As if anticipating the situation, Qin Mu grabbed the Xie Qi Luo Zen staff with one hand and swung it forcefully, smashing the Demon Ape and the staff into the ground. With his other hand, he flicked his fingers one by one, producing six consecutive bursts of sound, shattering the curved blades formed by Fox Spirit's vitality.
"Ang!"
The Dragon Elephant suddenly exerted force with its four legs and took advantage of Qin Mu's distraction from fighting the Demon Ape and Fox Spirit. It lowered its head and charged at Qin Mu, sending him flying with a resounding crash!
In the instant that the Dragon Elephant sent Qin Mu flying, its nose suddenly elongated, wrapping around Qin Mu who was suspended in mid-air. It pulled him back and then swung its nose, embedding Qin Mu headfirst into the ground.
The Dragon Elephant pulled Qin Mu out of the ground, preparing to strike again. But suddenly, Qin Mu's leg technique changed, kicking away the elephant's trunk. He delivered a barrage of hundreds of kicks to the face of the Dragon Elephant, sending the colossal beast flying.
"You little brat, stay down!"
The robust body of the Demon Ape was entwined by a blue dragon, and it pressed its palm down on the ground where Qin Mu had fallen. The Demon Ape roared, raising its thick and muscular short legs to ruthlessly stomp on Qin Mu!
The Cripple's Sky-Treading Leg Technique: Treading the Mount Sumeru!
Qin Mu, who was flattened on the ground by the stomp, immediately flipped over, propping himself up on one leg while keeping his body parallel to the ground. His other leg moved to meet the Demon Ape's giant foot.
He executed the same technique, Treading the Mount Sumeru, but with a more improvised and less standardized variation. However, the power was still astonishing!
The Demon Ape grunted and staggered backward. It then grabbed the tail of the Dragon Elephant and swung the massive creature toward Qin Mu. At the same time, Fox Spirit wagged her tail, and with a howling wind, curved blades flew through the air. The blades spun like wheels, slashing towards Qin Mu!
Suddenly, the sound of whooshing through the air reached Qin Mu's ears, and he felt a slight movement in his heart. He quickly dodged the attacks from Fox Spirit and the Demon Ape, following the sound to see a hundred or so men and women clad in armor leaping through the mountains and forests, heading upstream of the surging river.
Several of them also noticed Qin Mu and immediately paused, glancing around. One man looked at Qin Mu, the Demon Ape, and the White Fox Spirit with surprise and said, "Hunter?"
"Don't get involved; let's go!" another person whispered.
"The boat is almost here! We need to form a formation on the river before it arrives!"
"Is it a good idea? If our traces are seen and spread, it might not be advantageous for us..."
"The Great Ruins are filled with reclusive experts. Let's not get involved unnecessarily. We should hurry; his boat is fast. If we miss it, we'll regret it!"
Those individuals swiftly moved, their footsteps creating a gust of wind as they vanished into the mountains and forests.
Qin Mu was puzzled and whispered, "These people don't seem to be from the Great Ruins. They're heading upstream, seemingly planning to ambush someone. That person just now seemed intent on killing us to silence us; he didn't seem like a good person... Ling'er, big guy, you see, being honest and straightforward like us only brings disadvantages. We're easily targeted for elimination."
The Little White Fox nodded repeatedly, fully agreeing. The Demon Ape sneered, "Trust? Hell no!"
Qin Mu was about to speak when suddenly the Dragon Elephant charged and sent him flying. Enraged, the Demon Ape pressed the Dragon Elephant down and fiercely beat it, angrily saying, "Rest! Understand?"
The Dragon Elephant howled in misery, and while Qin Mu initially wanted to give it a beating as well, seeing the battered state the Demon Ape had left it in, he had to abandon the idea.
This Dragon Elephant was a strange beast from the adjacent gorge of the Central Palace. It also ruled over its own territory, possessing tremendous brute strength. The Dragon Elephant and the Demon Ape were not on good terms and frequently fought. The Dragon Elephant often went to the Demon Ape's territory to snatch wild beasts. However, since Qin Mu became the Lord of the Central Palace Gorge and taught the Demon Ape cultivation, the Dragon Elephant was no longer a match for the Demon Ape.
The Demon Ape would often come seeking revenge and beat it a dozen times. Eventually, the Dragon Elephant couldn't bear it anymore and simply surrendered, becoming the Demon Ape's mount, displaying its might.
However, the Dragon Elephant was somewhat foolish compared to the cunning Demon Ape and the little fox.
Qin Mu's eyes flickered as he suddenly leaped up, landing on a waterfall and reaching the mountains beyond. On the other side of the mountain ridge was the Surging River, with steep cliffs beneath.
The river water surged down, carrying ice blocks, and there were still many floating ice pieces on the river at this time of the year. Generally, there were no boats on the river.
Just at this moment, Qin Mu saw a luxurious ship approaching from the river. It broke through the ice and advanced swiftly. It was moving against the current and even facing the floating ice, yet it maintained such a fast speed, which was somewhat unimaginable.
The Demon Ape, Fox Spirit, and Dragon Elephant also climbed up and sat beside him. The Demon Ape plucked a pine tree and picked some pine needles, offering them to the little fox.
The Fox Spirit quickly shook her head, and the Demon Ape said, "Eat, it will make you strong!"
The Fox Spirit smiled and said, "I don't eat those."
The Demon Ape once again offered the pine needles to the Dragon Elephant, saying, "Eat, it will make you strong!"
