Chapter 1031: The War Ancient God
The Western Emperor had shed her battle attire. Previously clad in armor, her face was hidden, and only her large eyes were visible. Now, Qin Mu could finally see her full appearance.
She wore a white robe embroidered with a golden tiger head on it. On her head was a Winged Goodness Crown, also embroidered with gold thread in a pattern of two tigers holding an embroidered ball. Ordinary Winged Goodness Crowns have two ears folded from black gauze at the top, like two small wings, but hers had two actual ears inserted directly.
Her pair of tiger ears had nowhere to rest, so they simply poked out from either side of the crown's top. Her furry ears would occasionally twitch, appearing very lively.
This ancient god had a round, chubby face with a bit of baby fat. Her sleeves were very wide and long, with her hands hidden inside. Her skirt, however, was short, reaching only seven inches above her knees. Her legs were bare, and on her feet were a pair of tiger-head shoes.
Qin Mu finally understood why her skirt was so short. She had a tail that had nowhere to rest, which would occasionally rise up from behind her, sometimes even curling over her shoulder, very agile.
If that tail had eyes, it would surely be peeking around curiously.
This was the first time Qin Mu had seen such an adorable ancient god, and she was one of the Four Emperors among the ancient gods.
The status of ancient gods was extremely high. Even the Straw Hat Gods beside Earth Mother in the Primordial Realm held terrifyingly high positions, and the status of the Four Ancient God Emperors was even higher!
Even though the status of ancient gods had declined compared to the past, they were still the supreme beings ruling the four poles of the universe!
Qin Mu had met three of the Four Ancient God Emperors. The Azure Dragon had the appearance of an emperor. The Black Tortoise, though reserved, was also majestic and extraordinary. The Southern Emperor, the Vermilion Bird, though fond of prying into others' secrets, still displayed the full demeanor of an ancient god emperor in public and private.
Only this Western Emperor seemed like a girl who hadn't grown up.
Qin Mu's expression was strange. He thought to himself, "The Western Emperor must be the little sister in the hearts of all ancient gods..."
The Western Emperor walked over, smiling, "Taking off the armor is much more comfortable. Heavenly Lord, this way, please."
When she smiled, she revealed a pair of tiger fangs.
Qin Mu followed her, noticing that her tail was still restless, sometimes curling around her waist, sometimes climbing onto her shoulder, and occasionally sweeping across nearby branches and flowers.
"When she was wearing armor, I didn't see her tail. Where was it hidden then?"
Qin Mu stared at this white tiger tail, thinking, "If I were to touch it..."
He increasingly wanted to touch it, but this was, after all, an emperor among the ancient gods. It wouldn't be good to just reach out and touch her.
Yan'er, however, had no such reservations. She hopped over and touched the Western Emperor's tail.
The Western Emperor giggled, using her tail to lift Yan'er's chin, and laughed, "Little girl, I am your aunt, and you dare to tease me?"
Yan'er transformed into a little green sparrow, flew to the tip of the tail and perched there, asking curiously, "Auntie recognizes me?"
"Of course I do. Your bloodline is special; I could tell at a glance."
The tip of the Western Emperor's tail came to her own shoulder, placing Yan'er there. The tail gently rubbed the little sparrow's head. Yan'er felt very comfortable, sitting on her shoulder with her head tilted, dozing off.
The Western Emperor led them onto the Jasper Terrace to enjoy the scenery. The Jasper Terrace of the White Tiger Heavenly Palace was different from what Qin Mu had imagined. There were many smelting platforms arranged in rows along the Jasper Pool. The furnaces here burned day and night, making the air very hot.
Qin Mu examined these smelting platforms and said in surprise, "This is the specification of a Heavenly Artisan from the Kai Emperor Era. Has the Kai Emperor been here?"
"He has."
