Chapter 1409: The Rules of the Great Ruins
The two ancient gods’ expressions flickered between uncertainty and displeasure. The female ancient god said, “There is still a portion of our unrefined primal fluid within those eggshells, which that person also stole. If he refines it, our cultivation will be incomplete…”
“No need to worry.”
The male ancient god comforted her, saying, “Without the Taiji Primeval Stone and the Divine Stone, the primal fluid cannot be refined. Even if the eggshells are stolen, they are utterly useless to that thief.”
Yan Tianfei’s heart stirred slightly. She recalled that in the vertical eye on Qin Mu’s forehead, there was a piece of Taiji Primeval Stone. She asked, “What if that person possesses both the Taiji Primeval Stone and the Divine Stone, and can refine the primal fluid?”
The two ancient gods’ faces changed simultaneously, instantly knowing who she was referring to. They looked at each other in dismay.
But did that person truly have the ability to steal their eggshells right under their noses?
“There are no other experts nearby. The only one who could be called an expert is him.”
Yan Tianfei said, “Mu Tianzun has many tricks up his sleeve. His knowledge is vast and varied. It’s possible he has the means to lurk here and steal your eggshells. But why didn’t he steal the Taiji Primeval Stones as well?”
The male ancient god pondered for a moment and said, “To him, one piece of the Taiji Primeval Stone or eight pieces makes little difference. He doesn’t understand the wondrous uses of the Primeval Stones. If he took the others, it would mean completely breaking with us, so he left some leeway.”
The female ancient god frowned and said, “Even though we suspect it’s him, we have no solid evidence. It’s unlikely we can force him to return the eggshells. The eggshells are a minor matter; the primal fluid inside them is the most important. If he refines and devours it…”
The male ancient god shook his head and said, “If he still remembers the favor of guiding him to the Great Dark Wood, he will return the primal fluid. There’s no need to worry. His not taking the Primeval Stones is also a way of preserving some goodwill, so as not to completely offend us. Lady, let us go to your territory and wait a few days to see if he returns it.”
Yan Tianfei shook her head with a cold laugh. “That little thief would return it? Right now, he’s probably already gulping down the primal fluid.”
She looked up at the Guixu Great Abyss. Without the support of the Taiji ancient gods’ power, the Guixu Great Abyss was rapidly receding, its layers of space expanding.
Soon, the great abyss returned to the world it originally belonged to.
Yan Tianfei withdrew the physical body of the Empress, and the three of them rose and departed.
This time, although Yan Tianfei had been humiliated in the Empress’s body by Qin Mu and had been sneak-attacked by Qiang Tianfei and Shi Qiluo, sustaining some injuries, she was very happy in her heart.
She had not only gained the assistance of the Taiji ancient gods and formed an alliance with them, but she had also seen the hope of invincibility from the Taiji ancient gods!
When the Taiji ancient god transformed into the Guixu Goddess, the combat power she displayed was truly astonishing!
Possessing the power of both the Empress and Yumu, controlling the might of creation and destruction, with no weaknesses!
Such a perfect existence was no less than the Heavenly Lord or the Earth Lord!
Moreover, the Taiji ancient god clearly had the ability to merge the Dao of the Empress and Yumu. As long as she captured Yumu Furen and erased her consciousness, she would then be the one possessing both powers!
Furthermore, she had now shed the shackles of the ancient gods, her potential for growth was even greater, no longer bound by the Dao of Guixu. The path of the Female Emperor was within reach!
Unconsciously, the two ancient gods had a meeting of minds. They both turned their heads to look back and saw the Taiji Star Domain spinning endlessly. The two ancient gods said in unison, “So that’s it!”
Yan Tianfei didn’t understand and stopped in her tracks.
The two ancient gods reached out together. The Taiji Star Domain spun and shrank, and in a short time, it transformed into a Taiji sand table that flew towards them, settling behind their heads.
This Taiji sand table was composed of black sand, white sand, and Taiji mineral veins. The two ancient gods walked side by side, and the Taiji sand table behind their heads spun continuously, shifting between black and white.
Yan Tianfei examined it closely. The Taiji Star Domain and the mining area had now transformed into a strange treasure, radiating a terrifying might. Moreover, amidst the Taiji transformations, various forms of divine weapons emerged from the sand table, extremely powerful, even more fearsome than the treasures of the Heavenly Lords!
The female ancient god smiled and said, “We felt we were missing something just now, and only when we turned back did we discover this treasure. It is our companion-born treasure, our Dao weapon.”
