Longcheng Pass was the center of the storm on the entire continent.
The Great Moon Empire was dealing with the aftermath of ten cities and nine counties. Except for Longcheng Pass, the other 18 cities had been completely slaughtered by the Western Qin Army. Walking into those cities was like walking into purgatory. Many sane people would have a nervous breakdown at the sight of the horrors here.
It was like hell.
Li Mu silently followed the Great Moon Empire's army to collect the bodies of the civilians who had died tragically in one city after another. Every time he went to a city, he became more and more silent.
He saw an old man dismembered, an old woman and an old grandfather burned to death in the house, a young mother holding a child who was shot to death by a bow and arrow, her face mournful, her lower body a mess, and a knife wound on her chest. He saw dozens of young men tied to trees and hanged to death, and their subordinates naked. The woman who was killed was obviously their sweetheart …
At the gates of many border cities, there were bloody corpses in barbed iron cages …
The moat was dyed red with blood, and the corpses were piled up like mountains.
Many days had passed, and many corpses were half-rotten. White maggots were drilling in the rotten flesh, and the air was filled with the smell of decay.
Li Mu's expression was a little numb.
He thought that it would not be long before Caicai and her granddaughter would be in the same situation in the underground tomb … The lives of living people in front of them all had their own persistence, expectations, and interest in life, but they were taken away in an instant.
Closing his eyes, he could even hear the miserable screams and desperate struggles of those innocent people before they died. Husbands tried to protect their wives and children, old people tried to protect their spouses, and mothers tried to protect their children … All kinds of voices seemed to have traveled through time and space and lingered in Li Mu's ears.
Li Mu knew very well that it had nothing to do with him.
The deaths of those people had no cause or effect on him.
But he was still at a loss.
After coming to this world, he had seen many dead people, and many people died in his hands … But when he walked down the 18 border cities that he had never been to, there was a kind of irritation and disgust in his heart, but he couldn't get rid of it no matter how hard he tried.
As a result, he didn't even clean up the flesh wounds caused by the Endless Waves punching method that day.
Together with the ordinary soldiers, Li Mu collected the innocent victims. This was what he had been doing for several days in a row.
The ten cities and nine counties were the border line between the Western Qin and the Northern Song, which stretched for nearly a thousand miles. The number of soldiers and civilians killed by Emperor Qin Ming's order was no less than three million. That kind of inhumane slaughter forced the remaining army of the Great Moon Empire, which had less than 10,000 soldiers, to regroup day and night. They dug pits and buried people. Even after three days, they still had not finished regrouping.
The ancient books said that Sages were born from the destiny of heaven and earth and comprehended the power of heaven and earth. Therefore, the heart of a Sage could affect the Heavenly Dao.
In the past few days, Li Mu had been agitated, confused, and depressed. The sky in the ten cities and nine counties was gloomy. Occasionally, it rained. It was already late autumn, and it was getting colder and colder day by day, which prevented the outbreak of the plague.
In the end, under the arrangement of Zhang San and Mu Qing, the two ministers of the Great Moon Empire, the fire-attributed warriors and warlocks in the army directly began to burn the corpses, while the earth-attributed warriors were responsible for burying the dead …
Li Mu had been following them.
He was extremely depressed. A little numbly, he kept digging pits and burying people, digging pits, and burying people …
Until Zhang San came in person and reported, "Your Honor, Li Yushu, the head of the All Laws Returning to One Hall in the Northern Song, is here to see you."
Nowadays, Li Mu should be regarded as the pillar of the Great Moon Empire. But as for his official rank, even the Great Moon Empire had been broken, so it was impossible to tell. Everyone in the remaining army of the Great Moon Empire called Li Mu "Your Honor".
"No," Li Mu, who was digging pits and burying people with his hands, said without looking back. His voice was a little hoarse.
Zhang San nodded and turned back.
Another day passed.
When Li Mu was collecting the bodies of the slaughtered people in Huju Pass, Zhang San came again and said with an embarrassed look, "Your Honor, the son of the Zhu family, a thousand-year-old family, is here to see you."
"No." Li Mu's answer did not change.
Zhang San opened his mouth, but in the end, he did not say anything and turned to leave.
Two hours later, he came back again.
"Qi Huai, the current head of the Wendao Academy, is here to see you, Your Honor." After a pause, Zhang San added, "Qi Shuzhang has come to ask you for advice on martial arts and to verify what he has learned. He is currently the second expert of the Wendao Academy of the Southern Chu Divine Clan, a senior who entered the Saint realm a hundred years ago.
Qi Huai of the Wendao Academy was once a famous man. A hundred years ago, he was the favored one and caused a sensation for a period of time.
"No." Li Mu's answer did not change at all.
Now, he was a little stubborn.
Just like Guo Jing in the Condor Shooting, he was confused and did not want to fight with others. Instead, he was thinking about where to go and what was the meaning of practicing martial arts.
Many people with great wisdom could cross thousands of dangers as if they were walking on flat ground. But when they encountered some small things, they could not see through them and were unwilling to let go.
Li Mu even knew that he was wrong.
But he just could not let it go.
Zhang San looked hesitant, but in the end, he did not say anything and turned to leave.
…
…
"What? No? "
A trace of malice appeared on Qi Huai's face.
Southern Chu was a water town. There were many mountains and rivers, as well as miasma and poisonous insects. Different places nurtured different people. There were many unruly people in Southern Chu, but there were also many insidious people. Qi Huai was a typical Southern Chu man.
