Chapter 989: The Battle of the Heavenly Venerables, Close Combat
The drums rumbled, shaking heaven and earth, as if the sound of war drums was meant to awaken the current Wuyou Village, to awaken those elders who wallowed in self-pity and blamed heaven and others, to awaken the younger generation who were addicted to comfort and luxury, unwilling to strive for progress.
Qin Mu was not fighting against Kaicheng; he was fighting against the decadent spirit of the Kaicheng era. And in the eyes of everyone in Wuyou Village, Qin Mu was no longer Qin Mu, but the Heavenly Court they swore to resist, the tyranny they opposed!
The scene of Kaicheng being beaten within Qin Mu's domain showed them their leader falling under the iron hooves of the Heavenly Court, under the iron fists of the Heavenly Court's gods. In Qin Mu's domain, the faces of those gods and demons twisted into ferocious smiles, mocking the overestimation of their own abilities by the people of the Kaicheng era, mocking Kaicheng's persistence and sacrifice, which could not awaken the ignorant people of this era.
The Heavenly Court that Qin Mu represented was mocking them, mocking them for being originally Kaicheng's fellow travelers, Kaicheng's Dao companions, yet turning into pitiful parasites who could only rely on Kaicheng to turn the tide.
They had become spectators who only cheered and waved flags for Kaicheng, protected ones who, after Kaicheng's failure, panicked and grieved as if they had lost their parents.
Qin Mu looked down from on high, sneering that they were not worthy of being Kaicheng's Dao companions!
But...
This was wrong!
They, the older generation, were also the favored children of heaven in that era, full of heroic spirit, daring to resist the Heavenly Court and injustice, with grand ambitions to reshape the world!
At the beginning, they were not Kaicheng's subjects; they were his fellow Daoists. It was only because Kaicheng had more courage, more perseverance, and more means that they elected him to be Kaicheng.
They did not need Kaicheng's protection.
The Kaicheng era was not the era of Kaicheng alone, but the era of all of them!
The war drums sounded, thunder rolled, and the blood in the hearts of the people of that era twenty thousand years ago was boiling again, burning anew.
In the sound of the drums, the spirit of that era seemed to gain new life, sprouting anew in everyone's hearts, growing anew, strengthening anew!
Kaicheng's reform was originally the reform of everyone in an era. Placing hope on one person alone would lose the essence of reform.
When everyone retreated into their own worlds, expecting a single leader to change everything, reform lost its soil.
When their blood cooled and they could only complain against heaven and earth, they lost their former spirit.
When the new generation grew up in this atmosphere, how could they still have the fighting spirit of their predecessors? How could they inherit the spirit of the era of Kaicheng's reform?
When their aspirations could not be realized and their ambitions could not be fulfilled, indulging in wine and women, extravagance and luxury, was no longer so strange.
When the Dao does not prevail, one does not take a raft and float out to sea, because this is Wuyou Village, they cannot leave, they can only drown themselves in luxury and dissipation.
And now, the spirit of the era that had been dormant for twenty thousand years awakened in the sound of the war drums.
Some had already awakened, and they would let their spirit fill heaven and earth, to awaken more people, to recreate the reform and change of the Kaicheng era!
It was not too late; they could still start over.
Now they could still take the first step anew!
In the sound of the drums, Qin Mu felt that fighting spirit from twenty thousand years ago, that unyielding and unbending spirit, that courage to be the first and shed blood against the Heavenly Court, that ambition to break the cage and break injustice!
This spirit was very similar to Yankang's, but also different. In what specific ways it differed, Qin Mu could not discern in such a short time.
He released his grip, and Kaicheng fell from between his two fingers like a pile of rotten flesh, crashing into the rolling yellow sand.
Qin Mu's enormous face descended from the sky, almost pressing against the broken and tattered Kaicheng Heavenly Court above, his voice like thunder, resounding in everyone's ears: "You..."
"Are you rebelling?"
His roar shook heaven and earth, and the air he expelled formed a fierce wind that swept across the Kaicheng Heavenly Court.
An old man with white hair, revealing his muscular upper body, slapped his chest with a steel blade and shouted fiercely: "Rebel? Then rebel!"
One voice after another erupted in shouts and roars, overpowering Qin Mu's voice: "Rebel!"
"Regroup and charge up to the Outer Heavenly Court!"
"I'm not staying in this Wuyou Village anymore! I'm going to fight my way out of this cage and fight one more battle!"
...
Qin Mu's face darkened, and he shouted: "How dare you..."
He was about to speak when Consort Zhen grabbed him and whispered: "Mu'er, that's enough! Don't say any more!"
Yan Yunxi also flew over, waving her hand, and layers of clouds and mist covered their figures.
The clouds in the sky piled up layer upon layer, gradually covering the Kaicheng Heavenly Court. In the mist, Consort Zhen pulled Qin Mu downward, while Yan Yunxi protected them from the side, nervously watching the surroundings, speaking rapidly: "The people's hearts are usable, but they've gotten a bit too heated. If you say anything more, those hotheads who've lost their senses might just decide to kill you as a Heavenly Venerable of the Outer Heavenly Court!"
