Chapter 1049: Colored Glass, Easily Shattered
Gu Xiao and Da Hong were slightly relieved. "This Celestial Venerable Mu's thoughts are truly unfathomable. When he caused havoc at the Jade Pool, he was so overbearing and unyielding, but now he's acting so mischievous and whimsical."
Qin Mu was elated. He clasped his hands together and raised them high, his right palm pressing against the back of his left hand, his voice booming like thunder: "Today, I am Mu Qing!"
Luo Xiao's expression was solemn as he said, "Today, I am Luo Xiao!"
Gu Xiao had no choice but to say, "Today, I am Gu Xiao!"
Da Hong steeled himself and said, "Today, I am Da Hong!"
The four spoke in unison: "We swear to become sworn brothers, bound by loyalty and righteousness, sharing hardship and life and death, never to be separated! We do not seek to be born on the same day, in the same month, of the same year, but we seek to die on the same day, in the same month, of the same year!"
As soon as the four finished speaking, their oath, empowered by their spirit, soul, and will, formed four incense sticks in their hands. The incense burned slowly, their fragrant smoke curling upward.
Their spirit, soul, and will were extremely powerful. The moment the oath was spoken, their words manifested reality. Although they had not sworn an oath to Lord Tu Bo or the Heavenly Lord, the oath still took physical form.
Qin Mu thought to himself, "Mu Qing is my alias. This oath has no binding power on me."
Gu Xiao's eyes flickered. "Heh, it's just a performance. My name isn't really Gu Xiao anyway, so this sworn brotherhood means nothing."
Da Hong's face was flushed with excitement, and he thought, "No one knows my true origins. Swearing an oath is just like drinking a sip of water."
Only Luo Xiao was sincere, his heart filled with joy.
Qin Mu called out to the outside of the carriage, "Pi, please invite the little brother from your ear to come in and be our witness!"
Outside the carriage, Dragon Qilin, who was sitting on the shaft, was extremely reluctant in his heart, but he still followed Qin Mu's instructions. He took a tiny Lord Tu Bo out of his ear.
This tiny Lord Tu Bo was a small life form created by Qin Mu through visualization using a Creation Divine Stone he had obtained in the Blood Rust Land.
After visualizing this tiny Lord Tu Bo, Qin Mu had paid him no further attention. However, Dragon Qilin had kept him by his side, caring for him attentively and sharing his elixirs with him.
Yan Er would occasionally feed him as well. Now, the tiny Lord Tu Bo had become round and plump, completely lacking the majestic aura of the real Lord Tu Bo.
"Be careful," Dragon Qilin said as he took out the tiny Lord Tu Bo, lowering his voice to instruct him. "None of the people inside the carriage are good people. They'll eat you up without even spitting out the bones."
The tiny Lord Tu Bo landed on the ground and said very seriously, "Moo!"
"Don't say anything when you get in there. If you speak, you'll fall into their trap," Dragon Qilin warned.
"Huh?" The tiny Lord Tu Bo blinked his eyes, looking a bit timid.
Inside the carriage, Qin Mu urged him again. Dragon Qilin had no choice but to let him go. The tiny Lord Tu Bo, with his short arms and legs, wagging his tail, trotted on his little cow hooves toward the carriage. The steps under the bead curtain were a bit high for him. He propped himself up with his hands, climbed up with difficulty, and then jumped down the steps into the carriage.
Inside the carriage, Gu Xiao, Da Hong, and Luo Xiao looked in surprise at this tiny little thing as it tottered past them. The one who had come in from outside to witness their sworn brotherhood was actually a round, chubby little monster!
This little monster actually bore a striking resemblance to Lord Tu Bo of the Netherworld!
"Lord Tu Bo, with his boundless and immense body, is extremely terrifying. I never thought that shrinking him down to this size would make him somewhat cute." Da Hong couldn't help but laugh.
The tiny Lord Tu Bo came to their side and opened his mouth. Qin Mu inserted the incense stick formed by his oath into the little creature's mouth. The tiny Lord Tu Bo swallowed the incense stick in one gulp, then trotted over on his little short legs to stand before Luo Xiao.
