Chapter 53: Demonstration

"So, you're going to teach Mu'er the Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture, the revered scripture of our cult?" the Cripple asked.

Grandma Si nodded gently. "He's better than I am. The Heaven-Creating Devil Art is a divine ability from the Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture. I used it to skin animals and make clothes, which seemed a bit wicked, but I never thought of using the Heaven-Creating Devil Art to counter the Sun Incinerating Soul Refining in the Air from the Eight Styles of Thunder Sound. He, however, thought of it."

The Apothecary nodded and said, "Using the Heaven-Creating Devil Art to seal one's soul and counter the Sun Incinerating Soul Refining in the Air is indeed a stroke of genius."

Grandma Si smiled. "So, if he learns the Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture, he might promote the devilish scripture and cultivate things we never imagined before."

The Mute gestured twice with "ah-ah" sounds. The Deaf Man shook his head and said, "Don't tell him. If we tell him, it won't be fun anymore."

The group of old men and women exchanged knowing smiles, looking very pleased.

In Disabled Elderly Village, thunderous sounds echoed. Qin Mu and Grandpa Ma moved past each other, both performing the Nine Dragons Guiding Wind and Thunder technique, attacking one another.

Boom—

Thunder rolled, deafening. Qin Mu and Grandpa Ma's fists collided, and Qin Mu grunted, stepping back. His footwork was like a coiled dragon; though seemingly retreating, he was actually gathering strength.

Within a few steps, Qin Mu's power accumulated to its peak, and his body, like an enraged dragon emerging from an abyss, charged towards Grandpa Ma!

"That brat, he even changed the Heaven Pilfering Steps I taught him," the Cripple exclaimed in surprise.

He saw that the footwork Qin Mu had just used was like a coiled dragon retracting its body, poised to strike. Though it appeared to be a retreat, it was actually an advance, extremely perilous.

His Heaven Pilfering Steps were exquisite, but the Cripple, by habit, always favored petty thievery and had no interest in how to enhance the technique's power. The Cripple's footwork was typically used for stealing, escaping, or sneak attacks; offense was not the forte of Heaven Pilfering Steps.

Qin Mu had only slightly modified his footwork, unconsciously applying the divine dragon's aura. His movements now carried the momentum of a dragon, winding like one.

Bang, bang, bang! A series of violent impacts echoed. Qin Mu and Grandpa Ma had only exchanged one punch, yet there were forty-five loud thuds, which was very strange.

Qin Mu was sent flying backward. In mid-air, his body moved like a swimming dragon, dissipating Grandpa Ma's force. When he landed, he was perfectly steady.

"Grandpa Ma is still Grandpa Ma," the Cripple praised.

Grandpa Ma said, "Mu'er, have you grasped the essence of this move?"

Qin Mu looked astonished and blurted out, "Your fist force is different from mine! In my fist force, all forty-five dragons are of the same kind, but in yours, there are forty-five different kinds of divine dragons, and each dragon force is unique!"

"You've comprehended it."

Grandpa Ma showed a look of satisfaction and said, "At the Great Thunderclap Temple, there are a hundred celestial dragon reliefs called the Hundred Dragon Scroll. The first Buddha carved them based on the hundred kinds of celestial dragons he had seen, for later disciples to practice the fist force of Nine Dragons Guiding Wind and Thunder. When I practiced Nine Dragons Guiding Wind and Thunder, I didn't see real dragons; I saw these reliefs. Nine Dragons Guiding Wind and Thunder contains forty-five kinds of dragon force, requiring forty-five kinds of dragon images. However, the Great Thunderclap Temple has a hundred kinds of dragon images. Do you know what that means?"

Qin Mu's heart jolted, and he blurted out, "Every time you use Nine Dragons Guiding Wind and Thunder, the dragon force contained in your fist is different from before!"

Grandpa Ma nodded. "The Nine Dragons Guiding Wind and Thunder technique appears to be just a simple punch, but it actually contains countless variations. These variations are hidden within the inherent power of the fist, making them invisible. Mu'er, watch closely!"

Grandpa Ma extended his single arm and punched. A dragon's roar resonated, followed by thunder. A dragon-shaped vital qi surged out, an enraged dragon striking, as if breaking free from an abyss, ready to devour upon emergence!

Then came two more dragon roars, and twin dragons burst from his fist, intertwining as they moved forward, their bodies coiling, continuously pushing onward!

Three dragon roars followed, three kinds of dragon force, fierce and dominant, capable of splitting stone tablets and cracking rocks!

Then came the Four Dragons' Pounce, Five Dragons Refining Demons, Six Dragons of Reincarnation, Seven Dragons Overturning Seas, Eight Divisions of Heavenly Dragons, and Nine Dragons Guiding Wind and Thunder!

Grandpa Ma's punch unleashed forty-five dragon-shaped fist forces, so vivid they seemed like real dragons.

He unleashed this punch towards the sky. Immediately, forty-five green dragons appeared in the sky above Disabled Elderly Village, accompanied by thunderous roars, intertwined lightning, and cracks of thunder. The forty-five green dragons soared into the clouds.

Qin Mu looked up and saw a cloud in the sky suddenly shatter and vanish.

As the cloud disintegrated, a human head suddenly fell from the broken cloud and landed at Qin Mu's feet. Qin Mu was startled. He looked closely and saw it was a monk's head, which had somehow been hidden within the cloud.

