That sudden voice boomed forth, full of vigor. It clearly came from far away, yet it sounded as if it were right beside them. The shock of it made Qin Mu—who had already transformed into a deer—feel his ears ringing.
He followed the sound and looked. On a distant cliff stood several silhouettes. From the foot of the mountain to the cliff was about six or seven miles, far enough that Qin Mu could no longer see their faces clearly. But for their voices to reach so far, and still remain so clear, they were certainly no ordinary people.
Granny Si hung her basket on her arm and said with a smile, "Heavenly demon? What heavenly demon? I'm just an old woman living by the river. And this little deer is just an ordinary deer, raised by me…"
"Mu'er, run!"
Qin Mu froze when he heard Granny Si's voice. He wanted to respond but found himself unable to speak. He didn't want to run—he was worried Granny Si would be in danger.
"An ordinary woman living by the river? With breath strong enough to send her voice clearly into our ears from miles away? No ordinary old crone can do that."
On the cliff, an elderly voice—aged yet powerful—let out a cold laugh. "And as for the Heavenly Demon Creation Art, we of the Five Elders of Lijiang would never mistake it. Skinning people alive to make clothing, changing forms at will—every vile deed of yours has been witnessed by us. Do you still dare argue?"
Another elder's voice rumbled, "The Heavenly Demon Creation Art transforms people into cattle and sheep to be driven to market for slaughter. How many such deeds have you done? Many seniors of the orthodox sects were turned into livestock by you fiends, sentenced to plow fields and chew grass for life! Your methods cannot deceive us!"
A third elder spoke with a tone of sorrow, "A deer is also a living being. Yet you refined its skin and spirit into a wicked artifact. If we don't kill you, who knows how many more lives you'll destroy? If not you, who else should we kill?"
Granny Si pinched the space between the deer-Qin Mu's brows, pulled out a silver needle, and whispered, "These old bastards can't do anything to Granny. But if you stay here, Granny will have to divide her attention to protect you. Run. Run back to the village!"
Qin Mu hesitated no more and immediately bolted. He had thought that turning into a deer would make movement difficult, but once he started running, he realized he was wrong. Not only did his new form give him no discomfort, he ran extremely fast—faster than he ever had as a human—as if he had been born a deer.
"The little demon brat still wants to flee? If he escapes, he'll be a scourge upon the world! Lijiang Five Disciples, this trip is your training. That deer is your target. Kill it and bring its head before me!"
"Yes!" five crisp young voices answered in unison.
The figures on the cliff flickered. They leapt straight down, dashing along the cliff face quicker than galloping horses. Reaching the bottom, they ran across a deep pool fed by a mountain waterfall—actually stepping on the water's surface and skimming across—charging toward the deer form of Qin Mu.
Granny Si's heart sank. "Spirit bodies! These youths have already cultivated the Spirit Embryo Divine Treasury to a high level. Mu'er's speed can't compare; he'll definitely be caught!"
She was about to intervene when four silhouettes stepped through the air from the cliff, landing around her in an instant. One person remained standing proudly on the cliff, not approaching.
"The Five Elders of Lijiang are famous figures of the southern border. What have you come to the Great Ruins for?"
Granny Si's eyes darted slyly. The four elders surrounded her on all sides. She giggled, "The Great Ruins are terribly dangerous. Aren't you afraid you'll all die here?"
A black-bearded elder snorted coldly. "I've heard that the Great Ruins harbor filth—demons and monsters who cannot survive elsewhere hide here. So the five of us brought our disciples to cleanse this place of evil."
"Who is demon and who is evil, who subdues whom—none of that is decided yet."
Granny Si held her basket in one hand and took a pair of scissors from it with the other. Appearing like nothing more than a feeble, senile old woman, she chuckled. "It's been so long since I stretched my bones. Luckily, not all my old skills are rusted. You five old ghosts—do you also want to become fabric for my clothing?"
"Wretched demon! You dare act arrogant before us? You think you deserve to?"
