Chapter 1791: Qin Mu After Three Thousand Years (Asking for Monthly Votes!)
In just a little over three thousand years, the Ancestral Court had already undergone a drastic transformation. Even Granny Si, Village Chief, and the others, who had seen the sealed Ancestral Court, now felt it was utterly unfamiliar.
After they had left this place, it was clear that another great upheaval had occurred here.
The Jade Capital City of the Ancestral Court had become very resplendent. Looking from afar, that incredibly magnificent city sat within the chaotic cloud layers, and one could faintly see chaotic energy seeping out from within the city, shrouding the Jade Capital City in mist and clouds.
Within the city, one could see towering, majestic, and lush Dao trees.
Then there was the Cosmic Primordial Bell of the Ancestral Court World Tree, unimaginably large. It was unknown who had forged it or who was driving it.
Next, surrounding the World Tree, the Chaotic Long River no longer only appeared at night; it now manifested even during the day, like sixteen moats protecting the World Tree, guarding the Boundless Old Man.
Within those sixteen Chaotic Long Rivers, the immensely thick roots of the World Tree were intertwined, plunging into the river, piercing through various cosmic epochs—an astonishing sight!
Near the World Tree, large and small Dao trees stood in groves. Many prehistoric cultivators who had attained the Dao had plucked the Dao fruits from their own Dao trees and transplanted them onto the World Tree, making that World Tree exceptionally splendid and colorful.
But the biggest changes were not these; rather, it was the geographical layout of the mountains and rivers on the four walls of the Ancestral Court.
The changes to the Ancestral Court's mountains and rivers were not eye-catching, but they were the most significant. Previously, Qin Mu had laid down the Ancestral Court seal, altering the geography of the Ancestral Court, using the mountains and rivers as a foundation to form different Dao patterns and Dao chains, creating the seal.
Now, the mountains and rivers of the Ancestral Court had become orderly, forming various patterns, like the relief-carved textures on the wall of a giant cauldron.
However, in terms of complexity, the four walls of this giant cauldron of the Ancestral Court were countless times more complex than an ordinary cauldron!
This change indicated that the Ancestral Court was increasingly resembling a colossal treasure!
Zhu Santong, with his vast experience, was also stunned by the sight, his mind going blank: "Seventh Young Master has such grand ambitions! What exactly does he, the elder, intend to do?"
Compared to Young Master Chaos, Zhu Santong still had to refer to himself as a junior.
Young Master Chaos of the Miluo Palace had become famous very early. When Zhu Santong attained the Dao, Young Master Chaos was already renowned throughout the world. However, because he ranked seventh in the Miluo Palace, he was called Seventh Young Master.
For Zhu Santong to call him an elder was not an overstatement.
What felt even more eerie was that the sky had become like an ocean. It was a Chaotic Sea, hanging upside down above the Ancestral Court. Above the Chaotic Sea were upside-down lotus flowers, enormous in size, with three or four lotus leaves floating on the sea's surface.
The Chaotic Sea was inverted in the sky. From within the sea, extremely bright streams of light would occasionally erupt, dazzlingly brilliant. However, as these light streams reached the lotus flowers, they would arc through the air and fall into the lotus.
Inside the lotus was a lotus platform, with a lotus seed pod in the center. Streams of chaotic energy sprayed from the holes of the lotus seed pod, complementing the light streams.
This scene left everyone staring wide-eyed.
"Shang Jun and the Netherworld Lord never mentioned these changes in the Ancestral Court," Emperor Yi Yue said, staring blankly at the scene, murmuring.
"Those two are the type who wouldn't utter a single word even if beaten eight times with a stick. You can't rely on them," Granny Si said, also staring wide-eyed, speaking nonchalantly.
Zhu Santong looked up. He saw that the lotus platform was surrounded by six layers of lotus petals. This was the sixth grade of Dao quality of the Guixu Dao.
Among the group, he had the highest insight and knowledge and could discern some clues.
