Chapter 1372: Nine Prison Platform (First Update)
Qin Mu widened his eyes, staring at the "godfather" of the dragon qilin on the throne and the "adopted son" of Dragon Xiao beneath it, a bizarre and absurd feeling rising in his heart.
He had been worried that the dragon qilin had been devoured by that giant beast, yet he never expected that Dragon Xiao had captured the dragon qilin and adopted him as a son!
And judging by the situation, the dragon qilin was actually doing quite well by Dragon Xiao's side!
With a hum, Qin Mu spread his divine hidden domain, activated the Path of Grand Beginning, and the chains around his neck fell off on their own.
Dragon Xiao suddenly raised his head, his eighteen eyes fixed on Qin Mu, and exclaimed in shock, "You can resist the rules of this place and use your divine abilities?"
Qin Mu stretched his body, looked around, and said, "This place forms natural great path shackles that specifically lock down cultivation. The amount of great path cultivation I can use is limited—only four types."
Dragon Xiao was startled and uncertain. After a moment, he laughed heartily, "Impressive, truly impressive! No wonder you're honored as Shepherd Celestial Venerable. I originally thought you were a fraud, just a filler among the Celestial Venerables, but I didn't expect you to have real skill!"
He stood up, walked down from the throne, and in a few steps came to Qin Mu's side. His long body circled Qin Mu several times. Seven of his nine heads' necks were severed, and although the dragon qilin had treated his wounds, they were still not fully healed.
He looked Qin Mu up and down, as if appraising livestock, and praised, "Truly remarkable. Your cultivation isn't high, but your abilities are truly extraordinary."
He returned to the throne, which seemed to be forged from the thorny mountains of this place, like a thicket of brambles, but it didn't harm him in the slightest.
Qin Mu glanced at the dragon qilin and smiled, "Dragon Xiao, your adopted son is quite unique—half dragon, half qilin."
The dragon qilin bellowed, "Hark, Shepherd Celestial Venerable, let it be known that my surname is Dragon and my given name is Pi! You may call me Young Master Pi! When I was fleeing, I used my divine abilities and was spotted by several good brothers also on the run. Without a word, they picked me up and ran. Later, my godfather arrived, found me clever and exceptionally intelligent, and so adopted me as his son."
Qin Mu blinked and immediately understood the situation.
During the battle where he, Wei Suifeng, and Youming Crown Prince killed Earth Mother Primordial Lord, the range of the Glazed Azure Canopy was too vast. The dragon qilin and the nearby giant beasts were all fleeing to avoid being caught in the aftermath.
He figured that at that time, the dragon qilin was still trying to use his reverse summoning divine ability to summon himself to the Great Black Mountain in the ancestral court, but he was discovered by other fleeing giant beasts.
Those giant beasts thought the dragon qilin was one of them, and seeing that he wasn't running fast enough, they picked him up in their mouths to escape.
The dragon qilin couldn't use his reverse summoning divine ability, and by the time they reached a safe distance, they encountered Dragon Xiao, who was also fleeing.
Dragon Xiao swept them up and fled all the way here to take refuge.
Although the dragon qilin's medical skills were a mess, they were still far better than those of the giant beasts. So he curried favor by treating Dragon Xiao's injuries. Dragon Xiao must have taken a liking to him, finding him clever and skilled, and thus adopted him as his son.
Dragon Xiao laughed heartily, "Shepherd Celestial Venerable, do you know what this place is called? This is Mount Qi, which the Creators of old called the Heavenly Prison, the Nine Prison Platform! In the past, Creators and ancient gods who committed heinous crimes were often thrown here. In this place, not even you, but even ancient gods become mortals. Every step you take brings piercing pain and wailing. In the end, you'll be twisted beyond recognition and die a miserable death!"
"Mount Qi, the Heavenly Prison?"
Qin Mu was taken aback, looking around, and murmured, "The Heavenly Court also has a Heavenly Prison, but it's not this terrifying... If the Heavenly Prison corresponds to a cultivation realm, then which of the seven realms of the Heavenly Palace should it match..."