The four elders shouted, their figures blurring as they crossed paths and lunged toward Granny Si.
At that moment, Qin Mu—running at full speed toward Disabled Elderly Village—heard thunderclaps erupt behind him. Lightning crackled, white light illuminating the mountains and fields, far brighter than daylight.
He turned and saw waves of air exploding from where Granny Si stood, tearing up grass and stones. Massive boulders, weighing hundreds or thousands of pounds, were caught in a violent storm and flung outward at terrifying speed.
"Will Granny be alright…?"
His heart tightened. Suddenly he heard rapid splashes across the river and saw two young men and women sprinting on the water's surface!
Their steps were so quick their feet barely sank before lifting again, even faster than Qin Mu's sprint. The water never had time to close over their feet before they were already gone.
"They've reached what Cripple Grandpa called 'running over waves.' I still can't do that. Their strength is above mine!"
The pair dashed along the river, soon outpacing Qin Mu and heading toward the shore to intercept him.
Qin Mu glanced back—one disciple pursued from behind, while two others darted between the mountains to his left. They occasionally leapt above the forest, stepping across treetops like flying shadows, though they quickly had to land and catch their breath.
Even so, they would soon overtake him and cut him off.
"I can't let them block me! I must get back to the village before them. Only Grandpa Cripple and Grandpa Ma can save Granny!"
Gritting his teeth, Qin Mu veered away from the river and charged into the forest.
If he kept running along the riverbank, he would definitely be intercepted. The two on the water were too fast. The ones in the forest were slightly slower—entering the woods was his only chance.
"You little demon, think you can escape after slaughtering deer and forging evil artifacts with that hag? Don't dream!"
The moment he entered the woods, one of the two disciples already waiting sped up drastically, surpassing the other, but was still a breath too late. Qin Mu, in deer form, dashed past.
"Don't worry—he won't escape."
Ahead, the two disciples on the water landed lightly, the female among them smiling faintly. Her robes fluttered as her speed suddenly rose again. She hopped between treetops, racing toward the deer. The other male walked unhurriedly, directing the remaining three to encircle Qin Mu's path.
Qin Mu ran desperately, but could not shake them. Instead, he was forced farther and farther from Elderly Disabled Village, deeper into the Great Ruins.
He had lived in the village for eleven years, and the farthest he had ever traveled was a bit over ten miles. Now he was far beyond that—everything around him was unfamiliar and desolate. There weren't even paths anymore.
Suddenly, he saw a valley filled with peach blossoms and a herd of deer living among them. He rushed over and blended into the herd.
Whoosh—
A fragrant breeze swept by. The female disciple descended lightly, her robe fluttering. She glanced at the herd of deer and frowned.
"Senior sister, where's the demon brat?" a boy about Qin Mu's age asked as the others landed.
"He mixed into the herd," the girl said, pouting.
"Then kill all of them!"
The group of youths rushed into the herd, pulling out swords and blades, slaughtering the deer. The deer were fast, but not as fast as spirit-body martial practitioners. Even though they fled in all directions, they could not escape. One by one, they were cut down.
"Didn't you say deer were lives as well?"
Suddenly, amidst the chaos of fleeing deer, a human voice rang out. "Granny only killed one deer. Yet you slaughter an entire herd. And still you call us demonic?"
"There!"
The girl's eyes lit up. She gathered her qi and infused it into her sword with the metal-aspect power of the White Tiger. Gold radiance burst forth. She hurled the sword, which flew toward the fleeing deer-Qin Mu.
Qin Mu swerved sharply, but the sword swerved as well—still aiming for him!
"What kind of technique is this?"
His mind went blank. "Could it be a divine ability? No, that can't be. According to Butcher Grandpa, divine abilities come from martial arts cultivated to the extreme. This girl's martial arts are nowhere near theirs…"
The sword closed in. Qin Mu's deer form dropped close to the ground and spun aside, barely dodging it. In that instant, he caught a glimpse: a thin thread ran from the sword hilt to the girl's hand—so fine it was nearly invisible.