Chapter 1119: Small Heavenly Court, Great Heavenly Court (First Update)
Yu Chudu staggered along, following Qin Mu and the others, his mind still replaying the image of Qin Mu killing the White Earth Ancient God moments ago.
That scene just now, with flashing blades and darting sword shadows, had brought him immense shock.
Back then, Yun Luo Emperor Wei Suifeng had overpowered the twelve ancient gods, which had stunned him, but it couldn't compare to today's scene.
Qin Mu executing Jing Baichuan had also given him great shock, but compared to killing the White Earth Ancient God, it paled in significance.
Yu Chudu felt a surge of hot blood stirring within him, itching to immediately grab a blade and hack away wildly, sweeping away all the injustices of the world!
This shishu seemed to possess a peculiar spirit, carrying a powerful infectiousness that had infected him, making his blood boil!
"Shishu, who exactly are you?" he murmured, asking.
Long Qilin laughed and said, "Naturally, he is Mu Tianzun. An elder of the Heavenly Saint Cult, you've already asked this question once."
Yu Chudu was still unsatisfied with this answer, muttering, "Mu Tianzun, Mu Tianzun..."
However, he was, after all, Yun Luo Emperor Wei Suifeng's most valued disciple. His experiences and encounters had made him steady and cautious. He said, "Shishu, by killing the White Earth Ancient God, you've likely exposed our trail! The Heavenly Court and White Emperor only need to question the White Earth Ancient God's soul to track down who killed him!"
"They won't find out."
Qin Mu said calmly, "His soul has scattered. Other than me, who can reassemble his spirit? In this world, only one person can investigate his cause of death, and that person is me!"
Yu Chudu's eyes widened, and he unconsciously stopped in his tracks.
Long Qilin turned his head and laughed, "Elder Yu, hurry up and catch up."
Yu Chudu hastily hurried forward, speaking earnestly, "Shishu, can you teach me?"
Qin Mu turned his head to look at him, a puzzled expression on his face. Yu Chudu quickly explained, "I don't mean that my teacher's skills are insufficient, but that shishu's abilities are truly too strong. So I'm being greedy, wanting to learn a bit more..."
Qin Mu laughed heartily and said, "I am still a True God right now. Your master could handle a hundred of me with one hand. His skills are naturally extremely formidable; it's just that he hasn't been exposed to the Yan Kang Reformation, so they're outdated. But once I rescue him and he absorbs the fruits of the Yan Kang Reformation, his achievements will only be greater. There's no need for you to follow me. Just go to Yan Kang, and you can learn everything I have."
Yu Chudu showed a look of longing, asking expectantly, "If I go to Yan Kang and learn those skills, can I become as strong as shishu?"
Qin Mu thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No. Although you have learned your master's skills well, you lack creativity. Looking at your divine abilities, you use nothing but your master's techniques, with no innovation, no adaptation. Even if you go to Yan Kang and learn the fruits of the Yan Kang Reformation, you'll only rank as second or third rate there."
Yu Chudu's face turned as black as iron.
Qin Mu comforted him, saying, "But if you learn the fruits of the Yan Kang Reformation and then go to the Heavenly Court, you'll be more than enough to be a first-rate expert. There won't be many at the Jade Capital realm who can match you. If you can integrate several different Emperor Throne techniques and cultivate the Small Heavenly Court technique, then in battles at the same realm, even among the disciples of the Heavenly Venerables, there will be few who can stand shoulder to shoulder with you."
"The Small Heavenly Court technique?"
Yu Chudu was lost in reverie, excitedly saying, "I've heard my teacher mention it. The Small Heavenly Court technique involves integrating several Emperor Throne techniques, but if one can merge all eighteen Emperor Throne techniques into one, that is the Great Heavenly Court technique. What if I could cultivate the Great Heavenly Court technique?"
"Then you would be a Heavenly Venerable."
Qin Mu said calmly, "Anyone who can comprehend the Great Heavenly Court technique possesses the aptitude of a Heavenly Venerable. At the Jade Capital realm, you will dominate and be unrivaled. Even a Heavenly Venerable at the same realm would find it no easy task to defeat you."
Yu Chudu was inexplicably excited, clenching his fists.
