Chapter 1040: You Were Taught by Me
"Mu Tianzun, insolent brat! I didn't go looking for you, yet you dare come seeking trouble with me! Do you want to turn the heavens upside down?"
Qin Mu's sword energy reached the front of the Lingxiao Hall, only to shatter as if striking an invisible wall.
"Do you think that just because you have a high cultivation realm, you can climb above me and throw your weight around?"
Langxuan Divine Emperor stood there, his four faces and eight arms towering high, looking down from on high at Qin Mu and the others approaching the divine palace. He sneered, "You nine Heavenly Venerables opened the Divine Treasure and Heavenly Palace, creating fourteen realms. But these realms have only existed for less than two thousand years!"
His hand reached out, grabbing toward Qin Mu and the others: "Let me tell you, two thousand years ago, what ruled the primordial chaos of the universe was not realms like the Divine Treasure or Heavenly Palace—it was bloodline! Bloodline determined your strength, bloodline determined your status. And I am the first demigod in the world, standing at the pinnacle of all species!"
His palm arrived before Qin Mu. This was not magical power formed from primordial energy, but pure physical strength.
As the first son of the Heavenly Emperor, the ancient god, he not only inherited the Emperor's bloodline for controlling the world's great Dao, but also the bloodline of Gongyun Divine King, one of the three Creator Divine Kings.
His palm contained natural Dao laws. As his five fingers closed down, Yue Tianzun, Dragon Qilin, and the others looked up from below. They saw that the lines on Langxuan Divine Emperor's palm were like mountain ranges and rivers of the great Dao, his five fingers like the Dao laws of the Five Elements—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth—arranged in mutual generation and restraint, forming a Five Elements formation!
Between his fingers and palm, the divine abilities created by the nine human Heavenly Venerables were like grains of rice. In terms of the scale of divine abilities and understanding of the Dao, even now, the divine abilities of the nine human Heavenly Venerables were far from comparable.
The realms were established by the nine human Heavenly Venerables: Spirit Embryo, Five Luminaries, Six Harmonies, Seven Stars, Heavenly Man, Life and Death, Divine Bridge, Revered God, True God, Jasper Terrace, Execution Platform, Jade Capital, Lingxiao, Emperor Throne, and Heavenly Court—fourteen realms in total.
To this day, the seven realms of the Divine Treasure had existed for nearly two thousand years, and the seven realms of the Heavenly Palace had been established for over a thousand years. Yet most deities were still exploring the seven Heavenly Palace realms, trying to find where their boundaries lay.
Even the Heavenly Venerables were pushing the limits of these realms.
However, in the endless years before two thousand years ago, the demigod race had already begun studying bloodlines and lineages, forming their own unique civilization.
The power of demigods was inherited from the ancient gods. The ancient gods mastered powerful Dao laws, and the demigods inherited their blood. As they grew, their control over the Dao laws became stronger and stronger.
This was the reason the demigod race had flourished for hundreds of millions or even billions of years. It was also why, in the following million years, after learning the Divine Treasure and Heavenly Palace system, the demigods could suppress humans and other acquired races.
Langxuan Divine Emperor's hand pressed down, his voice booming: "Your human Heavenly Venerables were merely given titles by the ancient gods as a casual reward for your creativity—names without substance. Do you really think you can cause a ruckus in the Heavenly Court?"
His palm came down, unleashing terrifying power. Yue Tianzun, beneath that hand, couldn't help but want to strike back. Suddenly, her vision blurred, and she found that they had somehow arrived on the back of Langxuan Divine Emperor's hand!
Yue Tianzun couldn't even tell how they had passed through Langxuan Divine Emperor's terrifying Five Elements Dao laws to reach the back of his hand. Her heart shook violently: "Yun Tianzun's divine abilities were never this advanced. Could it be... could it be..."
She looked at Qin Mu's back ahead of her. He was still leading them along Langxuan Divine Emperor's arm, walking forward without stopping.
Around Qin Mu, terrifying magnetic divine power twisted space. Countless stars appeared in the sky of the Yuan Realm, growing larger and larger, their starlight growing more intense. Even the magnetic divine power within the earth of the Yuan Realm went berserk, pulling and interacting with the magnetic power of the stars in the sky!
Yue Tianzun looked up. The positions of the stars and constellations had already begun to shift. The light emitted by the stars was even brighter than the sun of the Yuan Realm.
Those stars appeared larger than the sun itself. If one had divine eyes, they could even see the enormous palaces within those stars—the dwellings of the ancient gods who controlled countless stars and constellations.
—In the later sky of the Yuan Realm, such a sight was rarely seen. Only in this ancient, ignorant era could one get so close to the ancient gods.
The magnetic divine power erupted, pressing down together with the power contained in Langxuan Divine Emperor's palm!
Around Langxuan Divine Palace, magnetic forces raged!
Below the divine palace, the massive demigod giants carrying thousands of halls and palaces on their backs let out heart-wrenching howls as they were forced deeper and deeper into the ground.