The male ancient god said, “We were born from the mining area. To protect our path to enlightenment, the mining area formed this Dao weapon. Taichu and Taisu also have Dao weapons to protect their Dao.”
Yan Tianfei’s heart stirred. “My late husband also had a Dao weapon? Why didn’t I know?”
She was very puzzled. If the Heavenly Emperor Taichu also had a Dao weapon, why had she never seen him use it?
If he possessed a Dao weapon, why would the Heavenly Emperor Taichu be in such a sorry state?
The Taiji ancient gods didn’t know the reason either. The Dao weapon was a supreme treasure, formed by the Dao, with immense power. Such treasures could only be used to their fullest extent in their hands.
The female ancient god said, “Brother Taichu was brought into the world early through the sacrifices of the Tai Emperor’s clan. Could his Dao weapon have fallen into the hands of the Tai Emperor?”
Yan Tianfei’s heart tightened. The Tai Emperor had never revealed this Taichu Dao weapon, keeping it well hidden. This was likely his final trump card!
At that moment, in the Thirtieth Void, Qin Mu stood on the bow of the Other Shore Divine Boat, holding the two halves of the Taiji Divine Egg’s shell high. The Other Shore Divine Boat sped along wildly, carrying the young man like the wind!
The young man was overjoyed, pushing his cultivation to the limit, fearing that the Taiji ancient gods would catch up. But he didn’t know that the aggrieved parties hadn’t even pursued him.
“Haha, haha! I’ve finally gotten my hands on the eggshells of all the Five Taiji of Primordial Beginning!”
Countless little fox spirits seemed to be cheering and leaping in Qin Mu’s heart. His Dao heart was restless. Smelling the fragrance of the primal fluid in the Taiji Divine Egg, his fingers twitched with desire. “So fragrant! Truly fragrant! Let me take a sip and taste it!”
With a rumble, the Other Shore Divine Boat charged into the Thirty-First Void. This layer of void was somewhat dangerous for Qin Mu, but with a guilty conscience, he still worried about the Taiji ancient gods finding him, so he had to risk entering the Thirty-First Void.
He had taken an enormous risk this time, activating the Overlord Body Three Dan Art, using the immature Zaiji Heavenly Palace, supplemented by the Dao-Stealing Heavenly Palace, to push his speed to the point of ignoring spatial distance. In one move, he had cut into the battlefield between the Taiji ancient gods, Qiang Tianfei, and Shi Qiluo, and stolen the two eggshells without anyone noticing!
After stealing the eggshells, his heart pounded wildly, and he still hadn’t calmed down.
“The egg fluid is fragrant, and I even have the Taiji Divine Stone to refine a portion of it. But doing so would completely offend the Taiji ancient gods, and the gain wouldn’t be worth the loss.”
Qin Mu suppressed his impulse, forcefully resisting the urge to swallow the primal fluid, and headed towards the Great Dark Wood.
When he reached the Great Dark Wood’s Ten Thousand Black Mountains, he revealed himself. He saw Xu Shenghua, Lan Yutian, Wei Suifeng, and the others returning from the back of the Ancestral Court. The Great Dark Wood was bustling with activity. The Gourd Heaven World hung above the Great Dark Wood like a precious bottle, emitting a serene light.
Many divine cities had already been established in the Ten Thousand Black Mountains. People had opened up farmland, planted crops, and some cultivators and gods had subdued the giant beasts of the Ancestral Court, using them to guard the divine cities.
The Dutian Demon King was busy shuttling back and forth between the cities.
Qin Mu sighed in admiration. He arrived at the center of the Great Dark Wood, entered the palace, carefully put down the Taiji eggshells, took out some jade bottles, and poured the remaining primal fluid from the eggshells into them.
Soon, commotion came from outside the hall. Yan’er was the first to rush in, shouting, “So fragrant, so fragrant! Young master, what delicious thing are you secretly eating?”
Qin Mu hurriedly activated a dozen jade bottles, quickly collecting the primal fluid into them, and said, “You can’t eat this. This is the egg fluid of the Taiji ancient gods…”
Yan’er leaned in, intending to drink the primal fluid from the eggshell. Qin Mu used his finger as a brush and wrote the character “Stop.” Yan’er was frozen on the spot, unable to move.
“Second Junior Brother, what delicious thing are you secretly cooking in here? So fragrant, the whole Great Dark Wood can smell it!”
Wei Suifeng burst in noisily. Qin Mu’s divine consciousness exploded, and Wei Suifeng stumbled into his divine consciousness illusion, sniffing around and shouting, “Where did you hide it? Let me have a taste! Just one taste!”
