Chapter 28: Wall Shadows

Qin Mu steadied himself. The map from before the Great Ruins Cataclysm was very useful. It marked many relics within the Great Ruins, so if he was out hunting and couldn't return to Decrepit Village in time, he could follow the map to enter these ruins and shelter from the encroaching darkness.

"With this map, I can avoid many dangers."

He focused on memorizing the map, imprinting it in his mind. After a moment, he located the valley on the map. It was labeled "Zhen Yang Palace."

“Zhen Yang Palace? 'Yang' (央) also sounds like 'Yang' (殃), which means disaster or calamity."

Qin Mu had learned to read and write from the deaf man. Although he wasn't well-read, he had absorbed a great deal of knowledge. He murmured, "Zhen Yang Palace means 'the palace that suppresses calamities.' What kind of calamity was this palace built to suppress?"

He looked around, but the ape was gone from the palace. He guessed the ape had left, perhaps to avoid disturbing him.

"The big guy is quite considerate."

Qin Mu walked out of the palace, called the ape over, and asked, "Big Guy, is there anything strange about this place?"

The ape scratched its head, thought for a moment, and then quickly ran towards a side hall of Zhen Yang Palace. Qin Mu quickly followed, and the foolish roe deer trailed behind them.

"This!"

The ape entered the side hall, pointed a finger, and Qin Mu followed its gaze. It was pointing at a white wall with a tiny, thumb-sized figure drawn on it.

Qin Mu scrutinized the white wall, but found nothing else besides the tiny figure.

The foolish roe deer sniffed its way along, approached the wall, smelled the figure on it, and was about to lick the wall when suddenly a hand reached out, and the roe deer vanished!

Qin Mu was startled, and the ape pounded its chest in fury, roaring at the wall, yet not daring to approach.

On the wall, a lifelike drawing of a roe deer appeared next to the tiny figure. Then, Qin Mu watched as the figure on the wall slowly began to move. It opened its mouth, which grew wider and wider, revealing nail-like teeth. It then swallowed the roe deer whole!

Qin Mu was horrified. After consuming the roe deer, the figure on the wall suddenly took a step towards them!

To his astonishment, Qin Mu realized that although the figure hadn't left the wall, its body was growing taller and larger, gradually reaching the size of a normal person. Yet it didn't stop, continuing to grow.

Before long, the figure filled the entire wall, and its shadow even stretched across the side hall's ceiling. It was a massive head, mouth agape, with hands extending from that wall to the other two walls.

"Little one, run!" The ape pulled Qin Mu, and they leaped out, escaping the shadow on the wall.

A roar echoed from the wall, making it shake violently as dust filled the air. Then, the dark shadow spread from within the side hall, engulfing the entire hall in an instant.

The shadow tried to break free from the side hall's walls but remained trapped.

"Is this a demon?"

Qin Mu stopped, blinked, and then tentatively recited, "Qikeduo Samoyed, Banruo Banruo Samoyed, Qikeduo Banruo Samoyed."

The shadow enveloping the side hall suddenly fell silent. Then, the windows of the hall opened wide like two dark eyes, and Qin Mu felt a spine-chilling sensation, as if he was being intensely scrutinized by a terrifying gaze.

The side hall's large door then slammed shut, only to open again automatically. As it swung open and closed, a raspy voice emerged: "Da Zi Zai True Word. Are you a descendant of my clan? How pitiful, your True Word hasn't learned the true teaching. Has my clan really fallen to such an extent?"

Qin Mu tentatively asked, "Senior, do you understand the true Da Zi Zai True Word?"

"Of course I do!"

As the door swung open and closed, a proud voice declared, "My clan's Da Zi Zai True Word contains supreme power—the mighty power to create worlds, the power to achieve Great Freedom! What a pity that in your hands, it has become like this, utterly devoid of power! Tell that monkey to step aside; I will teach you the true True Word!"

Qin Mu looked at the ape. The ape shook its head and grunted, "Don't trust it!"

"This senior is of my clan; he won't harm me. Please wait outside for a moment," Qin Mu reassured it.

The ape still seemed uneasy but was pushed out by Qin Mu.

The side hall's door opened and closed, and the demonic voice said, "True Words are the essence of cultivation, harboring the power of gods and demons. You only know the syllables of the True Word but have not grasped its spirit or the method to unleash its power. This method is called the Great Freedom Seal, and it is the core secret art of my clan! My power is sealed within this hall and cannot last long. Pay close attention, as I will only teach you once. How much you learn will depend on your own ability!"

On the side hall's wall, the dark shadow continuously shrunk, then a smaller shadow appeared, roughly Qin Mu's height. Inside this shadow, lines began to move, showing the trajectory of vital energy.

