Chapter 590: You Say That Again

The Butcher, Mute, Cripple, and others closely pursued the divine and demonic army, as numerous demon ancestors and countless Youdu monstrous creatures fled frantically behind them.

After chasing for thirty to fifty li, the divine and demonic army halted. Cripple, still carrying Apothecary on his back, continued charging forward, only to suddenly realize they were the only two left. He shivered, turned around, and ran back, finally feeling relieved upon rejoining the main force.

Grandma Si whispered to him, "This is Deaf's limit; we can't go any further. If we continue the pursuit, our ruse will be exposed."

Cripple grumbled, "You didn't warn me in advance, causing me to keep charging ahead..."

Apothecary dismounted from his back, his legs still slightly trembling. He complained, "You wretched Cripple, you almost got me stranded in the thick of the battle!"

Meanwhile, Deaf was still painting furiously, his face flushed. Qin Mu noticed something was amiss, immediately stepped forward and pulled Deaf, letting out a clear, resounding roar like a dragon's cry: "Grandpa Deaf, the troops are retreating! Wake up!"

Deaf stopped his brush, a look of bewilderment on his face. Suddenly, a sweet taste filled his throat, and a mouthful of fresh blood gushed out.

Qin Mu's expression subtly changed. His fingers flew, repeatedly tapping Deaf's throat and chest to seal his rampaging qi and blood. Then, he pointed a finger at Deaf's glabella, swiftly moving around him as he unleashed the Creation Demonic Art, his finger forces landing on Deaf's body!

Deaf's current state was a result of a full-power outburst, which had damaged his heart-mind and primordial spirit. As the heart is the center of qi and blood, his violent qi and blood overwhelmed his blood vessels and heart, leading to the vomiting of blood.

Qin Mu sealed his heart and throat, forcing the blood back into his body.

Deaf's primordial spirit was severely depleted and unstable, on the verge of disintegration. Thus, Qin Mu used the Creation Demonic Art to seal his soul and spirit, preventing them from leaving his body.

This bought them time for treatment.

Qin Mu swiftly prepared and refined elixirs. Moments later, a pill was ready. He gently pried open Deaf's mouth, administered it, and then used various techniques to activate its medicinal properties.

When Grandma Si, Blind, and the others returned, Apothecary immediately took over Deaf's treatment. "Fortunately, Mu'er acted quickly," he said, "Deaf's condition isn't too serious. His vital energy is greatly depleted this time, but with me, I guarantee he'll be bouncing around by tonight."

Deaf grunted, stating calmly, "I will not be bouncing around. As a scholar, how undignified would that be?"

Everyone relaxed. Grandma Si then inquired, "Deaf, how long can this painting of yours be maintained?"

"As long as the world within the painting remains unbroken, these divine and demonic armies can exist indefinitely."

Deaf sat down, and Apothecary meticulously attended to him, bustling around. Qin Mu stood by, assisting Apothecary, while Fox Ling'er held the needle tray, assisting Qin Mu. The three conversed, creating a lively atmosphere.

"However, it's not too difficult to break this painted world. The demon race was simply caught off guard and couldn't discern our true strength, which is why I succeeded."

Deaf's face was covered in silver needles, and his eye twitched uncontrollably. Apothecary inserted another needle at the corner of his eye; the twitching stopped, but he now felt half his face was numb.

Deaf's eyes were askew, one pupil higher than the other, and he was drooling from the corner of his mouth. He said, "If I can recover my vital energy tonight, I'll draw another one overnight to make them even more apprehe... Apothecary, I feel like my face isn't my own anymore; I can't distinguish colors..."

"This needle is for acupuncturing your primordial spirit, but it will prick your facial nerves, causing temporary nerve dysfunction. Don't worry! Mu'er, you did very well in sealing his soul and spirit. Come here and tell me, how should this next needle be inserted?"

Apothecary hesitated, pointing to a spot on Deaf's spine. He asked Qin Mu, "I'm not sure if I should insert the needle here..."

Qin Mu examined it closely and chuckled, "Grandpa Apothecary, you're testing me! If inserted here, the needle would pass directly through the Earth Soul and settle at the perineum of the primordial spirit. A single insertion would pierce the Life-Death Divine Treasure. The Youdu demonic qi and nature would invade, contaminate the perineum, pollute the Earth Soul, certainly causing infertility, and also a drastic change in personality."

