Chapter 578: Foolish Roe Deer

Lin Xuan, the Dao Master, and others were overjoyed. Daoist Cha removed the daoist crown from his head, gently spun the Yin-Yang Taiji symbol on it, and from within, produced some ancient texts, a trident, and several stone tablets bearing sword marks. The trident appeared to be his divine weapon. He said, "These books have always been with me. They're full of strange symbols, and I can't make sense of them."

His head was covered in stiff white hair, extending from his forehead to the back of his head, though his temples were black. Unlike other daoists who wore their hair in topknots, he had a flat-top haircut, his white hair neatly trimmed, giving him a very spirited appearance.

The flat-topped daoist placed the trident back into the crown, sealed it with the Taiji print, and then put the crown back on his head.

Dao Master Lin Xuan flipped through the texts and examined the sword marks on the stone tablets. His heart pounded wildly, and he couldn't help but shed tears, saying, "My master and successive dao masters spent their entire lives diligently studying the Fourteenth Sword, yet they never fully comprehended it. It turns out the true mystery isn't in the sword itself, but in the celestial phenomena. If Master were still alive, he would be so pleased..."

Many daoists recalled the previous dao master and wept profusely.

Lin Xuan then circulated these texts among everyone. They included the subsequent cultivation methods for the Innate Grand Profound Art, as well as insights from Daoist Tianqing's research into the later sword arts of the Daoist Sword.

Daoist Tianqing's records were incredibly detailed, and his calculations were meticulous, which explained why Daoist Cha couldn't understand them.

Wang Muran whispered, "Uncle Qingyou, does our Little Jade Capital have any profound inheritances?"

Mountain Man Qingyou shook his head. "No."

Wang Muran angrily retorted, "Isn't our Little Jade Capital the foremost sacred land in Yankang? The Dao Sect and the Great Thunderclap Temple both have higher inheritances, but we don't. How can we compete with them? Even the Heavenly Saint Cult has a Heavenly Master. Does our Little Jade Capital not have any powerful figures like the Jade Emperor who passed down divine-level techniques?"

"Our Little Jade Capital is content with its own affairs; we've never vied for the title of the foremost sacred land."

Mountain Man Qingyou patiently replied, "That's merely an empty reputation given to us by the world. We don't need it."

Wang Muran was exasperated. Left with no choice, he asked Daoist Cha, "Daoist, may I ask where Cult Master Qin is?"

Daoist Cha replied, "Cult Master Qin? Many people have been looking for him today, all peculiar individuals, including someone riding an ox. However, he's not in Licheng at the moment. He left, saying he was heading towards the demon territories to let his mount gain some experience."

Wang Muran was surprised. "He went to the demon territories by himself?"

"Not exactly. Grand Emperor Heaven has already established a territory within the demon lands and set up an outpost at the ruins of Wuwang City, guarded by Venerable Deity Sangye. Many divine arts practitioners from Grand Emperor Heaven and Yankang are currently searching for scattered demon soldiers."

Daoist Cha continued, "There haven't been any major battles recently, so it's relatively calm for now. Neither side has deployed large armies; it's mostly demon and human divine arts practitioners sparring at the edges of the battlefield. Cult Master Qin will be fine."

He was referring to an unwritten rule of Grand Emperor Heaven. Here, martial prowess is highly valued, and both demons and humans revere military might. In the absence of large-scale warfare, demon divine arts practitioners engage in guerrilla tactics, and so do the humans. Many young demon and human practitioners clash in combat.

Divine beings and devils rarely intervene, allowing practitioners from both sides to engage, which is an extreme method of training the younger generation. Wang Muran and the others, being new to Grand Emperor Heaven, were unaware of these rules.

Wang Muran then asked, "Has Cult Master Qin passed the trial of the God-Suppressing Pagoda?"

"Why would he need to?"

Daoist Cha showed admiration. "As soon as he arrived in Grand Emperor Heaven, he consecutively killed the four top demon masters in the Licheng gambling battle, forcing True Demon Furiro to make his most prized disciple concede. What followed was truly legendary: Cult Master Qin was abducted by Furiro and then escaped over ten thousand li, almost wiping out all of Furiro's disciples at the Seven Stars and Six Directions realms! Many demon god disciples at the Celestial-Human realm also perished by his hand! Now, Cult Master Qin's strength is such that he no longer needs to undergo the God-Suppressing Pagoda's trial."

Wang Muran's body trembled, and he looked incredulous. He suddenly turned and asked, "Uncle, do we truly have no profound inheritances?"