He had achieved success at a young age and entered the Saint Realm a hundred years ago. Now, he was only a little over 150 years old. For an ordinary warrior, this age was considered middle-aged or old. For a Saint, this age was like the rising sun. It was the time when one's heroic bearing flourished. The Wendao Academy was the Holy Protector of Southern Chu. As the second strongest expert of the Wendao Academy and the second strongest expert of Southern Chu, his status was extremely noble.
After entering the Sage Realm, he had practiced hard for a hundred years and made great progress. This time, he came out of closed-door training with the intention of competing with the heroes in the world. This time, he went north to the Great Moon Empire, saying that he wanted to verify what he had learned with Li Mu. But in fact, he wanted to challenge the first master in the world who had not yet taken his seat.
But to his surprise, he was directly refused.
"Is your Honor injured?" Qi Huai looked at Zhang San and asked with a gloomy face.
Zhang San said, "His Honor is fine. It's just that he doesn't want to fight with others recently."
Qi Huai smiled faintly and said, "I've heard that Li Mu of the Western Qin is the most fearless. Wherever his broadsword points, he will advance without retreat. But I didn't expect that after sitting on the throne of the first master in the world, he also began to be greedy for empty titles and overcautious, huh?"
As soon as those words came out, the entire hall of the Longcheng Pass Lord's Mansion was immediately filled with anger.
The soldiers of the Great Moon Empire regarded Li Mu as a god. How could they allow others to slander him like this?
The blind old man Mu Qing, like an angry old man, banged the iron crutch in his hand on the ground and said, "Since Qi Shuzhang is not a vulgar man who is greedy for empty titles, why did you pick this time to come to Longcheng Pass to challenge my Honor?"
It was widely rumored that Li Mu was seriously injured after fighting with Emperor Qin Ming.
This news had long spread to the army of the Great Moon Empire. The people of the Great Moon Empire were already furious. They tried to clarify the matter, but their voices were soon drowned in all kinds of rumors. And in recent days, there had been a lot of evil people coming to Longcheng Pass, either openly or secretly, to provoke Li Mu in secret or openly. Many troubles had arisen in the ten cities and nine counties, including Longcheng Pass.
As the second strongest martial artist in the Southern Chu, Qi Huai came from afar to challenge Li Mu at this time. Even a fool could see his purpose. If it was not to take advantage of Li Mu's precarious position, what else could it be?
Qi Huai looked at Mu Qing with a gloomy face. With a faint smile, he put his hands behind his back and walked out of the hall. Shaking his head, he said, "How can a blind man know about fame and fortune?"
When he reached the gate, he suddenly turned around. His double pupils loomed in his eyes, especially his left eye, where there seemed to be a small golden snake swimming. A ray of golden light flashed in his pupil.
An invisible power burst out.
Mu Qing only felt a strange force coming at him. He had no time to block it with his crutch. With a bang, the crutch exploded, and he was sent flying backward. He hit the stone wall at the back of the hall and spat out a mouthful of blood.
"You …" Zhang San clenched the sharp knife in his hand.
Qi Huai smiled and said, "There are still a few shrimp soldiers and crab generals left in the Great Moon Empire. Don't try to show off. Otherwise, one dead will be one less."
After that, he swaggered away.
Zhang San looked angry, but he did not dare to say anything more.
After this ordeal, the remnant army of the Great Moon Empire really needed one dead. Any sacrifice must be valuable. Qi Huai's strength was too strong. If he fought recklessly, he would only be courting death. He had no confidence in winning. So, he could not fight without a chance of winning.
After all, Mu Qing was a Semi-Sage. After adjusting his breath a little, he came to his senses.
"There is something wrong with His Honor," Zhang San said worriedly. These days, he saw that Li Mu seemed to be possessed by the devil.
Mu Qing nodded. "His Honor's aptitude is unparalleled. It's just that his cultivation speed is too fast and his combat strength is too strong. But after all, he is too young. His strength grows too fast, so his state of mind is a little difficult to match. Those who cultivate strength but don't cultivate their mind are the most likely to be possessed by the devil. But it's not the Cultivation Deviation that is commonly known in martial arts, but the devil in the heart."
Zhang San said, "Then what should we do? What will happen if we can't overcome the devil in the heart? "
Mu Qing said, "If we can't overcome the devil in the heart, our cultivation will not decline, but we will be like a walking corpse."
"Will His Honor get through it?" Zhang San frowned.
Mu Qing said, "I think so."
He didn't sound too sure.
"How long will it take?" Zhang San asked anxiously again.
Mu Qing wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said, "It's hard to say. It depends on whether His Honor can do it. Maybe he will have an epiphany in an instant, or maybe he will take decades. The enlightenment of the devil in the heart depends on himself. It has nothing to do with cultivation."
Zhang San heaved a sigh.
"Why is the Great Moon Empire so plagued with disasters?"
"Let's not tell His Honor about the challenges from all sides," Zhang San said.
Mu Qing nodded and said, "Yes, there are some things that we both have to bear, even if it's a little difficult."
"More and more people from the major sects and aristocratic families are gathering in the city." Zhang San said, "We have to figure out a way. Otherwise, these people will start to sound us out and become more and more unscrupulous."
"It's hard." Mu Qing sighed.
At this time, in a small alley in Tiger Crouching City 300 miles away from Longcheng Pass, a faint cry of a baby came from under the stone slab of a collapsed attic, which attracted the attention of Li Mu, who was collecting the dead bodies.
He lifted the stone slab and looked down. In the arms of a woman who had already died, there was an extremely weak baby girl. She was using the last bit of her life force to cry out, desperately sucking on her mother's already stiff breast. What she sucked out was only blood …
Li Mu felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
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