Chapter 724: Entering the Way through Martial Arts

"Hegemon Body?"

Hu Bugui and Senior Brother Lu exchanged glances, whispering, "Which divine race has that physique?"

Both were utterly perplexed. Having lived in the various Heavens of the Douliu World for a long time, they rarely ventured out and knew almost nothing about the outside world.

In his early years, Hu Bugui had accompanied his parents on expeditions outside, but after settling in the Douliu World, he had diligently trained and never left. Senior Brother Lu, on the other hand, had lived there since childhood. Consequently, neither of them was familiar with the legend of the Hegemon Body.

In fact, before Qin Mu emerged from the Great Ruins, very few people had heard of the Hegemon Body. It only gradually became known in recent years, and even then, not many understood its true nature.

After all, the Village Chief was an honest man and rarely actively promoted the Hegemon Body to outsiders.

Beside Qin Mu, the woman was still shaken. She quickly touched her neck, still dazed.

Qin Mu turned and smiled, "Sister, your head and spirit were just severed by the God-Slaying Profound Blade on the God-Slaying Platform. I used Youdu spells and Creation divine arts to reattach them for you. Thankfully, I arrived quickly; the God-Slaying Profound Blade didn't have time to absorb your vital essence. Otherwise, I could only have saved your spirit, and saving your physical body would have been quite tricky. In that case, I'd also need to formulate medicines and refine pills, but my gluttonous pouch is still with Fatty Dragon, which would take a lot of time back and forth."

Only then did the woman realize what had happened. She quickly thanked him, saying, "This humble one is Si Meixue. Thank you, Junior Brother, for saving me."

Qin Mu quickly replied, "Sister, it was merely a small effort, nothing to mention. Please wait a moment; there's still a bloodstain on your neck. I'm quite skilled in beauty-preserving arts, so I'll help you make it disappear. Please don't move."

Si Meixue chuckled, "You have such a sweet tongue. If I weren't already married with two children, I would surely run away with you..."

"Sister, don't speak."

Qin Mu's expression was serious. Tiny runes emerged from his fingertips as he carefully mended the bloodline on her neck. He softly said, "It's difficult for me to completely remove the bloodstain with just spells; it requires a medicinal paste made from spirit herbs. Unfortunately, my gluttonous pouch isn't here..."

He was shirtless and very close to Si Meixue, making her feel a little uncomfortable. She thought to herself, "I got married too early. I should have been more selective..."

After treating her, Qin Mu sighed with relief and smiled, "Sister, this bloodstain has faded a bit. When we leave here, I'll refine a few more medicinal pastes for you to apply regularly, and there won't be any trace left. Also, since I just reattached your head, you can't exert too much force; it might suddenly fall off if you do."

Si Meixue was startled. She quickly clutched her neck, afraid to move, and forced a smile. "I wouldn't have been able to pass the God-Slaying Platform on my own, but thanks to your rescue, I did. However, I can forget about Jade Capital; I won't be able to pass that at all, and my head might fall off at any moment. I'll accompany you past this point later, but I won't enter Jade Capital."

Across the God-Slaying Platform, Senior Brother Lu steadied himself and stepped onto it.

Before he could stand firm, two blood fiends on the platform transformed into streams of bloody light and coiled around him. Senior Brother Lu quickly flicked his fingers repeatedly, attempting to deflect the blood fiends.

He was imitating Qin Mu's method. Qin Mu had first used the Eight Ancestral Dragon Sounds to vibrate his vital essence, forcing away the blood fiends rapidly coiling around his neck, then used finger power to repel them.

However, he still underestimated the power of the blood fiends. As soon as his finger flicked at one, there was a *hiss*, and a section of his finger was suddenly gone!

Senior Brother Lu was startled. He quickly rolled backward and tumbled off the platform. However, at that moment, the blood fiend had already coiled around his neck. As Senior Brother Lu rolled down, his head was gone by the time he landed.

Si Meixue was about to speak when Qin Mu, who had been beside her, vanished. The next moment, Qin Mu rushed across the God-Slaying Platform, forced back the blood fiends, picked up Senior Brother Lu's head, and, using the same method, reattached it to his neck. He comforted him, "Don't worry, your head being temporarily separated from your body won't cause serious harm, but it can't be off for too long. Too long, and you'll die. I once heard the Lord of Youdu say that one can still revive within seven days after death. You're not truly dead yet; you can still live... Don't move, you still have a finger that needs to be reattached..."