The demonic voice continued, "The Great Freedom Seal has four types of seals: the Demon God's Mighty Seal, the Heavenly Demon's Self-Mastery Seal, the Great Wisdom Seal, and the final seal, which is the three seals combined, the Great Freedom Heavenly Demon Seal! This is the first seal, the Demon God's Mighty Seal! You must accompany it with demonic incantations to unleash its power. Qikeduo!"

Qin Mu stared intently at the dark shadow on the side hall's wall, diligently memorizing the cultivation path. Inside his own body, his vital energy also began to circulate along the same trajectory.

"Qikeduo!"

Demonic words suddenly burst from his mouth. Qin Mu immediately felt a terrifying power surge within him. This formidable power compelled his hand to form a strange seal, uncontrollably pushing forward!

Boom!

A muffled rumble echoed. With this palm strike, Qin Mu had actually unleashed the Thunder Sound he had long dreamed of: Palm Lightning!

Qin Mu was stunned, finding it somewhat unbelievable.

The power of the Demon God's Mighty Seal, taught by the figure on the wall, was astonishingly strong. While not as versatile as Grandpa Ma's Eight Styles of Thunder Sound, its raw power significantly surpassed them.

However, this Demon God's Mighty Seal also consumed a huge amount of vital energy—several times more than the Eight Styles of Thunder Sound!

The shadow on the wall writhed as if pulled by something, involuntarily retreating back into the side hall. It gasped, "The power of this side hall is too strong; it always suppresses me. I don't have much time left. Watch closely, this is the second seal, the Heavenly Demon's Self-Mastery Seal! Samoyed!"

On the inner wall, the dark shadow's vital energy circulation path changed again. However, the side hall was dim inside, making it hard to see from a distance.

Qin Mu revitalized his spirit and unconsciously stepped forward, finally getting a clear view of the dark shadow's vital energy circulation and transformations on the wall.

"Samoyed!"

As he silently recited the demonic incantation and circulated his vital energy, another peculiar power erupted from within him, compelling his body to perform a different motion.

His face involuntarily broke into a smile, and his fingers formed a "pinching flower" gesture as he sent out a seal.

The power of this seal wasn't particularly strong; in fact, it seemed to have no offensive power at all. However, Qin Mu felt that one of the Eight Styles of Thunder Sound had a similar effect to the Heavenly Demon's Self-Mastery Seal.

The fifth style of the Eight Styles of Thunder Sound: Sun Radiance Refining Spirit in the Air!

This technique, taught to him by Grandpa Ma, didn't appear powerful at first glance, but its essence lay in attacking the soul of a divine ability practitioner!

The key to Sun Radiance Refining Spirit in the Air was that the fist was like the blazing sun in the sky, and the palm's Yang thunder refined the soul!

The Heavenly Demon's Self-Mastery Seal taught by the wall figure also seemed to have little direct power, but it likewise targeted the soul, sharing a similar martial principle with Grandpa Ma's Sun Radiance Refining Spirit in the Air.

The only difference was that Grandpa Ma used the sun's Yang thunder to destroy the opponent's soul, which was direct and powerful, whereas the Heavenly Demon's Self-Mastery Seal pulled the opponent's soul into the palm, where the palm itself became a realm of 'Self-Mastery,' grinding the soul away. This method was far more insidious and malicious, making it impossible to guard against.

A direct and powerful attack could still be defended against, but the Heavenly Demon's Self-Mastery Seal was impossible to guard against.

Qin Mu wondered to himself: the seal techniques of the wall figure and Grandpa Ma's fist techniques had many parallels. They clearly shared the same martial principles, but the methods of expressing those principles were entirely different—one was righteous, the other demonic.

As for which was better, Qin Mu couldn't say for sure. He could only conclude that each had its own strengths.

Grandpa Ma's Eight Styles of Thunder Sound were better suited for direct confrontation, using powerful, unyielding fist techniques to overwhelm an opponent, while the Great Freedom Seal was better for sudden, unexpected attacks that caught an opponent off guard.

The figure on the wall shrunk a little more, seemingly struggling under the suppression of Zhen Yang Palace. It panted, "Watch closely, this is the third seal, the Great Wisdom Seal..."

The shadow on the wall was blurry. Qin Mu unconsciously took two more steps forward, almost entering the side hall's doorway. Suddenly, he stopped, not stepping inside. Instead, he activated the Nine Heavens Opening Eye technique taught to him by the blind man. An extra layer of pupils appeared in his eyes, and although the shadow on the wall was dim, it became clear to him.

"If you don't come in, can you see clearly?" the figure on the wall asked.