Chapter 590: Young Master Qi Jiuyi
Qi Jiuyi's eyebrows slightly raised. He did not repeat his previous words as Qin Mu had suggested. His mind was extremely sharp, and he understood the hidden edge in Qin Mu's words perfectly well.
Qin Mu was a master of psychological warfare, skilled at mental suppression. When facing the strong, he knew when to yield and when to flee. But when he met his match, from the very first glance of their encounter, he would begin his psychological assault!
He would first launch an offensive against the opponent's mind and psyche, suppressing them. Every seemingly casual movement or word was meant to place psychological pressure on the other party. That pressure would cause the opponent to subconsciously place themselves in the position of the weaker party, and imperceptibly, their momentum would be suppressed by him.
And once their momentum was suppressed, they would fall into his rhythm, and when battle began, the balance of attack and defense between the two sides would undergo subtle shifts.
At that point, a slight advantage would slowly expand, eventually becoming the key that decided victory or defeat.
Whether it was Ban Gongcuo or Xu Shenghua, both had experienced Qin Mu's style of fighting.
After going through his style of fighting, some would develop mental and psychological barriers, and Qin Mu would become a shadow over their Dao heart. Others would turn the shadow that Qin Mu cast over their lives into motivation that drove them forward, spurring them to brave advancement and climb one peak after another.
The representative of the former was Ban Gongcuo, and the representative of the latter was Xu Shenghua and Zhe Huali.
After being defeated once by Qin Mu, Ban Gongcuo had essentially lost the courage to face Qin Mu in a direct showdown. When encountering Qin Mu, he would involuntarily place himself in the position of the loser, retreating before even fighting.
But Xu Shenghua, after being defeated by Qin Mu, grew braver with each battle. He even pioneered the method of unifying the Six Harmonies Divine Treasury and Seven Stars Divine Treasury, which made Qin Mu humbly seek his guidance, and thus he gained a slight upper hand.
Zhe Huali, after being thwarted by Qin Mu, went further and further down the path of entering the Dao through his blade technique. He even took the initiative to rescue Qin Mu when he was in danger. He had clearly made tremendous progress in his Dao heart, which put immense pressure on Qin Mu. It was because Qin Mu felt that pressure that he embarked on the path of entering the Dao through cultivation techniques.
Mental warfare, though not flashy, was a true test of the Dao heart.
"His psychological offensive—he learned it from this blade master."
Qi Jiuyi looked at the Butcher, thinking to himself: "This Blade God is about to fight Yang Xingjun, yet he took the initiative to return Yang Xingjun's arm bone to him. That is an extremely exquisite blade technique for striking at the opponent's Dao heart. It appears to be returning the bone, but in truth it is severing his Dao heart. Yang Xingjun appears to be asking about the flesh and blood on the arm bone, but in truth he is breaking his blade technique. This Qin Mu learned from him."
The next stage after learning and applying is the unity of knowledge and action—Qin Mu had clearly already achieved this.
Qi Jiuyi smiled slightly: "This place is not suitable for your battle. Ahead lies the army of the demon race. The demons can breach the city in the blink of an eye and destroy this seemingly magnificent Divine City. The demon army can sweep through and annihilate all of you with ease. And Yang Xingjun is also worried that you might join forces to kill him, and then slay me as well. You worry about your own lives; he worries about my safety. It would be better to change the battlefield."
At these words, the Blind Man, the Mute, and others all looked toward him. Qin Mu also re-evaluated him, showing a look of seriousness and appreciation. He had originally thought this youth was merely Yang Xingjun's disciple, but from his words, one could see that he was not simply a disciple—he had an extraordinary background.
Moreover, his words deflected and dissolved Qin Mu's earlier inquiry, clearly showing extremely high attainment in the Dao heart!
Such a refined Dao heart even surpassed Xu Shenghua when he had first crossed swords with Qin Mu.
Back then, Xu Shenghua had been struck by Qin Mu's psychological assault to the point where his Dao heart nearly collapsed!
"Mu'er, this person will be a formidable rival for you."
