Chapter 1078: Obstinate and Self-Willed
Qin Mu’s heart shook violently, and he blurted out, “His mother isn’t an ancient god? Then what race is his mother? And which ancient god is his father?”
Ever since arriving at the Heavenly Court, he had heard Qi Jiuyi and the grandmothers of the Yun family say the same thing: Langxuan Divine Emperor was the first demigod in the world, born of two ancient gods. He never expected there to be a hidden truth.
The Eastern Emperor glanced at him. “Why is the Grand Dharma Master so curious about others’ private affairs?”
Qin Mu’s expression turned strange, and he probed, “The Eastern Emperor is unwilling to say—could it be that Langxuan Divine Emperor is your…”
The Eastern Emperor shook his head. “Langxuan Divine Emperor is not my offspring. If he were, his parents’ identities wouldn’t be so mysterious. I am naturally amorous and have left countless descendants; there’s no need to hide whether he is mine.”
He looked somewhat troubled, rubbing his forehead, and said, “To be honest, countless people come to me every day claiming to be my kin, and I find it quite helpless. If I don’t acknowledge them, they are indeed of my dragon bloodline; if I do, there are far too many. There are even chicken-dragons that come here to claim me as their father!”
Qin Mu’s eyes widened, recalling the group of chicken-dragons that had occupied the Crippled Elderly Village, and probed, “Then the chicken-dragons…”
The Eastern Emperor laughed bitterly and shook his head. “They are of the flood dragon lineage, nothing to do with me. There may be some of my offspring among the flood dragons, but the chicken-dragons are absolutely unrelated to me!”
He paused, feeling it was not good to keep talking about himself, and said, “Langxuan Divine Emperor’s mother was a creator. Grand Dharma Master has been to the Great Void and should know about creators. When you went to the Great Void, I also sent one of my crown princes to accompany you, but unfortunately, he did not return alive.”
Qin Mu was surprised. “Brother Dao actually sent a dragon prince to accompany me?”
When he went to the Great Void, there were indeed dragons on that tower ship, but he didn’t know when they had died. Of the three hundred people on that ship, only he and Luo Wushuang returned alive.
Of course, at that time, more than two hundred of the three hundred people on the ship were hostile toward him, so Qin Mu hadn’t bothered to distinguish friend from foe.
“Langxuan Divine Emperor’s mother was a goddess king of the creator race, called Divine King Gong Yun. She was renowned in the ancient times, incredibly powerful. As for his father, that is even more extraordinary.”
The Eastern Emperor sighed and said in a low voice, “It was the Heavenly Emperor.”
“The Heavenly Emperor again!”
Qin Mu’s mind trembled, yet it felt only natural. Only the Heavenly Emperor could have had a secret affair with the goddess king of the creator race and fathered Langxuan Divine Emperor!
Though the Eastern Emperor was amorous, he was not picky, hence his notorious reputation. The Heavenly Emperor, however, had extremely high standards—his affairs were not vulgar; the women who caught his eye were all peerless in both beauty and talent!
“Gong Yun, Shu Jun—both have the character ‘jun.’ Could it be a tradition of the creator race?” Qin Mu mused.
The Eastern Emperor walked forward and said, “‘Shu’ is a generational title, referring to the generation of the Grand Emperor’s uncle. Shu Jun was born earlier than the Grand Emperor, so by seniority, the Grand Emperor should call him uncle. ‘Gong’ is a status title, referring to the identity of the Grand Emperor’s wife.”
Qin Mu blurted out, “Wait! Are you saying that Divine King Gong Yun was the Grand Emperor’s wife? The Heavenly Emperor had an affair with the Grand Emperor’s wife and fathered Langxuan Divine Emperor?”
The Eastern Emperor blinked his narrow eyes and smiled. “That’s what you said, not me.”
Qin Mu’s head spun, feeling he needed a moment to digest this shocking news.
“Langxuan Divine Emperor is Hao Tianzun’s elder brother, but Langxuan knows this, while Hao Tianzun does not.”
The Eastern Emperor said softly, “In this world, there are not many ancient gods who know of this matter. I am one of the informed ones. Many suspect Langxuan Divine Emperor is my offspring, but it truly has nothing to do with me. I am just taking the blame for the Heavenly Emperor.”
He sighed. “I’ve taken the blame for others too many times; I don’t mind one more. But Langxuan Divine Emperor’s intention to kill me, his convenient father, heh heh…”
A green aura flickered across his face as he sneered coldly. “Isn’t he afraid I’ll expose this matter?”
Beside Qin Mu, Dragon Qilin asked curiously, “Then why hasn’t the Eastern Emperor exposed it all along?”
The Eastern Emperor, Azure Dragon, glanced at him. Seeing he was also of dragon lineage, he felt a headache coming on and probed, “You’re not my son, and you’re not here to claim kinship, right?”