Dragon Xiao glanced at him and said, "This is just the outer edge of the Heavenly Prison, the first platform of the Nine Prison Platform. If you reached the ninth prison, not only would you be unable to use divine abilities, but even the so-called Ten Celestial Venerables would only meet their death there! There are at least several dozen ancient god corpses there! Submit to me, become my mount, and you'll have boundless glory on the reverse side of the ancestral court. Refuse me, and I'll throw you into the ninth prison to let you taste a fate worse than death!"
Qin Mu laughed heartily, "Dragon Xiao, you're already at death's door, yet you're still dreaming grand dreams."
He repeated Wei Suifeng's analysis verbatim and said calmly, "You only have one path to survival now, and that's to ally with me. Otherwise, when the Ten Celestial Venerables descend, you will surely die!"
Dragon Xiao snorted coldly, "If I pledge allegiance to one of the Celestial Venerables, I can live freely. Where's the danger of death?"
"If you pledge allegiance to one Celestial Venerable, the other nine will feel greatly threatened. To maintain a balance of power among the Celestial Venerables, you will inevitably be eliminated."
Qin Mu smiled faintly, "Dragon Xiao, I've invited you twice. I won't invite you a third time."
Dragon Xiao raised his dragon claw and tapped lightly on the throne. His nine faces shifted between gloom and brightness as he sized up Qin Mu. Suddenly, one dragon head roared, "You must have a way to handle my current crisis, which is why you came to me with such confidence! If you don't tell me your plan, I'll throw you into the ninth prison!"
Qin Mu smiled slightly, looked around, and laughed, "You don't need to throw me in. I'll go in myself."
Dragon Xiao's eyes widened as Qin Mu walked past him and headed deeper into the Heavenly Prison.
The second platform of the Heavenly Prison was right behind Dragon Xiao's throne, a cliff. Qin Mu leaped and jumped in.
He had originally wanted to see if the Nine Prison Platform could serve as a realm in the Heavenly Palace, and now was a good chance to test it.
Dragon Xiao quickly came to the edge of the cliff, leaned over to look down, and sneered, "Shepherd Celestial Venerable, if you can't bear it, just squeak, and I'll naturally rescue you. But I don't dare enter the ninth prison either. If you jump in and come out alive, I'll form an alliance with you."
The dragon qilin came to the cliff's edge, craned his neck, and called out, "How can a godfather form an alliance with a human pet?"
Dragon Xiao glanced at him and spat, "You and he are good brothers. Do you think I don't know? Don't try that trick on me."
The dragon qilin's fur stood on end.
Dragon Xiao laughed, "You're still green, not as seasoned as Shepherd Celestial Venerable. When I first came into contact with you, I used divine consciousness to probe your entire lineage back eighteen generations. The reason I recognized you as my adopted son, aside from appreciating your shamelessness, was to gain an advantage over Shepherd Celestial Venerable—at the very least, to surpass him in seniority! Moreover, I needed you to connect with Shepherd Celestial Venerable, so that if I couldn't make him my mount, I wouldn't end up at odds with him."
The dragon qilin immediately became docile and sincerely praised, "My godfather is wise!"
"Of course! But don't think you can domesticate me."
Dragon Xiao sneered, "How shrewd was King God Bo Yang? Wasn't I able to arrange him clearly, making him die in my place?"
The dragon qilin's eyes sparkled as he looked at him with admiration, his tail wagging back and forth.
Dragon Xiao couldn't stand being stared at like that and quickly said, "I've read your 'Manual of Domestication' from your memories. Don't use me as an experiment!"
The dragon qilin drooped his head in dejection, "My godfather truly is someone capable of domesticating King God Bo Yang, the foremost of the Three Ancient King Gods. I, your son, am ashamed to be inferior."
Dragon Xiao laughed heartily, "You're not bad either. Rest assured, as my adopted son, half of the reverse side of the ancestral court is yours!"
The dragon qilin blinked, "I'm domesticating him without realizing it, and he's domesticating me without realizing it. He's a master!"