The Western Emperor spotted a huge wooden post and immediately dashed over. Her two hands emerged from her wide sleeves, revealing sharp tiger claws. She swiftly scratched the post twice, then stretched lazily on it before coming down. "The Kai Emperor brought a handsome young man named Li Youran, who was utterly charming. He captivated all the girls in my palace. These smelting platforms were designed by him. I said we couldn't forge iron by the Jasper Pool, but those girls argued with me, so I had to let them have their way."
She seemed quite helpless. "My Western Extreme Heaven is rich in divine gold and beautiful jade. I am the ancient god in charge of war, so building these smelting platforms isn't bad; at least they have some use. That Li Youran was sent by Qin Ye to learn casting and smelting from me. However, my cultivation method involves absorbing metal energy, which he couldn't learn. I did learn some techniques for forging divine weapons from him, though not as masterfully as he could."
Li Youran was the Buddha of the Imperial Shakya Heavenly King, the War Heavenly King of the Kai Emperor Heavenly Court.
Li Youran's strength wasn't the strongest among the Four Heavenly Kings; in fact, he could be considered the weakest. However, his reputation as the War Heavenly King was well-deserved.
In the art of casting, it was very difficult for Grandpa Mute to surpass him. But now, Mute and Blind were beginning to collaborate, trying to combine the divine consciousness techniques of the Creators to pioneer the craft of microscopic casting.
If their research succeeded, they could surpass Li Youran in the art of casting.
The female Heavenly Artisans who had gone to repair the Heavenly Dragon Precious Carriage had now transported it back and placed it by the Jasper Pool, beginning to map out its structure.
Qin Mu and the Western Emperor went forward to inspect. These female Heavenly Artisans were sturdy, tiger-headed women, highly skilled and quick in their movements, clearly having received the true teachings of the Buddha of the Imperial Shakya Heavenly King, Li Youran.
Qin Mu was very satisfied. "Grandpa Mute will definitely like them when he sees them."
"Western Emperor, since the Yan Kang Empire now takes casting as the foundation of the nation, it needs these Heavenly Artisans. If the Western Emperor could send Heavenly Artisans from the Western Extreme Heaven to help, I will surely remember this kindness!"
The more Qin Mu looked at these women, the more he liked them. "The Yan Kang Empire also has considerable achievements in the art of casting and many skilled artisans. If the Western Emperor sends some female Heavenly Artisans, we can complement each other's strengths and weaknesses."
The Western Emperor shook her head and laughed, "You're trying to trick me again! I've heard of Yan Kang. Your Yan Kang forges divine weapons and sharp tools for the Heavenly Court. If I send Heavenly Artisans from the Western Extreme Heaven to Yan Kang, wouldn't that boost the Heavenly Court's strength? That would be aiding the enemy!"
Qin Mu sneered, "Western Emperor, this is where your insight is shallow. From the fall of the Kai Emperor Era until now, a full twenty thousand years, the casting of your Western Extreme Heaven has not progressed at all. In terms of scale, the casting of the Western Extreme Heaven is only equivalent to three or four supervisory factories in Yan Kang. In terms of skill, there has been no achievement whatsoever; you are merely inheriting the leftover legacy of the Kai Emperor Era. Yan Kang can forge divine weapons for the Heavenly Court, but it can also forge divine weapons for itself. As it continues to develop, its scale will only grow larger, and its skills will only become stronger!"
He smiled slightly. "I can make a bet with Your Majesty. The one who can refine the art of casting to the point where it can be imprinted into the void and become an eternal Dao will definitely be a person from Yan Kang, never Li Youran or someone from the Western Extreme Heaven!"
The Western Emperor was skeptical. "Li Youran's art of casting is unmatched. What ability does Yan Kang have?"
Qin Mu reached out and grabbed, and a divine hammer flew into his hand. "The art of casting in Yan Kang is no longer just about forging divine weapons and sharp tools; it can also change physics and become a path of attack. Please, Western Emperor, fetch a divine weapon."
