Chapter 946: The Beauty of the Great Swordsmanship

Qin Mu glanced at him, shaking his head with a smile. "Luo Shen Blade, your injuries are critically severe right now. If you don't receive treatment, they will erupt and kill you very soon."

Luo Wushuang was covered in blood, his body riddled with wounds. His blood stained the reverse-flowing waterfall beneath his feet crimson. He had fought fierce inner demons while protecting the Heavenly Venerates and eminent disciples on the boat, and then withstood the repercussions of the Heart Demon Heavenly Emperor's palm, sustaining grievous injuries. Qin Mu, being skilled in medicine and possessing keen insight, knew at a glance that Luo Wushuang’s injuries were on the verge of becoming fatal.

"You've waited for me for forty thousand years. Surely a little while longer won't hurt, right?"

Qin Mu stepped forward, examining his injuries. "Healing your wounds isn't difficult for me. Don't force yourself."

Luo Wushuang grunted, and his wounds burst open, blood gushing profusely.

Qin Mu lifted him to the mountaintop, first stopping his bleeding. Then, he took out some spiritual herbs to refine elixirs. "I can treat your internal ailments, and use miraculous elixirs to heal damage to your primordial spirit, divine treasures, and Heavenly Palaces. However, you still have Dao injuries remaining from colliding with the Heart Demon Heavenly Emperor's palm, which you'll need to refine yourself."

He added apologetically, "I can't cure that kind of injury. But I am proficient in creation arts, and since I cut off one of your arms years ago, I can return an arm to you."

Luo Wushuang shook his head. "My name is Wushuang, meaning 'unparalleled.' My parents hoped I would be unparalleled in the world. However, after you severed my arm, I realized that 'Wushuang' could also mean this. All my life's learning and insights are in this arm. Even if you reattach it, I would still cut it off."

Qin Mu's vital qi transformed into a pill furnace, moving around it as various alchemy techniques emerged endlessly. Hearing this, he turned his head and smiled slightly at him, continuing to refine the elixirs. "I thought so too. Aren't you afraid I'll feed you a few poison pills while healing you?"

Luo Wushuang fell silent.

Qin Mu finished refining the pills and had him take them first.

"Are they poisoned?" Luo Wushuang stared at the elixirs.

Qin Mu then took out some silver needles, smiling, "Guess."

Luo Wushuang tilted his head back and swallowed the elixirs. Qin Mu then carefully inserted silver needles into his acupoints, using them to guide the medicinal power, allowing it to reach his divine treasures. Luo Wushuang immediately felt the medicinal power reaching his divine treasures. The injuries to his divine treasures slowly recovered, and the cracks in them became smaller and smaller.

"Injuries to the Heavenly Palaces are harder to treat. I don't know much about them, and ordinary silver needles can't pierce the Heavenly Palaces; they'd be crushed at the Southern Heavenly Gate, unable to guide the medicinal power through. Fortunately, I obtained a treasure that can pierce the Southern Heavenly Gate."

Qin Mu took out the core of the Primordial Wood. With a thought, the core became as slender as a needle. He inserted the wooden needle into Luo Wushuang's glabella. The Primordial Wood core passed through the Southern Heavenly Gate and reached Luo Wushuang's Heavenly Palace.

"Grow!" Qin Mu let out a low cry. The Primordial Wood core instantly elongated, directly reaching Luo Wushuang's Heavenly Palace, the Jade Capital City. The other end of the core reached the High Heavens Palace, in front of Luo Wushuang's primordial spirit.

Qin Mu carefully observed Luo Wushuang's expression, saying, "Do you know this treasure can change according to my will, and it's incomparably sharp? Even if you are a master of the Firmament Realm, your life and death are now in my control. With just a thought, this treasure could burst open your Heavenly Palace, assassinate your primordial spirit, and blow up your head."

Luo Wushuang's expression was calm. He said, "I trust you. If you didn't heal me, I wouldn't live much longer anyway."

Qin Mu laughed heartily and had him take an elixir. "Your trust makes me ashamed. To be honest, I don't even trust myself. Your injuries will still take some time to heal. Once you're well, you can challenge me then."

Luo Wushuang stood up and asked, "Where are you going? I want to follow you. If I don't eliminate the inner demon in my Dao heart, I'll still die at the hands of inner demons if I return to the Heavenly Court from here. Don't worry, when my injuries heal and I fight you, I'll definitely challenge you at the same cultivation realm. If I were to suppress you with my cultivation, my inner demon would be difficult to remove."

Qin Mu was about to speak when suddenly a divine light pierced through the air, heading straight for them. The divine light accelerated, and from afar, immense vital qi surged forth, transforming into a massive hand that enveloped the mountaintop!

