Chapter 840: Since ancient times, troublesome people have had eccentric ambitions

The blind man tilted his head back and chuckled, "Brother, you just mentioned finding a sword mark on the Dao Sect wall that differs from their usual techniques. Isn't that like giving someone a heads-up? I don't know what you're investigating, but if Mu'er is the killer, telling people what you're looking for will certainly make him change his swordplay."

Qu He's gaze settled on him. "How do you know I wasn't saying it deliberately for him to hear?" he asked leisurely.

The blind man was slightly taken aback.Qu He, with his hands clasped behind his back, smiled. "If he's connected to this case, he'll deliberately conceal his swordplay when he uses it. I'll know at a glance if he's hiding it. Even if he does, he'll still leave clues in the subtle patterns of his sword-forms and the small runes created by his vital energy."

Qin Mu felt a chill in his heart.

Qu He continued, "If he's involved in this case, a single sword move will give him away to me. If he's not, then he has no need to hide anything. I'm a renowned 'Divine Eye' in the Heavenly Court's Divine Constable Camp; petty tricks can't escape my notice."

The blind man squinted his eyes in a smile. "What a coincidence, I'm also a 'Divine Eye.' Those who know me call me 'Blind Man,' but I'm not a constable. I do know a great monk who used to be one."

"A 'Divine Eye' in the lower realm is called 'Blind Man'?"Qu He couldn't help but laugh. "People from the lower realm are truly amusing. If the fastest runner is called 'Lame Man,' then what?"

The blind man clapped his hands in admiration and burst into laughter. "You said you were a Heavenly Constable, and I didn't believe it at first, but it seems you truly have some divine abilities! You're right, the fastest runner in our Yankang is indeed called 'Lame Man.' Not only that, in our humble rural area, the best at butchering pigs is called 'Heavenly Blade,' the most beautiful is called 'Old Woman Si,' the best blacksmith is 'Mute'—and he's also the loudest at cursing. The best painter is 'Deaf Man,' the most handsome man is 'Faceless Apothecary,' but the best swordsman is our village chief, who was originally limbless and was whittled into a stick."

Qu He roared with laughter. "Indeed, they are a strange bunch. People from the lower realm are truly entertaining. You lower realm gods don't seem like lofty deities at all; more like performers putting on a show."

The blind man sighed. "Yes. We country bumpkins from the lower realm can't compare to the lords of the Heavenly Court. We just perform tricks to get by, selling our skills for a bit of money. To be frank, I often tell fortunes, parading through the streets with my banner, and people say I'm quite accurate."

Qu He expressed genuine admiration. "Extraordinary people often have extraordinary ambitions. You possess such abilities, yet you're content with an ordinary life. If it were me, I wouldn't have such a disposition. With my abilities, I would definitely rebel, claim a mountain as my territory, plunder and burn, and become a local emperor."

The blind man's face lit up with a smile. "Oh, we wouldn't dare! We are law-abiding citizens, we wouldn't dream of rebelling. We only occasionally kill a few short-sighted individuals who come down from the Heavenly Court, like striking down the Heavens, or those called Lu Li Xuanming from Youdu, or the Underworld Son of Heaven, and so on. Constable, we wouldn't dare rebel; we only rob you lords to make ends meet."

Qu He, beaming, clapped his hands and praised, "Excellent! Truly excellent!"

The blind man smiled broadly. "Always excellent. As the saying goes: 'Since ancient times, common folk possess strange ambitions, daring to deem the Heavenly Emperor no true man!' Aren't we, to the lords of the Heavenly Court, precisely the unruly commoners from impoverished lands?"

Qin Mu praised sincerely, "Grandpa Blind, your refinement has grown; this poetry is truly of high quality!"

The blind man beamed with pride.

Qu He burst into laughter. "You can express rebellion in so many creative ways! No wonder His Majesty says there are always unruly commoners in the lower realm trying to harm him."

The blind man chuckled. "You always face people with a smile, giving off the impression of a smiling tiger. Heavenly Constable, we need to be on our way. Will you permit us to pass?"

Qu He smiled. "Of course. You may pass, but don't damage the scene."

The Dragon Qilin and Water Qilin cautiously walked forward, while the longboat remained suspended in the air. Qu He stood at the bow, hands still clasped behind his back, his eyes fixed on them as they slowly approached.

Standing beside him, Yu Chenzi suddenly felt a shiver down his spine. Behind Qu He, a thousand-zhang tall primordial spirit silently materialized!

The primordial spirit's thousand arms unfurled like flower petals, and within each palm, a massive divine eye slowly opened.

