Chapter 1396: The Reemergence of the Jade Pool
"Lang Xuan's talent is extremely high, not inferior to mine. Unfortunately, he is not my Dao companion. Sooner or later, he and I will cross blades."
Qin Mu stood on the Jade Terrace, gazing into the distance at the Jade Sea, silently thinking to himself: "The talents of the Ten Celestial Venerables are not bad. Their current cultivation realms were not achieved by luck. If only these people's intelligence and wisdom could be used on the righteous path, how wonderful would that be?"
In his heart, whether it was Lang Xuan or Celestial Venerable Hao, they had both made contributions in the past. The Long Han Revolution was also led by them; it was they who ended the rule of the ancient gods.
However, after overthrowing the ancient gods, they chose to become ancient gods themselves.
They stood high above, doing everything in their power to maintain their own rule, erasing all hope of change.
For the sake of their ruling position, they could do anything—even if it meant children killing their parents, even if it meant brothers slaughtering each other, even if it meant committing every conceivable evil!
The reason they did not destroy Eternal Peace was not out of mercy, but for the sake of their own ruling status!
This was the irreconcilable contradiction between them and Eternal Peace, a contradiction that would inevitably erupt in the future!
Qin Mu cast aside the distracting thoughts in his heart and carefully examined the Jade Terrace and the Jade Pool.
The layout of the Primordial Jade Pool was largely the same as that of the Heavenly Court's Jade Pool, but there were subtle differences. Because the Heavenly Court's Jade Pool was the residence of the Empress, its layout had undergone minor modifications.
Although the Primordial Jade Pool still maintained its original structure, it no longer contained Primordial Origin Liquid, which had been its greatest treasure.
Now, Lang Xuan the Divine Sovereign had set up various formations in the Primordial Jade Pool to attract the spiritual energy and power of heaven and earth, using this precious land to refine Primordial Origin Liquid.
By now, there was already a considerable amount of Primordial Origin Liquid in the pool, forming a small pond about ten zhang in diameter.
This was already a significant amount, but compared to the Jade Pool of the Primordial Era, this bit of Primordial Origin Liquid was merely a drop in the ocean.
The Primordial Jade Pool covered an extremely vast area, with exposed seabeds everywhere. The seabeds had long since dried up, and in some places, the ridges of the seabed were visible.
Qin Mu frowned. The spirit-gathering formations set up by Lang Xuan the Divine Sovereign were everywhere, making it difficult to discern the original terrain.
"The Jade Pool can serve as a cultivation realm; it must have its own wonders, similar to the Four Heavenly Gates or the Nine Prison Platforms. So, where exactly is this place?"
He soared into the air from the Jade Terrace, flying over the dried-up seabed, surveying the area in all directions.
After a long time, Qin Mu turned back and flew toward the Jade Terrace, a puzzled expression on his face.
He had not discovered the Dao mysteries of the Jade Pool.
However, the Jade Pool realm within the Heavenly Palace system did exist, indicating that the Jade Pool must contain wondrous Heavenly Dao. The Earth Mother Primordial Lord had become the Spiritual Root of Heaven and Earth thanks to the Jade Pool's effect, likely not solely due to being watered with Primordial Origin Liquid.
Suddenly, Qin Mu paused, hovering in midair, his robes fluttering.
His gaze fell upon the Jade Terrace.
The form of the Primordial Jade Terrace was almost identical to that of the Heavenly Court's Jade Terrace, clearly indicating that the Heavenly Court's Jade Terrace had been built to the specifications of the Primordial Jade Terrace. However, the Primordial Jade Terrace was naturally formed. This terrace was made entirely of fine jade—jade so pure it was called yao. This natural jade platform actually had steps, railings, and a vast, open expanse from which one could view the Jade Pool and descend into the Jade Sea.
Qin Mu counted. The jade steps of the terrace numbered eight hundred, with a platform every hundred steps. Ascending the steps, one could reach these jade platforms.
Strangely, the side of these platforms facing the sea was extremely steep, forming a jade cliff. Beneath the cliff were peculiar patterns connected to the mountain ranges on the seabed, which themselves were also jade mountains.
