Qin Mu was completely focused, chanting the demon summons without distraction. Suddenly, blood-red light erupted, painting the snow-covered valley as if drenched in crimson.
The pillar of blood light surged skyward to a height of a hundred zhang. Crackling lightning coiled around it as thunder, splitting and spreading in every direction. The thunder struck the surrounding cliffs, melting the snow and even liquefying the rock, sending streams of lava cascading down the cliff faces.
Lightning wove around the blood light, forming a crackling grid of thunderbolts that shifted with sizzling and snapping sounds. A terrifying demonic force struck from another world, slamming onto the wooden statue atop the altar within the blood light.
The wooden statue instantly cracked, expanded, growing ever taller, its aura ever more terrifying!
From the Taotie Bag at Qin Mu's waist came the voice of the Datian Demon Lord, both angry and anxious. He roared, "You brat! You were holding back last time you summoned the Gahe Demon God, weren't you? This Disaster Plague Demon God you've summoned this time is far more powerful than before!"
He was wronging Qin Mu.
When Qin Mu had summoned the Gahe Demon God at the Imperial Academy, he had learned many demon incantations but had not yet fully mastered them. Now, after much time had passed, he had digested the demon incantations he learned when forming the Earth Lord pact with the Datian Demon Lord, mastering ever more of the demonic language. Thus, the Demon Gods he summoned were stronger. Last time, he had not deliberately held back.
The old Daoist, seeing this terrifying sight, lost his former composure. His expression shifted slightly as he thrust his horsetail whisk forward. "Go!"
The whisk grew with the wind. Each strand of the horsetail transformed in an instant into silk swords dozens of zhang long, scattering in midair. From a distance, they resembled an enormous spinning white umbrella, only incomparably larger.
Moreover, the whisk was extremely dangerous. Every single strand was a silk sword, and the thinner they were, the harder they were to guard against.
The whisk moved with incredible speed, slicing through countless bolts of lightning. In the next instant, it arrived above the valley, cutting off the terrifying demonic force pouring from the other world!
Qin Mu immediately sensed the demon summoning was about to be interrupted. He shouted a command, and the Dragon Qilin soared into the sky with a furious roar. The sound wave surged toward the whisk, scattering its strands. The severed demonic force flowed through once more, continuing to pour in.
The old Daoist, seeing the Dragon Qilin, felt a spark of joy. He sneered, "You hairy beast! You serve as an accomplice to a tiger without even knowing it, and I'm afraid disaster awaits you. I see you possess an extraordinary and spirited form. If you are willing to submit to me and serve as my mount for a hundred years, you may yet wash away your sins. Otherwise, don't count on keeping your cultivation!"
"A beast?!"
The Dragon Qilin flew into a rage, roaring as flames gathered in its mouth. A blazing pillar of fire shot toward the old Daoist!
The old Daoist's body trembled as his vital energy exploded, manifesting behind him as a divine figure with a tortoise shell back, over a dozen zhang tall. In one hand he held the whisk, which had transformed into a massive white serpent, and with the other hand thrust forward, he blocked the Dragon Qilin's blazing torrent with a thunderous boom.
The flames surged around the massive hand, fire waves rising to the heavens, scorching the surrounding cliffs to a glowing red.
"Heavenly Being?" Qin Mu's heart sank.
The Dragon Qilin's four hooves churned as fire clouds formed beneath it, charging straight toward the old Daoist. Suddenly, the whisk in midair curled downward. Countless strands wrapped around the Dragon Qilin's four hooves, binding them tight.
The old Daoist was delighted and laughed, "Still refuse to submit, you little wretch? Do you want your soul scattered to nothing?"
At that moment, Qin Mu patted the Taotie Bag. Its opening widened, and an eight-armed, four-faced Demon God mechanism leaped out, each arm clutching a treasure: a zither, a pearl, a bow, an arrow, a relic, a broken sword, a demon-subduing pestle, and a Thousand-Banner Pagoda. These were precisely the treasures Qin Mu had stolen from the Loulan Golden Palace.
Qin Mu had placed this avatar of the Datian Demon Lord inside the Taotie Bag. The Demon Lord had been fretting about having no suitable weapons, so he immediately seized these treasures in his hands. When Qin Mu released him, he understood perfectly—Qin Mu wanted him to help fight.
The Datian Demon Lord also knew which side his bread was buttered. As long as he stayed by Qin Mu's side, Qin Mu might spare his life. But if Qin Mu were killed and he fell into the old Daoist's hands, death would be certain.
For the great migration of the Datian people, he had to fight this old Daoist with everything he had.
The treasures Qin Mu had stolen from the Loulan Golden Palace were all of the caliber of sect-guarding artifacts, immensely powerful. As the greatest sacred site beyond the Great Wall, the treasures collected by the Loulan Golden Palace were naturally extraordinary. Qin Mu simply hadn't had the time to cultivate using them.
