Chapter 704: Dead City

This demonic god statue has revived, and I fear others will follow suit! This particular statue was unlucky: it transformed its physical body into stone and teleported here, only for its head to crash into the Emperor's Blade. Most of the other statues in Yankang, however, remained intact.

Qin Mu's heart grew solemn. Besides this unlucky statue, another one was also rather unfortunate: the statue beneath Mount Meru of the Great Thunderclap Temple. That statue rose from underground and ended up impaling itself on Mount Meru. The Mount Meru of the Great Thunderclap Temple is essentially the same as Mount Meru of the Buddhist Realm. Crashing into the former was equivalent to striking the Buddhist Realm itself, with predictable consequences.

However, other statues did not encounter such circumstances. Instead, they emerged intact from various parts of the world. These statues were incredibly heavy, almost impossible to move, so Emperor Yanfeng ordered strong military garrisons to guard each one. Having witnessed the statue revival, Qin Mu now fully grasped their terrifying nature. If they were to fully revive, even without the divine weapons of tribulation, it would spell utter catastrophe for Yankang!

"If Tian Shu doesn't arrive soon, I'll have to go by myself..."

As he was thinking this, a sky-filling divine light suddenly descended from above. Within the radiance, a majestic deity reached out to grasp the Emperor's Blade from beneath the earth!

"King Tian Shu of Mingdu has arrived!"

Qin Mu was overjoyed. Looking up, he saw Tian Shu holding the Emperor's Blade and chanting. The Emperor's Blade grew smaller and smaller, and before long, it transformed into a great saber several tens of feet long. Tian Shu put away the divine saber, carefully avoiding its blade. "You all stay here," he said, "I'm going to meet the disciples of Mingdu!" With that, he ascended into the sky amidst swirling colorful light, and both he and the saber vanished from sight.

Qin Mu was about to call out to him, but he was already far away. Qin Mu frowned, soared into the air, and flew out of the underground space. From a distance, he saw a streak of colorful light heading straight for the East.

Suddenly, his Taotie pouch vibrated, and bursts of thunderous sound emanated from within. Qin Mu was startled and hastily emptied its contents. He saw lightning crackling wildly around the Five Thunder Pot, this Celestial Phenomenon Divine Weapon showing signs of losing control!

"The Five Great Cloud Thunders are about to be triggered."

Qi Jiuyi's expression was solemn. He sighed, "Brother Qin, Yankang is no longer a safe place to stand. When the Five Thunders ascend, Yankang will transform into a sea of lightning, and the Fire Bell divine weapons will run rampant within it. Besides the Five Thunder Pot, there are also the Quake Cauldron, the Gale Gourd, and other Celestial Phenomenon Divine Weapons. If their power erupts all at once, Yankang will become more terrifying than hell itself! I plan to seek refuge in the Higher Heavens. Second Brother, will you come with me? I can take you out of this world to the Higher Heavens. There, you won't face tribulation."

The Dragon Qilin hesitated, glanced at Qin Mu, and shook his head. "Wherever the Cult Master goes, I go," he said. "I've followed the Cult Master for so many years and eaten many meals at his expense; I can't just leave when he needs me."

Qi Jiuyi's expression was complex. He sighed, and flames flared around him, transforming into nine phoenixes that flapped their wings and flew westward. A piercing cry echoed back: "Take care of yourselves! Second Brother, whatever you do, don't die! This is the waist token of my Southern Sky Crimson Emperor lineage; it might save your life!"

A waist token flew over and landed in Qin Mu's hand. Qin Mu paused for a moment, then handed the jade token, engraved with nine phoenix heads, to the Dragon Qilin. Qi Jiuyi's waist token was not for him, but for the Dragon Qilin.

"Fatty Dragon, Qi Jiuyi is pretty good to you."

Qin Mu smiled. "Let's set off back to Yankang!"

The Dragon Qilin stepped on fire clouds, carrying Qin Mu as he ascended. Qin Mu looked at the sword pellets on him, hesitated, but did not tell the Dragon Qilin to discard them. He didn't know the current situation in Yankang, and he lacked a convenient weapon. Discarding the unrefined sword pellets wouldn't significantly increase their speed.