Qin Mu was startled and stammered: "It can't be that bad, right?"
Yan Yunxi sneered: "You beat Kaicheng so badly and made yourself out to be the Heavenly Court. Right now, you are the symbol of the Outer Heavenly Court. At this moment, some people can distinguish between you and the Heavenly Court, but there are also those who can't. With the crowd's emotions running high, killing you would be normal. They hate you to death."
Qin Mu said guiltily: "I was beaten pretty badly by Kaicheng too. Just now, Kaicheng's Thirty-Fourth Heaven sword path pierced right through me."
Yan Yunxi sneered.
Qin Mu looked at Consort Zhen: "Mother, right?"
Consort Zhen nodded helplessly: "Kaicheng really did hurt Mu'er quite badly."
At that moment, Qin Hanzhen's voice came, whispering: "Quite a few hotheads have charged up into the sky, clearly intending to kill you to vent their excess energy. I'm going to find Kaicheng and ask him to calm the crowd. At this time, he must come forward."
He hurried away again.
Consort Zhen and Yan Yunxi led Qin Mu dodging and hiding, afraid of being exposed. At this moment, the emotions of the people in Wuyou Village had been stirred up, reason was suppressed by emotion, and emotion had the upper hand. They needed to vent. Qin Mu had already been cast as the representative of the Heavenly Court, and if discovered, he would surely die.
"We can't stay in the Heavenly Court any longer. Let's get out!"
Consort Zhen and Yan Yunxi quickly led him away from the Kaicheng Heavenly Court. Qin Mu could only hear Kaicheng's deep voice coming from within the Heavenly Court, presumably encouraging the people of Wuyou Village to go out, to continue fighting, to continue the reform.
But Consort Zhen and Yan Yunxi led him further and further away, until gradually he could no longer hear what Kaicheng was saying.
They arrived at Pingyu Heaven, and Consort Zhen led them toward the Zhen Manor. Qin Mu saw the Zhen Manor from afar and shook his head: "I've already fought Kaicheng. I won't go in. I'll just sit here for a while. Heavenly Master Zixi, please go and bring Divine King Shujun over."
Consort Zhen was stunned for a moment but said nothing.
Yan Yunxi immediately left, returning to the Kaicheng Heavenly Court to find Divine King Shujun.
Time passed bit by bit. What happened in the Kaicheng Heavenly Court afterward, Qin Mu did not know, nor did he need to know. He only knew that Wuyou Village had come alive, and the people of Wuyou Village would no longer continue living in a drunken stupor. They would try to go out.
And the Creator race would not remain stagnant either. They too would go out.
He looked at the graves of the Qin ancestors, watching the white mist rise from here, spreading through the graveyard.
His heart was completely at peace.
He very much wanted to resurrect his ancestors, to bring these once-living lives back to the world. But this was not the outside world. Here he could not borrow the power of Heavenly Duke and Earth Count, and without a physical body, he could not resurrect them.
He sat quietly, wanting very much to communicate with them, but their consciousness had also dissipated. After all, they were not Creators.
What is there to say about the dead? They rest in the mountains and hills.
They died a worthy death, and that was enough.
After who knows how long, Kaicheng and Qin Hanzhen walked over one after another, with Shujun and Yan Yunxi also nearby.
Qin Mu stood up, patted the dirt off his pants, and said: "I'm afraid I can't stay in Wuyou Village any longer. No one in Wuyou Village will welcome me. It's time for me to leave. After all, I'm not a person of Wuyou Village. I am the Holy Infant of the Creators."
Qin Hanzhen and Consort Zhen's expressions were complicated.
Qin Mu had offended the entire Wuyou Village. Not only could he not stay on the Qin family's genealogy, but he couldn't even stay in Wuyou Village.
Kaicheng said: "I'll see you off."
Qin Mu nodded, stepped into the void, and walked toward the heavens.
Kaicheng walked side by side with him, while Shujun lagged a few steps behind, not following closely.
He keenly sensed that these two were very strange, and it was best not to get close.
They walked all the way to the heavens, and Qin Mu looked back. Qin Hanzhen and his wife were no longer visible, and the Creators outside the heavens had also withdrawn their troops. The starry sky outside Wuyou Village was completely empty.
"Qin Kai, did I hit you hard?" Qin Mu asked with concern.
Kaicheng heard the name "Qin Kai," and his left eyebrow twitched slightly. He said: "Quite hard, but I can take it."
"You're thick-skinned and tough, so you can definitely take it."
Qin Mu laughed: "Do you want to know which of us is stronger?"
Kaicheng said calmly: "Probably about fifty-fifty."
Qin Mu chuckled lightly: "I think so too. See me off to here. Your Wuyou Village has a hundred things to rebuild, and there's still plenty to do."
Kaicheng nodded and stopped.
Qin Mu walked toward the direction of the Creator race's territory. Shujun wanted to follow but then involuntarily stopped.
Kaicheng drew his Wuyou Sword and said softly: "Daoist Muqing, are you at the Venerable God realm?"
Qin Mu stopped and turned back with a smile: "Yes."
