Chapter 560: 幽都阴差

Black Tiger God was prostrate on the ground. Qin Mu quickly threw the box onto his back, then, holding Fox Spirit, he leaped onto the tiger's back with the three girls and the Dragon Qilin.

Black Tiger God immediately started galloping furiously, the mountains blurring past with incomparable speed.

Qin Mu clung tightly to the tiger's back, listening to Black Tiger God's increasingly rapid breathing. He thought, "I wasn't wrong. Senior Brother Tiger's lifelong cultivation has been ruined by the fat dragon; his power has been broken. I hope he doesn't get too fat, or he won't be able to face the Holy Master... Hmm, breaking through the enemy camp and returning to Li City will likely be another challenge..."

Just then, a deafening sound like a dam collapsing and a flood rushing forward came from ahead. Qin Mu quickly braced against the strong wind and looked forward, seeing streaks of sword light tearing through the high walls of demonic energy, ripping a large opening in the demon camp.

Following these sword lights were large gourds floating in mid-air. Around the gourds, cultivators of divine arts hovered, channeling their powers. Thunder surged within the gourds, and celestial lightning poured down on the demon camp like torrential rain.

Behind the thunder gourds were countless sword pellets, tens of thousands of them spinning wildly. Accompanying the lightning strikes, an endless rain of swords shot down into the demon camp from above.

And behind the sword pellets were vast formations of large warships. The True Essence cannons on these warships unleashed devastating blasts that plowed the ground, destroying the demon camp!

"It's Yan Kang's army!"

Qin Mu's spirits soared. "The swordplay that broke through the camp just now was the Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor's swordplay! That fellow truly knows how to exploit opportunities. The demon god who rushed out of the demon camp to kill us must have been the camp's commander. As soon as the commander left the camp, the Imperial Preceptor immediately spotted the weakness and seized the chance to break the formation! Only the Imperial Preceptor would be so cunning!"

The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor's sword techniques had reached the Dao, forging a Dao Heart through the Way of the Sword. No enemy weakness could escape his eyes, nor could they avoid his sword light, and the same applied to enemy formations. He transformed the Way of the Sword into a method of assault for the battlefield, making it incredibly effective in warfare.

Qin Mu felt relieved. Even if Black Tiger God was a bit out of breath, he would still be able to lead them through the encirclement and back to Li City.

Ahead, the Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor and Duke Wei, two divine beings, cleared the way. Behind them were large warships, with many soldiers carrying thunder gourds drifting down from the sky to land on the ships.

Further behind them was a massive army composed of countless exotic beasts and cultivators of divine arts.

Black Tiger God charged into the battlefield, suddenly shaking his body, flinging everyone off. He then straightened up, grabbed two massive hammers, and swung them like windmills, raining blows upon the enemies.

With one hammer strike, Black Tiger God unleashed a torrent of power that swept in all directions, sending countless demons flying into the air.

Black Tiger God furiously charged into the enemy formation, letting out a long howl. "You all go back first! I need to digest these spirit pills and refine away the fat on my belly, lest my master doesn't recognize me when I return!"

With that, the demonic god blazed a path of destruction, reaching the front lines. He led the charge, demolishing enemy camps and formations, then suddenly opened his mouth and roared. An intensely bright white light blasted away the demon god charging from the front, piercing through a hundred li before slowly dissipating.

Qin Mu was dumbfounded. He turned to look at the round, plump Dragon Qilin still suspended in mid-air, a wave of melancholy washing over him. "The Holy Master's mount is still better, even if it's a bit greedy. It knows how to cultivate and maintain a balanced physique, so it doesn't hinder its cultivation..."

The Dragon Qilin was also speechless. It glanced at Qin Mu's downcast expression, seemingly deep in thought.

A warship flew through the air, passing by them. At the bow of the ship stood a young general who, with a wave of his hand, conjured golden lotus flowers. A lotus appeared beneath each person's feet, lifting them up and delivering them onto the ship.

"Qin Feiyue, General Xiao Qin!" Qin Mu exclaimed in surprise, quickly offering a salute.

