Chapter 540: You and I Are Fated

Zhe Huali cried out, taking a step toward Qin Mu.

“Surrender!”

From outside the miniature world, Fu Riluo’s voice boomed like thunder: “Your blade technique is precise and calculated, but your mind is now in turmoil. You will only be defeated faster and die faster! Your dear friend is dead; avenge them. To die without avenging them is merely the act of a fool!”

Zhe Huali’s face contorted, and he suddenly drew his blade with his left hand.

Outside the miniature world, Fu Riluo frowned but did not intervene to stop Zhe Huali within it. The miniature world was created jointly by him and the Saintly Woodcutter. If he were to interfere, the Woodcutter would also intervene, leading to an endless entanglement, and he would have no chance of winning. The Saintly Woodcutter’s sudden summoning had disrupted his arrangements and plans, catching him off guard, so he could only agree to this wager. He could not break his own wager, or he risked losing everything. He needed time. Although he greatly admired Zhe Huali, even considering Zhe Huali his successor despite the latter having another master, he could only reluctantly abandon him for the greater cause of the demon race.

Zhe Huali’s eye twitched. The demonic eye on the hilt of his blade became increasingly bizarre and unpredictable, focusing not on Qin Mu but on Zhe Huali’s right arm. Zhe Huali raised his right arm, the blade already lifted. Qin Mu was right; he couldn’t perfectly execute the Divine Blade Luo Wushuang’s technique. To master it, he would need to sever his right arm; otherwise, it would remain a burden. His purpose in coming to this lower realm was to find a solution, to be able to wield his blade with both hands, allowing his blade technique to reach the Dao, and step out of Luo Wushuang’s shadow. Qin Mu’s previous sword strike was incredibly stunning, and Zhe Huali knew he couldn't have dodged it. To defeat Qin Mu, his only option was to sever his arm and push Luo Wushuang’s blade technique to its absolute limit. However, severing his arm would mean he could never escape Luo Wushuang’s technique, never find his own blade-Dao, effectively cutting off his own path. Zhe Huali’s expression flickered between light and shadow. His blade descended, striking the ground.

“I lost.”

He knelt with a thud, not towards Qin Mu or Yu He and the others, but towards Jiang Yi’s corpse. Zhe Huali kowtowed, then stood up, carrying Jiang Yi’s body. He turned his head and said, “I have seen your swordplay. I will not let my master see your swordplay, because I will personally slay you and avenge my dear friend!”

Qin Mu’s expression was solemn. He nodded and said, “If that day truly comes, I will die without regret.”

Zhe Huali stepped away, moving towards the Lihuo fire wall. With a *whoosh*, his demonic blade flew up, slashing open the fire wall and carving a path. Zhe Huali, holding Jiang Yi, walked into the fire wall and disappeared.

Qin Mu’s eye twitched; Zhe Huali’s actions made him uneasy. Zhe Huali was no less skilled than him. The blade technique Zhe Huali used to cleave the sea of fire earlier was extremely subtle and refined. His mastery of physical body, magic power, primordial spirit, and even the divine arts revealed in his blade technique were no inferior to Qin Mu’s; in fact, his physical body was much stronger than Qin Mu’s. The current Zhe Huali was like Qin Mu after being severely defeated by the Human Emperor Founding Ancestor, on the verge of collapse and transformation. If he could overcome this, find his own path, just as Qin Mu had created the first form of the Calamity Sword, 'Opening Calamity', he too would create his own blade technique, stepping out of Luo Wushuang’s shadow, and seek revenge on Qin Mu.

“If I had struck him with a sword when he turned to walk out of the fire wall, I could have ended him... If it were Cripple Grandpa, he would have done it without a moment’s hesitation!” Qin Mu’s expression became unsettled.

Outside the miniature world, Black Tiger God accurately caught his expression and immediately grew excited, exclaiming repeatedly: “Master, Master! You saw it, didn’t you? This kid’s eye keeps twitching, or his face changes drastically, becoming unsettled, and sometimes he even cries out! It’s clear his mental cultivation isn’t high; he’s just mediocre!”

The Saintly Woodcutter glared at him. Black Tiger God’s face changed dramatically, and he quickly bowed his head obediently. The Saintly Woodcutter extended his hand and grasped the hilt of his divine axe. Simultaneously, Fu Riluo also extended his hand and gripped his demonic spear. Both simultaneously drew their respective weapons. Qin Mu, still inside the miniature world, immediately sensed something was wrong. The space of the miniature world began to collapse, starting from where the axe and spear intersected. The space continuously shrank, devouring the towering mountains!

“Quick, run!”

Qin Mu pulled Sang Hua without a word. Beautiful runes appeared around him, continuously rotating, and he hurriedly called out: “Senior Sister Yu He, Senior Brother Shu Yao, come to me!” Yu He and Shu Yao remained standing there blankly, staring at him, seemingly still not having recovered their senses. Behind them, the collapsing space was rapidly approaching. Qin Mu gritted his teeth, activated a teleportation divine art, and with a flash of light, disappeared with Sang Hua.