Dragon Qilin hesitated for a moment, then said, “I only have memories of my mother, knowing she was a qilin, but I don’t know who my father is. Did the Eastern Emperor go to the Great Ruins of the Origin World two hundred years ago?”
The Eastern Emperor finally relaxed and chuckled. “No, I didn’t. The reason I haven’t exposed it is still because I fear death.”
He sighed, glancing at the distant Divine Artifact Imperial Heaven, and said, “Heavenly Lord and Earth Lord have the strength to contend with the Divine Artifact Imperial Heaven, but I don’t have that confidence. In truth, even without the Divine Artifact Imperial Heaven, I would likely lose more than win in a fight against the Heavenly Venerables; it’s just that they would find it hard to kill me.”
His gaze was piercing as he looked at Qin Mu and said solemnly, “Grand Dharma Master, even if you hadn’t come to me, I would have sought you out. I have always had a concern and wish to ask the Grand Dharma Master to relieve it.”
Qin Mu straightened his expression. “Eastern Emperor, please speak.”
“After Heavenly Lord and Earth Lord die, will you still be the Grand Dharma Master?”
The Eastern Emperor’s eyes met his, and he said gravely, “To be honest, I have prepared two plans. If you have the power to revive ancient gods, I will fight to the death and protect you to the end! If, after Heavenly Lord and Earth Lord die, you lack the power to revive ancient gods, then I will surrender to the Ten Heavenly Venerables, kill you, take your head to the Heavenly Court, and claim credit!”
Qin Mu’s heart pounded violently. At this moment, he truly felt the Eastern Emperor’s murderous intent!
The Eastern Emperor, Azure Dragon, said calmly, “Though the crime of killing Mu Heavenly Venerable is great, I am one of the Four Emperors among the ancient gods, appointed by the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor to guard the Four Extremities as the Four Imperial Guardians. Killing you would not warrant my death—at worst, I would be suppressed, but my life would be preserved. When the Heavenly Court tries to eliminate Earth Lord and Heavenly Lord, they will need my power and release me.”
Yan’er was furious. “Eastern Emperor, how can you be so shameless?”
The Eastern Emperor glanced at her and shook his head with a smile. “Little girl, the world bustles with activity, all for profit; the world hustles and bustles, all for gain. This is the way of commerce. My relationship with Mu Heavenly Venerable is one of mutual benefit, not friendship. Only when there is benefit will I cooperate. Without benefit, Mu Heavenly Venerable’s life or death is none of my concern. On the contrary, killing Mu Heavenly Venerable to claim credit would then align with my interests.”
Yan’er’s heart turned ice-cold.
She had always held the Eastern Emperor, her father, in the highest regard. Though he was cold toward her, she had considered him a great hero in her heart.
But now, truly encountering the Eastern Emperor, the father in her heart suddenly crumbled, leaving her both terrified and unable to accept it.
Qin Mu admired the scenery of the Azure Dragon Heavenly Palace, his gaze falling on the palace’s Jade Pool, and he smiled. “Eastern Emperor, do you still remember the events on the ghost ship?”
The Azure Dragon Heavenly Palace also had a Jade Pool, and the water in it seemed even more sacred than that of the Heavenly Court’s Jade Pool.
This Jade Pool was brimming with vibrant life force. Qin Mu, skilled in medicine, could tell at a glance that the sacred water of the Eastern Emperor’s Jade Pool was extraordinary—capable of reviving the dead and healing the wounded, far surpassing Dragon Qilin’s saliva in potency.
The pool water also contained strange energy that could heal souls and primordial spirits.
Clearly, the Eastern Emperor, Azure Dragon, was not as simple as he appeared. His treasures here were even rarer than those of Earth Mother Yuan Jun. Both this Jade Pool and the Spirit Treasure Mountain were extremely rare treasures!
The Eastern Emperor, Azure Dragon, nodded. “Naturally, I remember. Mu Heavenly Venerable helped us Four Emperors escape, but without us lending you our power, you couldn’t have escaped either. So, escaping the ghost ship was mutual exploitation—neither of us owes the other. As for gratitude, don’t forget, when you entered the Heavenly Court alone, it was us ancient gods who protected your life, and I contributed to that.”
Qin Mu withdrew his gaze from the Jade Pool, furrowed his brow, and said, “Eastern Emperor, how do you wish to test me?”
“Without Heavenly Lord and Earth Lord lending you their power, how can you revive others? That is what I need to test.”
The Eastern Emperor, Azure Dragon, said, “Additionally, I need to know whether, if most of the ancient gods fall in battle, you have the means to protect yourself. These two tests: one tests your ability. Borrowed power is never truly your own. When there is no power to borrow, if you are still the Grand Dharma Master, that is why we ancient gods would support you without reservation.”
