Chapter 1755: Yes, I Did It
Xing Niu arrived outside the Ancestral Court in the celestial realm, met with Moon Venerable and the others, and relayed Qin Mu’s message. Moon Venerable immediately began making arrangements, saying, “All soldiers, return to Yan Kang and continue production. Your Majesty, you should also go back. Nether Venerable, Black Emperor and White Emperor, Lang Huan, Xu Shenghua, Lan Yutian, and Jiang Baigui—you few will stay with me.”
Xing Niu took the lead and crossed back to Yan Kang through the established spiritual energy teleportation bridge.
Once in Yan Kang, he retrieved the primordial soul of a prehistoric stowaway from a box. His vital energy transformed into chains, binding the prehistoric powerhouse’s soul.
After a moment, the demonic energy of the Nether Realm suddenly stirred, spilling over from another time-space, transforming the area around Xing Niu into a small Nether Realm spanning a hundred zhang. Within that pocket Nether Realm, three eyes stared gloomily at the prehistoric powerhouse’s soul.
“A species I’ve never seen before.”
From the darkness, it was the incarnation of Qin Fengqing, his voice rumbling, “Xing Niu, why have you lured me out with this creature’s soul?”
“I want to find Shang Jun,” Xing Niu said.
Qin Fengqing’s incarnation reached out to grab the prehistoric powerhouse’s soul, saying, “Fine. Hand him over to me, and I’ll help you find Shang Jun!”
Suddenly, Xing Niu blocked him, shaking his head. “He’s mine.”
Qin Fengqing was furious, fuming, “You used his soul to lure me out and ask for my help—how can you not give me a reward?”
Xing Niu replied, “It’s your younger brother who wants to find Shang Jun. I’m merely helping him locate Shang Jun.”
Qin Fengqing was silent for a moment, then said angrily, “Wretched little brother! Wait a moment, I’ll help you find Shang Jun’s position!”
“Hold on.”
Xing Niu revealed a smile, saying, “It’s not impossible for you to get this prehistoric powerhouse’s soul.”
Qin Fengqing stopped and turned to look at him. Xing Niu continued, “This prehistoric powerhouse is at the Venerable level. I went to great trouble to obtain his soul. Getting it would be extremely beneficial to you. His soul structure isn’t the three souls and seven spirits; its composition is vastly different from ours.”
Qin Fengqing turned around fully, his three eyes gleaming as he stared at the prehistoric soul, itching to act.
Xing Niu had stirred his greed. If he didn’t give it to him, Qin Fengqing would surely try to seize it.
“You and Chief Qin were originally one, sharing a body and a soul.”
Xing Niu said, “I want Chief Qin’s head, but he certainly won’t agree. If you could give me one of your heads, I’ll gift you this prehistoric powerhouse’s soul.”
Qin Fengqing was overjoyed, laughing, “My little brother is so foolish! Cutting off a head and growing another is nothing! Wait for me!”
After a moment, a Celestial Earth Mystic Gate opened, and Qin Fengqing’s true head rolled out from the portal, shouting, “My head is yours! Give me that guy’s soul!”
Xing Niu could barely contain his ecstasy. He steadied his mind and handed over the chains along with the prehistoric powerhouse’s soul to Qin Fengqing. Cradling Qin Fengqing’s head, he couldn’t help laughing, “Chief Qin, you never expected this, did you? Without going through you, I can still have your head! I’ll finally see why you have all those bizarre ideas!”
He was thrilled beyond measure.
Qin Fengqing was equally ecstatic, examining the prehistoric powerhouse’s soul, growing more fond of it with each look. He couldn’t stop drooling, laughing, “Looks delicious! And what’s even rarer is that his soul is completely different from ours—top-notch, truly top-notch!”
The prehistoric powerhouse was terrified, trembling uncontrollably.
Qin Fengqing’s true body had already located Shang Jun’s position, saying, “Shang Jun is working at the Ba Zhou Milling Tool Factory.”
