Chapter 5

The voice suddenly came, full of vigor, clearly from a distance, yet it sounded as if it was right by their ears, making Qin Mu, who had been transformed into a deer, hear a buzzing in his ears.

He looked in the direction of the voice and saw several figures standing on a distant cliff. From the foot of the mountain to the cliff, it was about six or seven li away. Qin Mu could hardly see their faces clearly, but the ability to transmit a voice so far and so clearly was not something an ordinary person could do.

Old Lady Si, carrying a basket, smiled and said, "Heavenly Demon? What Heavenly Demon? I am just an ordinary person by the river, and this little deer is a common deer that I raised..."

"Mu'er, run!"

Hearing Old Lady Si's voice, Qin Mu was stunned, wanting to speak but unable to. He did not want to leave, worried about Old Lady Si's safety.

"An ordinary person by the river? With such vigor, able to transmit a voice so clearly to our ears, an ordinary old woman cannot do that."

On the cliff, an elderly yet powerful voice sneered, "Moreover, we, the Five Elders of Lijiang, would never mistake the Heavenly Demon's Alchemy Art. The skinning and transformation into various forms, such vicious methods, we have seen clearly. Do you still want to argue?"

Another elder on the cliff said solemnly, "The Heavenly Demon's Alchemy Art transforms people into cattle and sheep, slaughtering and selling them in the market. You have done this many times, haven't you? Many of our righteous predecessors have even been turned into cattle and sheep by you demons, tilling the land and eating grass all their lives! Your methods cannot deceive us!"

Another elder's voice was filled with compassion, "A deer is also a life. You have refined its skin and soul into evil objects. If we do not kill you, how many more lives will be lost to your hands? Who else should we kill if not you?"

Old Lady Si pinched Qin Mu's forehead, who had been transformed into a deer, and drew out a silver needle, whispering, "These old bristles cannot harm me, but with you around, I have to divide my attention to take care of you. Run, back to the village!"

Qin Mu no longer hesitated and immediately turned to run. He had been transformed into a deer, thinking it would be inconvenient to move, but he found that he could run very fast, as if he were born a deer.

"The little demon brat still wants to escape? Letting you escape would be a disaster for the world. The Five Sons of Lijiang, this time we brought you out for training. That deer is your target. Kill it and bring its head to us!"

"Yes!" Five clear voices, both male and female, responded in unison.

Several figures on the cliff moved, leaping down the cliff and running down the cliff wall, faster than galloping horses. At the bottom of the cliff, a deep pool formed by mountain waterfalls and streams lay. The five people actually walked on the water, their feet stepping on the surface, running towards Qin Mu, who had been transformed into a deer.

Old Lady Si's heart sank, "Spiritual bodies! Their cultivation in the Spirit Embryo Divine Treasury is not weak. Mu'er's speed cannot match theirs; he will definitely be caught!"

She was about to block them when four figures from the cliff landed around her, while one remained standing on the cliff, proud and unmoving.

"The Five Elders of Lijiang are famous in the southern border. What are you doing in the Great Ruins?"

Old Lady Si's eyes darted around, seeing the four elders surrounding her. She giggled, "The Great Ruins are very dangerous. Aren't you afraid of losing your lives here?"

One of the Five Elders, an old man with a black beard, said coldly, "We heard that the Great Ruins are a haven for evil. Some demons and monsters who cannot survive elsewhere hide here, so we, the Five Elders, brought our disciples to subdue the demons and eliminate the evil."

"Who is a demon, who is evil, who subdues whom, who eliminates whom, is not yet determined."

Old Lady Si, carrying a basket in one hand, took out a pair of scissors from the basket with the other, looking like an old woman with poor eyesight, and smiled, "I haven't moved my body for a long time, but fortunately, my old skills have not been completely forgotten. You five old ghosts, do you also want to be made into clothes by me?"

"Evil creature, how dare you be arrogant in front of us? Do you deserve to be arrogant?"

The Four Elders of Lijiang shouted, their figures moving, crossing each other, and attacking Old Lady Si.

At this moment, Qin Mu, who was running full speed towards the Elder Village, heard the rumbling of thunder from behind. The thunder was accompanied by lightning, and the white light illuminated the mountains and fields, much brighter than the sun!

He looked back and saw that where Old Lady Si stood, a surging wave of energy was erupting, lifting the grass, rocks, and even several thousand-pound boulders, which were swept up by the sudden storm and hurled outward at incredible speed.