The Blind Man said in a low voice: "He could see the true nature of the Divine City that the Deaf Man painted! Even Fu Riluo and the other demon gods could not see through it, which clearly shows that this person has astonishing attainments in the path of divine eyes!"
Qin Mu nodded. This youth being able to see through the Deaf Man's painting was indeed extraordinary. He immediately asked: "How should I address you, brother?"
Qi Jiuyi smiled slightly. Yang Xingjun said: "This is Young Master Qi Jiuyi."
Qin Mu was surprised and said leisurely: "Yi means young and clever, noble and outstanding. Jiuyi means being so intelligent that one head cannot contain it, requiring nine heads to hold all his wisdom. I have heard that Jiuyi often refers to Cangwu, and Cangwu is the wood where phoenixes perch, the resting place of the phoenix. Therefore, Jiuyi is often used to refer to the phoenix. Young Master Qi, are you not of the human race?"
Qi Jiuyi looked at him, surprised: "Brother Qin is learned and knowledgeable. Might I ask who your teacher is?"
Qin Mu raised his hand to present the Deaf Man, saying solemnly: "My teacher is the Painting Sage, the Deaf Man!"
Qi Jiuyi paid his respects to the Deaf Man, praising: "Since he is the Painting Sage, then this city should be the work of the Painting Sage. It is magnificent and spectacular, worthy of my bow."
The Deaf Man accepted the bow calmly, his expression arrogant.
Qin Mu smiled slightly: "Young Master Qi says this place is not suitable for a duel. Then where do you think our decisive battle should be held?"
Qi Jiuyi said leisurely: "I hear that Brother Qin is the Demon Cult Leader of Yankang. Since this place is not suitable for fighting, why don't we go to Yankang? Fighting on your own turf should put your mind at ease."
Qin Mu's eyes flickered: "Brother Qi, Yankang is quite far from here. It would take several days to reach Yankang. Right now the demons are attacking Taihuangtian, and we cannot leave. How about I choose the battlefield?"
Qi Jiuyi frowned slightly, then said: "Then where does Brother Qin choose to duel?"
Qin Mu pointed behind him.
Qi Jiuyi revealed a smile, saying calmly: "Inside this city? This city was painted by the Painting Sage. Aren't you afraid it will be shattered and expose your tricks?"
Qin Mu shook his head: "I am not pointing at the city, but at the front of the two armies. You came for me, didn't you? Since you came for me, then I get to choose the battlefield! I choose the ground between the demon race's million-strong army and this Divine City as the battleground! Does Brother Qi dare?"
Qi Jiuyi's brows rose.
The Mute, the Blind Man, and the others exchanged glances, feeling a faint sense of unease.
Qin Mu said "the front of the two armies," but in reality it was only the front of the demon army. After all, this city was merely painted. The million demon gods in the city and the countless cannons were all fake. Whether it was the true essence cannons between the battlements or the Sun-Shooting Divine Cannons in the city, they were all just paintings—impressive to look at but useless, with little actual power.
In other words, if the demons attacked, they would be overwhelmed by the demon god army at any moment, with absolutely no chance of survival!
The Butcher laughed heartily: "Still Mu'er has the boldness! Good! I too will duel with this bird god from the heavens at the front of the two armies! You bird god, do you dare?"
Yang Xingjun hesitated, looking at Qi Jiuyi. Qi Jiuyi pondered for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "Brother Qin dares, so why wouldn't I? Yang Xingjun, you are being overly anxious and thinking too highly of me. With such a mindset when dueling an expert, you will easily lose the initiative. Why not adjust your mentality?"
Yang Xingjun felt a chill in his heart.
Qi Jiuyi said cheerfully: "Since Brother Qin has invited me, then... please!"
Qin Mu turned around and walked toward the Divine City, thinking to himself with admiration: "This Qi Jiuyi is indeed extraordinary. I wonder what his background is, to have tempered his Dao heart to a level not inferior to mine. Truly remarkable!"
The Butcher strode after him, walking ahead of him. Granny Si, the Mute, and the others followed behind, exchanging glances and frowning slightly. The Deaf Man said in a low voice: "Should we all attack together and directly kill this blasted Yang Xingjun and the nine-headed bird? If we act together, killing them won't be hard—we can stab them to death in less than a moment!"
