Chapter 862: Fierce Might Overwhelms All

Qin Mu, full of enthusiasm, walked towards Jiangling Academy. He naturally understood the profound implications behind the actions of the Woodcutter and Heavenly Master Zi Xi.

After the Primordial Realm was unsealed, various powers emerged. Yankang, in comparison, was merely a drop in the ocean, looked down upon, and treated as a soft target.

When all factions perceive you as a soft target and rush to exploit you, you will indeed be vulnerable.

For Yankang to survive in the perilous Primordial Realm, relying solely on the power of Emperor Kaihuang's old guard was insufficient. They needed to establish a formidable reputation first.

The title of a saint who appears once every five hundred years held no sway with the various heavens of the Primordial Realm. However, the reputation of the Yankang Hegemon Body, undefeated across all realms, was far more resounding. Therefore, it was only natural to put Qin Mu forward as their banner.

Even more crucial was the agreement concerning the Minor Earth Lord.

The Minor Earth Lord was none other than the God Son of Youdu, Qin Fengqing, Qin Mu's elder brother and his other "self" within his body.

The Woodcutter's agreement with the gods of the Northern Heavens regarding the Minor Earth Lord was an oath to both Qin Fengqing and Qin Mu. It stipulated that if the Northern Heavens' powerhouses defeated Qin Mu, Yankang would not surrender, and Qin Mu would not hold the Woodcutter accountable.

Qin Mu was confident he could restrain his elder brother, Qin Fengqing. While Qin Fengqing might grumble, Qin Mu was sure he could persuade him.

However, if the gods of the Northern Heavens lost and refused to honor the Minor Earth Lord agreement, the consequence would naturally be their joyful consumption by Qin Fengqing.

The long-standing issue of his brother's diet, which had always troubled Qin Mu, was instantly resolved.

More importantly, Yankang was the sole wager held by the Woodcutter and Zi Xi to gamble against the hundreds of Northern Heavens. This was practically a scheme to gain something for nothing!

It was a guaranteed win-win situation, and naturally, these two Heavenly Masters, the Woodcutter and Zi Xi, full of cunning, could devise such a plan.

Jiangling Academy.

This academy was designed and built by the Imperial Preceptor of Yankang. It wasn't located within Jiangling City, which was primarily a commercial hub with limited space for academic development. Therefore, the Imperial Preceptor chose to construct Jiangling Academy on the Jinjiang River Delta.

Within the delta, the Imperial Preceptor invited strongmen from Yankang to move several mountains, and the academy was built nestled against them.

He also enlisted master array specialists like the Blind Man to create several floating palaces, connected by cableways, encircling the mountaintops like petals of a flower.

Additionally, academy disciples experimented with array formations, imprinting various designs onto the rocks, so that besides the palaces, massive boulders also flew around the academy.

Some scholars, too lazy to walk, would leap between these airborne boulders, which became a unique sight at Jiangling Academy.

Qin Mu arrived here with Yu Tianzun. From a distance, Jiangling Academy appeared exceptionally lively. Young people were engaged in fierce magical duels on the river, sending waves exploding across the surface as divine abilities erupted, even emitting roars like giant beasts, stirring up the river.

Suddenly, large waves on the river transformed into colossal icebergs. These icebergs flew and spun, producing continuous clanging explosions. Ice swords grew out of the icebergs and flew out, striking repeatedly in all directions!

More icebergs soared from the river, creating a spectacular sight, with ice swords flying amidst them. The subtlety of the swordplay was breathtaking!

Qin Mu paused, full of admiration.

While Jiangling Academy had considerable achievements in array formations, it was most renowned for its sword arts. This particular Ice River Sword Art, integrating the eighteen basic sword stances, was already a rare and exceptional skill.

"The Imperial Preceptor has cultivated many outstanding individuals. The one displaying the sword art is likely a Doctor of Swordsmanship from the academy."

