Chapter 1303: The Grand Emperor Descends (Third Update)
"The Grand Emperor has arrived?"
Qin Mu was slightly startled, then smiled, "Are you afraid that the Grand Emperor will seize the Void Mother Beast and thereby gain control over all the void beasts?"
Dragon Qilin nodded repeatedly, saying, "I was just about to attack the fleet transporting treasures for Ancestral God King when I saw him and immediately fled. Unexpectedly, at that moment, I sensed a vast, ocean-like divine consciousness pursuing me. It nearly took control of the void beasts. I had to steer them through layer after layer of void to escape and shake off that consciousness."
Qin Mu pondered for a moment, then asked, "Are you saying you managed to shake off that consciousness while controlling the void beasts?"
Dragon Qilin nodded.
"Then that person isn't the Grand Emperor."
Qin Mu mused, "The Grand Emperor's divine consciousness is the strongest in history. If he wanted to reclaim the Void Mother Beast, not even you, nor even if I and Langhuan God King joined forces, could protect it."
Dragon Qilin was puzzled. "That person's divine consciousness was incredibly powerful. When I was controlling the Void Mother Beast, she was commanding tens of thousands of void beasts, all screeching together. The combined divine consciousness of all those void beasts couldn't withstand that person—it collapsed at the first touch. How could such a formidable divine consciousness not belong to the Grand Emperor?"
Qin Mu shook his head. "Even if that person's divine consciousness is that strong, it still falls far short of the Grand Emperor. Now that the Grand Emperor has obtained a portion of the Primordial Origin Stone, his divine consciousness is so powerful that not even the combined consciousness of the ten Heavenly Honored Ones could contend with it! I know who that attacker is. I didn't expect him to have left the Heavenly Court and come here as well."
A strange expression crossed his face.
Dragon Qilin remained confused.
"Palace Heavenly Honored One and the son of the Primordial Heavenly Emperor, Langxuan Divine Emperor, have arrived in the Ancestral Court."
Qin Mu paced back and forth, studying the Void Mother Beast beside him, and said, "As a creator god and the son of Heavenly Emperor Taichu, Langxuan Divine Emperor's mastery of divine consciousness is not to be underestimated. His purpose in coming here should be this Void Mother Beast. After all, Langxuan is the most ancient Divine Emperor and carries the bloodline of the Heavenly Emperor, so he naturally won't be content to remain beneath Heavenly Honored One Hao."
He looked up. The Void Mother Beast's eyelids flipped open, and she bared her teeth at him, revealing a mouth full of sharp fangs.
Qin Mu paid it no mind and continued, "Heavenly Honored One Hao has been severely wounded—this is Langxuan Divine Emperor's golden opportunity! Langxuan's cultivation and strength are naturally inferior to Hao's, but if he gains control of the Void Mother Beast, he will also control the entire void beast race. That kind of power would be terrifying!"
He stated decisively, "With the Mother Beast, he would become the most formidable force in this world, with only Long Xiao able to rival him! And his goal, after subduing the void beasts, is to go to the dark side of the Ancestral Court and subdue Long Xiao! By then, he would effectively have two Heavenly Honored Ones backing him—how would the others dare to defy him?"
Dragon Qilin breathed a sigh of relief. "Fortunately, Langxuan Divine Emperor didn't take the Void Mother Beast..."
Qin Mu smiled slightly. "Long Pi, you've truly grown up. You did well. The Void Mother Beast is indeed crucial. Since Langxuan has already arrived in the Ancestral Court, and a great hole has been blasted open here, it means the void beasts can leave the Ancestral Court. I have a task for you: take all the void beasts out of the Ancestral Court and head to the Great Void!"
Dragon Qilin was startled and ventured, "Master, do you mean for me to lead the void beasts to oppose the Heavenly Court in the Great Void?"
Qin Mu nodded. "With an army of void beasts, the Heavenly Court's forces won't stand a chance against you! But you must be cautious when mobilizing them. Langxuan Divine Emperor is a Heavenly Honored One, extremely formidable—be careful he doesn't detect anything unusual."
He paced around the Void Mother Beast, thinking for a moment, then said, "Use the Mother Beast to give the order. Have all the void beasts gather in the Sixteenth Void, and then charge outward together. I expect Langxuan Divine Emperor won't be able to react in time!"
Dragon Qilin acknowledged, saying, "I'll have the Mother Beast summon the void beasts, but I also need to go to the Primeval Tree to pick up Yan'er and bring her along."
