# Chapter 1047: Sworn Brotherhood of Liuli
"Hong, Great Hong, could he be the later Hong Tianzun? That is to say, he might be the Great Emperor?"
Qin Mu stared at the young man in the wide-sleeved robe, suddenly feeling as if his life was being held in someone's grasp.
He suspected that Hong Tianzun was the Great Emperor's hidden identity within the Heavenly Court, and now this young man called Hong appearing here suddenly gave him a feeling of being watched.
If he weren't from a later era and didn't know about a later Hong Tianzun, he might really have been fooled by this young man called Great Hong.
If Hong really was the Great Emperor, then that would be too terrifying.
The Great Emperor's strength was at the level of the Heavenly Emperor's existence. His physical body was revered by the Creators as the strongest in the world. Of course, Qin Mu believed the Heavenly Emperor's body was even stronger.
But one thing could be confirmed: the Great Emperor's divine consciousness was absolutely number one, unprecedented, and even for a million years afterward, there would be no one with such powerful divine consciousness. Even the Red Emperor, famous for his indestructible divine consciousness, was a hundred thousand miles behind him!
If the Great Emperor wanted to kill him, it would be effortless.
Qin Mu sat in the carriage, feeling as if he were sitting before the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor, his hair standing on end. Of course, he restrained his fear, only allowing the back of his neck to tremble with goosebumps.
The flags of the Heavenly River Navy's many tower ships and great vessels fluttered, each tower ship carrying thousands of troops, mostly half-gods cultivated into divine demons.
Qin Mu glanced into the distance and laughed: "Brother Hong, there are too many people chasing you. It's better not to implicate us."
Hong suddenly boarded the Heavenly Dragon Treasure Chariot, laughing: "Mu Tianzun, you are also fleeing for your life. What harm is there in bringing me along?"
He walked into the carriage, and Qin Mu tried his utmost to suppress the fear in his heart. The Great Emperor of this era had not yet been killed by Yun Tianzun and the Creators of the Great Void.
Yun Tianzun and the Creators of the Great Void had killed the Great Emperor's physical body and half of his divine consciousness. The current Hong was likely the Great Emperor in his complete form.
Qin Mu felt the back of his neck about to break out in cold sweat, forcibly suppressing his body's sweating function, and laughed: "Brother Hong Tian, Brother Hong knows me?"
Hong sat opposite Luo Xiao, looked at Luo Xiao, then looked out the window, appearing very nervous, and said: "Mu Tianzun caused a stir at the Jade Pool over a thousand years ago, receiving the attack of Lady Yuanmu's projection, and even under the pressure of Lady Yuanmu's projection's Dao, severely wounded Hao Tianzun with one sword, shaking the world. Having done such earth-shattering deeds, who in the world wouldn't know you?"
Just then, another cry for help came from outside the carriage, calling out: "Is that Mu Tianzun? Please save me!"
Qin Mu, Luo Xiao, and Hong all looked outside the carriage, only to see another army charging out of the Southern Heavenly Gate. It was the army of the Southern Fallen Master Gate pursuing a handsome youth.
That youth stepped on the Heavenly River, rushing toward the Heavenly Dragon Treasure Chariot at great speed, quickly reaching the carriage, and shouted: "Quick, go quickly!"
The armies of the Four Great Master Gates of the Heavenly Court were managed by the Four Great Heavenly Masters. Although Qin Mu didn't know who the Four Great Heavenly Masters of the Dragon Han Era were, anyone worth the Southern Fallen Master Gate mobilizing a great army to pursue was certainly no small matter!
The Heavenly Dragon Treasure Chariot sped away, leaving the Heavenly River Navy and the Southern Fallen Master Gate behind.
Qin Mu's divine consciousness rippled, transmitting a message to the Dragon Qilin, telling him the location of the Ancestral Court and instructing him to go there.
Just then, he felt his divine consciousness being probed.
The one probing his divine consciousness was Luo Xiao. Luo Xiao's divine consciousness was the most obvious. He was very curious about Qin Mu, knowing that Qin Mu's divine consciousness was extremely powerful and very mysterious, seeming to understand the Creators extremely well.
So after sensing Qin Mu's divine consciousness fluctuation, he tried to use his divine consciousness to probe Qin Mu's.
However, Qin Mu also sensed a second divine consciousness.
This divine consciousness was extremely hidden, so hidden that it was almost imperceptible!
This divine consciousness came from layers of void space, making it difficult to detect. If Qin Mu hadn't obtained the Great Emperor's Great Luo Supreme Divine Consciousness, he wouldn't have been able to detect this divine consciousness secretly probing him.
But in this treasure chariot, besides Luo Xiao and Hong, there was also the youth who had just boarded. It was hard to determine which of the two of them was probing Qin Mu with their divine consciousness.
