Chapter 1019: The Wanderer Among Purple Blossoms
Within Qin Mu's Lingtai Divine Treasury, above and below the Taiji Diagram, the forty-nine Heavenly Daos and sixty-four Netherworld Daos all activated and began to merge. However, the moment the Heavenly Dao and Netherworld Dao touched, they mutually annihilated each other, causing his cultivation to plummet rapidly!
Qin Mu immediately stopped.
The Eastern Emperor frowned.
Now, Long Qilin and Yan'er could also clearly sense the killing intent emanating from him!
Qin Mu remained unmoved, quietly pondering. He had borrowed the power of the Heavenly Duke and the Earth Lord to reassemble his shattered soul, relying on the Heaven-Supporting Gate to harmonize the power of the Heavenly Duke and the Earth Lord.
The Heaven-Supporting Gate supported the heavens and connected to the earth. It was a gate within the Heavenly Court. To enter the Lingxiao Hall from the inner city of Yujing in the Heavenly Court, one had to pass through this gate, which was the Heaven-Supporting Gate.
Back then, Qin Mu had reversed the Heaven-Supporting Gate, using its wondrous effects to reshape his soul with the Divine Dao and the Demonic Dao.
At that time, after creating this divine ability for resurrection, he hadn't studied it further or delved into its essence, merely habitually stealing the power of the Heavenly Duke and the Earth Lord.
But now, at a critical juncture of life and death, he finally began to contemplate what the essence of this divine ability truly was.
The Eastern Emperor's killing intent grew stronger. Yan'er and Long Qilin became increasingly tense, staring fixedly at him. Although they were no match for the Eastern Emperor, if he tried to kill Qin Mu, they would fight to the death!
Yet the outcome of such a battle was obvious; they would all die at the Eastern Emperor's hands.
Just then, a subtle force of creation, capable of defying fate and reshaping destiny, gently flowed within Qin Mu's body. Soft yet brimming with the power to create life and souls, it streamed lightly into the corpse of that dragon god.
The dragon god emitted streaks of white light, like drifting mist, while the black sand of his soul continuously reassembled, giving birth to a Heavenly Soul, reforming an Earth Soul, and evolving a Living Soul!
Seeing this, the killing intent in the Eastern Emperor's heart vanished.
Yan'er and Long Qilin sighed in relief, panting heavily.
The pressure the Eastern Emperor had exerted on them just now was immense, nearly suffocating them.
Qin Mu mobilized his internal power, reshaping the seven souls of that dragon god one by one. After a while, the dragon god slowly awoke, looking around in confusion, unaware of why he was lying there.
He quickly scrambled to his feet, gradually recalling the scene before his death, remembering that he had died at the hands of his own father god, the Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon. However, he dared not harbor any resentment, lowering his head in silence.
The Eastern Emperor paid him no mind, laughing heartily, "Grand Sorcerer! Truly the Grand Sorcerer!"
Qin Mu smiled faintly. "Can the Eastern Emperor rest assured now?"
The Eastern Emperor chuckled. "Naturally, I can. You have passed this trial. The next trial will test the Grand Sorcerer's potential."
Qin Mu let out a long breath, as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and smiled. "Then, may I ask how His Majesty the Eastern Emperor intends to conduct this trial?"
The painted boat sailed deeper into the Jade Pool. The Eastern Emperor walked to the bow, speaking leisurely, "The Heavenly Emperor has few offspring. The Heavenly Duke, wounded by love, and the Earth Lord, troubled by his children, also have few descendants. The Earth Mother is dead, and the Empress and Yuan Mu exist in name only. The strongest bloodline in the current world is mine!"
His long beard fluttered, and his azure robes were dashing as he declared, "My dragon sons and dragon grandsons are countless in number, and their strength is immense. Even if they went to the Heavenly Court, they could contend with the heroes of the world! Even if they died and entered the Netherworld, they could dominate as ghostly heroes! Grand Sorcerer!"
He looked at Qin Mu and smiled. "I have a dragon daughter named Gu Yan and a dragon son named Qing Ming, both of unparalleled talent. If the Grand Sorcerer can defeat them, you will have passed this trial. Gu Yan, Qing Ming, why not come and meet the Mu Heavenly Venerate?"
