Below the cliff, in the valley, heavy impacts rang out again and again.
Boom. Boom.
Each collision sent tremors through the earth, shaking leaves into rustling waves. Birds scattered from the mountains, flapping away in terror, unwilling to linger.
In the valley, the demonic ape leapt high into the air, cradling a massive boulder. From midair, it hurled the stone down at Qin Mu with brutal force.
Qin Mu dodged in a flash. When the ape's strike missed, it grabbed another boulder and smashed it down again—but Qin Mu sprang onto the falling rock, rebounded upward, and landed squarely on the ape's nose, slamming a palm into its face.
Thunder Sound Eight Forms — Third Form: Nine Dragons Command Wind and Thunder!
Nine layers of force were hidden within this palm.
The first surge erupted like an enraged dragon, slamming into the ape and knocking it onto its back. Qin Mu twisted his shoulders and hips, channeling power through his entire body, gathering every muscle into his palm.
The second surge exploded.
The ape's head smashed into the ground, cracking the stones beneath it.
Qin Mu's muscles writhed like coiling flood dragons, driving forth the third surge. The fractured rocks beneath the ape's head shattered further.
His muscles convulsed violently.The fourth surge erupted.
Half of the ape's head was driven into the earth.
The fifth surge followed—A dull tremor rippled through the ground as the ape's entire head sank below the surface!
Then came the sixth surge, crashing forth like six dragons charging together—
—but at that very moment, the demonic ape recovered. Its mountain-sized fist swung in from the side and slammed into Qin Mu, sending him flying like a swatted fly!
Qin Mu tumbled across the ground before skidding to a halt. The ape struggled to yank its head free, shaking violently as碎 stones sprayed from its thick fur in all directions.
On the opposite side, Qin Mu flipped up onto his feet and charged again.
The ape hesitated, clearly troubled. After a moment's thought, it leapt onto the cliffside and squatted against the rock face, waving its hand dismissively.
"Little thing. No."
Qin Mu's footsteps thundered forward. He sprinted straight at the cliff, tapping rapidly along the steep rock face—running upward along the cliff itself—charging directly at the ape.
The demonic ape flew into a rage.
Man and beast faced off atop the cliff, leaping and clashing, stones exploding outward with every collision.
After a long while, the medicinal force within Qin Mu finally burned itself out. The demonic ape, too, was exhausted beyond movement.
Both collapsed atop the cliff, lying there and gasping heavily for breath.
After the time it took for a stick of incense to burn, Qin Mu finally recovered. He sat up, regulating his breathing, circulating his vital energy—and joy welled up within him.
In this short span, his vital energy had grown noticeably stronger, tougher, capable of flowing smoothly through every corner of his body, lively and unimpeded.
Thick grime coated his skin—impurities expelled as the battle and medicine refined his body further.
Qin Mu flicked his finger.
A piercing whistle tore through the air, sharp and shrill like an arrow breaking the wind!
The demonic ape jolted in alarm, scrambling upright and assuming a guarded stance.
Qin Mu stretched his body, muscles aching. He shook his head.
"No more fighting."
The ape understood. It let out a breath of relief, tore up a tree as thick as an arm, stripped off a handful of leaves, stuffed them into its mouth, and chewed slowly. Then it held the tree out toward Qin Mu.
"Little thing. Eat."
Qin Mu plucked a crimson fruit from the tree, peeled it, and ate it. The taste was sweet and refreshing.
The ape looked at him with disdain, displeased by how little he ate. It thumped its chest hard.
"Eat! Strong!"
Bruised and swollen, Qin Mu endured the pain and stood up. Before the ape, he demonstrated the Thunder Sound Eight Forms, then patted his own chest.
"Train. Strong."
The ape rolled its eyes, continuing to chew leaves at a leisurely pace.
"Believe? Ghost."
After resting, Qin Mu leapt from the cliff, sprinting down the rock face.
"Tomorrow. Fight!"
The ape blinked. Once Qin Mu was far away, it immediately jumped up and began mimicking his movements. Though its execution of the Thunder Sound Eight Forms was crude, its immense strength allowed it to capture a hint of the technique's essence.
