Chapter 612: Good Teacher and Excellent Pupil

The Woodcutter Saint sharply rapped Qin Mu's head with his knuckles, saying angrily, "Where is your dignity? How could I stoop to attack such a junior? If I were to act, then others could come and kill you. Then the older generations would start killing each other's disciples, and in no time, the younger generation would be wiped out. Rules must not be broken."

Zhe Huali and Qi Jiuyi both let out a sigh of relief upon hearing this. They looked at Qin Mu, who had just been smacked on the head, feeling a surge of satisfaction: "Serves him right!"

Qin Mu rubbed the bump on his head and nodded. "True. But Ba Diro already attacked me, and that Chi Xi was about to attack us too."

"That's why I chopped Ba Diro on the forehead with an axe. He didn't go too far; he only used his divine arts to try and abduct you, not genuinely kill you. Otherwise, you wouldn't be alive right now."

The Woodcutter Saint said casually, "I had originally intended for you to take care of these two boys, but I figure you can't beat them right now, so I let Chi Xi go. Chi Xi doesn't follow rules. I fed him blood, but he didn't drink his fill. He won't dare bother me, so he'll go for these two boys' blood instead."

Upon hearing this, Zhe Huali and Qi Jiuyi's faces turned ashen.

Qin Mu chuckled, "Holy Master, there's no need to scare them anymore. Let them leave this strange planet."

The Woodcutter Saint looked surprised. "Just now you wanted me to kill them to 'christen your blade.' Why do you want me to send them away now? Chi Xi is an exile with a heavy burden, so he'll stop at nothing. He'll definitely come looking for them to drink their blood. They're bound to die anyway. Having Chi Xi kill them wouldn't violate my rules and would fulfill your wish. Why not?"

Qin Mu replied seriously, "I was merely trying to scare them earlier by talking about 'christening my blade,' but I knew Holy Master would never actually use them for that. Holy Master has his own dignified bearing, and as the Human Emperor and Heaven's Saint Cult Master, I have mine too. Brother Qi and Senior Brother Li are my opponents, not Holy Master's. If I'm to kill them, I'll naturally do it myself. For Holy Master to use Chi Xi to kill them would go against my core beliefs."

The Woodcutter Saint showed a look of appreciation and praised, "My suggestion to have Chi Xi kill them was a small test for you. If you had agreed, I would have looked down on you. Very well, I'll send them back to Luo Fu Heaven."

Qin Mu bowed to Zhe Huali and Qi Jiuyi, saying, "I won't escort you two senior brothers. Though we fought fiercely, I admire your abilities. Today, I don't wish to kill you through anyone else's hands. Another day, I will personally wield the blade and send you on your way."

Zhe Huali and Qi Jiuyi returned the bow in turn.

Zhe Huali said solemnly, "Brother Qin, you have great character. You killed my closest friend, so I must kill you. But if you die by my blade, I will break my blade and mourn deeply for you!"

Qi Jiuyi pondered for a moment, then threw his nine flying swords over. "You don't need to return that mirror to me. We'll have a proper showdown another day. You won this time because I was holding back, afraid to take your life, only wanting to immobilize you. Next time we duel, I certainly won't hold back!"

Qin Mu caught the swords, which clinked as they embedded themselves one by one into his sword pellet. He raised a hand and said, "Farewell for now, both of you. When we meet again, please show no mercy."

"We won't!" both replied in unison.

The Woodcutter Saint waved his sleeve, and countless runes swirled, forming a teleportation divine art that enveloped the two, sending them shooting up from the strange planet as a streak of light.

Qin Mu looked up and watched the streak of light veer off in the sky, fleeing into the distance. He didn't know where it would go in the starry sky, but he presumed it would land in Luo Fu Heaven.

The Woodcutter tossed the small box to Qin Mu and said, "Let's go see what else your senior disciple brother left behind."

Qin Mu startled, fumbling to catch it, terrified of dropping the box and letting the God Slaying Mysterious Blade inside escape.

Just as he steadied the box in his arms, countless runes suddenly swirled around him, and the Woodcutter activated a teleportation divine art, making them both vanish.

The Heaven's Saint Cult's teleportation divine art originated from the Woodcutter. Although he wasn't the most powerful individual, his talent was unparalleled.

He was capable of creating numerous peculiar divine arts and techniques; one could discern his profound mastery in divine arts and Daoist magic simply from the strange spells in the Grand Creation Devil Sutra.

However, his breadth of knowledge was both his strength and his weakness. He was so erudite that he struggled to specialize, thus not reaching the highest realm in cultivation and power.

When Qin Mu found himself on solid ground again, he realized he was back in front of the divine temple on the God Slaying Platform. It had taken him a long time to escape from there, yet returning was instantaneous.

The Woodcutter Saint entered the hall, and Qin Mu quickly followed. He saw the Woodcutter examining the Heaven and Earth Star Array left by the founding patriarch. After a moment, the Woodcutter nodded. "The message he left behind is indeed from 350,000 years ago. What happened 350,000 years ago?"

Qin Mu pointed to the mural on the wall. "Holy Master, this is a star chart from 350,000 years ago."

The Woodcutter Saint stepped closer, examined the star chart, and mused, "This star chart was drawn in the South Sea of the Great Ruins' southern region, observing the starry sky from 350,000 years ago. It must have been drawn by survivors of the Crimson Light Era to guide them back to their homeland in the future."

Qin Mu nodded. "That's my guess too. The ones who destroyed the Crimson Light Era must be the current Celestial Heavens. I think Senior Disciple Brother is constantly tracing back, searching for past history and the truth about this Celestial Heavens, which is why he left us these clues."