Only then did Yu He and Shu Yao come to their senses. They looked back, their faces changing drastically, and quickly soared into the air. Yu He called out loudly: “Junior Brother Shu Yao, let’s work together to break through the fire wall and get out of here!” The two moved extremely fast, heading straight for the fire wall of the miniature world. As they lifted their feet, they realized the danger. Their full-speed sprint was incredibly fast, surpassing sound, even faster than Qin Mu’s full-speed run, yet the space collapse was even faster! The fire wall was clearly right before them, but no matter how fast they ran towards it, the distance between them and the wall did not shrink at all. Not only did the distance not shrink, it actually widened, while their distance from the massive collapse grew closer and closer! Cold sweat appeared on Yu He and Shu Yao’s foreheads. The collapsing space contained the power generated by the clash between the Saintly Woodcutter’s divine axe and Fu Riluo’s demonic spear. This power had previously formed the miniature world, transforming a fifty-zhang long and thirty-one-zhang wide plaza into a vast world of towering mountains stretching for a thousand li. Now that this world was shrinking and collapsing, it would undoubtedly release the power generated when the divine axe and demonic spear collided! This power was something seven-star divine arts practitioners like them could not possibly withstand; they would likely be instantly vaporized, with not even their souls remaining!

“Was that blacksmith Qin Mu calling us earlier, perhaps wanting to take us with him?” Only then did they secretly regret it. They had been so stunned by the brilliance of Qin Mu’s sword earlier that they had lost their wits, not clearly hearing what he said. By the time they realized, it was too late. Just then, a flash of light appeared, and Qin Mu’s figure suddenly materialized beside them. Then, countless runes swirled around them with a whooshing sound. A burst of light erupted, and Yu He and Shu Yao felt the world spinning. When they found their footing and opened their eyes to look around, they saw that they were already outside the plaza.

“Run!” Qin Mu shouted, sprinting forward: “Hide behind the great hall!” Yu He and Shu Yao quickly followed him. The three swiftly circled behind the great hall, where Sang Hua was already hiding. As soon as the four of them stood firm, Qin Mu immediately squatted down, closed his eyes, opened his mouth, and covered his ears. Seeing this, Sang Hua also quickly squatted, closing her eyes, opening her mouth, and covering her ears.

Before Yu He and Shu Yao could react, a terrifying fluctuation erupted from the plaza. Incredibly bright light burst from both sides of the great hall. In just an instant, their eyes were blinded by the flashing light, unable to see anything. By the time they closed their eyes, two streams of bloody tears were already flowing from them! Then, the fluctuation caused by the complete collapse of space arrived. Yu He and Shu Yao’s bodies rapidly elongated, almost stretching them into two noodles. A terrifying sound assaulted them, and their ears suddenly became completely deaf, creating an odd silence! Warm blood flowed from their ear canals. On the great hall, the various deities of the Taihuang Heaven each unleashed their divine power, raising a wall of divine light to block the energy exploding from the collapsing space. But even so, the two of them were tormented almost to death.

Qin Mu and Sang Hua, who had squatted down, were unharmed. Once the light dissipated and the fluctuations receded, they closed their mouths, opened their eyes, and stood up. Yu He and Shu Yao fell from the air with a thud, lying motionless on the ground. When they finally managed to get up, both were covered in blood. After a while, they still couldn't hear or see anything.

“Senior Sister and Senior Brother are too young; they haven’t experienced anything like this before,” Qin Mu said, shaking his head. He stepped forward to examine them. “I’ve encountered similar situations before, with god-like and demon-like powerhouses battling nearby. I knew what would happen... They’re not badly hurt. I’ll refine some medicine later to help their retinas and eardrums regrow.”

Sang Hua asked worriedly, “What happened to their eyes and ears?”

“Their retinas were scorched, and their eardrums torn. It’s not a big problem.” Qin Mu rummaged through his Taotie Pouch, searching for medicinal herbs. “If their eyes had burst or ear bones fractured, I wouldn’t be able to fix it; their brains would have been completely cooked by then. Their retinas weren’t entirely burned off, and their eardrums only had small perforations, so they can regenerate. Senior Sister Yu He and Senior Brother Shu Yao’s physical bodies are indeed very strong, even stronger than mine. If it were me, my retinas might have been completely incinerated.”

Sang Hua stuck out her tongue and looked around, seeing that nearly half of the divine city of Licheng had been destroyed. Collapsed houses and pavilions were everywhere, and many demon race members lay on the ground, rolling in agony.

Fu Riluo drew his demonic spear, and his three faces spoke in unison, their voices echoing throughout Licheng: “A wager made is a wager honored! All demon race warriors, heed my command: abandon the city! Junior Brother Pang Yu, lead all warriors out of Licheng!”

The demon gods received their orders, each restraining their demon subordinates, preparing to withdraw.

“Heavenly Master, today is not a good time to spar with you. We shall continue another day.”

“Indeed, indeed.”

Fu Riluo leaped down from the great hall and led his forces away. Qin Mu, who was refining pills to heal Yu He and Shu Yao, glanced up as Fu Riluo emerged not far away. He quickly looked at him, feeling a slight jolt of surprise. Fu Riluo’s back of the head was covered in thick, dark curly hair, with no fourth face. Among the dense curls, two pointed ears stood straight up.

“He has three faces.” A burden was lifted from Qin Mu’s mind. Ever since he first met Fu Riluo, he had wondered how many faces he had, and now he finally had his answer.

Sensing Qin Mu’s gaze, Fu Riluo twisted his neck, revealing a smiling face, and leisurely said, “Are you Qin Mu? The blacksmith Qin Mu?”

Just as Qin Mu was about to speak, a figure flashed, and the Saintly Woodcutter appeared in front of him, blocking Fu Riluo’s view. Qin Mu peeked out from behind the Saintly Woodcutter and smiled, “Yes, I am Qin Mu. Greetings, Vajra Demon God.”

“You understand the demon language? Fu Riluo indeed means ‘Vajra’.” Fu Riluo nodded, stating meaningfully, “You and I share a strong fate. We will meet again.” With that, he twisted his neck back, stepped away, and said, “Zhe Huali, follow me.”