Mountain Man Qingyou chuckled. "Are our Little Jade Capital's inheritances not good enough? While they may have imperfections, they are still top-tier. Once those flaws are rectified, you won't be inferior to the Dao Master. And Grand Emperor Heaven is an excellent place to complete those imperfections. You can learn from the strengths of others and integrate them with our Little Jade Capital's cultivation methods."

Wang Muran was discouraged and muttered, "Little Jade Capital has so many cultivation methods; how can integrating them be so easy?"

Mountain Man Qingyou encouraged him, "Where there's a will, there's a way. I have high hopes for you! Once you fully comprehend them, teach me first. I'm old, and my mind isn't as sharp as you young people's."

"Young Master, why hasn't Fatty Dragon transformed like Jiang Miao?"

Between Wuwang City and Licheng lay over two thousand li. Fox Spirit'er walked beside Qin Mu, observing the Dragon Qilin battling a demon expert at the Celestial-Human realm. She asked curiously, "Jiang Miao can transform, so Fatty Dragon surely can too!"

Qin Mu's breathing was long and deep. The Three Elixirs of Overlord Body art circulated within him, his vital qi emitting dragon roars as it flowed. He said, "I don't know either. Is he too fat to transform? Yet, that doesn't seem right..."

Fox Spirit'er mumbled, "I think it's because he's too lazy."

The Dragon Qilin's Qilin Pearl was incredibly powerful; in terms of cultivation, he was no weaker than a grand master at the Life and Death realm. However, his overall combat strength wasn't high, and he was getting severely bruised by the demon expert.

Qin Mu didn't offer help, standing by and watching. On the opposite side, several demon masters also refrained from intervening, observing the fight.

The rules of Grand Emperor Heaven were peculiar. If it was merely an encounter between divine arts practitioners, it was often a one-on-one duel, with very few instances of ganging up. Qin Mu's ten-thousand-li escape involved being pursued and repeatedly ambushed by hundreds of demon divine arts practitioners. The reason the demons broke the rules was because their demon gods had issued a kill order.

The Dragon Qilin fought with all his might. Suddenly, he comprehended a profound mystery of the Ancestral Dragon Grand Profound Art. He immediately activated his Qilin Pearl, transforming his Qilin flames into countless dragon-shaped fiery beings that swirled towards his opponent.

He then shook his body, and the dragon scales on him flew off, turning into shimmering mirrors that deflected the opponent's incoming divine arts.

The demon expert was flustered by his own deflected divine arts and the fire dragons. Suddenly, more dragon scales fluttered about, spinning wildly around him.

The demon expert couldn't launch any attacks; every divine art he unleashed was bounced back by the dragon scales. The encirclement formed by the scales grew tighter. The Qilin Pearl flew into the shrinking circle, erupting in a blaze of fire. A scream echoed from within, and the demon expert was reduced to ashes.

The Dragon Qilin shook his body, retracted his scales, and swallowed the Qilin Pearl. Both surprised and overjoyed, he cried out, "Cult Master, I won! I finally won a fight!"

Qin Mu was doubtful. "Spirit'er, Fatty Dragon has been training with Senior Brother Tiger for so long, and he hasn't won even once?"

Fox Spirit'er nodded. "He never won. Black Tiger God originally said it was disgraceful and wanted him to kowtow and apologize to the demons who defeated him, but eventually, Black Tiger God got used to it, and so did Fatty Dragon."

Qin Mu was speechless.

The Dragon Qilin, full of swagger, tiptoed and wagged his tail as he trotted over to them, circling Qin Mu and Fox Spirit'er a few times, looking triumphant.

A demon master walked out from the opposite side and called out, "Is that Cult Master Qin Mu over there?"

Qin Mu replied, "It is indeed Qin. May I ask who you are?"

"Just an unknown individual. Farewell!"

The demon masters hastily departed in different directions. Qin Mu frowned slightly. These demons were all powerful Celestial-Human realm experts; it would be difficult for him to defeat them one-on-one. Their decision to split up seemed unwise to him, as it would give him a chance to eliminate one of them.

"Young Master, these demons seem to be fleeing for their lives."

Fox Spirit'er took out a large basin, had the Dragon Qilin drool some saliva into it, and applied it to his wounds. She asked doubtfully, "If they teamed up, their power would likely surpass ours, yet they're fleeing. Is it possibly to deliver a message? To be safe, we should return to Licheng immediately!"

Qin Mu raised an eyebrow. "Further ahead is the Wuwang City outpost, guarded by Venerable Deity Sangye. Returning to Licheng is too far; the outpost is closer. With Venerable Deity Sangye there, ordinary demon experts wouldn't dare approach."

He jumped onto the Dragon Qilin's back. Fox Spirit'er put away the basin and also jumped on. The Dragon Qilin immediately galloped towards the Wuwang City outpost.

