Chapter 718: Old Ox

Over a hundred miles from the explosion's epicenter, Qin Mu crawled out of a large crater, utterly disheveled. His clothes were tattered, and he patted down lingering flames that still hissed on his body, giving off a distinct scent of burnt flesh.

The explosion had occurred moments ago when he used demonic energy to ignite the Celestial Fire, without the slightest warning. Fortunately, he had been cautious, using only a wisp of demonic energy to activate the Celestial Fire. The resulting explosion wasn't excessively violent, merely propelling him a hundred miles away. Even so, it had nearly killed him, but thanks to his cultivation of the Creation Arts of the Crimson Emperor and the Luminous Emperor, he had managed to survive.

"Youdu is of the demonic path, and Xuandu belongs to the divine path," he mused. "Using Youdu's demonic energy to ignite Xuandu's Celestial Fire certainly seems like it would cause problems."

The young man extinguished the demonic flames on his body, then turned to look. His clothes were ripped in several large holes at the back, exposing half of his fair backside. These clothes, meticulously crafted by Yu Zhaoqing and the experts of the Heavenly Feather Tribe, were quite fitting. They could change in size and color according to his mood, preventing monotony. He had worn them constantly, but now they were beyond repair.

"I'll have to ask Sister Yu for help to craft a few new sets of clothes," he sighed. He flew into the air, feeling a cool breeze on his backside.

Qin Mu returned to the explosion's center to retrieve his sword pellet. During the blast, he had directed the brunt of the force towards it. He wondered if the sword pellet, having endured the collision of demonic and celestial fire, had been burnt or shattered.

"Oh?" Qin Mu uttered softly. He noticed the sword pellet had shrunk considerably, now only the size of a fist. He couldn't tell if a portion had been vaporized or if it had been refined to a smaller size. The sword pellet now emitted a serene, faint glow, resembling a night pearl. The light wasn't intense; instead, it flowed like water from within the pellet, contained yet visible, making the sword pellet appear as if it were composed of light itself.

He reached out and grasped the sword pellet. It felt exceptionally heavy, no lighter than before, indicating that the recent massive explosion of demonic and celestial fire had not vaporized it. Qin Mu was slightly astonished. While alternating divine and demonic flames could indeed quickly temper a sword pellet to a fluid state, it was astonishing that it had reached such a fluid state after a violent explosion caused by the mixture of demonic and celestial fire.

He squeezed the sword pellet tightly. From within it, sword energy, like flowing light, seeped through his fingers, bending and moving according to his will. This sword light was remarkably quiet and mysterious. It made no sound as it cut through the air, and even rapid strikes produced no audible whoosh. Its silence was almost unsettling. Yet, when Qin Mu gently touched the sword light, he could distinctly feel the cold, metallic texture of the blade. This characteristic indicated that the sword's flexibility had reached a near-fluid state, while its material strength was extraordinarily high! The sword pellet's toughness and strength had achieved a perfect standard!

"My forging and refining skills haven't reached this level yet," he pondered. "Even Grandpa Cripple might not be able to achieve this. What exactly happened?" Other crafters would simply celebrate a successful refinement without dwelling on the reasons, but he was more interested in understanding the cause of this phenomenon.

"I wonder about its wear resistance?" Qin Mu rummaged through his Taotie Pouch and pulled out the Heaven's Lament Bell. This bell was a treasure from Mingdu; disciples from Mingdu in the Heaven's Yin Realm had once used it to attack him, causing considerable trouble. The Heaven's Lament Bell was a treasure crafted by gods and demons, using Heaven's Yin Gold, similar to the material of Qin Mu's sword pellet, though his pellet also contained some Buddhist essence and crimson chromium.

Qin Mu held the bell and rubbed its rim against the sword pellet for a long time. He observed that a portion of the bell's rim was worn down, yet the sword pellet remained completely undamaged. "Its wear resistance is also extremely high!"

Qin Mu was stunned. While his refining techniques were indeed superb, they weren't yet at *this* extraordinary level. "The effect of Celestial Fire and Demonic Fire?" he mused. "They played a role, but it's more likely the exceptionally intense heat and shock from that explosion."

Qin Mu frowned slightly. "Can explosions also be used for smelting and forging? Why didn't Grandpa Cripple teach me that... Wait a minute! When refining treasures, one uses a hammer for continuous striking. In manufacturing plants, gigantic mechanical giants are used for forging, capable of exerting millions of catties of pressure in an instant. And when a god like Grandpa Cripple swings his hammer, he can increase that pressure by hundreds or even thousands of times compared to a mechanical giant! The temperature generated in an instant beneath his hammer can reach temperatures close to the sun's surface! However, an explosion can produce the same effect, or even greater pressure!"