Hu Bugui coughed and reminded him, "Brother Qin, Senior Brother Lu is from the Wuluo race. You've reattached his head backward; he was trying to tell you. He has faces on both the front and back, but they are distinct. You can tell by the leopard print on his neck. The side with finer leopard print is the front face, and the side with coarser print is the back face."

Qin Mu glanced, his face slightly flushed, and suddenly his vital qi transformed into a sword light, slicing off Senior Brother Lu's head.

Senior Brother Lu was horrified, but fortunately, Qin Mu reoriented it and reattached it for him.

Only then did he sigh with relief.

Qin Mu's eyes gleamed brightly, showing encouragement. "Senior Brother, why don't you try again? This time, roll to the other side of the God-Slaying Platform. Even if your head gets chopped off again, I can reattach it for you. That way, you'll have passed the trial!"

Senior Brother Lu quickly shook his head, forcing a bitter smile. "No need. I've tried once, and my strength isn't enough to cross the God-Slaying Platform. I'll just stay here and wait for you to return. I just remembered I have a wife, children, and elderly at home..."

Although he had participated in this trial with a determination to die, having his head chopped off repeatedly, even if it could be reattached, was a sensation he found unbearable.

Qin Mu didn't insist and crossed the God-Slaying Platform once more.

Hu Bugui lifted his foot and ascended the God-Slaying Platform step by step. Senior Brother Lu and Si Meixue watched him nervously. Hu Bugui was the last hope of the Douliu World; if he too couldn't pass the God-Slaying Platform, the Douliu World would be completely annihilated!

If only Qin Mu, an outsider, managed to cross the God-Slaying Platform, the martial artists of the Douliu World would lose all face!

Qin Mu also looked onto the platform, observing Hu Bugui walking forward steadily, step by step. He seemed to make no superfluous movements, as if taking a stroll. Yet, dozens of Hu Bugui appeared around him, attacking from all directions!

It was as if he had dozens of clones in an instant, his offense like thunder, forcing back the bloody fiendish energy. The blood fiends couldn't even get close!

These phantoms were not clones; rather, his attacking speed was so fast that to the naked eye, it seemed as if dozens of him appeared simultaneously around him.

What impressed Qin Mu most was that Hu Bugui still appeared to be walking unhurriedly. This was the true terrifying aspect of his Martial Dao.

"'Martial Soul Entering the Dao' is the Martial Dao itself. Hu Bugui must be close to achieving 'Martial Arts Entering the Dao', right?"

Qin Mu felt a little puzzled. At the Southern Heavenly Gate, Hu Bugui's strength wasn't this great, nor had he achieved 'Martial Arts Entering the Dao'. Yet now, he seemed to have entered the verge of 'Martial Soul Entering the Dao'.

"Brother Hu is truly a genius."

Qin Mu couldn't help but admire him, thinking, "I relied on the Hegemon Body's comprehension to gain insight into my own cultivation method and sword arts at a young age. But he, through his own true abilities, has comprehended 'Martial Arts Entering the Dao'! Such talent is truly admirable."

What he didn't know was that Hu Bugui's breakthrough on the God-Slaying Platform was actually due to him.

He and Qin Mu were friends, not rivals, but Hu Bugui couldn't help but feel a hidden urge to compete.

Qin Mu not only brought him pressure but also motivation, even inspiration, compelling and encouraging him to make further breakthroughs.

It was like when Qin Mu, in the past, encountered Xu Shenghua in a painted boat on the upper reaches of the Jin River. They met by chance, drank tea instead of wine on the boat, and Qin Mu felt the pressure of the "False Hegemon Body," turning that pressure into motivation. This led him into a state of enlightenment, and together with Ling Yuxiu, he created the Primordial Spirit Guiding Art.

Hu Bugui's state was similar.

Qin Mu watched Hu Bugui's every move on the God-Slaying Platform nervously. This moment was crucial. If Hu Bugui's enlightenment was interrupted, re-entering such a state of insight would be incredibly difficult. Completing the missing parts of one's enlightenment was the hardest task, something Qin Mu deeply understood.

