Chapter 87: Trap

Qin Mu murmured, "Why is the Moon Ship here...?"

This ship was indeed the Moon Ship, bearing similarities to the Sun Ship. A deathly silence surrounded the Moon Ship; no figures were visible. It lay overturned amidst the mountains, with a large crescent moon hanging motionless in the sky. The nearest city was still over a hundred miles away.

The jade pendant on Qin Mu's chest floated in the direction of the Moon Ship.

The Great Ruins geographic map depicted two mysterious vessels: the Sun Ship and the Moon Ship. Qin Mu and the Village Chief had already seen the Sun Ship, but they had yet to encounter the Moon Ship.

The Moon Ship was no smaller than the Sun Ship. While the Sun Ship resembled a massive, legged volcano with fiery peaks and flowing lava, the Moon Ship was entirely silver-gray. It lay sprawled among the mountains, looking like a three-legged silver toad—or more precisely, a toad carrying a ship on its back.

The Moon Ship seemed alive; its mountainous body slowly rose and fell as if breathing. However, its hull was severely dilapidated, in much worse condition than the Sun Ship.

The Sun Ship haunted the Great Ruins and returned to the Sun Well, so why had the Moon Ship appeared in the Dead Realm instead of returning to the Moon Well?

"Carefree Village," Qin Mu mumbled, "does it refer to Youdu, or the Moon Ship?"

"Carefree Village," he mused, "what does 'carefree' mean? One is naturally carefree after death. Could Carefree Village be Youdu, the Dead Realm?"

Suppressing his shock, the Village Chief said, "However, Carefree Village could also refer to the Moon Ship. The Moon Ship breaks through the darkness, allowing its inhabitants to live peacefully and without worry... Didn't Sun Guardian tell you that Carefree Village appears at night but its location is unknown, implying it's constantly moving? If so, Carefree Village might be the area covered by the Moon Ship. This would explain why the Moon appears at night, and thus the Moon Ship operates at night. The Moon Ship roams during the night with Carefree Village, and since the ship moves, Carefree Village also continuously moves without a fixed abode. Mu'er..."

He paused, then added, "This is just my conjecture, but if it's true, you might be a Moon Herder."

"I'm a Moon Herder?" Qin Mu was slightly taken aback, not understanding the meaning.

"If you were born in Carefree Village, then you could be a descendant of a Moon Herder."

The Village Chief smiled. "Didn't you say that on the dragon pillar in Xianglong City, you saw a woman reach out to you, trying to touch your hand? I think that woman might be your relative, perhaps even your..."

He didn't finish, but Qin Mu understood his implication: she could even be his mother!

At that time, the Moon Ship must have brought Carefree Village near Xianglong City. The Sun Ship arrived during the day, while the Moon Ship appeared at night. That woman must have discovered Qin Mu, noticed the jade pendant on his neck, and wanted to acknowledge him!

But with this place so dilapidated and desolate, were there still Moon Herders living here?

And why would the Moon Ship appear in the Dead Realm?

Suddenly, a long, drawn-out song drifted from the Moon Ship—sorrowful, soft, and melodious, like a mother yearning for her distant child.

"When I left, willows swayed;Now I return, snow falls softly.The journey is slow, I bear thirst and hunger;My heart is sorrowful, my grief unknown..."

Listening, Qin Mu felt an urge for tears to flow, but with no flesh and blood in his current body, he had no tears to shed.

The song emanating from the enormous Moon Ship was ethereal and indistinct, carrying a sense of loneliness and sorrow, the yearning for a child transformed into a low melody.

He looked towards the Moon Ship. In the gray mist, a woman stood at the bow, her figure graceful, gazing from afar in their direction.

Their gazes seemed to meet across the distance, filled with endless longing.

Qin Mu wanted to close his eyes but couldn't. After a moment of silence, he said to the Village Chief, "Village Chief, let's go back."

The Village Chief was slightly startled and whispered, "Aren't you going to acknowledge her?"

Qin Mu shook his head, stating woodenly, "She's not my relative, and this isn't Carefree Village."

The Village Chief's heart trembled slightly. "The blind man opened your Divine Eyes Ninth Heaven. What did you see?"

Though powerful, the blind man surpassed him greatly in terms of sight. Since the blind man had opened Qin Mu's Divine Eyes Ninth Heaven, Qin Mu might be able to see things that the Village Chief could not.

"I didn't see a woman; I saw a demon god."

Qin Mu's gaze settled on the woman on the Moon Ship. What he saw was not a mother missing her child, but a terrifying and ferocious demon god, enveloped in black aura, radiating dark light, with circular bone spurs growing from its back!

That demon god was singing softly, seemingly luring him closer!

This was not a family reunion but a deception. From the moment Qin Mu's jade pendant glowed on the dragon pillar in Xianglong City, it had all been a trick, designed to lure him into this place!