The Datian Demon Lord, now wielding these treasures, was consumed by a killing frenzy. All four of his faces showed vicious expressions as he thought, "If I caught this brat off guard right now and finished him, I'd be free! But then again, this iron body is packed full of mechanisms. What if the mechanisms lock up after I kill him? I'd be trapped in the Demon God avatar, unable to move... Better to finish off this little old Daoist first!"
His zither erupted in sound, unleashing waves of demonic melody. The old Daoist's soul was struck, feeling his spirit stir restlessly as inner demons arose within his Dao heart. He quickly shouted, forming a Clarity Seal to suppress the inner demons.
The divine figure with the tortoise shell back raised its hand, lifting the white serpent whisk. Suddenly, a massive wave surged skyward and crashed down upon the Datian Demon Lord.
The Datian Demon Lord's four faces snarled in fury as the eight treasures in his hands erupted with power, striking against the overwhelming wave. In a deafening explosion, the Demon Lord was sent flying backward, smashing deep into the cliff face.
The white serpent whisk opened its massive jaws and slammed straight into him, driving the Datian Demon Lord deep into the mountain.
"Little Daoist, you have no idea how terrifying the sovereign of Datian truly is! You've angered me!"
The cliff face exploded. The Datian Demon Lord burst from the shattered rock, shaking the Thousand-Banner Pagoda. A thousand banners danced, transforming into a pagoda thousands of zhang tall that bore down on the old Daoist.
The old Daoist sneered. Behind him, the divine figure raised a hand and struck a seal, smashing both the Demon Lord and the pagoda back down to the ground, pinning him so he couldn't move.
At that moment, the intense blood light in midair and the surging demonic force suddenly vanished. On a white bone altar, the bear-headed Demon God statue transformed into a hundred-zhang-tall Demon God, unleashing a heaven-shaking roar: "Insects of this lowly world, prepare to face the wrath of the Datian Xiongpi Great Demon— huh? Old man Datian!"
The great Xiongpi Demon God, seeing the Datian Demon Lord sprawled at his feet, burst into hearty laughter. "Old man Datian! The exalted supreme sovereign of Datian, reduced to this state! Datian has been dragged into its current predicament by incompetent leaders like you! A useless thing like you should have vacated the Demon Lord's throne long ago!"
The Datian Demon Lord was both humiliated and furious. He was about to rise, but the Xiongpi Demon God, looking down from above, raised his foot and stamped him back down, chuckling, "Tyrant, you get your comeuppance at last. Summoner, you called me here—what offerings do you intend to give me?"
"Him!"
Qin Mu pointed at the old Daoist. The Xiongpi Demon God hurled a punch at the old Daoist. The tortoise-shelled divine figure behind the Daoist raised a hand to block. A muffled collision echoed, and Qin Mu was sent reeling by the aftershock. The old Daoist, however, was blasted away and embedded in the cliff face opposite.
The Xiongpi Demon God leaped up and drove his fist into the old Daoist pinned in the cliff, snarling with a grin, "Delicious little insect—huh?"
A sword light streaked from behind him, piercing through his back and emerging from his chest. It was the old Daoist, who had deployed the sword behind him, landing a critical blow.
"Not bad. But this body isn't what you think it is!"
The Xiongpi Demon God grinned viciously, raising his fist to pound again and again into the cliff, his expression savage. "This body is nothing more than a Demon God statue! Even if you cut off my head, it won't hurt me in the slightest!"
"Is that so?"
A voice suddenly rang out. The Xiongpi Demon God whipped his head around. A streak of sword light circled his neck three times, and his massive head toppled from his shoulders.
"Daoist Kuye, your humble brother arrives too late."
The sword light flew upward and landed atop the cliff. There stood a scholar in flowing green robes, his gaze falling first on the Xiongpi Demon God's headless body, then shifting to Qin Mu. He bowed solemnly. "Lu Wenshu, disciple of Master Qiongli of the Qiongli Sect, greets the Heavenly Demon Sect Leader. The Heavenly Demon Sect Leader is a senior—this junior making a move against a senior shouldn't count as an offense, surely?"
The Xiongpi Demon God's head flew up and settled back onto his neck. He laughed, "Another stray cat or dog shows up."
Qin Mu's expression remained calm. He shook his head. "Master Qiongli is my peer. He didn't come himself but only sent you—already a sign he doesn't think much of me."
Lu Wenshu replied leisurely, "My master didn't wish to personally face the Heavenly Demon Sect Leader, but rather has more important matters—to save the common people of the world."
"Assassinating the Emperor, you mean?"
