Chapter 264: The Two Heroes of Eternal Peace
Translator: Ninetales Editor: DarkGem
Qin Mu bade farewell to Granny Si and brought the emperor to walk while the dragon qilin followed behind. Qin Mu taught Emperor Yanfeng Spirit Creation Technique from Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scriptures before imparting his Overlord Body Three Elixir Technique to him. "Cultivate these two techniques together as you walk. It'll strengthen your body at the minimum, while it can also be beneficial to your injuries."
Emperor Yanfeng was skeptical and tried to cultivate his Overlord Body Three Elixir Technique and Spirit Creation Technique. His complexion turned for the better and he smiled. "This technique is good, to actually be able to cultivate while walking. I feel that my strength has recovered."
"Cultivate it first then. When you achieve small attainment, the injuries on your body will heal and your physique will become stronger. I will then teach your Ghost Creation Technique to cultivate your soul, so it could stabilize. We can then use medicine to treat the soul and attack one problem from two angles at the same time. By that time, the injuries on your soul will completely recover."
Qin Mu was suddenly lost in thought. 'Now that I taught the techniques of Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scriptures to the emperor, should he join our Heavenly Saint Cult? If so, what position should I give him?'
He took a glance at Emperor Yanfeng while harboring evil designs. 'I'm still lacking a heavenly king. If I could make the emperor join us and become the heavenly king of Heavenly Saint Cult, the entire Eternal Peace Empire would become our Heavenly Saint Cult's…'
Emperor Yanfeng trained hard, and his body became stronger. He managed to cultivate some vital qi, but without divine treasures, there was simply a limit to his cultivation.
Qin Mu also cultivated at a leisurely pace. When he executed Overlord Body Three Elixir Technique, five beams of light shone down from the sky. Those were the five elements in his body connecting with the stars of the five elements, drawing the star power to raise his cultivation.
Emperor Yanfeng was slightly stunned. 'He's still on Five Elements Realm?'
He always thought that Qin Mu was already a divine arts practitioner of Six Directions Realm; after all, Qin Mu's abilities were already on par with people of that level. His cultivation was also no inferior to divine arts practitioners of Six Directions Realm, so he didn't think that Qin Mu would still be on Five Elements Realm.
'Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scriptures of Heavenly Devil Cult are truly extraordinary,' Emperor Yanfeng exclaimed in admiration to himself, but he didn't know that Qin Mu's vital qi had mainly come from Overlord Body Three Elixir Technique. The exact same technique Emperor Yanfeng was currently cultivating.
Qin Mu's cultivation had indeed reached the peak of Five Elements Realm and wasn't far from Six Directions Realm. He was just waiting for the Five Elements Star Sovereigns to stabilize first before trying to break through.
The two of them walked for four days and spent their nights in the open. When they reached the next city, Qin Mu brought Emperor Yanfeng inside and bought some herbs. It was the first time Emperor Yanfeng had suffered so much in his life, both of his feet were filled with blisters and abrasions.
In the inn, Qin Mu placed him in a wooden tub to soak in medicinal water for a night. The emperor fell asleep in the wooden tub. When he woke up the next morning, he discovered that the blisters on his feet had all vanished and his body had become much lighter. He clicked his tongue in wonder.
The two of them continued on their way and came to the boundary of Pray Prefecture. There, they could see many divine arts practitioners chasing after the villagers, whipping and scolding them.
"This land belongs to our Pray Mountain Sect!"
Those divine art practitioners were most likely disciples of Pray Mountain Sect and what they cultivated was lightning skills. They could control a formation to strike everywhere with lightning, so they herded the villagers into one spot.
"The emperor has ordered to reinstate the system of our ancestors, so the land of sects will belong to sects! From now on, there's no need to provide for the empire, only give offerings to Pray Mountain Sect!"
A villager was unwilling to accept this and was struck to death by a bolt of lightning just as he started to argue.
Qin Mu stopped and observed, frowning slightly. Emperor Yanfeng had a black face and said coldly, "To go against the tide!"
They passed by other prefectures and saw the power of sects returning like ashes taking flame once more. They were seizing territories and plundering the rich. As they split the territories, more chaos was added to the already chaotic lands.
The snow disaster had already caused major damage. Thus, the addition of sects making a comeback and seizing territories, catching commoners to be their farming slaves was adding oil to the fire.
The authorities everywhere that had been sending disaster relief had also stopped. The numbers of people who were starving and freezing to death escalated to the point that they could not be counted.
Emperor Yanfeng was solemn and worked even harder to cultivate, trying to repair his divine treasures and regain his cultivation.
When they came to Harmony Prefecture, Qin Mu came to the city lord's manor and the magistrate of Harmony Prefecture came to welcome him. He took a glance at Emperor Yanfeng but didn't recognize him. His gaze landed on Qin Mu and said, "Cult master…"
"Talk inside." Qin Mu walked into the manor, allowing the dragon qilin find a place to rest. When he heard the emperor's stomach rumble in hunger, he said "Clean Clothes Hall Master, give this bald… give this senior brother a bowl of rice to eat."