"But one thing is certain: the Great Emperor is inside the carriage!"
Qin Mu suppressed his fear and said: "Brother Hong, were you also at the Heavenly Court back then? Since you weren't at the Jade Pool, you must have been at the Heavenly Court gathering. Since you received an invitation from the Heavenly Emperor to attend the Heavenly Court gathering, your strength must be astonishing. You must be a leader among the half-gods. Why are you being pursued by the Heavenly River Navy?"
Hong clasped his hands in his sleeves, sighed, and said: "Mu Tianzun is truly a clever man. I am the number one demon in the world, still different from you humans. Our demon race awakened very early. When you humans couldn't even cultivate, our demon race had already begun to practice. I was the first to awaken, eating wind and drinking dew, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon. Over time, I gave birth to spiritual wisdom. The Heavenly Emperor ordered me to lead the demon race, and also invited me to the Heavenly Court gathering. But I was in the Lingxiao Treasure Hall at that time and didn't see Mu Tianzun."
"I see."
Qin Mu looked at the handsome youth who had just boarded the treasure chariot, secretly praising his handsomeness. He was probably a beauty who could compete with Yin Tianzi Yin Chaojin, and laughed: "May I ask your name, friend?"
"My name is Xiao."
That handsome youth laughed: "The human Xiao, Xiao of the spring dawn. Mu Tianzun may not have heard my name, but I have heard of the Tianzun's name like thunder piercing the ears."
Qin Mu's heart suddenly tightened, his blood almost freezing: "Could it be Xiao Tianzun? If it is Xiao Tianzun, then this small treasure chariot of mine has become quite lively. The Great Emperor among the Creators and the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor have both graced me with their presence..."
He forcefully suppressed the impulse to have Yan'er extinguish the lamp and escape from here, forcing a smile that wasn't a smile: "Xiao is your given name, but what is your surname?"
That handsome youth said: "Mu Tianzun may not know this, but surnames came later, and only people with status and position were qualified to have surnames. My family was poor, so I had no surname, only a given name. Later I randomly took a surname, Gu, called Gu Xiao, but those who know me still call me Xiao."
Qin Mu looked at Great Hong in the carriage and this human Gu Xiao, and his heart twitched violently twice again.
Great Hong looked very young, smiling, with his hands clasped in his sleeves and held to his chest. From his appearance, one could vaguely see the appearance of the later Hong Tianzun.
Gu Xiao was extraordinarily handsome, completely different from the later Xiao Tianzun.
The later Xiao Tianzun was aloof, eccentric, and domineering. He was the nominal Tianzun of the human race, but he wasn't handsome, having no resemblance to this youth called Gu Xiao.
Moreover, according to Xiao Tianzun's age, the current Xiao Tianzun hadn't been born yet. He only became Yun Tianzun's fervent disciple in the middle of the Dragon Han Era.
"Is this Xiao really Xiao Tianzun?" Qin Mu wondered in his heart.
Silence fell in the carriage, each of the four lost in their own thoughts.
The Heavenly Dragon Treasure Chariot had already left the Heavenly River far behind, speeding toward the outer heavens. The spatial coordinates Qin Mu had given the Dragon Qilin were precisely in the outer heavens.
Behind them, on the warships of the Heavenly River Navy, countless divine beings shouted and waved their flags. The Heavenly River actually split into a tributary, and those warships, with their banners fluttering, continued the pursuit.
Hong looked outside with surprise, his eyes flickering, and said: "Tianzun, are you trying to escape to the outer heavens? The world barrier of the Primordial Realm is very thick. Leaving the Primordial Realm is not easy."
Qin Mu's eyes flickered, and he laughed: "Brother Hong, do you have a way to leave the Primordial Realm?"
Hong shook his head and said: "Although I want to escape to the outer heavens, I am trapped in the Primordial Realm and am powerless to do so. However, I have heard that if you follow the Heavenly River forward, you can leave the Primordial Realm through the Heavenly River and reach the cosmic starry sky. You can even travel to the four poles and reach the Mystic Capital or the Nether Capital!"
"Thank you for the guidance, Brother Hong."
Qin Mu chuckled: "Brother Hong says he is powerless, yet he speaks of the method to leave the Primordial Realm with great authority. How strange."
Hong laughed heartily.
Gu Xiao took out a small file and filed his nails, glancing at Hong with a curious expression: "Brother Hong, why are you being pursued by the Heavenly River Navy? As far as I know, you are the Grand Marshal of the Heavenly River Navy. For the Heavenly River Navy to pursue its own Grand Marshal is rather puzzling."
Qin Mu's heart tightened, and he looked at Great Hong.