Below the boat, the blind man and his companions seemed utterly oblivious, continuing their unhurried journey.

Cold sweat beaded on Yu Chenzi's forehead, his heart pounding wildly from tension.

Qu He glanced at him, a half-smile on his face.

Perched on the Dragon Qilin's head, the blind man remained composed, humming a tune as his eyes slowly closed.

Suddenly, a black dragon bone belt at his waist gradually unfurled. The belt, a black dragon's skeleton, had sharp claws hidden within its structure, which now slowly extended, clutching at the air.

The Dragon Cleaving Divine Spear slowly awoke, flying gently around the blind man's waist, its joints rattling softly as it moved.

Qin Mu took two steps back, vigilantly scanning his surroundings. Several youths leaped from the longboat, descending towards the ground but stopping in mid-air, holding shields, chains, and sabers.

Simultaneously, the wolf-headed, human-bodied Howling Sky Divine Race members, who had been darting through the wilderness like lightning, also froze, turning their heads to look in their direction.

Qin Mu's eyelid twitched. He reached out and grasped a sword pellet, squeezing it tightly. The pellet expanded against the wind, transforming into a divine sword. Qin Mu's hands crossed, and the divine sword split into two.

The youths shook their chains, and beams of light erupted from them. The interconnected chains wove together in mid-air, forming flowing rings of light.

Qin Mu narrowed his eyes, whispering, "Water Fatty, protect your master. Dragon Fatty, be careful."

Finally, they walked into the shadow cast by the boat.

At the bow, the smile on Qu He's face deepened.

Suddenly, all thousand arms of his thousand-zhang primordial spirit splayed their fingers, extending from the deck down beneath the boat!

At that moment, Qin Mu and the others saw a thousand gigantic eyeballs appear in the shadow beneath the large boat. Innumerable formations circulated within the eyeballs, and in an instant, light interwove and crisscrossed, forming various bizarre arrays that attacked from all directions!

The formations changed countless times in an instant, unleashing terrifying power that shredded the space beneath the boat!

The swirling pillars of light made it impossible to keep one's eyes open. Qin Mu quickly shut his eyes, realizing then why the blind man had closed his eyes at the very first moment.

Just then, a dragon's roar resounded, and Qin Mu felt the blind man vanish from beside him. Through his vital energy perception, he could feel various formations colliding around him, their terrifying ripples strong enough to crush them countless times over!

However, as the formations unleashed their power, they suddenly transformed from "death gates" to "life gates." Not only that, he could sense the blind man's small figure weaving through these formations, each array shifting under the blind man's Dragon Cleaving Divine Spear's manipulation and adjustment, turning into an offensive killing formation!

Various formations erupted beneath the boat's shadow. Suddenly, with a thunderous roar, the hundred-zhang long longboat groaned, then was flung into the sky, tearing apart into pieces.

Countless treasures burst forth from within the boat, scattering shimmering light through the air.

Qin Mu's vision returned. He looked up to see a thousand-armed, thousand-eyed demon god colliding with the blind man, who clutched a black dragon spear, amidst the falling treasures. The two, one large and one small, clashed in mid-air.

At the same time, the young constables each shook their hands, and chains interwove and crisscrossed, swishing towards Qin Mu and his companions, binding them!

Bang, bang, bang!The shields in their hands flew up, forming walls around Qin Mu and the others. Large shields appeared everywhere—above, below, and from all directions—sealing off the space.

Within the shield walls, chains rattled and moved, crisscrossing and interlacing ever more tightly.

Yu Chenzi inwardly fretted, "Oh no! In this situation, Qin Ba will have to use his sword art, otherwise he can't break free. As soon as he reveals a true sword move, it'll expose him as the one who killed the Heavenly Court envoy..."

Just then, crackling sounds burst from within the sealed shield space, and a flash of sword light, quick as a startled swan, sliced through the large shields!

Qin Mu, now with three heads and six arms, his willow leaf mark vanished from his brow, let out a sudden roar. Beams of light, like fiery snakes, shot from his forehead, sweeping in all directions!

The youths were immediately overwhelmed. Several had their bodies severed, and their primordial spirits, just as they flew out, were cut in half!

The seemingly static Howling Sky Divine Race members suddenly moved in unison, darting and flickering like ghosts, pouncing on Qin Mu and his companions.

Behind Qin Mu, the Gate of Heavenly Succession suddenly appeared. The gate opened, and his body spun like a top. The hundred-zhang tall Gate of Heavenly Succession churned with black mist, roaring and rotating around Qin Mu as its center, forming a sheet of black light!