Thud.
A powerful demigod couldn't bear it and knelt, the temple on his back shaking violently. The demigods inside stumbled, unable to keep their footing.
Thud, thud—sounds came continuously. More demigods supporting the Langxuan Divine Palace fell to their knees, and the palace, high in the sky, suddenly dropped a great deal!
Though they were immensely strong, though they were demigods of high bloodline, the combined pressure of Qin Mu's magnetic divine power and Langxuan Divine Emperor's own strength crushed them!
Langxuan Divine Emperor was both shocked and furious. His other seven arms raised, and his palms struck toward Qin Mu and the others on the back of his hand.
In terms of pure combat power, there was an insurmountable gap between Qin Mu and him. He was the son of the Heavenly Emperor, the ancient god, and Gongyun Divine King, a fully grown demigod. His combat power could rival beings at the Emperor Throne realm.
He had survived the Blood Rust Campaign, slaughtered the Creator race, and received the Heavenly Emperor's blessing. His strength was boundless, making him one of the most powerful beings of this era.
His power even surpassed that of many ancient gods.
Yet every time his palm struck down, it never landed on Qin Mu. Every attack he launched with the Dao laws seemed to hit Qin Mu, but then Qin Mu and the others would vanish and reappear on the back of his hand.
He couldn't even tell what divine ability Qin Mu was using!
Within Langxuan Divine Palace, thousands of demigods reacted, flying up to attack Qin Mu and the others!
Demigods were blessed by heaven, born strong. From birth, they were stronger than humans. As they grew, the gap between humans and them widened, and their mastery of the world's Dao laws grew stronger.
In the past, they suffered from birth, aging, sickness, and death. But now, with the seven Heavenly Palace realms created by the nine human Heavenly Venerables, they only needed to cultivate to the Revered God realm to achieve immortality, forever remaining at their peak.
The sight of thousands of demigods charging in was enough to make anyone tremble. Yue Tianzun felt despair. Though she was one of the human Heavenly Venerables, she was still exploring the Heavenly Palace realms. The Heavenly Venerables of this era were not the most powerful beings in the world.
On the contrary, among the demigods, there were countless beings stronger than the Heavenly Venerables, as numerous as ox hairs.
Creator Luo Xiao also changed color. According to the memories of the Creator ancestors, the ancient gods' campaign to annihilate the Creator race had used countless demigods to charge in!
Though he hadn't experienced the terrifying scene of adult demigods, who had mastered the Dao laws, surging toward the Creators, he had seen it in the memories of his ancestors!
"No wonder we lost..."
He thought to himself: "The demigods reproduce faster than us, their Dao is more varied, their races are numerous, and they grow quickly. For our Creator race to return to our homeland will be extremely difficult."
Just as he thought this, Qin Mu's voice rang out: "Before his death, Yu Tianzun did not teach me the seven Heavenly Palace realms, nor did he teach me how to become a god."
He raised his hand. Darkness surged within Langxuan Divine Palace, and the power of the Youdu's great Dao appeared in the Yuan Realm.
Qin Mu said calmly, "I was the one who created the method of becoming a god, comprehended the realms of the Heavenly Palace, and taught them to all living beings. You..."
A hint of pride appeared on his face: "You were taught by me!"
His five fingers spread apart. The Gate of Bearing Heaven stood within Langxuan Divine Palace. Wherever it passed, countless seemingly powerful demigods instantly lost their primordial spirits, their souls cast into Youdu, dying horribly.
Countless corpses fell like rain, crashing into Langxuan Divine Palace, smashing through halls and palace walls.
Qin Mu clenched his five fingers tightly. The demonic energy of Youdu whistled into the Gate of Bearing Heaven, and the gate vanished.
He continued walking forward, along Langxuan Divine Emperor's arm, until he stood before him. Expressionless, he said, "Langxuan, your Heavenly Palace was also taught by me."
Langxuan Divine Emperor's massive face showed a flicker of panic. Then his body rapidly shrank, his aura growing stronger and stronger. Rays of Dao light burst from within him, shaking Qin Mu and the others off.
His strength was indeed terrifying, far surpassing Qin Mu's. But he had no confidence in dealing with Qin Mu, because every attack he made seemed full of flaws in Qin Mu's eyes!
And Qin Mu's divine abilities—he couldn't understand them!
If it came to a real fight, with his four faces and eight arms, his combat power meant he had no fear of Qin Mu. But Qin Mu also had no reason to fear him!
Light flashed around Qin Mu and the others, and they appeared before him again.
"Can we talk now?" A smile appeared on Qin Mu's expressionless face, growing wider. He spoke amiably.
Langxuan Divine Emperor was uncertain: "Talk about what?"
Qin Mu became even more amiable, saying, "After the Jasper Lake Gathering, I and Heavenly Venerable Qin have been in seclusion, cultivating and comprehending divine abilities. Now that the human Heavenly Court has been established, I came out to stretch my limbs. In the past, humans had no Heavenly Court, so we troubled the demigods under your command, Langxuan Divine Emperor, to take care of them. But now that the Xiaohan Heavenly Court exists, we can no longer trouble you, Divine Emperor."
