Chapter 839: Sword Scar

The white dragon soared through the clouds and mist, flying towards the Dao Sect.

Under the meticulous care of Dao Master Lin Xuan, Xiao Chunfeng finally regained consciousness. Dao Master Lin Xuan smiled and said, "It's good that Senior Brother Xiao is alright. The spiritual elixirs and miraculous medicines used to treat you were quite valuable, totaling two thousand Dafeng coins."

Xiao Chunfeng seemed a little dejected. "Two thousand Dafeng coins? Don't worry, I won't owe you. I have plenty of skills, and I'll pay you back as soon as I earn the money."

Dao Master Lin Xuan chuckled. "If Senior Brother Xiao is short on cash, you can teach here at my Dao Sect and gradually pay it back."

Xiao Chunfeng stretched his limbs and tentatively asked, "If I teach at the Dao Sect, what's the monthly salary?"

"Thirty Dafeng coins per month."

Dao Master Lin Xuan kindly explained, "This is already the rate for a high-level Imperial Academy instructor. An ordinary Dao Sect Imperial Academy instructor only gets fifteen Dafeng coins a month. Your skills are high enough to be worth thirty Dafeng coins."

Xiao Chunfeng was startled. He stared intently at him, his voice hoarse. "Only thirty a month? If I don't eat, drink, or spend any money, I'd still have to work for you for five and a half years to pay off this debt?"

Dao Master Lin Xuan felt a bit guilty. He thought to himself, "How did Cult Master Qin manage to trick Xu Shenghua after severely injuring and then treating him, all without batting an eyelid? My composure seems to be failing; I'm about to give Senior Brother Xiao a raise..."

In Qingyun Heaven, after Yu Chenzi made the arrangements, the Qingyun Headmaster immediately reported the case of the attacked Celestial Court envoy to the Celestial Court, quietly awaiting their arrival.

On this day, the sky above Qingyun Heaven split open, and a flying ship sailed in from beyond the heavens.

The connection between the Celestial Court and Qingyun Heaven had never been severed. Even when the Primal World was sealed years ago, and space was folded, leaving only places like the Great Ruins and Yan Kang's Western Earth, Qingyun Heaven could still communicate with the Celestial Court.

For Qingyun Heaven and other Heavens, it was Yan Kang and the Great Ruins that were sealed, not the Primal World Heavens themselves.

The Qingyun Headmaster hastily led his disciples to welcome them. Several demigods from the Celestial Court stood at the prow of the ship, watching them with faint smiles. Behind them stood numerous wolf-headed, human-bodied demigods, holding long spears and making no sound.

The Qingyun Headmaster and the Daoists lowered their heads, not daring to look up.

"Lift your heads."

The leading demigod smiled and said, "Fu Yuntian, you are the Headmaster of Qingyun Heaven, a Dao Sect. Your status is far above mine, a constable from the Divine Arrest Camp. There's no need for such excessive politeness."

The Qingyun Headmaster hastily replied, "Your Excellency jests. You are an Imperial Censor and a high official of the Celestial Court, while I am merely a minor deity in the lower realm. How dare I be presumptuous? Your Excellency, the attack on the envoy was Qingyun Heaven's fault. All of us in Qingyun Heaven are filled with trepidation, fearing celestial wrath and punishment. We humbly ask that Your Excellency speak favorably of Qingyun Heaven upon your return. This humble deity has prepared some small gifts..."

The demigod burst into laughter. He stepped down from the ship with the others behind him, shaking his head. "The Celestial Court's laws are strict; who would dare accept your gifts? That's a capital offense! However, if you were to slip them onto my ship when I'm not looking, I'd be helpless, wouldn't I?"

The Qingyun Headmaster immediately smiled apologetically, giving a signal to the Daoists. The Daoists promptly placed various treasures onto the ship.

The demigod walked up to him and lightly waved his hand. The wolf-headed, human-bodied demigods instantly vanished, their forms flickering in and out of sight. They suddenly appeared before various palaces and halls in Qingyun Heaven, sniffing around on the ground. After sniffing, they vanished again, only to reappear and continue sniffing on the ground.

The Qingyun Headmaster forced a smile. "Your Excellency, what is this...?"