The outpost was still over two hundred li away, but Qin Mu could already sense Venerable Deity Sangye's aura from afar—a divine radiance emanating from him, like a pillar of light piercing the clouds.

This was the purpose of the outpost: to guide divine arts practitioners in Grand Emperor Heaven who were out in the wilderness, offering a place of refuge if they encountered danger.

Suddenly, a voice called out joyfully, "Is that Cult Master Qin?"

Qin Mu looked and saw a small mountain village in the wilderness. Several divine arts practitioners from Grand Emperor Heaven were resting there; no one else was in the village.

Most of these individuals were acquaintances. One woman, named Guan He, was a divine arts practitioner from Grand Emperor Heaven introduced to Qin Mu by Yu He. She was a Celestial-Human realm expert, ranked ninth among Celestial-Human realm masters in Grand Emperor Heaven, and extremely powerful.

She was a disciple of a deity and skilled in sword arts.

Because the Heavenly Saint Cult was about to expand in Grand Emperor Heaven, Qin Mu appointed Guan He as the head of the Heavenly Saint Cult's Grand Emperor Heaven Sword Hall.

"Guan He, what are you doing here?" Qin Mu dismounted the Dragon Qilin and looked at the other practitioners, who were also heads and incense masters of the Heavenly Saint Cult in Grand Emperor Heaven.

"It truly is the Cult Master."

Guan He smiled. "We were training nearby and encountered some demon masters. We just killed one over there. This person was extremely powerful, and I fought a hard battle for a long time before finally killing him."

Qin Mu looked in the direction she indicated. The dead demon master was indeed one of the demons who had fled earlier, and there were still traces of battle around.

"I see."

Qin Mu smiled and said, "Hall Master Guan, you've worked hard. Dusk is approaching, and I plan to go to the outpost. Would you like to come along?"

Guan He's eyes lit up. She stepped forward and chuckled, "We were just about to head back too!"

The others stepped forward, and Qin Mu led the way towards the Wuwang City outpost.

Guan He quickly followed, smiling, "Cult Master, why such a rush? We are all masters from our Cult here; who could we possibly be afraid of?"

"I've been recognized by the demons. I'm afraid they might summon powerful figures to block our path ahead."

Qin Mu smiled and said, "Hall Master Guan, who was your master again? Yu He introduced you to me last time, but I forgot to ask."

Guan He quickly replied, "My master is Tianfeng Gou, whom you've met, Cult Master."

"So it's Venerable Deity Tianfeng Gou."

Qin Mu nodded and curiously asked, "And who are the masters of these other hall masters and incense masters?"

A young man chuckled, "We are also disciples of Tianfeng Gou."

Qin Mu nodded again, patted the Dragon Qilin's thick neck as it walked beside him, and chuckled, "Hall Master Guan, when you fought that Celestial-Human realm demon expert, it must have been a quick battle. I observe that while the traces of your divine arts are significant, these marks aren't the fatal wounds. The true fatal wound was the sword Hall Master Guan thrust from behind this demon, killing his primordial spirit with a single strike. At that time, Hall Master Guan's distance from that demon master should have been as close as we are now, just like we're chatting now, and then Hall Master Guan killed him."

Guan He's expression slightly changed. Suddenly, a gigantic Qilin Pearl soared into the air, and in an instant, blazing Qilin flames erupted everywhere, incinerating everything!

From within the flames, a flying sword shot out. Guan He's sword light erupted, but just as her sword art was unleashed, Qin Mu's sword-finger, pointed at his own brow, thrust forward. His sword pellet transformed into dazzling sword light that whistled away, shattering Guan He's sword art and piercing her brow!

Qin Mu withdrew his sword. All around were the burning and screaming hall masters and incense masters of the Heavenly Saint Cult, whose heads were then severed by massive dragon scales!

The Dragon Qilin shook his body, and the dragon scales returned to him.

"Fatty Dragon, you've won a few more rounds," Qin Mu said softly, grasping his sword pellet.

"Young Master, were they the people those demons were trying to notify earlier?"

Fox Spirit'er poked her head out from the Dragon Qilin's ear and wondered, "Then Venerable Deity Tianfeng Gou..."

Qin Mu was about to speak when his ears suddenly twitched. He whirled around. "Who's there?"

A roe deer ran out of the forest, wagging its small tail and looking at him curiously. Then, a group of roe deer emerged from the woods, craning their necks to observe them with curiosity.

"Just a bunch of silly roe deer, then," Qin Mu sighed in relief.

The silly roe deer approached, gazing up at him boldly. Qin Mu's heart stirred slightly when a clear voice suddenly rang out, "Cult Master Qin, you killed my disciples. Shouldn't you give me an explanation?"