"A True God!" Luo Wushuang's heart skipped a beat. Just as he was about to intervene, his vital qi suddenly became a bit chaotic.

Qin Mu's vital qi erupted. The waterfall beneath his feet surged upwards, forming a spherical dome that covered the mountaintop. Luo Wushuang looked up and saw water flowing down the surface of the dome, with various strange characters and symbols appearing as it moved. Those were Heavenly Dao runes. This Heavenly Dao divine ability was called "Heaven's Dome," the Sixth Heavenly Dao of Xuandu.

The hand collided with the Sixth Heavenly Dao, and both exploded. Qin Mu raised an eyebrow; the newcomer's cultivation was incredibly profound.

"The once-renowned Heavenly Venerate Mu, the Overlord Body Qin who shocked Dragon Han, High Emperor, and Eternal Peace — nothing but this!"

The divine light whistled closer, revealing a man clad in blue-gold feathers, his wings crossed over his chest. He suddenly flapped his wings, and countless blue-gold feathers flew out, slashing towards Qin Mu. Immediately, countless feathers swirled around the mountaintop, completely covering the peak of the majestic mountain, making it airtight. Those feather-swords were like a torrent, shuttling up and down around the mountaintop.

"Luo Wushuang, this is a grudge between Haotian Palace and Heavenly Venerate Mu. It doesn't concern you; do not interfere!" the blue-feathered man shouted loudly.

Qin Mu raised his hand. The waterfall stopped flowing and once again transformed into the Heaven's Dome, protecting the mountaintop. Countless blue-gold feathers struck the dome, shimmering with radiant light.

"Heavenly Dao divine abilities? Which Heavenly Venerate disciple in the Heavenly Court hasn't cultivated them? Heavenly Venerate Mu, don't embarrass yourself!"

The blue-gold feathered man knelt beyond the Heaven's Dome, bowing deeply, and said in a low voice, "An Qingyu, disciple of Heavenly Venerate Haotian, greets Heavenly Venerate Mu!"

"A disciple of Heavenly Venerate Haotian?"

Qin Mu struggled to maintain the unbreaking Heaven's Dome, his face flushed. He barely managed to say, "Since you intend to kill me, why are you so respectful?"

An Qingyu did not stand up. He used feathers to seal off space, preventing Qin Mu's escape, and respectfully kowtowed to him, performing three kneels and nine prostrations. He said in a deep voice, "I heard that at the dawn of Dragon Han, Heavenly Venerate Mu, on behalf of Heavenly Venerate Yu, taught the method of becoming gods to all beings, seizing my master's merits. But regardless, Heavenly Venerate Mu possesses great merit. I am here to kill you on my master's orders. You will die by my hand, but since you did teach the method of becoming gods to all beings, I will first kowtow, and then end your life!"

Qin Mu maintained the Heaven's Dome, panting. "I am a soul-less person, my life is short. Are you not going to seal your cultivation realm and have a fair duel with me?" He coughed violently a few times, his breath barely audible. A sense of tragic desolation, like a hero nearing the end of his path, welled up in his heart. He forced a bitter smile and said, "My cultivation realm has fallen to the Spirit Embryo realm. You are a True God, while I am only at the Spirit Embryo realm. I wish to die a more heroic death. At the very least, a fair fight, so I can pass on peacefully."

An Qingyu stood up. Behind him, a ringing sound accompanied four Heavenly Palaces floating in the halo behind his head. His eyes shone brightly as he smiled and said, "The Supreme Being commanded that Heavenly Venerate Mu's cultivation is incredibly profound, having integrated three or four Emperor's Throne cultivation methods. Only the magic power of a True God can surpass a Heavenly Venerate." He was a True God, his primordial spirit a divine being with a bird's head and human body. He had already crossed the Southern Heavenly Gate, not far from the Jade Terrace. His magic power was immense. As his cultivation erupted, countless blue-gold feathers instantly sliced through the Heaven's Dome, rushing towards Qin Mu!

An Qingyu's voice continued, "The Supreme Being also commanded that Heavenly Venerate Mu's divine sense is powerful, and he has cultivated the Boundless Catastrophe Sutra of the Old Buddha. Therefore, the Supreme Being personally refined a treasure for each of us disciples, so we would not be affected by Heavenly Venerate Mu's illusions." A jade pendant on his chest lit up, shimmering with light.

Qin Mu's expression changed slightly. This jade pendant was personally refined by Heavenly Venerate Haotian, precisely capable of countering his dream world. He had just tried to pull An Qingyu into his dream world, but unexpectedly, this jade pendant blocked his divine sense! An Qingyu's strike was several times more powerful than before. The blue-gold feather-swords blotted out the sky, enveloping all directions, making it impossible for Qin Mu to dodge.

