Chapter 838: Since Ancient Times, Wicked Folk Have Strange Ambitions
The Blind Man looked up and laughed: "Esteemed brother, you just said you discovered a sword scar on the wall of the Daoist sect, different from their sword techniques—isn't that just tipping someone off? I don't know what you're investigating, but telling others what you're looking for like that—if Mu'er were the culprit, he'd definitely change his sword style."
Qu He's gaze fell upon him, saying leisurely: "How do you know I didn't say it deliberately for him to hear?"
The Blind Man was momentarily taken aback.
Qu He clasped his hands behind his back, smiling: "If he's connected to this case, then when he uses his sword techniques, he'll deliberately try to conceal them. Whether he's hiding his sword style, I can tell at a glance. And even if he conceals his sword style, in the fine textures that make up the sword technique, in the tiny runes formed by primordial energy, he'll leave traces."
Qin Mu's heart tightened.
Qu He continued: "If he's connected to this case, the moment he uses a sword move, he can't fool my eyes. If he's not connected to this case, then he has nothing to hide. In the Heavenly Court's Divine Capture Camp, I'm a well-known Divine Eye—petty tricks like that can't fool me."
The Blind Man said with a beaming smile: "What a coincidence, I'm also a Divine Eye. People who know me call me Blind Man, though I'm not a constable. I know a great monk who used to be a constable."
"A Divine Eye from the lower realms, called Blind Man?"
Qu He couldn't help but laugh, chuckling: "People from the lower realms are truly amusing. If someone were the fastest runner, would they be called Cripple?"
The Blind Man clapped his hands in admiration, laughing heartily: "You said earlier you were a divine constable from the Heavenly Court—I didn't believe it at first, but I see you do have some divine abilities! That's right! The fastest runner in our Yankang is called Cripple. Not only that, in our humble little place, the best butcher is called Heavenly Blade, the prettiest one is called Old Lady Si. The best blacksmith is the Mute, who's also the loudest curser. The best painter is the Deaf Man, the most handsome man is the Faceless Healer, but the one with the best sword technique is our village chief—he originally had no limbs, having been carved into a stick by someone."
Qu He laughed heartily: "Truly some strange folk. People from the lower realms are really interesting—you lower-realm deities don't seem like lofty gods at all, but rather like entertainers putting on shows."
The Blind Man sighed: "Indeed. We country bumpkins from the lower realms can't compare to the lords of the Heavenly Court, so we have to make a living through entertainment, selling our acts for a few coins. To be honest, I often tell fortunes for people, carrying my banner through the streets, and everyone says my predictions are accurate."
Qu He expressed sincere admiration: "Extraordinary people, extraordinary ambitions. You have great skills yet are content with mediocrity—if it were me, I wouldn't have such sentiments. With my abilities, I'd definitely rebel, definitely become a mountain king, definitely pillage and plunder, definitely become a local tyrant."
The Blind Man beamed with joy: "I wouldn't dare! We're all law-abiding citizens, we wouldn't dare rebel. People like us only occasionally kill a few clueless fellows who come down from the Heavenly Court—like striking at the Celestial Realm, or striking at that Lu Li Xuanming from the Netherworld, or striking at the King of Darkness or whatever. Divine Constable, sir, we wouldn't dare rebel—we can only make a living by robbing lords like yourself."
Qu He's face was wreathed in smiles as he clapped and praised: "Excellent! Truly excellent!"
The Blind Man smiled broadly: "It's always been excellent. As the poem goes: Since ancient times, wicked folk have strange ambitions, daring to make the Heavenly Emperor no true man! To the lords of the Heavenly Court, aren't we precisely the wicked folk of these barren mountains and harsh waters?"
Qin Mu praised sincerely: "Grandpa Blind, your cultivation has risen again—this poetry is of the highest grade!"
The Blind Man looked smug.
Qu He laughed heartily: "You can spin rebellion into so many variations—no wonder His Majesty says there are always wicked folk in the lower realms plotting against him."
The Blind Man smiled: "You always face people with a smile, giving one the feeling of a smiling tiger. Divine Constable of the Heavenly Court, we need to be on our way—will you permit us to pass?"
Qu He said with a beaming smile: "Naturally, I permit it. You may pass, but don't disturb the scene."
Dragon Qilin and Water Qilin carefully moved forward, while the tower ship still floated above. Qu He's hands remained clasped behind his back as he stood at the bow, his gaze dimly fixed upon them, watching them slowly approach.
Yuchenzi stood beside him and suddenly felt a creeping dread—behind Qu He, a thousand-zhang primordial spirit silently materialized!