"If we act here, the demons can easily see through our bluff."
The Deaf Man shook his head: "This Yang Xingjun is no easy opponent. There is a great sun hanging above his head, which has probably already attracted the attention of the demons. They are only holding back because they don't know friend from foe. If we fight him, even if we suppress him, the demons can tell that we are facing an enemy."
Everyone's expressions turned grim. If they couldn't finish off Yang Xingjun in the shortest possible time, Fu Riluo would see through their strength and know they were using the empty city stratagem.
And if Yang Xingjun blasted through the Divine City during the battle, Fu Riluo would also see through their bluff.
At this point, the best course of action was undoubtedly Qin Mu's choice—to challenge them openly in front of the demon army, defeat or even kill Yang Xingjun and Qi Jiuyi!
Though dangerous, there was a path to survival!
In the demon camp, demon gods were activating their demon eyes, scanning the Divine City across from them.
Fu Riluo could no longer hold back and was about to order the city to be taken no matter what, when suddenly the city gates burst open. Fu Riluo was startled, swallowing the words he was about to speak, and raised his hand to halt the various demon armies that were preparing to attack.
Qin Mu, Qi Jiuyi, the Butcher, Yang Xingjun, and the others continued walking forward, seemingly heading toward the demon camp.
"Only a few people left the city. What trick is Pang Yuzhen God playing?"
Fu Riluo sneered: "Just a few minor gods! Who will cut them down for me?"
"Wait a moment!"
Lu Li saw the faces of Qi Jiuyi and Yang Xingjun, her expression changing drastically. She quickly raised her hand and said in a deep voice: "Those are honored guests from the Heavenly Court above. Fu Riluo, you must not offend the honored guests!"
Fu Riluo was startled: "Honored guests? Could they be..."
Lu Li's pretty face was uncertain, her teeth grinding together as she sneered: "Indeed, honored guests have descended. Why would this honored guest come down to the mortal world? Could it be that the higher-ups already know about the Qin family brat and have come to harvest the fruits... It must be those bastards in the Netherworld who sold me out! Damn it, was it Han Lei or Xuan Ming? Or Yu Huang? Those bastards are good at stabbing me in the back, but when you ask them for help on ordinary days, they can't even be bothered to lift a finger!"
Fu Riluo said in a deep voice: "Daoist Lu, that Qin surname youth is right next to the honored guest you mentioned!"
Lu Li's gaze fell on Qin Mu. Qin Mu sensed something and looked up toward the demon camp. He didn't know whose gaze it was, but he still revealed a bright and sunny smile.
Lu Li snorted: "He's grown up to be rather handsome. When he was little, he was so ugly he could scare ghosts to death!"
Qin Mu stopped a hundred li in front of the demon camp and said in a clear voice: "Qin Mu, the Heavenly Sage Cult Leader, hereby pays respects to the heroes of the demon race and the heroes of the Heavenly Court. I ask whether any of the demon race's various heroes dare to come and offer their guidance?"
His voice took a moment to reach the demon camp, but though it was light and faint, it clearly entered the ears of the many demon gods.
The faces of the demon gods turned uncertain. Among the demon disciples, the demon experts of the same realm as Qin Mu had basically all been killed by him already.
"Experts of the demon race at the Heavenly Human realm, Life and Death realm, and Divine Treasury realm may also come to offer their guidance."
Qin Mu's voice continued to come over, ringing clearly: "Those of lower realms than mine may also come. I can seal my Divine Treasury for a fair duel! Is there anyone who dares to fight?"
After a moment, Qin Mu received no response, and his voice once again reached the demon camp: "The demon race has no balls. Brother Qi, it seems you and I will have to have our match first."
Suddenly, the gates of the demon camp opened, and furious demon experts charged out of the camp, shouting angrily: "Human brat, how dare you bully our demon race as if we have no demons!"
Qin Mu revealed a smile and said to Qi Jiuyi: "Let's warm up first, you and I. What do you think?"
—Damn it, my monthly votes are about to be overtaken! Begging for the tickets in my brothers' and sisters' hands—wailing in agony.