Chapter 1685: Two Mothers-in-Law
The Nether Abyss Crown Prince returned to the Southern Heaven and saw Bai Yuqiong, who had transformed into a Vermilion Bird on the bow of the ship.
Bai Yuqiong was still in a daze, seemingly instinctively leading this ship of Southern Heaven humans away from the war zone, departing from the Heavenly River.
The Nether Abyss Crown Prince approached. Bai Yuqiong seemed to recognize him, yet also did not recognize him, and did not attack him.
The Nether Abyss Crown Prince examined her and frowned deeply. The memories in Bai Yuqiong's mind were too numerous. With so many memories, and chaotic ones at that, her consciousness had become clouded.
The Nether Abyss Crown Prince tried to sort through her memories for her, but her memories were far too vast and complex, leaving him with no place to start.
"What happened to her?" he asked the people of the Southern Heaven.
The people on the ship told him the story, but as mere mortals, they could not know why Bai Yuqiong had undergone this change.
The Nether Abyss Crown Prince was somewhat at a loss, unsure how to handle this situation.
In the distance, Shang Pingyin led the remnants of the Heavenly Court, not daring to approach.
This was the Heavenly Court's granary. Although Yiluo Celestial King had been defeated, the Heavenly Court would surely send even more powerful beings and greater forces. The calamity of the Southern Heaven would continue.
The Nether Abyss Crown Prince gazed into the distance at Shang Pingyin, who stood leaning on the Colored Glaze Blue Sky Canopy on a distant tower ship.
The Colored Glaze Blue Sky Canopy had been taken by Yiluo Celestial King, but now it had fallen into Shang Pingyin's hands.
The Nether Abyss Crown Prince was somewhat at a loss. Although he was the Crown Prince of the Black Tortoise Two Emperors, he was not skilled in leading troops and waging war, especially when it came to leading these basically powerless mortals of the Southern Heaven. He was completely in the dark.
The people on the tower ships he had rescued had already been sent by him to other heavens for temporary refuge, but this was only a stopgap measure. If the Heavenly Court increased its forces, these humans would still be doomed.
Just then, the Nether Abyss Crown Prince suddenly sensed a peculiar summoning power coming from the void. This power locked onto him, but it was not summoning him away. Rather, someone in another world was using a reverse summoning divine ability, trying to come over.
His heart stirred slightly. This aura was that of Dragon Qilin. He was very familiar with it, so he did not resist.
After a moment, Dragon Qilin stood atop the head of a giant Void Mother Beast, descending from the Beast Realm.
"Is the war in the Southern Heaven over?"
Dragon Qilin looked around, somewhat surprised, and asked, "Where is Meng Yungui?"
The Nether Abyss Crown Prince recounted the events. Dragon Qilin was silent for a long time, then said, "A true warrior."
The Nether Abyss Crown Prince invited him to examine Bai Yuqiong. Dragon Qilin checked for a moment and said, "Her current condition is quite peculiar. It seems the memories of the Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird have awakened, mixing with her memories from nearly two hundred past lives, causing her mental confusion. If the two sets of memories fully merge, she will wake up."
"After she wakes up, will Bai Yuqiong still be Bai Yuqiong?" the Nether Abyss Crown Prince asked.
Dragon Qilin shook his head. "She will be the Southern Emperor. I just checked and found that their memories have already begun to merge."
"Then, has Bai Yuqiong died because of this?"
The Nether Abyss Crown Prince was somewhat regretful and said, "I don't think Bai Yuqiong is just a part of the Southern Emperor. She is a living, breathing person. If she just becomes an insignificant part of the Southern Emperor, it would truly be a waste of such a heroine."
Dragon Qilin thought for a moment and said, "The memories of the Southern Emperor and Bai Yuqiong have already begun to merge. Once this merging starts, it cannot be interrupted. Moreover, her mind is extremely chaotic now, making it very difficult to distinguish which memories belong to Bai Yuqiong and which belong to the Southern Emperor. I don't have the divine ability to help her sort through her memories. There is only one person in this world who has such a divine ability, and that is the Sect Leader."
The Nether Abyss Crown Prince looked at him, and the people of the Southern Heaven on the ship also showed expressions of hope.
Dragon Qilin looked at these faces, hesitated for a moment, gritted his teeth, and said, "The Sect Leader's path of reincarnation can allow her to retain her own memories and remain Bai Yuqiong. Actually, the Sect Leader has always had a good impression of Bai Yuqiong, probably because they share the same affliction. Bai Yuqiong is the reincarnation of the Southern Emperor's divine soul, but she has developed her own consciousness and is an independent life. The Sect Leader is also a second consciousness born from the same body. Back then, because of Bai Yuqiong's words, the Sect Leader didn't directly turn her into the Southern Emperor. If I go to ask him, the Sect Leader will most likely agree to awaken Bai Yuqiong. However, this move might offend the Southern Emperor..."