Qin Mu said, "The Imperial Preceptor gave face to the Old Tathagata and let him rescue Master Qiongli and the others. The Old Tathagata promised that Master Qiongli would enter the monastic life and no longer interfere in worldly affairs. Why go back on his word?"
Lu Wenshu's expression stiffened. Then another voice chimed in with a laugh, "For the sake of all living beings in the world, why shouldn't one go back on one's word?"
Qin Mu turned to look. A Daoist nun had arrived at another mountaintop, wearing a white Daoist robe with a plum blossom embroidered on her chest.
"Qingyu Sanren of the Lingxiu Palace greets the Heavenly Demon Sect Leader." The nun bowed.
Qin Mu smiled, "Why does Sanren feel the need to bow?"
The nun replied solemnly, "Though we are enemies, courtesy must not be neglected. This time, in dealing with the young leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect, we may appear to be bullying the young with our seniority. However, you are after all the lord of the foremost sacred site of the demonic path, senior to us in standing—so it doesn't count as bullying."
Qin Mu smiled faintly. "Fair enough. Who else wishes to come and kill me?"
"I will kill you."
A cloud of auspicious mist drifted from midair, and an Arhat descended onto the mountaintop, prayer beads the size of human heads draped over both hands. He pressed his palms together. "The Heavenly Demon Sect Leader holds an exalted position. This humble monk, Pusan, has come specially to subdue the demon. I humbly request the Heavenly Demon Sect Leader's guidance."
"The leader of the foremost demonic sacred site shouldn't be afraid of one more, should he?"
Yet another figure appeared on another mountaintop, his clothes ragged and covered in patches, yet his bearing spirited. He laughed heartily, brimming with bold confidence. "Beneath the banner of Qi Dayou, sect leader of the Beggar's Gate, I am Luo Sanpo, hall master of the Lotus Hall. Greetings to the Heavenly Demon Sect Leader—I've come to claim a life. The Sect Leader's life. Oh, and the Sect Leader apparently has a little fox spirit who once offended Sect Leader Qi. Sect Leader Qi says she must be eliminated."
Hu Ling'er quickly hid behind Qin Mu, peeking out to spit, "Your Sect Leader Qi is so petty! What a sore loser!"
Luo Sanpo pointed at her and laughed, "That's the little fox! Fellow righteous cultivators, the fact that I, Luo, can join the righteous martial world to besiege the Heavenly Demon Sect Leader and slay the demon here is truly a joy and a delight! This battle shall be called the Demon Slaying Assembly for the Righteous Path!"
"The Demon Slaying Assembly for the Righteous Path? A fine name."
From within the mountain, Daoist Kuye struggled his way out, spat blood, and sat against the cliff to regulate his breathing. "If we can eliminate the Heavenly Demon Sect Leader and bring peace to the world, our sacrifice will have been worth it. Everyone—for the righteous path!"
On the surrounding mountaintops, each of the great experts at the Heavenly Being realm stood solemn, hearts swelling with emotion and heroic passion. They declared in unison, "For the righteous path of this mortal world!"
"Kill—!"
The five great experts rallied their spirits, their vital energy erupting. Behind each of them, divine figures materialized as phantom apparitions. They unleashed their most powerful techniques, bombarding the valley below!
At that moment, the Xiongpi Demon God roared, unleashing every ounce of energy within his body!
"Heavenly Demon Boundless!"
Qin Mu quickly pulled Hu Ling'er behind the Dragon Qilin for cover. A terrifying tremor shook the valley, loosening the very mountain stone. Great boulders fell from the sky, only to be shattered into fine powder by the shockwave. Even with the Dragon Qilin shielding them, Qin Mu and Hu Ling'er felt unimaginable pressure, their bones creaking under the strain.
One by one, the Heavenly Being realm experts vomited blood and tumbled backward, their fates unknown.
Qin Mu peeked out from behind the Dragon Qilin and saw the Xiongpi Demon God standing tall and imposing. Hu Ling'er, both startled and delighted, exclaimed, "Xiongpi is incredible!"
Suddenly, the Xiongpi Demon God's body began to crumble, breaking apart piece by piece. The great demon muttered, "Energy depleted. A shame I couldn't harvest these offerings. Still, it was worth it to see the old fool Datian looking so pathetic... Summoner, I'm leaving!" With that, his body burst apart with a muffled boom, his consciousness rolling back to the other world.
Hu Ling'er was stunned. From outside the valley came the coughing of Luo Sanpo and the others—they hadn't been killed by the Xiongpi Demon God after all.
"Young Master..." Hu Ling'er turned to look at Qin Mu.
"I'm fine."
Qin Mu rose, dusted himself off, and pulled the Datian Demon Lord from beneath the ground, tossing him onto the Dragon Qilin's back. The young man, looking spirited and full of vigor, activated the Taotie Bag and swept the other three altars inside. He called out, "Fatty Dragon, run!"