That thousand-zhang primordial spirit's arms spread out like flower stamens, and in each palm, a massive divine eye slowly opened.
Beneath the ship, the Blind Man and the others seemed utterly unaware, continuing their unhurried journey.
Cold sweat broke out on Yuchenzi's forehead, his heart pounding with tension.
Qu He glanced at him, a half-smile on his face.
On Dragon Qilin's head, the Blind Man sat with an air of calm, humming a little tune while his eyes slowly closed.
At his waist, a black dragon-bone belt gradually unfurled—that belt was a black dragon skeleton, its claws hidden within the body, now slowly extending, gripping the air.
The Dragon Expansion Divine Spear gradually awakened, slowly circling the Blind Man's waist, its bone joints shifting with a faint clattering sound.
Qin Mu took two steps back, warily surveying his surroundings. He saw several youths on the tower ship leap into the air, descending toward the ground—yet they didn't land, instead standing in midair, holding shields, chains, waist blades, and other implements.
And those wolf-headed, human-bodied Howling Heaven Divine Tribe members who had been racing like lightning through the wilderness suddenly froze, one by one turning their heads to look this way.
Qin Mu's eyes twitched. He reached out and grabbed his sword orb, gripping it tightly. The sword orb expanded with the wind, transforming into a divine sword. Qin Mu crossed his hands, and the divine sword split into two.
Those youths shook their chains, and beams of light burst forth from within the chains. The chains connected, interweaving in midair, forming rings of linked chains that flowed continuously through the sky.
Qin Mu narrowed his eyes and said in a low voice: "Water Fatty, protect your master. Dragon Fatty, be on guard."
Finally, they walked into the shadow beneath the ship.
At the bow, the smile on Qu He's face grew even wider.
Suddenly, the thousand arms of his thousand-zhang primordial spirit spread their fingers wide, reaching down from the deck to beneath the ship!
At that moment, Qin Mu and the others only saw a thousand enormous eyeballs appear in the ship's shadow. Within the eyeballs, countless formations swirled, and in an instant, light interwove and intersected, forming all manner of bizarre formations surging toward them from every direction!
The formations changed countless times in a single breath, and the terrifying might of the formations erupted, shredding the space beneath the ship!
The streaks of light shooting past were blinding. Qin Mu quickly closed his eyes, and only then understood why the Blind Man had shut his own eyes at the very first moment.
Just then, a dragon's roar rang out. Qin Mu sensed the Blind Man beside him vanish. Through his qi perception, he could feel various formations colliding around him—their terrifying force enough to grind them to dust countless times over!
Yet these formations, at the moment their power erupted, suddenly shifted from death gates to life gates. Not only that, he could sense the Blind Man's small figure weaving through these formations, each one being redirected and adjusted by the Blind Man's Dragon Expansion Divine Spear, transforming into killing formations facing outward!
Various formations erupted within the ship's shadow. Suddenly, with a thunderous boom, that hundred-zhang tower ship let out a creaking sound as it was hurled into the sky, shattering into pieces midair.
Countless treasures burst forth from within the ship, scattering a rain of precious light across the sky.
Qin Mu's vision recovered. He looked up and saw, amid the falling treasure light, a thousand-armed, thousand-eyed demon god colliding with the Blind Man who gripped the black dragon great spear. The two—one enormous, one small—clashed in the sky.
At the same time, those youthful constables each flicked their wrists, their chains interweaving and crossing, shooting toward Qin Mu and the others with a whoosh!
Bang bang bang!
The shields in their hands flew up, forming walls of shields around Qin Mu and the others—above, below, and on all sides, great shields everywhere, sealing off the space.
And within the shield walls, chains clattered and moved, threading and crossing, growing ever tighter.
Yuchenzi grew anxious inwardly: "Damn it! In this situation, the Tyrant Body Qin will be forced to use his sword techniques—otherwise he can't break free of this deadlock. The moment he reveals a single true sword move, it'll expose that he killed the Heavenly Court envoy..."
Just then, a crackling explosion sounded from within the sealed shield space. A sword light flashed like a startled swan, slicing through shield after shield!
Qin Mu manifested three heads and six arms. The willow leaf on his brow had already vanished. He suddenly roared, and beams of light shot from his brow like crimson serpents, sweeping in all directions!
Those youths were immediately overwhelmed—several had their physical bodies severed, and their primordial spirits had barely flown out before being cut in two!
Those Howling Heaven Divine Tribe members who had seemed frozen suddenly moved as one, leaping and bounding like ghosts, all charging at Qin Mu and the others simultaneously.