"Goodness, even an old hand like me nearly fell for it!"

The Village Chief took a deep breath, and divine light erupted as he swiftly drifted backward with Qin Mu. Meanwhile, the woman on the Moon Ship suddenly tossed her hair wildly, rising into the air from the bow and flying furiously towards them!

Mid-air, the woman spun like a top, her body growing larger and her face becoming more grotesque. She finally shed her illusory form, revealing her true identity: a demon god with eight long limbs, two heads, and five tails!

Her limbs resembled human arms, and her feet were like hands. She moved incredibly fast through the air, chasing after them with a roar!

"Pema Dhale!"

Before the Village Chief, lotus flowers bloomed, covering the sky and spreading across the ground. Ethereal images of demon Buddhas sat within the flowers, each raising a hand to strike at the Village Chief!

These demon Buddhas were mere phantoms, yet they seemed to solidify from illusion, taking on real forms. Each demon Buddha's move was distinct, assailing the Village Chief and Qin Mu from all directions.

Buddhas were sacred, yet this demon had refined demonic powers into demon Buddhas, a truly heretical act.

The Village Chief's expression remained calm and composed. A flash of sword light shot from his finger, flickering rapidly among the lotus flowers. The sword light was so swift that even Qin Mu's sharp eyes couldn't follow it; he only saw bright streaks of light coiling around all the lotus flowers and demon Buddhas.

The next moment, the lotus flowers shattered, the demon Buddhas were decapitated, and then exploded with a bang, transforming into surging demonic energy that dispersed in all directions.

"Sarva Paramita!"

As the demon god lunged, a giant vortex suddenly appeared behind the Village Chief, spinning rapidly. It resembled a monster's maw filled with sharp teeth, and countless razor-sharp blades rotated within it. Inside the vortex, a long rainbow bridge flowed swiftly, heading deeper into the swirling abyss.

The Village Chief and Qin Mu were immediately caught by the vortex, the rainbow bridge pulling them inward. Countless sharp blades attacked from all directions, spinning and cutting.

At the vortex's end appeared to be a world of ultimate bliss, filled with singing birds and fragrant flowers, seemingly peaceful. But it was clear that this was the core of the demon god's deadly attack!

"Mu'er, stand on my hair!"

The Village Chief roared, and his hair rapidly elongated. Each strand became an impossibly thick pillar, extending along the rainbow bridge and piercing out of the vortex. Qin Mu landed on one of these strands. Standing there, he felt the hair beneath his feet rapidly expanding, growing thicker and longer, about to break free from the vortex.

His other hairs thrashed like wild serpents, clanging as they severed the blades cutting from around the vortex. Countless shattered blades clattered down, then were crushed to dust by the vortex's surging torrent!

Qin Mu looked up and saw the demon god's enormous, grotesque face appear at the entrance of the vortex. Its eyes gleamed with cunning as it opened its vast maw, waiting for the Village Chief to deliver him into its mouth.

Just then, the Village Chief's other hairs hissed, burrowed into the demon god's mouth, and with a powerful tug, pulled the demon god bodily into the vortex.

"Mu'er, quickly go to the boat dock and get on a ship to leave! Hurry!"

The hair strand gently flicked, launching Qin Mu out of the vortex. Then, with a rumble, the vortex sealed itself, and the Village Chief and the grotesque demon god vanished.

Qin Mu's body plummeted from the air. He was extremely high above the ground; a direct fall would be fatal!

He quickly inhaled, then blew out a gust of wind, creating a fierce gale in front of him. Qin Mu swiftly tapped his feet, stepping on the wind's eddies, slowing his descent.

After blowing several more breaths, he finally landed. This was still Carefree Village, shrouded in gray mist, but the darkness had not encroached upon it, making it a safe place for him.

Suddenly, a giant vortex appeared in the sky above him. Four thick, long arms reached out from within, clawing at the sky. The grotesque demon god poked its head out, attempting to crawl from the vortex.

She seemed to be caught by something by her limbs, and with a whoosh, she was pulled back into the vortex.

"Heavenly Demon Horde!"

A furious roar erupted from the vortex. The instant the demon god was dragged back in, Qin Mu saw numerous black dots spurt out from the vortex.

"Mu'er, hurry and leave!"

The Village Chief's voice came from within the vortex: "You go first, I'll catch up! Hurry, if you alert the demon gods in those cities, you won't be able to get out..."

The vortex vanished, cutting off the Village Chief's voice.

In the air, the black dots fell like meteors, shaking the ground with their impact. Then, the gray mist surged, growing thicker and thicker. After the black dots landed, they were enveloped by the mist, making it impossible to discern what was inside.

Soon, the mist spread to Qin Mu, engulfing the young man. From within the gray mist, heavy footsteps echoed, thump, thump, like massive boulders pressing down on one's heart.