Chapter 532: Forging on the Battlefield (First Update, Asking for Monthly Tickets!)
On the back of the Black Tiger God, Sang Hua was extremely nervous. This was the enemy's lair. The Black Tiger God had brought them charging in here—could he have already betrayed them?
"Still, he is a deity. There's no need for him to trick us into coming here. If he wanted to kill us, he could just capture us or eat us directly."
Even so, her heart was still tense.
After all, this was the enemy camp!
The demons had existed in Taihuang Heaven for ten to twenty thousand years. In Sang Hua's memory, demons had always been vicious and cruel, committing every kind of evil. Falling into their hands, even dying would be a relief!
And now they were right in the middle of the enemy camp.
She looked around. Countless demons were staring at them with fierce eyes. The sheer number of Heavenly Demons was enough to make one's heart tremble. They seemed like lurking beasts, ready to pounce at any moment and tear them to shreds!
Sang Hua's palms were covered in cold sweat. Her gaze landed on a demon god and could no longer move away.
That demon god was bare-chested, his skin lacking the normal texture of a human's—only clusters of flame patterns coiled around his entire body.
His two eyes were also extremely strange, like two tongues of fire dancing in his eye sockets. Seeing her look at him, he revealed a smile: "Little girl, I've seen you before. Your family died by my hand, isn't that right?"
Sang Hua clenched her fists at her sides, her eyes fixed on him, saying not a word.
Qin Mu glanced at that demon god, his pupils contracting sharply. He recalled his first encounter with Sang Hua. That night, the demons had attacked the city. Sang Hua's father had gone to hold off the demon gods and had been surrounded. One demon god had broken into Sang Hua's home and slaughtered most of her family.
The scene at that time had been extremely terrifying. Although he couldn't see Sang Hua's face, he could feel the panic and fury of the long-braided girl.
Qin Mu had hidden with her, dodging and fleeing, which was how she managed to escape with her life.
At that time, Qin Mu and Sang Hua had been in two different worlds. He hadn't gotten a clear look at that demon god's face. But now, through Sang Hua's expression, he could confirm that the bare-chested demon god before them was the one who had massacred Sang Hua's family.
"The architectural style here is very similar to our Great Wasteland. I saw many relics from the Kaihuang Era in the Great Wasteland, and they bear some resemblance to these palaces."
Qin Mu suddenly laughed: "Sang Hua, sister, maybe your Taihuang Heaven has some connection to our Great Wasteland."
He wanted to divert the girl's attention, but Sang Hua was too weighed down by her thoughts to hear him clearly.
The Black Tiger God picked up the thread: "Taihuang Heaven was originally Kaihuang's territory, belonging to the first heaven of the Thirty-Three Heavens. So it's not surprising the architecture is similar."
"Taihuang Heaven was Kaihuang's territory?"
Qin Mu's heart shook violently. He blurted out: "What is the Thirty-Three Heavens? Didn't the Kaihuang Era already end?"
The Black Tiger God said with confusion: "The Kaihuang Era ended? When did that happen? Kaihuang is still alive—how could the Kaihuang Era have ended? As long as Kaihuang still exists, the Kaihuang Era will never end!"
Qin Mu's mind was in turmoil, his heart pounding wildly. The Kaihuang Era hadn't ended yet!
This news was far too shocking!
But then he remembered his past experiences in the Great Wasteland and in Fengdu. The Heavenly King's statue in the Heavenly King Temple had followed Kaihuang's decree, riding the Dragon Qilin to kill the Dragon King. The King of Hell in Fengdu had also mentioned that Kaihuang had gone to Wuyou Village.
Both of these things hinted that the Kaihuang Era should not have ended!
But hearing the Black Tiger God say it with his own mouth still left him utterly shocked and shaken.
"Qin Mu, your mind is unstable. That's very bad for you when the fighting starts."
The Black Tiger God said sternly, barking: "Your mental cultivation has never been strong to begin with. Hurry up and steady your mind!"
Qin Mu was dazed and confused, asking uncomprehendingly: "What fighting?"
"We're here!"
The Black Tiger God suddenly stopped, shook his body, and dumped both of them off. The two landed on the ground. The Black Tiger God's body shifted, transforming into a tiger-headed, human-bodied deity. He looked down at the two of them, frowned, and called out in a loud voice: "Master, these two are useless! Their minds are all over the place! If you send them to fight, they'll probably lose miserably!"
Sang Hua had just seen the demon god who had nearly wiped out her entire family, and her emotions were surging, hard to control. Qin Mu was also shaken and dazed by the Black Tiger God's news. Their current state was indeed not ideal.