Luo Xiao examined him carefully and said in surprise, "Is this a creation of divine consciousness visualization?" After saying this, he also inserted the incense stick formed by his own oath into the tiny Lord Tu Bo's mouth.
The tiny Lord Tu Bo swallowed his oath and then came to stand before Da Hong.
Da Hong hesitated for a moment. He examined the little thing over and over several times, confirming that this little creature had nothing to do with Lord Tu Bo of the Netherworld and was not a clone or incarnation of Lord Tu Bo. Only then did he feel at ease and hand over the incense stick formed by his own oath to the little thing.
The tiny Lord Tu Bo swallowed this incense stick and then came to stand before Gu Xiao. Gu Xiao also examined him repeatedly before handing over his incense stick.
The tiny Lord Tu Bo swallowed the four incense sticks formed by the oaths of the four men. He tottered toward the main seat at the front, arrived at the foot of the seat, and tried his best to jump up.
The four men watched him. They saw him jump about five or six inches high, but he didn't make it onto the White Tiger Throne. He was still about a foot away from the seat.
The tiny Lord Tu Bo landed, crouched down, and jumped again. This time, he jumped a little higher, but he was still about six or seven inches away from the seat.
This little thing jumped several times in a row, but he still couldn't reach the seat. So, he started climbing up the leg of the seat.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, this little thing climbed with great difficulty to the top of the seat's leg, hooked one of his little cow legs over, and used his tail to grab onto the seat. Finally, he made it onto the throne and let out two heavy breaths.
The four men watched him. They saw the tiny Lord Tu Bo, now on the White Tiger Throne, catch his breath. He sat down with a plop, opened his mouth, and spat out a fragrant smoke. It was the four incense sticks formed by their oaths, which had been completely burned up in his stomach.
The fragrant smoke condensed before the four men, actually forming a scroll of a covenant.
The tiny Lord Tu Bo opened the covenant scroll, his expression serious. From his mouth came the demonic language of the Netherworld. Although his voice was not loud, it was solemn and dignified.
Luo Xiao, Gu Xiao, and Da Hong were all very surprised. Gu Xiao laughed and said, "This little thing actually understands the demonic language of the Netherworld and can even form a covenant scroll. He's quite extraordinary. Celestial Venerable Mu, where did this little thing come from?"
Qin Mu was also quite surprised. The tiny Lord Tu Bo was something he had visualized. But after visualizing him, he had never paid him any attention. He didn't know what Dragon Qilin had taught him.
The tiny Lord Tu Bo recited the covenant scroll once, then opened his mouth and swallowed the scroll back into his stomach. He stood up, turned around, and stretched one leg out over the edge of the seat, feeling around. He couldn't reach the ground.
This little thing broke out in a cold sweat on his forehead. He put his other leg down and felt around again. He still couldn't reach the ground.
He turned his head to look down, felt a wave of dizziness, and broke out in a cold sweat from anxiety. He kept making "Huh? Huh?" sounds.
This seat was too high for him. If he fell, he would probably be bruised and battered all over.
Qin Mu reached out his hand and placed it under the little thing's feet. The tiny Lord Tu Bo landed on his palm and quickly hugged one of his fingers, not daring to let go.
Qin Mu put his hand on the ground. Only then did the little thing become a bit braver. He carefully stretched out one leg, still not daring to let go of Qin Mu's finger.
Only when both of his legs were on the ground and he had tested the ground a couple of times did he finally let go of Qin Mu's finger. Then, he tottered out on his little short legs.
The four people in the carriage didn't say a word. They all turned their heads to watch him. They saw this tiny Lord Tu Bo twist his round, chubby cow butt over to the steps, prop himself up with his hands, climb up the steps, pass through the bead curtain, and jump down from the steps.
The four people in the carriage withdrew their gazes.
Outside the carriage, the tiny Lord Tu Bo came to Dragon Qilin's side. Dragon Qilin whispered, "The bad people in the carriage didn't do anything to you, did they?"
The tiny Lord Tu Bo shook his head. "Huh."
Dragon Qilin breathed a sigh of relief, put him back in his ear, and said, "Those four people are probably all bad guys. They're all very cunning. Don't have any contact with them."