Qin Feiyue, clad in armor, bowed slightly in return. "Cult Master Qin. Princess Xiu. This humble general is in armor, so I cannot be too formal."

Behind him, another person emerged: Qin Yu, with a young dragon coiled around him. He also saluted Qin Mu and the others, "Qin Yu greets Cult Master Qin, Princess Xiu, and Saintess Xiang."

Both brothers came from the Qin clan, a prestigious family of heavenly generals. They were among the Imperial Preceptor's many disciples. After cultivating with the Imperial Preceptor for a period and achieving some success, they took up positions in the military.

The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor had many disciples, most of whom entered the military and held high positions. Ling Yuxiu, being naturally open-minded, befriended many heroes, and a significant number of her friends were Imperial Preceptor's disciples.

The first time Qin Mu met Ling Yuxiu, she was entering the Great Ruins with Qin Feiyue, planning to map its geography and conquer it.

The young dragon coiled around Qin Yu curiously raised its head, scrutinizing Qin Mu. Suddenly, it slithered down from Qin Yu and climbed onto Qin Mu, rubbing its dragon horns against his cheek and murmuring, "Ma-ha..."

Qin Yu was stunned. He quickly took out a dragon pearl, attempting to summon his young dragon back, but the little dragon clung on, reluctant to leave Qin Mu.

Qin Yu couldn't help but feel uneasy. "I couldn't compare to him even in the Imperial College, where he beat me several times. After he became the Heavenly Devil Cult Master, I could compare to him even less. Is he going to snatch away even my dragon?"

Qin Mu gently removed the small dragon and examined it repeatedly, surprised. "Could this dragon be the True Dragon from the Surging River Dragon Palace?"

Qin Feiyue nodded, saying, "The Imperial Preceptor invited the Little Poison King, Fu Yuanqing, to revive him, and then gave him to my brother."

Qin Mu's heart stirred. He smiled, "Junior Brother Qin Yu, could you lend me your little dragon for a few days?"

Qin Yu hesitated, but Qin Feiyue chuckled, "Cult Master Qin holds an extraordinary position, and as the Grand Libationer of Heavenly Saint Academy, he has raised countless flood dragons; why would he covet yours?"

Qin Yu could only nod. Qin Mu smiled, "Junior Brother Qin Yu, I won't borrow it for free. I'll give you some benefits. You'll understand what they are once I return this little dragon to you."

The young dragon shrank in size, climbed onto Qin Mu's earlobe, and hung there like a dangling earring.

Qin Mu looked into the distance, seeing the Grand Emperor's army taking advantage of Yan Kang's breakthrough, intercepting the reinforcing demon army from both sides. They were like two fists striking hard at the enemy's weak points.

Closer by, young generals led formations of warships in battle. Cannon fire plowed the ground from the sky, while cultivators of divine arts on board activated sword pellets and various abilities, blasting downwards. Behind them, strongmen cleared the way, and armies of exotic beasts and infantry slaughtered the demons.

"The generals on the other ships are also Imperial Preceptor's disciples!"

Ling Yuxiu looked around and said to Qin Mu, "The Imperial Preceptor's disciples are often nominally registered with the Imperial College of Jiangling Academy, frequently going there to teach. Many are military experts. There are also familiar faces over there, our Senior and Junior Brothers from the Imperial College!"

Qin Mu looked across and saw Wei Yong, Shen Wanyun, and others, quickly waving. However, those individuals were fully focused on channeling their spirit weapons to bombard below and didn't notice him.

A moment later, the warships shattered the enemy formation, pulverizing the demon army below. The exotic beast formations from behind then rolled over them, resulting in a brutal slaughter.

Qin Feiyue ordered the warships to halt their advance, cease cannon fire, and use spirit weapons to attack the scattering enemies below. He then stabilized the position and explained to Qin Mu, "The main reason our Yan Kang army is serving as the vanguard this time is that the cultivators of divine arts in Taihuang Heaven are too poor in their mastery of arcane arts, and their battle formations are somewhat rudimentary. The Imperial Preceptor believes their formations lack sufficient offensive power, which is why he had our Yan Kang army break the formations at the front."