He hesitated and said, "The Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird's determination to reclaim her divine soul is very firm. When Bai Yuqiong awakened the Vermilion Bird soul, it definitely couldn't have been hidden from her. She would have sensed the revival of her Vermilion Bird soul. If I go to see the Sect Leader, even if she finds out, she wouldn't dare to complain about the Sect Leader, but she will definitely have some opinions about me. She is my mother-in-law; her daughter is married to me..."
The people of the Southern Heaven on the ship all knelt down and prayed, "Please, honored deity, save our benefactor..."
Dragon Qilin's face changed drastically, and he quickly dodged aside. "Yankang has no such custom of kneeling to others! Get up quickly! I agree, even if it means offending one mother-in-law!"
His face was gloomy as he paced back and forth. "After all, Bai Yuqiong can be considered my half mother-in-law. Even if I offend the other half mother-in-law, this matter is still worth doing... You people of the Southern Heaven always pray to gods and buddhas, placing your hopes on others. To break the gods in your hearts, indeed, I need Bai Yuqiong, mother-in-law..."
Suddenly, his aura shook, and he activated a summoning divine ability. Above the Flame Tomorrow Sky, spatial cracks appeared one after another, and giant ancient beast kings flew out from the cracks.
Among them, many giant beasts transformed into towering giants, who were the divine ability users of the beast race. These beast race divine ability users were Dragon Qilin's direct subordinates.
Dragon Qilin summoned over ten thousand beast race divine ability users and beast kings in one breath and said to the Nether Abyss Crown Prince, "You don't have enough troops and are no match for a Celestial Master like Shang Pingyin. I'll leave these troops to you for now. Once Mother-in-law Bai is awakened, you and I can leave the Southern Heaven and hand it over to her."
"How will you go to Yankang?"
The Nether Abyss Crown Prince said, "Even at your speed, it would take several years to reach Yankang. By the time you see Celestial Master Mu, Celestial Master Bai will probably have been assimilated."
Dragon Qilin laughed and said, "My relationship with the Sect Leader is like father and son... brother! Yes, like brothers! I will use a reverse summoning divine ability to lock onto him. I don't have enough magical power to reach him, but if the Sect Leader senses me, he can summon me over!"
Full of confidence, he took out a spirit pill and said, "This is a spirit pill personally refined for me by the Sect Leader. I kept one. It has his aura on it. With this aura, I can lock onto his location and activate the summoning divine ability."
He activated the summoning divine ability. Just as he established a connection with Qin Mu, who was far away in the Primal Realm, and before he could activate the power of the divine ability, suddenly the void shook violently. A vast and profound force pierced through from the distant Primal Realm, space collapsed, and Dragon Qilin was pulled into the depths of space.
The Nether Abyss Crown Prince was startled. "Is this the power of Celestial Master Mu? He locked onto Dragon Qilin's location in an instant and teleported him directly! By the way, why would Celestial Master Longxiao show such mercy, letting Dragon Qilin out and giving him so many troops?"
Dragon Qilin's world spun, and the next moment, he found himself standing on solid ground. He was in a great hall in the Supreme Clarity Realm of Carefree Village. Seated at the main seat were Qin Mu and Ling Yuxiu, the couple, with Lang Wan, Nether Celestial Master, Emperor Kai Di Yuelu, and the First Human Emperor accompanying them.
Qin Mu and Ling Yuxiu were receiving a guest. The guest was dressed in fiery red robes, like a blazing flame. She was a beautiful woman, none other than the Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird!
Dragon Qilin's heart skipped a beat. He quickly stepped forward, ignoring the need to greet Qin Mu, and hurriedly bowed to the Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird, loudly proclaiming, "Your son-in-law pays respects to Mother-in-law!"
He muttered inwardly, "Speak of the Southern Emperor, and the Southern Emperor arrives! As expected of the fastest in the world. Could it be that Mother-in-law sensed the awakening of Mother-in-law Bai's Vermilion Bird soul and, worried that the Sect Leader would ruin her plans, rushed over in a hurry?"
As he was thinking, the Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird said with a smile, "Good son-in-law, truly my good son-in-law. Pi, rise. Weren't you in the Southern Heaven? How goes the war in the Southern Heaven?"
Dragon Qilin stood up, lowered his head, and rolled his eyes, thinking about how to answer.