Inside the carriage, the four men each took their seats. Qin Mu was all smiles, thinking to himself, "The covenant scroll of the tiny Lord Tu Bo is very useful. Although it has no restrictions on us, when I return to the future, I can use the covenant scroll to determine the true identities of Celestial Venerable Hong and Celestial Venerable Xiao. No matter how they try to hide their identities, they won't be able to fool me."
The tiny Lord Tu Bo he had visualized was extremely weak, but the function of the covenant scroll was very great.
"Even if they use false names and false identities, it will be useless in front of the covenant scroll."
Qin Mu's gaze shifted from Gu Xiao and Da Hong and landed on Luo Xiao. His expression was strange. "The only one who used his real name is probably this big brother from Tai Xu..."
He couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. Luo Xiao was still too naive.
Furthermore, the timing of Gu Xiao and Da Hong's appearance was extremely strange. Qin Mu had killed the Five Radiance Ancient Gods, and Luo Xiao had revealed his identity as a Creator. That was when these two had appeared.
Obviously, they had both come for these two matters.
Qin Mu narrowed his eyes, thinking to himself, "Da Hong's words showed that he was very concerned about my killing of the Five Radiance Ancient Gods. So, his goal is not the Creator Luo Xiao, but to understand how I was able to kill an Ancient God. As for Gu Xiao, his words showed that he was more concerned about Luo Xiao. So, his goal is to find out where Luo Xiao came from, and his purpose is to find out where the remnants of the Creators are hiding."
Just as he was thinking this, Luo Xiao suddenly said seriously, "Three brothers, to be honest with you, I am a Creator. I was sent out this time to find out if there are still any Creators left in this world, and also to find out where the Ancestral Court is..."
Qin Mu frowned and coughed heavily twice.
Luo Xiao glanced at him, confused, and continued, "I can't go to the Heavenly Court anymore. I don't know if there are any Creators there. However, Celestial Venerable Mu has already calculated where the Ancestral Court is. Our goal this time is to find the Ancestral Court. Since we are sworn brothers, I can't hide this from you two."
Qin Mu sighed inwardly. "How could the Creators of Tai Xu send him out? Does being sworn brothers really make you brothers? No wonder Luo Xiao died. I couldn't save him..."
Gu Xiao and Da Hong's eyes flickered. They both looked at Qin Mu. Da Hong laughed heartily and said, "I didn't expect Celestial Venerable Mu to know where the Creators' Ancestral Court is. Could it be that Celestial Venerable Mu is not a human, but also a Creator?"
"I am not. I just happened to calculate the location of the Creators' Ancestral Court through a stroke of luck."
Qin Mu suppressed the urge to give Luo Xiao a good beating and said with a smile, "Da Hong, are you also very interested in the Creators' Ancestral Court?"
Da Hong laughed and said, "I am well-informed. I have heard that many of the big shots among the Ancient Gods have obtained extraordinary treasures from the Creators' Ancestral Court, so I am very envious. Once, I went to visit the Northern Emperor. Emperors Xuan and Wu invited me to visit their family's treasure vault. It's ridiculous. I consider myself a well-traveled person, but I was completely stunned!"
He was full of admiration as he continued, "The treasures in the Northern Emperor's treasure vault were a dazzling array of beautiful things. Even I was dazzled. That was when I learned that their treasures all came from the Creators' Ancestral Court. So, I have been thinking about it, hoping that I can go to the Ancestral Court myself."
Gu Xiao said solemnly, "I didn't expect Brother Luo to be carrying such an important mission. I have great admiration for the Creator race. I have long heard that the Creator race was annihilated by the Ancient Gods, and the Ancient Gods even erased that disgraceful part of history. How despicable! I was also relieved to hear that you are still alive in this world. After we find the Ancestral Court, Brother Luo will have accomplished his mission. Can we accompany you to visit your people?"
Luo Xiao was overjoyed. "With the help of these three brothers, I can finally complete the task that the clan leader and the others assigned to me!"
Qin Mu coughed again, but Luo Xiao had already agreed wholeheartedly, which made him frantic.
