Chapter 61: Ice Tide

“That’s both true and false,” General Qin said, laughing.

“There’s no way to verify how the Great Ruins came to be. However, when our Eternal Peace Empire was founded, we received a divine oracle. It stated that the Great Ruins is a land abandoned by gods and that the forsaken people of the gods should remain there and not come out. If any of them did, they were to be killed without question. I’ve heard that other nations, besides Eternal Peace, also received similar oracles. But it’s not just the indigenous people of the Great Ruins who live there; some desperate and heinous individuals also choose to seek refuge there. In my opinion, these people are even more dangerous than the forsaken!”

Seventh Young Master asked curiously, “I’ve seen merchant caravans entering and exiting the Great Ruins at the border. Why does our Eternal Peace Empire still trade with the forsaken people there?”

“Young Master, you may not know this, but although the Great Ruins appears barren, it is incredibly rich in resources. Heavenly treasures are countless. We can exchange cheap goods like oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar for these heavenly treasures and valuable animal hides. Why wouldn’t we?” General Qin explained. “Over the years, the border regions have made untold wealth by trading with the Great Ruins, supplementing our military funds. This has made our Eternal Peace army strong and formidable, far surpassing other nations.”

Seventh Young Master asked, “What if some of the forsaken people from the Great Ruins manage to slip into our borders?”

“Along with the divine oracle, several treasures called ‘vision mirrors’ were passed down. They are suspended over the major passes leading into Eternal Peace. Any forsaken person from the Great Ruins will be revealed by these mirrors. The Imperial Advisor speculates that the forsaken might have a different bloodline from us, though he has examined their bodies and found no discernible differences.” General Qin chuckled. “Every year, those passes capture many of these ‘demonic people’ trying to escape into Eternal Peace. Some are executed on the spot, while others are sent to mines to dig. It’s considered good if they survive for a year or two.”

As the樓船 (riverboat) gradually sailed away, Qin Mu stood on the cliff and praised, “That man is incredibly capable, with excellent eyesight. No wonder he became a general at such a young age! Is Eternal Peace planning to use force against the Great Ruins by mapping the Surging River’s geography?”

He found it somewhat strange. The Great Ruins was clearly a barren and dangerous place, with darkness invading every sunset. He wasn’t optimistic about Eternal Peace’s military campaign there. If the Eternal Peace army came in small numbers, they wouldn’t even be enough to fill the mouths of the Great Ruins’ monstrous beasts. If they came in large numbers, where would these soldiers hide when night fell?

The Great Ruins was so perilous and dangerous that no one could truly govern it. Not even Eternal Peace. If Eternal Peace were to invade, they would suffer a terrible defeat!

Suddenly, Qin Mu remembered something and quickly said, “Big Guy, go back to the Central Palace immediately and destroy the map of the Great Ruins on the wall!”

The demon ape rose, grabbed the dragon-elephant, roared, and leaped onto its back. The dragon-elephant immediately galloped away.

“Eternal Peace has already started mapping the Surging River. If they find that map in the Central Palace, it will be a huge advantage for them,” Qin Mu thought, his expression fluctuating. Destroying the map was a pity, but he had already memorized the geography of the Great Ruins in his mind and wouldn’t forget it.

Not long after, the river surface suddenly turned reddish. Qin Mu paused slightly and looked upstream, seeing that the incoming river water was even redder than downstream!

“Young Master, there are bodies in the river!” Fox Spirit exclaimed suddenly.

Qin Mu also saw the body but didn’t speak out. He looked upstream, and more bodies drifted towards them. Large fish and river beasts were churning in the water, splashing water as they took the opportunity to feed on these bodies, creating a lively scene.

Qin Mu activated his Divine Firmament Heavenly Eye and saw the face of a head bobbing in the water. His body trembled slightly—these bodies were none other than the travelers who had passed through Cuiyun Valley earlier!

The river surged, and the blood color intensified, even dyeing the floating ice red. This wasn’t something a mere hundred bodies could accomplish! The Surging River was vast, over ten *li* wide, and its currents were swift. The blood of a hundred people couldn’t stain the Surging River red.

Qin Mu’s expression froze. He saw a tide of bodies surging down from upstream! It wasn’t just a tide of bodies; it was an ice-body tide formed by over a thousand bodies mixed with chunks of floating ice! These people must have been the powerful individuals who ambushed the general, numerous and divided into groups heading upstream to set up an ambush, but they were all slain by that general! The formation of an ice-body tide indicated that their deaths occurred almost simultaneously! They were killed almost at the same time by that general or the powerful individuals on the riverboat!

Qin Mu steadied himself. It was the first time he had witnessed such a gruesome scene, even more horrific than when he followed Granny Si to a neighboring village for a delivery in his childhood, only to encounter a massacre! Back then, he was so terrified that his soul left his body and Granny Si had to drag it back. Now, though he was a martial artist, seeing such a sight still made his soul waver.

