Chapter 774: Yuan Magnetic Five-Finger Mountain

Hearing the voice, Qin Mu was both surprised and delighted, and called out loudly, "Emperor釋天 King Buddha! Li Youran!"

The self-pitying voice suddenly ceased. A moment later, Emperor釋天 King Buddha's vigilant voice asked, "Who is that?"

"Me! Qin Mu!"

Qin Mu excitedly declared, "It's me! Qin Mu, the one who stormed the Buddhist Realm and made you take the blame!"

A moment later, Emperor釋天 King Buddha emerged from the ruined city. Still resembling a young monk, he walked barefoot across the desolate ruins, his feet remaining utterly spotless.

Undeniably, many men possess handsome features, but few could rival Emperor釋天 King Buddha's striking appearance. The monk had a perfect, dignified presence, with layers of glowing halos and flames radiating from behind his head, making his visage truly solemn and majestic.

"So it's Layman Qin." Emperor釋天 King Buddha sighed with relief and smiled. "Why are you here? The Great Ruins just underwent a dramatic change, with many folded spaces suddenly appearing. Did you cause it?"

Qin Mu shook his head. "It wasn't me. It was Granny Si from our village... Granny Si used her primordial magnetic divine ability, which disturbed the remnant soul of Earth Mother Primordial Lord, causing the Primordial World from back then to reappear."

Emperor釋天 King Buddha looked surprised. "Granny Si from your village? So immensely powerful! I absolutely must meet such an extraordinary person."

Qin Mu blinked, his smile pure and innocent. "Why are you here, King Buddha? I just saw Red Emperor Qi Xiayu's phoenix boat and heard her zither music drifting from the city. It seems Red Emperor Qi Xiayu is reminiscing about the old days of the Emperor's Era."

Emperor釋天 King Buddha smiled. "A woman from the Bai family arrived just now and startled her away. That Bai family woman was from the old Emperor's Era Heavenly Court; I met her during the Kaihuang era. Red Emperor, a former official of the Emperor's Era, surrendered to the Outer Heavenly Court, and thus dared not face an old acquaintance."

Qin Mu continued, "Red Emperor Qi Xiayu has been pursuing King Buddha all the way, from the Twenty Heavens of the Buddhist Realm to the ruins of the Thirty-Three Heavens of Kaihuang. I had assumed King Buddha would have suffered every kind of torture and humiliation, but to my surprise, you don't have a single scratch and look perfectly radiant. It truly amazes me."

Emperor釋天 King Buddha replied, "During the Kaihuang era, that Bai family woman once sought a young man named Qin who was skilled in swordsmanship. Unfortunately, her search was fruitless, and Kaihuang did not help her find him either."

Qin Mu responded, "Why do we cross paths like mandarin ducks, soaring together now and then? Has King Buddha left monastic life these days? Are you now called Li Youran?"

Yu Tianzun listened, utterly bewildered and unable to make sense of their exchange. Although the two appeared to have a good relationship, their reunion resembled that of bitter rivals, mercilessly picking at each other's old wounds. Yet, amidst the pain they inflicted, there was also a strange sense of enjoyment.

Finally, Qin Mu and Emperor釋天 King Buddha ceased their mutual teasing, laughed it off, and reconciled, their harmony returning to how it was when they first met.

"King Buddha, how's that blame you're carrying?" Qin Mu asked with feigned concern.

"Still carrying it."

Emperor釋天 King Buddha replied, "Thankfully, it was Red Emperor pursuing me; she at least left me some chance to live. However, I heard that the Heavenly Court is preparing to send other experts to capture me and extract Old Buddha's Emperor Seat cultivation method from me. The blame Old Buddha placed on me is certainly firm and enduring. How about your share of blame?"

"A few more," Qin Mu replied.

The two couldn't help but feel a mutual understanding, sensing a strong kinship as fellow sufferers.

"Red Emperor chased me all the way here," he continued, "and I was fortunate that the Bai family woman startled her away. Otherwise, I would have truly been captured by her, which would have ruined half my cultivation."

Emperor釋天 King Buddha glanced at Yu Tianzun and asked curiously, "And who is this young benefactor?"

"He is Lan Yutian."

Qin Mu offered no further introduction, simply stating, "He's another Tyrant Body, very intelligent, no less than me. I was entrusted to look after him and guide his cultivation. He learns everything quickly, and his cultivation progresses at a divine pace. King Buddha, I plan to visit old acquaintances in the Great Ruins to help the common people. Since you are here, would you care to join us? You could also teach Lan Yutian some basic Buddhist runes."