"Pi! Go to the Netherworld!" Qin Mu shouted.
The three people in the carriage were startled, not understanding his intention. Just then, Dragon Qilin drove the treasure carriage straight through the world barrier between the Netherworld and the Yuan Realm and drove into the pitch-black Netherworld.
This Heavenly Dragon Treasure Carriage was a divine artifact from a million years in the future. It could travel between the Netherworld and the mortal world. In the early days, Qin Mu had used it once to avoid the divine consciousness that the Grand Emperor had projected from the Ultimate Void. At that time, Lang Wan, Shu Jun, and others were in the carriage.
Qin Mu looked out the window at the vast darkness, his expression shifting between overcast and clear.
He had not chosen to leave the Yuan Realm via the Heavenly River. Instead, he was leaving the Yuan Realm via the Netherworld. His goal was to shake off the Heavenly River Navy and the Southern Falling Divine Gate Army that were tracking them.
Luo Xiao thought that these two armies had come to hunt down Da Hong and Gu Xiao. However, Qin Mu knew that these two armies were under the command of these two men. They were not there to hunt them down, but to massacre the Creators of Tai Xu!
Gu Xiao coughed to remind Qin Mu, "Brother Mu Qing, as far as I know, Lord Tu Bo has a grudge against the Creators..."
Luo Xiao became very nervous and looked at Qin Mu.
Da Hong sighed and said, "Brother Mu Qing wants to shake off the Southern Falling Divine Gate and the Heavenly River Navy. It won't be easy. The Heavenly River runs through all the realms. In the Netherworld, it becomes the Styx River. The Styx River flows around Lord Tu Bo and falls into the Return to Ruins. The Heavenly River Navy and the Southern Falling Divine Gate are afraid that they will pursue us through the Styx River."
Qin Mu opened the carriage window, stuck his head out, and looked into the distance. Sure enough, he saw the scene of the Heavenly River before it was cut off.
The Heavenly River flowed from the void of the Yuan Realm into the Netherworld, transforming into the Styx River. It swirled around Lord Tu Bo's massive body and flowed downward.
This Styx River was held in Lord Tu Bo's hand, like a winding long whip. It finally ended at the feet of the Six Paths Lord Tu Bo.
In the distance, a few paper boats with horse lanterns were sailing toward them. It should be the Netherworld Celestial Venerable sensing someone intruding into the Netherworld, so he sent an incarnation to check. However, his cultivation was still weak at this time, and he couldn't catch up to the Heavenly Dragon Treasure Carriage.
This was something that would be impossible a million years later!
Qin Mu was worried about the Netherworld Celestial Venerable's safety and immediately ordered Dragon Qilin to leave at full speed. After all, there were two terrifyingly powerful big shots sitting in the carriage.
The Heavenly Dragon Treasure Carriage sped away. Qin Mu looked into the distance and, sure enough, saw warships appearing at the source of the Styx River. It was the Heavenly River Navy and the Southern Falling Divine Gate, who had already entered the Netherworld!
Qin Mu reached out and drew a line. A Gate of Bearing the Heavens appeared in front of the treasure carriage. The treasure carriage rushed into the gate, and when it reappeared, it was outside the Yuan Realm.
"Lord Tu Bo is truly vast and boundless."
Qin Mu praised him, then humbly asked for advice, "Three elder brothers, do you know the origins of the Ancient Gods? I have seen many Ancient Gods, some strong and some weak, and I am a bit curious about them."
Gu Xiao laughed and said, "I am a human. How would I know the origins of these ancient beings?"
Da Hong laughed and said, "I have heard that the Ancient Gods were weapons created by the Creators. The Ancient Gods rebelled, wiped out the Creator race, and proclaimed to the outside world that they were born from the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, hiding their disgraceful past."
Luo Xiao shook his head and said, "That's not entirely true. According to the knowledge passed down by my Creator race, the origins of the Ancient Gods are actually divided into four types. One is born from eggs, one is born from the Dao, one is born from sacrifices, and one is born from Heaven and Earth."
Qin Mu became interested and said, "There are these origins? Elder brother, please elaborate."