Chapter 317 Jiang Qiubai
“Why is the Void-breaking Realm so big a deal? The outer world may not be the paradise for martial practitioners,” Guo Yuqing said sharply, “On the vast pasture, you’ve got the Wolf Temple. On the Divine Land, you’re treated as an equal to the heads of the top nine Holy Clans. Isn’t that enough for you?”
The blond-haired man shook his head and said with disappointment, “Years ago, you were ambitious as a tiger that could devour anything. Now, you’ve resigned to mediocrity. Turns out that a sweet wife really can end a hero. The unrivaled heroic spirit of the old Great Jebe on the pasture has been corroded by that woman, hasn’t it?”
“I merely gained some new insights into the meaning of life.” Guo Yuqing replied.
“Hmph, are you discussing the meaning of life with me? The subject is just boring. It only leads to crafty arguing. I sure can do that. Anyway, what’s the fun of it when being treated like an equal by the heads of the top nine Holy Clans? I made it happen five years ago. After five years, I’m kind of getting sick of it… I’m still at a very young age and have a long way to go. I can live for at least several hundred years. So, in my long life, what matters is to find something fun to do. I cannot stay in my little place all day long. No, I have to get out and see the world outside. I need to see what kind of life forms are in the spectacular galaxies, and to verify if the Divine Land small as a birdcage is a waste yard built for dumped garbage.” The blond-haired man replied with blatant sarcasm.
Guo Yuqing’s lips twitched for a moment but soon calmed down as before.
“I don’t have the key to the Grave of the Immortal King. Junior fellow apprentice, you should go back.” He said dully.
The blond-haired man looked sideways at Guo Yuqing and fell silent for a while. Then, he began with a smile, “Senior fellow apprentice, do you know I really don’t want to use this against you? But it’s you who forced me into it.”
“You…” Guo Yuqing was stupefied for a second but quickly caught on what he was up to. His expression changed, and he leaped up in haste, attempting to race to the Eagle Beak Village.
But the blond-haired man moved like a ghost and promptly stood in his way. He stuck out a palm unhurriedly, then, with a bang, his palm collided with Guo Yuqing’s and the latter was stopped in his track.
“I’ve already sent my men to invite your family over. You’re already too late to catch up with them. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of my nephew, niece, and sister-in-law on the vast pasture while waiting for you to bring me the key in exchange for their freedom,” said the blond-haired man with a faint smile.
His profile began to fade and dissipate.
Guo Yuqing wanted to stop him from leaving, yet it was too late.
The blond-haired man would disappear in a second.
All of a sudden—
Boom!
Overwhelming energy fluctuations traveled over from the distant Eagle Beak Village.
After that, a series of painful howls and furious roars were heard. Next, several figures shot out of the village as fast as beams of light.
They were followed by two jets of broadsword light that were chasing after them at an amazing speed.
“Ah?” The blond-haired man who was growing transparent became solid again.
He stayed; a hint of surprise appeared on his features.
A voice of a man sounded from afar—
“How can you forget to hail me when you pay a visit to my Taibai Mountain? That’s really rude.”
Broadsword light zoomed across the field.
Those flying ahead were hit by the broadsword light and fell to the ground like sparrows being shot by arrows. It turned out that they were martial arts practitioners wearing the pasture bark armors. Wounded as they were, they stumbled on as fast as they could. And over the back of their heads, a young man with short hair and a suit of white robes was chasing them on his flying broadsword.
“Younger brother?” Guo Yuqing took a look at the sky and felt thrilled at once.
The moment he saw Li Mu, he knew his wife and children were safe.
“Haha, older brother, never knew you did live a quiet life in the depths of the mountains. If it were not for the energy fluctuations generated by the fight between the sister-in-law and those sneaky pasture rats, I’m afraid I would not have found you today.” Riding on his flying broadsword, Li Mu moved unbelievably fast. In a minute, he came near the two and landed beside Guo Yuqing.