He looked towards the center of the sword formation, where a woman in her twenties was performing the sword art. He didn't recognize her, so she was likely a rising star from Yankang.

At that moment, a furious roar erupted from within the iceberg sword formation. A demigod giant, over ten zhang tall, charged through the sword formation towards the Doctor of Swordsmanship.

Its body was grotesque, with four arms wielding a shield and a hammer. It smashed the icebergs, shattered the ice swords, and as its shield and hammer clashed, magical power erupted, sending ripples of array patterns sweeping in all directions, shattering all incoming flying swords.

The four-armed demigod lunged towards the woman, leaping high and bringing its massive hammer down with extraordinary ferocity.

In terms of divine ability sophistication, he was no match for the Doctor of Swordsmanship from Jiangling Academy. However, as a demigod, his physical body was formidable, and his magical power surpassed that of humans.

Moreover, demigods possessed the bloodline of ancient gods, inheriting certain special talents from them. They held a significant innate advantage over humans, and in close combat, they could leverage their superior physique to overcome their opponent's divine abilities.

With a single strike of its great hammer, the four-armed demigod made the river water explode, sending the woman flying high. Though defeated, she remained composed, waving her hand to scatter countless river waters into the air, forming vertical water mirrors.

Sword lights from the mirrors shot towards the demigod. The demigod roared, shattering the airborne water mirrors, and then pushed its great shield forward forcefully. Instantly, a thick water wall, a hundred zhang high, rose from the surface of the Jinjiang River and pressed towards the woman.

Cheers erupted from all around.

"Qiu Xiaoyi's divine ability ensures this little girl won't get up!"

"Jiangling Academy has already lost over ten matches! Where is the Yankang Hegemon Body? Isn't he going to come out and disgrace himself?"

"Summon your Imperial Preceptor, who appears once every five hundred years, to face death!"

Qin Mu followed the sounds and saw numerous demigods standing at the entrance of Jiangling Academy, with various auspicious phenomena floating in the air, creating a lively scene.

Some demigods had even cultivated to the divine realm, their divine radiance soaring. While there were gods present at Jiangling Academy, their aura was considerably weaker than these newcomers.

These gods confronted each other, with the gods of Jiangling Academy clearly at a disadvantage, which severely impacted morale.

Many scholars at Jiangling Academy were also disheartened, likely due to being cornered by the demigods from the Northern Heavens, suffering more losses than wins, leading to declining morale.

In terms of divine abilities, their skills were naturally exquisite. However, the enormous innate disparity made it very difficult for human scholars to win against opponents of the same realm.

For geniuses like Qin Mu, Xu Shenghua, and Zhe Huali, who led the advancement of their era, the gap between humans and demigods was imperceptible. Yet, for other practitioners of divine abilities, the difference was stark.

Moreover, Jiangling Academy's scholars were confronting the most exceptional disciples from hundreds of heavens in the North!

It was clear just how much pressure Jiangling Academy was under.

Qin Mu's heart stirred slightly, and he stepped forward towards Jiangling Academy.

Beside him, the river water slowly began to rise. Large expanses of water floated into the air, ascending higher and higher, until gradually, the entire river surface, dozens of miles wide, lifted and drifted into the sky.

In front of Jiangling Academy, scholars from Jiangling, as well as demigods and gods from the Northern Heavens, couldn't help but look up, staring blankly at the spectacular scene unfolding before them.

The Jinjiang River was seen soaring into the sky, and large fish, several zhang long, swam within the airborne water, lifted by an invisible force, moving upwards.

Even ferocious-looking river monsters and water demons were now dancing wildly, following the Jinjiang River into the sky.

Numerous large cargo ships on the surface of the Jinjiang River also rose into the air, still sailing on the elevated water. The alchemy furnaces on board were still operating, and the engines were still turning. The divine ability practitioners guarding the ships rushed to the railings, peering down, evidently clueless about what was happening.

The four-armed demigod and the Doctor of Swordsmanship from the academy, who had just been fighting, were also lifted by this force. Trapped and unable to move, they watched helplessly as they were bound by the power and floated involuntarily on the river surface.

