Chapter 61: Ice Tide

"Your words are both correct and incorrect," the Qin General chuckled. "Whether the Great Ruins truly exist can no longer be verified. However, when our Yan Kang nation was founded, we received a divine oracle. The oracle declared the Great Ruins a land abandoned by the gods, a place where those forsaken people were meant to remain, never to emerge. Should any of the abandoned dare to venture forth, they were to be slain without mercy. I have heard that other nations, besides Yan Kang, also received similar divine pronouncements. Yet, those who dwell there are not merely the natives of the Great Ruins; some utterly wicked and villainous individuals, having nowhere else to turn, also seek refuge within its borders. In my estimation, these individuals are far more perilous than the abandoned people of the Great Ruins!"

The Seventh Young Master inquired with curiosity, "At the border passes, I have seen merchant teams entering and exiting the Great Ruins. Why would our Yan Kang nation still engage in trade with the abandoned people there?"

"Young Master is unaware," the Qin General replied. "Though the Great Ruins are barren, they are rich in resources, with countless heavenly materials and earthly treasures. We need only exchange humble goods like oil, salt, and vinegar for heavenly materials, precious beast hides, and the like. Why would we not?"

The Qin General continued, "Over the years, the border passes have amassed untold wealth through trade with the Great Ruins, supplementing our military coffers. This has allowed our Yan Kang nation to possess strong soldiers and robust cavalry, far surpassing other nations."

The Seventh Young Master asked, "What if some of the abandoned people from the Great Ruins were to infiltrate the passes? Would that not be detrimental?"

"When the divine oracle was passed down, several treasures were also bestowed upon us, known as the 'Discernment Mirrors.' These mirrors are hung upon the grand passes leading to Yan Kang. As long as someone is of the abandoned lineage from the Great Ruins, they will be revealed by the mirrors' light. The National Master speculates that the abandoned people may possess a different bloodline from ours, though his examination of their bodies has not revealed any discernible difference."

The Qin General laughed heartily. "Every year, those few grand passes apprehend many demonic individuals attempting to escape into our Yan Kang. Some are executed on the spot, while others are sent to the mines to dig. If they survive for a year or two, it is considered a rare feat."

The building ship gradually sailed further away. Qin Mu stood upon the mountain cliff, his expression filled with admiration. "That individual is truly formidable, his foresight exceptionally sharp. It is no wonder he could become a general at such a young age! He is drawing a topographical map of the Surging River. Could it be that the Yan Kang nation is planning a military campaign against the Great Ruins?"

A strange feeling arose in his heart. The Great Ruins were clearly a desolate place, fraught with peril at every turn. Moreover, with each sunset, darkness would encroach upon the land. He was not optimistic about Yan Kang nation's campaign against the Great Ruins.

If the Yan Kang army arrived in small numbers, they would not even be enough to fill the maw of the strange beasts within the Great Ruins. If they came in large numbers, where would these soldiers conceal themselves when night fell?

Due to the myriad dangers and perils of the Great Ruins, no one had ever been able to truly govern it.

The Yan Kang nation would not be able to either.

If the Yan Kang nation invaded, they would surely suffer a crushing defeat!

Suddenly, a realization struck Qin Mu. He urgently called out, "Big fellow, return to Town Central Palace immediately and destroy the map of the Great Ruins on the wall!"

The Demon Ape stood up, grabbed the Dragon Elephant, roared, and leaped onto the Dragon Elephant's back. The Dragon Elephant immediately bolted away in a frenzy.

"The Yan Kang nation has already begun surveying the topography of the Surging River. If they were to find the map in Town Central Palace, it would be like giving wings to a tiger," Qin Mu thought, his face clouded with uncertainty.

Though destroying the map was regrettable, he had already imprinted the geography of the Great Ruins deep within his mind and would not forget it.

Not long after, the surface of the river suddenly turned a light red. Qin Mu was slightly startled and looked upstream, only to see that the surging river water was even redder than downstream!

"Young Master, there are corpses in the river!" the Fox Spirit suddenly shrieked.

Qin Mu had also seen the corpses but did not speak. He looked upstream, and more corpses floated towards them. Large fish and river beasts, which dwelled beneath the water, were now tumbling on the surface, splashing up sprays of water, feasting on the corpses with great fervor.

Qin Mu activated his God Firmament Heavenly Eye and saw the faces of the corpses bobbing and sinking in the water. His body trembled slightly. These corpses were precisely those travelers who had hurried through Emerald Cloud Valley earlier!

The river water surged, the color of blood deepening. Even the floating ice was dyed red.

This was not the result of merely a hundred or so corpses!

The Surging River was vast, reaching over ten li in width, and the current was swift. A hundred people's fresh blood could not dye the Surging River red.

Qin Mu's expression stiffened. He saw a tide of corpses surging down from upstream!

It was not merely a corpse tide, but a tide of over a thousand corpses mingled with blocks of floating ice, forming an ice-corpse tide!

These individuals, who had intended to ambush the general, were all powerful cultivators. There were an immense number of them, and they had traveled upstream on the Surging River in waves, planning to set up an ambush. Yet, they had been slaughtered by that general!

The formation of the ice-corpse tide indicated that the deaths of these people had occurred almost simultaneously!

They had died at virtually the same time, slain either by that general or by the powerful individuals on the building ship!

Qin Mu steadied his mind. This was the first time he had witnessed such a tragic scene, far more gruesome than the time he had followed Granny Si to a village to deliver a baby and encountered a massacre.