"Could some demon have killed this monk and flown his head into the clouds?"

As Qin Mu was pondering this, there were a few more thuds: two arms and two legs fell from the sky, and a torso landed outside the village.

"It wasn't a demon!"

Qin Mu's heart trembled: "It was that monk hiding in the cloud!"

The Mute, the Deaf Man, the Butcher, and others in the village seemed accustomed to such sights and paid no attention.

Grandpa Ma also seemed oblivious to having killed a monk. He looked up at the Ancestor of the Heavenly Devil Cult outside the village; it was a display of power.

A demonstration of power towards the Heavenly Devil Cult Ancestor, to deter the numerous powerful experts of the cult!

In the neighboring village, the young Ancestor was somewhat moved. He said, "The Great Thunderclap Temple's fist arts and divine abilities are indeed formidable, though still a bit lacking compared to the old Buddha. I know who the one-armed man is now: Ma Wangshen, Venerable Ma, a discarded disciple of the Great Thunderclap Temple. He fought his way out of the Great Thunderclap Temple and became famous in one battle. I didn't expect him to be living in seclusion here. This small village is not to be underestimated."

The Law Enforcement Elder looked at the body that had fallen from the sky and said, "This is a monk from the Great Thunderclap Temple, killed by Ma Wangshen. Strange, why would a monk from the Great Thunderclap Temple be here?"

The young Ancestor smiled. "He was probably here to monitor Ma Wangshen. This is a minor matter. The Buddha is old and no longer travels. However, that young man's fist technique is very interesting, very interesting, and of a high caliber. He clearly hasn't learned the Great Vehicle Scripture of Buddha, yet he can fully unleash the power of the Eight Styles of Thunder Sound..."

Back in the village, Grandpa Ma withdrew his gaze and continued, "Mu'er, what did you see in my punch just now?"

Qin Mu suppressed the confusion in his heart. The forty-five green dragons from before were not only varied in form but also entirely different in species, truly astonishing him.

Suddenly, Grandpa Ma performed the Nine Dragons Guiding Wind and Thunder technique again. Another forty-five different green dragons appeared in the sky, accompanied by thunder and lightning, as winds and clouds surged, rushing high into the sky!

Grandpa Ma threw punch after punch, and the dragon-shaped fist forces in mid-air grew more numerous, densely packed. Within a hundred-li radius, the sky was filled with flying green dragons!

Those green dragons formed a magnificent array in the sky, their bodies coiling around each other, forming a gigantic dragon disk with their heads facing outwards, then roaring mightily!

Ten thousand dragons roared, shaking heaven and earth!

This was no longer a demonstration of the profound mysteries of Nine Dragons Guiding Wind and Thunder to Qin Mu; it was a naked display of power, a challenge to the Great Ruins, to the Heavenly Devil Cult, and to all those with malicious intentions towards Disabled Elderly Village!

Qin Mu stared wide-eyed, and the other villagers also praised incessantly, nodding repeatedly. Even the Heavenly Devil Cult members in the neighboring village changed their expressions slightly, full of admiration. The young Ancestor told his followers, "From now on, if you encounter Ma Wangshen alone, yield three points to him."

The Law Enforcement Elder whispered, "Does our Heavenly Devil Cult need to fear this small village?"

"Fear? Not quite."

The young Ancestor smiled. "They are crippled and disabled now; their abilities aren't what they once were. However, there are two among them at my level: one without limbs, and the other is the blacksmith. As for the others, they are stronger than our cult's twelve Protector Elders and Four Heavenly Kings. The Saintess is probably the weakest among them. Do you see that butcher with only an upper body? If you've ever met him, you'd certainly be impressed by him, because he has a title: Heavenly Blade!"

The Law Enforcement Elder's heart jolted. He looked at the Butcher incredulously and murmured, "That Heavenly Blade? Didn't he die long ago?"

"I also heard he died."

A Protector Elder said, "I heard he went mad, drew his blade towards the sky, and fought his way into the firmament. Some saw the shadows of gods appear in the heavens, and this madman attacked the gods. It is said that at the time, the sky was covered in dark clouds, and blade light pierced through the thunderclouds. Not long after, Heavenly Blade's body fell from the sky. If this butcher is indeed that Heavenly Blade, how did he survive?"

The young Ancestor said, "For beings like him, even dying isn't easy."

The Law Enforcement Elder asked in confusion, "Ancestor, why did you agree to the Cult Mistress's request to make this young child the Young Cult Master of our Holy Cult? I don't see his strength as particularly formidable."

"This young man's strength is indeed not very formidable; he's still quite green. But who are the people around him?"

The young Ancestor smiled. "The powerful individuals around him are terrifying. These experts were once legendary figures, each with their own unique strengths! This young man is their child. They will impart to him all their lifelong knowledge and insights, and with the addition of our cult's Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture, hehe, when he becomes the Holy Cult Master of our cult, our Holy Cult will gain immensely!"

The Law Enforcement Elder sighed in admiration, "Ancestor is truly wise. But why do you still need to test him?"

The Ancestor retorted, "What if he's an idiot? So, a test is absolutely necessary. Inform the hall masters of the 360 Towers to only use abilities at the Spirit Embryo realm! Tomorrow, await his entry into the towers!"