The Guixu Dao: one cycle of cosmic birth and destruction constituted one grade of Dao quality. The highest achiever of the Guixu Dao was Young Master Wuji of the Miluo Palace, whose lotus platform had sixteen grades of Dao quality.
Although she was not born in the first epoch of the universe, she had explored the destruction and creation tribulations of the first epoch, thus enabling her to cultivate this.
Qin Mu's ability to cultivate the sixth grade of Dao quality was most likely due to absorbing the power of the destruction tribulation.
"But he would also need methods like those of the Creation Gods to comprehend the mysteries of the creation tribulation," Zhu Santong thought to himself. "He is not a Creation God, but he probably possesses similar means. However, the Creation Gods have turned into monsters. I wonder if Seventh Young Master can hold onto his Dao heart..."
Suddenly, he shook his head violently, thinking: "Seventh Young Master is already a monster himself!"
Qin Fengqing led the way, heading towards the Cosmic Primordial Bell, and said, "Be careful. Those prehistoric powerhouses who crawled over from the past are all formidable, with powerful divine abilities and Dao techniques that you've likely never seen. If you die before even taking the field, it would be a disgrace to the Eternal Peace civilization."
Heavenly Lord was the most powerful among them, the only one who had attained the Dao. He and Qin Fengqing opened the path ahead.
As their group walked down from the cauldron wall, they saw traces of fierce Dao battles everywhere in the Ancestral Court, and they couldn't help but feel inwardly alarmed.
These Dao technique remnants were mostly the residual power of divine abilities left by top-tier Heavenly Lords and Dao attainers. The Dao chains had transformed into various forms—mountains, rivers, trees, divine beasts, and divine objects.
There were also broken Dao weapons, the weapons of Dao attainers, stuck in the earth like mountain ranges.
These fragments of Dao weapons were likely the weapons of prehistoric Dao attainers, destroyed in battle.
Dumb intended to go pick them up, but Village Chief quickly grabbed him, whispering, "Don't embarrass Mu'er. These are things others have discarded. We are Mu'er's family, not scavengers."
Dumb turned a deaf ear and picked up some Dao weapon fragments, overjoyed.
Further ahead, there were broken Dao trees lying scattered on the ground. Dumb immediately ran over to collect them. Blind couldn't resist either, and Butcher hurried over, saying, "There's some excellent material here! I'll forge a good blade!"
In the end, Village Chief couldn't hold back either. He ran over to scavenge, saying, "Dumb, that sword..."
After they had cleared this battlefield, everyone had gained something. Even Zhu Santong had snatched a few treasures, his heart pounding: "This is much faster than when I used to rob those Dao attainers in my past life."
In his past life, he was a bandit among Dao attainers, skilled in transformation and deception, having plundered many Dao attainers. Eventually, during a destruction tribulation, he tried to rob other Dao attainers of their life-saving treasures and was suppressed by Young Master Taishang.
Young Master Taishang, like the master of the Miluo Palace, rarely killed, so he survived until now.
The group continued forward, passing another battlefield relic, also littered with treasures. They couldn't help but scavenge again.
They traveled this way, stopping and starting, passing over a dozen battlefields. Everyone was already stuffed to the brim and couldn't carry any more, so they had to give up.
Suddenly, a golden ship flew over from ahead and stopped before them.
Knowing it was Qin Mu who had sent the golden ship to pick them up, everyone boarded. They saw that the deck of the golden ship was piled high with treasures, forming mountains.
Compared to this, the treasures they had scavenged were truly the discarded scraps!
Everyone felt ashamed. Granny Si placed her scavenged treasures on the deck, but the golden ship swept a beam of golden light over them, rolled up the treasures she had painstakingly collected, and tossed them overboard.
Granny Si's face flushed slightly. She spat, "Mu'er is getting worse at managing his household. Honestly, so wasteful..."
The others' faces reddened even more. They wanted to throw away their own scavenged treasures but couldn't bear to part with them. These were indeed earth-shattering treasures, but compared to the treasures on the golden ship, they were nothing.
The Ferry of the Ages carried them towards the Cosmic Primordial Bell. The closer they got to that bell, the more enormous it appeared, making their hearts race with fear.
