Chapter 1293: Entering the Mine Vein
Yan Tianfei’s gaze fell upon Shu Jun, her tone indifferent. “Your adopted son has a very large head, which involuntarily reminds me of an old acquaintance…”
Shu Jun lowered his head, not daring to speak. The Empress Dowager had indeed seen him before, and knew him quite well.
Qin Mu smiled warmly. “Which old acquaintance does Lady Tianfei recall? Perhaps I might know them as well.”
Yan Tianfei shook her head. “He died long ago. There’s no way you could have met him. Mu Tianzun, your adopted son is quite remarkable, but he’s wasted with you. Your skills are mediocre, and you can’t teach him much. Would you be willing to give him to me?”
Qin Mu laughed heartily. “Giving him to you isn’t out of the question.”
Shu Jun’s heart clenched tight. Qin Mu continued, “However, your white cat would get jealous. And if Xiao Tianzun found out, he’d probably beat me to death.”
Yan Tianfei snorted, about to speak, when suddenly she looked toward the Heavenly Rift in the Ancestral Court.
Qin Mu sensed something as well and followed her gaze. He saw a Tianzun’s treasure chariot emerge from the rift, heading straight for a fleet of ships flying toward the fissure.
“Zu Shenwang has arrived!”
Yan Tianfei smiled ambiguously. “In recent years, groups of void beasts have frequently attacked the treasure ships transporting our vaults, looting the treasures mined from our respective territories. It seems Zu Shenwang intends to uncover the mastermind behind it all.”
Qin Mu’s heart skipped a beat. Recalling the scene of Long Qilin patrolling atop the Void Mother Beast, he immediately understood what Long Qilin had been up to these past few years.
The Ten Tianzun each had their own territories in the Ancestral Court. Although only the Tai Chu, Tai Su, and Tai Shi mine veins had fallen into the hands of Xiao Tianzun, Gong Tianzun, and Yan Tianfei respectively, the other divine gold mine veins were no less significant.
Clearly, after gaining control of the void beasts, Long Qilin had been rampaging through the Ancestral Court. Whenever a treasure ship from one of the Ten Tianzun’s territories left the Ancestral Court fully laden, he would lead the void beasts to plunder it!
And this time, Zu Shenwang had likely set a trap, luring Long Qilin to walk right into it!
“That fat dragon is still not mature enough!”
Qin Mu felt a surge of anxiety but kept his composure. “Controlling the Void Mother Beast to plunder the Ten Tianzun’s treasure ships must surely be the work of the Grand Emperor. Lady, the Grand Emperor is hiding among us. This man is cunning and treacherous—he might even rob his own ships to throw off suspicion.”
Yan Tianfei said calmly, “This time, Zu Shenwang is acting personally. He will be able to expose the Grand Emperor hiding among us.”
Cold sweat broke out on the back of Qin Mu’s neck.
If Zu Shenwang caught Long Qilin, wouldn’t the Ten Tianzun immediately conclude that Qin Mu was the mastermind? Then they could pin the title of Grand Emperor on Qin Mu and kill him under the pretense of avenging Mu Tianzun, claiming the Grand Emperor had reincarnated through him!
At that point, he would have no way to plead his innocence!
Suddenly, Zu Shenwang’s chariot did not meet his fleet. Instead, it veered off and sped toward another part of the Ancestral Court!
“Zu Shenwang has discovered Earth Mother Yuanjun!”
Both Qin Mu and Yan Tianfei’s hearts stirred. The only thing that could make Zu Shenwang abandon his fleet was Earth Mother Yuanjun!
Zu Shenwang’s forces in the Xuan Du had been completely uprooted by Earth Mother Yuanjun, wiping out nearly his entire influence! Those forces had taken countless years for Zu Shenwang to cultivate into their current scale. His hatred for Earth Mother was beyond imagination!
Qin Mu breathed a silent sigh of relief.
Hum—
An abyss appeared in the void. Yan Tianfei stepped into it, and the abyss vanished.
Qin Mu’s eyes flickered. Yan Tianfei was likely going after Zu Shenwang.