The magistrate of Harmony Prefecture was the Clean Clothes Hall Master of Heavenly Saint Cult and was called Duanmu Jing. He waved his hand so a servant would bring the emperor to eat. With a smile, he asked, "Why is cult master bringing along an eminent monk?"
Qin Mu didn't explain and instead asked, "What's the situation in the capital?"
"Not too good," said Duanmu Jing. "Most of the Daoists and monks from Dao Sect and Great Thunderclap Monastery have gone to the capital. Dao Master and Rulai passed down their decree to confer the crown prince as Peaceful Emperor, who would ascend to the throne on the sixth of the third month. At the moment, there are still scouts of the crown prince wandering about, executing anyone who looks like the emperor."
Qin Mu nodded quietly. This was close to what he had expected.
Duanmu Jing continued, "Also, now that the crown prince is ruling the empire, he has gained a lot of power. Most of the influential families have been taken under the wing by Buddhists and Daoists. Some of the influential families in the capital have already changed sides while monks and Daoists stayed in others and refuse to leave. These influential families don't dare to fall out with them so they can only let them stay. The current capital city can be said to belong to the people of all trades, with crooks mixed in with the honest folk. It could be said to no longer be under the rule of the emperor.
"The crown prince had also issued a decree to reinstate the system set by the ancestors, returning the lands that once belonged to the sects back to them. The other territories will belong to Eternal Peace. Also…"
Duanmu Jing hesitated, then said, "An envoy came from Wolf Store Country to talk about the war at the borders and make peace with the crown prince. He ceded sixteen prefectures to Wolf Store Country. An envoy also came from Barbarian Di Empire, and they are discussing ceding lands as compensation…"
"It's really easy to squander the family fortune." Qin Mu smiled. "This crown prince is too stupid and cowardly to be an emperor."
Duanmu Jing was somewhat puzzled. Qin Mu showed no signs of being angry. On the contrary, he acted like there was nothing wrong. He didn't know that, however, that Qin Mu had never treated himself as a citizen of Eternal Peace Empire. From the start until now, he was always a person abandoned by the gods of Great Ruins, so there was no need for him to be angry.
'Ascension on the sixth of the third month, truly an auspicious date that's suitable for murder.' Qin Mu asked, "Have you found any news regarding Imperial Preceptor?"
"We have found him."
Qin Mu's spirit was aroused, and he fetched a few slips of paper. "Hall Master, prepare the herbs written on these slips of paper and store them in Venerate Prefecture City."
Duanmu Jing acknowledged the command.
Qin Mu called Emperor Yanfeng and the dragon qilin over. "Let us leave the city."
Emperor Yanfeng said in a panic, "I still haven't eaten to my fill."
Qin Mu smiled. "I'll bring you to see Imperial Preceptor and get some food on the way."
Emperor Yanfeng immediately placed the steamed bun down, and his expression became solemn. He followed silently behind the youth. After a moment, he said, "I would like to ask him where exactly he had gone these days!"
Qin Mu immediately brought him on the back of the dragon qilin, then leaped up to stand on the head of the dragon qilin himself.
The dragon qilin stepped on the fire clouds and sprinted through the sky. Cold wind welcomed Emperor Yanfeng in the face, making him sneeze continuously. Blazing flames suddenly ignited around Qin Mu's body, and Emperor Yanfeng felt much better.
The dragon qilin sprinted for two days before Qin Mu signaled this strange beast to descend. They were in the mountains that were piping hot. There were multicolored lights shining in the valley, but the steam evaporated as they traveled up.
"God's ray!" Emperor Yanfeng has a grim expression as he sniffed the air and said, "Blood scent. There's blood of a god in the valley!"
Qin Mu brought him into a village and, there was indeed a blood lake there. Beside it was a small wooden house, behind which was a small river. The river water was slightly warm from being boiled by the god's blood, and a woman wearing snow-white sable fur stood beside the river. Her stomach was slightly bulging.
Beside her feet was a middle-aged man who was holding a wooden club and smacking clothes on a stone board. Beside him was a bamboo basket with washed clothes.
Qin Mu jumped down from the back of the dragon qilin, and Emperor Yanfeng followed after him. However, his legs weren't steady, and he went sprawling on the floor.
The couple heard the sound and turned around to have a look. Qin Mu had a smile on his face as he went forward.
"Couldn't you have helped me up!" Emperor Yanfeng got to his feet and hurried forward.
The middle-aged man placed his wooden club down and wiped his damp hands on his shirt. He stood up beside the woman and smiled at Qin Mu and the emperor who was walking over with a pale face.