Qin Mu smiled. "Naturally."
Dragon Qilin lowered his head under his gaze, looking at his own claws.
"Long Pi has grown up."
Qin Mu sighed with emotion, leading him out of the Seventeenth Void and heading toward the Great Black Wood and the Ten Thousand Black Mountains. Meanwhile, in the Seventeenth Void, the Void Mother Beast kept shaking the bone mountains on her body, emitting strange cries to summon the void beasts in the Ancestral Court.
Just as Qin Mu and Dragon Qilin stepped out of the void, Dragon Qilin's face suddenly changed drastically, and he exclaimed, "Master, I can no longer sense the Void Mother Beast!"
"Don't shout."
Qin Mu's expression remained unchanged, and he smiled calmly. "Keep walking forward. Once we reach the Great Black Wood, we'll be safe."
Dragon Qilin was bewildered, but Qin Mu's smile didn't fade. He said softly, "The Grand Emperor is watching us."
Dragon Qilin felt a chill run down his spine, a wave of terror washing over him.
"The one chasing you was Langxuan Divine Emperor, but the Grand Emperor has also arrived. Langxuan's divine consciousness cultivation should be above mine, but slightly weaker than Langhuan God King's. If he had truly been pursuing you, you and the Void Mother Beast could never have escaped—the Seventeenth Void wouldn't have been safe either. There's only one reason you managed to get away."
Qin Mu's smile was bright, making him look innocent, as he said unhurriedly, "That is, a being with even stronger divine consciousness interfered with Langxuan's! The only one in the world with that ability, who could do so without alerting Langxuan, is the Grand Emperor—not even Langhuan God King could manage it. The Grand Emperor was stirred by Long Xiao's presence and thus came to the Ancestral Court."
Dragon Qilin was about to use his divine consciousness to communicate, but Qin Mu smiled and said, "Don't use divine consciousness. If you do, the Grand Emperor will detect it. Now that he has the Primordial Origin Stone, his divine consciousness is unfathomable."
Dragon Qilin bared his teeth in a grin and said in a rumbling voice, "Master, do you mean the Grand Emperor has been right beside me all along?"
Qin Mu smiled, his expression a bit stiff. "He was right beside us just now."
Dragon Qilin wanted to shiver but dared not, and whispered, "Then the Void Mother Beast..."
"She was already under his control long ago."
Qin Mu couldn't help rubbing his stiff, smiling face and continued to grin. "With his skill, even if he controlled the Mother Beast, you wouldn't notice anything wrong and would still think you were the one in command. And that analysis I just gave wasn't for you—it was for him. After the Grand Emperor takes control of the Mother Beast, he'll use it to lure Langxuan Divine Emperor, first crippling that strong enemy, then going alone to subdue Long Xiao!"
Dragon Qilin was about to speak when suddenly a loud laugh rang out: "As expected of Mu Heavenly Honored One—you see things so clearly! Using the Mother Beast to lure Langxuan and cripple him—what a brilliant idea! Thank you—"
Qin Mu's face changed drastically, and he exclaimed in shock, "Grand Emperor? You've been beside us all along?"
Whoosh—
A surge of divine consciousness whipped up a gale and howled into the distance. The Grand Emperor's voice came, chuckling, "Clever as you are, you still couldn't detect me! Since you've given me this idea, I'll spare your lives!"
Dragon Qilin's face turned ashen, his limbs trembling, and he stammered, "Master..."
Qin Mu said nothing, his face dark as he hurried forward. Dragon Qilin, quaking with fear, quickly followed him.
Ahead, the Great Black Wood came into view, and Qin Mu finally breathed a sigh of relief, breaking into a smile again. "If the Grand Emperor dares to move against Langxuan Divine Emperor, Ancestral God King won't be able to sit still! So, this will surely end in mutual destruction!"
Dragon Qilin was dumbfounded, his mouth hanging open, and he stammered, "Master, that idea you just gave..."
"The Ancestral Court today is no longer the Grand Emperor's domain."
Qin Mu said flatly. "If he goes to ambush Langxuan, he will face a great calamity. Besides, Heavenly Duke and Earthly Judge are also in this Ancestral Court—how could they allow it?"
Dragon Qilin's mind buzzed, and he said gloomily, "Master, I suddenly feel like I'm still a child, not yet grown up. You'd better just call me Fatty Dragon..."