"Is Old Lady Si in danger..."

Qin Mu's heart sank. Suddenly, he heard the sound of footsteps on the water, and saw two young men and women running on the water!

The man and woman stepped on the river water, their figures not sinking into the river. Their feet moved so fast that they were already far ahead before the water could even touch their feet!

"These two have reached the level of walking on water that Lame Grandpa mentioned. I can't do it yet, so their strength is greater than mine!"

The man and woman ran on the river, quickly surpassing Qin Mu, heading towards the shore, apparently planning to intercept him ahead.

Qin Mu looked back and saw another person chasing him from behind, while two others were rapidly moving through the mountains on his left. Their figures occasionally leaped from the dense forest, stepping on tree branches and running. However, they could not sustain this for long and had to land to catch their breath.

Even so, they would soon surpass Qin Mu and rush ahead of him.

"I can't let them intercept me! I need to get back to the village faster than them and have Lame Grandpa and Grandpa Ma save Old Lady Si!"

Qin Mu gritted his teeth, avoiding the riverbank, and charged into the forest.

Continuing to run along the riverbank would definitely lead to a blockade. The two in the river were too fast, while the two in the forest were slightly slower. Therefore, rushing into the forest was the only way to escape.

"Little demon brat, you and that demon killed the deer and refined evil objects, don't think you can escape!"

Qin Mu had just entered the forest when one of the two who intercepted him, a man, suddenly increased his speed, surpassing the other, but was still a step too late, allowing Qin Mu, transformed into a deer, to rush past him.

"Don't worry, he won't escape!"

Ahead, the man and woman looked calm. The woman smiled lightly, her sleeves fluttering, and her speed suddenly increased, leaping from tree to tree, chasing the deer in the forest. The other man moved at a steady pace, directing the other three to surround and head towards Qin Mu.

Qin Mu ran frantically but could not shake off the five people. Not only could he not shake them off, but he was also being forced further away from the Elder Village, gradually deeper into the Great Ruins.

He had lived in the Elder Village for fourteen or fifteen years, and the farthest he had ever been from the village was about ten li. Now, he had gone too far, and the paths around him became increasingly unfamiliar and desolate, with no roads at all.

Suddenly, Qin Mu saw a valley ahead filled with peach blossoms, and a herd of deer living in the peach forest. He quickly rushed over and mixed into the herd.

Whoosh—

A fragrant breeze passed, and the woman, her sleeves fluttering, landed on the ground, looking at the herd of deer and frowning.

"Senior Sister, where is that demon brat?" Several figures landed, and a young man about Qin Mu's age asked.

The woman pointed, "He mixed into the herd of deer."

"Kill all the deer!"

Several young men and women rushed into the herd, drawing their swords and knives, ruthlessly attacking the deer. Although the deer were fast, they were not as fast as these well-trained spiritual bodies.

These five young men and women were all spiritual bodies and had become warriors, with considerable strength. Even if the deer scattered, they could not escape their pursuit, and soon, one by one, the deer were killed.

"Aren't you saying that deer are also lives?"

Suddenly, a human voice came from the chaotic herd, "Old Lady Si only killed one deer, but you killed the entire herd. Why do you still call us demons?"

"There he is!"

The woman's eyes lit up, gathering energy and channeling it into her sword. The energy of the White Tiger infused the sword, radiating golden light, and the sword flew out of her hand, heading towards Qin Mu in the fleeing herd!

Qin Mu turned and ran, and the sword also suddenly changed direction, continuing to pursue him!

"What kind of martial art is this?"

Qin Mu was stunned, "Is it a divine skill? It doesn't seem like it. Grandpa Tu said that divine skills are the pinnacle of martial arts, and this woman's martial arts are far inferior to Grandpa Tu's..."

The sword approached from behind, and Qin Mu, transformed into a deer, almost grazed the ground to turn, barely dodging it. In the moment he dodged, he caught a glimpse of a thin thread on the sword's hilt, one end connected to the sword, and the other in the woman's hand.

The thin thread was like silk, hard to notice.

——Thank you to all the book friends for your support, your red packets, and the Silver Alliance member Deep Breath UC. Thank you all for your love! *Mushenji* QQ Group: 600290060, join with a Qidian account; Non-Qidian book friends QQ Group: 424940671, non-Qidian book friends can join this group. Let's chat and discuss the plot together!