Langxuan Divine Emperor steadied himself and laughed, "I see. Mu Tianzun, why didn't you say so earlier? With such a big commotion, I thought you had come to destroy my divine race."
Qin Mu laughed heartily, "I always do things with courtesy before force."
"Courtesy before force?"
Langxuan Divine Emperor looked at the nearly destroyed divine palace. Thousands of corpses lay scattered across halls and walls, and even the dried-up Jasper Lake was filled with the bodies of demigods.
His eyelids twitched uncontrollably, and he gave a wry smile: "This is Mu Tianzun's courtesy before force?"
"Yes."
Qin Mu clasped his hands behind his back, saying leisurely, "If we couldn't reach an agreement, the scene would be a hundred times more tragic than this. So it's courtesy before force. Divine Emperor, you know that I established my Dao through divine abilities and was granted the title of Heavenly Venerable by the Heavenly Emperor. All the demigods under you who cultivate the Heavenly Palace were taught by me. If I were to fully unleash my divine abilities..."
He looked around at the demigod deities who had survived in Langxuan Divine Palace, smiling, "They would all die. Your race would go extinct. I can't kill you, and you can't do anything to me. So I came with courtesy before force to discuss the future between our two sides."
Langxuan Divine Emperor suppressed his anger and laughed, "Mu Tianzun, what do you want to discuss? Feel free to be clear."
"What belongs to humans will be governed by humans. What belongs to the divine race will be governed by the divine race."
Qin Mu said, "From now on, the humans under the protection of your demigods will be relocated to the territory of the Xiaohan Heavenly Court. The demigods within the Xiaohan Heavenly Court's jurisdiction will also return to demigod territory. What do you think, Brother Dao?"
Langxuan Divine Emperor gave a wry smile, "My divine race has been farming these crops for years, from ancient times until now, eating and drinking as always. This has been the established rule passed down. This season's harvest hasn't even been gathered yet, and Mu Tianzun has come to reap it for us. If I agree, I'm afraid I won't be able to explain it to the divine race under my command."
Qin Mu said flatly, "If the divine race were all dead, then Divine Emperor wouldn't need to explain anything. The ancient rules, passed down to the present, are no longer suitable. What needs to change should be changed."
Langxuan Divine Emperor raised an eyebrow and laughed heartily, "Since the Xiaohan Heavenly Court has been established, I haven't yet offered my congratulations. Very well, I'll give Mu Tianzun this face. These crops are yours. Mu Tianzun, back at the Jasper Lake Gathering, I was at the Heavenly Court Gathering. We never met. Today, I see that Mu Tianzun truly deserves to be titled Heavenly Venerable by His Majesty for his divine abilities. Why not come inside for a detailed discussion?"
Qin Mu said politely, "No need. I've troubled Divine Emperor for so long, and I feel bad about it. I won't disturb you further. Farewell."
Langxuan Divine Emperor replied courteously, "Then I won't keep you, Heavenly Venerable."
Qin Mu said, "No need to see me out, no need to see me out."
He turned and walked away. Langxuan Divine Emperor stared at his back, murderous intent blazing on all four of his faces. Suddenly, the countless ruins and broken walls in Langxuan Divine Palace flew up, as if time were flowing backward. The entire Heavenly Palace rapidly restored itself!
Soon, Langxuan Divine Palace was as good as new, exactly as it had been!
But the powerful demigods who had died at Qin Mu's hands did not revive. Corpses still lay everywhere.
Langxuan Divine Emperor's eight arms trembled violently as he forcibly suppressed his murderous intent: "This divine ability, this divine ability..."
He watched Qin Mu walk out of the divine palace. The collapsed Southern Heavenly Gate also stood up and closed on its own.
"I really can't understand it!" He gritted his teeth until his gums bled, feeling a deep sense of powerlessness wash over him.
Qin Mu and the others walked toward the Xiaohan Heavenly Court. Qin Mu said, "Yue, after we return, you should go to Langxuan Divine Emperor's territory and relocate the humans. Find places with abundant water and grass, suitable for farming and herding. Open education, enlighten the people. I've thought it over carefully. You're right. If one generation doesn't awaken, there's the next. If two generations don't awaken, there's the third. In every generation, a few will awaken. They are our human race's hope..."
Yue Tianzun followed behind him, listening quietly. Suddenly, she said, "Mu Qing?"
Qin Mu turned around, revealing a bright, sunny smile: "Why have you started calling me Mu Qing?"
"Nothing."
Yue Tianzun smiled and said, "I suddenly feel that the name Mu Qing has a beautiful artistic conception. Whenever I say it, I can't help but picture a young boy herding cattle and sheep on an endless green grassland. Tell me, is that where Mu Tianzun's name comes from?"
Qin Mu laughed, "You're overthinking it."