Chapter 1053: The Blind Man’s Eyes, the Mute’s Hammer
Qin Mu let out a long breath, feeling completely at ease.
Ever since returning from the Great Void, Yun Chuxiu had been clinging to him, leaving him no time to perform the soul-summoning ritual for Yun Tianzun. Moreover, conducting such a ritual within the Heavenly Court was far too dangerous. The Ten Celestial Venerables were all present there; summoning Yun Tianzun’s soul could never be hidden from them. Now that Yun Chuxiu had been sent away, Qin Mu finally relaxed.
“Du Tian, set out.” Qin Mu returned to his treasure carriage, his voice carrying a note of joy.
The Dragon-Treasure Carriage immediately started moving. Nine celestial dragons galloped, heading east along the Yong River.
Inside the carriage, Langhuan Divine King asked, “Holy Infant, you won’t see the Kai Emperor?”
“No need to see him.”
Qin Mu opened his vertical brow eye, and Yun Tianzun’s physical body fell onto the cloud carpet. Langhuan Divine King’s divine consciousness bloomed, enveloping the carriage to prevent outsiders from seeing inside. Qin Mu’s divine consciousness and primordial energy surged out, transforming into numerous runes. He said, “His coming out this time is to witness the results of the Yan’Kang reforms, to see how the reforms are progressing. Meeting him would be useless. Only by seeing with his own eyes can he break the delusions in his heart. Besides, Xiao Tianzun is likely using the Divine Artifact Imperial Celestial to monitor this place right now. It’s better for me to keep a low profile.”
Shu Jun sneered, “Holy Infant, you call this keeping a low profile?”
Above the Yuan Tree, the Divine Artifact Imperial Celestial withdrew its gaze and slowly closed its eyes. Meanwhile, the clay figure in the Yuan Wood Heavenly Palace pondered for a moment, pacing back and forth, muttering to himself, “Celestial Venerable Qin is stronger than before, but still far from the Heavenly Court realm. His Kai Emperor era cannot support the Heavenly Court realm. However, his sword techniques are truly terrifying. And then there’s Mu Tianzun—such a troublemaker, causing chaos wherever he goes!”
“But I never expected the Earth Mother could still stir up trouble. Remarkable, truly remarkable. To eliminate the Earth Mother, I must first get rid of the Heavenly Duke and the Earth Lord, and abolish Mu Tianzun’s resurrection techniques…”
Inside the Dragon-Treasure Carriage, Qin Mu immediately began performing the ritual, chanting incantations and activating his divine abilities to summon Yun Tianzun’s soul. After a moment, he stopped, frowning slightly.
“Holy Infant, are you unable to sense Yun Tianzun’s soul?” Langhuan Divine King asked.
Qin Mu nodded, pondering, “Even if the soul is shattered, I can still summon the black sand of the soul. Even for beings like the Empress or Yuanmu, who pretend to be dead while still alive, as long as I obtain their physical bodies, I can trace the whereabouts of their souls. My divine ability can search heaven and earth. When activated, it summons all realms—the Heavenly Court, the Mystic Capital, the Netherworld, the Celestial Nether Realm—everything! Yet I cannot sense Yun Tianzun’s soul, as if it never existed…”
“This is the work of the Grand Emperor.”
Shu Jun Divine King mused, “The Grand Emperor has the ability to make a soul vanish completely, beyond any trace. Yun Tianzun died at the Grand Emperor’s hands, didn’t he?”
Qin Mu’s expression grew solemn as he nodded slightly, asking, “Even if a soul is shattered, it turns into black sand and is absorbed by the Celestial Nether Realm. What ability does the Grand Emperor have to make Yun Tianzun’s soul disappear entirely?”
He was quite puzzled.
His Soul-Pulling Art was a Netherworld technique. After his improvements, he was confident that no matter where a soul was hidden, it could not escape his tracking.
“In this world, there are only three people with the ability to make you unable to find a soul.”
Shu Jun said gravely, “The first is the Grand Emperor. The other two are the Empress and Lady Yuanmu among the ancient gods. The Empress and Lady Yuanmu possess the Return to Void, which crushes and destroys everything. In the past, they activated the Return to Void, burying countless experts of my race. One of the other two Divine Kings of my race perished at their hands. Not just the soul, even divine consciousness was completely annihilated, ceasing to exist. The Grand Emperor cannot achieve that. The Grand Emperor’s skill lies in his immensely powerful divine consciousness, called the Supreme Dao Boundless Divine Consciousness.”