That year, he had been so terrified his soul had left his body, and Granny Si had to pull it back. Though he was a warrior now, seeing such a scene still shook his very being.

It was too tragic.

How strong, how ruthless was this young general of Yan Kang? If Yan Kang's iron cavalry were to arrive in the Great Ruins, what impact would they have on this barbaric land?

Qin Mu shook his head, driving away the uneasy feeling. He turned to the Fox Spirit and said, "For the next few days, do not go out drinking. Tell your sisters to behave themselves as well and not venture out."

The Fox Spirit nodded repeatedly.

Although she was a demon, the scene before her had also terrified her.

"Spirit, go back and find your sisters first. I will go downstream and take a look, in case these corpses pile up and form a thousand-corpse dam!"

With that, Qin Mu leaped down, running along the cliff face to the river surface below, then stepped onto the river.

The corpses piled upon the floating ice. As they passed by, more floating ice was churned up, continuously surging downstream. Qin Mu quickly caught up to the ice-corpse tide, only to see it growing larger and larger. The ice blocks collided with each other, making a 'ka cha ka cha' sound. The corpses were squeezed into dismembered limbs by the ice blocks, floating on the surface of the ice.

He ran along the river for tens of li. The floating ice on the river surface had already formed an ice mountain, adorned with dismembered corpses, a terrifying sight.

The ice tide and ice mountain sank lower and lower, growing higher and higher, moving slowly. Even the continuously surging river water was blocked, causing the river surface behind it to rise higher and higher.

Qin Mu frowned. Currently, the Surging River flowed straight, but upon reaching the oasis where Wu Female resided, the Surging River changed direction. The floating ice would become blocked there, forming a dam, and the river water would accumulate more and more. The floating ice would also accumulate more and more, eventually piling up to a height of a hundred zhang!

When the ice tide and ice mountain could no longer bear the pressure, they would collapse and break, and a great flood would sweep away everything, swallowing everything in its path. Whether it was people or livestock, all would be carried away by the great flood!

Many villages in the Great Ruins were built along the riverbanks for convenience of passage. If the flood burst, who knew how many villages would suffer disaster!

"Granny Si and the others are still downstream, dredging the river. They probably don't know that a dam is about to form here. Only the Village Chief is left in the village, and his movements are inconvenient. Who else can help me deal with this ice tide?"

Qin Mu pondered bitterly. The ice tide had already passed by Disabled Elderly Village, the colliding ice blocks emitting a 'ka cha ka cha' sound. With his strength, he was fundamentally unable to resolve the ice tide.

At the entrance of the village, the Village Chief, looking calm and composed, suddenly widened his eyes as he watched Qin Mu and the ice tide sail past the village. He shook his head and chuckled. "That mischievous brat, he's trying to cause trouble again..."

Because the ice tide was blocking the river, the water had nearly overflowed to the edge of his feet. Just then, vital energy surged from the place where the Village Chief's leg was broken, transforming into two legs and feet. He stepped into the air, sat down, and looked at Qin Mu from afar.

These legs and feet were transformed from vital energy, looking no different from real legs and feet. When his vital energy dissipated, the legs and feet would also disappear.

"That's right, I'll go find Wu Female!"

On the river surface, Qin Mu's eyes lit up. He immediately increased his speed, leaping continuously on the river surface. He leaped onto an ice mountain, then exerted force to leap forward, leaving the ice tide behind as he rushed madly onward.

He ran with frantic speed, and before long, he finally reached the oasis in the heart of the river. The oasis was like an isolated island, and on the island was a temple where the old monster, Wu Female, was suppressed.

Qin Mu ascended the oasis in a few steps, rushed to the front of the ruined temple, and barged in directly.

Inside the temple, the little girl with three braids was idly swinging her feet, waiting for prey to be delivered to her doorstep. When she saw Qin Mu rush in, it was a classic case of enemies meeting with fiery eyes. The little girl immediately jumped down from the Buddha's hand, scurried behind the Buddha statue, and stared at Qin Mu with hostile eyes.

"Wu Female, I have no ill intentions!"

Qin Mu quickly said, "The ice tide is about to reach here. I need your help to smash it!"

The little girl walked out from behind the Buddha statue, jumped back onto the Buddha's hand, and said with disinterest, "I'm not interested. This ice tide occurs every year. The Buddha statue here protects me, so the ice tide won't submerge me."

Qin Mu's eyes flashed. He said, "I can chop through your chains and save you!"

Wu Female's eyes brightened, then immediately dimmed. She shook her head. "If your family's elders came, they might be able to chop through the chains, but you cannot."

Qin Mu's vital energy surged forth, rolling up the Shao Bao Sword on his back, and his finger chopped down!

*Clang!*

A loud sound resounded, and a deep crack immediately appeared on one of the chains binding Wu Female's body. Strangely enough, the crack in the chain was healing on its own.

Qin Mu said nothing, roused his vital energy, and swung his sword again!

*Clang, clang, clang!* A series of crisp sounds rang out. Soon, one chain was completely severed by Qin Mu!

Wu Female was stunned, her heart filled with both surprise and joy. Just then, the bronze Buddha suddenly opened its eyes, its voice like thunder. It roared, "Evil impediment, how dare you ruin my cultivation and my merit?"

———— The Divine Shepherd Record has dropped off the new book list! Fellow Daoists, the Divine Shepherd Record is no longer on the list today. Whether it can stand out depends entirely on everyone's recommendation tickets. Otherwise, the Divine Shepherd Record will be buried in the vast sea of books. I implore you for recommendation tickets!