"The true way to increase speed is through the primordial spirit!"

On the Dragon Qilin's back, Qin Mu's primordial spirit exited his body. He cast the Three Primordial Spirit Gathering Art, quickly summoning the primordial spirits of Yankang's heroes from all corners of the land. Dao Master Lin Xuan, Wang Muran, Xu Shenghua, Ling Yuxiu, and others all gathered in the Grand Academy's Grand Learning Hall.

"Have there been any recent large-scale death incidents in Yankang?" Qin Mu asked.

"In Yuzhi Commandery, in the southeast, the common people were wiped out overnight."

Ling Yuxiu replied, "In Yuzhi Commandery, from the provincial capital down to the countryside, everyone died simultaneously, including the Deputy Magistrate of Yuzhi Commandery. The Deputy Magistrate was a formidable expert at the Divine Bridge realm, not far from the Divine Being realm. My imperial father has already dispatched people to investigate. The reports indicate that everyone in Yuzhi Commandery appears as if they are still alive; many stood on the streets in walking postures, and old farmers were still working in the fields. However, they are all dead, devoid of any aura. My imperial father has sealed off the news to prevent panic."

Qin Mu frowned. "What about the livestock?"

"Domestic animals and wild beasts alike were spared none," Ling Yuxiu said.

Dao Master Lin Xuan, Wang Muran, and the others were unaware of such a major event, and for a time, discussions erupted, filling the Grand Learning Hall with a cacophony of voices.

Ling Yuxiu continued, "The Imperial Preceptor, First Ancestor, Saint Master, and others have already summoned experts from the Chih Ming and demon races to search for the enemy's whereabouts. These enemies must be Lou Yunqu and his group."

Qin Mu looked at Si Yunxiang and said gravely, "Saintess Xiang, issue an immediate order. Contact the disciples of the Sacred Cult and instruct them to monitor all statue movements in their respective regions. Report any anomalies at once!"

Si Yunxiang nodded. "Recent reports from various areas indicate that the statues have begun to revive, with some even showing signs of flesh and blood. I also heard that the Imperial Preceptor of Yankang had suppressed the Celestial Phenomenon Divine Weapons in the national treasury. Not long ago, these divine weapons unexpectedly began to unleash their power, causing the national treasury to collapse. Today, the capital experienced fifteen tremors, and the Dragon Vein has fractured."

Everyone's hearts jumped, and they instantly fell silent.

"Also, pay close attention to whether any other commanderies or counties experience large-scale death incidents. If so, notify me immediately!"

Qin Mu spoke rapidly, "Sister Xiu, immediately inform the Emperor. Ask him to issue an order, summoning all scholars proficient in the Soul-Pulling Art to proceed to Yuzhi Commandery by fast boat at once. Dao Master, Brother Wang, send anyone from Little Jade Capital and the Dao Sect who is skilled in the Soul-Pulling Art there immediately as well! There might still be hope!"

Everyone assented.

The primordial spirit meeting disbanded, and Qin Mu's primordial spirit returned to his body. He immediately ordered the Dragon Qilin to race towards Yuzhi Commandery. Moments later, he instructed it to slow down. The Dragon Qilin didn't understand the reason but nevertheless slowed its pace, running at a steady, unhurried gait.

Qin Mu's expression was uncertain. Yuzhi Commandery was located on Yankang's southeastern coast, a distant journey that would take a full day to reach. The coast was remote, and if everyone rushed there, they might fall into a trap, a 'lure the tiger out of its mountain lair' stratagem. If all divine arts practitioners skilled in the Soul-Pulling Art gathered in Yuzhi Commandery, then should other prefectures or counties suddenly experience large-scale death incidents, no one would be able to react in time.

"The common people of just one commandery or county are probably not enough to revive the statues; more people would need to die to awaken them."

Qin Mu's eyes flickered. He took out a geographical map of Yankang from his Taotie pouch. Yankang was no longer what it once was; its territory had greatly expanded, and its population was several times what it used to be. However, the most populous prefectures and commanderies were still concentrated in economically developed areas.

"The surging river's water transport is the most developed, with many cities of over a million people along its waterways. Next is the Jiangling region, but Jiangling isn't too far from the capital, so the Imperial Preceptor and First Ancestor would react quickly."