Just then, Qin Mu's vital qi surged from behind him, forming a fan. He reached out, grabbed it, and swung it forcefully. A mighty heavenly wind arose, sweeping away countless feather-swords! This was the Eighth Heavenly Dao, Heavenly Wind. An Qingyu opened his mouth and spat out a spiritual pearl. The heavenly wind roared, but it couldn't move him in the slightest. The power of the heavenly wind was immediately completely nullified.

Qin Mu's heart jolted. "Heavenly Duke of Xuandu is truly in danger." He had just used two Heavenly Dao divine abilities, and both were easily shattered by An Qingyu. One should know that his Heavenly Dao divine abilities included not only the Heavenly Dao runes calculated by classical divine arithmetic but also the runes calculated by the Taiwei Calculation Sutra. However, the Heavenly Court had clearly developed various divine abilities specifically targeting the Heavenly Dao in order to eliminate Heavenly Duke!

"The Heavenly Court shouldn't have completely broken all forty-nine Heavenly Daos, otherwise Heavenly Duke would be dead by now. But that day should not be far off," he thought to himself.

An Qingyu alone charged to the mountaintop. Behind him, ten thousand beams of green light flared as countless feather-swords flew back, forming a single pair of green wings. He smiled and said, "Heavenly Venerate Mu, as I've said, Heavenly Dao divine abilities are not uncommon in the Heavenly Court!" His two wings thrust forward, one after another. Having cultivated four Emperor's Throne cultivation methods, his cultivation was incredibly profound and unexpectedly powerful. His wings sliced space into thousands of fragments.

At the same time, his primordial spirit stood within the central Heavenly Palace, its sleeves fluttering, holding a blazing sun. A ray of brilliant light shot from the sun, directly aimed at Qin Mu! In the other three Heavenly Palaces, his primordial spirit's illusory forms appeared, each mobilizing the power of their respective Heavenly Palaces to unleash divine abilities, forming three giants: one a beautiful celestial maiden, another an ancient god with an ancient appearance, and the third a fierce demon king, all attacking Qin Mu simultaneously!

It was Qin Mu's first time encountering a strong practitioner who had cultivated several Emperor's Throne cultivation methods simultaneously and reached the divine realm. It was already difficult to contend with him using only Heavenly Dao divine abilities. He decisively gripped his sword pellet. The sword pellet exploded, and sword light filled the sky. Clanging sounds of collision rang out endlessly. In an instant, two figures vanished from the mountaintop, sent flying backward by the opposing force!

In moments, both individuals had been forced back dozens of miles. With a loud crack, a fissure appeared on the peak of the majestic mountain. Luo Wushuang stood on the mountaintop, with the Primordial Wood core lodged in his glabella and silver needles all over his body, not daring to make any sudden moves. The silver needles were one thing; at most, he could sever them if he circulated his magic power, leaving broken needles in his divine treasures. However, the Primordial Wood core embedded in his glabella would not be severed. If he were to circulate his magic power, his Heavenly Palaces, along with his brain, would likely be churned into pulp!

"Overlord Body Qin is probably no match for this person. The difference in realms is too great..."

Just as he thought this, the divine abilities of the two, now dozens of miles away, had already reached the mountaintop. The moment they were sent flying backward, they each unleashed hundreds of divine abilities! An Qingyu's techniques and divine abilities were more numerous. His primordial spirit in the four Heavenly Palaces unleashed various Emperor's Throne cultivation methods, conjuring various divine abilities at will. The power of each move and form was immensely strong; the impact of thousands of divine abilities was terrifying.

Qin Mu, however, relied on pure swordplay. Flying swords whistled from dozens of miles away. Each sword unleashed a different sword art. His swords could even perform the most complex sword arts; with a gentle tremor, a flying sword would burst forth with the most magnificent sword light, transforming into vast rivers and mountains! Some flying swords also moved with an incredible rhythm, appearing and disappearing intermittently. Some swords were very fast, while others were relatively slow. Various sword moves constantly evolved, and different sword moves combined to form even more intricate and refined sword techniques. Though Qin Mu had many flying swords, each sword was a divine ability in itself, and all the sword art divine abilities combined to form a whole, a part of one magnificent grand divine ability.

Luo Wushuang watched with fascination as the forest of swords flew over his head. Qin Mu's sword art displayed to him the near-ultimate beauty of the Great Sword Dao. He had entered the Dao through the blade, was the Heavenly Court's foremost divine blade master, and regarded Qin Mu as the lifelong enemy he wished to defeat. He had countless times recalled the sword strike with which Qin Mu severed his arm. He had also repeatedly competed with Bai Qu'er, the High Emperor Sword God, trying to find Qin Mu's shadow in Bai Qu'er's sword art. The person who most appreciated Qin Mu's sword art, besides Heavenly Venerate Haotian, was him.