Qin Mu hurriedly packed up the remaining primal fluid and put away the eggshells.
Xu Shenghua and Lan Yutian rushed in, looking around. Lan Yutian’s fingers twitched, and he said, “I smell a strange fragrance. Brother, what delicious thing have you hidden?”
Qin Mu quickly put away the jade bottles and said, “It’s the egg fluid of the Taiji ancient gods. You can’t eat it.”
He explained the origin of the Taiji primal fluid and said, “The Taiji ancient gods and I have a bit of a connection. This first sacred land of the Ancestral Court was obtained thanks to their guidance. I cannot eat their Taiji primal fluid. Otherwise, if their Dao is incomplete in the future, they will come for my head. Moreover, this Taiji primal fluid cannot be digested casually. It must be refined using the Taiji Primeval Stone and the Divine Stone…”
“Can it be pan-fried?” Lan Yutian asked.
Qin Mu was speechless. He had to take out some Taisu primal fluid and distribute it to them, saying, “I have completely offended the Taisu ancient god, and there is no possibility of reconciliation. I’ll give you some of this Taisu primal fluid. Just taste it, then refine it with the Taisu Divine Stone… That’s all I have! I don’t have much left!”
He hurriedly slapped away Wei Suifeng’s hand, which was groping around on his body, and said, “I really don’t have much left! I’m giving it to you just for a taste. Indulging in delicious food will hinder your cultivation!”
The crowd had no choice but to put away the Taisu primal fluid and Taisu Divine Stones they had received. Qin Mu’s head began to ache. He looked around and thought to himself, “If I send them to Yan Tianfei’s place to return the Taiji primal fluid, they’ll probably eat it all on the way. Especially Lan Yutian. He’s been greedy since he was a child; that’s why his face is so round…”
His gaze fell on Wei Suifeng, and he shook his head. Wei Suifeng was bold enough to drink all the Taiji primal fluid, even if it killed him.
Lan Yutian was even worse. As for Yan’er, Qin Mu shuddered at the thought of this fierce girl devouring demon gods.
Finally, his gaze fell on Xu Shenghua. He waved for the others to disperse, leaving only Xu Shenghua, and said, “Brother Xu, take these jade bottles to Yan Tianfei’s territory, seek an audience with the Taiji ancient gods, and hand over the primal fluid in the bottles to them. Remember, you must not eat any of the primal fluid. If you do, it will create an irreconcilable enmity with the Taiji ancient gods!”
Xu Shenghua’s expression was grave, and he nodded in agreement.
Qin Mu handed him the jade bottles. Xu Shenghua counted them and said impassively, “One bottle is missing.”
Qin Mu blinked at him.
Xu Shenghua said expressionlessly, “One bottle is missing. When I came in, I counted them. Could it be that Mu Tianzun is embezzling the goods?”
Qin Mu’s face flushed slightly. He took out a bottle he had hidden and stammered, “Oh! There really is another bottle! How strange.”
Xu Shenghua stared intently at his face.
Qin Mu quickly said, “When you return the primal fluid, you must not hand it over to Yan Tianfei. You must personally give it to the Taiji ancient gods. Remember, remember.”
Xu Shenghua said, “Give me some more Taisu primal fluid and Taisu Divine Stones. I’ll prepare some for my daughter.”
Qin Mu said seriously, “I don’t have much left either…”
Xu Shenghua looked at his face. Qin Mu’s face reddened slightly. He took out a bottle of Taisu primal fluid and two Taisu Divine Stones, handed them to him, and said, “This time, I really have none left.”
Xu Shenghua turned and left, saying, “You definitely still have a lot.”
Qin Mu waited until he was far away before he breathed a sigh of relief. He took out the huge Taisu eggshell, which still contained half of the Taisu primal fluid.
“My precious… Gulp, gulp…”
As he refined the Taisu primal fluid, he placed the Taiji eggshells in his divine treasury, the Ancestral Court, burying them in the Taiji mineral veins.
In the distance, the Taishi Divine Egg shook, and a Dao sound came out: “Mu Tianzun, you’re secretly eating Taisu primal fluid again!”
“No, I’m not!” Qin Mu’s face flushed red as he let out a burp.
Taishi inside the egg sneered and said, “Still denying it? You even stole the Taiji ancient gods’ eggshells and hid them!”
Qin Mu pretended not to hear and quickly withdrew from his divine treasury, thinking to himself, “The rules of the Great Ruins: ‘taking’ isn’t ‘stealing’… If I took it with my skill, can it be considered stealing? Taishi doesn’t understand at all. It’s still Cripple Grandpa who understands me…”