"Imperial Preceptor!"
Emperor Yanfeng's footsteps became faster and faster and just as he was about to criticize Imperial Preceptor, he suddenly noticed blood stains on Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor's chest. His complexion wasn't good as well. The emperor was greatly shaken and shed tears. "My imperial preceptor, how did you land in such a state?"
Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor welcomed the emperor and noticed that he had lost all his cultivation. He was equally sorrowful in his heart. "How is it any different from Your Majesty?"
The woman immediately said, "You are also injured, don't throw your mental state in disorder."
Qin Mu was stunned. The two strongest practitioners of Eternal Peace Empire were actually both severely injured!
"Heavenly Saint Cult Master pays his respects to Imperial Preceptor's wife," Qin Mu greeted the woman.
Imperial Preceptor's wife saw the emperor's bald head and was bewildered. She immediately said, "Don't just stand there, come into the house to have a seat."
"After I left Little Jade Capital, I wanted to investigate the origin of the natural disaster and met a god who was holding a bottle gourd in his hand," Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor said indifferently in the small wooden house. "The natural disaster was released from his bottle gourd. He got injured in our fight, but my injuries are more severe. With my wife being pregnant, we decided to stay here for a period of time."
He had said it so simply, but one could imagine how fierce that battle must have been!
Emperor Yanfeng checked the injuries on his body and looked at Qin Mu with enquiry.
Qin Mu examined the man and shook his head. "The injuries left behind by a god contain the will of a god inside, so I can't cure the root of the injuries. If you want to cure the root, I will have to return to the village and request Grandpa Apothecary's help."
Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor said, "I knew you couldn't cure the root of the problem, so I didn't go and find you. My injuries now are too severe, so I can't return to the capital city; otherwise, I would surely die. I can't let others know I'm injured. But I never expected Your Majesty to…"
The two middle-aged men looked each other in the eyes and suddenly laughed out loud in unison. Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor laughed until he started coughing endlessly.
Emperor Yanfeng looked outside and asked, "The blood lake outside?"
"Left behind by that god, he was very strong and suffered some superficial wounds."
The injuries on Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor's chest opened up again and Qin Mu applied some dragon's saliva on him. But just as the wound was healed, it was once again torn apart by the remnant of the divine art the god had hidden in the wound.
This kind of injury could no longer be cured by medicinal stones. Even if it were spirit pills that could allow a person to come back to life, they still wouldn't be able to remove the remnant of the god's divine art.
Qin Mu pondered for a moment and took out a sword pellet that Mute had gifted him. He executed it gently, and sword lights appeared. Qin Mu pushed them forward, stabbing them around Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor's wound.
Imperial Preceptor's wife gave a low gasp while Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor and Emperor Yanfeng didn't move at all.
Qin Mu stretched his index finger out, and dense vital qi swirled like a cloud at the tip of his finger. When he gently tapped the sword pellet, a woosh sounded, and a sword light shot out from the sword pellet, piercing through the house and into the blood lake.
Boom!
The blood lake trembled violently and exploded with a world-shaking bang. After three booms, the sword light from the sword pellet was shattered by the tremors and became smaller.
"Divine physician's miraculous hands are truly ingenious." Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor sighed with admiration. "To actually use the power of the god's blood to counter the remnant of the god's divine art."
Qin Mu applied the dragon's saliva once more, and the wound no longer bled. He said, "I can't guide the other divine arts in your body out. Your Majesty, Imperial Preceptor, there are two paths now: the first will be me bringing you guys to Great Ruins to treat your injuries, while the second is to head to the capital. You guys can choose what you want to do."
Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor looked at Emperor Yanfeng, and they seemed to know each other thoughts as they said in unison, "The capital!"
Qin Mu pulled out his Pig Slaughtering Knife and pressed Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor's head on the table. Imperial Preceptor's wife cried out in astonishment, "Cult Master Qin, what are you doing?"
Emperor Yanfeng rubbed his bald head and said, "Madam, you will know when you look at me."
Qin Mu's hands were nimble, and he shaved Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor bald in a blink of an eye. He then took a few sticks of incense to burn a few scabs on his head. He then took out a yellow buddhist robe from his taotie sack with the ease of a routine. With a smile, he said, "I had made an extra set which for Imperial Preceptor. Please wait a minute, let me draw a green birthmark on half of Imperial Preceptor's face…"
After he was done with Imperial Preceptor, he turned to Imperial Preceptor's wife. Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor immediately said, "Cult master, my wife is pregnant. In such a freezing weather, if she has no hair…"
"In that case, she shall be a Daoist nun." Qin Mu took out a Daoist robe and handed it over to the woman. He then suddenly blinked and smiled at them all. "That's right, do the three of you want to enter my cult? My Heavenly Saint Cult feeds well, and if you have no skills, we can teach you handicrafts to make a living, I assure you guys won't starve to death with us."