Emperor釋天 King Buddha hesitated for a moment. "Do I know these old acquaintances you're seeking?" he asked.

Qin Mu shook his head. "No, they're just ordinary villagers from the Great Ruins."

Emperor釋天 King Buddha visibly relaxed. "Saving the dying and aiding the injured is a fundamental duty of Buddhism," he said. "I shall accompany you."

Qin Mu also breathed a sigh of relief. The three journeyed together, and Emperor釋天 King Buddha began teaching Yu Tianzun basic Buddhist runes. After some time, he couldn't help but marvel, "Layman Qin, is Layman Lan truly a Tyrant Body? His speed in learning basic Buddhist runes is even faster than yours!"

Qin Mu's face darkened.

The more Emperor釋天 King Buddha observed Yu Tianzun, the fonder he grew of him. "If Old Buddha were here," he said, "he would surely be delighted to pass on the Emperor Seat cultivation method to him. Why do you only want me to teach him basic runes? I've also learned Old Buddha's Emperor Seat cultivation method; I can just teach it to him."

Qin Mu quickly interjected, "No, absolutely not! That would ruin a promising talent. You mustn't teach him any cultivation methods, not even divine abilities! No Divine Treasures, no Heavenly Palaces—teach him only principles!"

Emperor釋天 King Buddha didn't understand his reasoning but still proceeded to teach Yu Tianzun the Buddhist runes as requested.

Buddhist runes, also known as Sanskrit, constitute a language system created by Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha. The pronunciation of its characters and words carries a profound Daoist charm, sharing similarities with ancient divine scripts.

Lan Yutian learned exceptionally fast, grasping concepts and extrapolating them, which left Emperor釋天 King Buddha utterly amazed. However, he soon noticed that despite Lan Yutian's intelligence, there was a certain naivety about him.

"It seems like something is missing from his soul," Emperor釋天 King Buddha mused. As a vastly experienced individual, he quickly identified the issue with Lan Yutian, observing, "His soul seems somewhat unstable, and other parts of his soul are scattered externally."

As they left the ancient battlefield, the ground suddenly shook violently and cracked open. A stone statue of a divine beast began to emerge from beneath the earth, rising higher and higher. Springs gushed forth from the ground, the water steadily increasing until it swiftly formed a large river in front of them. The divine beast's statue was half submerged in the gushing water, half exposed above it.

"A demigod, a Water Qilin!"

Qin Mu halted. He watched as the demigod statue in the river underwent a rapid transformation; the stone patterns on its body peeled away, and it swiftly regained a body of flesh and blood. It then shook its head violently, flicked its mane, stomped on the water, and shot into the sky! The great river below him ascended along with the demigod, settling beneath its feet. The Water Qilin demigod stood upon the airborne river, water patterns rippling across its body. The next moment, it rose to its full height, transforming into a demigod with a Qilin head and a human body, its mane turning into blue garments, and its aura radiating a wild intensity.

"Earth Mother calls us, go quickly!"

The Water Qilin demigod's furry ears twitched. Just as it was about to depart, it suddenly spotted Qin Mu and his companions. It smiled. "I've been dormant until now, and it's been a long time since I've had sustenance; my stomach is quite empty. Though these three are a bit small, they should still be enough to fill me up!"

The river water beneath its feet surged, descending from the sky and swirling towards Qin Mu and his companions. Controlling vast amounts of water was an innate instinct for it. However, judging by its ability to transform into a half-human, half-god form, it was also a divine ability practitioner among demigods, having already cultivated the Divine Treasure system. The water surged violently with tremendous power. In terms of water-based divine abilities, this demigod's mastery rivaled that of the Blind Elder in his prime!

Qin Mu glanced at Emperor釋天 King Buddha, who paid no mind to the demigod and continued teaching Yu Tianzun. With a sigh, Qin Mu pointed, and his sword pellet shot into the air, flying straight towards the great river! The sword pellet plunged into the river, and suddenly, a burst of sword light erupted, slicing the river water in half. The great river parted into two, roaring past the three individuals.

"Oh, a divine ability practitioner."

The Water Qilin demigod chuckled. "Your skill isn't bad. A pity, it's nothing more than that!" The parted river swirled, encircling them from both sides. Within the roaring water, numerous water swords were concealed, almost impossible for the naked eye to detect. The river water was incredibly heavy; the sheer weight of a great river far surpassed that of Qin Mu's sword pellet, forged from divine metals like Buddhist Element Red Chromium. For the Water Qilin demigod to manipulate such a massive body of water, its magical power must surely greatly exceed that of human divine ability practitioners.