The Jinjiang River floated hundreds of zhang high, passing over the mountain peaks of Jiangling Academy, traveling for dozens of miles in an arc before returning to its riverbed and continuing its forward flow.

This sight was awe-inspiring.

"Has a god from Yankang arrived?"

A god from the Northern Heavens looked up at the sky and sneered, "Some power, but merely a show-off."

He withdrew his gaze and looked forward. Beneath the awe-inspiring river, a young man walked step by step towards Jiangling Academy, seemingly strolling casually on air.

Behind him followed a dragon qilin, a water qilin, and a slightly chubby-faced young man, who was curiously looking around.

The sound of surging waves and flowing water in the air was clearly audible.

Though the young man walking ahead moved slowly, his pace was not leisurely. As he advanced step by step, the sky suddenly darkened, growing increasingly black.

A majestic gateway appeared behind the young man, growing clearer and clearer. The enormous dark portal opened, and Youdu's demonic energy surged out, blackening the sky.

"Disciples of the Northern Heavens."

The portal resembled a colossal mouth devouring the heavens and earth. A chilling voice emanated from within, echoing throughout the world. The wave of sound rushed forward, making the skin on the faces of all the demigods and divine ability practitioners standing at the mountain gate ripple and tremble backward.

"Not a single one of you is worth fighting!"

As the sound wave hit, people's hair flew wildly, and their clothes billowed backward.

Several demigods with slightly lower cultivation lost their footing and were thrown into the air by the sound wave, tumbling backward like windmills.

The voice was full of demonic allure, seemingly able to evoke the most terrifying sensations in one's heart. Upon its utterance, people felt as if they were falling into Youdu, continuously plummeting into darkness!

The demigods from the Northern Heavens were drenched in sweat, their legs trembling.

Suddenly, the phenomena vanished. The Jinjiang River split into two, slowly descending and flowing past both sides of Jiangling Academy.

The darkness in the sky abruptly receded, disappearing into the majestic portal. The portal then vanished, and soon the sky returned to its bright state.

The young man had already reached the entrance of Jiangling Academy, a smile on his face, as he watched the still-shaken demigods and divine ability practitioners.

A demigod, with sharp light flashing in his eyes, fixed his gaze on the young man and roared, "A god is stirring up trouble here, intimidating the divine ability practitioners of my Northern Heavens. Is this Yankang's way of hospitality?"

At that moment, a thunderous laugh boomed from within Jiangling Academy: "Scholars, follow me out of the academy to welcome the Yankang Hegemon Body, Qin!"

A commotion erupted in the academy. A white-haired old god, his face flushed with excitement, led thousands of Jiangling Academy scholars out. The old god bowed, his voice like thunder, making the Jinjiang River water ripple incessantly: "Wei Guogong, acting Libationer of Jiangling, leads all scholars in respectfully welcoming the Yankang Hegemon Body, Qin!"

The voices of the thousands of scholars were even louder than Wei Guogong's, shaking the heavens and earth: "Respectfully welcoming the Yankang Hegemon Body, Qin!"

Everyone straightened up. Wei Guogong bowed again and chuckled, "Heavenly King Wei of the Heavenly Saint Sect pays respects to the Cult Master and Saint Teacher!"

Qin Mu laughed heartily, holding his arms, though his voice was much softer. He chuckled, "The Woodcutter Saint Teacher acted without informing me, so I'm a few days late. Duke, you've had a tough time these past few days. From the Northern Heavens, who among you wishes to challenge me?"

He surveyed his surroundings, his eyes like lightning, causing the void to glow. For a fleeting moment, an area of a hundred li around Jiangling Academy was brilliantly illuminated. Only when Qin Mu retracted his gaze did everyone's vision return to normal.

Silence fell all around, broken only by heavy breathing and the clattering of teeth. Not a single demigod or divine ability practitioner dared to speak.