Behind Qin Mu, the Gate of Inheriting Heaven suddenly materialized. The gate opened, and his body spun like a top. The hundred-zhang Gate of Inheriting Heaven billowed with roiling black qi, revolving around Qin Mu as its center, forming a field of black light!
Bang bang bang—
Corpses fell from the air one after another. Those Howling Heaven Divine Tribe members swept by the Gate of Inheriting Heaven had their primordial spirits cast into the Netherworld—their bodies intact, but dead nonetheless.
Suddenly, the remaining youths shouted, and chains flew from their sleeves, piercing into the Gate of Inheriting Heaven, halting the gate in place.
Qin Mu urged the Gate of Inheriting Heaven, but it couldn't move. Meanwhile, the wolf-headed, human-bodied Howling Heaven Divine Tribe members pounced upon them!
With a whoosh—
A Heavenly River floated into the air, stretching a thousand zhang. Qin Mu's primordial spirit stood atop the river, both hands raised. The flying sword in Qin Mu's hand burst apart with a bang, transforming into countless sword lights. In an instant, sword light filled a thousand-zhang radius, forming an ocean of sword light!
Within that ocean of sword light, shattered bodies floated everywhere, blood dyeing the ocean crimson!
The second form of the Village Chief's Sword Diagram—Sword Emerges, Kaihuang.
One sword, Kaihuang, a sea of blood!
Suddenly, the ocean of sword light shattered. From amidst the broken remains, a wolf-headed, human-bodied Howling Heaven Divine Tribe member charged forth—his strength was the greatest, already at the deity level. Qin Mu's move was a group-attack sword technique from the Sword Diagram and couldn't slay him. Instead, the dispersed power broke Qin Mu's sword technique, saving the others.
His claws extended, reaching for Qin Mu on Dragon Qilin's head.
Behind Qin Mu, his robes fluttered, transforming into countless formation patterns that flew out, wrapping around Water Qilin and Imperial Lord Yutian.
With a flash of light, Water Qilin and Imperial Lord Yutian were sent to a distance.
Qin Mu's palm rose to meet the divine man's claws of that Howling Heaven Divine Tribe member.
With a thunderous boom, heaven and earth shook. Qin Mu's palm dripped with blood—the great sinews in his forearm snapped, tearing through his skin and protruding outward.
His five fingers twisted, finger bones shattered, digits bent in every direction.
That wolf-headed divine man immediately kicked at his head. Just then, a ball of heavenly fire erupted from within the wolf-headed divine man's body, reducing the deity to ashes in the blink of an eye.
Qin Mu raised his hand and severed his own arm, quickly growing a new one. He leaped into the air, his body spinning like a top, growing three heads and six arms mid-spin. His six hands formed opposing yin and yang, pressing downward toward the ground.
At the same time, wolf-headed demigods and other youths intercepted him midair, charging at him!
Even as Qin Mu took hits, his six arms pressed into the ground. His body rebounded high, and Dragon Qilin immediately charged out from an angle, stepping on fire clouds to catch Qin Mu before tearing off into the distance.
Dragon Qilin turned his head and opened his mouth—a stream of fire shot out, blasting the ground.
On the ground, countless pillars of heavenly fire burst forth from beneath the earth, several zhang tall. Struck by Dragon Qilin's fire breath, a massive mushroom cloud shot into the sky. Those youths and Howling Heaven Divine Tribe members who hadn't managed to flee were obliterated in the explosion. The terrifying shockwave swept across a hundred li, burning the earth into crystal!
Magma rolled and churned. Suddenly, thick black qi rose from within the magma, forming clouds that rose with the firelight.
Qu He, locked in combat with the Blind Man, frowned deeply. The people he'd brought were nearly all annihilated, and after this heavenly fire explosion, even the traces of Qin Mu's sword technique would be impossible to find!
"Wicked folk!"
Suddenly, the earth shook and mountains quaked. An incomparably massive body rose from beneath the ground, tearing the earth apart. A voice roared: "Who dares to disturb my slumber?"
Yuchenzi breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself: "This earth dragon is formed from the severed root of Mother Earth. My goal is to frame him. The earth dragon kills Qu He, the Heavenly Court sends another divine constable to inspect the scene, and the blame can be firmly pinned on Mother Earth. And all the previous traces and flaws will be impossible to find! The suspicion on my Qingyun Heaven can be completely washed away!"
Clearing Qingyun Heaven's suspicion in the first round of investigation wasn't his goal. There were too many traces—hard to completely eliminate. But luring out an expert under Mother Earth's command to kill the divine constable would perfectly frame Mother Earth, and Qingyun Heaven's suspicion would vanish.
This was Yuchenzi's framing plan.