Qin Mu's expression grew serious. He abruptly extended his fist, and his sword pellet rapidly disintegrated, transforming into countless flying swords that spun around him, parrying and stabbing, severing the hidden water swords within the river. The Water Qilin demigod's magical power rattled Qin Mu's vital qi, scattering it somewhat, and the sheer strength of its cultivation put Qin Mu on high alert. He had previously engaged demigods from the early Dragon Han era; in the Battle of Yaochi, he had slain many under Heavenly Venerable Hao. However, back then, demigods had not yet begun cultivating the Divine Treasure system, and Heavenly Venerable Hao had only just solved the problem of demigods transforming into human form. This Water Qilin demigod, a divine beast from the Emperor's Era, came from a time when the demigod cultivation system was already complete. Both in terms of magical power and physical strength, it far surpassed humans, making it an extremely formidable opponent.

The Water Qilin demigod was surprised to see Qin Mu repel its attacks twice. It suddenly reached out, grasped the great river, and with a forceful shake, merged the vast waters into a long whip. Swinging it down towards Qin Mu, it chuckled, "Your strength isn't bad; you're not much inferior to me. How rare, how very rare! After so many years of dormancy, to awaken and immediately encounter a master with whom I can truly test my skills!"

Qin Mu moved swiftly, his body cutting through the air as he rushed directly towards the demigod, meeting the incoming whip. The sword pellet spun wildly before him, humming as countless sword lights shot forth. The rotating lights sliced through the whip, causing the water to disperse and surge, its turbulent waves crashing into the mountain forests on either side. Qin Mu sprinted, dispersing the water whip in mere moments, and arrived directly before the Water Qilin demigod.

The Qilin-headed, human-bodied demigod was startled, quickly retreating as massive waves surged up, blocking Qin Mu's path. *Thump, thump, thump*, massive explosions rang out as wave after wave of water burst apart. When the final wave exploded, countless flying swords grazed the demigod's body, then *clinked* as they embedded themselves into the cliff behind him. A dull thud echoed as the Qilin-headed, human-bodied demigod slammed into the cliff. The pattern formed by the embedded flying swords perfectly outlined his body. As he was about to dislodge himself from the cliff, Qin Mu's palm pressed against his face. With a surge of terrifying power, he slammed the demigod's head deep into the mountain rock! The mountain rock yielded like tofu as the demigod's body plunged straight into the cliff, leaving only its thick tail exposed. Qin Mu lifted his hand, grabbed the tail, and with a powerful yank, pulled the demigod out of the mountain rock, then swung it overhead and slammed it down. The earth trembled as the demigod was slammed into it, creating a large crater.

The demigod, still alive, hastily scrambled to its feet. Qin Mu inverted his five fingers, pressing them down in the air. "Primordial Magnetic Five Fingers Mountain!" he declared.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!

Five thunderous booms echoed, as if five Mount Sumerus had descended. The ground rumbled and sank crazily. The demigod was pressed down, kneeling in the increasingly deep pit, its body cracking and popping under the pressure, blood flowing continuously. Unwillingly, it reverted to its true form, prostrating itself on the ground and crying out, "I surrender! Don't kill me—"

Qin Mu descended from the air. The flying swords around him merged one by one, forming a sword pellet before him, which then flew into the gluttonous pouch at his waist.

Emperor釋天 King Buddha approached with Yu Tianzun and smiled. "Your skills have improved considerably," he remarked. "Was that 'Five Fingers Mountain' just now a primordial magnetic divine ability?"

"I learned the primordial magnetic runes from Granny," Qin Mu replied. "Just now, I comprehended my own primordial magnetic divine ability from them."

Qin Mu looked down at the demigod in the pit. "You just said Earth Mother called you. What's that about? Isn't Earth Mother Primordial Lord dead?" he asked.

The Water Qilin, pressed motionless, cried out, "How could Earth Mother Primordial Lord's soul be so easily scattered? I awoke from my slumber and heard Earth Mother Primordial Lord's call, clear as day! Besides me, all demigods will hear Earth Mother's summons."

Qin Mu frowned slightly. "All demigods?"

Suddenly, he looked up and saw streaks of golden light streaking across the sky, obscuring the sun. It was a group of colossal bird-headed, human-bodied demigods, their immense wings stretching towards the heavens, moving with incredible speed. Next, the mountain forest began to tremble as countless gigantic beasts stampeded through it, also rushing wildly in the same direction!