Qin Mu glanced at him and warned, "From an Emperor Throne technique to the Small Heavenly Court technique, the difficulty multiplies with each additional technique integrated. Merging two or three is extremely difficult; merging over ten is as hard as reaching the heavens. Among the disciples of the Ten Heavenly Venerables in the Heavenly Court, even the rarest experts in ten thousand years can only merge six or seven. As for merging all eighteen techniques to initially step into the Great Heavenly Court, such a person might exist in the Heavenly Court, but I haven't seen one yet."
Yu Chudu was drenched by this bucket of cold water, feeling utterly chilled. He quickly asked, "What about you, shishu? How many Emperor Throne techniques have you merged?"
"Fourteen. Plus my Grand Unification technique, that makes fifteen."
Qin Mu sighed with emotion, saying, "I seem very close to the Great Heavenly Court technique, but in reality, it's extremely far away, and I can never seem to cross that threshold. The Ten Heavenly Venerables are still remarkable. If they fought me at the same realm, I could at most be just a hair's breadth stronger than them."
He sighed ruefully.
Yu Chudu was horrified.
Without exposure to the Yan Kang Reformation, one could not understand its power.
The Yan Kang Reformation was driven by Qin Mu, Xu Shenghua, Jiang Baigui, Yan Feng Emperor, Yan Xiu Emperor, Lin Xuan, Wang Muran, and others. Each person's contributions varied, but they exchanged ideas freely without hoarding their knowledge.
The most fundamental aspect of the Yan Kang Reformation was the reform of the divine repositories. The cultivation of Yan Kang practitioners today differed from the Heavenly Court starting from the Embryo realm. At the Embryo realm, they delved into mathematical techniques and planted the Jian Tree within the Embryo divine repository.
By the time they reached the Five Luminaries divine repository, the Jian Tree had pierced through the Five Luminaries, connecting them with the Embryo into a single whole, still equivalent to one divine repository, but their mana was much more abundant than in traditional cultivation methods.
By the time they reached the Six Harmonies divine repository, the spiritual platform transformed into the Six Harmonies, with the Jian Tree piercing through them.
As their realm increased, from start to finish, Yan Kang practitioners had only one unified divine repository. Whether in mana regulation, divine ability power, soul strength, or depth of cultivation, they far surpassed, even by several times, practitioners of the same realm in the Heavenly Court!
And by the time they reached the Divine Bridge divine repository, Yan Kang practitioners abolished the Divine Bridge divine repository and cultivated the Heavenly River divine repository. At this stage, no matter how many Emperor Throne techniques Heavenly Court practitioners cultivated, they could not make up for that terrifying gap!
The most brilliant moment of the Yan Kang Reformation was the reform of the divine repositories. However, at the Heavenly Palace realm, Yan Kang's achievements were much fewer, giving the gods of the Heavenly Court an opportunity to surpass them.
The reason for this situation was the sudden outbreak of the Yan Kang Calamity.
At that time, Yan Kang's people of goodwill, including Qin Mu, had basically stepped into or were about to step into the Heavenly Palace. Given their personalities, they would certainly have carried out bold reforms on the Heavenly Palace realm as well.
However, the Yan Kang Calamity erupted. Of the Three Heroes of the Reformation, Qin Mu was crippled, and Yan Kang's National Teacher and Yan Feng Emperor were imprisoned. The reform of the Heavenly Palace realm was abruptly interrupted.
Yu Tianzun, who could have become the pillar of the Yan Kang Reformation, was also forced into hiding in the Netherworld.
More than ten years had passed since the Yan Kang Calamity ended. The current Yan Kang Reformation focused more on micro-forging, led by Xu Shenghua, Lin Xuan, the Nine Elders of the Crippled Village, and Ling Yuxiu.
Although their talent was not inferior to Qin Mu, Jiang Baigui, and Yan Feng Emperor, their vision and boldness in sweeping reforms were somewhat lacking.
"Shishu, the ancestral land of the Earth Formation Ancient God has arrived," Yu Chudu said.
Qin Mu stopped, standing outside the Earth Formation ancestral land. He opened his third eye on his forehead and looked through the rolling, surging earthly sha energy into this ancestral land.
The sha energy here was extremely dense, blocking all external sight. However, in his eyes, everything within the Earth Formation ancestral land was crystal clear.