“As for the second test, it examines your potential for growth. In the worst-case scenario, if you lack even the power to protect yourself, then the Heavenly Court only needs to kill you to cut off our ancient gods’ retreat! Therefore, I need to see whether Mu Heavenly Venerable is worthy of the title Heavenly Venerable and whether you are worth me staking my life and fortune!”
Qin Mu nodded. “I understand.”
The Eastern Emperor smiled, lightly snapped his fingers, and a painted boat drifted over from the Jade Pool. On the boat, a dragon-headed, human-bodied god bowed and said, “Father God.”
The Eastern Emperor invited Qin Mu, who boarded the boat with Dragon Qilin and Yan’er. The painted boat drifted toward the center of the Jade Pool.
Yan’er was listless, not transforming into human form nor into a dragon-phoenix; she remained a little green sparrow perched on Dragon Qilin’s forehead.
The Eastern Emperor summoned the dragon god piloting the boat. That dragon god said, “Father God, what are your orders?”
The Eastern Emperor flicked his finger, and a thunderous explosion rang out in the dragon god’s mind, shattering his primordial spirit into dust. Instantly, his soul scattered, and the black sand of his spirit drifted away faintly.
The dragon god’s eyes showed confusion, his body swayed, and he collapsed.
Qin Mu’s eyelid twitched. Yan’er jumped up, both shocked and furious, and shouted, “He is your son! How could you kill him? Even a tiger, cruel as it is, does not eat its own cubs! You…”
The Eastern Emperor glanced at her, frowned, and said patiently, “Mu Heavenly Venerable, discipline your little bird well. Though I admire you, that doesn’t mean I will indulge your servants.”
Qin Mu shook his head. “This is Yan’er, not my servant, but a disciple of Moon Heavenly Venerable.”
The Eastern Emperor’s expression softened slightly. “So she is Moon Heavenly Venerable’s disciple. Very well, I won’t argue with her. But even if Moon Heavenly Venerable stood before me, she would show respect and address me as Your Majesty, the Eastern Emperor. Don’t be too presumptuous.”
Yan’er was about to speak again, but Qin Mu raised his hand and said with a smile, “Sister Yan’er, no need to say more. Eastern Emperor, if you wish to see my methods, why not go to Spirit Treasure Mountain and find someone whose soul has scattered? On Spirit Treasure Mountain, there is no shortage of gods, demons, and cultivators who died seeking treasure. Why kill your own son?”
The Eastern Emperor sneered. “The gods and cultivators who died on Spirit Treasure Mountain are all people of the Heavenly Court. If you revive them, it might expose your true methods, and I won’t feel at ease.”
Qin Mu frowned slightly. “We can kill them after reviving them.”
The Eastern Emperor clasped his hands behind his back. “I don’t trust any outsiders, not even my own children completely. Mu Heavenly Venerable, say no more. Please begin.”
Qin Mu frowned again.
The Eastern Emperor was obstinate and self-willed, with a strong desire for control. Dealing with someone like him made Qin Mu very uncomfortable.
When he first arrived, he had unconsciously developed a liking for the Eastern Emperor, but that goodwill was gradually worn away as he learned more about him.
Eastern Heavenly Azure Emperor also harbored extreme hostility toward the Eastern Emperor, Azure Dragon, showing that the Eastern Emperor’s character was not good.
Qin Mu steadied himself and looked at the dragon god’s corpse on the boat.
This god’s soul had scattered. Summoning the soul did not require borrowing the power of Heavenly Lord or Earth Lord, but reshaping the soul for this dragon god would require borrowing their power.
Without the power of Heavenly Lord or Earth Lord, he had no complete confidence.
“Over the years, I have studied Heavenly Lord’s forty-nine Heavenly Daos and Earth Lord’s sixty-four Netherworld Great Daos. In my fetal spirit divine repository, I have formed the divine forms of Heavenly Lord, Earth Lord, and even Earth Mother. In theory, I have already grasped their power. But…”
Qin Mu sensed the murderous intent emanating from the Eastern Emperor, growing stronger by the moment.
The Eastern Emperor was so obstinate and self-willed that if Qin Mu could not revive this dragon god, the Eastern Emperor would surely kill him on the spot, take his head, imprison his soul, and go to the Heavenly Court’s Ten Heavenly Venerables to claim credit!
Previously, because of Earth Lord and Heavenly Lord, he had harbored considerable goodwill toward the ancient gods. Now, it seemed somewhat one-sided on his part.
The Eastern Emperor raised his narrow brows, coughed lightly, and was about to urge him on when Qin Mu had already activated the Soul-Drawing Art, summoning the scattered black sand of the dragon god’s soul!
— Zhai Zhu has urgent business and needs to go on a trip. The matter is quite sudden, so there was no time to prepare a backup chapter. Tonight’s update may not be timely. If there is no second chapter tonight, Zhai Zhu will make it up tomorrow. However, Zhai Zhu will try his best to finish today.