Apothecary calmly retracted the silver needle and slowly nodded. "I was indeed testing you," he admitted, "and you saw right through it."

Qin Mu chuckled, "I knew you were testing me! Grandpa Apothecary, this needle should be intended to connect the Life-Death Divine Treasure and the Divine Bridge Divine Treasure, allowing Grandpa Deaf's vital energy to circulate between the two. Therefore, this needle should be inserted here! This insertion point, coming from the Divine Bridge Divine Treasure, would guide the Divine Bridge's vital energy to the Life-Death Divine Treasure, effectively suppressing the demonic nature and qi there without harming Grandpa Deaf's fertility."

He moved his finger up slightly, looking at Apothecary expectantly. "This is the spot Grandpa Apothecary was actually planning to needle! Am I right?"

Apothecary let out a long "hmm," his face unblushing and heart steady. He inserted the silver needle precisely where Qin Mu had indicated, secretly thinking with a hint of shame, "Mu'er, this young man, truly lives up to his reputation as the one who established the Divine Bridge spatial mathematical model. His understanding of the Divine Bridge surpasses mine by a slight margin..."

Hearing their conversation, cold sweat beaded on Deaf's forehead, rolling down in large drops.

"What if it's inserted here on Grandpa Deaf?" Fox Ling'er asked excitedly, pointing to Deaf's Qi Sea.

Qin Mu and Apothecary quickly interjected, "Don't insert it there! One mistake, and his cultivation will be crippled!"

Deaf's face turned ashen. He squinted at Fox Ling'er, "Ling'er, I even taught you how to read!"

Apothecary was, after all, still more skilled than Qin Mu. While Qin Mu had a profound understanding of the Divine Bridge Divine Treasure, his grasp of other divine treasures was not as comprehensive as Apothecary's, leaving him to mostly observe.

Finally, Deaf's primordial spirit stabilized, and Apothecary prepared more medicine to help him recover his vital energy.

As night fell, the distant, piercing roars of the demon race echoed, disturbing them all night. Drums occasionally beat, simulating night attacks, yet the demon army remained still. Their actions were merely a tactic to harass Qin Mu and his group, preventing them from resting.

By the next day, the demon race's reinforcements began arriving, swelling their forces considerably, with even more troops still en route.

Many demon god generals arrived at the front lines, gazing toward the Wuwang City Abyss. To their horror, a magnificent divine city had abruptly appeared on what were once the ruins of Wuwang City!

This divine city stood a hundred zhang tall, its walls like mountains, stretching between heaven and earth. Soaring buildings rose within the city, and divine cannons were mounted on the battlements. On the city's high towers, there were as many as a hundred giant, eye-shaped Sun-shooting Divine Cannons!

And on the city walls, countless divine and demonic soldiers stood, golden-armored and awe-inspiring, patrolling back and forth along the ramparts.

Above this divine city, auspicious clouds coiled and thousands of streaks of colorful mist shimmered—an auspicious phenomenon emanating from the aura of the divine and demonic beings!

A wave of fear and unease rippled through the demon army. The lead demon god generals of each division exchanged bewildered glances. A place that should have been mere ruins now boasted such a grand and magnificent divine city, inexplicably guarded by so many divine and demonic beings!

The divine cannons on the city walls appeared terrifyingly dense, seemingly capable of pulverizing any oncoming demon army.

The sheer number of Sun-shooting Divine Cannons within the city was even more outrageous—a hundred of them! This wasn't just warfare; it was enough to annihilate an entire world!

Even the demon gods couldn't help but feel terrified and intimidated by this sight. They could only hold their ground, praying the other side wouldn't launch an attack.

A demon god, with wings spread behind him, whispered, "I will first report this to Venerable King Furo. You all hold the line and prevent the enemy from breaching our main camp."

He flew for a considerable time until he met Furo, who was leading his army. He then reported the situation.

Furo exclaimed in surprise, "Such a thing exists? Don't attack yet. Send some scouts to investigate their true strength. My army will arrive by tonight at the latest."

The demon god affirmed, flew back, and dispatched a team of scouts to investigate the situation.