His eyes lit up. He paced back and forth, muttering, "The explosion from the collision of Celestial Fire and Demonic Fire generated temperatures and pressures that even a god like Grandpa Cripple couldn't match! That's why my sword pellet was instantly refined to a perfect state! Explosive refining... there's great potential here!"

Qin Mu spread his fingers, and the sword pellet suddenly rang, splitting into eight thousand swords, their tips pointing towards the center. With a slight shift of his thoughts, the sword pellet vanished, transforming into two long blades. Qin Mu grasped the blades and attempted to perform "Night Battle, Continuous City Wind and Rain," but after only half a move, he was breathless and nearly collapsed to his knees.

"The sword pellet is too heavy," he grumbled. "It's manageable when controlled with vital qi, but I can barely execute a single move holding it by hand." Qin Mu thought for a moment, and the two long blades disappeared, merging back into the fist-sized sword pellet. Even when placed in his Taotie Pouch, its weight tugged at his belt, pulling his pants down.

The Imperial Guards of the capital, alerted to the explosion, arrived on large black-feathered, red-crested birds. Seeing Qin Mu in his tattered, ruined clothes, they were startled. "Lord Qin, what happened here?" they hastily asked.

Qin Mu waved his hand, smiling. "Just a minor incident, nothing to worry about. I'm heading back to the Tujian Supervisory Workshop first. You can just level out the crater left by the explosion." With that, he walked towards the workshop. The guards exchanged glances. They watched as the renowned Lord Qin, known throughout the capital, struggled to walk along the river towards the workshop, his bare backside half-exposed with every step.

"Should we offer Lord Qin some clothes to cover up?" a soldier whispered. Their leader hesitated, then shook his head. "I heard Lord Qin is also a tailor, and in his earlier days, fashionable figures in the capital sought him out for bespoke clothing; it was quite popular. This outfit is probably Lord Qin's ingenious new design for this year – a 'beggar's attire'..."

Upon returning to the Supervisory Workshop, Qin Mu saw the Dragon Qilin sprawled on the ground, chin flat, all four legs pressed straight. He couldn't help but shake his head. Disciples from the Celestial Craftsmen Hall in the workshop hurriedly brought out clothes. "Cult Master, we don't have anything fancy here, just ordinary coarse cloth garments. Please make do with these."

Qin Mu put on the clothes, chuckling. "I'm about to experiment with some things, so the clothes don't need to be too good. Prepare a few more sets; I might need to change several times later. Oh, is the Hall Master of the Celestial Craftsmen Hall here? Tell him to come quickly!"

The Celestial Craftsmen Hall disciples quickly notified their Hall Master to come, wondering, "What is the Cult Master planning to do?"

"Explosive refining!"

The Hall Master of the Celestial Craftsmen Hall, Shan Youxin, who had been in Jiangling working with the Imperial Preceptor and the Emperor on the Sun Ship and Moon Ship – their problems now resolved – rushed back by fast boat upon hearing the news, arriving at sunset. Qin Mu, Shan Youxin, and numerous Celestial Craftsmen Hall disciples entered the workshop. For the next ten days or so, constant explosions echoed from the workshop, shaking houses throughout the capital and causing considerable public discontent.

Finally, Empress and Crown Prince Ling Yushu could no longer sit still. They rushed to the Supervisory Workshop. Upon entering the facility, they saw many divine arts practitioners flying around a colossal, thirty-foot-tall alchemy furnace, engraving various runes onto its surface. This furnace differed from ordinary alchemy furnaces; it had no vents and its exterior was covered with Vermilion Bird patterns and various other profound flame textures, making its structure exceptionally complex.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness!" The Hall Master, whose face was blackened from explosions, hastily greeted the Empress and Crown Prince. "It's my death sentence that Your Majesty and Your Highness have been disturbed!"

The Empress chuckled. "I came because I noticed you've been making constant 'boom, boom, boom' noises here every day, keeping the common folk from sleeping. Where is Lord Qin? What new contraption is he having you work on now?"

"Cult Master Qin has gone to the Southern Border," explained Shan Youxin, chuckling. "He said he's asking Tribal Chief Yu to refine a few sets of clothes for him. The Cult Master is leading us in researching explosive refining," Shan Youxin continued. "This very furnace is designed for that purpose. Your Majesty, Your Highness, this furnace is capable of rapidly refining divine weapons to a usable state. The runes on it are Vermilion Bird runes and Celestial Fire runes. Once ignited, powerful explosions will propel the internal hammer-bolts, striking the divine metal, shaping it with a single blow – extremely fast!"

Ling Yushu and the Empress were deeply shaken, exclaiming, "Refining divine weapons can be this fast?"

Shan Youxin smiled. "Tempering divine metal is exceedingly difficult. The Tujian Supervisory Workshop is one of the few places capable of tempering divine metal, and even then, the quantity tempered daily is not much. The gods of Yankang have queued up until the year after next, or even the year after that, just to have their divine weapons refined! But with this kind of furnace, we can produce the divine metal needed by the gods in just two months!"