He himself had once had his enlightenment interrupted. At that time, he escaped from the hands of Furiluo and was hurrying from the demon race's territory to Lincheng. Along the way, he unconsciously entered a state of enlightenment, but was besieged by demon experts, forcibly breaking his state of insight.

The state of enlightenment is something that can be encountered but not sought. Even if gods and demons possess endless lifespans, throughout their lives, their entries into such a state are few and far between.

Even a heaven-gifted talent wouldn't experience it more than ten times.

"Even I, with the Hegemon Body, have only experienced it three or four times."

Qin Mu's gaze was fixed on Hu Bugui's figure. This man was undoubtedly a martial dao genius. Unfortunately, the God-Slaying Platform wasn't very large, and he would soon walk off it!

Once he stepped off the God-Slaying Platform, without the external threat of the two blood fiends, the sudden reduction in pressure would cause Hu Bugui to awaken from his state of enlightenment.

Qin Mu's enlightenment state was interrupted in the past due to a sudden increase in pressure.

Both sudden increases and decreases in pressure can break a state of enlightenment.

Finally, Hu Bugui stepped down from the God-Slaying Platform. Qin Mu, his battle intent surging, suddenly attacked Hu Bugui!

Si Meixue gasped in alarm, about to stop Qin Mu, but the next moment, Qin Mu manifested three heads and six arms, sending her flying with three punches and two kicks!

Si Meixue crashed against the Jade Capital city wall with a loud bang. She quickly clutched her head to prevent it from falling off, her mind filled with confusion and doubt: "Why is Brother Qin attacking Senior Brother Hu?"

Qin Mu moved rapidly, leaving trails of afterimages. He utilized his Heaven-Stealing Divine Legs to their utmost, his six arms flailing, his attacking speed dizzyingly fast!

He wanted to apply pressure to Hu Bugui, to make him maintain his state of enlightenment and complete his 'Martial Arts Entering the Dao'!

Hu Bugui continued to walk forward, his attacking speed increasing, blocking all of Qin Mu's assaults. The afterimages he left behind multiplied, and the power unleashed by his physical divine arts grew stronger.

Qin Mu had initially been controlling the power of his moves, but he quickly noticed Hu Bugui's counterattack strength rapidly increasing. His eyes lit up, and his own attacks became fiercer, continuing to pressure Hu Bugui, aiming to squeeze out more of his potential!

The afterimages around Hu Bugui already numbered over a hundred and were still increasing, yet he maintained his unhurried walking posture.

The two fought their way to Jade Capital, entering the celestial city.

Si Meixue protected her neck with one hand and attacked Qin Mu with the other. Suddenly, with another loud bang, she was sent flying out of Jade Capital by Qin Mu's punch, feeling immensely wronged. "You still call me 'Sister,' but you hit so hard..."

The two fought their way into the first divine hall in Jade Capital City. Guarding the hall was a village farmer's wife who, despite being a woman, possessed the demeanor of a great general. Seeing the two fighting their way in, she was about to act, but suddenly realized Qin Mu's intention. She immediately suppressed her vital essence and cultivation, not disturbing them, and allowed them to pass through the hall.

"Hu Bugui, with his 'Martial Arts Entering the Dao,' might be the first person to traverse the Heavenly Palace using the life-and-death realm."

The farmer's wife stood with her hands behind her back, her eyes twinkling like starlight, watching them smash the back door of the grand hall to pieces. She whispered, "No. He will be the second, because..."

She walked out of the dilapidated back door of the hall and gazed up at the towering High Heavens Palace. "He also doesn't have a divine bridge. The Martial Dao has an insurmountable mountain, and he is that mountain. He is the true first person of the Martial Dao!"

Zhaizhu is currently on a high-speed train, heading straight for Shanghai. This time, it's not for a meeting, but for the Star Academy Advanced Training Class hosted by China Literature Group, for authors to further their studies. Yes, Zhaizhu is an instructor, going to teach a class. There's also an interview this afternoon. As for today's second chapter, I'll try my best to publish it on time. Don't worry, I'll write it even if I have to stay up late!