But hearing the Black Tiger God's words, the two of them still snapped back to their senses and looked forward, their hearts turning cold.
They saw palaces laid out in an orderly fashion ahead. These palaces were extremely strange—they were bathed in great flames, yet not damaged at all. The flames seemed to emanate from within the palaces themselves. The palaces were burned nearly transparent by the fire, and from the outside, one could actually see the arrangements inside.
The palaces themselves were emitting flames, and the flames gave off light, illuminating the entire city as bright as day!
Above the palaces, deities and demons were facing off against each other. Qin Mu immediately spotted the Woodcutter Saint. Many deities stood behind him, among them Sang Hua's father.
On the opposite side stood another demon god, but he didn't look like a demon at all. Instead, he seemed rather refined and cultured—except he had no ears.
Where his left ear should have been, there was a face. Where his right ear should have been, there was also a face.
Qin Mu couldn't see behind him, so he didn't know if there was another face on the back of his head.
The great halls surrounded a black pillar several spans thick. That black pillar looked like a black tower, thrust diagonally into the vast plaza.
An absurdly large axe was also embedded in the plaza, its handle nearly as thick as the black pillar.
It was only then that Qin Mu noticed it wasn't a black pillar, nor a black tower—it was a great spear.
This black great spear crossed with the Woodcutter Saint's axe, standing upright in the plaza.
These two weapons were far too massive, pressing cracks into the ground.
"Enter the arena."
The Black Tiger God urged: "After the people in front die, it'll be your turn."
Qin Mu and Sang Hua walked forward, arriving at the edge of the plaza. They saw several young divine ability users around the plaza, covered in blood, regulating their breathing. They still wore armor, apparently having just come off the battlefield.
On the opposite side, there were also some young divine ability users, but they were demons. They too seemed to have just come off the battlefield, still bearing wounds. Their faces were fierce and savage, looking quite formidable.
"Master, I've brought the people." The Black Tiger God bowed to the Woodcutter Saint in the air above.
The Woodcutter Saint said: "Why are their minds unsettled?"
The Black Tiger God hastily replied: "Master's junior's mental cultivation is too poor. They heard that it's still the Kaihuang Era and lost their composure."
The Woodcutter Saint shot him a glare. The Black Tiger God's two long ears slapped flat against the back of his head in an instant, obedient and silent, not daring to say another word.
The Woodcutter Saint looked at Qin Mu, only to see Qin Mu rummaging through his Gluttonous Bag, then pulling out a piece of black iron and poking it into the great flames spilling out of a palace.
The Woodcutter Saint frowned: "Mind unsettled, and a restless nature to boot. I wonder if he's even usable. Did I misjudge him? There was no one this curious and restless on the battlefield..."
The black iron in Qin Mu's hand immediately caught fire, quickly becoming too hot to hold. He hurriedly threw it down. The piece of black iron hit the ground, but the flames on it still didn't go out. In the blink of an eye, it had turned into a puddle of molten iron.
The molten iron was still burning. In less than a breath's time, it had turned to ash.
"No wonder this place is called Li City. This fire is actually Li Fire!"
The Woodcutter Saint frowned again. His junior's surprised voice came over, breaking the silence: "It's not just Li Fire—there's Demon Fire too!"
The Black Tiger God couldn't help but remind him: "This place has been taken over by the demons. Hidden within the Li Fire is Demon Fire, which the fiends use to ambush others! Don't go touching things carelessly, or you'll burn to death. By the way, how do you know there's Demon Fire in the Li Fire?"
"Li Fire has high temperatures, very effective for forging. It can easily melt black iron, but it won't burn the black iron completely away."
Qin Mu explained: "Demon Fire has terrible corrosive properties, but its temperature isn't high. Just now, the black iron melting was the effect of the Li Fire. The black iron being burned completely clean was the effect of the Demon Fire."
His eyes suddenly lit up, startling the Black Tiger God. He said excitedly: "Demon Fire can also be used to refine spirit weapons, and Li Fire is even more of a divine fire for refining spirit weapons! Coming here was the right call—my sword pellet can advance another step!"
The Mute had taught him the mysteries of smelting. He knew well the wonders of every type of flame. Seeing these two types of flame now, he became excited and immediately took out a large iron plate and a stand, then produced a black iron great hammer.
"Brother Tiger, you don't know this, but my sword pellet has already been refined to the point of wrapping around a finger like silk. The next step is sword like flowing water. I've never been able to find superior flames until now. Now I've found them!"