The Western Emperor clapped her hands, and a female Heavenly Artisan brought a divine weapon.
Qin Mu swung the hammer at the female Heavenly Artisan. Startled, she quickly raised the divine weapon to block. With a loud *clang*, divine light filled the air.
The female Heavenly Artisan was greatly alarmed. She quickly dropped the divine weapon and felt herself, finding no injuries, and breathed a sigh of relief.
The Western Emperor's expression turned serious. She walked over and picked up the divine weapon that had been dropped on the ground. The weapon was no longer a divine weapon but had become an ordinary weapon forged from common iron.
With a single hammer blow, Qin Mu had changed the structure of the divine iron, striking it from divine iron down to common iron!
She couldn't help but shiver. In truth, the combat power of Heavenly Artisans was not weak, but compared to deities specialized in combat, they were inferior in both divine abilities and adaptability.
The female Heavenly Artisans of the Western Extreme Heaven were treasures. She would never dare to send them to the battlefield.
But Qin Mu's hammer blow showed her the immense power of Heavenly Artisans. A Heavenly Artisan could smelt and forge divine weapons, and with a single hammer blow, they could destroy an enemy's divine weapon!
Back when the Kai Emperor Era fell, Li Youran led the Heavenly Artisan Divine Clan, planning to take the Ark of the Other Shore to seek refuge in the Land of No Worries. But they encountered a massacre by the Heavenly Court, and the Heavenly Artisan Divine Clan was almost completely annihilated.
If the Heavenly Artisan Divine Clan had possessed skills like Qin Mu's, then that war would not have been a one-sided slaughter.
"If the Western Extreme Heaven had such an army of Heavenly Artisans, they would surely be invincible, conquering all, and sweeping across the world with no one able to oppose them," the Western Emperor thought to herself.
Qin Mu dropped the divine hammer and said, "This is one of the achievements of the Yan Kang Reformation, a method pioneered by my two family elders. It is not yet perfected. Western Emperor, your people can also go to Yan Kang to learn this method and even help Yan Kang perfect it. This is what it truly means to be a War Heavenly King, a true master of war!"
The Western Emperor pondered for a moment, then said gloomily, "This is reformation... Reformation will weaken us ancient gods..."
Suddenly, tears streamed down her face like rain. She choked out, "I am the War Ancient God. I feel that if you perfect this art of casting and master war, the first one you will kill is me! I feel like I'm going to die..."
Qin Mu looked at her calmly and coaxed, "Good little sist... Good big sister, you almost died at the hands of Heavenly Lord Hong just now. I saved you. If I wanted to harm you, why would I save you?"
The Western Emperor hugged her tail and sobbed.
Qin Mu was exasperated. He shouted, "Stop crying!"
The Western Emperor looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears. Qin Mu's heart softened immediately, and he said gently, "Rest assured, I am the Ten-Thousand-Kalpa Indestructible Great Dharma Master. Even if you die, I have ways to revive you. Don't worry, don't worry. Perhaps if you die once, you can break free from the shackles of being an ancient god and gain freedom! By then, you can also master the art of casting. Who could kill you then?"
"Swear it!"
"I swear by Lord Tu Bo!"
The Western Emperor's sorrow turned to joy, and she became cheerful again.
Lang Huan Divine King sneered coldly from the side and said flatly, "The Saint Infant is quite good at coaxing girls."
Qin Mu said softly, "Lang Huan big sister..."
"It won't work on me!"
Lang Huan Divine King turned and walked away. "I don't believe that an Ancient God Emperor could have such a simple mind!"
Qin Mu's heart tightened. The conflict between the ancient gods and the Creators was indeed his greatest challenge at the moment.
There were conflicts among the Ten Heavenly Lords, but none were as deep as the hatred between the ancient gods and the Creators!
He was now walking on thin ice. One wrong move, and he could fall into an abyss of ten thousand kalpas!