These mountain ranges extended all the way to the center of the seabed. Eight mountain ranges connected to eight tiers of jade platforms, and these eight jade mountain ranges were linked together at the seabed.
The Jade Terrace faced the sea, and each tier of the jade platform was vast in area. Even the topmost platform was several hundred li long and wide.
This should have been the place where the Primordial Creators held their sea sacrifices. In the Primordial Era, the Creators had enormous physiques, and this place could accommodate a tribe of hundreds of thousands of Creators!
Qin Mu looked at the place where the eight jade mountain ranges converged in the center of the Jade Sea, then back at the Jade Terrace, a look of confusion on his face.
"The Jade Terrace and the Jade Sea should be one entity. In the Primordial Era, natural Dao must have manifested here, turning this place into a natural sacred ground, which is why the Creators performed their rituals here. What kind of upheaval caused the Dao of the Jade Pool and the Jade Sea to dissipate?"
He examined it carefully, then suddenly paused.
He noticed that all eight jade mountain ranges were broken!
Qin Mu flew over to take a look. The breaks in these eight mountain ranges were all at the same location.
The eight mountain ranges were like dragons. The dragon tails were at the center of the Jade Sea, while the dragon heads were beneath the Jade Terrace. The branch ranges were like limbs, each leg having five dragon claws.
The broken point was at the waist of the dragon veins, severed cleanly, as if cut in half.
Aside from the broken sections, there were also gods under Lang Xuan the Divine Sovereign's command mining the jade mountains, collecting the fine jade.
Qin Mu's eyes widened. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
The gods under Lang Xuan the Divine Sovereign's command weren't thinking about how to repair the jade mountains; instead, they were taking advantage of the convenient breaks to mine the jade deposits!
He flew over. The cross-sections of the jade mountains were smooth, but strangely, the force that had severed them didn't come from outside, but from beneath the earth. It was as if some power within the jade mountains had erupted, breaking them apart from the inside!
The gods mining the jade saw him and immediately stopped, all eyes turning to him.
These gods were ragged, wearing shackles on their feet with chains attached. They were apparently convicts who had committed serious offenses and been demoted to mining slaves.
"It's Celestial Venerable Mu!"
A supervisor recognized Qin Mu and his face turned ashen. He groaned inwardly: "Damn it, why is this demon here? Last time he came to Lang Xuan's Divine Palace, he conjured up a Primeval Tree and smashed the palace flat, dismantling it completely! He nearly beat all the Divine Sovereign's disciples to death and scared off Chang Xiting, a being at the Imperial Throne realm! Is he here this time to dismantle the Jade Pool of the Ancestral Court?"
"How can the Jade Pool withstand his torment? Come to think of it, why didn't the Divine Sovereign's supreme treasure blast this bastard to pieces?"
They trembled, their faces the color of earth, but they didn't dare attack Qin Mu. One of them tried to sneak away to report, but suddenly Qin Mu's gaze swept over him casually, and the man collapsed to the ground, not daring to move.
Qin Mu beckoned. The supervisors looked as if they were about to be beheaded, but they didn't dare approach.
Qin Mu's expression darkened, and he beckoned again.
The group of supervisors moved as if walking to the chopping block, trudging toward him with difficulty.
Qin Mu's expression softened, and he tried to look amiable, smiling as he said, "How much jade have you mined? Bring it all out..."
Thump, thump.
Suddenly, the supervisors all fell to their knees. One of them cried out, "Celestial Venerable Mu, we are not afraid of death! But we have elders above and children below! Please spare our lives! Hurry, hurry! Bring out all the jade for the Celestial Venerable! Celestial Venerable, take the divine ore and leave quickly. We'll pack up our valuables and flee for our lives too!"
Qin Mu was taken aback, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He said, "Take these jade ores and lay them out properly. Connect these mountain ranges."
The supervisors seemed not to have heard clearly. The same supervisor was still shouting, "...We will never reveal that Celestial Venerable Mu robbed us. If we lose the divine ore, the Divine Sovereign will execute us anyway, so we might as well flee..."