Qin Mu took out his sword pellet and said to the dumbfounded Black Tiger God with a laugh: "Demon Fire can burn away black iron, but it can't burn away refined black gold. My sword is refined from refined black gold, with treasures like divine gold mixed in. Demon Fire forging will actually help burn away the impurities."
The deities and demons around them stared blankly as Qin Mu quickly set up a smelting platform, put on a set of black, oily leather apron, arranged a row of flying swords on the platform, picked up one, and thrust it into the flames.
Clang.
The sound of hammering iron scattered the heavy atmosphere of Li City. Qin Mu seriously tempered his spirit weapon, every strike full of focus.
"Thresher!"
Sang Hua whispered: "Since when did you know how to refine treasures too?"
Qin Mu didn't look up, saying modestly: "I studied it for over ten years. My achievement in it is a bit higher than my mathematical calculations."
Sang Hua stuck out her tongue. Watching him hammering iron, her heart suddenly settled, and she was no longer panicked. Her father saw that she had come as well, frowned slightly, opened his mouth as if to speak, but held back.
Clang, clang, clang.
Qin Mu forged without stopping. Although there were over a dozen deities and demons here, the only sound was the clanging of his hammer, striking at people's hearts and making them restless.
Suddenly, the demon god across from the Woodcutter Saint twisted his head, swapping to another face, and said amiably: "Fu Ri Luo finally gets to meet the Heavenly Master of the former false Heavenly Court. Truly, meeting in person is better than hearing about it. This disciple of yours is quite interesting. Are you sure you want him to fight in your place?"
The Woodcutter Saint's expression was calm: "Tempering the mind is like forging iron. He was unsettled at first, but he's using the forging to grind away his panicked mind and calm his heart. This is a profound method of mental cultivation. Fu Ri Luo, do you not understand?"
Clang, clang, clang.
Qin Mu was still swinging his great hammer, striking without pause. There was no sign of mind-tempering about him—he just looked like he was genuinely forging iron.
The corner of the Woodcutter Saint's eye twitched. His face couldn't quite hold its composure. He thought to himself: "Why is he still hammering?"
Down below, Qin Mu put away the refined sword, then took out another large batch of flying swords and placed them into the fire to forge.
A vein bulged on the Woodcutter Saint's forehead, then he forcibly suppressed it.
Fu Ri Luo burst out laughing: "You can't get rid of me, and I can't get rid of you. In that case, let these juniors fight for us! Heavenly Master, if my side wins, you go back and keep sleeping your pure, clear autumn dream. If your side wins, I'll give up Li City to you!"
The Woodcutter Saint hesitated for a moment, and the clang, clang, clang sound came over—Qin Mu was still seriously forging iron.
Behind him, the City Lord of Ming Yi said in a low voice: "Heavenly Master, rest assured. Taihuang Heaven also has young talents, young men with the potential to become true gods. They won't be weaker than Fu Ri Luo's disciples."
The Woodcutter Saint looked at Qin Mu. Qin Mu was still forging iron. He had no choice but to nod.
————Today's first update, asking for monthly tickets! The Shepherding God Chronicle wants to make a push on the monthly ticket rankings. I hope all you big shots can provide firepower support!
Asking all big shots to go all out!
I heard that someone has been called a chapter-cutting dog by the big shots;
I heard that someone made a fortune from the razor blades gifted by the big shots;
I heard that someone got voodoo dolls stuck with needles;
I heard that someone caused pork to sell out;
...
Thump. The house pig kneels down. No, no, big shots, I really am very diligent. I really don't cut chapters on purpose. I really don't deliberately leave plotlines unfinished. I also want to update five million words in one chapter all the way to the ending. I'm as wronged as a dead pig—
Since The Shepherding God Chronicle was published six months ago, it's updated one million two hundred eighty thousand words, averaging two hundred ten thousand words a month, seven thousand words a day. The house pig isn't slacking, right?
Even when the house pig is sick and asks for leave, it's only for the morning. In the afternoon, both chapters are updated together. During the New Year, when the family was cooking, chatting, and making dumplings, the house pig was also in the study typing away.
The monthly ticket ranking is an extremely important list. It concerns the novel's future and fortune. Right now, there are over six hundred thousand readers on Qidian Chinese alone, over three hundred thousand on QQ Book City, and several hundred thousand on web browsers. Here, the house pig wants to sincerely ask everyone: support the house pig for one month, and let The Shepherding God Chronicle climb onto the monthly ticket rankings!
Thank you, everyone!
The shepherd god is in the wild; man's determination conquers heaven!