The Dragon Elephant shook its head, but the Demon Ape pressed its head down and delivered another fierce beating, angrily saying, "Eat!"
Tears welled up in the Dragon Elephant's eyes as it silently ate the pine needles. Only then was the Demon Ape satisfied and sat down, leisurely consuming the pine needles. The Fox Spirit couldn't help but say, "Big guy, do you know? The Dragon Elephant doesn't eat plants; it eats meat. It follows its dragon nature, not its elephant nature."
The Dragon Elephant was touched and nodded repeatedly.
The Demon Ape sneered and said, "Plants, strong! I, plants, strong!"
Tears streamed down the Dragon Elephant's face as it continued eating the pine needles.
The approaching luxurious ship drew closer, and Qin Mu immediately saw soldiers donning armor all over the ship. There were also fluttering canopies, beneath which sat a young general with a majestic sword.
On the spacious deck, several painters were painting. In front of each painter stood a bronze mirror over a zhang (3.3 meters) tall.
Beside them, several soldiers dressed like herdsmen continuously opened iron cages and released one golden eagle after another from the ship.
Qin Mu quietly activated his Heavenly Vision, only to see that the bronze mirrors were actually displaying various scenes—green mountains and clear waters, with the images constantly changing.
Suddenly, the sound of an eagle's cry resounded, and Qin Mu looked up to see a golden eagle flying above them.
He suddenly realized, "The images in the bronze mirrors are what these golden eagles see! What kind of magic is this? It can turn what the golden eagles see into images in the mirrors... I see now. Those painters are drawing the geographical map of the Surging River!"
By releasing the golden eagles and having them observe the geography near the Surging River, their observations were reflected in the bronze mirrors, and the painters could then depict the mountains, rivers, and terrain. In this way, they could draw a complete map of the Surging River by sailing from downstream to upstream.
"Who are these people? Why are they drawing a geographical map of the Surging River? What do they plan to do with this map?"
Qin Mu blinked his eyes, feeling puzzled.
At that moment, a soldier on the ship quickly approached under the canopy, knelt down on one knee, and clasped his fists, saying, "General Qin, someone is spying from the shore!"
The young general under the canopy raised an eyebrow, turned his head towards Qin Mu, and Qin Mu's heart skipped a beat. When the gaze of the general under the canopy shifted towards him, it was as if two incredibly bright beams of light shone, blinding his vision, and he couldn't see anything!
Hu Ling'er and the monkey demon exclaimed and quickly covered their eyes, while the dragon-elephant, engrossed in eating pine needles, didn't notice anything unusual.
"They are just ordinary villagers by the riverside."
The Qin general closed his eyes and pretended to doze off, saying, "Even my gaze can't withstand it. They pose no threat. Ignore them."
"Yes, General!"
The soldier hesitated for a moment and said, "General, seven months ago, under the emperor's orders, you raided the residence of Yan Zheng, the Minister of Rites. Yan Zheng has a good reputation in the court and often speaks for those small sects. He himself is from the Huaqing Sword Sect and holds a high position in the court. By raiding his residence and throwing him into the heavenly prison, the emperor ordered his execution, which you oversaw, General. I'm afraid our journey won't be peaceful. Yan Zheng's remaining followers might attack us along the way."
General Qin sneered and said, "The emperor gave the order to raid his residence, and the order to execute Yan Zheng also came from the emperor. What does that have to do with me? Yan Zheng is seeking fame and reputation. He actually lodged a complaint, accusing the National Teacher of plotting rebellion and demanding the immediate execution of the National Teacher by the emperor. It's truly outrageous! For the sake of a little reputation, he dares to sow discord between the emperor and the National Teacher, plotting maliciously. He deserves to die, and if not him, then who should be killed?"
He rubbed his temples and sighed, saying, "The emperor ordered me to raid his residence and carry out the execution because I am the disciple of the National Teacher, personally groomed by him. The purpose of raiding his residence and executing him is to show the court that the emperor holds the National Teacher in high regard and wants to dispel the thoughts of those treacherous courtiers. Unfortunately, some people can't see the political situation clearly and understand the higher intentions, and they end up bringing destruction upon themselves."
The soldier asked, "But, this time, we may encounter opportunistic individuals who seek fame and reputation to ambush us..."
General Qin waved his hand and calmly said, "I am planning to lure out the remnants of Yan Zheng's faction and seize the opportunity to eliminate these treacherous courtiers!"
The general stood up and walked to the bow of the ship, looking at the rushing river water carrying floating ice and the steep cliffs on both sides. He calmly said, "The National Teacher instructed me to enter the Great Ruins and draw a geographical map of the Yangtze River, all for the sake of the nation and its prosperity, to incorporate the Great Ruins into our kingdom in the future. These treacherous courtiers fail to appreciate the National Teacher's benevolent intentions. They still want to kill me and disrupt the stability of the Yan Kang Kingdom. They truly deserve their imminent demise."
At that moment, a young nobleman walked out of the cabin. He wasn't fat, but his face appeared slightly chubby, with a red dot in the center of his brow. He held a folding fan and smiled, saying, "These people, carrying the titles of loyal subjects and righteous officials, are truly laughable! Such loyal subjects and righteous officials are better off extinct!"
General Qin quickly turned around and saluted, saying, "Seventh Young Master."
The Seventh Young Master looked up at the mountains, and the shadows of Qin Mu and the monkey demon fell, enveloping the moving boat.
"General Qin, I heard that the natives in the Great Ruins are abandoned by the gods. Is that true?" the Seventh Young Master asked.