"He wants to achieve merit and become a saint."

The Woodcutter shook his head. "But he doesn't realize how foolish what he's doing is. The closer he gets to the truth, the more dangerous it becomes. Putting himself in such peril is unwise. How can he be a saint then?"

As he spoke, his anger grew, and his voice became more emphatic.

Although he appeared indifferent to his disciples, his concern was actually hidden in his everyday words and actions, seldom expressed directly.

"You mentioned he also had some geographic maps. Where are they?" the Woodcutter asked.

Qin Mu rummaged through his Gluttonous Bag and pulled out some diagrams. "The geographic maps Senior Disciple Brother showed were extremely complex, so I drew them down later, fearing I'd forget. This map is of the Great Ruins, with the marked location being Dragon Village, where Elder Qinghuang resides. And this other map is of this strange planet, with the God Slaying Platform marked here."

The Woodcutter looked at the two maps, then spread out the others and examined them one by one.

After a moment, his expression grew increasingly solemn.

"Damn it, damn it! Why go to these dangerous places? These are places even I wouldn't dare to venture!"

He flew into a rage, getting up and pacing. The wind from his sleeves whipped through the hall, making it almost impossible for Qin Mu to track his movements.

"I can't go look for him; I'm tied up with matters in the Grand Emperor's Heaven. And you just had to get into this mess. How am I supposed to split myself to save you?"

He muttered to himself.

Qin Mu suddenly said, "Holy Master, since Senior Disciple Brother drew these geographic maps using star sand and marked important locations, he must have already traversed these dangerous places and left clues for us to find. I believe Senior Disciple Brother is definitely still alive."

The Woodcutter Saint paused slightly, stopping his pacing, and murmured, "You have a point, a good point... My worry made me irrational; I didn't think of that. He must still be alive. If he can still draw geographic maps with star sand, it means he's still in this world. That troublesome fellow..."

Qin Mu felt a warmth in his heart and chuckled, "Since Master is so worried about his disciple, shouldn't I repay your kindness? Senior Disciple Brother makes Holy Master so concerned; if I were to go missing someday, Holy Master would surely worry about me just as much..."

"You're overthinking it. Don't flatter yourself."

The Woodcutter Saint glared at him, shaking his head. "Even if you died at the ends of the earth, I wouldn't go looking for you, much less miss you. If you act as recklessly as your senior disciple brother, then you can die as far away as possible."

Qin Mu chuckled, "A sharp tongue but a soft heart. How far did Senior Disciple Brother investigate, and why hasn't he returned? Holy Master, how much do you know about this Celestial Heavens that destroyed the Founding Emperor, High Emperor, Crimson Light, and Dragon Han eras?"

"Not much."

The Woodcutter Saint shook his head. "If we knew a lot, we wouldn't have been caught off guard, to the point where even the Founding Emperor is hiding in Worry-free Village and not coming out. Successive imperial dynasties, collapsing and being destroyed at their peak, must contain many secrets waiting to be unearthed."

He sighed, "I want to go to Worry-free Village and personally ask the Founding Emperor why he's unwilling to make a comeback, why he won't fight again. However, I don't know the way to Worry-free Village. If you ever return there, please ask him for me."

Qin Mu nodded. "Your disciple will definitely ask him!"

The Woodcutter Saint said, "Destroy these geographic maps. Your senior disciple brother doesn't know the gravity of things, barging around everywhere. If you follow him to seek the truth, you will surely die!"

Qin Mu smiled. "Your disciple has already memorized these maps."

The Woodcutter glared at him, but Qin Mu just smiled without speaking.

The Woodcutter Saint snorted coldly, swept his sleeve, and walked out of the divine hall. He looked around and saw numerous bones of gods and devils on the stone steps. "This God Slaying Platform is the God Slaying Platform from an Emperor's Throne realm powerhouse's Divine Palace Treasure. It has become extremely ominous, even more sinister than the God Slaying Mysterious Blade in the box! This sacred mountain is inauspicious; it's better to destroy it. Let me cleave it with an axe and see the blood of the gods and devils it has devoured!"

Behind him, a massive axe spun with a hum, rising from his back. The woodcutter's axe grew larger and larger, its divine might surging, the blade pointing downwards, suspended in mid-air.

The Woodcutter Saint said calmly, "You go down the mountain first. I will cleave this mountain open."

Qin Mu dared not delay and quickly descended the mountain.

Just as he reached the stone steps, a tremendous roar echoed. Qin Mu hastily turned around and saw Chi Xi, with his three heads and six arms, madly attacking the Woodcutter Saint!

The Woodcutter Saint seemed unaware. When Chi Xi charged forward, he suddenly spread his five fingers, meeting Chi Xi's attack.

Countless runes erupted from his palm, whirling and whistling. Before Chi Xi's immensely powerful attack could land on him, Chi Xi suddenly vanished without a trace!

The Woodcutter Saint raised his hand, the large axe still hanging on his back, and walked over to the dumbfounded Qin Mu. "Why are you staring? I can't cleave an Emperor's Throne realm powerhouse's God Slaying Platform. I merely wanted to lure him out."

Qin Mu quickly followed his footsteps and probed, "Then where did Holy Master send Chi Xi?"

The Woodcutter Saint smiled. "To the Grand Emperor's Heaven, the Demon Race territory. The Demon Race has a deep blood feud with him."

Qin Mu's expression turned blank, then he suddenly bowed deeply to the ground, saying sincerely, "Your disciple has been taught a valuable lesson! I will study diligently, live up to Holy Master's teachings, and strive to become an excellent Heaven's Saint Cult Master like you!"