yi smiled, clearly relieved. "Your strength is still superior to mine," he chuckled. "You were merely influenced by his words, unknowingly falling into his scheme." Zhe Huali also smiled. With a friend like this, what more could he ask for? One such true friend was all he needed!

Qin Mu frowned slightly. Zhe Huali alone was already a formidable opponent; with Jiang Yi added to the mix, he genuinely had no chance of victory.

Suddenly, Sang Hua poked her head out, her two braids dangling. She excitedly waved to Qin Mu. "Thresher! Don't be scared, I'm here! Is it just us? Where are Senior Sister Yu He, Senior Brother Shu Yao, and Senior Brother Huang Yue? Did they fall in battle?"

No sooner had she spoken than Yu He emerged with a helpless expression, followed closely by a deeply frowning Shu Yao. Sang Hua exclaimed excitedly, "Senior Sister Yu He, Senior Brother Shu Yao, what were you doing hiding in that hollow? Now there are four of us, more than enough to deal with the two of them! And Senior Brother Huang Yue? Is he also hidden in that hollow where you two were just holed up?"

Yu He's expression grew even more helpless, and Shu Yao's brow furrowed tighter. The two had been concealed, preparing to ambush Jiang Yi and Zhe Huali. But the girl's calling them out forced them to emerge, completely undermining their hidden strategy. Furthermore, even with their seemingly increased numbers, it wouldn't be much help. Sang Hua's strength was low; she hadn't yet passed the Suppressing God Pagoda's test and lacked the potential of a youthful true god, making her of no practical use. Yu He could only imagine that Sang Hua must have hidden herself as soon as she entered the battlefield. This innocent girl likely hadn't encountered any enemies, which explained why she was still alive. Qin Mu, too, was a young man who knew only how to forge iron. He acted recklessly; even before entering the sand table world, he was already engrossed in hammering away at iron, neither communicating with his companions nor observing his opponents. Qin Mu's survival until now was likely pure dumb luck, similar to Sang Hua's. The demon experts dispatched to kill him must have encountered young masters from Grand Emperor Heaven along the way and fought to their mutual demise, allowing him to live.

In Yu He's mind, even with Qin Mu and Sang Hua as nominal allies, it was no different from having no help at all. Defeating the two formidable powerhouses, Zhe Huali and Jiang Yi, would still fall entirely upon her and Shu Yao. 'I just hope these two scatterbrains don't get in the way…' she thought to herself. However, she truly had no confidence in whether she and Shu Yao alone could defeat Zhe Huali and Jiang Yi.

Shu Yao looked at Qin Mu, his brow furrowing again before he offered a gentle smile. "Brother Qin, the Thresher, are you done forging iron?" Qin Mu smiled and nodded to them both. The smile vanished from Yu He's face, and she remained silent, while Shu Yao pretended not to notice. Only Sang Hua eagerly ran over and asked, "Is your sword finished?"

Qin Mu nodded, smiling gently. "Hui," he said, "the sword is ready."

Sang Hua's eyes sparkled. "How powerful is it?"

Qin Mu replied, "Just now, Zhe Huali said his master wanted him to demonstrate his blade techniques for me, so I haven't had a chance to test the sword yet. I don't know its full power."

The two whispered and chattered about how to test the sword. Yu He, feeling as if she faced a formidable foe, tried to steady her mind, ignoring their conversation. Her gaze fixed on Jiang Yi and Zhe Huali. "Junior Brother Shu Yao," she whispered, "you deal with Jiang Yi; I'll engage Zhe Huali. I'm not confident I can defeat Zhe Huali, and Jiang Yi's injuries are more severe. Eliminate him quickly and come immediately to assist me!"

Shu Yao took a deep breath. "Senior Sister, rest assured," he said in a firm voice, "Jiang Yi is mine!"

Zhe Huali's eyes flickered. "Senior Brother Jiang Yi," he whispered, "do you choose the strong or the weak opponent?"

"Using the weak to obstruct the strong, and the strong to strike the weak — that is the essence of military strategy!" Jiang Yi laughed heartily, exuding confidence. "I'll engage the stronger opponent, and you eliminate the weaker one. Then, we two brothers can join forces and secure victory!"

Zhe Huali's expression clouded over. "Your injuries are severe," he said, "you might die."

"Don't underestimate me. I'm a disciple of Su Mo, the True Demon, and I haven't even unleashed the Heavenly Demon Sacrifice yet!" Jiang Yi burst out laughing. "Don't worry," he declared, "I will survive!" He strode forward, advancing toward Qin Mu.

Yu He and Shu Yao were stunned. Jiang Yi had explicitly stated he would engage the stronger opponent while Zhe Huali dealt with the weaker one. So why was Jiang Yi now heading towards Qin Mu? Had this demon lost his mind, believing Qin Mu to be the stronger opponent and them the weaker ones?

"Be careful, it might be a trick," Yu He whispered. Shu Yao nodded, watching Zhe Huali approach.

Meanwhile, Qin Mu looked at Jiang Yi, frowning slightly. "Hui," he said, "please wait a moment. I'm going to test my sword." Sang Hua took a step back. Qin Mu pointed a finger at his brow, and a sword pellet floated up, hovering there.

Suddenly, Furi Luo's voice echoed from beyond the heavens, reverberating throughout the sand table world: "We have lost. Withdraw from Licheng and cease hostilities!"

Everyone, both within and outside the sand table world, was momentarily stunned. Even the deities of Grand Emperor Heaven couldn't help but feel a mixture of surprise and delight. Jiang Yi's face registered disbelief. He looked up and cried out, "I'm not dead yet! Why do you say we've lost? Furi Luo, I defy you!"

From beyond the heavens, Furi Luo's colossal face materialized in the sky. He cast a cold glance at Jiang Yi. "You ungrateful brat. Su Mo, discipline your disciple and make him surrender at once!"

Su Mo, the True Demon, frowned. "Jiang Yi," he said, "we've lost this round. You and Zhe Huali are to surrender together."

Jiang Yi was incensed. "So many demon brothers died to capture Licheng," he roared, "and we're just going to give it up like this? Master, you may be willing, but I am not!"

Su Mo sighed helplessly and turned to Furi Luo. "Senior Brother, though I know your wisdom is unparalleled, wouldn't it be rather unfortunate to surrender just like this and lose Licheng?"

Furi Luo replied coldly, "Losing Licheng is far better than losing the lives of our disciples. This battle is already lost…"

"Heavenly Demon Sacrifice!" Jiang Yi shrieked, unleashing his full cultivation. Immediately, a sea of blood steamed within the sand table world, and countless decaying corpses within it piled up to form a colossal altar of flesh and blood. Jiang Yi stood atop this gruesome altar and charged at Qin Mu, roaring, "As long as I live, the demon race will not lose!"

A streak of sword light pierced the air, stunning in its brilliance. It tore through the sea of blood, flashed through his brow, and streaked ten miles through the sky. Qin Mu lowered his sword-pointing finger from his brow. The sword light contracted, transforming back into a sword pellet that flew to him.

"Zhe Huali," Qin Mu said, "this move is called Calamity's Opening." Qin Mu said calmly, "Zhe Huali, you may take this corpse back and show my swordsmanship to your master."

Zhe Huali stared at the corpse tumbling from the altar, his eyes bulging with rage, two lines of bloody tears streaming down his cheeks. Suddenly, his aura exploded, his hair bristled, and he let out an incessant shriek.

"Surrender!" From beyond the heavens, Furi Luo's cold voice resonated: "You alone are no match for the four of them!"