A single punch boomed with the sound of wind and thunder.
The ape froze—then burst into wild joy. It continued practicing, fists roaring through the air as gusts howled across the cliff.
"Strong! Strong! Strong!"
Qin Mu returned to the village. The Apothecary rushed over at once, nervously inspecting him while applying medicinal ointment to his face.
"Any abnormalities?" he asked anxiously.
Qin Mu nodded.
The Apothecary's heart leapt into his throat.
"The pill worked," Qin Mu said. "My vital energy is stronger."
Only then did the Apothecary relax, smiling broadly."It truly works on Overlord Body vitality! As long as it didn't kill you, it proves my approach was correct. Keep this vat of pills for now—I'll go work on other formulas!"
He left in high spirits.
The Blind Man approached with his bamboo staff, smiling."Mu'er, tired? If you are, I can teach you a supreme eye technique."
Qin Mu coughed lightly."Grandpa Blind… I'm over here. That side is the latrine."
The Blind Man turned around and smiled at the Butcher, who was sunning himself atop the millstone.
"I've thought it over carefully. Your Overlord Body vitality has no attribute, so my cultivation methods don't suit you. But this eye technique requires no elemental alignment—your vitality should work just fine. Come with me. It's called the Nine Heavens Eye-Opening Art."
Qin Mu felt a headache coming on. The Blind Man didn't seem reliable at all—but he steeled himself and followed anyway.
He was puzzled. The Blind Man claimed to teach him an eye technique, yet instead of training the eyes, he brought Qin Mu to observe the four stone statues in the village.
They sat before the statue at the eastern corner. The Blind Man's eye sockets were empty, yet he stared intently at the statue as though he could see through it.
Qin Mu knew that everything in the village was strange—people and objects alike. In the Elder Remnant Village, nothing was ordinary.
The four statues were not tall, but they were terrifyingly heavy—so heavy that Qin Mu could not budge them at all.
His strength was immense now, especially after consuming the Four Spirit Bloods. With his recent body refinement, lifting a thousand-pound stone would be effortless—yet these statues would not move even a hair.
As a child, he often climbed them to play, only to be chased down and scolded by Granny Si, warned never to show disrespect. During festivals, offerings were made to the statues, incense burned, prayers offered for peace and protection.
The statues were humanoid—but not human.
At the village's southern corner stood a bird-headed statue, crouched atop a pedestal, hands resting on its knees, wings carved into its back as though ready to take flight.
At the northern corner stood a hunchbacked elder with a turtle shell, holding a whisk carved into the shape of a white serpent that coiled around his body, its head raised to gaze afar.
At the western corner stood a female statue wearing a feathered crown, a tiger crouched at her feet. A third eye was carved into her brow—and within that eye was a bird's nest containing three fledglings.
Before them, at the eastern corner, stood a dragon-headed humanoid carrying a medicine basket, herbs visible inside.
The Blind Man told him to study the statue carefully—but Qin Mu had seen them countless times, even climbed them. He truly didn't know what there was to observe.
"Mu'er," the Blind Man asked calmly, "can you lift this statue?"
"No."
Qin Mu shook his head. The weight was abnormal—far beyond stone.
The Blind Man guided him gently."Do you know why it's so heavy?"
Qin Mu shook his head again.
"The statue itself isn't heavy," the Blind Man said evenly."What's heavy… is what it represents."
Qin Mu didn't understand. Wasn't what it represented still carved from stone?
The Blind Man continued,"When you learn calligraphy and painting from the Deaf Man, your work is worthless. But his paintings—no amount of gold can buy them. Both use ink and paper. Why is his worth more?"
Qin Mu half-understood. The Deaf Man's art truly carried an extraordinary spirit.
The Blind Man lifted his bamboo staff and pointed at the statue.
"If these statues were carved by ordinary people, they'd weigh nothing. But the one who carved them had an origin far too great—and what they depict is even more terrifying. Their weight can no longer be measured by common sense."
He paused, expression strange.
"To carry one of these statues… is equivalent to—"
He stopped, then spoke softly:
"…carrying a god."