Recalling Emperor Yanfeng's instructions, Ling Yushu quickly asked, "How many spiritual medicines and stones does it cost to activate the furnace? Cult Master Qin is always very extravagant. My imperial father said the Sun-Shooting Divine Cannon he built consumed far too many spiritual medicines and stones. My imperial father once fired it, and he was so distressed about the cost that he couldn't sleep properly for three months."

Shan Youxin hesitated. "The expenditure isn't too much, well, not too much..."

At Lijiang Academy, Qin Mu sought out Yu Zhaoqing and asked for her help in crafting clothes. Yu Zhaoqing immediately summoned the Heavenly Feather Tribe experts and chuckled, "Your Highness, I've been raising silkworms in the academy and have found some excellent materials. Rest assured, Your Highness, they will be perfectly refined. Does Your Highness desire a dragon robe?"

Qin Mu quickly shook his head. "Don't be silly. I'm not planning a rebellion."

Yu Zhaoqing sounded a little regretful. "We could make two sets as a backup, just in case."

Qin Mu shook his head again and went to find High Priest Ba Shan. The two martial brothers were drinking inside the hall. Fox Ling'er, who was in the Southern Border cultivating with the Fox Immortal, one of the Five Immortals of the demon race, rushed over upon hearing the news, clamoring for a drink. Outside the hall, however, she saw the Dragon Qilin beating the Green Ox, making the ox bellow in pain.

"Big Sister, I'm your sworn brother, Green Ox! Please save me!" the Green Ox cried out.

Fox Ling'er shook her head, ignoring him, and slipped into the hall to drink with Qin Mu and Ba Shan.

A few days later, Yu Zhaoqing finished crafting several sets of clothes. Qin Mu tried them on and was very satisfied, then embroidered Celestial Fire patterns and Youdu script onto them with gold and silver thread as decoration. These two sets of runes would ensure his clothes wouldn't be destroyed even if he encountered an explosion of similar power again.

"Your Highness," Yu Zhaoqing cautiously probed, "these past few days, the Heavenly Feather Tribe members have been very homesick and constantly wish to return to the Heavenly Feather World." She smiled, carefully testing Qin Mu's stance. "Now that Yankang is free from the threat of natural disasters, shouldn't we start considering the various celestial worlds?"

Qin Mu knew what she was hinting at and chuckled. "Yankang has just stabilized, and everything needs to be rebuilt. The Emperor doesn't have enough troops to pacify the Heavenly Feather World. Like the Great Ruins, the Heavenly Feather World is relatively normal during the day, but at night, darkness invades. Since the darkness hasn't been completely suppressed yet, Sister, why not wait a little longer? Once the Heaven's Yin Empress thoroughly pacifies the remaining troubles in the Heaven's Yin Realm, you can return to the Heavenly Feather World."

Yu Zhaoqing could only reply, "This humble one awaits Your Highness's news."

Qin Mu drew a map and said, "Tribal Chief, you can take some young men and women from your tribe to the Heaven's Yin Realm first. The Heaven's Yin Empress is short-handed there, and you will be highly valued by her, with many benefits. Once other tribes enter the Heaven's Yin Realm, there won't be as many advantages. I also need to make a trip to Fengdu, so I probably won't have time to take you there myself."

Yu Zhaoqing was overjoyed and immediately went to arrange the matter.

Qin Mu bid farewell to High Priest Ba Shan and Fox Ling'er, then immediately set off for the Great Ruins. He arrived at the Great Ruins and entered Fengdu, leaving the Dragon Qilin to wait outside. However, he didn't see Emperor Yi Yue or Tian Shu. Fengdu remained as it always had been, seemingly untouched by any modifications. "Is Sister Emperor Yi Yue still searching for Heavenly King Tian Shu?" he wondered.

Puzzled, Qin Mu departed Fengdu on Daoist Lingjing's small boat, only to find the Dragon Qilin battered and bruised, looking quite pathetic. Qin Mu quickly inquired. The Dragon Qilin replied, "I encountered an old ox tilling a field; it looked a bit like the Green Ox, so I thought I'd tease it a bit, but then it beat me up."

Qin Mu was startled and quickly asked, "Where is this old ox?"

The Dragon Qilin led him on a quest for revenge. Near a few acres of rice paddies, Qin Mu saw from a distance an old ox sitting on its backside under a tree, its two hind legs propped up like a human's. Its front hooves held a water pipe, and it leisurely puffed away, watching the rice paddies with half-closed eyes. Beside it was a small stone table with tea brewing on it.

Qin Mu approached and greeted him, "Daoist Brother."

***

Heartfelt congratulations to Feitian Panda on their marriage! Best wishes for a long and happy life together!