"We are just acting according to the law, Headmaster Fu. Please don't take offense."

The demigod took his arm and laughed heartily. "Don't call me 'Your Excellency'; that's too formal. These few are my disciples, and those Roaring Sky Divine Clan members are my constables. I am Qu He, the Captain of the Celestial Court's Divine Arrest Camp Guard. Just call me Old Qu, Headmaster."

Suddenly, his primordial spirit flew out behind him, towering a thousand zhang tall. Its arms stretched out, revealing over a thousand arms extending in all directions, with palms facing outward.

In each palm, a large eyeball had grown. The eyeballs rolled around, casting divine light in every direction, searching for all kinds of traces.

Qu He, still holding the Qingyun Headmaster's arm, laughed heartily, "Just official business, no offense taken, no offense taken!"

The Qingyun Headmaster continued to offer apologetic smiles, thinking to himself, "I wonder if Yu Chenzi's work was meticulous enough..."

Qu He's primordial spirit flew up, shining light everywhere, quickly searching throughout Qingyun Heaven. Meanwhile, the wolf-headed, human-bodied demigods leaped like flying, moving incredibly fast, searching everywhere and capturing several Daoists for harsh interrogation.

After a moment, Qu He's primordial spirit flew back, and the more than one hundred wolf-headed, human-bodied demigods also suddenly reappeared, some carrying half-dead Daoists. They all bowed their heads, gathering around Qu He's primordial spirit's hand, whispering.

The Qingyun Headmaster's expression remained unchanged, but deep down, he was genuinely uncertain.

Suddenly, Qu He burst into laughter. "Headmaster, we've injured some of your disciples; please forgive us, forgive us. But this is official business, so please bear with us."

The Qingyun Headmaster bowed his head and said, "I wouldn't dare."

"Who found the envoy's body?" Qu He asked with a smile.

"My disciple, Yu Chenzi."

The Qingyun Headmaster called Yu Chenzi. Qu He reached out, grabbed Yu Chenzi, and with a flash of movement, was already on the flying ship. He smiled and said, "In that case, let Yu Chenzi lead us to the crime scene for a look! Headmaster, you may stay; we only need Yu Chenzi to guide the way."

The Qingyun Headmaster's expression subtly changed. Yu Chenzi quickly said, "Headmaster, don't worry. I will accompany the esteemed officials to take a look and will return soon."

The Qingyun Headmaster forced a smile. "Please serve the officials well. Your Excellency, I entrust my humble disciple to you."

Qu He laughed heartily, and the flying ship lifted off, heading away from Qingyun Heaven.

At Yongjiang Academy, Qin Mu searched for the Cripple to no avail, and a silent anxiety began to grow within him.

He wouldn't have worried if anyone else from Crippled Old Village had taken Yu Tianzun to roam the world, but the Cripple was an exception.

After all, the villagers of Crippled Old Village would not proactively seek danger. Even the audacious Butcher was not someone who deliberately caused trouble.

Only the Cripple, who took it upon himself to steal from everywhere, would actively venture into danger. He would head straight for places with the most treasures, and those places were often the most perilous.

"Don't worry," the Village Chief reassured him. "The Cripple's interest in anything only lasts three days."

The Village Chief comforted him, "The Cripple is just like an old monkey who likes to pick corn and throw corn cobs. Once he gets tired of playing, he'll return Yu Tianzun to you."

"I hope so," Qin Mu said, his worried expression unchanged.

Just then, the Blind man arrived at Yongjiang Academy with Yu Tianzun. Qin Mu was astonished and quickly went to greet him. The Blind man said, "I ran into the Cripple at the Flaming Dragon Tomb. That scoundrel was being chased by a group of flaming dragons! They burned a thousand li of barren land red, chasing him until he had nowhere to hide! He couldn't escape with this kid, so he handed him over to me and told me to bring him to Yongjiang Academy."

Qin Mu finally felt relieved. He looked Yu Tianzun up and down, and Yu Tianzun offered a guileless smile.

Qin Mu's heart skipped a beat, and he too offered a guileless smile.

The Village Chief and the Blind man cheered in unison, "The Cripple taught him well!"

Qin Mu smiled, revealing eight white teeth, looking innocent, pure, and radiant. Yu Tianzun also smiled, revealing eight teeth, looking equally innocent and bright, making it impossible for anyone to feel even a shred of wariness.