Qin Mu had to repeat himself before they understood. That supervisor exclaimed joyfully, "The Celestial Venerable isn't here to rob us? Heaven has eyes! The Celestial Venerable has changed his ways and isn't robbing..."
Qin Mu's expression darkened, and he barked, "I was invited here by your Divine Sovereign Lang Xuan! Stop your nonsense and get to work!"
The supervisors scrambled to obey, shouting orders for the mining slaves to join in, laying out the mined divine jade between the eight mountain ranges. Qin Mu said sternly, "Don't just stand there. Go help."
The supervisors smiled obsequiously, "Celestial Venerable, you don't understand. These mining slaves are extremely crafty. They only work when whipped. Without someone to whip them, they'll just slack off and be lazy!"
Qin Mu snatched the whip and lashed several supervisors with it, drawing blood. The other mining slaves cheered and applauded.
The supervisors, bleeding from their wounds, hurriedly got to work.
Qin Mu waited quietly. The jade mountain ranges gradually came together. After a long time, the last mountain range was finally connected.
Buzz!
As the final piece of jade fell into place, suddenly the Dao of heaven and earth roared. A radiant light of Dao descended from the sky like the aurora borealis, flowing along the mountain ranges like a dragon!
Not only that, but from beneath the earth of these eight mountain ranges, Dao light also surged forth, connecting and merging with the Dao light from the sky.
The sound of Dao vibrated and roared, like a great bell, like the notes of a zither, like a long flute, like a xiao or a drum—a symphony of mixed Dao tones.
The supervisors and the many mining slaves were stunned by the sight.
One supervisor murmured, "The sun is rising from the west! Celestial Venerable Mu isn't here to dismantle the Jade Pool, but to rebuild it! Is the world really turning upside down?"
Lang Xuan the Divine Sovereign and the gods on the main ship were also startled. They flew up from their vessels and looked over from afar.
Suddenly, an even more astonishing scene unfolded. At the place where the eight mountain ranges neared the Jade Terrace, the dragon heads spewed out streams of purple qi, surging toward the Jade Terrace!
The entire Jade Terrace became enveloped in an inexplicable aura of Dao. Various natural runes on the terrace lit up, bathing the whole platform in a strange Dao rhythm. The Dao tones were long and melodious, rising from the Jade Terrace!
Even more miraculous, drops of Primordial Origin Liquid began to drip from the jade platform, falling one by one into the Jade Sea!
Lang Xuan the Divine Sovereign watched this scene in shock. He was the master of this land, yet he had no idea that the Jade Pool could undergo such a transformation!
Qin Mu had only just arrived, and he had already produced such a stunning spectacle!
"The Jade Pool... this is the true Jade Pool... my Jade Pool..."
He murmured, unable to help stepping toward the Jade Terrace: "These are drops of Primordial Origin Liquid, produced faster than the formations I set up. This place will become my sacred ground for achieving the Supreme..."
His gaze suddenly fell on Qin Mu, and a flicker of killing intent flashed in his eyes. He felt the urge to kill Qin Mu.
He had occupied this place for so long without discovering the secrets of the Jade Pool, yet Qin Mu, who had just arrived, had restored the Primordial Jade Pool to its former glory. This stirred a murderous intent within him!
"Celestial Venerable Mu is a tremendous threat!"
He involuntarily came to stand beside Qin Mu, only to see that Qin Mu was not going to the Jade Terrace to collect the Primordial Origin Liquid or comprehend the Dao. Instead, he was looking at the ground with great interest.
Lang Xuan the Divine Sovereign stood beside him, looking down as well, and asked curiously, "What is Celestial Venerable Mu looking at?"
Qin Mu's vertical eye on his forehead had already opened, peering into the earth. He smiled and said, "I'm looking to see what exactly destroyed these eight mountain ranges and cut off the vitality of the Jade Pool."
Lang Xuan the Divine Sovereign couldn't help asking, "And have you seen it?"
"Yes, I have." Qin Mu nodded.