Qin Mu nodded. The Grand Emperor’s Supreme Dao Boundless Divine Consciousness was incredibly exquisite. The Heavenly Court had been waiting for Zuo Shaobi Yan Shaoqing to create the Divine Consciousness Imperial Throne technique, but the Grand Emperor had already developed the Imperial Throne realm’s divine consciousness technique long ago.
“Why is the Supreme Dao Boundless Divine Consciousness called ‘Supreme Dao’?”
Shu Jun said, “In truth, his divine consciousness had already condensed in the ancient era, forming the Divine Consciousness Supreme Dao Heaven. That is a void world entirely structured by supreme divine consciousness. Not only your techniques, but no technique in the world can take effect within the Divine Consciousness Supreme Dao Heaven. The laws of the Dao there are entirely set by the Grand Emperor. I believe Yun Tianzun’s soul was exiled by the Grand Emperor into the Divine Consciousness Supreme Dao Heaven.”
Langhuan Divine King, unfamiliar with this, asked, “Divine King Shu Jun, could you elaborate on the Divine Consciousness Supreme Dao Heaven?”
“I don’t know much about it either.”
Shu Jun said, “Back when the Grand Emperor wasn’t as strong, I clashed with him, vying for the title of the strongest. He once mentioned it. His technique, the Supreme Dao Boundless Divine Consciousness, when cultivated to its peak, begins to touch the Ultimate Void. His divine consciousness condenses in the Ultimate Void, transforming endlessly, eternal and indestructible. Perhaps only by cultivating divine consciousness to his level can one find the Divine Consciousness Supreme Dao Heaven in the Ultimate Void. However, even at my strongest in life, I never reached that step.”
He looked at Langhuan Divine King and said, “Your divine consciousness is stronger than mine was back then. Have you touched the Ultimate Void?”
Langhuan Divine King shook her head. “My current divine consciousness strength can only reach the Thirty-Fifth Void, still one step away from the Ultimate Void.”
Shu Jun showed envy, sighing, “That’s already much stronger than my peak.”
Langhuan Divine King said flatly, “Naturally.”
Shu Jun grunted coldly, “Don’t be smug! I’m starting over now. Once I cultivate the Heavenly River Divine Treasury, I’ll surpass your Divine Bridge Divine Treasury. My future strength will far exceed yours! A few days ago, I sought advice from Qi Jiuying, learning to open divine treasuries. That’s far more refined than the bumpkins from Carefree Village.”
Qin Mu asked in surprise, “Divine King, you sought out Qi Jiuying to learn how to open divine treasuries? Why go to him when you have me nearby?”
Shu Jun, puzzled, said, “You’re always tangled up with Langhuan and Yuanmu, with no time to teach me. Naturally, I had to ask Qi Jiuying.”
Qin Mu laughed, “Qi Jiuying was indeed one of the first to open the Heavenly River Divine Treasury, but not the very first. Xu Shenghua and I were the pioneers, but the second to open it wasn’t Qi Jiuying—it was Dragon Qilin. He received my true teachings.”
Shu Jun glanced at Dragon Qilin, who was lying there dozing, and was left dumbfounded.
Dragon Qilin lazily lifted his head, glanced at him, and showed a look of disdain.
“Fatty Dragon has been with me the longest and is one of the few who understands the Yan’Kang reforms most deeply.”
Qin Mu smiled, “When I opened various divine treasuries and traveled to different academies, he was always by my side. Whether it’s martial arts, divine abilities, sword techniques, or combat skills, he knows them well. Why bother asking Qi Jiuying? Back in Yan’Kang, Qi Jiuying was isolated in the Western Lands and didn’t know much.”
Dragon Qilin yawned, stuck out his big tongue, licked his lips, and said, “Qi Jiuying, my third brother. I’m his big brother.”
Shu Jun was even more stunned.
In the Heavenly Court, a youthful, bright girl with two ponytails swinging behind her—playful and lively—hurried toward the Spirit Energy Transfer Bridge in the Zaofu Heavenly Palace. It was another Yun Chuxiu.