It was too tragic. If the young general of Eternal Peace was so powerful and ruthless, what kind of impact would the iron cavalry of Eternal Peace have on this wild land if they came to the Great Ruins?

Qin Mu shook his head, casting out the unease, and said to Fox Spirit, “Don’t go out drinking these days. Tell your sisters to stay put as well and not go out.”

Fox Spirit nodded repeatedly. Although she was a demon, the scene before her had also terrified her.

“Spirit, you go back and find your sisters first. I’ll go down and check, lest these bodies pile up and form a thousand-corpse barrier lake!” With that, Qin Mu leaped down, running along the cliff face to the river below, then stepped onto the water.

The piling bodies and floating ice, as they moved, swept up more floating ice, continuously surging downstream. Qin Mu quickly caught up to the ice-body tide, seeing it grow larger and larger. Ice blocks collided, making crunching sounds, and the bodies were squeezed into dismembered limbs, floating on the ice.

He ran for dozens of *li* along the river, and the floating ice on the river surface had already formed icebergs, adorned with mangled corpses, a terrifying sight. The ice tide and icebergs grew heavier and taller, moving slowly, even blocking the continuously flowing river water. The river level behind them rose higher and higher.

Qin Mu frowned. Currently, the Surging River flowed straight. But when it reached the oasis where Wu Nü resided, the Surging River would turn. The floating ice wouldn’t be able to pass and would get stuck there, forming a barrier lake. The river water would accumulate more and more, as would the floating ice, eventually piling up to a height of a hundred *zhang*! When the ice tide and icebergs could no longer bear the pressure, they would collapse and shatter, unleashing a great flood that would sweep away everything in its path, engulfing all humans and animals alike!

Many villages in the Great Ruins were built by the river for convenience. If a flood broke out, countless villages would suffer!

“Granny Si and the others are still downstream clearing the river. They probably don’t know that a barrier lake is about to form here. Only the Village Chief is left in the village, and he’s immobile. Who else can help me solve this ice tide?”

Qin Mu pondered anxiously. The ice tide had already passed by the disabled elderly village, the ice blocks making crunching sounds as they collided. With his current strength, he couldn’t possibly resolve the ice tide.

At the village entrance, the Village Chief, looking placid, suddenly widened his eyes, watching Qin Mu and the ice tide pass by the village. He shook his head and chuckled, “This mischievous brat, causing trouble again…” Because of the ice tide’s blockage, the river water was already nearing his feet. Just then, vital qi surged from his severed leg, forming two complete legs and feet. He stepped into the air, sat down, and gazed at Qin Mu from a distance. These legs and feet were formed from vital qi and looked no different from real ones; they would disappear when his vital qi dissipated.

“That’s right, I’ll go find Wu Nü!” On the river, Qin Mu’s eyes lit up. He immediately quickened his pace, leaping continuously across the river, jumping onto an iceberg, and then leaping forward with all his might, rushing ahead and leaving the ice tide behind him.

He ran at full speed and soon reached the oasis in the middle of the river. The oasis was like an isolated island, and on the island stood a temple where the old demon Wu Nü was suppressed.

Qin Mu ascended the oasis in a few steps, rushed to the dilapidated temple, and burst inside. Inside the temple, a small girl with three braids was idly swinging her feet, waiting for prey to come to her. When she saw Qin Mu rush in, it was truly a case of enemies meeting with intense fury. However, the little girl immediately jumped down from the Buddha’s hand, burrowed behind the Buddha statue, and stared at Qin Mu with hostile, glaring eyes.

“Wu Nü, I have no ill intentions!” Qin Mu quickly said, “The ice tide is about to reach here. I need your help to smash the ice tide!”

The little girl emerged from behind the Buddha statue, jumped back onto the Buddha’s hand, and said with disinterest, “Not interested. This ice tide happens every year. There’s a Buddha statue protecting this place; the ice tide won’t flood me here.”

Qin Mu’s eyes flickered and he said, “I can cut your chains and free you!”

Wu Nü’s eyes lit up, then dimmed again. She shook her head and said, “If it were your elders from your home, they might be able to cut the chains, but you can’t.”

Qin Mu’s vital qi surged out, summoning the Young Protector Sword from his back. He brought his fingers together and slashed down!

*Clang!*

A loud clang rang out, and a deep crack immediately appeared on one of the chains binding the large Buddha. Strangely, the crack in the chain began to heal automatically. Qin Mu, without further ado, channeled his vital qi and slashed again!

*Clang, clang, clang!* A series of crisp sounds rang out, and soon, one chain was forcefully severed by Qin Mu!

Wu Nü was stunned, her heart filled with both shock and joy. But at that moment, the bronze Buddha suddenly opened its eyes, its voice like thunder, and roared, “Vile creature, how dare you disrupt my cultivation and ruin my merits?”

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