In a distance, a burly man was escorting a young lady named Liu Zhiyuan and two children heading towards them. Liu Zhiyuan looked deeply concerned. But as she caught sight of her husband, she breathed a sigh of relief.
“Brother Qing!” Liu Zhiyuan called out.
Shortly, the whole family got together.
Holding his daughter, Yia Yia, in his arms, Guo Yuqing looked at his little son cradled by his wife. Only then did his hanging heart drop back to its place.
“Lord, Lord… we…” Several practitioners blundered over and cried, “We… didn’t make it, for Li Mu the Lord Taibai and Qiu Yin the Broadsword Man…”
They were all selected elites of the Wolf Temple on the pasture, but today they bumped into two very challenging men.
The blond-haired man nodded and ordered, “Back away.”
The dozen injured pasture experts immediately retreated to his rear.
“There is nothing to complain as you were frustrated by Lord Taibai and Broadsword Man. The two are the topmost talents among the younger generation of the Western Qin after all.” The blond-haired man said. His eyes brushed over Li Mu and Qiu Yin, and he was still wearing a touch of smile that issued dazzling charm. Then, as if spurred by the moment, he yelled, “Ah-ha! It suddenly occurs to me if you two were dead, the luck of the martial arts society in the Western Qin Empire over the next century would vanish, wouldn’t it?”
“Who are you?” Li Mu stared at him and demanded, “As you and I have no grudges, why are you putting on airs before me?”
The blond-haired man was too surprised to comprehend that disparaging remark.
“Are you the lord of the Wolf Temple on the vast pasture, Jiang Qiubai, the senior who is also called the All-weather Wolf God?” said Qiu Yin, who looked impressed. He had traveled across the Divine Land and adventured the martial arts society for years, so he was not that ignorant as Li Mu. At sight of the appearance of the blond-haired man, he was immediately reminded of some tales he heard and offered his conjecture.
“You are truly a disciple of that Old Brat Li now that you recognized the buddha at first glance. Thank god you’re not like this wild boy who has no manners and respects for the senior.” The blond-haired man shot a dirty look at Li Mu and then turned to Qiu Yin with a smile. “Don’t call me senior. Do I look like an old man? See, your ill-maintained face and unshaven chin make you much older than me. Ah, right, as we speak of that, I wonder if there is any sign of your old master who loves mystifying things kicking the bucket?”
“Shit! He should wash his mouth!”
How Li Mu wished to beat that handsome fact into a pulp.
Of course, he would not admit that was out of jealousy.
Still, Qiu Yin answered with all due respect, “My master is very healthy and hale. Senior Jiang, thank you for asking so.”
Perplexed, Li Mu edged his way to Qiu Yin and asked, “Does this pretty face have some impressive background? Why are you so afraid of him?”
Qiu Yin lowered his voice and said, “I’m not afraid of him. It’s just that according to the order of seniority, he is in the same generation as my master… And his temper is quite unpredictable. He has killed a ton of people and is indeed the number one devil in the world. You should know better than to mess with him.”
Li Mu: “…”
“For all that you said, you’re just afraid of him.”
“Yet, those around the same age as Li Poyue the Guanshan Master, are practically old freaks… Well, he should conjure such a young face for him. What a show-off! He must be a psychopath!”
Li Mu trashed him inwardly.
“Just go.” Guo Yuqing said, gazing at the blond-haired Jiang Qiubai. “You’ve traveled to the Qin empire all alone and been spotted by the future leader of the Guanshan Pasture. If you don’t go now, the Guanshan Master will certainly come after you. Why get yourself in danger?”
“Haha, is senior fellow apprentice worried about me?” Jiang Qiubai smiled brightly, revealing his shining teeth. “Even if that old brat comes here, there is nothing he can do to me… In this world, who else could rein me in except you?”
Those words gave Li Mu goosebumps.
“Fu*k! Why does it sound so coquettish?”
“Older brother, this guy is your junior fellow apprentice?” Li Mu interrupted, “Then why did he send men to kidnap my sister-in-law and niece? Is it because…?” A load of dramatic plots flashed in Li Mu’s head. “Is it because a love triangle that has gone sour? Does the man fancy my older brother or his wife?”
