Chapter 5: Li River Five Elders

A powerful voice suddenly resonated, seemingly from a distance, yet it felt as if it was right in their ears, causing Qin Mu’s ears, now transformed into an elk's, to buzz.

He looked towards the sound. Several figures stood on a distant cliff. The distance from the base of the mountain to the cliff was approximately six or seven li, making it difficult for Qin Mu to distinguish their faces. However, to project a voice so far and so clearly, they could not be ordinary individuals.

Granny Si, holding her basket, chuckled, "Celestial demon? What celestial demon? I am merely an ordinary person by the river, and this little deer is just a common deer, raised by me..."

"Mu'er, run!"

Qin Mu was startled by Granny Si's voice. He wanted to speak but found himself unable to make a sound. He didn't want to leave, concerned that Granny Si might be in danger.

"An ordinary person by the river? With such formidable internal energy, capable of projecting your voice clearly to our ears, no ordinary old woman could do that."

From the cliff, an aged yet booming voice sneered, "Furthermore, we, the Five Elders of Lijiang, would never mistake the Celestial Demon Creation Art. Skinning people to make clothes, endless transformations—such vicious methods have been witnessed by us. Do you still dare to argue?"

Another elder on the cliff said gravely, "You've often used the Celestial Demon Creation Art to transform people into cattle and sheep, then sold them in markets for slaughter, haven't you? Many seniors of our righteous sect were even turned into livestock by you fiends, forced to till fields and graze for their entire lives! Your methods cannot deceive us!"

Another elder's voice was filled with sorrow: "A deer is also a living creature, yet you have refined its hide and soul into an evil artifact. If we do not slay you, who knows how many more lives will be lost to your hands? If not you, then who should we kill?"

Granny Si gently pinched the spot between Qin Mu's transformed deer brows, pulled out a silver needle, and whispered, "These old scoundrels can't touch me, but if you're here, I'll be distracted looking after you. Run, quickly, run back to the village!"

Qin Mu no longer hesitated; he immediately turned and bolted. Having been transformed into a deer, he initially expected to be hampered, but only upon running did he realize his assumption was wrong. Far from feeling any discomfort from the change, he ran incredibly fast, as if he had been born a deer.

"Little demon brat, still trying to escape? If you get away, won't you bring disaster upon the common people? Five Disciples of Lijiang, I brought you out for this experience. That deer is your training target. Slay him and bring me his head!"

"Yes!" Five clear male and female voices blended together, speaking in unison.

Several figures shimmered on the cliff. They leaped from the cliff, running down the sheer rock face with the speed of galloping horses. At the bottom of the cliff, where mountain waterfalls and streams had carved out a deep pool, the five individuals astonishingly walked on water, their feet treading the surface as they dashed towards the elk that Qin Mu had become.

Granny Si's heart sank. "Spiritual bodies! Their mastery of the Spirit Embryo Divine Treasure is quite strong. Mu'er isn't as fast as them; he'll definitely be caught!"

Just as she was about to intervene, four figures from the cliff stepped through the air, instantly surrounding her. One person, however, remained standing proudly on the cliff, not approaching.

"The Five Elders of Lijiang are renowned figures in Southern Xinjiang. What brings you to the Great Ruins?"

Granny Si's eyes darted around, observing the four elders who had encircled her. She chuckled, "The Great Ruins are quite dangerous. Aren't you afraid of losing your lives here?"

The black-bearded elder, one of the Five Elders, said coldly, "We heard that the Great Ruins are a den of filth and evil, where demons and monsters who cannot survive elsewhere hide. Therefore, we Five Elders have specially brought our disciples here to subdue demons and eliminate evil."

"Who is the fiend and who is the demon, who will subdue whom and who will eliminate whom, remains to be seen."

Granny Si, holding her basket with one hand, pulled a pair of scissors from it with the other. With a look suggesting poor eyesight, she chuckled, "I haven't stretched my muscles and bones in a long time, but fortunately, my old skills haven't completely wasted away. You five old ghosts, do you also wish to be turned into clothes by me?"

"Monster, you dare to be so arrogant in front of us? Are you even worthy of such arrogance?"

The four Elders of Lijiang shouted, their bodies shifting as they moved past each other, charging towards Granny Si.

Meanwhile, Qin Mu, who was sprinting towards Crippled Old Village, heard rumbling thunder from behind him. The thunder was accompanied by lightning, and blinding white flashes illuminated the mountains and fields, many times brighter than sunlight.