Qin Mu's fingers suddenly twitched, and then a pair of underwear appeared in his hand.

At the same time, Yu Tianzun's arm moved like a blur. Qin Mu laughed heartily, triumphantly declaring, "I never wear those; I find them too stuffy! Give me back my Taotie Bag!"

Yu Tianzun was clutching a Taotie Bag, which was so heavy that he struggled to hold it.

Qin Mu's face darkened. He threw the underwear back to Yu Tianzun and snatched his Taotie Bag, lamenting, "Yu Di, you're not learning good things; you've gone astray by following that old rogue! Look, although I've also learned some of Grandpa Cripple's tricks, I never steal things; I only 'rob' them with my own skill. Grandpa Blind, is Grandpa Cripple alright?"

The Blind man shook his head. "Hard to say. Those flaming dragons are extremely powerful; they guard the tomb of a terrifying god-demon. The Cripple snuck into the tomb with your brother and stole something from it. It must have been a very important treasure, which is why they were chasing him. I took a look from afar and felt that any one of those flaming dragons could easily kill me, so I laid down a diversionary formation and escaped with this kid. But the Cripple is full of tricks; he might have managed to get away."

Qin Mu was still somewhat worried. He looked at the Village Chief, who understood, smiled, and said, "I'll go find the First Ancestor to help and meet with the powerful beings of the Flaming Dragon Tomb." With that, he hurried away.

Qin Mu felt relieved and said to the Blind man, "Grandpa Blind, if you're not busy, would you mind accompanying me to the Dao Sect? I haven't studied Yan Kang's Daoist arts and divine abilities much these past few years and have fallen behind. I'd like to ask Grandpa Blind to teach me a thing or two."

The Blind man said with no small amount of pride, "You are indeed behind. In these past few years, I've been researching the formations of the Kaihuang era. A few months ago, I even exchanged insights with Heavenly Master Zixi, one of the Four Heavenly Masters, in the capital. My attainments in formations have now reached a new level."

Qin Mu was overjoyed and laughed, "No one can truly surpass Heavenly Master Zixi's mastery of formations!"

The Blind man shook his head. "Heavenly Master Zixi is also outdated now. I, along with Yan Kang's Imperial Advisor and many other formation masters, have created several new formation patterns that she hadn't seen. I even taught them to her. However, I also learned a great deal from her, and she can still be called the foremost master of formations in the world; I am still not as good as her."

In recent years, Yan Kang has made numerous achievements in formations. Besides battle formations, killing formations, and city defense formations, various other new formations have emerged. Among these, the most fundamental are the formation patterns.

Just as sword arts have nineteen basic sword moves, formation patterns are the foundation of formations. Being able to add new patterns to existing ones is already a remarkable achievement!

There are many formation masters in Yan Kang. However, they specialize in different areas. Su Yunzhi, the Great Libation of Yongjiang Academy, is an expert in formations, primarily focusing on city defense formations. General Qin Jian, also known as Qin Baoyue, specializes in battle formations; he and Duke Wei are revered as the gods of the army.

Sikong Wei Pingbo, who oversees Yan Kang's water systems, is also a formation master skilled at arranging formations by utilizing the terrain.

And while Yan Kang's Imperial Advisor is famous for his sword arts, his mastery of formations surpasses even that of General Qin Jian and others.

These talents in Yan Kang have absorbed the achievements in formations from the Kaihuang era and further developed them, naturally leading to extraordinary accomplishments.

Qin Mu called for Dragon Qilin and Water Qilin, bade farewell to Su Yunqing, Yu Yuan Chuyu, and others, then went to the riverbank and summoned the Dragon Keeper.

Upon seeing the Blind man, the Dragon Keeper couldn't help but shiver and offered an apologetic smile. "Master Divine Spear, long time no see."

The Blind man closed his eyes, scrutinized him with his mind-sight, then opened his eyes and said, "Why haven't you made any progress? Dragon Keeper, your cultivation is too low. How will you lead the Celestial River in the future? If you don't strive for improvement, you'll be killed sooner or later."

The Dragon Keeper hesitated. "This humble dragon is rather dull-witted..."