“That rascal had the Earth Mother capture me! That incarnation of mine is doomed; the Earth Mother will play it to death! I offended the Earth Mother badly back then. When she stole the Heavenly Duke’s essence, I told the Heavenly Duke, and he gave her a beating…”
She dashed toward the Spirit Energy Transfer Bridge, her ponytails slapping her backside, muttering, “But that rascal won’t get rid of me so easily! He doesn’t want me to go to the Primordial Realm, so I’ll go to Yan’Kang’s capital and wait for him! I just didn’t expect him to have reached the Venerable God realm. Last time, I suffered because he grabbed me and I couldn’t move. This time, I’ll make a Heavenly God body, find that kid, and beat him up first to vent my anger!”
Just as she was about to step into the Spirit Energy Transfer Bridge, she saw Lian Huahun also approaching. The two girls met, each stopping and eyeing the other warily.
“Sister Chuxiu, aren’t you supposed to have left the Heavenly Court with Mu Tianzun for the Primordial Realm?”
Lian Huahun’s gaze held both disgust and curiosity. “Why are you still in the Heavenly Court?”
Yun Chuxiu raised her hands, smoothing her ponytails to her chest, and smiled, “I came back. Is that not allowed? Where is Sister Lian heading?”
Lian Huahun stared at her, speaking softly, “And where are you going?”
“You don’t want to be my sister anymore, do you? You want to be my mother?”
Yun Chuxiu sneered, “You’re so nosy! Can you control me? Even your husband couldn’t resist crawling into my bed!”
Lian Huahun chuckled lightly, “After all, you are my sister. How could I not care about you? Wherever you go, I’ll follow.”
Yun Chuxiu rolled her eyes, smiling sweetly, “If you want to come, then come!”
She stepped into the Spirit Energy Transfer Bridge, and Lian Huahun smiled, following her in. A moment later, a white cat leaped and bounded, also diving into the Zaofu Palace’s Spirit Energy Transfer Bridge.
The next moment, they appeared beside the Spirit Energy Transfer Bridge outside Yan’Kang’s capital. Yun Chuxiu skipped and hopped toward the city, exclaiming, “This Yuan Tree is even bigger!”
Lian Huahun frowned, looking up at the small Yuan Tree rooted in Yan’Kang’s capital, and snorted coldly, “Treasonous.”
At that moment, a middle-aged man arrived at the Tu River Manufacturing Bureau outside Yan’Kang’s capital.
The Tu River now had countless manufacturing bureaus of all sizes, each built on a massive scale, lining the river. From a distance, they looked like a city of gods.
Divine light shot into the sky from the bureaus. Huge divine furnaces operated day and night, and complex mechanical giants, controlled by cultivators, were forging divine artifact components. Countless cultivators worked tirelessly, inscribing and imprinting various runes, crafting divine weapons and tools.
Many tower ships flew into the air, carrying finished divine artifacts toward the Spirit Energy Transfer Bridge, destined for the Heavenly Court.
The place was bustling with activity. Kai Emperor Qin Ye passed by one manufacturing bureau after another, observing their layouts. He noticed some bureaus also produced strange items like ice mirrors and windmills, embedding various divine abilities into these tools for the convenience of the people.
“Blind man, this divine metal has a single-crystal sequence of micro-mathematics, right?”
Kai Emperor Qin Ye suddenly heard a booming voice. He saw an old man carrying a box talking to another old man leaning on a bamboo staff with a black dragon bone wrapped around his waist. The box-carrying elder said, “Mystic metal has a polycrystalline sequence, while divine metal has a single-crystal sequence. If we adjust the polycrystalline sequence of mystic metal to single-crystal, can mystic metal be turned into divine metal?”
“In theory, yes.”
The old man called Blind Man had incredibly bright eyes. He took out a piece of divine metal and a piece of mystic metal, suddenly opening his eyes wide. Divine light shot out, and the microscopic structures of the mystic and divine metals were clearly visible to him. He said, “The big problem is how to change the microscopic crystal sequence. Mute, your forging method can’t precisely target the smallest crystals in the microscopic structure.”
The old man called Mute had a thunderous voice and sneered, “My newly created Celestial Furnace Casting Method is designed for micro-forging, inscribing runes on the smallest crystals. The main issue is that my eyes aren’t as good as yours…”
Suddenly, both old men noticed the Kai Emperor and turned to look at him.
The mute grinned, “Aba, aba aba?”
The blind man leaned on his staff and laughed, “Brother, the mute asks where you come from?”
The Kai Emperor stepped forward, smiling, “Two brothers, I come from Carefree Village. I overheard your discussion and couldn’t help but eavesdrop. You just mentioned changing the microscopic crystal structure of mystic metal to turn it into divine metal. Could you elaborate?”