Qin Mu laughed and said, "Pi, the Southern Emperor has brought good news. She came to tell me about the great victory in the Southern Sea. The situation in the Southern Sea is very favorable. Red Emperor Qi Yiyu has surrendered. Red Emperor and Bright Emperor led the remnants of the Chiming clan, joined forces with Red Emperor and Yan'er, fought several fierce battles, destroyed most of the thirty-nine armies of the Southern Heaven, and have already landed, pushing the enemy forces toward Carefree Village."
Ling Yuxiu laughed and said, "The Southern Emperor wants Yankang to send another army to block the retreat of the defeated Heavenly Court troops, to prevent them from being rescued by the main Heavenly Court forces."
When Dragon Qilin heard the couple say this, his heart stirred. "The Sect Leader and the Sect Leader's wife are covering for me. It seems the Sect Leader has already sensed something."
"Sect Leader, Madam, I am not here for the Southern Heaven, but for the Beast Realm."
Dragon Qilin looked dejected and choked up, saying, "My adoptive father, Celestial Master Longxiao, because he violated the agreement with Little Tuber, has already perished, his soul scattered. Pi, with shallow virtue, has now inherited my adoptive father's position and, unworthily, become the Lord of the Beast Realm."
The Southern Emperor was visibly moved, overjoyed, and laughed, "Then my daughter Yan'er will be the mistress of the Beast Realm?"
Qin Mu laughed and said, "Congratulations, Sister Vermilion Bird."
The Southern Emperor quickly said, "What is there to congratulate? What is there to congratulate? Longxiao was my worthy son-in-law's adoptive father. His death, though deserved, still grieves me deeply. Worthy son-in-law, although you are the new Lord of the Beast Realm, you must not be arrogant. You must be humble and prudent, guard against arrogance and rashness!"
Dragon Qilin thought of Longxiao's kindness to him and couldn't help but feel sorrow.
The Southern Emperor quickly comforted him and said, "Worthy son-in-law, Longxiao's death was a matter of fate. It cannot be blamed on others, nor on you."
Qin Mu sighed and said, "Pi, I know about the father-son bond between you and Longxiao. Don't be sad. Now that you have become the new Lord of the Beast Realm, you must indeed, as Sister Vermilion Bird said, guard against arrogance and rashness. Even I examine myself three times a day, reviewing my actions each day to see if I have made any mistakes."
Light swirled above his head, and a bright mirror flew out from the light. He said, "This mirror is called Reflection. It is a treasure I use daily to reflect on my heart. Today, I will give it to you."
Dragon Qilin stepped forward and took the Reflection Treasure Mirror.
Qin Mu encouraged him further, saying, "The war in the Southern Heaven is also of utmost importance. Protecting the Southern Heaven can cut off the Heavenly Court's food supply and logistics. I am too busy to go there myself. Now that you are the Lord of the Beast Realm, with great power and influence, you must protect the Southern Heaven!"
Dragon Qilin said, "Sect Leader, the people of the Southern Heaven are ignorant. How can I break the gods in their hearts?"
Qin Mu thought for a moment and said, "Doesn't the Beast Realm also have Yankang? I allow you to deploy those people."
Dragon Qilin was overjoyed and was about to withdraw from the great hall when the Southern Emperor quickly stood up and laughed, "I haven't seen my worthy son-in-law for a long time. Let me see him off!"
Dragon Qilin had no choice but to leave the great hall with the Southern Emperor.
Outside the hall, the Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird laughed and said, "Worthy son-in-law, let me admire the Reflection Treasure Mirror that Celestial Master Mu gave you."
Dragon Qilin had no choice but to take out the Reflection Treasure Mirror. The Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird looked into the mirror, then looked at the back of the mirror. Finding nothing unusual, she returned it to him and laughed, "Worthy son-in-law, how will you return to the Southern Heaven?"
Dragon Qilin said respectfully, "Mother-in-law, it's simple. I will use a reverse summoning to return to the Beast Realm. Once there, the Nether Abyss Crown Prince will use a summoning divine ability to call me, and I can descend."
The Southern Emperor Vermilion Bird nodded and said, "Take care."
Dragon Qilin bid farewell and used the reverse summoning divine ability to return to the Beast Realm.
After arriving in the Beast Realm, not long after, the Nether Abyss Crown Prince activated his divine ability, and Dragon Qilin descended from the Beast Realm. He took out the Reflection Treasure Mirror and said, "This treasure mirror was refined using the Sect Leader's path of reincarnation. My mother-in-law does not understand the path of reincarnation, so I managed to escape. With this mirror, Mother-in-law Bai can be saved."
He held the Reflection Treasure Mirror up to the Vermilion Bird that Bai Yuqiong had transformed into. The Vermilion Bird looked at the mirror. After a moment, two streams of fiery tears flowed from the Vermilion Bird's eyes.
In the mirror, there was not only Bai Yuqiong's life but also her very distant past life, Que Feiyin.