That bell didn't seem like a treasure; it seemed more like a divine ability. One could see the various Dao structures on its surface and inner walls—the large Dao chains, the small Dao patterns, the intricate runes—all clearly visible.
Moreover, on the bell's wall, one could see the myriad Daos of the universe, the heavens and the earth. All kinds of inconceivable Daos flowed on the bell's surface. Sun, moon, stars, constellations, star clusters, various heavens—all were vividly displayed.
Near the bell's suspension knob, there were transformations of the Five Primes: Taiji, Taisu, Taishi, Taichu, Taiyi. The closer to the knob, the closer it was to the creation tribulation.
Everyone was horrified, staring blankly at the point where the creation tribulation of the Cosmic Primordial Bell erupted.
It was an unimaginable catastrophe. It was clearly creating a brand new universe, bringing infinite vitality, yet its power seemed capable of destroying all past decay!
Zhu Santong, in particular, trembled, his legs unable to move.
Heavenly Lord, Qin Fengqing, and the others had heard of the creation tribulation but had never seen it. They only felt its power and found it terrifying.
But Zhu Santong had seen it!
During the years he was suppressed by Young Master Taishang in the Obelisk Forest and thrown into the Void Filth Grounds, he had experienced several creation tribulations. Each time, he felt he was doomed, and each time, he was scared out of his wits!
The creation tribulation of this Cosmic Primordial Bell brought back those memories.
At the suspension knob of the Cosmic Primordial Bell was a magnificent and imposing Chaos Hall, suppressing the Ancestral Court of the Seventeenth Epoch. Rolling chaotic energy surged from the hall, forming a giant hand.
That hand erupted with the catastrophe of creation, creating the magnificent scene of the Cosmic Primordial Bell, blasting through the sixteen Chaotic Long Rivers surrounding the World Tree, opening a path for the Kai Emperor and others to attack the World Tree.
Within the sixteen Chaotic Long Rivers, countless thick roots of the World Tree crisscrossed, piercing into the great bell, limiting its power.
This was the Boundless Old Man, using his own body to contend with Qin Mu!
Countless powerhouses from the sixteen cosmic epochs climbed onto the tree roots, charging into the great bell, engaging in a bloody battle with the Kai Emperor, Qin Ye, and others, fighting until the sky and earth turned dark!
Boom—
The bell sound, like the creation of the world, still echoed, surging mightily, striking the Great Black Mountain. Beneath the Great Black Mountain, the black mountain formed from the roots of the previous generation's World Tree rose into the air, cracked, shattered, and turned to dust!
On the golden ship, everyone was shocked. They saw that the ship did not directly fly into the great bell but headed towards the Chaos Hall at the bell's knob.
Looking into the distance, they saw the doors of the Chaos Hall wide open. The hall was vast and chaotic, and at its center, a World Tree was faintly visible.
Within the chaotic mist, Qin Mu's figure was hazy, seated there.
The giant hand that had emerged from the chaotic energy was his hand!
After the bell sound subsided, the myriad Daos in front of the great bell suddenly spun rapidly and contracted. The Kai Emperor and the others immediately began to retreat.
The great bell that had suppressed the sixteen Chaotic Long Rivers contracted layer by layer. The Boundless Old Man also controlled the World Tree's roots to contract. The prehistoric powerhouses on the tree roots hurriedly fled along the roots, not daring to stay.
Soon, the Kai Emperor and the others reached the first Chaotic Long River. They leaped and landed before the Chaos Hall. By then, the great bell had already contracted to the state of the Five Primes.
Then, a clear bell sound rang out. The Five Primes state disappeared, transforming into a Chaos Bell about the height of a person, which Qin Mu held in his palm.
Qin Mu stood up, hung this great bell under the eaves of the Chaos Hall, and waved his sleeve to disperse the chaotic energy. He smiled and said, "Granny, you've finally arrived."
———— Congratulations to Tian Shu Shi Shou on your birthday! Shou Shou, may you be happy~~