Hong sighed: "I am guilty of speaking carelessly. To tell you the truth, when Mu Tianzun killed the Five Luminaries Star Lords on the Heavenly River, I was on the Heavenly River drilling the navy and saw this scene. I couldn't help but praise it. I was impressed by Mu Tianzun's divine abilities and had no rebellious intent, but someone reported me to the Heavenly Emperor. The Heavenly Emperor was furious and ordered my capture, wanting to send me to the Divine Execution Platform. I had no choice but to flee for my life."
Qin Mu sighed deeply, tears falling: "I never thought it would be me who implicated Brother Hong! It is my fault!"
Hong's eyes flickered, landing on Gu Xiao, and said: "I heard that the Heavenly Master of the Southern Fallen Master Gate is extremely mysterious, appearing and disappearing without a trace. However, I have some friends in the Southern Fallen Master Gate who told me that the Heavenly Master of the Southern Fallen Master Gate is a human deity. I was both surprised and impressed. Could it be that the human Heavenly Master is Brother Xiao? Brother Xiao, why are you being pursued by your own army?"
Qin Mu's gaze fell on Gu Xiao, showing a puzzled expression.
Gu Xiao put down the file, sighed deeply, and said: "I too am guilty because of Mu Tianzun killing the Five Luminaries Ancient Gods on the Heavenly River. But it wasn't because I admired Mu Tianzun's supreme Dao techniques. Rather, I saw this friend."
He looked at Luo Xiao and said: "I saw that this friend's physical body was vast and boundless, even surpassing the Ancient Gods, so I couldn't help but praise it. Only later did I learn that this friend was actually a Creator, and there is some discord between the Ancient Gods and the Creators. I too was arrested by the Heavenly Court for an inadvertent remark."
Qin Mu couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "Both friends are guilty of speaking carelessly. You were originally high and mighty, but because you said one wrong word, you ended up in this situation, having to flee for your lives with me."
He sighed repeatedly, unable to stop himself from tearing up again.
Gu Xiao and Great Hong quickly tried to console him, saying: "People say that Mu Tianzun's righteousness reaches the clouds, that he has a warm heart and is a timely rain for the people. Seeing you today, your reputation is indeed well-deserved."
"Tianzun need not worry about our circumstances. Perhaps this calamity was meant for us."
Qin Mu stopped his tears, choked up, and said: "When I heard about your experiences, I thought of my own situation, and sadness came over me. My circumstances are so similar to yours that I lost my composure. You and I are different people but share the same fate. Today, heaven has worked its magic, allowing us to be in the same carriage fleeing for our lives. Why don't we..."
He clenched his fist, excited: "Why don't we become sworn brothers? We'll form a bond of brotherhood, become sworn siblings of different surnames, not seeking to be born on the same day, month, or year, but seeking to die on the same day, month, and year!"
Gu Xiao and Great Hong stared wide-eyed, looking at each other, unable to speak.
Qin Mu grew even more excited, stood up, paced back and forth in the carriage, suddenly clapped his hands, and laughed: "Luo Xiao, you are a Creator, also a stranger stranded in a foreign land, pursued by the Heavenly Court, not tolerated by the Ancient Gods. You are the same as us. The four of us will become sworn brothers together!"
Gu Xiao and Great Hong's expressions grew even stranger, their brows furrowed into a "川" shape.
Qin Mu was elated, shouting loudly: "We will swear an oath to the Earth Lord, to die on the same day, month, and year!"
Great Hong broke out in a cold sweat, gave a dry laugh, and said: "Mu Tianzun, you are a Tianzun. How could we presume to be your equals?"
Gu Xiao also chuckled: "The Creators are enemies of the Ancient Gods. If we swear an oath to the Earth Lord, wouldn't we be sending Brother Luo Xiao into the Earth Lord's mouth? This matter of sworn brotherhood should be discussed at length."
Qin Mu seemed too excited to control himself, stepped forward, grabbed the hands of the two, and knelt down, laughing: "Better to choose a day than to have it chosen for you. Today, we'll kowtow and become sworn brothers! Brother Luo Xiao, come, let's do it together!"
Luo Xiao hesitated for a moment, then made up his mind, stepped forward, and knelt down.
Qin Mu glanced at Gu Xiao and Great Hong, sneering: "Could it be that you two look down on me and Brother Luo Xiao? I am Mu Tianzun, and I have already knelt. Why won't you kneel?"
Gu Xiao and Great Hong exchanged glances, then reluctantly knelt down. Gu Xiao said in a low voice: "Brother Luo Xiao is a Creator. We cannot swear an oath to the Earth Lord, nor can we swear to the Heavenly Lord..."
Qin Mu pressed one hand on Gu Xiao's head and the other on Great Hong's head, and the four of them kowtowed together, laughing: "Then we won't swear to the Earth Lord or the Heavenly Lord."