Xing Niu, carrying Qin Fengqing’s head, immediately rushed to Ba Zhou Milling Tool Factory. Along the way, he studied the head intently, his face growing darker and darker.
By the time he reached Ba Zhou, he could no longer contain his anger: “Chief Qin’s head isn’t nearly as clever as I imagined!”
The head suddenly spoke, smugly saying, “I’ve long noticed that my little brother’s brain isn’t very sharp. You only just realized it, which shows you’re pretty dumb too.”
Xing Niu was speechless with rage.
He arrived at the Ba Zhou Milling Tool Factory, and Qin Fengqing’s head flew up, weaving through the air to help him find Shang Jun.
“Here!”
Xing Niu hurried forward and saw Shang Jun with some Daoist priests doing precision work. Those priests were likely from the Dao Sect, well-versed in mathematical techniques, speaking in deep, esoteric terms.
Shang Jun listened nearby, occasionally nodding.
“Little Shang’s blade work is incredibly steady. He can improve the milling tool’s precision by an order of magnitude.”
One Daoist laughed, “If the milling tool’s precision improves by an order of magnitude, the error in forging giant divine weapons will be much smaller. The divine weapons can be made even larger! Alright, take a break—time for lunch.”
Shang Jun stepped down from the platform, glanced at Xing Niu, and showed a puzzled expression.
Xing Niu also looked confused, saying, “With your abilities, why would you stoop to working at this Ba Zhou Milling Tool Factory? Your talents would be valued anywhere you go.”
Shang Jun shook his head. “After arriving in Yan Kang, I realized that aside from killing, my only skill is using the precision of my blade work to earn a living. That’s all I know. I found that I can support myself with it and buy what I want—I’m quite happy.”
Xing Niu shook his head, deeply puzzled.
His experiences were different from Shang Jun’s.
Shang Jun was born at the end of the Sixteenth Era, when the universe showed signs of great destruction, and everywhere was filled with slaughter. He could only kill. But after coming to Yan Kang, he discovered other values in himself, so he cherished the opportunity to realize them.
Xing Niu, on the other hand, was born in the era before Yan Kang, when cultivators plundered and seized at will. Cultivators stood high above, with power over life and death over mortals, which shaped his eccentric personality.
Later, during Yan Kang’s reforms, after meeting Qin Mu, he restrained himself somewhat and began acting within Yan Kang’s rules.
Their different experiences led to different ways of handling things.
“Chief Qin wants you to go to the Ancestral Court. A cultivator from the Miluo Palace has descended, and he needs you to deal with the Joy Hall Master.”
Xing Niu explained the purpose. Shang Jun said, “Wait until I finish making the milling tool and collect my wages, then I’ll go.”
Xing Niu was baffled. Qin Fengqing’s head spoke up, asking, “Shang Jun, you weren’t at the milling tool factory before. How did you end up here?”
“The previous supervisory factory didn’t dare to keep me. They gave me some money and fired me.” Shang Jun continued working, his voice muffled.
Xing Niu shook his head, finding his actions hard to understand.
Shang Jun finished the milling tool and went to resign. The factory supervisor was reluctant and tried to persuade him to stay. Shang Jun said, “Pastoral Venerable has asked me to kill a cultivator.”
Upon hearing this, the supervisor suddenly recalled someone and quickly settled his wages.
Shang Jun left.
Xing Niu thought for a moment and left with him, saying, “Chief Qin still owes me a coffin. Also, this head isn’t very useful.”
Qin Fengqing’s head flew away, laughing, “If it’s not useful, I’ll take it back. When you see my little brother, tell him that forty-two years are almost up—I want to see that person!”
“Forty-two years are almost up? What does that mean?” Xing Niu was confused.
The Void Waste Ground.
After nearly a month of travel, the Salvation Golden Ship finally arrived at this abandoned place. Qin Mu frowned slightly: “From the Ancestral Court to here shouldn’t take this long. At most twenty days would suffice. Could it be that after Boundless Elder appeared and the World Tree grew rapidly, the Ultimate Void has become larger than before?”