Deep within the Jade Pool, a dragon island appeared, where many young dragon clansmen were cultivating.
As the Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon's words fell, a male and a female dragon god soared into the air, standing in the void, and paid their respects to Qin Mu.
Qin Mu glanced at the two. They were indeed rare talents, and he praised, "The Eastern Emperor's bloodline is indeed extraordinary. However, although I am the Grand Sorcerer of His Majesty the Eastern Emperor, I am also the Mu Heavenly Venerate. For the Eastern Emperor to have two juniors test me is somewhat disrespectful to the title of Heavenly Venerate."
The Eastern Emperor raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What does the Grand Sorcerer suggest?"
Qin Mu said calmly, "I became a Heavenly Venerate in the early Dragon Han Era, stormed the Jade Pool, and slew countless demigods. Even Hao Tian Venerate, the current leader of the Ten Heavenly Venerates, was crushed by me for a thousand years. If His Majesty the Eastern Emperor uses your dragon sons and grandsons to test my abilities, you greatly underestimate me."
The Eastern Emperor frowned slightly. "The Grand Sorcerer means..."
Qin Mu said leisurely, "The Heavenly Duke and the Earth Lord have both reincarnated, attempting to escape the plight of the ancient gods. As the Ancient God Emperor of the Eastern Extreme Heaven, Your Majesty must have also reincarnated, correct?"
The Eastern Emperor nodded.
Qin Mu continued, "Your Majesty is not unfamiliar with the Divine Treasury and Heavenly Palace cultivation systems, are you?"
The Eastern Emperor said flatly, "After I reincarnated, I reached the Divine Bridge in a hundred years and the Imperial Throne in a thousand. I met the Crimson Emperor, and the Bright Emperor called me uncle. I left behind a scripture called the Azure Dragon Great Wilderness Sutra, a Imperial Throne-level technique, which is stored in the Heavenly Court's archives. Many of my descendants cultivate my techniques."
Qin Mu smiled. "His Majesty the Eastern Emperor is a man of great talent and strategy. Then, has Your Majesty studied the Heavenly Court realm?"
The Eastern Emperor revealed a smile, clasping his hands behind his back. "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. Naturally, I have studied the Heavenly Court realm. To be honest, my reincarnated self is still alive, wandering through various eras. I have also been collecting Imperial Throne techniques and have developed my own insights."
Qin Mu was deeply moved, clapping his hands in admiration. "The Ten Heavenly Venerates of the Heavenly Court are mere children. How dare they underestimate the ancient gods? They truly do not know their place! Not to mention the Heavenly Duke and the Earth Lord, even the Eastern Emperor alone should not be underestimated!"
The Eastern Emperor laughed heartily. "The Ten Heavenly Venerates are powerful, so I have to bow my head and endure, but my strength is not necessarily weaker than theirs."
Qin Mu said, "Therefore, I, Mu, boldly request that Your Majesty's reincarnated self test my potential."
The Eastern Emperor had already guessed his intention, his eyes flickering. "Since the Grand Sorcerer earnestly invites me, I cannot refuse. I only fear that my fists and feet are heavy and might injure the Grand Sorcerer."
"Easily said."
Qin Mu was all smiles. "My body is quite sturdy."
"Father God!"
The dragon daughter Gu Yan bowed, then raised her head to glance at Qin Mu, smiling. "The Mu Heavenly Venerate's reputation precedes him. I would also like to test his skills."
The dragon son Qing Ming was filled with battle intent, declaring loudly, "Why use an ox-cleaver to kill a chicken?"
The Eastern Emperor looked at Qin Mu and smiled. "Grand Sorcerer, what do you think?"
Qin Mu gently raised his hand, and a lotus flower flew up from the Jade Pool, landing in his palm. He smiled. "My nephew and niece have an enterprising spirit, which is excellent, but they still lack tempering."
He plucked a petal and handed the remaining lotus to Yan'er. Yan'er quickly transformed into a young girl, holding the lotus to her chest.
Qin Mu blew a gentle breath.
The petal in his palm floated up and flew toward Gu Yan and Qing Ming.
The petal tumbled and drifted through the air, splitting into two with each rotation, then two into four, four into eight.