He looked back and saw powerful energy waves erupting from where Granny Si stood. They ripped up grass and flung stones, and even several massive boulders, weighing hundreds or thousands of jin, were caught in the sudden whirlwind, whistling outwards at immense speed!

"Will Granny be alright…?"

Qin Mu's heart sank. He suddenly heard splashing sounds from the river surface and saw two young men and women running wildly across the water!

The man and woman were treading on the river's surface, yet their bodies didn't sink into the water. The speed at which their feet touched down and lifted was incredibly fast, far exceeding his own running pace. The river water didn't even have time to cover their insteps before they were already gone, leaving only dust in their wake!

"These two have achieved what Cripple Grandpa calls 'treading on waves'. I can't do that yet; their strength is greater than mine!"

The man and woman, treading water in the middle of the river, quickly overtook Qin Mu. They ran from the river towards the bank, seemingly intending to intercept him ahead.

Qin Mu looked back: another person was chasing him from behind, while two others were rapidly weaving through the hills to his left. Their figures occasionally leaped from the dense forest, running along the treetops with whistling speed. However, they couldn't sustain it for long and soon had to land to catch their breath.

Even so, they would soon overtake Qin Mu and get ahead of him.

"I can't let them intercept me! I need to get back to the village one step faster than them, so Cripple Grandpa, Horse Grandpa, and the others can go rescue Granny!"

Qin Mu gritted his teeth, avoided the riverside, and bolted diagonally into the forest.

Continuing along the river bank would surely lead to being cornered, as the two individuals in the middle of the river were too fast. The two running through the forest were slightly slower, making charging into the forest the only escape route.

"Little demon brat, you and that fiend killed a deer to refine an evil artifact. Don't think you can escape!"

Just as Qin Mu rushed into the forest, one of the two men who had been intercepting him suddenly accelerated, surpassing the other. However, he was still a step too late, as the elk that Qin Mu had become dashed right past him.

"No need to worry, he won't escape!"

Ahead, the man and woman had calm expressions. The woman chuckled, her robes fluttering, and suddenly accelerated, leaping through the treetops like a bird in pursuit of the elk in the forest. The other man, unhurried, directed the remaining three to encircle Qin Mu and head in his direction.

Qin Mu ran frantically, but he could never shake off the five pursuers. Not only could he not lose them, but they forced him further and further away from Crippled Old Village, gradually deeper into the Great Ruins.

He had lived in Crippled Old Village for eleven years, and the furthest he had ever ventured from the village was just over ten li. But now he had traveled too far; the paths around him were becoming increasingly unfamiliar, more desolate, and eventually disappeared altogether.

Suddenly, Qin Mu saw a valley ahead covered in peach blossoms, where a herd of deer lived within the peach grove. He quickly rushed over and blended into the herd.

*Whoosh—*

A fragrant breeze swept past, and the woman, her robes fluttering, landed on the ground. She looked at the deer herd in front of her and frowned.

"Senior Sister, where is that demon brat?" Figures landed one after another, and a boy of similar age to Qin Mu asked.

The woman pursed her lips and said, "He blended into the deer herd."

"Kill all these deer!"

Several young boys and girls rushed into the deer herd, drawing their swords and mercilessly attacking the elk. Although the elk were swift, they couldn't outrun these long-trained spiritual bodies.

These five young boys and girls were all spiritual bodies and accomplished martial artists, possessing considerable strength. Even as the elk scattered and fled, they could not escape the pursuit; soon, one elk after another was slain.

"Didn't you say that deer are also living creatures?"

Suddenly, a human voice emerged from within the chaotic deer herd: "Granny merely killed one deer, yet you have slaughtered the entire herd. Why do you still call us demonic?"

"There!"

The woman's eyes lit up. She gathered her qi and controlled her sword, infusing the longsword with White Tiger qi, which erupted in a golden glow. The sword flew from her hand, slashing towards Qin Mu amidst the fleeing deer herd!

Qin Mu sharply changed direction and ran frantically, but the sword astonishingly altered its course as well, continuing its pursuit!

"What kind of martial art is this?"

Qin Mu's mind went blank. "Is this a divine ability? It doesn't quite seem like it. Butcher Grandpa said divine abilities are the ultimate level of martial arts, and this woman's martial arts are far inferior to his and the others'..."

The sword came striking from behind, and the elk that Qin Mu had become turned almost flush with the ground, narrowly dodging it. In the instant he dodged, he caught a fleeting glimpse: a thin thread was attached to the sword's hilt, one end connected to the sword, and the other held in the woman's hand.

This fine thread was like silk, almost imperceptible.