Shu Jun also relaxed, glancing at Qin Mu with displeasure. “Adoptive father?”
Qin Mu said gravely, “Be careful—Yan Tianfei might not have gone far.”
Shu Jun’s heart tightened, and he suppressed his irritation. “Letting him take advantage of me won’t kill me. Fine, fine.”
After a moment, Qin Mu’s expression darkened, and he sneered, “Brother Shenwang, you were far too careless! If it weren’t for me, you’d be dead already! First Earth Mother Yuanjun, then Yan Tianfei—you didn’t watch your own back, and you nearly dragged me down with you!”
Shu Jun quickly forced a smile. “I know I was wrong. Didn’t you also take advantage of me? I even called you godfather!”
Qin Mu’s expression softened. “Don’t let it happen again.”
Shu Jun nodded repeatedly, then suddenly realized, “I came to confront him, and he sidetracked me so easily! This bastard is getting harder and harder to deal with!”
Qin Mu asked, “Were you also drawn here by that Long Xiao?”
Shu Jun nodded. “That was Bo Yang Shenwang’s mount. Actually, it’s not really a mount—Long Xiao’s combat power is far greater than Bo Yang’s. He’s the ancestor of all giant beasts, practically a primordial god among them. This beast was a guardian deity from the ancient era, and even the gods feared him. I never thought he was still alive. I got greedy too—when I saw him, I rushed over to see if there was a chance to subdue him.”
Qin Mu shook his head. “Subdue him? Even the Grand Emperor might not be able to manage that. With your current level of divine consciousness, you can’t tame him.”
Shu Jun sighed, reluctant to let go of the idea of Long Xiao.
“However, Long Xiao’s appearance has put me on alert. I wonder what else is hidden in the dark side of these worlds. If Earth Mother summons the beasts from the shadowy realm, she might start a bloody war in the Ancestral Court, using these beasts to destroy the Ten Tianzun’s territories and seize the treasures they use to suppress their fortunes…”
Qin Mu shuddered at the thought.
If countless giant beasts died and were used in a blood sacrifice by a powerful being from the previous era, it could loosen Tai Yi’s seal! Then Tai Yi would have a headache, and perhaps even beings from the previous era might break out!
“Let Tai Yi worry about that.”
He shook his head and said, “Brother Shenwang, go through the void and inform Long Fatty that Zu Shenwang has arrived in the Ancestral Court. Tell him not to act recklessly.”
Shu Jun departed.
Qin Mu calmed his mind, pondered for a moment, and then walked out of the void himself. “Now that Yan Tianfei has gone to see Zu Shenwang and isn’t at the Tai Shi mine vein, I’ll take this chance to retrieve the Tai Shi primal stone from the mine!”
Before long, he returned to the Tai Shi mine vein. Xiu Hongsu said in surprise, “In just a few days, Tianzun has gained full confidence to face the mine’s anomalies?”
Qin Mu shook his head and sighed. “Not at all. But even so, I have to try, or I’ll die with regrets!”
Xiu Hongsu smiled. “Tianzun needn’t be so pessimistic. If you can’t get in, just retreat.”
She escorted him to the mine and said, “This mine may seem small, but it’s actually vast and very dangerous. Tianzun, be careful. The treasures here have become sentient, especially the divine stones—they have form but no substance, often wandering about, making them hard to mine. The primal stones are even more elusive. I’ve been ordered to guard this place and have seen the primal stone three times, but it escaped every time.”
Qin Mu thanked her, and Xiu Hongsu withdrew.
Qin Mu walked deep into the mine. Ahead, a thick mist rolled in, and within it stood several figures, formless and insubstantial—likely miners who had been assimilated by the mine.
As Qin Mu advanced, he saw figures standing in the mist, mouths open, silently screaming at him.
He paid them no mind and continued on. Suddenly, as he passed through a patch of mist, he stopped and smiled. “Little Seven, did you follow me? Did you come to see me into the mine?”
Behind him, a white cat padded silently forward, appearing at his back.