Soon, the lotus petals flying toward Gu Yan and Qing Ming blotted out the sky. Pink petals formed a sea of flowers, surging toward them.
Gu Yan and Qing Ming each unleashed their divine abilities, attacking the oncoming sea of flowers, trying to tear it open and face Qin Mu directly.
However, their divine abilities, upon entering the sea of flowers, seemed to fuel its division, causing even more petals to appear!
The sea of flowers engulfed them. The two struggled mightily, riding clouds and mists, but any divine ability they used was absorbed by the petals, which multiplied further, gradually drowning Dragon Island.
The young dragon clansmen cultivating on Dragon Island also raised their hands to resist, only to have their divine abilities absorbed by the sea of flowers, causing it to expand, and expand again, spreading ever wider!
Although the Jade Pool of the Azure Dragon Heavenly Palace was not as vast as the Heavenly Court's Jade Pool, it was still a small ocean. Yet now, the sea of flowers had already occupied the center of the Jade Pool, threatening to swallow it entirely!
Within the sea of petals, dragon roars echoed, filled with shock, anger, and fear.
More and more petals landed on their bodies, fusing with their flesh and blood, like pink scales growing all over them.
But what was even more terrifying was that these petals were absorbing the energy within their bodies, then splitting into more petals, covering their entire bodies and replacing their dragon scales!
Worse still, they felt these petals replacing their flesh and blood, even their bones.
And then, the petals drifted into their physical bodies, landing on their primordial spirits!
The petals were absorbing the power of their primordial spirits!
Gradually, the roars turned into nothing but fear. Even Gu Yan and Qing Ming, experts highly valued by the Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon, could only scream in terror.
They simply could not break through this sea of flowers; they could only sink into it. Every attempt to break the divine ability only increased its power.
They could only watch helplessly as these petals grew on their bodies, burrowed into their flesh, rooted themselves in their primordial spirits, and drained their physical bodies, their vitality, their strength!
This slow descent into death shattered their Dao hearts!
Finally, the sea of flowers spread to Qin Mu's side, about to engulf the painted boat.
Qin Mu stood at the bow, gently raised his hand, and plucked a petal.
The moment this petal fell into his hand, the entire sea of flowers vanished. Gu Yan, Qing Ming, and the other dragon sons and grandsons lay on Dragon Island, utterly depleted, their cultivation and energy completely drained by the sea of flowers!
If the sea of flowers hadn't disappeared, they would have become nourishment for those petals!
"Creation Art? The Art of Creation?"
The Eastern Emperor Azure Dragon stared at the petal in Qin Mu's hand, his voice deep. "There are many things in this divine ability of yours. Besides the Art of Creation, there are mathematical calculations, sword techniques, Heavenly Dao, Netherworld methods... No, there's also the visualization techniques of the Creator race, and Ling Tianzun's Immutable Art!"
Qin Mu walked over to Yan'er, picked up the petal, and gently placed it back on the lotus.
The petal returned to the flower, and the energy stored within it flowed through the lotus. The lotus shone with golden light, and waves of terrifying energy burst forth like a fountain, dazzlingly beautiful.
The lotus's power surged dramatically, and in just a short moment, it transformed into a formidable divine artifact!
This was because Qin Mu had drained the cultivation of all the dragon sons and grandsons on Dragon Island to refine this lotus. With so many divine dragons contributing their cultivation, how could the lotus's power be weak?
"This divine ability is the fourth form of my enlightenment technique, called 'The Wanderer Among Purple Blossoms.'"
Qin Mu handed the refined lotus treasure to Yan'er, turned around, and smiled. "Your Majesty the Eastern Emperor, what you saw is only what I allowed you to see. The true mystery of my divine ability is something you, as an ancient god, cannot understand. Now..."
His aura condensed, the Overlord Body Three Elixir Art activated, and a fragment of the incomplete Heavenly Court leaped out from behind his head, illuminating the entire Jade Pool.
Qin Mu clenched his fist and said flatly, "It's time for Your Majesty to test me personally."
——You're not mistaken, there's an update. Indeed, there is an update. Zhai Zhu was typing on the high-speed rail, wrote the noon chapter, and then wrote another chapter in the high-speed rail waiting area in the afternoon. Mm-hmm, smug!