Qin Mu examined the map. The most suitable location, without a doubt, was Lizhou Prefecture, home to Yu Yuan Churain. It was far enough from the capital and also far enough from Yuzhi Commandery, and it was in the central part of Yankang.

"If I were Lou Yunqu, I would choose that place and sacrifice everyone in Lizhou Prefecture to awaken the statues."

Qin Mu's expression was uncertain. Lizhou Prefecture was just south of the Heavenly Saint Academy. The Surging River Academy was also there, where Senior Minister Su Yunzhi served as Grand Libationer, and Yu Yuan Churain and Yu Yuan Chuyun were Libationers.

"If they used the Book of Life and Death to sacrifice everyone in Lizhou Prefecture in one fell swoop, they would not only wipe out the Surging River Academy but also my Heavenly Saint Academy along with it. Eliminating the Heavenly Saint Academy along the way would be no trouble for Lou Yunqu and his group."

"Lizhou and Bazhou have enough people to revive many statues. Once the statues revive, destroying a few prefectures and commanderies would be simple, and then they could activate the Five Thunder Pot and other Celestial Phenomenon Divine Weapons to unleash tribulation upon Yankang, completely destroying it."

Thinking this, Qin Mu immediately ordered the Dragon Qilin to descend along the Surging River and head towards the Surging River Academy in Lizhou. The Dragon Qilin was very fast, soaring above the Surging River. Beneath the churning waves of the river, two giant dragons darted through the water, closely following the Dragon Qilin's movements.

Upon reaching Dijiang County, Qin Mu ordered the Dragon Qilin to descend. On Mount Baisui, opposite Dijiang County, a snow-white deity with a horse's head, human body, and a single horn on its head watched from afar. Qin Mu waved his hand, and the Baixi deity immediately vanished.

The Surging River Academy was situated by the riverbank. Su Yunzhi had chosen this location to attract talent from both sides of the river, and because the Surging River Dragon King, Dragon Lord Huan, Jiao King God, and Baixi deity resided there. Ordinarily, inviting these three deities to teach only required some offerings; the Baixi deity, in particular, was inexpensive, costing very little.

Qin Mu walked towards the Surging River Academy, observing many novel large-scale spiritual weapons along the way. These spiritual weapons were parked on both sides of the road, and some scholars were teaching divine arts practitioners how to operate them.

—The scholars of Surging River Academy evidently had no idea that disaster was imminent; the place remained peaceful and tranquil.

Qin Mu had the Dragon Qilin stop, and he paused to observe. He saw some spiritual weapons that were windmills with seven blades. They featured a small alchemical furnace where medicinal stones could be burned, causing the blades to rotate. As the blades rotated, gusts of wind blades cut along the ground, quickly turning over an acre of land. Once the land was tilled, the windmill could be pushed forward to turn over other plots.

"Tools for plowing the land!"

Qin Mu was surprised. In Yankang's reforms, most efforts involved paying divine arts practitioners for their labor. Those cultivating wind-type divine arts would use spells to plow the land, employing wind blades to break up the ground. However, it was unknown who had created these windmill spiritual weapons that utilized medicinal stones to provide energy, allowing them to cast divine arts. It was truly an ingenious concept.

He asked a scholar by the windmill, who replied, "Besides these windmills, there are also cloud chariots, rain chariots, mining carts, and smelting furnaces, all designed by the Heavenly Crafts Hall and its department. The Imperial Preceptor has ordered their nationwide promotion."

"Could it be Grandpa Dumb who designed these everyday spiritual weapons? But with nationwide promotion, wouldn't the supply of medicinal stones fall short? Cultivating spiritual medicines also takes time for them to mature."

Qin Mu asked, "Is Grand Libationer Su Yunzhi in the academy?"

"The Grand Libationer is up ahead, inspecting the medicinal fields with the Jade-Faced Poison King from the Imperial Medical Bureau."

Qin Mu's heart stirred. "Grandpa Apothecary is here too? Doesn't he already have the Empress Dowager and a bevy of beauties? Could Senior Minister Su also be involved with him? Ugh, how could I slander Grandpa Apothecary behind his back..."