"Then your primordial energy is quite abundant, even stronger than mine."
Kaicheng gripped his Wuyou Sword tightly and said leisurely: "In terms of divine abilities, I seem to be inferior to you. You are proficient in more runic great Daos and have already formed a domain. With pure magical power alone, you can crush me."
Qin Mu turned around, the sword pellet appearing in his hand at some point, slowly transforming into a divine sword. The sword light flowed slowly, and he smiled: "Yes."
Kaicheng said: "But a true fight cannot only be about divine abilities or sword techniques. Is your Yankang reform any good?"
Qin Mu smiled broadly: "Why not try it and find out? If you don't try, how would you know that my Yankang reform is stronger than your Kaicheng reform?"
Shujun quietly retreated, cold sweat forming on his forehead.
Kaicheng revealed a smile, and with both feet suddenly exerting force, his sword Dao domain expanded, his sword Dao rising to its peak in that moment. He smiled: "Muqing, have you ever seen the Twenty-First Sword Style?"
Boom—
An extremely dazzling light burst forth. Qin Mu exploded his Divine Treasury Domain, the Taiji Diagram spinning and expanding, sun, moon, stars, and rivers rising from within his body, and the divine sword in his hand swelled!
"I've been waiting for you to say that! Let me see your sword domain and Twenty-First Sword Style!"
The light from their hands collided, and at that moment Shujun's eyes stung painfully, tears flowing involuntarily, his vision blurring. He could only feel the fluctuations of the ultimate sword Dao piercing through the void!
His skin felt as if it had been pierced by ten thousand swords, piercing through his body, his soul, his divine consciousness, causing him to unconsciously feel great terror!
Soon, the dazzling light from the sword Dao dissipated. Qin Mu clutched his chest and turned to leave.
Kaicheng sheathed his sword, blood dripping from the blade.
"Shujun, let's go!"
Qin Mu's voice came, somewhat lacking in energy: "I can't walk anymore. Carry me back..."
Shujun quickly followed, his heart filled with terror. He glanced at Kaicheng.
Kaicheng stood there wistfully, watching them go far away.
His sword Dao domain was above Qin Mu's, and the Twenty-First Sword Style indeed lived up to his expectations, piercing through Qin Mu's Divine Treasury Domain and breaking through Qin Mu's sword technique.
However, in his Divine Bridge Divine Treasury, a stunning sword light flew past his Divine Bridge, graceful like a startled swan, agile like a swimming dragon.
Qin Mu's Calamity-Answering Sword had not severed his Divine Bridge, only grazing past it, yet it made him break out in a cold sweat.
If that sword had truly severed his Divine Bridge, his Heavenly Palace would have collapsed and crumbled, crushing the other six Divine Treasuries all the way down, completely destroying his cultivation!
Clang.
He did not know whether Qin Mu was truly unable to deliver that sword strike, or whether he had shown mercy.
Kaicheng swung his sword into its sheath and turned to return to Wuyou Village: "I need to go and take a look at Yankang's reform."
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About Wuyou Village, Answering Reader Questions
Many readers are somewhat confused and even have serious questions about why the reform failed after Kaicheng migrated to Wuyou Village, and why Kaicheng's old subordinates lost their motivation for reform.
Actually, Wuyou Village has a real-world analogy, and that is the Soviet Union-Russia.
Some people compare Wuyou Village to Taiwan, but Wuyou Village is modeled after Russia.
From the collapse of the Soviet Union to today's Russia, what has been displayed is a story more absurd and bizarre yet real than from the Kaicheng era to Wuyou Village. In the Russian era, the old revolutionaries of the Soviet era were full of complaints, the younger generation indulged in wine and women, living a life of drunken stupor, and Putin, despite having the desire to change the status quo, was powerless to do so.
Two years ago during the Red Square military parade, our country's military also went to Moscow. I watched the video. When our military marched through the Russian crowd singing "Katusha," many Russian old people cried their hearts out. The song reminded them of that era of burning passion.
The people of the Kaicheng era in the novel could return to that passionate era and regain their Dao heart, but reality cannot. Reality is even more cruel.
Russia can never return to the Soviet era.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia still had external enemies and strong pressure. Yet thirty years have passed, and the current situation still looks like a scene from Wuyou Village. Some people indulge in wine and women, living a life of drunken stupor, some are full of complaints and idle. A person as capable as Putin also failed to change Russia's spiritual state, and Russia's reform and transformation could not continue.
In the novel, Wuyou Village has no external enemies. Even if the Creators attack, the old Qin family blocks them. Under such circumstances, it would only be worse than Russia. The novel's setting is that twenty thousand years of decay evolved into what Qin Mu saw.
Actually, the author elevated Wuyou Village.
Twenty thousand years of decay?
That's in the novel!
In reality, ten years is enough. In just ten years, Russia became Wuyou Village!
Shocking? Unbelievable? Illogical? But this is reality, more bizarre than a novel, more "illogical," because what you call "logic" is just your own imagination.
Cherish the present. Our motherland is not Wuyou Village, and the author does not wish to become one of the people in Wuyou Village either.
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