The Blind man sneered. "You've also lectured at Yongjiang Academy and served as a Libation. You should know that the Heavenly Records Pavilion at Yongjiang Academy contains the Ancestral Dragon Grand Profundity Art. Why haven't you learned it?"

The Dragon Keeper glanced at Qin Mu and offered an apologetic smile. "How could I dare secretly learn such a powerful cultivation art as the Ancestral Dragon Grand Profundity Art?"

The Blind man didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He shook his head. "You're too cautious. Your master has already made the Ancestral Dragon Grand Profundity Art public; anyone in the world can cultivate it. How could he not let you learn it? Even those flood dragons that used to crawl on you calling 'Maha Maha' have learned it, and some of them are now more capable than you. If you don't improve soon, it'll be your turn to crawl on them calling 'Maha Maha'."

The Dragon Keeper was overjoyed and repeatedly expressed his gratitude. He then carried them upstream along the river, heading towards the Dao Sect.

Qin Mu sat on the Dragon Keeper's head, seeking guidance on formations from the Blind man. Yu Tianzun also listened in. The Blind man had initially expected it would take them at least half a year to learn, but after only six days, he had nothing more to teach them.

The Blind man's eyes widened, and a sudden surge of unprovoked anger rose within him. He hammered the Dragon Keeper's head a few times.

The Dragon Keeper yelped in pain, not knowing what he had done wrong to anger this esteemed master. He then heard Qin Mu explain to Yu Tianzun, "Once you learn the basic formation patterns, learning formations becomes easy; this is called 'mastering one thing to understand a hundred.' But mastering one thing isn't enough; you also need to infer other cases from one instance and apply knowledge to similar situations. Formations aren't just for formations; they can be used in other aspects, like Dao arts or sword arts. Some people only memorize things by rote, but they don't realize that rote memorization is the most foolish method."

Yu Tianzun said, "It's not that hard to learn. I've comprehended a few formations, Brother, can you check if they're correct?"

The Blind man, annoyed, hammered the Dragon Keeper's head twice more.

The Dragon Keeper dared not speak and could only continue forward silently. He finally endured until they reached their destination. As Qin Mu and the others disembarked, he finally let out a sigh of relief and hastily fled into the water.

This location was still a considerable distance from the Kunlun Realm where the Dao Sect was located. Qin Mu and the others continued their journey. After two days of travel, they saw a flying ship stop in the sky. Numerous wolf-headed, human-bodied strange beings leaped down from the ship and began sniffing around.

Qin Mu's heart jolted. He had Dragon Qilin stop. He watched as one of the wolf-headed, human-bodied strange beings found a corpse that had already been ravaged by wild beasts, making its face unrecognizable.

"This corpse… it seems to be a demigod I killed. So these strange beings are..."

He looked up at the flying ship and saw a golden-armored divine being standing at the prow with his hands behind his back. Next to him was Yu Chenzi.

Qin Mu's heart skipped a beat.

One of the wolf-headed, human-bodied strange beings leaped like flying, suddenly appearing before Qin Mu and the others. It sniffed vigorously, then abruptly vanished, reappearing on the ship to whisper to the golden-armored divine being.

The golden-armored divine being, Qu He, looked towards him, smiling. He said to Yu Chenzi, "This person once appeared in Qingyun Heaven. The Roaring Sky Divine Clan detected his scent. Do you recognize him?"

Yu Chenzi secretly groaned inwardly and quickly replied, "Yes, I do. He is Qin Mu, the Celestial Saint Cult Master of Yan Kang. I brought him up the mountain to meet the Headmaster."

"Celestial Saint Cult Master Qin Mu?"

Qu He tilted his head, thinking. "I seem to have heard that name somewhere... Since he's an acquaintance of yours, let them pass."

Yu Chenzi expressed his gratitude and called out loudly, "Brother Qin, the Celestial Court is conducting business here. Please take a detour."

Qin Mu assented, instructing Dragon Qilin to take a detour.

"Wait a moment!"

Suddenly, Qu He called out to him, smiling. "Qin Mu, do you practice sword arts? Could you demonstrate one move for me to see? I found a sword mark on the wall of a Daoist temple in Qingyun Heaven, and it's different from the Dao Sect's sword arts."