Qin Mu praised, "The Imperial Preceptor is truly brilliant. Taihuang Heaven's arcane arts are indeed somewhat lacking."

Sang's face flushed with embarrassment, and she lowered her head, remaining silent.

"Although Taihuang Heaven's arcane arts are poor," Qin Feiyue continued, "their divine arts are very strong. In terms of cultivation, there are areas where Yan Kang falls short. We can only rely on battle formations for the initial charge, but for the close-quarters combat afterward, we must still rely on Taihuang Heaven's cultivators of divine arts."

Qin Feiyue activated his sword pellets, attacking the demons below from his elevated position. He sighed, "I considered myself extraordinary in the Celestial Human realm, but encountering these cultivators of divine arts from Taihuang Heaven has truly opened my eyes. With my cultivation and strength, I wouldn't even rank in Taihuang Heaven! During this charge into the enemy formation, the Imperial Preceptor ordered that no one was allowed to disembark and fight because our soldiers are simply no match for the demons at the same realm."

The battle raged on for a long time, continuing until the sun in the sky seemed to extinguish. Only then did both sides sound the gongs for retreat.

Sang asked, perplexed, "We clearly won the battle, so why are we retreating? Why can't we press on, take advantage of the enemy's defeat, and attack Lin City?"

Ling Yuxiu explained, "We are short on troops. Attacking Lin City would only spread our forces thin, giving the demons an opportunity to defeat us one by one. The Imperial Preceptor's strategy this time, winning and then retreating, is a method of gradual attrition. On this very battlefield, he will continuously wear down the demons' active forces until they are completely annihilated here. Then, the demons will surely be unable to rise to power!"

Qin Mu recalled the Woodcutter Saint's words that Taihuang Heaven could not be defended, and a hidden worry arose in his heart.

The Woodcutter Saint's words were not baseless; if he said it couldn't be defended, then it surely couldn't. The demons would certainly not fight the way the Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor hoped, and Brahma Buddha must have another plan.

In the dark battlefield, ghostly lights flickered, and portals to other dimensions appeared. Numerous wisps of ghostly fire drifted in from another world; these were small boats sailing out of Youdu, from which indistinct old men disembarked, carrying lanterns to greet the spirits of the fallen heroes.

Whether human or demon, as long as they became ghosts, they would be guided by them into Youdu.

The retreating armies below marched silently, ignoring these Youdu underworld emissaries as if they were a common sight.

Qin Mu stood at the bow of the airborne warship, watching this scene with a myriad of emotions, but he remained silent.

Just then, a small boat appeared in front of the warship, approaching quietly. The old man sitting at its bow stood up, raised his lantern, and shone its light on Qin Mu.

"Qin Fengqing, you have disturbed Youdu. Earth Lord requests your presence to explain the cause and effect," said the old man holding the lantern.

Qin Mu's heart jolted. He chuckled, "Who is Qin Fengqing? Elder, you've mistaken me for someone else."

The lantern's light shone on his face, but the old man behind the lantern remained silent.

Suddenly, with a flash of black light, Black Tiger God appeared at the bow, placing himself between the old man and Qin Mu. He bellowed, "Underworld emissaries only deal with matters after death! When did you start meddling in affairs of the living?"

The face behind the lantern was indistinct. It replied, "Youdu has its rules. Youdu does not interfere with matters of the living world, but if those in the living world disrupt Youdu's operations, Youdu must intervene. Fifteen days ago, Qin Fengqing released 48,000 ghosts from Youdu, violating Youdu's laws. He was informed fifteen days ago to go to Youdu to explain the cause and effect, but he had a treasure that blocked the message from the underworld emissary."

The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor stepped forward, saying gravely, "What if I do not permit you to take him?"

The old man behind the lantern calmly replied, "Many worlds have been destroyed because of this."

Qin Mu couldn't help but recall the scene he had witnessed in Youdu, where the Heavenly Demon King howled in the darkness with heart-wrenching pathos. He said, "Imperial Preceptor, Senior Brother Tiger, there's no need to say more. I'll go with him."