He felt a vague unease.
If the Ultimate Void grew, it would inevitably push the myriad realms to grow as well, accelerating the universe’s expansion.
“I wonder if my judgment is correct, or if the Ultimate Void’s growth hasn’t affected the myriad realms. Hmm, I’ll need my father-in-law, the Fate Star Official, to measure the various realms and the Primordial Realm.”
He steadied himself. The myriad realms growing larger than before seemed like a good thing, but in reality, it meant the universe was increasingly turning into void!
The Salvation Golden Ship entered the Void Waste Ground. Qin Mu temporarily set aside this matter, muttering, “The Obelisk Forest is the sealing ground left by the First Son Tai Shang. Last time, I could enter because Tai Yi had thrown one obelisk out of the forest, and one of the two doors was missing. But when I left, the First Son Tai Shang appeared, put the obelisk back, and repaired the door. This time, to get in, I’ll have to break through the door and the forest’s suppression…”
His divine eyes flickered: “Do I have such strength?”
The Salvation Golden Ship wove through the waste ground, avoiding various eerie places. Suddenly, a head covered in flesh but faceless flew over, its hair like steel wires growing in all directions.
Qin Mu narrowed his eyes. Suddenly, he erupted with aura. The strange head, sensing his power, immediately turned and disappeared into the darkness of the waste ground.
“I’m strong enough.”
Qin Mu clenched his fist, whispering, “After Boundless Elder’s teachings, I’m strong enough. Even the First Son’s Tai Shang Hall, I could split it open—let alone the Obelisk Forest!”
He let out a low shout. His Hong Meng vital energy exploded, purple flames swirling around him. The golden ship’s speed instantly increased, roaring into the waste ground!
Wherever the golden ship passed, all the eerie phenomena in the waste ground fell silent, intimidated by his presence.
Qin Mu charged straight through. Ahead, a group of coffins blocked the way. These coffins were formed from the Dao trees of cultivators, who hid inside hoping to survive the destruction and creation tribulations. But these cultivators had been sealed, unable to escape their coffins, doomed to wander the abandoned place forever.
The coffin group blocked the path, showing no sign of moving aside.
Boom!
The golden ship crushed through, shattering six or seven giant coffins. Dao blood flowed from within, quickly turning into void.
Qin Mu caught a glimpse and saw that the cultivators’ flesh inside the coffins had grown together with the coffins, a bloody, writhing mess—their original forms were unrecognizable.
Suddenly, a furious roar came from one broken coffin, using prehistoric Dao language.
“Seventh Son, why have you sealed me—!”
Swish, a sword light flashed. The person inside the coffin was split in two, a small universe rising within the coffin before being assimilated by the void.
Qin Mu sheathed his sword as the golden ship sped away.
On the ship, Qin Mu was puzzled: “These cultivators in the coffins—was it me who sealed them? I thought it was some righteous person’s good deed…”
Ahead, a massive door stood tall. Qin Mu’s eyes blazed with light. Suddenly, he frantically urged the Salvation Golden Ship, making it faster and faster, charging straight at the door!
At the ship’s bow, Qin Mu summoned the Tai Yi Divine Axe, staring at the door ahead, and swung the axe down!
A deafening crash rang out. The door left by the First Son Tai Shang was split open by the axe, then shattered into pieces as the Salvation Golden Ship smashed through it!
The Salvation Golden Ship burst into the Obelisk Forest, sliding forward, knocking obelisks askew in all directions!
“I’m back!” Qin Mu leaped off the golden ship, roaring.
—Qin Mu’s birthday celebration has arrived. Qidian Chinese is hosting a birthday event for Qin Mu. Open the Qidian app to see birthday greeting ads for Qin Mu. You can also enter through “Discover” - “Events.” Click “Bless Qin Mu” to get a badge. We’re still short by over a thousand people—please send your blessings!!