Bang, bang, bang—Bodies fell from the sky. The Howling Sky Divine Race members swept by the Gate of Heavenly Succession had their primordial spirits instantly dragged into Youdu. Their physical bodies remained intact, but they were dead.

Suddenly, the remaining youths shouted, and chains flew from their sleeves, piercing into the Gate of Heavenly Succession, bringing it to a halt.

Qin Mu activated the Gate of Heavenly Succession, but it could not move, while the wolf-headed, human-bodied Howling Sky Divine Race members lunged at them!

Swish—A Heavenly River floated in the air, thousands of feet long. Qin Mu's primordial spirit stood upon the Heavenly River, his hands raised. The flying sword in Qin Mu's hand exploded with a bang, transforming into countless streaks of sword light. In an instant, the sword light filled a thousand-foot radius, forming an ocean of sword light!

Within the vast ocean of sword light, shattered bodies were everywhere, and blood dyed the ocean crimson!

The village chief's second sword diagram technique: Sword of Kaihuang's Genesis.A single sword unleashes a blood-soaked ocean of Kaihuang!

Suddenly, the ocean of sword light shattered, and from amidst the scattered remnants of bodies, a wolf-headed, human-bodied Howling Sky Divine Race member lunged forward. He was the strongest, already a deity. Qin Mu's move was a group attack technique from the sword diagram and couldn't kill him; instead, the dispersed power broke Qin Mu's sword art, saving the others.

His sharp claws extended, seizing at Qin Mu on the Dragon Qilin's head.

Qin Mu's robes billowed behind him, transforming into countless array patterns that flew out, sweeping up the Water Qilin and Yu Tianzun.With a flash of light, the Water Qilin and Yu Tianzun were sent far away.

Qin Mu raised his palm to meet the divine claws of the Howling Sky Divine Race member.

With a thunderous boom, heaven and earth trembled. Qin Mu's palm was covered in blood, and large tendons in his forearm were severed by the impact, piercing through his skin and exposed.

His five fingers were twisted, the bones broken, and his fingers bent in various directions.

The wolf-headed divine being immediately aimed a kick at Qin Mu's head. Just then, a ball of heavenly fire erupted from within the wolf-headed divine being, instantly incinerating the deity into ashes.

Qin Mu raised his hand and severed his own arm, which quickly regrew. He leaped into the air, his body spinning like a top. As he rotated, he grew three heads and six arms, his six hands moving in yin-yang opposition as he pressed them towards the ground.

Simultaneously, several wolf-headed, human-bodied demigods and other youths intercepted him in mid-air, pouncing on him!

As Qin Mu was struck, his six arms pressed onto the ground, sending his body bouncing high into the air. The Dragon Qilin immediately darted out from the side, stepping on fire clouds to catch Qin Mu, and shot away through the air.

The Dragon Qilin turned its head and opened its mouth, spewing a jet of fire that blasted the ground.

On the ground, countless prisms of heavenly fire drilled up from beneath, several zhang tall. When struck by the Dragon Qilin's fiery blast, a massive mushroom cloud instantly rose into the sky. The youths and Howling Sky Divine Race members who had not managed to escape were annihilated in the explosion, and a terrifying ripple swept across a hundred-mile radius, incinerating the earth into crystal!

Magma surged, and suddenly thick black mist emerged from it, forming clouds that ascended with the firelight.

Qu He, who was currently clashing with the blind man, frowned deeply. Almost everyone he had brought was annihilated, and after this heavenly fire explosion, he feared that even traces of Qin Mu's sword art would be impossible to find!

"Unruly commoners!"

Suddenly, the earth shook, and an impossibly massive body slowly rose from underground, tearing the earth apart. A voice roared, "Who dares disturb me?"

Yu Chenzi breathed a sigh of relief, thinking, "This earth dragon is formed from the Earth Mother's severed roots. My goal is to frame him. If the earth dragon kills Qu He, and the Heavenly Court sends another constable to investigate the scene, the blame can be perfectly shifted to the Earth Mother. All previous traces and flaws will become impossible to find! The suspicion on my Azure Cloud Heaven can then be completely cleared!"

Clearing Azure Cloud Heaven's suspicion in the initial investigation was not his true objective. There were too many traces, making it difficult to erase them completely. However, luring out a master under the Earth Mother's command to kill the constable would perfectly frame the Earth Mother, and the suspicion on Azure Cloud Heaven would vanish.

This was Yu Chenzi's true framing plan.