The scout team was still thirty li from the divine city when suddenly, dozens of cannons fired beams of light, incinerating the entire team.

The winged demon god quickly flew back to Furo and reported, "Venerable King, I sent scouts, but they were blasted to oblivion by the city's cannon fire from thirty li away! The cannons on that divine city are real!"

Furo's scalp tingled, and he exclaimed, "Where could such a divine city exist? If the Grand Emperor Heaven possessed such a city, they would have annihilated my demon race long ago! Neither the Grand Emperor Heaven nor Yankang could possibly have this! This city cannot be real!"

The winged demon god lowered his head, not daring to speak.

Furo's expression was grim and unpredictable as he bellowed, "Order the front lines: no one is to retreat! Anyone who dares will have their head taken to consecrate our banners! Once my army arrives, we will flatten that city in a single wave!"

The winged demon god meekly assented and flew off.

By evening, Furo finally arrived with his army at the front lines. He gazed at the divine city in the distance, but couldn't make out its details clearly. His expression was uncertain, and he struggled to make a decision.

If the divine city were real, a direct assault would likely cause heavy casualties even among the demon gods. He dared not gamble the future of the demon race.

Inside the city, Qin Mu and the others packed their belongings, preparing for evacuation.

The divine city was fake, painted by Deaf overnight. Although the entire city was an illusion, dozens of the cannons on its walls were real, delivered overnight by Si Yunxiang at Qin Mu's command, conveyed through his primordial spirit.

It was precisely these dozens of real cannons that allowed them to bluff the demon race, making it difficult for the demon gods and Furo to discern what was real and what was illusion.

However, if Furo were determined to attack, even without the main demon army, the Youdu demon gods and monstrous creatures alone would be enough to flatten the city.

Therefore, Qin Mu and the others could only slip away now; if they waited for Furo to attack, they would be trapped.

Qin Mu and the others exited the city gate, intending to head east toward Li City, when suddenly, the dark night sky illuminated. A sun slowly rose in the sky, casting light for thousands of li in all directions!

Moments ago it was night, and now it was suddenly day!

"Could it be that the Imperial Preceptor created a sun, but at the wrong time?"

As Qin Mu and the others speculated, a three-legged deity, whose body blazed with divine fire, strode toward them.

As he walked, the sun in the sky moved in tandem!

"Star Lord Yang, this must be the place where I encountered that young black shadow in the Great Ruins."

A clear voice rang out. Walking before the three-legged, two-winged deity was a very handsome young man. He looked at Qin Mu and the others, smiling, "The other person beside him isn't tall and carries a weapon that resembles a long spear, making them easy to identify..."

His gaze fell on Blind as he stepped out of the city gate, then swept over everyone before finally settling on Qin Mu's face. He smiled, "Youdu God-Son Qin Mu, Qin Fengqing? You're quite remarkable. I didn't realize the one I met in the Great Ruins was you. I remember being quite intrigued, finding you very peculiar and extraordinary."

Qin Mu's gaze bypassed him, landing instead on the right arm of the three-legged, two-winged deity, where there was no right hand. "He is the god who sliced Grandpa Butcher in half," Qin Mu declared, "and also the guardian of Yankang's false firmament!"

The Butcher took the severed hand from his Gluttonous Bag and calmly stated, "God of the heavens, did you track the aura of this object? Have you come to avenge your severed hand? I, too, seek vengeance for being cut in half. However, your hand is still missing, while my body has fully recovered. I won't take advantage of you."

He tossed the hand bone. It streaked through the air, landing precisely on Star Lord Yang's right wrist, where it automatically reattached to his bones.

Star Lord Yang's gaze settled on him. He flexed the reattached hand bone and quietly said, "You've returned my hand bone, which shows your integrity, but where are the flesh and skin that once covered it?"

"The Great Venerable of Loulan Golden Palace refined and consumed it. He couldn't chew on your bones, so only these bony parts were left."

The Butcher raised his blade and calmly asked, "Shall we fight here?"

Star Lord Yang looked at Qin Mu, then hesitated, glancing at Young Master Qi Jiuyi who stood before him, a hint of indecision in his eyes.

Qin Mu also looked at Young Master Qi, curiously asking, "Brother, what did you just say?"

He apologized, "Could you please repeat that? I didn't hear clearly."