Guo Yuqing knew Li Mu very well. As he saw Li Mu’s pensive expression, he knew at once that his younger brother was not picturing anything decent. Well, this sworn brother of his was great in every aspect except for one thing—his mind was too erratic and filled with all sorts of rubbish.
“It’s just because something that happened in the old past.” Guo Yuqing cut him off before turning to Jiang Qiubai. “Your plan has failed. Please go back now. You won’t have another chance.”
“Do I? But I really want to give it another shot. Senior fellow apprentice, how much cultivation is left in you after five years’ secluded life?” The blond-haired Jiang Qiubai stretched himself and said, “As the Magic Moon Shoot is not at your hand, you can’t stop me.”
At that, Li Mu scampered forward and announced with an air of heroic righteousness, “Hey, did you ask for my approval before you stirred up trouble within my territory?”
Jiang Qiubai glanced sideways and said beamingly, “Fine, fine, I’ll kill you first.”
Before his voice grew dim—
Li Mu instantly felt a wave of rich killing intent, causing all his hair to stand on its end. But his body took action before he realized it. The twenty-four flying broadswords circled around him. At the same time, the Five Elements Sky-flipping Seal dashed out of his Mud-pill Palace and floated over his head. In that instant, the power of the Dragon-assembling Pattern he set across the Taibai Mountain also shrouded him.
Blast!
A gold massive wolf claw reached out from thin air.
Li Mu was bombarded with a force that appeared to be able to overturn the sky and the earth.
Resorting to all his aced cards, Li Mu suddenly sensed a stream of mighty force surged up within him. The twenty-four flying broadswords were thrown off in a trice. The Five Elements Sky-flipping Seal started radiating colorful lights, which activated the Dragon-assembling Pattern and narrowly stopped that colossal gold wolf claw at the last moment.
Li Mu, however, was sent flying backward.
He shrank into a black dot and vanished in the sky far away.
“Ahh… How come you sneak attack me… Shame to you… I’ll be back!”
Li Mu’s elongated voice reverberated in the blue sky strewn with white clouds.
The twenty-four flying broadswords were very intelligent. As if chickens trying to catch up with the hen, they swooshed across the sky after the place Li Mu disappeared out of sight.
A stunned look surfaced on Jiang Qiubai’s features as he muttered, “Ah? The little boy turns out to be strong enough to take that blow!”
At that point, Qiu Yin’s hand closed around his broadsword handle.
But Guo Yuqing seized his hand and shook his head dismissively. He then whispered, “Li Mu’s fine.” With his sharp eyes, he could tell Li Mu was merely thrown to the sky by that strike but was not injured at all. Since it had been a while since Guo Yuqing last met Li Mu, he was now amazed at the growth of his sworn brother’s strength, for in that instant Li Mu did demonstrate the power of a Sage-to-be.
Upon hearing that, Qiu Yin was a little relaxed.
Guo Yuqing then looked at Jiang Qiubai and warned, “Junior fellow apprentice, don’t make me fight you.”
Jiang Qiubai burst out laughing. “I do want to make you fight me, so what? Senior fellow apprentice, where is your valiancy you once had? Now, you have to dawdle so long before a fight. Come on, launch your strike!”
“Fine!” Guo Yuqing nodded.
He knew he just had to step forward today.
Because neither Qiu Yin nor Li Mu was the match of his junior fellow apprentice.
A stream of righteous qi gradually flowed out of his body.
It was vast, boundless, profound, and acute.
In an instant, Guo Yuqing seemed to have changed into a different person.
Standing next to him, Qiu Yin set his eyes unblinkingly on the provoked practitioner.
Because by then he already realized who was the heavy-set man that dressed like a hunter… “These two powerful deities have gathered in the Taibai Mountain! If this news ever gets out, it will probably cause a sensation across the entire Divine Land, the three empires, and the top nine Holy Clans!”
…